#our boss is out for training and the person who was covering her ended up being covid positive (yikes) so the new person has no handover

[imisskacchan]

Mouse

Summary: You were an assassin sent to kill him. What happens when your cover is blown?

TW: Non-con, Kidnapping, Stockholm syndrome, Mob Boss Karma

Words: 4k

“Can you handle this task Y/N? If not we will find someone more capable” Lovro asked.

That made my blood boil, as if there’s anyone more capable of killing that bastard than me.

“I can handle it” I say, collecting my gear and walking out with only one goal in mind, Kill Karma Akabane.

I’ve been waiting for a chance to get revenge all these years. It’s only fitting he dies by my hand.

Karma and I grew up together, however we were never friends. He was a self assured asshole who used everyone for his own personal gain. I couldn’t stand him. With both of us being in E-class it was hard to avoid him.

Somehow we always got paired up no matter how many times I asked Koro sensei to not assign him as my partner. Our differences were made apparent every single time he put me on my ass. It was like he was showing me that I was nothing compared to him. I couldn’t even begin to compare. With grades or skill. But besides training he always kept his distance from me. Like he was too good to even be in my presence.

I hated him, but only because I didn’t. He was everything I wanted to be, everything I wanted for myself always ended up falling into his lap somehow.

I Just wanted to prove to him, to everyone, that I was just as good as he was. I never was though. I was a ‘little mouse’ and he was the big bad cat. No matter how hard I trained or studied, I could never reach his level. Well until now.

Now nothing’s going to stop me from completing this mission and proving how much better I am. He wasn’t going to leave me in the dust this time, I'm not going to let him. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when I'm the last thing he sees.

I had already gone shopping and chosen the outfits and accessories I needed to ‘play’ his new secretary. It has been so long there’s no way he’ll recognize me.

He’d forget someone as plain and useless as me and that will be his downfall. Like he said he would, he is now the highest ranked politician in Tokyo, however he is also the leader of the Yakuza which puts bounties on his head. Bounties that I'll soon collect.

I text Lovro and let him know everything’s in place for my first day at his office. It’s going to be hard keeping my cool around him but oh so worth it in the end.

He has a hard time keeping assistants because of his sadistic tendencies. I know them all too well from our time in junior high.

His strength will cause his demise. I walk into the building and fight the urge to puke. It’s huge and luxurious, he doesn’t deserve it, he doesn’t deserve anything.

He’s gotten his power from stepping on others and using them as pawns. I’m going to put an end to it.

I keep my head down as I walk to the elevator, there’s no need to cause unnecessary attention to myself. This is a stealth mission, I have to keep a low profile. Once I reached the elevator I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Here goes everything I've ever worked for.

I press the button to the 50th floor and will myself to calm down. For now I'm just another assistant. I won’t make any moves till I collect intel on the target.

I reach my designated floor and head to your desk. The stand in receptionist eyes me with caution till I introduce myself. A look of sadness crosses her face. She gathers her things from my desk and wishes me luck because ‘i’ll need it’ she says.

She has no idea.

I quickly take my seat and set my things where they belong. I pull out my pen that’s equipped with a wire and set it with the other ones so it doesn’t stand out. I have to memorize his schedule and find the perfect opportunity to strike.

Easy enough right?

I take a look at his appointment book and fuck...this is going to take longer than I thought. He doesn’t have a set schedule, he basically does whatever he wants and everyone else works around him. Hah nothing new there. I place the appointment book back in the drawer and sigh. I don’t want to have to be around him for longer than I need to. I’ll just have to make do with what I have though. Right now Karma was in a meeting so I have a few hours to myself.

I walk over to his office door and wiggle the handle but it’s locked. There’s nothing else for me to really do till he gets back. I sit back down at my desk and go over the plan in my head, I tweak any details that have changed and try to stay optimistic. I just have to get close enough to him so he lets his guard down, even if it’s just for a second, and take my shot.

Easier said than done I suppose. It’s about two hours later when Karma arrives back at the office. He passes me without sparing you a glance as he heads into his office. So far so good, staying under the radar like I'm supposed to. I make sure to get my work done on top of planning how to kill Akabane. The last thing I need is to be fired and lose my chance to end him. It's nearing the end of my shift, the sun has already set and mostly everyone else has gone home for the day. I stand up from my desk and stretch before making my way to Karma’s office. I knock twice before letting myself in.

He’s sitting at his desk scrolling through his phone.

“I was going to head home for the day sir I wanted to make sure there was nothing else you needed.” It pains me to act so submissive for him. He doesn’t look up from his device to answer you.

“There’s nothing else, you’re free to leave” he dismisses me and I nod before taking my leave. If only I could’ve killed him right there.

I’ve been working for him for a week now. Everything has been running smoothly but there still hasn’t been an opening. Somehow I have to get closer to him but I doubt that can happen in a few weeks. I feel like I'm going crazy. I wasn’t cut out for desk work, at all.

Most of Karma’s meetings are private so I can’t attend, when I am allowed to accompany him it’s mostly to political conferences. I do my job, take notes and schedule the next meetings, nothing more nothing less. Karma has barely said 3 words to me since I arrived. It’s perplexing because all of his previous assistants I've interviewed said that he becomes a tyrant after the first day. Maybe his work has picked up and he doesn’t have time? All I know is I'm glad to stay out of the limelight.

It’s nearing the end of my shift again. I was just going to go home without notifying Karma like I’ve done the past few days. I trust if he needs something he’ll ask. I’m gathering my things to go home when I hear his office door open.

“Ah Ms. Blake I'm glad I caught you before you left, could we speak for a moment?” He didn’t give me time to answer before walking back into his office and taking a seat at his desk. I place my bag on my chair and figure I'll come back for it later. I walk in after him, closing the door and taking the seat in front of him.

He doesn’t speak, for a moment he just stares at me. It’s me who breaks the silence first.

“There was something you wanted to speak about sir?” I asked softly. A smirk graced his face as he held his chin in his palms.

“I didn’t think you were stupid enough to take the hit on me Y/N.” My breath hitched at the sound of your real name, how did he know? Do I have a rat? That has to be it.

“E-excuse me?” I say feigning confusion. “Drop the act Y/N, I caught you. I was always the better assassin.” He leered.

“Fuck you Akabane” I say standing up and leaping at him over the desk. Fuck... my other weapons are in my bag I left.

I reach for my hidden knife holstered on my thigh but before I can reach it Karma places a cloth over my mouth. I hold my breath till I become dizzy and he flips me over straddling my legs as he watches me lose consciousness. “I missed you, my little mouse,” he whispers as I close my eyes.

I open my eyes and immediately regret it. My head pounds and my mouth is unbelievably dry. How long have I been out? I sit up slowly wincing as I grab my head. That asshole really chloroformed me. I look around and my heart drops. I’m in a fucking cell... A 6 inch thick clear acrylic wall which leads to a hallway which goes to who knows where is the only exit I see.

The room is bare except for the bed, a small bathroom area with a small shower, and a desk with a chair. There’s no doubt there’s a camera in here somewhere. I’m not in my clothes anymore, instead I'm dressed in gray sweatpants and a matching sweatshirt. That psycho changed me while I was asleep. Fuck... fuck... fuck This is bad, this is really bad. I have to get out. And when I do I'm gonna kill that bastard.

I’m snapped out of my thoughts as I hear footsteps. It’s him.

“Ah so you’re finally awake, good I was beginning to think you would let a little chloroform take you out.” He sneered.

“How long have you kept me here you fucking psycho?” I spat, banging on the glass.

“Now, is that any way to talk to your boss?” He said, smiling eerily.

“When I get out of here I'm gonna make you regret this Akabane.”

“Then I suppose I'm just gonna have to keep you locked in there huh? Little mouse.”

I scream as he walks away, leaving me alone again. ‘Ok Y/N don’t panic, I'm gonna get out of here and wipe that smirk off his face’ I thought. I make my way back over the bed and sit with my knees to my chest laying my head on them. I can’t do anything right now. It felt like someone was stepping on my head and I know I haven’t eaten or drank in days. I’ll have to wait till I gather my strength till I can try and escape. But even if I do, where will I go? I have no clue where I am or how to get out. I have to find a way to get him to let me out of this damn cage. I sob gently as I clutch my knees harder. How did things turn out like this?

I must’ve fallen asleep from crying. I open my eyes and sigh. I’m still here in this hellhole. “I take it you had a nice nap?” Karma says from the other side of the glass. I roll my eyes as I sit up.

“I brought you dinner” he continues, gesturing to the bowl of ramen he’s holding.

“Is it poisoned so I can put myself out of my misery?” you deadpanned. His smile drops into something darker.

“I guess you don’t need to eat if you’re going to say something so horrible, princess.” He says turning to walk away. What is his problem? It’s not like I said I wanted to poison him. My stomach grumbles and I swallow my pride. “W-wait... please don’t go.” I call after him and he halts.

He walks back to the glass and glares at me, tapping his foot like he’s waiting for something. I take a deep breath before I speak. “I’m sorry... for what I said. Please let me eat.” I croaked. That must’ve pleased him because his smile returned.

“Sit on the bed Y/N.” He ordered. Afraid of angering him again I did as asked. He moved to the side of the glass and typed in what I assumed was a code. The glass lifted up like a window would. He walked in and it closed behind him. He sets the bowl on the desk and sets a bottle of water next to it. I look at him, silently asking permission to move and he motions for me to come and sit.

I slowly walk over and pull out the chair, sitting down. I break the chopsticks he brought and slowly begin to eat. I flinch when he moves his hand toward my head. It doesn’t stop him from placing it in my hair and softly petting. I ignore him as I continue eating. I savor the taste of the perfectly cooked noodles and rich broth.

He’s standing behind me now with a hand placed on each of my shoulders rubbing soothing circles.

“It’s still your favorite, right?” He asked. My heartbeat increased as his fingers trail across my collarbone. I silently nod, not trusting my voice to not give away how nervous I am. With my strength diminished it would be significantly easier to kill me right now, I probably couldn’t put up much of a fight. He just hums and continues to explore my form with his hands. I set my chopsticks down as I finish and grab the water bottle. I open it and take a couple sips before I cough lightly.

“Slow down princess.” he says, patting my back. Why is he acting so weird?

“I’m fine.” I say trying to get him to take the hint to stop touching me but he doesn’t. I put down the empty water bottle and stand up, I back away from him and sit back on the bed. I feel a little better now that I’ve eaten.

“I want to leave Karma, let me out.” I say in a stern voice.

“And why would I do that mouse?” He comes to stand in front of me and I scoot back till I reach the wall.

“I’m having so much fun with you here.” He answered.

“You can’t just keep me prisoner, someone will come for me when they realize I'm missing.” I remarked.

“Oh? And is this someone you’re referring to, Lovro?” He asks shrewdly. I open my mouth to say something but decide not to.

“You know Y/N, I couldn’t have gotten you here if it wasn’t for him.” He sighs.

“W-what?” I ask shakily.

“You’re so naive, that’s why I have to protect you from the dangerous world outside.” He grabs my hands and when I try to pull them away I can’t. It feels like I can’t move, my body won’t listen to me. He drugged me...

“What did you give me Akabane?” I’m seething and I hope it shows on my face as I glare at him.

“Don’t look so morose darling, I just needed you to be relaxed.” He sits next to me pulling me on his lap bridal style. I’m trying my hardest to punch, kick, do something, anything. It’s no use, whatever he gave me must’ve been a paralytic of some kind.

Ugh i’m so stupid, how could I let this happen? He holds me so my head is resting on his shoulder with an arm over my legs and the other one is behind me holding my waist.

“I’ve been trying to get Lovro to send you to me for a while. He has been on my payroll ever since I took office.” He brings the hand over my legs to rub my thighs softly.

“You were never cut out for this life Y/N, I needed to protect you, so I finally offered him something he couldn’t turn down.” He whispered and kissed my head.

“He sold you out. All for a place at my table with the Yakuza.” I can’t hold in my tears. I actually thought Lovro cared about me, he was the father I never had. This whole mission was rigged. All I can do is cry against my captor.

“Shhh, it’s ok princess he’ll die for that, but you’re safe with me now. No one’s ever going to hurt you again.” For some reason that made me sob harder.

Sure he was a rat but that didn’t mean I wanted Lovro to die. Everyone has a price, I know that but I guess I didn’t expect this. How long had he known Karma was planning this? Why didn’t he say anything to me? I never even stood a chance against the monster before me.

“You’ll stay here until I can trust you enough to join me in our room upstairs.”

Our room…? This man is crazy. His hands get close to my clothed core and I let out a scared whine.

“I was going to wait till you were settled before I indulged in your presence, but I don’t think I can.” He said, setting me down on the bed and getting on top of me.

“All that time learning about weak spots and mine was you all along.”

“Please... d-don’t.” I hiccup trying to fight with my body to move. I feel his hands trail under my sweatshirt, they feel rough against my skin.

“Don’t worry mouse, I'm gonna make you feel real good yeah? Just sit back and look pretty for me.” His hands come to my hips, tugging down my sweatpants and panties discarding them somewhere in the room. No no no… this can’t be happening.

“Karma wait… I- I’m not-“ He cut me off with a kiss. It was rough and hard to keep up with his pace. He swipes his tongue across my bottom lip and bit down hard. I cry out from the pain and he chuckles lightly, lapping at the blood he drew.

He pushes my thighs apart and situates himself on his stomach between them. I close my eyes trying to imagine being literally anywhere else at this moment.

“All that time in junior high and you were so oblivious… I thought staying away from you was necessary… that if I couldn’t control myself around you you’d end up getting hurt. But now… now I understand you need me to protect you, to look out for you.” I want to scream as I feel his fingers slide inside of me.

“Karma please just… just let me out ok? I’m sorry for trying to kill you but please don’t do this.” I plead.

“Oh baby you are not remotely close to being sorry.” He says curling his fingers and finding my g-spot.

“But you will be when I'm finished.” I gasp as I feel his tongue come down on my clit. Me and my lady parts are about to go to WAR. This shouldn’t feel good… I know it’s the biological response or whatever but still.

“That’s it princess, lose yourself for me.” I try to tune him out but nothing’s working. I clench my teeth trying desperately to hold back my moans.

“I hate you Akabane, and I'll never forgive you for this.” I mutter and he stills. He pulls his digits out of me and brings his hand to my throat.

“Take that back Y/N.” He screams. “Say you don’t mean it.” His voice drops to a whisper as his grip tightens. He almost sounds… hurt? I close my eyes trying to focus on getting as much air in my lungs as possible.

“Okay… have it your way then.” He says before releasing my throat and getting off me. He grabs my clothes from the floor and slides them back on me without a word before he turns to the door. I hear the sounds of the keypad buttons as he types them and I wish I knew the code. When the door shuts behind him and I no longer hear his footsteps as he walks away, I finally give in and let more tears fall. He was willing to go that far… No. I have to stop thinking about it or I’m gonna drive myself insane. I’ve always known he was a monster, he just proved it today.

Despite everything though, why do I feel lonely? Why do I want him to come back to hold me again, to tell me everything’s gonna be ok? It has to be some sort of trauma response right? It’s just my hormones going wild because of this whole situation. Or at least that’s what I tell myself.

When Karma comes the next day he doesn’t speak to me. I try to get him to say something, anything but he doesn’t. He just sets the food and water he brought me on the desk and waits for me to finish eating. This goes on for days until I just can’t take it anymore. “Would you just fucking speak to me? You’re literally holding me captive, it's like the least you could do.” I say.

He ignores me. I step closer to him and try again. “You’re lucky I even want you to talk to me, after everything you’ve done I should be giving you the silent treatment.” I spat.

Still nothing.

“Did I hurt your feelings Akabane? What, me saying I hate you ruined your little fantasy?” I push him against the glass with my hands on his shoulders. “Y/N… I’m warning you.” he says slowly through clenched teeth.

“What are you gonna do this time huh? You gonna drug me again? Go ahead, it's not like I have any dignity left after the first time. You took away my choices, my life, and I… hate… you.” I whisper into his ear.

Before I can stop it he flips me around so my back is to the wall and his hand is around my throat. My eyes go wide and I try to push him off of me but he gathers both my hands in one of his and holds them over my head. His knee pushes between my thighs and I will myself to not move.

“You love me Y/N, say it.” He demanded. “You’re delusional Akabane, I’ll never love you.” His hand moves across my face hard. The motherfucker smacked me.

“I’ll make you love me, I have nothing but time, mouse.” He pushes his knee against my clothed core and a needy moan escapes me. Fuck… I didn’t mean to do that.

“You might not want me but your body is honest with its desires.” He places kisses on my neck as he rubs his knee against my clit.

“Fuck… Fuck you.” I say struggling against him, it only adds to the friction against my clit and I bite my lip stifling a moan.

“That’s the plan, princess.” He says sticking his hand down my pants and feeling my arousal I knew was there.

“Fuck baby… so wet for me already.” He growls and my cheeks heat up. I swear me and my pussy are gonna have a heart to heart cuz what… and I can’t stress this enough… the FUCK?

I continue to struggle against him and he must get impatient because he pulls me with him by my hair. He pushes me so I’m bent over the desk and my hands are behind my back held in his. I squirm as I hear him remove his belt before a ‘fwip’ rings in my ears. I cry out as I feel the belt hit my ass.

“Stay. Still.” He says threateningly as he binds my hands together and tugging on them to make sure they’re tight enough. He moves to pull my sweats down and my breath speeds up as I feel the cold air on my wet core.

“Karma wait please… you’re right ok I love you just please stop, you proved your point already.” I pleaded.

“See, I knew you’d come around mouse, now let me reward you.” He said pulling out his length and rubbing it between my folds. All that comes to mind is I hope he pulls out because he’s not using protection. I open my mouth to express my concerns but fail. I gasp as I feel him enter me at an agonizingly slow pace.

“Fuck… so tight… ‘s like your sucking me in.” He slurs as he bottoms out. I bite my bottom lip trying to hold in my moans. Akabane seems too preoccupied to notice as he pulls all the way out of me before slamming back in. One of his hands finds my hips and the other tangles in my hair before he starts pistoning into me.

“K-karm… nngh fuck… please.” I don’t even know what I’m begging for as I feel his cock hit all the right places.

“That’s it baby...shit… so perfect for me.” He groans as he feels me clench around his length. A hand moves in front of me to rub my clit and I see white as my orgasm hits me.

“Yes… fuck, cum all over my cock, such a good girl.” He praises as he chases his own release. I feel his hips stutter and I try to pull off him.

“Wait Karma, not inside.” I beg but it’s useless as he rams into me and I feel him paint my insides white. Tears start to fall again.

“Shh, it’s ok… you’re all mine. I’ll take care of you.” He whispers and I cry harder as I feel his length harden again inside me.

#assassination classroom #Yandere Karma #yandere assassination classroom #karma smut #karma akabane #minors dni

[strawberrystepmom]

malevolent enterprise ch. 3

ceo au series. sukuna and yuji are brothers. gojo x f!reader are endgame. reader is a lawyer and our freshly introduced journalist and sukuna are hooking up which leads to a tense discussion. cw: suggestive discussions. wc 1.4k.

divider thanks to @/cafekitsune | masterlist

Tasked once again with cleaning up Sukuna’s messes, you wiggle your foot impatiently and glance at your watch, shifting your gaze from there to around the crowded cafe, looking for the woman of the hour who was supposed to have arrived five minutes ago. 

You were early, of course, as is your overly accommodating nature. After spending time scoping out tables for any potential eavesdroppers or hired corporate espionage, you were satisfied with your inspection of people less than interested by you clicking across the floor and ordering a cup of Earl Gray. No one here gives a shit what’s happening at Ryomen Industries except for you and the little pink princess you’re so desperately trying to legally bind to keep her mouth shut on Ryomen Industries behalf.

Jiggling your ankle, you narrow your eyes and search again, pursed lips curling into a demure smile as you stand and wave the journalist in your direction. She’s pretty, something you already knew to be true despite only seeing her in passing a couple of times, even more so in casual pants and a sweater. A half wave is her response and she makes her way through the people moving from the counter to the tables across the cafe.

“Thank you for coming.” 

“I apologize for being late, the train ran slightly off schedule today.”

You try to hide your surprise at the lack of warmth in her voice but given the task she’s here to do, you can hardly blame her. Nobody wants to meet with a lawyer in broad daylight to sign paperwork, much less something that could jeopardize the integrity of an investigation she has invested months into. 

“I understand. Some things end up being truly out of your control no matter who you are.” Your smile is so measured she fights the urge to shiver, unsurprised that someone like you is heading up the legal department at Sukuna’s new company. 

The journalist has a perspective you lack about the man, though, and that’s who he is when the lights are low. She knows him intimately and this is dangerous knowledge to have about a man who is known for being as ruthless in a boardroom as he is devilish at a nightclub. He’s a wildcard in every sense of the word and that’s why you have to protect not simply the company that employs you but him, too. 

The things we do for our friends. 

She pulls out the chair opposite you and you offer another tight smile, clasping your fingers and placing your hands on the table in front of you. 

“I just have a few things I want to go over and then you will be able to have your day back.” She nods and looks around, waiting for a waitress to pass to order a drink.

 “I know you had some questions so allow me to clarify.” You pick up a dark colored folder, tapping your nails against the cover. “These documents have no impact on the things you’ve discovered through traditional journalistic means about Sukuna and anything he has told you on the record is fair game.”

She turns her gaze back to you, eyes so pretty you understand immediately what your boss sees in her. Nodding her response, you wrap your fingers around your teacup and lift it from the plate in front of you, holding it inches from your mouth. 

“We know what kind of man he is when it comes to his personal life. He’s a serial philanderer, he has destroyed every hotel room he has ever stayed in, he…”

You trail off when her gaze turns icy and remains locked on you.

“If he’s so horrible, how can you stomach working for him?”

Tendrils of steam rise from your tea cup and you blow on them, pursing your lips and sniffing the lavender note in the tea itself to calm yourself before you really show your ass in front of everyone in this cafe. You exhale sharply through your nose, amused, and meet her glance with a flat glare of your own. 

“Well, only one of us is here to sign legal documents promising not to publish his tip color and girth in whatever newspaper you work for so I could ask you the same question.”

Lifting the mug to your mouth, you blow and the steam dissipates but does little to cover the evident offense on the other woman’s face. Immediately, you feel bad and sip your tea quickly and swallow even faster, setting the cup back down in front of you. The journalist plays with her silverware, tracing the curves of the handle of a spoon with her index finger, attempting to avoid making eye contact with you. She’s an impressive woman in her own right, an award winner in her field, and you feel like your boss is rubbing off on you too much these days. He’s an asshole but he hired you specifically not to be so you humbly clear your throat and rub your thumb over the tip of your nose.  

“I’m sorry, that was not a very nice thing to say and I’m not here to judge you about who you bed.”

She nods in disbelief and you know you have it coming. That wasn’t exactly your best moment as a person. 

“I need you to sign this to protect yourself,” you clarify. “If we don’t get this figured out, anything you say that he doesn’t like could come back to bite you and he changes his mind quickly.”

This is of course an offensive way to tell someone that he will eventually grow tired of them but you know it’s the truth and mincing words will only prolong her trepidation in getting this over with. You can’t sugarcoat the truth any further and looking into the earnest and sweet face of the woman across from you, you soften further and slump forward with a sigh. 

“I want to make sure nothing happens to you in all of this. Your career is too valuable to risk it over him.”

She looks at you, searching your face for hints of further deception or malice and finds none. Leaning back into her chair, she folds her arms over her chest and chews the inside of her cheek, the waitress she has been searching for still tending to the tables around the two of you. 

“I’d like to have my own legal counsel review the document before signing it.”

It’s a loss as far as completing the task Sukuna commanded goes but it’s a win otherwise as far as you’re concerned and you pass the folder across the table in her direction. She unfolds her arms and grabs the edge of the folder, dragging it toward her body and looking around the room as if she’s concerned more of his goons will approach her. 

With the document passed off, you lift your tea to your mouth and sip once again, stomach turning slightly despite the warm wash over your tongue. You swallow and force another tight lipped smile.

“Thank you again. I know this is weird but I’m not your enemy.”

You don’t know why you feel the need to tell her that but something tells you, a gut feeling perhaps, that this is far from the last time the two of you will be seeing each other. She nods and rises from her seat, quietly shoving it out behind her. You stop her before she walks away and tap the cover of the folder.

“My card is in there. Call me if you have questions, day or night.”

The offer is a peace offering above all and it has to be obvious. She raises her brow curiously, nodding with a smile. 

“We’ll see if I have to take you up on it. Take care.”

Offering a half wave, you watch as she rounds the table and heads toward the door. Finally you release your caught breath, the air enough to rustle the napkins on the table in front of you. Picking your phone up from the table, you groan when you’re greeted with three missed calls and ten new messages in the chat between you and your personal assistant.

Toge: hi come back he’s rampaging and no one knows why he broke a chair

Toge: also u have flowers at my desk…whose 🐓 have u been sucking 

Toge: damn these rnt even roses these r nice flowers 🪻🌸🌷

You scroll through the next several messages, rolling your eyes until you look at the one most recently sent and you freeze in place.

Toge: LOL GOJOS HEREEEEEE!!!!!!! come get ur man!!!!

Closing your phone, you lift your tea cup and sip for another luxurious few seconds before packing up and heading back to whatever hell awaits you at Ryomen Industries. 

#kendall writes #gojo x reader #gojo satoru x reader #malevolent enterprise

[hana-no-seiiki]

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line status: unedited

The Guest is God Host Club is home to many of our fantastic hosts here to make your day, afternoon, or evening a little more interesting. Our employees cover a vast amount of needs our visitors might want from a regular old friend to talk to or maybe a dominant sexual deviant to spend the night with !

It’s important to know that despite our guests position as gods and goddesses of our club, to touch and perform any type of activities must with our hosts must first ask for consent. The best way would be to use our in-house formats such as “May this god . . . ? “ or “Could you service this god by . . . ?” as our staff are trained to respond immediately to this call.

If you break any of the rules, especially the one above, you are to be eliminated escorted outside the premises and blacklisted from entering.

So, dearest Guest. Please make sure to read our rulebook thoroughly !

Now that you know what The Guest is God is, how about I introduce you to our hosts and hostesses?

Now I may be a bit biased, but [L/N] [Y/N] has got to be my favorite ♡ You’ll find them to be the best match for you if you’re interested in the maid types . [Y/N] may act like a bit of a brat at times however, as such it’s your job as our guest to put them in their place ! We can’t have a disobedient servant after all . Oh oh, and I heard, if you pay extra you can bring them home to do your chores and what not. Aren’t you just excited by the thought of —

[ You hear an awfully loud cough from the other side and a couple of smacks. ]

Thanks but th-that hurt, y’know!

Fine ! Fine ! Moving on. Geez.

Now, Hazu Kashi is our latest addition so there may be times he . . . gets out of character but rest assured he’ll get to an acceptable level . . . one day. He’s supposed to represent the Dominant Daddy type but he’s a bit too shy. I honestly don’t know what boss was thinking trying to —

[ Another smack, this time much, much louder ]

He does pack a hit however! [ groan ] Making him the perfect sadist to entertain any of your masochistic needs!

Unto our next host, shall we?

If you’re looking for a more experienced worker. Ms. Hilda Mcguire might be more up your speed. She has worked here for close to a decade now and used to be the top of the ranks before [Y/N]. If you’re into the classic femme fatale who’ll sweep you right off your feet then I suggest scheduling a meeting with her.

Mmm . . . who next . . .

Oh Oh! If you’re up for even more spice in your life, might I direct you to our very own Orochi Kimura! The Yandere Lover. Signing up for them is a little tricky though. Buncha waivers regarding privacy and the lack thereof moving forward with his contract, possible missing peers and family members, bloody letters and what not.

Ah, you want something a little more tame?

Keisuke Abe is pretty rough around the edges. If you like a little excitement but not - well risk your life and all that. Keisuke is pretty fun to hang out with. Though the smell of alcohol in his dedicated room is quite nauseating. He’s great at bringing people out of their shells !

For guests with more expensive tastes, I recommend Junichiro and Nao. Jun is the perfect sugar baby for those whose time is little and wallets big. Give him a gift or two and he’ll be yours to use however you’d like. Nao on the other hand is for guests who love to be on the receiving end.

Tired of demure partners? Why don’t you try Masashi? Personally I wouldn’t hang out more than I have to with the grump, but surprisingly he’s quite popular with the folks here. Some people really do like getting insulted 24/7 huh?

On the other hand, if you like the definition of bland . . . er - shy. Well Haku, Hazu’s twin, should be right up your alley! He’s more of a listener than a talker, so he’s usually partnered with chatty clients.

Let’s get some estrogen back in for our last few introductions . . .

Hinata has to be my second favorite next to [Y/N]. She used to work as a regular old nurse both in and out of the club until Boss was looking for a potential replacement for the latter. Fortunately I heard that [Y/N]’s graduation was cancelled so they’re both available at the moment. As a host she’s pretty similar but with less of the formal speech and more of the motherly vibes, y’know?

Emi Ishii is a jack of all trades when it comes to the sibling-con types. May it be the clingy little sister or the big boobie- [cough] nice older sister, Emi’s got ya covered! A little warning though, that girl can talk for hours if you pick the little sister option. Even I got winded.

And last but not least, we have our general staff members. You might encounter us once in a while during your stays inside the club.

Our boss Mr. Melchior is basically as old as time at this point. I heard from Ms. Hilda that he’s been here since she started working ten years ago and he has not age a bit! He can be really, really scary when people break the rules . .

Ursa or what we usually call her, Bear, is in charge of security. Nothing gets past her sight. If you ever see a big bear mask and claws. Make sure you’re in your best possible behavior.

If you’re having scheduling problems or issues with how your host is acting, please contact either Akihiko Sugimoto or Mei Lan. They’re in-charge of human resources and management respectively.

A quick ring of a bell will alert Kin, our cleaner of any messes you’d like to have gone. He doesn’t exactly talk so don’t expect a conversation if you ever pass by him down the halls.

And last but not least, little old me! I man the desk 24/7. No rest for the wicked they say h a h a! You can call me Youko. I’ll be handling your documents, log in times, and what-not in addition to any questions you may have about The Guest is God.

You still need a bit more time to choose?

Once you’ve made a decision just give this number another ring. I’ll be right here to guide you along the sign-up process.

Hope to see you here soon, Mr. Eden Whitlock!

GUEST IS GOD REGULARS: [reply to be added to the taglist]

©️ hana-no-seiiki 2023.

#yandere #yandere x reader #The Guest is God 🎰 #yandere ocs x reader #yandere imagine #yandere fic #yan #original characters #ocs #yandere original characters x reader #ocs x you #original character x you #ocs x reader #yandere scenarios #yan oc #yan ocs #yan original characters #yan imagine #yandere blurb #yandere concept #yandere original character x reader #yandere oc x you #tw.yandere #tw. yandere

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Tuesday evening all :) Another non Chenford ep BUT good separate SL’s once again. After this this won’t be an issue for a long while ha Good scenes with Harper training Lucy for UC. Which I LOVE basically female version of Tim and I love it. Good moments with Nolan and Tim. You read that right haha Nolan still mainly a putz but their scenes are good. Second to last ep of the season. Woo here we go.

3x13 Triple Duty

Tim and Nolan are paired together in this one. Their dynamic changes a little more each time they are paired. Last time was 2x12 when Lucy was with Harper. We start the episode off on lovely note. Tim asking how Henry is? Ugh love this man’s heart. Look at him asking Nolan of all people a personal question. AND he’s being genuine about it. Be still my heart Mr. Bradford.

Tim asks about his interest in T.O. once he’s graduated as well. Look at our boy creating conversation with John. I love it so much. I think it's partly to see his reason but mostly genuine. Nolan asks Tim if he has any advice he could share he would appreciate it. Tim saying ‘Sure’ is the best. Look how he’s grown. Being a fountain of info for Nolan. How times have changed.

Their convo is interrupted by hearing multiple gun shots. Assault rifles from the sounds of it. They pull up to cemetery and are shot at immediately. They follow the guy deep into the cemetery and find his body. Looks like he was shot to hell and couldn’t make it any farther. They investigate more and stumble upon a massacre. I love the look they share as they hear backup arriving. Pretty grim.

Looks like the war that was created last ep with La Fiera has begun. Crazy brutal way to start it but she is a VERY angry grieving mother. She is taking swift action and justice on the late Tomas’s business. His son clearly her target for what happened to Diego. A turf war has begun and doesn’t look like there are signs of it letting up.

Angela shows up on scene to confer with Grey, Tim and Nolan. La Fiera flew back to Guatemala to bury Diego. She has since returned to take care of unfinished business. She is camping out at a hotel downtown. Rented out the entire floor for her time in L.A. Grey tells Angela to go and see her. Cesar has gone to ground and Narcotics can’t find him. Tim says he could ask Mack he worked for his dad. Now that he’s in rehab will have a clearer head to help out. Look at the good that came from him helping Mack out. Full circle goodness already. Good job Tim.

We catch Lucy and Jackson fighting over who’s going to do paperwork. Jackson is winning until Grey calls her into his office. Leaving him with the dreaded paperwork haha When she enters his office Harper is there. Grey asks her if she heard about the mass casualties from this morning? Lucy tells him yes that they expected as much after what happened at the hospital.

Harper then steps in and says this has created an opportunity for them. Saying how when bosses are murdered/die it changes things. UC’s get upended from their covers due to it. She then says it lets them bring new UC’s into the field. We watch Lucy light up like a Christmas Tree. She could not be more excited about this news. Ready to jump in and do whatever Nyla wants to be apart of this.

If Tim could hear all this he would be having a coronary. LOL Lucy is so excited to have another crack at a UC OP. Saying she is so ready to do this again if they need it. Harper tells her not so fast. This won’t be a sting operation like last time. It's going to be be a long term placement instead. Much different than the one time OP she did back in 3x06. Her character remains the same the operation not so much.

Grey lets her know she would be on her own. No backup or surveillance like last time. That he’s told Harper to test her readiness today. That if she doesn’t sign off with confidence it’s not happening. You can tell Lucy is chomping at the bit to prove herself. I do love Grey telling her it’s ok if by end of day she isn’t prepared. No shame in the game. Harper tells Lucy to go get changed they’re throwing her in the deep end ASAP.

Tim gets the info he needs from Mack. Yay good job Mack ha Tim and Nolan roll up to Cesar’s hideout. Tim is confident and leading the charge in the convo. Quite sexy to watch. Telling Cesar if he just honors the deal his father made La Fiera might let him live. Otherwise she’s coming for him hard and won’t let up till he’s dead.

Cesar is pig headed and refuses to do this of course. Saying what belonged to the father will be inherited by the son. Ok but no LOL They warn him if his men believe the deal is legit they’ll bail on him. Leaving him exposed and alone by not cutting this off at the pass. Cesar continues his cocky act. No wonder she ends up offing you my man….Nolan asks Tim what they do from here? He tells him they can only hope Angela having better luck with La Fiera…

In their downtime Angela has assigned Tim the task of cop RSVPs and getting the number down. They haven’t replied so he has to track them down for numbers or if they have to reduce that number. He’s battling with someone with the amount they want to bring. Tim is so over being a MOH LOL Nolan motions for him to hand over the phone. John throws Tim under the bus. Saying he miscalculated the venue cap. That she can’t have a plus 4.

When he hands the phone back my lord. If looks could kill LMAO Asking if he’s proud of himself? Throwing a fellow officer under the bus? John’s reply is pretty solid(even if he's schmuck). Tim can’t even refute it since it got results haha Ballsy of him to do tbh. If you weren’t friends with Lucy... You'd be dead man John.

Angela calls Tim and her ringtone is the wedding march. I love this little detail so much. It's adorable. He asks how her meeting went? She tells the guys she can stop the war. Tim ask how? Angela lets them know through giving her the recording from hospital. She can take control after that. I adore Tim teaching Nolan something during this. Always in T.O. Mode I love it. Basically telling him live today fight tomorrow mentality with this. They keep citizens safe today go after her tomorrow.

We catch back up with Harper and Lucy. Lucy looks ready for her first test. Harper tells her she can’t cram 100 hours worth of training in one day. So all she can do is teach her what she needs to know in order to survive. Asking her the three things she needs to know to make it. Lucy tells her about being aware of the law, always stay in character and can’t remember the last one. Harper fills in the blank above.

Nyla emphasizes how much multi tasking she has to do just mentally. I couldn’t do it personally. She then asks Lucy if she’s worked on her backstory at all? Our wonderful dork says 4 notebooks. Harper laughs. Oh Lucy never change my friend never change. She gives Lucy 5 minutes to get into character before they go to this party. Gah love this dynamic so much. How far we’ve come from the dark days of the sewer.

Harper has invited her to a party with a test involved. Clearly someone tied to her UC life. Wants to see how she does. Lucy is slick af talking with this guy. Talking in double speak about ‘cooking’ and the big orders she can handle. Even calls him out for asking about where she learned to cook. She is crushing it until she see’s Tamara then you watch her demeanor change completely.

Channeling Lucy Chen in this moment and not Nova. Like she’s supposed to be doing. One of the cardinal rules of UC. This guy she is with is laying hands on her. Takes everything in her power not to kill this kid. Lucy plays it off as not liking how he’s treating her. That she can’t stand to see it. He says he can take care of that for her then. To watch the grill.

He walks over and shouts at the boy with Tamara. I love the silent communication between her and Tamara. She takes a step forward and Lucy stops her. He tells him to make his way over. Harper is asking wtf is going on? He tells her Nova didn’t like how the kid was treating that girl. Harper does some double speak of her own talking about how the girl needs some better focus.

The little snot is a cocky putz when he comes over. Lucy tells him he needs to treat her better. Shows him her gun when he tries to be a turd back. He cowers and says won’t happen again. Lucy telling him 'Good now piss off.' Amazing. UC Lucy is always a delight to watch. That confidence radiating off her when she's in character.

Tim and Nolan are waiting on Smitty for civilian clothes and a unmarked car. They need to follow Cesar but can’t in their shop and uniforms. He was supposed to pull clothes from their lockers. He ended up pulling them from lost and found LOL Tim holding up the ‘Hugs 4 life’ shirt is everything. Nolan complains they gave him their combinations for their clothes. Smitty says 'Yeah but he didn't do that' My god. Tim asks why they rely on him for anything? Haha

Their scene follows up with hilarious continuation of the guest list. It’s like Nolan wants to die. Tim has been incredibly chill and patient. More so than he's ever been with him. Maybe don’t test that boundary John. Smh. Always takes it too far. I do like him re-instilling fear in him a bit. He was a little too cocky last time he stood up to Tim about this guest list lol.

Also plain clothes Tim is my fav kind of Tim. Well until we get 'Metro Tim' but that is a long ways off. You think I’m thirsty for him now. Phew lord you all just wait... Tim’s death glare gets interrupted. They see Cesar take off and notify dispatch for backup as they pursue him. The way Tim says ‘Cesar’ hot damn. Take me now sir. *fans self* That inflection he does I can not get over it. Mmm.

We soon find out Harper planted Tamara there as a distraction. Lucy pretends she knew it was a test. Uh huh sure you did.... Protective mama Lucy comes out quickly after. Saying she should be in school. Tamara tells she Nyla wrote her a note. Lucy then asks about the guy. She just walks away from her without a word LOL Nyla's reaction is too cute. Lucy in none too pleased with that reply but doesn't have time to delve deeper.

We then meet the man from the BBQ. He’s another UC an expert in Narcotics. His Name is Shay and Nyla set her up there for a reason. He tells her what a good job she did with the kid. That it was a nice save. He is also an expert in making all kind of drugs while being UC. He tests her and she CRUSHES it. I love the proud face on Nyla. She knows the superstar she has ahold of. Couldn’t be prouder if she tried.

Shay tells her 'Good.' That they’re going to spend the afternoon cooking. Telling her it’s one thing to know what to do when everything is good. It’s another skill set to know what to do when it’s not. That’s what’s going to keep Lucy alive should shit hit the fan. (which it will) That skill will end up saving her life. We will see that in the next episode.

Tim and Nolan roll up and see he’s left his hideout for a booty call. To see his baby mama. No wonder his father has no faith in him. Man is putting this first during a drug war. After he leaves they go and knock on the door to talk to her. Saying they need to talk to her about Cesar and anything he's hiding here. Angela calls Tim saying she thinks La Fiera’s plan isn’t to kill him, but to kill his kid. For him to feel the same suffering she is feeling.

As she says this a car rolls up five shooters ready to go. Tim is sexy af as he talks Nolan through his plan. The plain clothes are adding to said sexiness. But yummy the way he says they’re about to find out how steep the price of admission is. Good god man you truly are sex on two legs walking. The way he exits the house confident as hell. Pass me the ice water. Confidence is an attractive thing on its own. It’s insanely so on Tim Bradford.

I do love the banter between John and Tim in this scene. Definitely found a little groove at this point. Also we got a shot of Tim’s ass in jeans. Wins all around. Talking about how much money they’d need to walk away. They make a joke about being Batman rich. Nolan takes an impressive shot at the main heavy. Yes I complimented Nolan. I must be high off of Tim in Plain clothes being authoritative. Probably won’t happen again.

I do enjoy how the scene unfolds in the house. How Tim and Nolan slowly take apart her crew. Each taking out a couple guys each. Watching Tim in the field being all competent always a delight to behold. The ending scene is pretty cute. Tim may not always like Nolan personally but he respects him as a cop. This is a good bonding moment for them. Tim’s proud of how he handled himself in his knife fight. It’s all over his face. Nolan actually impressed him. There's a first time for everything they say.

We see Lucy at the station waiting on word about the operation. Nyla comes over with exciting news. She got a glowing recommendation from Shay. Saying she is more knowledgeable than most of his own people. Nyla also approves and says Grey has officially given her the go of being in this operation. Nyla tells her to get personal life squared away before tomorrow. No telling how long she will be gone. That she can’t let her guard down ever but to go home for now. To rest up tomorrow the real work begins.

We rejoin the guys at the station. Filling out a mountain of paperwork. Nolan asks if Tim wants to order Thai food? Tim doesn’t answer his question but does say he’s a good cop he will give him that. John looks confused and is like so food? My god Nolan. LOL You’re about to get a serious lesson my good man. I love how passionate Tim is about teaching the next generation. It shows in his training and how he is about it with everyone. He has to make sure he really wants this.

Tim calling Nolan on his crap for being indecisive is AMAZING. He doesn’t want the next generation taught by someone apathetic. Or as Tim says views it as a consolation prize. He takes so much pride in being a T.O. He’s making sure Nolan is doing it for the best of reasons. So very Tim to feel it is his duty to vet anyone wanting to be a teacher. Put them through his paces see if they're worthy.

John has never had a Tim test before. You better believe he’s doing it now for him. To see how he’ll react to him goading him. Pushing his buttons about his intentions. Nolan passionately defends himself and why he wants to be one. You can see on Tim’s face he accepts John's answer. Then it’s the most guy way to end their convo. Tim answering his previous question about food. Nolan says 'Love it' and it’s over. No emotions just food. Men. LOL

Lucy is on her way home when she is kidnapped. I can only imagine the Caleb PTSD she is going through in this moment. Her being overpowered instantly. Her yelling ‘No no’ ugh my heart. She’s brought to a rooftop where Harper is also bound and gagged. She is bleeding profusely from her head.

Lucy holds her own from the jump though. Saying Coco was being tortured so of course she said that. The killer instinct holding up. The one Harper saw in her from day one. She doesn’t let the fact this guy is accusing her, Coco and Harper of all being cops. Then he douses Harper in gas and says he isn’t asking. He knows they are cops. All he wants to know is what the cops know about Salonga and his future plans. That whatever they know will affect future deals.

It’s intense af as he starts a lighter up. It’s then we really watch Lucy dig deep. Rely heavily on that killer instinct of hers. How she walks her way out of this with just her words. That if he sets that fire Salonga is good as dead. Recalling he is in debt to some bad people.

That she’s the only one that can relieve him of that debt. Cook him up a fortune. But if he kills Harper all that goes down the drain and she won't cook him a damn thing. Emphasizing he needs her more than she needs him. That he needs to pull his head out of his ass and let them go. Such a BAMF in this scene. Holds her own with a fiery performance.

We find out it was another test set up by Harper. Nyla having the most Tim-like reply when Shay sings her praises. Lucy is livid and calls him a full service asshat LOL He takes no offense and says she will thank him later for this. (I mean she will...) Lucy is vibrating with anger for the both of them. Like a cornered animal ready to strike at any provocation. She is insanely revved up finding this final test insane.

Lucy goes after Harper pretty hard regarding her PTSD about being abducted. Nyla is on point per usual and says that’s why she did it. I mean it’s a great way to see how she would react. To see if Lucy could push past the PTSD and still function. Stay in character and keep herself and Harper alive. She passed with flying colors. Even if Lucy is raging at the moment.

Harper tells her it’s the last test. Lucy is still full of spit and vinegar in her reply. Saying the last test was the last one. Nyla telling her that’s why she wasn’t expecting this one. Then gets really real with her. Asking if she wants an out? Still wants to do this Even after what she just experienced? Lucy brimming with an immense amount of adrenaline and says ‘Yeah. I do.’ The ep ends there. Hell of a day for our girl my god.

~~~~~~

Side notes-non chenford

Not a ton. It is nice to see Stanton get his come-up in’s after he’s reinstated. That’s about it for non chenford stuff really.

Holy crap we’re hitting the finale next. I swear I just started s3. Blinked and we’re at 3x14 now it’s a shortened season but still.

As always thank you thank you. To all who support these reviews with likes, comments (oh how I love comments don’t be shy ha), and reblogs. Makes all the work I put into them so very worth it. Shall see you all in 3x14 :)

#Caitlin Rewatches The Rookie #chenford #chenford hiatus #fall rewatch #waiting on s6 #s3 #3x13 Triple Duty #the rookie 3x13 #otp: doing my job #otp: you know me so well. too well. #otp: some things matter more #otp: you did good #tim x lucy #lucy x tim #the rookie #tim bradford #lucy chen #eric winter #melissa o'neil #tim bradford x lucy chen

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

the thing is that when my boss called me in for a one on one with the HR person in attendance to cover his ass because i had been acting out on a zoom call (annoyingly refusing to play along with the fiction that the answers the head of school was giving us about our september 2020 reopening plan were not actual answers) and he wanted to start laying the groundwork for not renewing my contract last year (as had already happened to a similarly outspoken coworker) and then proceeded to for real after six billion diversity trainings where i know for a fact they listed all the nono words inform a puerto rican woman that her “passionate feelings” [about not dying] were making her “tone” “disrespectful,” it was first of all immediately clarifying about whether i could continue to work under this man during a global pandemic and second of all objectively very funny. it was also very funny when he kept saying he perceived some discomfort on my part so i said something along the lines of “if i can offer some feedback for future meetings like this, you might be picking up on some discomfort because you sound kind of racist :)” and when he immediately without a beat missed tried to play it all “i wasn’t thinking of it like that, just in terms of offering a young teacher advice” i was like “i totally hear you and get what you’re saying, but do you see how that kind of sounds like I Don’t See Race? :)” that was like maybe the funniest thing i’ve ever done in my life and it sucks only two people were there to witness it and they were not an appreciative audience. and also so often you have to watch people be bad at their jobs but so rarely do you get the pleasure of watching them in real time realize that they have totally fucked this up that in a perverse way this is a memory i cherish. but the math specialist who told me not to worry about the kids who couldn’t reliably do single plus double digit addition in the beginning of third grade and who by the end of third grade all continued to struggle and also hated math a lot… there’s no silver lining there. i just have to walk around knowing forever that i was wrong and she was stupid and she’ll never know.

#i identify as white bc i read as white almost everywhere in the universe #but not it turns out on the upper east side! was a thing i learned that year. lmao #fascinating sociological revelation tbh #also yeah this school was on the upper east side #parents were spending upwards of 40k for their kids not to be able to reliably add a single digit to a double digit number by third grade #don’t get me started on reading this is where i was working when i had my damascus moment and it threw me into a crisis

[lilborealis]

Season Of The Witch-A Riptide Invasions Season Concept

*Liu Kang Narrating*

“The Riptide that attacks us is like none other. A mad water witch and former umgadi, she was driven insane after her timeline’s Tanya caused the death of her version of Tomas and their newborn child. She killed her Tanya and the rest of the umgadi, and she was far from done. She now hunts down different versions of Tanya and Tomas for vengeance and to have the family she never had, wiping out timelines in her wake. She now has come to this timeline, to try and enact the same fate she has done to many before. May your combat save our timeline and many others, so that we all may not drown in her sorrow and rage”

Scorpion (boss 1) “this Kuai Liang unfortunately lost his Harumi and when his Riptide went rogue, he eagerly joined her, sharing in her grief. To prevent him from furthering Riptide’s power trip, he must be stopped”

Baraka (boss 2) “another disciple of his timeline’s Riptide, he went mad with jealousy after his Mileena rejected him for Tanya. He was delighted when Tanya was killed and became Riptide’s loyal dog. So like a mad dog, he must be put down”

Kenshi (boss 3): “this Kenshi loyally serves his Seraphina, as she saved him from being killed the Yakuza. His Suchin wasn’t so lucky and was killed. Now, the vengeful swordsman goes from timeline to timeline, ending those who dare get in his way. You must stop him at all costs”

Riptide (boss 4/final boss) “Like our timeline’s Riptide, this Riptide has great skill over water, but now a great rage to fuel it. No wonder why she has been such a dangerous foe for this timeline’s warriors. With so much anger, she is more determined than ever to have what she wants, by any means necessary”.

“Despite the threat she brought to this timeline, it was the understanding brought by this timeline’s Tomas and Seraphina that ultimately brought us victory. The other Riptide soon realized that what she had done was wrong and that her Smoke wouldn’t have wanted her to continue her path of vengeance. She surrendered, and instead of prisoning her in the void, I sent her to a timeline where she could truly achieve peace, where she is no longer a threat to herself and the other timelines”.

———————————————

-So this version of Seraphina/Riptide comes from a timeline where Madinat was still destroyed but she was born an only child

-in this timeline, the Umgadi stumbled upon the ruins of Madinat instead of the Lin Kuei, saving Seraphina’s life

-already knew magic, continued to strengthen it by tutelage under whoever was high mage of Outworld

-Sindel is much like Mk11 Sindel. She has a much better relationship with her daughters though, who all help their mother run what is basically a dictatorship

-Mileena is still heir and still has her secret relationship with Tanya

-This Tanya is much more cruel and ruthless, willing to do anything to uphold the empire and for Mileena

-I should also mention, this Seraphina’s burn scar is much more extensive. It covers most of the left side of her face but she can still see with both eyes

-WARNING:MENTIONS OF SEVERE VIOLENCE-

-Raised to know only but servitude and the empire, this Seraphina was nothing but lonely.

-it wasn’t until she met the Shirai Ryu’s grandmaster, Smoke aka Tomas Vrbada, was when she finally found a companion.

-the two quickly fell into a passionate love affair, obviously kept secret, as Seraphina faced severe punishment if they were found out.

-Seraphina was nearly caught sneaking out to see Tomas one night, unintentionally stumbling upon Mileena and Tanya together. She was quickly sworn to secrecy and did so. She was the only person that knew of their relationship.

-eventually, Seraphina fell pregnant with Tomas’s child. Thankfully, Tomas managed to convince Tanya (who is Matron) that Seraphina was to train with him up in the mountains as “she could use the practice, she still has much to learn”.

-Everything seemed fine, Seraphina was seemingly safe in the mountains with the Shirai Ryu. She would go onto deliver a healthy baby girl nine months later.

-unbeknownst to her, Tanya grew suspicious. She secretly sent spies and soon learned that this “training” was just a cover. The matron quickly realized she could get Seraphina out of the way if she revealed her secret, to protect her and Mileena, also to ensure Mileena ascends to the throne.

-Seraphina was soon called back to the Umgadi. She had already decided once the time was right, she would escape and come back for Tomas and their daughter.

-It was only when she returned, that she realized it was a trap. The umgadi had kidnapped Tomas and their baby. Seraphina pleaded for mercy but she could only watch as the love of her life and her child were executed in front of her by Tanya. The rest of the Umgadi just watched.

-that was the moment Seraphina lost it.

-her mind finally broke under the constant years of stress and grief. She flooded the entire Cenobium, drowning the Umgadi, along with Tanya.

-It was that day that Seraphina died and Riptide was born. She went on a rampage, eventually gathering allies such as Scorpion, Baraka and Kenshi. Yet she wasn’t done with just her timeline.

-she was desperate to get Tomas back by any means necessary. Once she got rid of the keeper of time that resided over her timeline, she now has the means to travel from universe to universe.

-over and over she went, jumping from timeline to timeline. Anyone that got in her way would perish and any alternate Tanya would quickly be quashed. Different versions of Tomas weren’t so lucky either. If they wouldn’t go along, they’d be killed in an instant.

-The other Seraphina eventually shows up to the current timeline and immediately has it out for her alternate self especially, because she’s jealous about how close her MK1 self is to MK1 Tomas.

-chaos ensues.

-the final scene consists of the current Seraphina and Tomas trying to talk her down and she eventually realizes that what she’s doing is wrong. Her Tomas wouldn’t have want this for her.

-Liu Kang initially considered imprisoning her in the void but Mk1 Seraphina and Tanya pleaded for him not to. So, she was taken to a timeline where she could truly achieve peace.

-Titan! Raiden knew better than anyone about losing yourself to darkness. So when Liu Kang showed up with the other Seraphina suffering from just that, he didn’t hesitate to agree to take her in. She was extremely remorseful and pleaded for his help.

#mk1 invasions #mk oc riptide/seraphina amin #season of the witch #fan made #mk1 oc #tomas vrbada mk1 #tanya mk1 #liu kang mk1 #the lin kuei #shirai ryu #the Umgadi #mortal kombat 1 #mortal kombat 1 oc #mortal Kombat #oc x canon

[tobiasdrake]

Here we are. No employees, no jobs, and the mafia shaking us down for rent money. I'm surprised Yakou even made it to Blank Week.

Don't mind me. I'm just having a long, poetic depression at the spot that will one day become the location for the submarine I'll be so proud of, symbolizing how far I've come from this moment. Well, my homunculus will. I don't actually know if I'll get the sub before or after I'm torn to pieces in gruesome, apocalyptic violence.

I hope he enjoys it.

If you're the coroner, you should know that you're a day early. I still have until the end of the day to get the mob boss his cash, so you and I won't have business until tomorrow.

D'aww, is this going to be the story of how Yakou and his wife met? I thought it'd be the story about how she died, but I like this better. We know enough about how she died. I want to hear about how she lived.

What I'm hearing is that if you turn out to be a sketchy fucking bastard and I decide, upon knowing the facts, not to solve this case out of spite, I still get paid a cool 100k.

That's a good deal. Given the look of you, your stern-sounding voice, and the context of being an old man hiring a P.I. to hunt down a young woman without explaining anything about who she is, what her relationship to you is, or why she's ghosting you? I'd say there's a strong chance of this being sketchy.

Like. Best case scenario, this guy's her dad who she bailed on because he's a domineering prick. Worst case scenario, he's a romantic stalker who she ghosted because he's a gross asshole who won't take no for an answer. Maybe it's more complicated than that. Maybe she stole something of value from him or something. I dunno. But those are the immediate kneejerk assumptions that leap to my mind.

There are very few good reasons for wealthy old men to go to these lengths to track down young women that vanished from their lives. He's gonna pay Yakou a million shien to un-ghost this woman. That's not a great sign. We should look into him as much as we are looking into her.

Yakou, of course, smells nothing out-of-place with this business transaction because a) he's desperate and b) his values are too patriarchal to even consider anything amiss about this. It just doesn't occur to him.

He even knows her place of business, but can't approach her himself. He wants her brought to him.

We're literally taking on the role of a paid thug.

RED FLAG

Yeah, this guy's definitely the bad guy here. Yakou's going to have a change of heart when he meets her. You can feel it.

And when he does, we still get paid 100k! ~( ˘▾˘~)

WHAT THE FUCK IS OUR RENT!?

I'm sad now. ._. If a million only covers six months, then that 100k won't even cover one. The math doesn't work out to that.

Maybe, if we play our cards right, we can trick the mob boss and the client into murdering each other.

Wow, he found her fast. To be fair, this is his specialty. He's highly trained in tracking down lost pets and cheating spouses, and both of those vocations offer skills that are transferrable to finding a "missing" person that's just out living their life.

The hard part's going to be convincing her to come with us. I'm pretty sure the client is expecting us to simply club her over the head and stuff her in a van. But you know Yakou's going to talk to her instead. As he should. This is sketchy as fuck.

Good man. Get her perspective before you decide what to do with the case.

ABORT. ABORT. YOU HAVE FAILED THIS SOCIAL INTERACTION.

It's such a... rare treat for Kanai Ward! A ha ha ha ha I'll leave you alone forever now.

There we go. Coming right out with it.

There's no subtle way to bring up in casual conversation, "Do you know why someone might hypothetically want you dragged in front of them against your will?" Especially as a stranger. If we want her story, this is the only way to get it.

She's surprisingly chill about this. Is this encounter more harmless than I'd suspected? Or is this simply the resignation of someone who has been harassed multiple times and is used to it by now?

I appreciate how forthright Yakou's being here. Laying all the cards on the table. If the job's harmless then I'll see it through but if this is shady then please tell me and I'll bow out. That's his position, and it's exactly what he's conveying with no room for misunderstanding.

It's. Refreshing to see such clear and open communication happening in a story.

Alright, that's a fair reason. By "rival organization", she's probably referring to the Unified Government's own homunculus research lab. We're five years after both labs began their experiments but two years before UG's lab will create their first successful homunculus, and Huesca will manslaughter the entirety of Kanai Ward trying to keep up.

Oh, I hope she is an unparalleled visionary in the field of homunculus research. Just for the bitter irony of Huesca having her killed and then dumbassing the experiment so hard that he killed himself and everyone else in the city.

"An ass" is underselling how awful Huesca is. It's nice to know that even before this became a fascist police state, Amaterasu was still just as awful as--

HOLY SHIT SHE'S WEARING PANTS.

Y'ALL. Y'ALL.

SHE'S WEARING PANTS.

I. Think. This might be the first female Kodaka character in history to wear pants. This DLC is a momentous occasion.

Still doesn't have a name, though. She may have had to trade her name for pants.

#master detective archives: rain code #drake plays rain code #yakou furio

[youre-in-the-psycho-circus]

Shandi | One

Warnings: violence, abuse, hardcore action

Word Count: 2,506

Synopsis: The guys of KISS are on a mission from the Elder to find his Avatar in order to save their home Khyscz, and the whole Universe from the threat of the Destroyer. With the help of their powers and music, only She can help them defeat him and restore peace to the universe. An original idea based off of the KISS comics! 

Prologue

Master List

Chapter One: Tears are Falling

25 Earth years - Equivlant 1 Kyhscz year later. New York City, New York. 12 May 1976.

Beth Strutter scurried down 57th Street desperately trying to get to her boss’ office to end her day. She had been sent on a fetch quest today that involved walking the streets of lower Manhattan for the last five hours. She was pretty sure that by the time she got home tonight, her feet would probably detach from her body, even still, that wouldn’t be the worst thing that happened today if it did. She had dropped her coffee only minutes after buying it, a rat brushed up against her leg as she waited for the C train, and she hadn’t had any time to stop for a meal. Cheer up Beth, the day can’t get much worse... She sighed to herself as she stood waiting for the crosswalk. As if she were being punished by the universe, the heavens decided to open up at that exact moment in a torrential downpour. Beth groaned as she accepted the fact that she was going to be drenched by the time she got back, unable to reach her umbrella due to the bags upon bags she carried in her arms.

By the time she entered her employer’s office, she closely resembled the appearance of a drowned cat. “Well then, you certainly look like you had a good day.” Heather, the receptionist, mocked with a sly grin.

Beth rolled her eyes as she pushed into her employer’s office with a grumble. “Beth.” Lester McGee’s voice rang out from his desk. “About time you return.” Among the many, many personal assistants that Lester had accumulated over the years, Beth was the latest model. It’s not that the assistants ever hated their jobs, they hated Lester with a burning passion. He was greedy, impatient, and overall plain wicked. This was how he gained the nickname amongst the previous assistants as ‘Wicked Lester’. Fitting that a man such as Lester would receive a nickname that resembled that of an old school mob boss, he essentially was one, always surrounded by his cronies, pinstriped suits and overly greasy slicked back hair. Most suspected that he had connections regarding some of his more questionable transactions over the years, but none dared defy him lest they felt the wrath of Lester. Beth had unfortunately, unlike the others, witnessed quite a few of Lester’s acts of questionable legality, so she felt trapped. People who opposed ‘Wicked Lester’ disappeared. “And in such a state nonetheless.”  

“My apologies Mr McGee, there was a bit of a cloud burst and I couldn’t…” Beth tried to reason.

“I don’t want your excuses, Beth.” Lester barked as he stood from his desk, his cronies around the room letting out a snicker. “You know the company policy. What if our clients were to see you in such a state.” He growled as he stalked across the room toward her. “What kind of an image are we presenting with…this.” He spat gesturing to her as he circled her. “Then again perhaps it's an image I could learn to appreciate.” He smirked sickly. Beth followed his gaze to land on her cleavage which was very much so hanging further out than what society deemed workplace appropriate. Beth bit the inside of her lip as she pulled up the front of her shirt to cover herself as Lester’s scowl returned to his face.

“Mr McGee I…”

“Silence.” He commanded, Beth quickly looked down to show that she remembered her place. “Now did you receive the package from Mr Blackwell?”

“Yes sir, it’s in one of the bags.” Lester snapped his fingers and two of his cronies stepped forward to rip the bags from her hands. “Sorry, sir…” She bowed her head, scared to look her employer in the eye.

“Oh, Beth.” Lester’s tone of voice was suddenly much softer as he lifted her chin up so their gazes met. “When will you learn that I don’t have it out for you.” He spoke walking closer. “Somebody with your talent…” He mumbled, his gaze returning to her cleavage. “Is wasted performing fetch quests day after day.” The disgusting excuse of a man ran a hand over her bare shoulder snaking it down her side. “Especially when you could be ‘performing’ elsewhere.”

Beth stepped back out of Wicked Lester’s reach meeting the rock-solid chest of another crony. “Sir…if you please…I’d like to keep our relationship strictly professional.” She spoke slowly, turning her gaze back to the floor.

“Oh, but it would be.” Lester stepped closer slowly, starting to slide the strap of Beth’s shirt from her shoulder. Beth placed a hand over his, stopping him. “Oh Beth, when are you going to realise that refusing me only fuels my desire to possess you. Which is something I-”

The door slammed open behind them as Lester’s two main cronies, Nick and Reno, struggled through the door with Mr Blackwell. “Got ‘im, boss. This sonuvabitch is ours.” Reno cackled.

“Stop fighting us!” Nick growled shoving Mr Blackwell down into a chair.

“I told you guys already! I ain’t done nothin’ wrong!” The suited man complained as Lester stalked over to him.

“Boss, you should want that we escort her out of the room?” One of the cronies behind her squawked, clapping a hand down on her shoulder so she couldn’t run.

“No, of course not. Let her see for herself what happens to those who deny me what I desire.” Lester smirked with a wicked grin.

Beth trembled as she entered her decaying apartment in the Bronx later that evening. It wasn’t much, and the neighbourhood was rough, but she had to live within her means. Like many before her, she knew that the Bronx wasn’t a destination, but a brief stop on her way to bigger and better things, at least she hoped. Beth pressed the door closed behind her with a loud squeak of the rusting hinges. She let out a shaking breath desperately trying to keep it together. She was quick to change out of her still-sopping clothing for some dry shorts and a Yankee’s tee before pulling herself out onto the fire escape with a sigh. The weather had let up a bit, the clouds breaking apart just enough to showcase the wonderful pinks and oranges of the sun slowly setting on the horizon. Below people shouted on the street, sirens sounding just down the block, and cheers floated from the nearby Yankee Stadium, such was the background music of the Bronx. She stared at the sunset before her as she let out a quiet sob. The things that Wicked Lester had done to that poor man, things that shouldn’t have even been possible. Beth had tried to speak out to spare the poor man but she was rewarded with a punch to the face. Beth sobbed softly into her knees as she tried to regain control of herself. “Beth? That you?” A male’s voice pulled the woman back to reality, away from the haunting images of what she had previously witnessed. “Hey, neighbour. Penny for your thoughts?”

Beth turned her gaze to the right to see her neighbour, Ace Frehley, leaning out his window with a look of concern laced over his features. He had moved in a few months back, and why he would move to this terrible building was beyond her, but she had been grateful for his presence. He was a sweet guy, always offering her a smile and a joke. “Hey, Ace…” She mumbled softly, placing her head down on her knees again.

“You alright there, darlin’?” He asked, stepping through his window before crouching down in front of her, taking note of the silent sobs shaking her body. “You’re shivering. Come on, let's get you inside.” When Beth didn’t respond, Ace slowly placed a hand on her knee, taking note of how she recoiled ever so slightly. He didn’t dare move, wanting to show that he meant no harm. “Beth? Come on, look at me.” The female let out a small sigh before giving in, her long dark hair not falling in front of her dark gaze enough to hide the still-darkening bruise across her left cheekbone. “Oh no, tears are falling…” Ace said softly as he tucked her hair gently behind her ear so he could look over the wound. “Ah, we oughta get some ice on that.” He stood, offering her his hands to help her up. Slowly, but not without reluctance, Beth accepted his hands before he pulled her to her feet. “Come on then, I’ve got a pizza in the oven and there’s plenty to share.” He smiled reassuringly as he led her through his window. His apartment wasn’t very vastly decorated, just the busted furniture that had come with it littered about. A small television sat atop a cardboard box in the corner showing the Yankees game. He sat her down on the rickety sofa before walking off, coming back with a sweatshirt and a blanket. “Arms up.” He commanded softly as he gently helped her put the sweatshirt on before wrapping the blanket around her.

“Thanks…” She muttered softly.

“Don’t thank me just yet,” Ace smirked softly with a wink before making her a cup of tea and grabbing her a towel of ice. “Here ya are.” He smiled taking a seat on the coffee table, handing Beth the ice as he placed the tea next to him.

Beth winced softly at the impact of the cold upon her face but relaxed slightly as the soothing cool sensation worked its way through her warm swelling cheekbone. “Thank you…” She mumbled.

“Think nothin’ of it darlin’.” He smiled. “Now then.” He started as he pressed the cup of tea into her free hand. “What’s got ya lookin’ worse than usual?”

“Gee thanks…” She rolled her eyes as she took a sip. The warm liquid cascaded down her throat doing little to warm the frost that Wicked Lester had blown upon her heart. “Just what every girl wants to be told.”

“Just my natural flirting skills.” Ace laughed with a cheeky wink, causing a small smile to spread across Beth’s lips. “Ah, there it is, that little smile, right there, I see it!” He prodded poking at the corner of her mouth. Beth giggled softly, her smile growing the slightest bit more. “Ah look, it's bigger now!” He laughed as he took back the cup. “I must say you’re a lot more receptive to my antics than the girls back home.”

Beth smirked ever so slightly as she leaned comfortably into the back of the couch. “Where did you say you were from again?”

“Nowhere that you would know, I’m not of Earth.” He said rather nonchalantly taking a sip of a Miller he had gotten for himself. “I’m from a small planet in the Andromeda galaxy called Jandel.”

“Jandel…so you’re a Spaceman, then?”

Ace noticeably stiffened at the nickname for some reason, but it didn’t last very long. “No, actually I’m a plumber.” He laughed hysterically.

Beth laughed, a full smile spreading across her features. “Well in that case I’ve got some plumbing for you to look at.”

“Hey, I’d be more than happy to oblige.” He winked, making Beth blush softly. She had always thought Ace to be attractive, since the day she first ran into him in the hallway when he was moving in.

“I’m sure you would be, Spaceman.” She laughed. “If that’s what you really are.”

“I s’pose you could say that.” Ace chuckled softly.

“This your spaceship then?”

“What this shit hole? Nah that’s up on the roof.” He laughed with a wink. “So enough about my former life, what made my girl so unhappy today?”

“Just another day at the office…another day of Wicked Lester’s antics.” She sighed as Ace offered her the tea again.

Ace sighed, his dark eyes filled with sadness for the female. “Ah gee, I’m sorry Beth. When are ya just gonna quit that god awful job anyhow?”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“Yeah, but ya also can’t be comin’ home with shiners like that.” Ace grimaced as he pulled her hand down to look at the bruise. “Eeee…best keep that on there.” He said replacing the ice to its spot on her face. “What warranted that?”

Beth bit the inside of her lip as she recounted the events that transpired earlier that day. “I told ya already! I’d never inform on anya youse! I’m a public figure! The cops, they hassle me no matter what I do! If I be lyin’ I be dyin’!” Mr Blackwell argued with Wicked Lester.

“Yes…I know you are. Hush now.” Lester grumbled as he took off his suit jacket rolling up the sleeves. “Some say a bullet to the head is best, or poison. But you’re no normal rat.” Wicked Lester cold-cocked the man seated before him across the jaw. Beth let out a squeak of shock as she placed her hands over her mouth to silence herself as she backed toward the door to see herself out only to be stopped by the cronies. Blood poured from Mr Blackwell’s mouth as he breathed heavily trying to combat the amount of pain he was experiencing in his surely broken jaw. “So I’d say your betrayal has earned you no mercy. Instead…” Wicked Lester continued as he snapped his fingers, blue sparks prickling from the tips. A ring of fire in the shape of a pentagram broke out on the floor. With a bright light, the pentagram became a portal.

“Hey what’s with that trick floor!” Mr Blackwell croaked out.

“You're not well, Mr Blackwell and we can tell,” Lester spoke slowly, his henchmen snickering as if they’d heard this all a million times before. “You're not well, Mr Blackwell, why don't you go to hell.” Wicked Lester gleamed as he gestured to the portal.

“Come ‘ere you.” Reno and Nick grunted as they tried to force Mr Blackwell into the portal.

“No please!” The suited man pleaded for his life, digging his patent leather heels into the floor, a mere few inches from the portal.

“Mr McGee! Please stop!” Beth yelled out as if it would change anything.

“Go to hell, I say!” Lester, living up to his nickname let out a wicked laugh as Mr Blackwell was thrown into the portal with a shriek. With a swirl of energy, the portal fizzled out into a cloud of smoke. “Now go put an end to that Damnable Federal Agent who turned him out. All who oppose the Destroyer will fall!” Lester commanded his cronies as they left the room leaving himself and Beth. “So my dear Beth, you’ve now seen my true power. And you still try to be a hero?” Beth kept her eyes downcast, unable to look this twisted, vial man in the eyes. In her attempts to make herself smaller, she was surprised to find herself on the floor after Wicked Lester blindsided her with a punch to the cheekbone. “I should send you right along after him for what you’ve seen.” He roared down at the girl, fire flaring up around her where the pentagram had once been. Beth looked up at Lester, remaining emotionless. The devil of a man looked down and chuckled menacingly to himself, somehow making his eyes darker than they had seemed before. “Your absolute lack of emotion intoxicates me, woman. A woman after my very heart and soul, indeed.” He smirked.

“I ran out after that…I don’t think he’s expecting me back tomorrow, but I really don’t think I should give him the satisfaction.” Ace seemed relatively calm but inside he was fuming that someone would lay a hand on his neighbour, let alone a zealot of the being that consumed his home world. So the Destroyer had minions spread as far as the meek human realm? Demonic ones no doubt. Things were a lot worse than they had originally thought. They had spent the last twenty-five years scouring the Earth searching for She but never even thought to look for signs of the Destroyer. This surely meant his power was growing. But why were they after such a sweet and innocent little human female like Beth? What could she possibly have to offer them? Ace hoped that one of the others might have an answer. “I know it sounds completely insane but I swear to you I’m telling the truth.” Beth continued with a little bit of fear in her eyes. The last thing she needed was for him to be shipping her off to the asylum.

“Well yeah, it sounds like some convoluted tale from the mind of a complete nut job…” He trailed off, as Beth cringed very slightly. “But…” He continued peeking at her interest. “...it's still not the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.” Ace nodded glancing at the stove as the timer went off.

“So you believe me?” She asked in disbelief as he casually walked over to take the pizza from the oven.

“Sure do.” He nodded. Ace walked back over to Beth taking the ice from her before placing a hand on her face, unbeknownst to her, a trickle of blue sparks leaving his fingers before entering her skin where the bruise lay. “I want ya to know that you can count on me no matter what. I may not be the toughest guy around, but I will always help ya in whatever way I can.”

Beth smiled softly, gently leaning into his touch. “Thanks, Ace…you’re my hero.”

Ace smirked before helping her to stand. “I’ll certainly try to be. Now come on, pizza’s gettin’ cold.”

Chapter 2: Almost Human

#KISS Band #paul stanley #ace frehley #gene simmons #peter criss #spaceman #Starchild #demon #catman #Eric Carr #Eric Singer #tommy thayer #Vinnie Vincent #Fox #kiss meets the phantom of the park #kiss #Kiss Saves Santa #man Ace Frehley is cool #music #rock n roll #destroyer #rock n roll all over #Psycho Circus #you're in the psycho circus #She #Kiss comics

[jennawynn]

Enterprise Season 3 Ep 19-finale

Episode 19

All that damage and hull breaches on at least 3 levels... and only 5 people are dead.

I feel like a lot of my opinions of this show are formed by my experience on a Navy ship. Almost every door can be sealed in case there's a hull breach. Redundant systems and personnel. And if your ship goes down in the ocean at least you might float a while before drowning but in SPACE? You'd think they'd be a lot more conservative about safety against hull breaches.

Oooh... now the number is 14 with 3 unaccounted for. Out of what, 84?

They said beam lol

This is a pretty understandable and even believable descent to the other side for Archer. T'Pol having secret troubles staying calm is interesting, too.

Really? Making T'Pol turn herself into a drug addict so she can push Trip's buttons? Why does she keep ending up getting the worst kind of plotlines?

I don't know why it didn't occur to me- I thought the training exercises were just so Malcolm could have beef with the Major... but turns out it's so they could justify still sending SENIOR BRIDGE OFFICERS INTO DIRECT COMBAT IN SMALL TEAMS INSTEAD OF THE MARINES THEY HAVE ON BOARD FOR EXACTLY THAT SITUATION.

Episode 20

Now we're up to 18 lost. How does the number keep going up? "For the 18" has a bit of a better ring to it than "For the 14" I guess.

They found two bodies in a damaged section... but somehow they didn't get blown out the holes with the atmosphere.

Why hasn't T'Pol washed her face? 😂

Fun Fact: The only time that I "had" to eat MREs was after a hurricane while my ship was in drydock. We didn't have shore power and I was on duty so they had some hot dogs on a grill and MREs for anyone who wanted them. We ate in our office by flashlight so it'd feel like camping. 😂 That said, I was - at the time - on a prepper/libertarian kick with my colleagues and we had some 'just in case' and tried them at least once. Surprisingly expensive from places like the Army/Navy Surplus Store, but not terrible. Plus the tech behind heating them was novel.

Goddammit Trip... at least take the flightsuit off before you get in bed. Gross. This isn't a cartoon where it's too much to design a second outfit and animate you under the covers so you leave your boots on in bed. We know you have your standard-issue blue underwear.

It is a nice touch that they automatically use Celsius when referencing temperature. They say things like 'his suit temperature is 44 degrees' without saying Celsius, but you know it can't be Fahrenheit.

And wasting resources by just letting the panel cover float away instead of saving it so they can be like 'look they're in zero g!'

"As Jane's Commanding Officer"- That is not correct. Commanding Officer is a specific title given to the highest ranking person of the base or vessel. Archer is the Commanding Officer. Just because Trip was her boss does not make him her CO.

Episode 21

I have to admit... it's growing on me. I found myself last night almost deciding to keep watching even though I was no longer working.

Women only make up 1/3 of the crew? Why? In the illuminated future, we're still only 1/3??

Part of me thinks that they shouldn't know who they marry or have kids with but the other part of me remembers that I wish I could go back in time and tell myself I'm queer and shouldn't marry the guy I did. /shrug

Of course they'll probably erase this 'past-future' with whatever's about to happen anyway.

The convo between T'Pol acknowledges that it's not 'destiny' but a product of environment. That because the Enterprise wasn't sent back in time, the choices made can be different... but there's obviously going to be a bias for most people, reaching out to the people they know they had kids with before.

Episode 22

Ah American, sorry I mean HUMAN Exceptionalism at its finest. The existence of Earth changes the trajectory of history across the whole universe! Across dimensions, even!

ha disposable MAKO. why would he have climbed up to such a precarious position to fire anyway, though?

Episode 23

For one moment, just one moment I thought maybe the major taking a shot to the heart in transport would caus-- oh shit they did actually kill a crewmember who has been in multiple episodes. They might have actually turned this ship around.

To be clear, I don't condone deaths for shock value. However, thematic deaths are another thing. Plot important deaths. You can't have a war with dark themes and never kill anyone. It doesn't make sense.

Hayes says use McKenzie with his dying breath... and then he picks 3 volunteers that are not named that.

The moment where Reed asks for volunteers and all the MAKOs step forward was a nice touch, though, even if the actors couldn't figure out how to stand :joy:

Episode 24

I think it would be nice if just once the sliding scale of ally to enemy wasn't always just who looks most or least like you. That the arboreal and primate species are most human-like while the aquatic, lizard, and insects are not. I kinda hope that the humanoid lizard people are kept as the enemy and the manatee and insect like less human people stay allies. At least the lizards are recognizably human shaped.

Here we go! Finale time.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the Great Man theory which Enterprise seems to consider correct. Great Man theory, as I understand it and use it here, basically says that some people are born to change things. That they are 'integral to history'- that the names we grow up learning like Newton or Washington or Einstein or even Hitler are Special in some way and that they are responsible for the leaps and bounds we take in discovery and such. That if you time traveled back and killed one of them, say Hitler, then it would change everything about the future. Stop the Holocaust and WW2.

They've repeatedly said that without Archer at the helm, the Federation would never exist. That the Guardians will succeed and wipe out everything. Whatever it is now to try to give him a safety belt when he's so damn set on throwing himself out the window of a moving starship.

I don't agree. I think that discovery is built on waves. That if Newton hadn't put pen to paper and 'discovered' the theory of gravity, someone else would have with negligible difference in time. _Especially_ when it comes to things like science because science is built on collaboration and you build off other people's work constantly.

Maybe Archer did do all these things, but had Archer not been selected for the NX-1, the other guy would've done it. And if not them, maybe the Vulcans. Sure the details might change, but this, I think, is what time travel media refers to as the resilience of the timeline. There might be disruptions, but it typically course corrects.

Gotta love Archer's dramatic... casual jog away from the explosions.

Hah. I kinda love the reveal of T'Pol's age. She's been so coy about it.

"Captain didn't make it." Yeah... I'm not gonna believe that until at least the middle of the next episode.

lmao time travel shenanigans. As soon as they said no word from the orbital stations, I assumed it wasn't a matter of where but when. Oh and look... Archer's alive. Surprise. But he was found by the Nazi's? Who have an alien officer? Sure. Turn their famous obsession with the occult towards aliens instead of supernatural.

#chronotrek

[herrmitton]

next round of the oc headshots is Damon!! he’s the main character of the story so technically i should’ve done him first but tbh Flynn is my comfort oc.. ANYWAY!! more info about him under the cut <3

OKAY SO! story time <3

Let me do a bit of uhh world building to explain him better:

so the current world they live in is divided by two places, the overworld and the underworld. the overworld is practically the same as ours except with magic and fun fantasy stuff hidden within the cracks :)

the underworld is split into regions of sins and each location has a ruler to oversee each section. All the damned souls are put into sections of their worst sin (lust, greed, etc) and it’s the rulers decision to do as they wish with the souls. If souls happen to escape their little cities they will literally only end up in the badlands since there’s nowhere else to go,,, they end up wandering these badlands for eternity and the longer they stay there the more they lose themselves and their original form..kind of falling into their worst sin and morphing into their worst self.

The demons that live in the underworld are strictly forbidden from going to the overworld since they NEED to keep everything contain. There was a strict contract made eons in the past and my goodness it will not be broken.

extra tidbit is that the devil does exist n hes like the boss of all the rulers but he just kinda vibes doing his things no one talks to him unless necessary

SO DAMON TIME!!

he is……. the son of wrath! each sin is kind of a bloodline?? so the rulers have to be from their sin bloodline or chaos ensues… anyway..

Damon isn’t a full demon though, his father just showed up with him one day and everyone is suuuper scared of him so they didn’t ask why hes got a half blood son and it seems like he got away with it with the other rulers?? literally no one knows why. He has a couple of half brothers who absolutely hate him because ykno,,, hes like,, an illegal being lmao,, and he kinda gets his father’s favouritism. (or thats how they see it at least,, his father is not kind to Damon at all) Typically the Wrath bloodline have. horrible anger issues lmao but since Damon is half Wrath he has much better control and instead has trained himself to use it to his advantage when fighting! the downside to this is that sometimes he can be extremely brutal and hard to control if he gets into a really intense fight. Perhaps he might do something he regrets in the heat of the moment :)

He’s been trained ever since he was able to wield a sword to become a soldier for his father and it is GRUELLING work. But now he is an extraordinary fighter! Better than his brothers so yknow,,, more hatred <333

SO one day his father sends him on a mission by himself to the badlands, to keep some of the souls from getting too strong he essentially has to decapitate them and move on since they cant kill a dead person,, just reset their bodies essentially…

while he’s doing this, he finds these gates opening and taking these monster souls through to the overworld so UHH YKNOW UH OH?? THATS BAD??? after some moral dilemmas he decides to jump through a gate,, fight some bitches (turns out,, when these monsters enter the overworld they just become actual beings again and can die!! cool!!),,, and get screamed at by the general public BECAUSE HE LOOKS INSANE??? WEIRD OUTFIT??? COVERED IN BLOOD?? GIANT SCYTHE??? normal in the underworld but yknow

the only person who doesnt either run or scream is Beau!!! she’s kinda dumb and rather intrigued because clearly Damon is just as confused as everyone else and also?? he just mauled like 3 creatures?? epic?? lmao so she takes him in and after the most confusing convos ever,, they are besties <3 she is his map, gives him fashion advice, his overworld encyclopaedia and he is her training bag, only friend and someone to teach her loads of cool tricks!! its great theyre so stupid together,, as the story goes on they form a really strong sibling bond and its clear they’ll stick together for as long as they live :) they both really need each other

Now his relationship with Flynn is very uuuhhhhhhh rocky lmao,,, after they meet he’s genuinely thinks flynn is so <333 slay,,, he is a whore he just wants flynn to call him names and hes like <333 omg <333,,, during their adventure they kind of start a fling n they clearly care about each other, Damon is slowly breaking Flynn’s walls down and Flynn is showing Damon that gentleness and soft affection can be something he can have in his life its very sweet <3 but yknow uhh betrayal etc kind of fucks this up but who knows!!! maybe they can make up in the end!!! hopefully no one dies :)

#oc #oc art #original character #original character art #oc design #original character design #Damon Tahann #herrmitton ocs #I FORGOT TO TAG THIS LMAO??

[frankpanioncube]

So I made my boss cry today

Innnn the good way.  And I have been suppressing my increasing rage level most of this week so I suppose it *COULD* have been ‘In the bad way’, 

For some context - I work for a large national organization and my job is sort of a regional manager/executive assistant/IT manager/Standard Operating Proceedure writier/trainer hybrid. I have my own office, am not monitored, prioritize my own work etc. etc. However it’s a lot of work, MILES away from Hell Job but....

Let me tell you about the week we’ve been having. 

SOOOOO. First off - we’re already a small group, but we’ve had several people off sick extensively, someone just gone on Pat Leave, one manager (ie: my big boss) on holiday, and we are stretched THIN. 

I was sick myself last week for like a half day and dragged myself back in the following day.  Anyway - we’re a small team to begin with so when we get cut it’s a big deal. 

This week because of the holiday weekend two weeks ago which at the time was great because we’re a federal organization meant we had both the Friday AND Monday of the Easter weekend off - but we of course made up for it this week...a week where as mentioned we were drastically understaffed at our level. 

So at this level it’s a very very weird space where you can tackle a problem, get it resolved and everything seems like you can breathe a moment and then - bam - there’s something else and you’re off and running - it was like Murphy’s Law. *goes to bathroom. - Comes back.- 9 zoom messages + 10 e-mails with some new crisis --- ‘FUCKKKKK,,,,’’ New Rule: Do NOT leave desk for fear of invoking crisis* Anyway - so today my secondary in his region is sick so that meant big boss (prime for my region) is covering the one for other big boss who is on vacation and me (prime for my region) covering his ON TOP OF all the stuff here (and we’re a big office with an adjacent clinic soooooo if regional things like training are going to happen, they’re going to happen HERE)

Now - I like training newbs in the program. Mostly they’re younger-to-middle-aged people, sometimes higher ed students doing part time so e-(redacted) is not a stretch for them to pick up on, even if they’re international. They’re used to a mobile phone and remote work probably, 

But there’s a few... I do not envy my poor poor partner in adjacent region who NORMALLY has to deal with this ....person. Not a week goes by that we do not hear this person’s name...well anyway I was VERY acutely aware of why. Well anyway - this said we get through this out the other side without me holding anyone’s head underwater until the last bubble bloops or throwing anything out my office window (It’s on the top floor it would be VERY satisfying)  ...and there’s these little recognition award things you can give out - for going above and beyond - so I sent one to my boss because like I said she did a really good job keeping everything together and on track when we were scrambling the whole time. Anyway she comes to my office and was just kind of teary and thanked me for that as she was so worried about having to handle both big sites on her own like that and that it meant a LOT coming from me as they hired me and pretty much had to throw me into the deep end (and have apologized for having to do that - speaking of little recognition awards - ) since I made it look easy.

So yep I made my boss cry. (This is why I don’t share my private life with my colleagues cause the star awards things? I got 8) However on that sort of nice note, I definitely have some left over trauma response from Hell Job because pretty much the spiral I was going down was just starting to feel the same kind of frustration I felt at the Hell Job where I just felt so overwhelmed by everything that the little things were compounding and there just seemed like chaos was everywhere so yeaaaaah. And somehow I can’t do the thing where I say ‘this is someone else’s problem’ if it just sits there and sits there I wind up doing it and that soothes my need for order but DOESN’T do wonders for my anger.  But I killed it this week and I’m going to enjoy my weekend. I can finish submitting my tax return monday night thank YOU very much.

#work stuff #actually a good end to the week #personal #mentions of hell job #i don't rage quit #i rage dig in my heels and get shit done

[bankerside11]

Orange: A listing of eleven Issues That'll Put You In an excellent Temper

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Hop on a train going out of city! Lastly he agreed to sign-up and, since I was going out to dinner with my other prospects, he would depart the accomplished paperwork within the entrance seat of my car. Take the license plates off the automotive and remove the registration sticker from the windshield so you're not held liable for any parking or site visitors tickets the brand new owner gets. This could embody an expired registration certificate or an authentic Producer's Certificate of Origin (MCO). Which certificate of deposit account is greatest? So those who want to commerce in commodity market should follow the guidelines suggested by the perfect advisory company in the market and earn maximum profit you can. This will not sound like such a nasty factor but if a janitor falls and hurts himself while mopping or sweeping, then it will be your company that the janitorial service will look to for paying the medical bills! Baltimore Solar-to prevent the sale of the corporate to a hedge fund. The bill of sale that the vendor obtained from the automobile's former owner.

#book cab online nyc

[gottagobuycheese]

suddenly violently nostalgic for the experience of being in some random hotel room halfway across the country with almost no friends or vague acquaintances, balancing a laptop on two pillows and an empty pizza box with my back against a broken radiator and my phone held at a really uncomfortable angle while I try to record my part for the holiday song at midnight-thirty and send it in before our choir teacher wakes up in six hours

#if I can't do group music as a regular part of my adult life I might actually die #if I can't do any music I will DEFINITELY die #I didn't expect to be nostalgic about covid-era music rehearsals but here I am #I miss zooming into rehearsals!! #it's been so long I barely remember what it was like seeing everyone in person anyway #but I know they're all preparing for the winter recital already #and they get to do it in person #and I'm...ignoring emails #god don't you just love growing up #ignoring emails like a PRO I am #hobbies?? who needs 'em #what if instead of that I spend four hours after work turning our spreadsheet into an enviable piece of BEAUTY and ORGANIZATION #Cheese's personal molasses #...okay but I really do need to answer those emails #today I was able to stay on top of work (mostly) AND make that beautiful spreadsheet AND take out the stinky trash #AND THROW OUT/WASH THE CONTAINER FULL OF STINKY MOLDY RICE #SO I WILL CALL THAT A SUCCESS #tomorrow will be the day for professional life...I hope #our boss is out for training and the person who was covering her ended up being covid positive (yikes) so the new person has no handover #...which probably means I should get to work early so I can make that spreadsheet even more thorough and beautiful #but here I am #one in the morning #getting emotional about getting to sing loudly and badly in hotel rooms that were closed to the general public :( #oh huh I never did end up making sink ramen #that sink was pristine I so bet I could have #I think I actually packed a sponge one week in preparation #sadly never went anywhere with it #and I can't use it in a fic until I test out its capability #but SOME DAY

[havethetimeofyourstyles]

in which a new relationship sparks up in the restaurant. 

a/n: hi loves! i’m back with a new story, and this is for nat’s @harrystylescherry​ playlist fic challenge! the song i chose is ‘say it’ by maggie rogers, which is one of my absolute favorite songs! hope you all like it, please reblog and leave feedback!

WORD COUNT: 13.8k words of waiter!harry x waitress!yn 

WARNINGS: angst and some smut 

COME INTO MY INBOX AND LETS TALK ABOUT ‘SAY IT’ i’d love to know your thoughts!

pls rb to share <3

It was eleven in the morning when Harry walked through the back door of ‘Spring,’ ready to start his long day of being on his feet while waiting tables. 

He walked to the staff’s lounge that held their lockers and a bench before looking around to see if anyone else was in the locker room; he turned the dial of his lock pad to open his blue locker. His coworkers would always tease him about being so secretive when he knows that no one would actually steal from him, but better to be safe than sorry, and he couldn’t imagine how awkward that would be confronting one of his coworkers if they actually had stolen from him. 

He put his white canvas tote bag that was printed in a brown text that said ‘Celestial Natural Foods’—a store in Hawaii—in his locker and hanging it on one out of the two hooks before grabbing his black waist apron and tying it around his waist. 

The restaurant’s attire was a simple white or black button down with black trousers. The manager of the restaurant, Irene, told the staff that they could choose either color shirt whenever they pleased. As for jewelry, she didn’t mind when her waiters and waitresses wore jewelry, as long as it wasn’t interfering with how they held the plates of food, causing them to drop it. Harry was glad to hear that Irene allowed jewelry because his rings and necklaces made him Harry. Twisting his rings and fixing his necklaces, he took a quick glance at the small mirror that was stuck on the inside of the door with a magnet, and combed his hair back with his hands before closing his locker shut and locking it. 

He washed his hands at the sink next to the locker room, and he smiled at the commotion and noise from behind him that came from the kitchen crew. They were prepping for the dinner hour, chopping up various vegetables, making the restaurant’s famous dressing and sauces, and baking the side dishes that usually took a while in the oven. 

“Hey, Harry!” Jet, one of the sous chefs, greeted as he looked up at Harry with a big smile as he continued chopping up cabbage like the professional chef that he was. 

Harry chuckled, amazed at his knife skills. “Hey, Jet. How are you today?” He leaned against the stainless steel countertop as he talked to Jet through the open space of the shelves, where the food rested under the heated and dim light when it was ready to be served. 

“I’m doing great! How was your three day vacation?” 

“It was okay. It went by fast, but I missed it here anyways,” Harry responded with a smile. Jet laughed, nodding. 

“Well, we missed you too. Anyways, Irene told me to tell you that she’s looking for you.” Harry squinted his eyes slightly, not knowing whether Irene looking for him was a good or bad thing, and Jet seemed to notice what he was thinking. “Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure it’s nothing bad.” 

Harry nodded, feeling somewhat relieved. Jet was his closest friend at Spring, ever since Harry started working as a waiter three years ago. He desperately needed a job because being his own boss and freelancing as a photographer could be difficult sometimes; and building up a client list when he first started out was even harder. But three years later, he was able to get his name around through his clients, and he earned enough where he could technically quit his job at Spring and focused purely on photography; however, Harry liked the restaurant too much to just quit—he liked serving people, believe it or not. His charms go a long way for respectful and kind customers, and of course, a great tip. Most of his friends always worked here as well, as he didn’t have quite a lot of friends since he moved from London, but his coworkers had become his very own friends, and he loved them too much to leave. 

“Thanks, I’ll see you when we open!” Harry said as Jet waved to him, watching him walk around the counter to find Irene who was talking to a woman he’s never seen before. 

He’s always loved walking through the restaurant because it had such a friendly and open vibe with white painted walls, trees planted in a line in the middle of the floor, and a big glass ceiling for a solarium ambience. His favorite part was that there were no walls to separate the dining area from the kitchen, so customers could see straight through the kitchen and watch the chefs work on their food with just a turn of their heads. 

“Ah, there he is,” Irene said once Harry was close enough. “I’m glad you’re early.” 

“Irene, I’m always early, what do you mean?” Harry breathed out a chuckle. 

“I know you are. I’m just glad you’re extra early today because I need you to train this lovely woman next to me.” Irene stepped out of the way to reveal you to the waiter that was going to train you today. 

Harry looked at you, and immediately, his breath was caught in his throat. The light that was provided through the glass ceiling cast down at you, giving you a glow that was ethereal, and he mentally thanked the interior designer of the restaurant from so many years ago for insisting on putting a glass ceiling instead of a regular, covered one. There you were, standing in the open light as you flashed him a smile that almost made him collapse due to how weak his knees were, and he physically had to place a hand on the brown wooden table next to him to keep himself up. You were stunning, to say the least. 

“Hi, I’m Y/N,” you offered him a hand, smiling softly at him. He shook your hand, feeling the softness of your small hand and how it contrasted to his large and somewhat rough hand. 

“I’m Harry. It’s lovely to meet you.” He smiled, two dimples indenting his cheeks. You noticed that his left dimple was more prominent than his right, but either way, you thought he was a gorgeous man. 

Yours and Harry’s eyes had lingered a bit longer, and once you had caught yourself staring, you forced yourself to take your eyes off him, even though it was difficult to. And that’s when you knew it was going to be a slight problem working around him. 

“Now that introductions are out of the way,” Irene interrupted. She turned towards Harry. “Harry, this is our newest addition to our waiting staff. You’ve been here long enough and it seems like you’re here everyday, so I’m going to leave her with you to train.” Once she was down, Irene turned towards you. “Y/N, you’re going to train with Harry for the rest of the week. It’s usually two weeks that are required for training, but since you’ve had waiting experience before, I’ll knock it down to one, and by the end of the week, we’ll see how you’re doing and where you are with everything. Sounds good?” 

You nodded excitedly, giving her a bright smile before she clapped her hands and said ‘great.’ Harry looked at you the entire time, and he just knew that you were the type of person that could light up a room with your beautiful and bright smile. 

Irene turned towards Harry once more. “Show her the ropes, introduce her to people, and just make her comfortable, yeah?” Harry nodded, teasingly saluting at his boss as he earned a laugh from her. 

Irene left, leaving the two of you, but your attention was preoccupied with the restaurant as you eagerly looked around, getting familiar with the place you’d hoped to be stable at for a while. 

Harry cleared his throat, to which you immediately looked at him. He gave you a smile before he said, “So, ready for your first day?” 

“Ready!” You exclaimed, tone a bit too excited, making you slightly embarrassed, so you curled your lips into your mouth and looked around the restaurant again to hide your slight embarrassment. 

Harry giggled. “Don’t look around too much—you might get tired of this place before you even start,” he teased, completely forgetting how shy and embarrassed you looked. 

“I think I’m gonna like it here,” you confessed immediately, feeling a certain comfort once you walked into the restaurant. Hell, the moment you researched the restaurant, you loved the place. 

“Well, I’m glad to hear that.” Harry led you around the counter where customers could watch the chefs in action as they cooked their meals. “This is where you could get all the supplies needed—napkins, extra plates, utensils, place mats, everything should be here. If not, then it’ll usually be in the kitchen, right over here.” He walked over to the kitchen where there were more supplies under the table, and pointed below the table. “Here’s more if the ones behind the counter run out, and if they do run out and you just so happen to be there, please make sure to refill it.” You nodded understandingly. 

Harry walked you through the steps of how the system of the restaurants worked as he imputed a demo order into the system on the touchable screen. There were five order screens, one in each corner of the restaurant, one behind the counter, and one in the kitchen; there shouldn’t be any collision or anyone waiting for one of the severs to finish with the screen because there were only about four to five servers working every shift considering it was a small restaurant. Harry then walked you along on where to pick up the order as every dish had its receipt with the order printed on the paper along with the table number. He told you that the table numbers are in order of how the tables are set up—number one starts with the countertops since it’s closest to the entrance, following along the walls, and the tables in the middle were numbered last. 

You liked how easy their routine and system was that you were sure you’d have it down by the end of the week. Harry made sure to introduce you to the staff that you two passed by as he led you throughout the restaurant; he made you feel comfortable right from the bat, making sure to make a few jokes here and there that certainly released some tension in your shoulders from nerves. You were grateful that he made you laugh--you were worried that you wouldn’t like your coworkers or they would be mean and snarky because you’re the newbie, but with Harry, it seemed like you two were getting along quite well; he was polite, helpful, and kind. 

“So, that’s pretty much it.” He looked at the time on his Apple Watch, reading a quarter to six in the evening, 15 minutes until Spring opened for dinner. “Do you have any questions?” 

You tried thinking of anything that you could ask, but your mind seemed to have collected all the information Harry had told you and retained it quite well. “No, nothing I can think of at the moment.” 

“Great. For now, do you mind checking the placemats and the table decor for me?” You nodded helpfully. “And then if you have any remaining time left, just chill out and take a breather for a second, and then come find me when we open.” 

“Okay. Sounds good.” You smiled at him sweetly, making him smile back before he walked away and towards the kitchen. 

You headed towards the dining room, making sure the woven placements were symmetrical and even; you also straightened out the utensils that made their way out of line or off the tablemats. You did this for the rest of the ten minutes you had of peace before you made your way through the restaurant to find Harry. 

The entire time you were in the dining room, Harry was in the locker room, mindlessly on his phone to waste time. He was lucky that he didn’t have to do anything before the restaurant opened, so he had some spare time to relax for a bit. He tried cooling down to get the pink flush that painted his cheeks off, but that’s what happened when he was around you; immediately, you had already had this effect on him, making him blush and nervous around you, and he didn’t know what it was. Maybe it was the way you brightly smiled at him, practically gleaming; or the way you laughed at his jokes, which even he could admit are a bit corny and bad—a very dad-like joke, but you still laughed. 

Whatever it was, he knew that he was fucked. 

Dinner time was a rush. Spring was busy and full; the reservation booklet was booked with no space to cater to walk-ins. 

You were shadowing Harry as you followed him around like a lost puppy, watching him interact with the customers, occasionally pulling out his charm so he would get a big tip. You couldn’t imagine if you were a customer and Harry was your server because your face would heat up instantly, and it would be difficult to contain a smile on your face. He had such a natural charm to him, making him naturally flirty as he flashed customers his smile and laughing at their horribly made jokes. 

For half of the night, you simply followed him around, watched the paths he took when he got the customers’ food and his overall routine of things. With every table he got assigned to, he made sure to introduce you to the party, always glancing over at you once he said your name as you greeted the customers with a bright smile. Harry nearly had to stop every time he glanced over at you as it seemed like your beauty always distracted him. 

You helped him with dealing with the plates, beverages, and getting extra necessities such as cheese, hot sauce, or extra utensils and plates for the table. 

Once the restaurant died down a bit, you and Harry were able to walk a bit slower, relaxing each time a party leaves. When there was about an hour and a half left of your shift and till the restaurant closes, Harry asked you if you’d like to take orders, saying it’ll be best if he observed how you would talk and serve the customers, and you excitedly said ‘yes.’ Harry was only assigned to five to six tables during his shift, and since it was near closing time, there were only two that had just arrived. 

Harry politely introduced himself, telling the parties that you were new and shadowing him, but you were going to take over for the rest of their stay at Spring. He watched you kindly talk to them, occasionally making small talk as you laughed with them; you talked about your favorite items on the menu, along with your favorite selection of wine. This time, Harry helped you with your tasks that you had done before you two switched off, and he immediately admitted to himself that the two of you made such a great team. It was only your first day here, and he already saw how naturally the both of you moved around one another, along with communicating so well with each other. 

You were bidding the last party in the restaurant goodbye with a wave and telling them to enjoy the rest of their evening before you grabbed the mason jar that held the bill, along with the tips. You walked over to the kitchen where Irene was counting all the money and placed the mason jar besides her, giving her a smile before walking over to the locker room. 

Harry was sitting on the bench with his phone in his hands, and looked up once you entered the room. 

“How was your first day?” He smiled. 

“It was actually really great. The energy here is amazing.” 

“Well, I’m glad. You’re a natural, and it helps both of us that you already have restaurant experience.” Harry completely put his phone away into his tote bag, giving you his attention, which you really admired. Some people would make small talk and quickly end the conversation to go back on their phones. “Where did you work before, if you don’t mind me asking?” 

“I actually moved here from NorCal—San Francisco—just two weeks ago. But I worked at one of the restaurants at Pier 49. The restaurant was pretty small and we weren’t as busy as it was here, only on the weekends we would get a bit busy. So, this is definitely completely different than being outside and smelling the fresh ocean a few feet away,” you explained, chuckling. 

“Wow, SF, that’s quite the trip. But we’re glad to have you. I think you’re fitting right in.” 

“Thank you. I already like it here.” Harry gave you a warm smile, grateful that you had a great first day, and that Spring gave you a good first impression for you to stay. 

The two of you chatted a bit, talking about the customers you had and laughing at the jokes they made or the conversations they talked about. It was kind-hearted and fun, and a conversation that made you feel light; it wasn’t anything serious. It ended when it was time for closing, cleaning up and making sure everything was in order for tomorrow afternoon’s shift. 

Irene handed the staff their tips for the night, which you amounted for $120 for a Sunday night. It wasn’t bad for your first night of tips, and you knew you would be working a lot more since this was your only job and you weren’t doing anything else. 

As everyone walked outside into the staff parking lot, everyone said their goodbyes to one another, spreading apart and walking out to their vehicles. 

Once you opened your car door, Harry called out for you from the opposite side of where you parked. 

“Yeah?” You raised your brows. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He offered a smile before getting into his car and starting it, but he waited until you were safely inside of your car and out of the parking garage, and then he would leave. 

He couldn’t help but notice the smile that appeared onto your face before you got inside your car, and he couldn’t help but think about how incredibly beautiful you are. 

The entire week went on just like your first day. You were getting more comfortable with the flow of the restaurant, and where everything was. You continued shadowing Harry, but some days, he would let you serve your customers for the entire shift. 

Now that it was Friday evening, you couldn’t wait to relax the next day. You had told Irene that you were available all days of the week, and since you were new and still needed to complete training, she scheduled you for Sunday to Friday, getting Saturday off, which you appreciated. When you told yourself that you were able to work all day, you didn’t realize how exhausting and tiring that was until it came down to the end of the week as your feet ached, telling you to sit down for at least an entire day. 

Once it was closing time, you were finally able to catch a breath as you cleaned up part of the dining room. Chatter and laughter was heard from the kitchen quite loud as it echoed against the walls; you smiled, enjoying the sound of laughter, especially when it came from people you knew. 

As you were mindlessly wiping down tables, Harry walked up to you with two cocktails in his hands, smiling as he handed you one. You raised your brows, hesitant to take it from him as you wondered if it was allowed to drink since you were technically still on the clock. 

“Irene made them for us, if that’s what you’re wondering,” he said as if he read your mind. You breathed out a chuckle, taking a glass before thanking him and clinking your glass with his before taking a sip of the cold tequila drink. You sighed in relief, and Harry giggled. “Do you have any plans for tonight? I know it’s almost midnight, but I mean…you could still.” He felt his ears heat up, feeling a tad bit nervous when he was around you. 

“No, I don’t. I don’t really have any friends in SoCal, but I can't wait to go home and sleep.” 

“O-Oh okay, I was just gonna ask if you’d like to stay for a bit longer.” 

“Here? For what?” You asked curiously. 

“Well, the lot of us get together after night shifts to do a mini celebration at the end of the long and busy week. We only do it Fridays since that’s when most of us are working all together,” he said referring to the bunch laughing and talking in the kitchen. You did notice now that you had been working with the same group of people, and partially that was because you only mostly worked night shifts and so did the rest. “We usually stay for an hour—drink, eat, talk. It made us closer, actually, so I’d thought you might like to join since you’re new,” he invited.

You didn’t take long to think of an answer—to weigh out your choices of wanting to go to bed at a somewhat reasonable time or stay an extra hour and hang out with your coworkers. 

“I’d actually really love that, thank you,” you accepted his invitation with a sweet smile, making Harry’s heart pound just a tad bit harder against his chest. 

“Great! Well, come on into the kitchen when you’re done. The chefs are cooking up some food,” he said before he walked away, leaving you to finish up your tasks for the night, which didn’t take you any more than ten minutes to finish up. 

You walked into the kitchen and Harry immediately handed you a plate that you gladly took. Jet excitedly waved to you to go over to the stove so he could serve you. 

“Allergic to anything?” He asked to make sure you weren’t going into the emergency room tonight. 

“Uh, shellfish when it’s consumed. I’m okay to be around it, though.”

“Oh shit, this would not be good for you.” His eyes widened as he immediately dropped the large silver serving spoon of the lobster risotto; it looked absolutely delicious. “Good thing I’m prepared. Do you like spaghetti and meatballs?” 

“Love.”

“Great!” He started plating your plate with the food before handing it back to you with an ‘enjoy!’ as you thanked him. 

Once everyone was satisfied, you all headed out to the dining table, settling on a large rectangle table comfortably. There were about twelve of you, and it seemed like everyone had assigned seats since they immediately went straight to their spot and placed their table or drink in front of it. 

You were a bit lost, not knowing where to sit, and the only person you’re reasonably close to was Harry, but it seemed like he was a bit preoccupied chatting with Quinn, another chef. 

“Y/N! Sit next to me, yeah?” Ivy, one of the waitresses called out for you. You smiled, thankful she was the one to ask you, and you gladly took a seat next to her. 

Harry took the seat in front of Ivy, diagonal from you, and he really wished he was the one sitting next to you. 

“Damn, I really should get a large circle table for all of us so we could see each other’s faces,” Irene suggested, and the group agreed, but everyone wondered where it would be placed since the restaurant had no space for another large table. 

Everyone broke out into their own conversations, chatting with one another freely and as loud as they wanted. 

“How was your first week here, Y/N?” Ivy asked. 

“It was great! I really love this place.” Harry looked at you as you talked with Ivy. He really could get lost just looking at your beauty, and sometimes, he would have to knock himself out of his glare to prevent him from getting caught. He was just so captivated by you, and it didn’t take a lot of effort for him to be so drawn to you. 

Ivy had definitely noticed Harry’s stare from the corner of her eye, and admittingly, she got jealous because she’s had a small crush on Harry ever since she started working at Spring four months ago. But it wasn’t like she was going to do anything about it because it seemed like he didn’t take interest in her, so she wasn’t going to force it. However, it didn’t slip past her that you occasionally glanced over at Harry as well—briefly averting your eyes towards him once he took a sip of his water or someone had pulled him out of his attention on you to make conversation. 

Gently pulling you by the arm, Ivy leaned over to whisper into your ear. “Harry’s totally crushing on you.” 

You pulled back, shocked. “What?” You mouthed. 

“He can’t stop looking at you—it’s so obvious.” You simply chuckled, shaking your head slightly as your cheeks felt warm, not from the alcohol or how close everyone was sitting, but because you couldn’t even believe that Harry would have a crush on you. Sure, you two had spent the entirety of your shifts together, but you didn’t think that he would have a crush on you. 

You tried not to think of Ivy’s words for the rest of the night, and you tried even harder to not look at Harry to catch it he was staring at you. Your thoughts seemed to make you more drunk when you were trying to sober up to drive back home. You only had three cocktails, which was quite mindless of you to be drinking when you had to drive home, but you simply wanted to have fun because you deserved it, and you were comfortable and making friends. And everyone seemed to be drinking as well as they were getting a ride from the more responsible ones who were driving and leaving their car in the parking garage during the night. 

Once everyone was all out of their social battery with their plates and glasses empty, you all started to clean up, helping one another to make the process of going home quicke; there were two people washing the dishes and two people drying as the rest put those dishes away and cleaned the table. 

Just like every single night, everyone said their goodbyes in the parking lot before going to their cars to head home for a good night's rest. 

You were sober, but you didn’t feel safe enough to drive, and you don’t know if that’s the alcohol or the thoughts of Harry making you dizzy. So, instead of walking to your car, you took out your phone and opened the Uber app, knowing you’d be able to get a ride home quickly since it was past midnight on a Friday night. 

“Hey, whatcha doing?” Harry asked, walking up to you once he noticed that you weren’t going to your car. He made it a habit to watch you get inside your car and leave the parking garage safely because anything could happen in the few minutes if he left before you. 

“I’m calling an Uber. I don’t wanna drive back…” you replied before looking down at your phone again.

“Oh, I could drive you home, if you’d like?” He offered politely. 

“Really? You don’t have to do that.”

“I insist. I would feel better knowing that I was the one that got you home safely.” The corners of your lips couldn’t help but turn up into a smile as your heart fluttered against your ribcage. 

“That’s really sweet, Harry, I’d like that,” you accepted. Harry grinned, leading you to his car as you followed; he walked over to the passenger seat, opening the door for you, which easily almost made your knees buckle in. How is he such a gentleman and so incredibly kind? You wondered, thinking about how rare it was to meet a man without anything leading to more than a conversation. 

You thanked him before getting into his car; his car was very clean and he had a Saturn air freshener that hung on his rearview mirror, admitting a fresh lemon scent throughout his vehicle. Harry got in, handing you his phone to play some music and to enter your address before starting the car and driving out of the parking garage. You played Daniel Caesar, which you thought was the perfect kind of music for a night drive since your place was fifteen minutes away from the restaurant. The two of you sang along to ‘Hold Me Down’ as he watched you from the corner of his eye, adorably swaying in your seat to the song as you muttered the lyrics. 

The sunroof cover was open, giving you an orange glow every time the car passed by a lamppost. Unconsciously, you both looked at one another every time the car stopped at a red light, both smiling at one another. You were thankful that it was dark out as it hid your big smile from how much you were giddy just looking at Harry. 

Once the navigation told him that your place was on the right, he parked against the curb in front of your apartment complex. You unbuckled your seatbelt before turning towards him in your seat as he turned towards you as well. 

“Thank you for the ride, Harry. It was really kind of you to offer.” 

“Not a problem. Don’t be hesitant to ask again. I rarely drink when we have our after-hours dinners, so you’re free to drink all you want and I’ll be glad to take you home,” he told you, and you smiled, nodding your head. 

“I’ll keep that in mind. It’s just been a while since I drank and hung out with friends,” you explained. 

“No worries. I’m glad you had fun, I assumed?” 

“Yeah, lots of fun! I really like it there, and you made it bearable and fun as well as my trainer,” you admitted. Harry felt his cheeks slightly redden, and just as you were thinking, he was grateful it was dark out. 

He cleared his throat. “Well, I’m glad. You’ll be on your own now. No need for me anymore since you’ve pretty much gotten everything done so quickly,” he chuckled, a dimple indenting his left cheek, making you hold in your breath. 

“Can I still ask you for help if I need you?” You asked innocently, leaning your elbow against the middle console as you rested your chin against your fist. Harry pursed in his lips as his mind focused on the last three words that slipped out of your mouth--I need you. It was merely an innocent question relating to work that he shouldn’t think too much about, but he couldn’t help it. 

“Of course. I’m always gonna be here if you need me,” he responded, keeping it friendly. At that, you smiled, nodding your head in acceptance. You gathered your belongings that rested at your feet before turning to face him again. Leaning forward, Harry thought you were leaning in to kiss him, which he wouldn’t mind whatsoever, but that dream was crushed when you wrapped your arm around his shoulder, giving him a hug. He hugged you back, placing his hand against your back and slightly rubbing his hand up and down, hoping you couldn’t feel his heart hammering against his chest at the feel of your upper body slightly pressed against him. 

You pulled away, giving him a shy smile. “I’ll see you on Sunday. Drive safe, okay?” 

“Always do. Sleep well.” He bid you goodbye as you got out of his car, walking over to the entrance of your apartment complex. You turned around before you opened the door, waving at him before heading inside. 

Harry drove off to his place, the opposite direction of your apartment, passing Spring. He could’ve honestly been home already in the comfort of his bed, but he didn’t mind taking you home at all. That only meant he got to spend a bit of more time together, but he noticed that with every passing second, minute, and hour, he felt himself falling for you just a bit more. 

You’ve been at Spring for almost a month, and you couldn’t believe how fast the days went by. The more you worked, the more you started to feel a place at home with the restaurant. It was welcoming and fun, and all the credit was due to the people that you surrounded yourself with. You felt a difference in your attitude, your mood, and you liked the change that it brought you--you felt happy. 

Being in San Francisco your entire life was great up until it wasn’t. It was a toxic place for you simply because of the people that you were surrounded with. You noticed that you were always on fight-or-flight mode, ready for someone to make one comment at you so you could snap at them. You hated being and thinking like that, so the best thing you did for yourself was to move away from the toxicity of your hometown, and you were glad that you did. 

It was another usual Friday evening, after hours at Spring as you sat in your usual seat next to Ivy as the two of you and Harry were laughing about a story Ivy was telling about her ex-boyfriend in college. 

Harry looked over at you, heart swooning as he watched you laugh, wiping your under eyes from the tears that had slipped out. It was a beautiful sight, he’d say; you had such a beautiful smile and contagious laugh that he loved hearing, whether it’d be from the kitchen as he was in the dining room or in the locker room—wherever it was, he always smiled to himself when he heard it. 

The two of you had gotten quite close, making the work environment bearable and fun. When you would be in the same area at the same time, you had this thing where you would bump his hip with yours lightly, and he would bump yours right back—of course, when there weren’t any food or drink handling. There would always be light conversations within those hip bumps, comfortably getting to know one another, whether it would be asking quick-fire questions or a random story about one another’s lives that would come to mind. It wasn’t an ordinary setting or time to get to know each other, but it made things fun because the two of you would come up with more questions to come up with the next time he bumped into you. It was nice having a thing with you, he thought. 

There would be moments during those little meetings when your fingers would brush delicately against his, sending shivers to his body. It was simply overwhelming in the best way possible. 

Everyone called it a night, doing the nightly routine of tidying and cleaning everything up. Despite the long shift and being on your feet, you still had quite a bit of energy that you would like to use up so you could get a night’s rest. You looked at your friends, seeing if anyone was up for a late night adventure just based off of their posture and how often they yawned, and it seemed like everyone was exhausted, for obvious reasons. But you’d ask one person before you decide to go alone. 

Once everything was clean and ready for the Saturday’s brunch, everyone walked out of the restaurant, walking over to their cars. 

“Hey, Harry?” You called out, making him instantly turn around at the sound of your voice. 

“Yeah, love?” The pet name had merely slipped out, and you felt your face getting warm, shyly smiling. 

“Uh, you could totally say no and I would completely understand why because it’s Friday night, and we had a long shift, and you must be tired-”

“Y/N?” You stopped talking, raising your brows. “Breath, yeah? Take your time,” he interrupted the rambling that you hadn’t known you were doing. 

Nodding, you took a deep breath. You didn’t know why you were nervous, but every time you were around Harry, he just made you feel a certain swarm of butterflies entering your stomach. 

“I’m not as tired as I thought, and I wanna end tonight with some sweets. So, would you like to come with me to get some dessert? Again, you could say no.” 

Harry smiled. “I’d love to,” he replied with no second thought. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, of course. Plus, we could finally talk properly. Hate always walking away from our unfinished conversations.” He breathed out a chuckle, running his clad ring hand through his curls. 

“Great! Oh, uh, do you mind if we take your car? I took an Uber here, but I’ll compensate with buying you cookies and paying for your gas,” you suggested, keeping your excitement at bay. 

“No worries, c’mon. But I might take you up on the cookie offer.” He smiled, opening your door for you, which never failed to make you swoon. 

As he started the car, warming up the engine and turning the heater on, you two debated on where to go. You suggested going to Insomnia Cookies in Santa Monica, which was a twenty minute drive from Downtown LA, and it closed at two In the morning, but only if he was down to drive the opposite direction of where you two lived. And luckily, he didn’t mind the drive because he was always down for a late night drive and adventure, especially if it was with you. 

The car speakers played Frank Ocean, he merged on the 101, tapping his fingers along with the beat against the steering wheel. You subtly studied him as he drove, just as you did when you would glance at him across the restaurant. He always mindlessly curled his pink lips into his mouth, a habit that he, assumingly, had for years. You noticed how he would always play with his rings; his thumb would reach over to his other fingers to play with the heavy, metal rings; not helping that your mind would instantly go to what else his hands could do, especially to you, to your body, but you had to immediately snap yourself out of your thoughts to prevent them from going any further. Not to mention, the way his eyes always lit up; they had a natural gleam to them, making them incredibly irresistible to not look in his green eyes. 

He was captivating in all the right ways, and you felt yourself falling for him quite quickly, making that fear inside of you light up, inflaming your body with anxiousness. 

Your thoughts soon vanished when Harry pulled into a parking space in front of your destination, and he turned off the car. He turned to look at you, giving you a small smile before getting out. You decided to buy Harry anything he’d like, which he got the same six pack of cookies as you. 

Harry suggested eating in his car, which you agreed. Although the cold in SoCal wasn’t the same coldness as it was in NorCal, you didn’t want to stand around and freeze. The two of you make light conversation, talking about social media and enjoying the warmth of the fresh baked cookies. You then realized that you hadn’t followed him on Instagram, so you asked for his username, which was just his first and last name. 

“Your pictures are amazing,” you complimented.

“Stalking me already?” He teased. A smirk on his face present, making you roll your eyes as you didn’t know if you wanted to slap or kiss the smirk off—always wanting to go for the latter. “But thank you. I, uh, I actually took those myself.” Your eyes brightened. The photographs posted on his Instagram were mostly portraits of beautiful people, some of them were landscapes of a field or the mountains, but most of them were portraits. You knew very little about photography, thanks to the ‘Beginning of Photography 1’ class that you took in college, but you could see the depth of the picture and the way they’re taken; the emotion was clearly there, making you feel intensity through the picture. 

“Wow, you’re really talented, Harry.”

He blushed, looking down at his lap for a moment before looking back up at you again. “Thank you so much. I’m a freelance photographer.”

“Do you plan on leaving Spring to focus solely on photography?” You asked curiously. He softly smiled; he could hear the genuine tone in your voice, and he really appreciated that. 

“I’m not sure. I’ll have an appointment, maybe, three or four times a month? But the restaurant brings in more money, especially the tips,” he explained. 

You nodded. “Well, for what it’s worth, you’re extremely talented, and one day, you’ll be at the place you want to be. Everything will work out.” Harry smiled in appreciation of your words, not saying anything else. 

Taking another bite of his cookie, he changed the subject. “So, do you miss any of your friends in SF?” 

You raised your brows, not expecting that question, but you answered honestly. “To tell you the truth, I really don’t. A month before moving here,” you began to open up vulnerably; you hadn’t spoken to anyone about this. “I got out of a long relationship—quite toxic, honestly,” you said, looking at him. He had this look on his face that was so comforting, not a word coming out of his mouth, asking for details; it didn’t tell you that he was nosy or pressing you to tell him more. It simply told you that he was there to listen, whenever you were ready to tell him, and you really appreciated that. 

You hadn’t realized how hard it was talking about your past relationship because it had been all bottled up until now.  A deep breath came out of your mouth, and Harry immediately realized that it must’ve been a hard subject to speak about. Unexpected to you, he reached over to grab your hand, holding it gently as his thumb caressed your skin. He hoped he masked his nervousness well, making the smallest physical touch with you when, really, his pulse was hammering against his veins, heart pounding through his chest as his breathing began to feel erratic, but outside he remained cool, calm, and collected as if the touch didn’t drive him insane. 

You tried not letting Harry’s thumb, caressing the back of your hand, affect your ability to speak a coherent sentence, so you continued. “Uh, my ex was cheating on me with someone in our friend group. He told me not to worry about her, but you know how that goes when you hear that phrase. It was with a girl that I used to date—my first relationship, actually. The worst part of it was when I found out, I took him back when he promised he wouldn’t do it again and claimed that he loved me, and then I took him back again, and again and again.” 

Harry inhaled deeply, trying to not let the hand holding yours squeeze tightly so the blood circulation cuts off because he felt angry. He was so mad because how could anyone do that to you? Sweet, kind, and lovely you? 

“When I told him I couldn’t handle it anymore—all the lies, cheating, and betrayal—I broke up with him. Our friend group turned against me, completely ignored me. Now that I think about it, I noticed they started to be cold and rude towards me once they started sneaking around, and I have no clue why because I didn’t do anything to them. Guess they were just covering up for them because everyone knew except me, and I just felt so stupid because I was so clueless to think he ever loved me to forgive him so many times.” 

You started to sniffle as the bad memories that you lived through for the few months of the betrayal started to come up again. You were doing a good job not thinking about it when you started working at the restaurant, and you didn’t plan on telling Harry tonight, but you trusted him to let go of all the agony that you bottled up inside your mind. 

“Hey, come here,” he said, opening his arms up. You gladly rested your head against his shoulders, wishing the middle console wasn’t there so you could press your body against his. He hands rubbed your back just as it did when you first hugged him, and to say that you hadn’t been craving for his touch was a complete lie. “You’re not stupid whatsoever. I understand why you did what you did, but that doesn’t make you stupid. It makes them stupid for betraying your trust and forgiveness over and over again. You’re not in the wrong here nor was it your fault, love.” 

You nodded against his shoulder, and you felt him place the side of his face against the top of your head, cuddling up to you, which immediately put a smile on your face. Harry’s comfort had immediately made you feel better—it made you feel safe. You hadn’t felt so comfortable in someone else’s arms in a very long time, and considering that you’ve only known him for a month, you’d say it’s quite unbelievable how comfortable you are in his hold, especially opening up to him like you did. 

Pulling back from his hold, you looked up at him, giving him a smile. The weight on your shoulders suddenly felt lighter once you opened the bottle and poured out the contents in it. Talking to Harry was refreshing, a fresh breath of air, and you inhaled the crisp oxygen gratefully, knowing that being vulnerable and opening up had changed your friendship. 

It was Sunday evening, and you were cleaning up to prepare for closing. It had been a long day, even though you only worked for four hours; it just seemed that you were running around more than usual. 

But you were glad that the day was over, and you could take a long nice shower to end your night. Throughout cleaning, your coworkers had said goodbye, leaving through the back door, which you found odd because everyone usually heads out at the same time, but you didn’t think too much of it. 

Once you were done in the dining room, you looked around, finding the restaurant completely empty, but everything seemed to be in order, so you headed over to the locker room. 

When you rounded around the counter top and into the kitchen, Harry jumped up from his crouched position, startling you as you took a step back, gasping with your hand over your heart. 

“Holy shit, you scared me,” you said breathlessly. 

Harry chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, I thought you still knew I was here.” 

“I thought I was completely alone, and hiding behind the counter doesn’t help.” You and Harry laughed. You hadn’t noticed the two plates of food and wine glasses that were filled with sparkling soda sitting next to him on the stainless steel counter, and you wondered for a moment if that was for you and him. “What’s that for?” 

“For us, if you’d like. I made it quickly once everything was slow and we were starting to close,” he said shyly, rubbing his tattooed forearm. 

Your brows raised, eyes widening slightly. “You made this? For us?”

“Yeah. Today marks one month being here, so I decided to make dinner to celebrate.” You were quite speechless at the thought; it was so incredibly sweet and thoughtful that Harry went through that trouble of making a meal to celebrate a somewhat significant date. Tears started to well up in your eyes, making the man in front of you blurry. “Oh, wait, no. Please don’t cry. You could definitely take this to-go, if you want! I know you’re probably tired, but-”

Harry was cut off by your arms wrapping around his shoulders. He was taken back at first from the impact of your body crashing against his, but once he regained his balance, he immediately wrapped his arms around your waist, holding you tightly. 

Your scent was impeccable—quite alluring for running around for a few hours. He knew he smelled like food, the smoke from garlic and onions sautéing, and vegetables cooking. He buried his head into your shoulder, holding you close. This had been the first time you two were ever hugging outside of the comfort and safety of his car—no middle console to interfere, no awkwardness in trying to figure out how to give a proper hug in a confined space. He enjoyed it a lot—the way your body was pressed up against his. It made him happy, it made him feel safe. 

The intimate moment lasted for a few minutes, simply just hugging one another in relief in the kitchen, swaying slightly as complete silence surrounded the two of you. 

Once you were satisfied (although you think you would never be satisfied enough if you’re not in his arms), you pulled away, coming face-to-face with him. Your cheeks were slightly damped from the few tears that had fallen out, but weirdly, it gave you a natural and happy glow, and you were feeling exactly that. 

“Harry, thank you so much. This is the sweetest and most thoughtful thing someone has ever done for me.” You looked up at him through your wet lashes, warmly smiling at him. 

“You’re welcome. Shall we eat?” You nodded, and he unwrapped his arms from around your waist, letting you go, which he wished he hadn’t. He grabbed the two heavy plates that were filled with honey garlic chicken with sautéed spinach and mushroom on a bed of rice, and you grabbed the glasses, reaching over to place them onto the countertop before the two of you walked around to sit on the high stools. 

The two of you ate in comfortable silence, and you thanked and complimented him for the lovely meal. There was light conversation, asking questions about each other’s childhood. Listening to Harry talk about his life in England was so fascinating to you, and you wished that you had grown up with him because he seemed like such a fun and kind kid to play with. You learned that his sister and mom were back home in London, and they visited every six months, and he would occasionally go back home as well, if the bills weren’t stacking up and he was good with money. His words and mind seemed to get the best of him, slipping out about how much they would love you and that he’ll invite you to lunch whenever they visit to meet them; and he hoped he didn’t freak you out. You simply blushed, nodding your head, and not saying anything else. 

The more you talked to him, the more you found yourself staring at him as you listened to what he had to say. You’d come to terms a few weeks ago that you really liked his eyes—how green they were, and how they stare into you, giving you his full attention. You liked his hands, his hair, his nose, his cheeks, and most of all, you liked his lips. You couldn’t blame alcohol for these thoughts because Harry replaced wine with sparkling soda, so these were completely sober thoughts racing your mind. His lips were something you glanced at often, trying not to glare at them too much as he talked as you didn’t want to get caught for admiring them. They were so pink, and he occasionally bit them and curled them into his mouth, making them pinker. You liked when he would take his fingers and pinch his bottom lip, a habit that he seemed to form throughout his life. You suddenly wanted to kiss him—really, really bad. 

You shook off the thought immediately, being completely sidetracked with your infatuation with Harry. Was it an infatuation? No, you knew the feelings you felt for him felt much stronger than a simple admiration for your coworker. 

Once the talking had died down and the plates were empty, you and Harry decided to clean up. You quickly took both of your plates, beating Harry to the sink to wash the dishes. He chuckled as he watched you fast walk towards the sink; he soon followed with the glasses, placing them carefully into the sink. He decided to dry the dishes, finding the dish rag on your right side. So, he leaned over, placing his left hand on your waist, chest slightly pressed against your back as he grabbed the rag. You turned your head to the right, dropping your shoulder to turn more of your body towards him. He was close and it made you feel flushed; you felt your  cheeks heating up once he looked down at you, faces inches away from each other. 

You turned back around, quickly placing the last dish on the counter before you turned off the water. Harry was still close in proximity, not making any effort to move away from you. Turning around, your back was now pressed up against the edge of the sink. Harry rested his hands against the edge, trapping you with his arms. Your breath began to deepen, heart beating quite harshly against your chest as Harry looked into your eyes, briefly glancing at your lips, and slowly trailing them back up into your eyes. He brought one hand to graze the side of your face gently, skin prickling with goosebumps. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he complimented honestly. 

“Thank you, you are too.” 

“I mean it. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met. Listen, I-I really like you, and we haven’t known each other for long but I just…can’t get enough of you,” You smiled, averting your eyes to his lips before looking back up; your cheeks and neck felt incredibly warm from his confession. Bodily, you placed your hands on his waist, pulling him towards you to close the gap between you two; Harry smirked at your action, liking the way your bodies were pressed up against each other. 

“Are you gonna do anything about it?” You raised your brows curiously. 

“What would you like me to do?” His hands were rubbing up and down your back soothingly. 

“Hmm…a few things actually,” you muttered—more to yourself but Harry definitely heard from how close you two physically were. Your fingertips were mindlessly drawing circles on his lower back where his slightly wrinkled white shirt was tucked into his black jeans. 

“Care to share?” 

You took a deep breath, looking him in the eyes that captivated you quite clearly. “Want you to kiss me.” 

The corner of his lip turned up as he curled his lips into his mouth. “Can I please? Been wanting to for so long.” 

“Tell me.” Harry raised his brows. “Tell me how long you’ve been wanting to kiss me.” 

He curled his lips into his mouth, looking down at your soft lips before back up at your eyes. “Ever since I saw you for the first time. So, please let me kiss you. Do you want me to?” 

Harry quite literally took your breath away, breath stuck in your throat before you cleared it. Nodding your head quite eagerly, you softly said, “Yeah, want you to.” 

With that, he trailed his hands from your waist, up your spine, to your shoulders, and up to your face where he placed his hands on both sides, gently holding your face delicately as if it were a piece of art that was crafted for months, years; he didn’t want to drop or break the precious masterpiece that he cradled with his hands. 

His thumb caressed your soft cheek, giving your lips one last look before he leaned in and connected your lips with his. You sighed deeply once you felt his soft lips touch yours, and your shoulder visibly relaxed, letting go of everyone that may have held you back. 

You wrapped your arms tightly around his neck, pulling him in closer. A spark ran through your body as your lips molded together so perfectly in sync, making the firework inside of you pop into a beautiful and magical scene. 

Whimpering against his mouth, you suddenly wanted more of him; he was, in all ways, addicting. You unconsciously lifted your right leg, bringing it up to his hip, making Harry press himself against your core, holding your thigh. He started to feel himself harden inside of his pants from the way you’re kissing him, the way your hands gripped his hair, and the way your tongue effortlessly swiveled against his. 

You pulled away from his lips quite breathlessly, lips swollen. “Want you.” 

“Me too—want you so bad.” He leaned forward to kiss you again, and once he did, you pulled away, only leaving him with a small kiss to his lips. Harry pouted, making you chuckle. 

“That was the best kiss I’ve ever had,” you confessed. 

Harry smirked. “Well, I’ll be glad to do it again.” 

“Wanna get out of here? C-Can we go to yours?” You asked shyly. 

“Yeah?” You nodded. “You sure?” 

“Absolutely positive.” 

Harry gave you a smile and another kiss before he backed away, grabbing your hand to lead you to the locker room where the two of you grabbed your belongings from your lockers. Quickly after, you two were out the door of Spring; Harry locked up, and walked you two over to his car where he, yet again, opened the passenger door for you. 

The entire ten minute drive to his apartment, his hand never left yours. It delicately sat on your thigh with your hand on top of his, palm against the back of his hand as your fingers intertwined with his. Harry found it difficult to drive properly because all he ever wanted to do was either kiss you or look at you, and since it was just a bit after midnight, he hit all the green lights, so there was continuous driving and less kissing and looking. But that just made it quicker for him to get to his place. 

His apartment was on the second floor, which didn’t take long to get to, but catching up to Harry’s long strides as he practically dragged you up the stairs—no patience to wait for the elevator—was tiring you out. 

Once his front door closed, he immediately pushed you up against it, cradling your face in his hands as he kissed you feverishly. You practically could feel him smiling into the kiss, happy to have his lips on yours, and it completely tied your stomach into knots as the familiar flutter you felt in your chest made itself present. 

You’d come to realize, in the kitchen, that kissing Harry was everything you ever imagined. His soft lips molding and connecting with yours so perfectly made all of your dreams and realities come true. He just had a way with how he worked his lips as well as where to put his hands. But you were eager to find out what else he could do. 

Harry was the one to pull away first, which he even surprised himself with, but he led you to his bedroom, which you were too excited about. He closed his bedroom door, taking your lips in with his again, backing you up against his bed as he gently placed you on top of it, hovering over you. 

His lips trailed to your cheek, your jaw, and down to your neck where he lightly nibbled and sucked on your soft skin. You felt him lick your skin, soothing out the small love bite that he left on your skin before he pulled his head from your neck. 

“You sure you want to do this? I’d be happy just kissing you.” 

You smiled. “I’m sure, wanna touch you. You’re sure too?” You asked consent from him as well, making his cock twitch in his pants. 

“Very sure, love. You have no idea.” He sat on his knees as you laid below him, and he’s sure he’s never seen someone look so beautiful as you do; he was completely enthralled by your beauty. “Can I take this off?” He referred to your shirt, playing with the buttons on the front. You nodded, biting your lip. 

He leaned his weight on one side of you, placing one arm behind your head as you rested against it. He took your mouth in with his as his other hand began unbuttoning your white shirt, impressively with one hand. Once he got to the bottom, he sat up again, as did you to take off your shirt and your sports bra. You didn’t wear anything sexy to work because you wanted to be comfortable while waiting tables. 

Harry looked at your bare torso, licking his lips before he wrapped his lips around your nipple, sucking and licking the pebbled bud before switching to the other. His lips then placed small kisses down your body and to the hem of your pants, where he looked up to see you flushed from just his kisses. 

“Harry…” you whined. 

“What is it, beautiful?” He smirked. 

“Please, take it off.” 

“I’m getting there, love, don’t worry.” A breathy chuckle came out of his mouth before he unbuttoned your trousers. Your hips raised off the bed, and he swiftly took them off, leaving you in your nude seamless underwear. “Fuck, you’re so stunning, Y/N, I swear.” You looked at him and smiled; you were clearly at loss for words because of how Harry was looking at you. He wasn’t looking at you with complete admiration, like he was so lost in his daze of his sight. And that thought made you even more aroused. 

He gave you another kiss to your stomach before taking off your underwear, situating himself in between your legs, lying on his stomach. Harry looked up once more to find you staring at him, eager to watch what he’s about to do; he placed a kiss to your inner thighs, gently nibbling on your flesh, making you squirm. 

“Harry, please. Need to feel you,” you pleaded, brows crinkling. 

“Tell me what you need,” he teased, earning an impatient scoff from you, but Harry chuckled at your frustration. 

“Need your mouth on me. Please, want you to eat me out already.” 

Now, who was he to deny that request? So, that’s what he did—he slowly licked your clit multiple times before licking into your hole, collecting your arousal on his tongue. He used your wetness to lubricate your clit, completely assaulting your sensitive bud. Your back arched as the sensations ran through your body, hands gripping the sheets below you tightly that they practically wrinkled. Harry moaned against your clit, making you buck your hips into his face. 

“Fuck, Harry…” you dragged out, throwing your head back into the pillows. 

For a few minutes, Harry continued devouring your taste, not stopping until you came all over his mouth and you were completely shocked by his will to not stop until you’ve had your orgasm from his tongue. 

He replaced his tongue with his fingers, slowly entering your wet hole as he fingered you. You moaned louder; the tips of his fingers curling up to meet the softness of your upper walls. His unoccupied thumb rubbed your clit in slow circles, something that he noticed you really liked based on your hips thrusting upwards and your hand gripping his hair harder that it felt like you were going to rip out his locks. 

“So pretty, love. So wet for me.” The simplicity of his words had made you feel the familiar bubble in your lower stomach, and you wanted to release it so bad. 

“Harry, I’m gonna…cum,” you groaned out, biting your lips. 

He continued his pace on your clit, but added a tad bit more pressure, causing you to jolt a little. His fingers that were inside of you repeatedly brushed your g-spot, making you close your legs, but Harry pried them open, encouraging you to release. 

“C’mon, baby. Want you—need you to cum for me. Can you do that? Can you give me what I want?” 

“Mhm,” you nodded, mouth ajar as your voice was hitched in your throat. A few more thrust and rubs from his fingers, and you hit your high, releasing around his long fingers as he slowed his movements, riding out your orgasm while praising you for your peak. 

“That’s it. There you go.” One of his hands rubbed your stomach, calming you down while the other hand gently played and cupped your pussy as you unconsciously and slightly thrusted your hips into his hand. 

Once you had relaxed, you opened your eyes; Harry was kissing up your body before he kissed your lips so sweetly. 

“Hmm, you’re so good at that.” He smiled, kissing your neck as he started to rut his hips on your thigh. You felt his hard on through his pants, and you knew that wasn’t comfortable whatsoever. 

“Can I touch you?” You asked. He pulled his head from your neck, facing you as he was about to say it was completely fine if you didn’t, but you spoke up first. “That can’t be comfortable, and I wanna touch you—if you’d let me.” You were looking at him with innocent eyes, even though he knew what you were about to do was going against anything innocent. Plus, the way you were looking at him only made him more aroused.

“Course, let me just get out of these.” He got off the bed, but stayed closed; he was about to unbutton his shirt, but you stopped him quickly, replacing his hands with yours. Harry dropped his arms to his side once your lips were attached to his neck, giving him a small hickey on the underside of his jaw. The feel of just your lips on his skin made him bite his lips as a chill ran through him. You sat on your knees and started unbuttoning his white shirt, and with every button you undid, you gave him a kiss to every bit of his skin that was left exposed until you reached the hem of his pants. 

You looked up at him on all fours, and he watched you press another kiss to his tattooed torso. “Mind if I take these off?” You toyed with the hem of his pants. 

“No, please, don’t mind at all.” You smiled, looking back at his bulge, which outlined through the fabric of his pants. You palmed him, making him hiss through his teeth. He hadn’t felt another person’s touch in so long, so your lips and touch felt overwhelming in the best way. 

You unbuttoned his pants, which he was fast to get out of, leaving him in his black briefs. You positioned yourself to lay flat on your stomach, thankful that Harry’s bed was the perfect height to where you don’t have to strain your neck to suck on him. Kissing down his happy trail, you left a prominent love bite in between his tattooed leaves that were so perfectly inked on his lower abdomen. You then kissed his hard length through his briefs, making Harry breathe heavily. He’s never felt so teased in his life, but you were making it all worth it because nobody had ever made him feel so aroused. 

Finally, your fingers gripped the hem of his briefs and tugged them down so his cock could departure from the strained material. He was big, and you knew that from when he was driving to his place earlier as his cock was pushing against his pants, making you excited and eager. But seeing it right in front of you made you salivate. 

“Holy shit, you’re so big.” All he did was smirk at your words, knowing that fact quite clearly. You grabbed a hold of him as you held his dick upwards before you licked the underside from base to tip. Harry breathed in through his nose once he felt the smallest bit of contact from your mouth. 

Your mouth began to work on his tip, sucking and licking up the precum that had spilled out of his tip before you started to take more and more of him in your mouth. It was Harry’s turn to fill the room with his raspy and deep moan, and the noise he was making was triggering your arousal. Harry had a full view of your mouth on him as well as a great view of your entire backside, not missing the way he noticed how you started to subtly move your hips into the sheets. 

As you sucked on him, taking him further into your mouth, Harry dragged his fingers from your shoulders, down your spine, and to your ass that was out in the open with no shame whatsoever. His hands kneaded your flesh before slapping on cheek, which made you moan around him. 

“Like that?” He went back to his standing position, leaning back a tad bit to get a good look at you. “Tell me, do you like that?” You looked up at him, making direct eye contact with him as your cheeks hollowed and you sucked hard around him before letting out a ‘mhm.’ Your mouth was working wonders on him while your hand was fondling and playing with his balls, making him throw his head back and accidentally bucking his hips up into your mouth, hitting the back of your throat. “Fuck, sorry, baby.” He moved your hair to check up on you, but all you did was place your hands on his ass and pulled him towards you until your nose touched his pubic bone. Harry let out a throaty moan, and your hands pushed and pulled his lower body until he understood what you were doing. 

So, he took control, holding your head steady before he slowly started to thrust into your mouth; the tip of his cock brushed against the back of your throat. There was a string of spit that was dangling from your mouth and connecting to his balls—a sight so filthy but helped him get right on the edge. 

“I’m gonna cum. Love your mouth so much. So beautiful for me, so perfect.” Harry’s hips began to jerk sloppily, indicating that he was close. With just a few more thrusts into your perfect mouth, he spilled down your throat as he stopped thrusting, keeping you halfway on him. A series of curses and your name came from his lips as he shut his eyes. You took every drop that he offered, trying to swallow every bit of content as best as you could, but some of it had spilled out of your mouth due to how much he overfilled your mouth with his cum. 

Harry seemed to be in the middle of calming down from his intense orgasm, so you took the time to clean up. Pulling back, you wiped your mouth and licked your fingers as well as cleaning his cock with your mouth. What you didn’t notice was that Harry was watching you the entire time; he lowered his head, neck straining from looking up too much, and saw you eagerly cleaning and licking every last drop that had fallen from your pretty lips. The sight was enough to make him hard again if he wasn’t too spent. 

He collapsed on his bed next to you, his head was next to your ass, to which he pressed a small kiss to your hip in gratitude. You moved to lay your head on his stomach, looking at him and giving him a small smile. 

“Come here. What are you looking at me like that for?” He reached out for you, and you moved again, resting your elbow next to his head before giving him a kiss. The kiss didn’t deepen any further, just molding your lips with one another as he tasted himself on your tongue. 

“Nothing. You seemed to have enjoyed yourself.” 

“Very much did, thank you. Did you? You could be honest with me.” 

You giggled. “Honestly…I had a really great time. You made me feel really good. The best I’ve felt in a really long time,” you told him honestly, and Harry smiled at that. 

“Do you want to stay the night? I’m always in a cuddly mood after anything sexual—well, I’m always in a cuddly mood, period.” You laughed, nodding your head before kissing his cheek. 

“I’d love to. Can I use your restroom, and do you have a spare toothbrush?” 

Harry nodded, getting off the bed before leading you to his bathroom where he gave you a toothbrush and some of his face wash. He left you to do your business and told you that he would have a change of clothes. 

Once you were done, you walked out of his bathroom, still naked, and was met with Harry in a pair of gray briefs and a change of his clothes in his hands, handing them to you. He gave you a kiss to your forehead before going off to the bathroom and leaving you to change. 

You replayed the evening in your mind over and over again as you changed—you really enjoyed his company and him as a person. Harry was a more than nice guy, who seemed to like you for whatever reason, and you liked him too. Maybe a bit too much, and you felt like you liked him more than you projected—dare, you say that you were falling in love. But you couldn’t let yourself feel that way; you were beating yourself up for it. In all honesty, you were scared, so you had a habit of not portraying the entirety of your feelings out on the table so people could perceive it. 

Your mind was racing with so many thoughts in your head, repeating and spitting out every insecurity that your previous ‘friends’ had told you in the past—calling you a slut and how you couldn’t keep anyone around because they both ended up cheating on you. Your head was telling you Harry would do the same, and as hard as you were trying to deny that because Harry was the kindest person you’ve ever met, it was all you could hear. You couldn’t do this, no, you couldn’t feel like this, you thought. You felt like you needed to protect yourself before you were in too deep. 

Without even knowing, you were frantically grabbing your clothes and shoes that were all thrown across Harry’s floor. Your heart was racing, mind telling you to ‘leave’ and that ‘nobody is going to love you,’ so that’s what you were doing, leaving. 

You made it out of his bedroom, so close to the front door until you realized you had forgotten your purse. Turning around to go back, you were met with Harry leaning against the frame of the hallway entry, holding your purse in his hands. 

“Not planning on saying goodbye?” His voice sounded defeated, the complete opposite as to what it was prior. He looked down at his feet, not even able to make eye contact with you when he was always keen on making direct eye contact when talking to someone, but seeing you walk out his bedroom door when you were supposed to be waiting for him in his bed to cuddle was heartbreaking. 

“Harry…”

“That’s all it was to you, I’m guessing? You know you could’ve said no to staying the night, I would’ve understood. But to say yes after we’ve been intimate, and getting my hopes up? I-I thought you liked me, that’s all, and I’m stupid for falling for it,” he ended with a scoff. He felt extremely vulnerable; he laid his feelings out on the table, let you see his body, and it seemed like you just picked and chose your cards straight from the deck to only have Harry fold. 

“No, that’s not it-”

“Then please tell me what it is before I drive myself into the wall thinking what I’ve done wrong!” He raised his voice—not too loud where it startled you, but enough to where he simply let out his frustrations. 

“I like you, Harry, I do. But we can’t be together.” You didn’t know how to put it into words, so that was the best you could come up with. 

“And why’s that?” He furrowed his brows, walking towards you, but keeping a safe distance. “Give me a good reason why, and I’ll let you go—I’ll leave you alone. We’ll simply be coworkers who don’t talk to each other. I’ll-”

“I’m scared, okay! I’m scared because I cannot fall in love with you, even though I’m already in too deep. I’ve done it once and i-it hurt me.” You were on the verge of bawling, maintaining your emotions. “I-I cannot feel this way so soon—fresh out of a relationship…I’ve only known you for, what? A month? We barely even know each other, Harry-”

“See, now, that’s where you’re wrong. You think I don’t know you, but I bet that you know I know you quite well. Probably more than all of your bitchy friends back home who you’ve known for years.” You stayed silent, not knowing how to respond, but he was right, he did know you better than anyone you knew back in SF. “If I didn’t know you then I wouldn’t know that your favorite thing to eat while you were growing up was chocolate croissants. Your favorite color often switches every few days, but some of them are, and specifically: maroon, evergreen, mustard yellow, burnt orange, and beige. You love watching kids cooking competitions in your free time and often root for the one who is doing miserably and knows who won’t make it to the next round. You’re learning how to bake, which is what you said that you’ve always wanted to learn out to make proper pastries, and based on what you bring to work for us to try, you’re on the right path to being a baker.” 

“I’m…” you were at a loss for words, tears lining your eyes. All of the questions and playful conversation you and Harry had during work had come around in his words; it showed that Harry really listened, and when he did, he didn’t forget every detail you’ve told him. Your heart felt like it was in your stomach, making your stomach flutter in giddiness and shock. 

“I could go on, honestly, but it would be an entire list of things that I’ve remembered about you.” Harry softly smiled down at his feet. “All I’m saying is this: I like to think I know the basics of you, and I still have a lot to learn about you. But don’t run away from me, please. If you want to and you don’t want anything to do with me, that’s fine, but I can’t let you walk out without trying not to stop you.” He sighed, completely putting himself out there as he was practically begging you to stay. “I really like you, Y/N, I mean it. I don’t care if we’ve only known each other for a month. I don’t care that you just got out of a relationship. I mean if you’re still in love with him or have a bit of interest in him still, then that’s different-”

“I don’t,” you interrupted, shaking your head no. It was the truth; you hadn’t felt love for your ex in a really long time, and you simply stayed with him and kept forgiving him just because it was comfortable. 

“Okay…” 

“It’s just…I don’t want people to think I’m some kind of person who moves on from relationships so quickly. I-I mean, I didn’t come here just to find myself in another relationship, y’know?” Your tone was concerning, like all of your worries were piling up into one big stack that made your head hurt from thinking too much. 

“No one’s gonna think that—I don’t think that. Besides, it isn’t any of their business.” Harry walked even closer to you, inches away as his hands grazed your upper arms. “Let me ask you something, does this feel right? Being with me?” You nodded with no hesitation. “Say it,” he instructed, wanting to hear the words come out of your mouth. 

“This feels right.” 

Harry smiled at you comfortingly. “Okay, then let it be right.” 

“I’m scared,” you admitted, looking down. He lifted your chin up with the soft touch of his fingertips, goosebumps littered your skin with just his simple touch. 

“Me too, but I’m doing surprisingly well at hiding it. We’ll go slow, okay? No pressure into labeling; let’s just go with the flow, alright?” He suggested, and you softly muttered an ‘okay,’ reaching up to wrap your arms around his shoulders, giving him a warm and grateful hug. 

“I’m so sorry-” you said into his shoulder, but he quickly cut you off. 

“No need to be sorry, I understand.” His understanding makes you even more soft as you hugged him tighter; a few tears slipped your eyes, streaming down Harry’s shoulder. 

After a moment, the two of you pulled away, feeling so much relief from the hug and conversation. 

“Is your offer on staying the night still up?” You asked hesitantly.

He smiled. “Yeah, it always is. C’mon.” He took you by the hand, leading you to his room and into his bed—not for the actions of pleasure, but for a nice and comforting cuddle. 

You situated yourself on his chest, comfortably trailing your fingers up and down his skin as his arm was wrapped around your shoulder. 

Lifting your head up to meet his face, he smiled at you before you gave him a sweet kiss to his lips. It didn’t lead to anything, it didn’t even deepen; just the feel of his soft, pink lips on yours was enough to make you feel bliss. 

You pulled away. “Slow?” Harry chuckled, nodding his head. 

“Slow.” 

Your face warmed up as you smiled, cheeks aching; you positioned yourself back onto his chest for the night, taking up all of his space on the bed when your side was completely empty as you held him close. Even though you’ve only known him for a month, you felt yourself falling; because ultimately, it felt right. 

please come into my inbox and tell me your thoughts, feelings, and favorite moments! thank you for reading <3

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[impulsivefanwriter]

A Tiny Spark Leads to a Roaring Flame (But Flames Can Always be Doused by Water)

Heeyyyyy so y’all know the Reverse Thanos Snap AU for SPBNR? Basically everyone but Smith/S!Kai gets sent to the M!verse. Everyone. The entire population of S!verse Ninjago City & a few surrounding areas. Except poor Smith. Essentially it happens because S!Garmadon tries to send Smith to a place where he can't mess with his plans, and ends up sending everyone away from Smith to take him out of the equation. 

The second part to this AU is that the S!Ninja end up searching for Kai in the chaos and grab the Red Ninja before jetting out of there with the Bounty. Except... they didn’t grab Smith (who’s still home), but rather Red (M!Kai).

Red thinks the S!Ninja are babysitter clones created by Garmadon after he somehow turned Lloyd younger without his memories & is trying to raise him to be his new General #1. With this in mind, he pretends to be S!Kai, and waits for the moment he can rescue Lloyd.

What would happen in the S!Ninja discovered his deception/their mistake of grabbing a wrong Kai and mistake Red for a recreated Aki (aka Bizarro Evil Clone Kai) before he could enact his plan?

Well, this is that idea. (Title inspired by how a crack AU spiralled into a beautiful angst-fest)

Enjoy. :3

-----*-----

Red was going to get Lloyd out of here tonight. 

Away from these Not-Friends made by Garmadon to emulate the Ninjaforce. Away from this flying ship built to emulate Master Wu's ship, so familiar and yet so off. Away from this false reality and back to the real everything where they could hopefully get his memories back and his age back and everything back to the way it was before the city descended into chaos.

He just had to... bide his time. Be patient. 

FSM, he was bad at being patient. 

His hands itched to grab Lloyd and run now, but he was horribly outnumbered and without his mech. No matter how badly he wanted to, he couldn't rush this. If he did, he would make everything worse. Like he always did.

But fate- or rather, Lloyd- had other plans.

The little version of his younger brother- yes, they were roughly the same age normally, shut up, Lloyd was still his younger brother- had been... eying him weird all morning. Not like Not-Jay and Not-Cole and Not-Zane, but like Not-Nya. Like he actually knew instead of suspected. These babysitter clones seemed to think he was the Not-Kai, and if that was the opportunity the universe was going to give him, then by the flames of the departed world was he going to skip this chance to save Lloyd.

Currently he stood on the deck of the ship as they parked in the sky a few meters above the docks on the outskirts of the city. It wasn't the docks with the Bounty warehouse, curse his luck, but it wasn't the endless sky or the empty ocean (though it was still too close to that murky, haunting water for his liking. Water was his sister's domain for a reason). At least he could sneak Lloyd off in the cover of night, maybe find someone in the city who wouldn't recognize the Son of Garmadon this way and would be willing to help them hide until they could make it back to the real ninja.

"Kai," Not-Zane spoke suddenly next to him. 

Red would never get used to the way his voice... lacked the same effect the real Zane's had. The effect that Kai and the rest of his team had assured their friend over and over was unique, special, but in a good way. To embrace it. That it wasn't noticeable, but when it was, that it was so Zane that his friends didn't care that it was different. 

This 'Zane' sounded much too different than his own. He hadn't recognized Kai's tested line of 'road work ahead' when they passed one of the many construction signs littering the city (even more so since the chaos happened a week ago), and instead had responded with 'a great deal of work to fix in the city'. 

Seriously, Garmadon, do better research on your clones.

Not-Zane was also much too... calm. Too 'wise' compared to the wild teen that was Zane. And he walked without heelies or whatever Zane used to slide around like a boss, though he was still silent. And that meant, like now, he snuck up on Red fairly often- and Red was training to be a Ninja, so that took serious talent. 

"Kai," Not-Zane said again, and Red finally broke his gaze from where he'd been staring over the railing, planning tonight's escape route. "Lunch has been made for over an hour. Are you alright?"

Red forced his brightest smile. "Course I'm alright! Just trying to figure out what happened, as usual."

Why Lloyd was suddenly like, 8, and without his memories. Why the Not-Friends were on this Not-Ship and had mistaken him for Not-Kai. Why the city was in a state of disarray and chaos. 

Not-Zane studied him, then turned to give the city a sad look. "I'm not sure myself. My scanners can't seem to figure out what is happening. It is as if... blocked by some force."

Red winced, then expertly disguised the move by leaning against the rail. Zane never would use 'my scanners', despite how often Red and the others assured him it was okay. Yet another reason why this wasn't his friend.

"You know Ninjago City," Red said with a weak laugh. "Always one crisis or another. Always those annoying Garmadon Attacks"

This seemed to satisfy Not-Zane, who nodded thoughtfully. "This event definitely seems to have Garmadon's hand in the mess."

He patted Red on the back. "Well, don't worry yourself ragged, Kai. Come in for lunch soon, alright? We have training for Lloyd later."

Ah, right. Training. AKA what Red assumed was how Garmadon was planning to shape this impressionable version of his friend into his new General #1.  

"I'm ready for training now, Zane!"

Speaking of Lloyd- 

The little gremlin came up from the hull with the rest of the Not-Ninja. Red hated when the entire group was together; it was way more difficult to act as Not-Kai around them, especially around Not-Nya. 

For starters, Not-Jay had a notch in his eyebrow that the real Jay never had. He was missing the iconic freckles, and the scarf, and the fluffy hair, though you could always say it was just a wardrobe change. What you couldn't change was the personality differences. This couldn’t be Jay. Jay was anxious and quiet, his jokes (while plentiful) said more timidly and his newest ideas shared with hesitance that only shrank after years of encouragement. He would never be this loud, ever. 

Not-Cole was the leader, probably because Lloyd was so young. But even then, in Red's team, Nya would probably take second-command. Cole was their sturdy support, yes, but he was chill, laid-back. Ready to follow and support his friends to the ends of the earth with his tunes and occasional sarcastic wit, but not lead. Not like Not-Cole, who was more serious and commanding and didn't. listen. to. music. Red hadn't spotted a single record or boombox in the room in the hull. That was a tragic oversight on Garmadon's part. The members of his research team should be Fired.

And then there was Not-Nya. Who wore a dress with confidence that his sister would love but never publicly wear. Who had short hair- Nya had tried that style once, and decided it itched around her neck too much- and jewelry, and a giant flying Samurai mech suit. His sister had the Water Strider Mech, and Not-Nya had a flying combat suit. Sure. Close enough. Personality-wise they were similar. 

Similar at first glance. Nya was fluid and adaptable to whatever role she needed filling. She was spunky, and as fiery as him when it came to tempers, though she knew how to keep hers in check (she had to, right? No one called her hot-headed and impulsive and reckless and blamed her temper for mistakes or damage or whatever the news comments liked to say about the Fire Mech). Not-Nya was also adaptable and independent-minded, but she seemed more rigid. More doing her own thing. 

Point was, everyone wasn't actually his friends, despite how much they tried to prove they were. And they kept acting like he was this Not-Kai, who was just as hot-headed but apparently more mature and training-oriented and basically the better, cooler (or hotter, perhaps, for the fire theme of the red ninja) him, since his acting never seemed to fully convince them. Trying to impersonate a standard he couldn't seem to reach, some legendary hero he wasn't- er, wasn't yet! Yeah! He just needed to prove himself, be better, and he'd be fine. Just... fine. Yeah.

Mini-Lloyd (Red was tempted to call him L'ilyod in his head, but that felt wrong somehow, like he was infringing on some kind of copyright law) stared at him like a goddamn falcon, and he wasn't talking about the bird that circled the ship. He had this bowl-cut Red would tease him about endlessly after all this was over- seriously, how had Mr. Fabulous Hair started with this mess? Garmadon probably didn't even have hair, so there was no way the guy knew how to style it, and it was very evident based on Mini-Lloyd's hairdo. 

Red noticed that all of them were staring, actually. Despite his relaxed rest against the rails, his fingers behind his back clutched the cool bar with a dull shake. He didn't notice how the metal seemed to glow red under his touch. 

"Training, right, we should get onto that," Red tried. "What do you want to start with, Lloyd?" 

"How about a little game?" Lloyd asked with complete innocence. "What we were playing last week before we got interrupted."

Oh sh!t. 

"I-I don't know, shouldn't we start with stretches? Or how about some sparring, that's always more fun than a game!"

"But I wanted to continue our game..." Mini Lloyd said, and FSM's sake, he couldn't deal with that pouting look.

Okay. Okay, don't panic. Think logically. What kind of game would an 8-year-old Lloyd like to play with him? Something physical, so no board games- he liked to test his mettle against Zane on those, and sometimes he would almost not-lose. Logic puzzles also fell more on Jay's area. Trivia, especially music trivia, was a bubble between the anxious motormouth and Cole. Video games fell on team building, and wouldn't classify as a training warmup.

"Well," Red said, taking a hopeful stab in the dark. "There's not too much space on the deck for... tag..."

Lloyd nodded, looking satisfied. The Not-Ninja looked- well, their expressions were hard to read because of how different it was compared to his friends. But Red was a master of deception (well, fire, but eh, technicalities), and he had them fooled, and he just had to keep it up until nightfall so he could rescue Lloyd and explain in a safe location-

"HE'S NOT KAI!"

Orrrrr improvise. Okay, yep, he could improvise. 

Red lunged forward and grabbed Mini Lloyd's wrist from where he had his hand extended in an accusatory point. He ducked under Not-Jay's attempts to grab him- fast, but not as fast as his Jay, his Jay who could disappear from an awkward social interaction in the span of a flickering lightbulb- and dragged his younger brother with him as he vaulted over the railing. Not-Zane almost managed to yank him back onto the Not-ship, but his icy grip caught only empty air as Red pulled Lloyd into a tight hold and ducked.

He hit the dock below with a stumble, rolling back onto his feet and taking off with a very stubborn green ninja in tow. It took all his strength to drag Lloyd (kicking and screaming like he was being kidnapped or something when Red was just trying to rescue him, for FSM's sake. Lloyd didn't know that, but he could still try to be at least a little more considerate.)

The wooden docks creaked and shuddered underfoot and Red grimaced; whoever rebuilt them after the latest Garmadon attack had shredded them like newspaper clearly hadn't wasted any unnecessary change. It certainly didn't help that Lloyd packed quite the punch for someone so small. Red definitely would come out of this with bruised shins and arms from where Mini Lloyd tried to push him away, but it would be worth it to keep his teammate, his younger brother, safe.

Then green filled his vision and broke his hold on Lloyd's wrist, sending him skidding across the dock planks as he was sent flying. When he finally rolled to a stop, neck and shoulder stinging from where the blast had caught him (no burns, just jitters like he'd been shocked), he had to take a few seconds to re-orient himself. Did the Not-Ship have cannons or something? What hit him from behind, so close it could have hit Lloyd?

Lloyd. Was Lloyd okay?

Red pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the bleeding scrapes on his hands and legs from where he'd gotten banged up by the splintered docks. His gaze, sharp and frantic, searched for signs of green. The warning of more blasts, the flash of the fabric of a gi, anything.

He spotted his brother in the arms of Not-Cole. No, no, no-

And suddenly Not-Nya was there, given a boost by Not-Jay. Her grip was as if she were wearing the robotic mech suit, harsh and powerful and near in-human. She threw Red back to the dock floor as her face twisted with the fury of a storming ocean. A resounding crack rang out over the harbour.

Red couldn't tell if it came from the planks under him or his own shoulder.

She pinned him to the wood, barking accusations and threats in his face faster than Not-Jay could talk. Red blinked through a haze of pain, trying to focus on her face and words. She was missing the beauty mark on her face, he noticed. Yet another tell she wasn't his sister.

"-scar on the wrong side-" And it was hard to hear again over the ringing in his ears. He tried to throw her off, get back to Lloyd, anything, but he was-

Useless. 

Her hands suddenly got in his face, slamming his left cheek to the wood. She was close- close to his face, close to his eye, close to his scar- pushing and prying as she tried to do something. Red picked up in his struggling, his attempts to free himself turning to desperate shoves and wild clawing like a trapped animal. He wouldn't let this creation of Garmadon's finish the job that teen had started all those years ago. 

"Or better yet, he needs to shut his damn mouth."

The flash of a knife. His vision half-blurry. Blood- so much blood- and a lasting scar.

"-contacts-" "-red-" "-struggling-" "-we know what he- it- is already-" "-not the real Kai-" "-wish-" "-Garmadon-"

He had to get away. Get Lloyd away from them now.

In one surge of strength- and yep, his shoulder definitely wasn't okay after that move, as if he'd ripped it not just from its socket but from its very attachment to his body- he knocked Not-Nya aside. If he could’ve seen through the red haze, he might have noticed red embers dancing around his fingertips as his desperation and fear tapped into something deep in his soul.

He tried to shoot to his feet, tried to run for Lloyd (held so tight in Not-Cole's grip, surely they were hurting him, he couldn't let that happen-). He roared, "LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!", but before he could take another step through Not-Jay and Not-Zane in his path, the docks gave one last ominous shudder  before deciding it had finally had enough.

The planks crumbled underfoot like charred firewood in a crackling campfire, and Red was sent tumbling into the frigid ocean water below.

#spbnr #reverse Thanos snap au #reverse thanos snap #ninjago #lego ninjago #same People but not really #kai ninjago

[marauderundercover]

Taking Chances Ch. 20: Off Planet (Meeting the Justice League)

AO3

Prev

Marinette, in her Ladybird costume, looked at her older brother warily. 

“Are you sure we’re not gonna get in trouble for this?” She asks, avoiding looking around too much. If she just keeps looking at Jason, she can have plausible deniability until he confirms that they’re allowed to be here. Because last she checked, she wasn’t even allowed on patrols. Let alone in the Watchtower. 

“Tt. I would like to see Father try. He knows he is currently on Todd’s ‘list’.” Damian-er, Robin- says, crossing his arms and scowling. Marinette frowns. She didn’t want her brothers to fight with her dad because of her….but then again, she was still really hurt by her dad’s actions. And he still hadn’t apologized. Making up her mind, she lets out a quick sigh and glances around, jaw dropping slightly. It was amazing! And definitely worth the inevitable lecture they’d be getting when they got home. 

“Robin, Red Hood.” A man’s voice catches her attention and she whirls around, grinning from ear to ear. Sure, she’d seen Superman on the computer, but now she was meeting him in person. In person! “And you are?” He adds, quirking an eyebrow at her. 

“I’m Ladybird. Nice to meet you in person.” She says with a wide grin. 

“You don’t look anything like you did over video call.” He says, frowning at her as if she was a puzzle. She winces. Miraculous magic definitely didn’t cover her the last time she’d seen him. Scanning the look on his face, everything suddenly clicks. She thinks back to the Gala, how familiar Clark Kent had seemed. Well crap. Her dad’s best journalist friend was also his best superhero friend. Who'd've thought. 

“Oh, uh, yeah- well, um. Lighting?” She stumbles out, avoiding the questioning look from her older brother. 

“Right. Well, welcome to the tower. Is Batman around? I’ve been meaning to talk to him.” Superman says, though she guesses he’s only asking to try and get them to reveal where their dad is. He’d definitely be able to tell if Batman was here. 

“Oh, would you look at the time, welp, gotta go.” Jason-Red Hood- says, grabbing her by the shoulders and steering her away from Superman. 

“How long do you think we have until he tells B?” She asks under her breath, ignoring the snort coming from where they left him. 

“Not long. But, we definitely have enough time for you to meet a few more Leaguers before we’ve gotta get home.” Jason reassures her as they walk down the hall. 

“What’re you kids doing here?” A man- Green Lantern- asks. 

“Pissing off Bats.” Jason says simply. Green Lantern frowns. 

“Is that a good idea?” He asks. “And who even is she?” 

“Tt. She is not any of your concern. Neither is our appearance here. If you know what is good for you, you will keep it to yourself.” Damian says, Green Lantern immediately backing off. 

“Christ, his kids are insane.” He mumbles before walking away. Jason keeps pushing them forward and Marinette is starting to think that he planned something besides a ‘random trip to the Watchtower to piss Bruce off’. They walk into a room and Marinette’s eyes widen, realizing it looks like some kind of meeting space. And Wonder Woman is seated at the table, seemingly preparing for a meeting. Oh no. 

“What are the three of you doing here? You know-” She starts before turning all of her attention to Marinette. 

“Uh…..hi?” She says with an awkward wave. 

“You’re the holder of the Ladybug Miraculous.” Wonder Woman says and Marinette’s jaw drops. 

“What!” Jason yells in surprise. Okay, so this wasn’t the plan. 

“How do you know that?” Marinette asks, her mind running a million miles a minute. How did Wonder Woman know? Had she purposefully ignored the calls Marinette had originally made as Ladybug? 

“My mother was a holder. I was under the impression that the Miraculous were no longer in circulation.” Wonder Woman says, a tense look on her face. 

“I’ve been the holder for nearly two years.” Marinette says, tensing. She wasn’t going to try to take it from her, was she?

“I mean no offense, but you seem young.” Wonder Woman says cautiously. 

“I’m older than Robin.” She says, ignoring her brother’s annoyed tut. Yeah, so he was trained from birth and she wasn’t, who cares. Didn’t mean she wasn’t able to protect her city. She’d do whatever she had to do to protect Paris. Whatever it takes. 

---

Bruce was tired. More specifically, he was tired of fighting with his children. Neither Jason nor Damian would talk to him, Marinette kept avoiding eye contact, Tim was working on more cases. The only one who was talking to him was Dick, but even Dick was quieter than normal. He supposed it had something to do with the Gala, but that was days ago. He’d assumed that they would be over it by now, but no such luck. Instead, they were all avoiding him like the plague. Which meant he was alone in the manor for the first time in awhile. It was quiet. He hated it.

“You’ll never guess where two of your sons are.” Clark says, landing in front of him suddenly. Bruce resists the urge to sigh. Of course his sons were up to something. 

“Were they masked?” Bruce asks as a quick way to narrow down their location. 

“Yeah, and Ladybird was with them.” He says. Bruce’s jaw clenches. She wasn’t supposed to go on patrol with the boys. She could patrol in Paris and fight there, but the last time she fought here she was injured. Badly. She knew how he felt about her going out like that. Deciding to give up on the guessing game, Bruce pulls out his phone and quickly pulls up the app that has the trackers on it. He knew he’d be unable to track Marinette, as she was transformed, but all of his sons had trackers in their suits. Bruce thinks for a moment, thinking back to the past few days on who would be most likely to take Marinette on patrol somewhere. He purses his lips as he realizes one of the boys has to be Jason. Of course. Clicking on Jason’s name, he groans and pinches the bridge of his nose. He took her to the Watchtower. He glances at the dot next to Jason- Damian’s name blinking back at him. This couldn’t end well. 

“I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He grumbles, whirling around to stalk off to get in uniform. Time to go pick up his damn kids. 

---

Jason had made many mistakes in his life. He was pretty sure this was one of them. He ducks as another chair is thrown across the room, an anger filled scream following it. 

“Pix, you maybe wanna-” He tries to say, hoping to talk her down from throwing another chair. She’d already broken three. 

“Diana says this is healthy!” Pixie says with a bright smile. He’s relieved for a moment, but it doesn’t last. Her face twists up as she screams again, throwing another chair. Jason ducks and it flies over him, shattering against the doorframe. 

“What is going on here?” Batman’s gruff voice rings through the room and Jason watches as Marinette freezes. Okay, so this can go one of two- and another chair flies at their dad. 

“Ladybug, that’s just Batman. Your rage is not at him, remember? It is at your old Master, and the wielder of the Peacock Miraculous.” Diana says, laying a hand on Mari’s shoulder. The younger girl scoffs, crossing her arms defiantly and Jason is momentarily thrown at how much she looks like Damian. Jesus. 

“I know perfectly well who that is, Lady Diana. Please, excuse me, but I’m not particularly fond of him at the moment.” She snarks, and Jason is completely thrown. He’d known the kid was mad at Bruce, but she kinda sounded like...him. Well shit. That’s not the healthiest way to cope with anything. 

“Pix.” He says quietly. She turns to him and all of the tension drops as she walks over to him, standing almost behind him. Almost as if he could shield her. Good job Bruce. You really fucked up this time. 

“Ladybird, Robin, it’s time to leave.” B says, not even trying to boss Jason. He knew it wouldn’t turn out well for him. 

“No.” Marinette says, and Jason snorts. The kid was definitely pushing buttons today. 

“No?” B asks, his jaw clenched. 

“No. I’ll leave when Hood does.” She says, jutting out her chin in defiance. 

“No, you’ll leave when I tell you to. You’re not even supposed to be in uniform with the boys.” B snaps. 

“Father, there is no reason for her to stay hidden away. You know as well as I that she is an accomplished hero on her own. Hood and I simply wanted to let her meet Wonder Woman. We believed that meeting her would be beneficial for Ladybird.” Demon Spawn cuts in, his stance matching Pixie’s. He was totally going to have to have Replacement look at the footage from his helmet later so he could frame this picture. 

“I said it’s time to leave. I will be waiting outside of the Zeta tubes. If the two of you are not there in three minutes there will be consequences.” B snaps, turning and storming off. 

“I will allow you to make the call. If you wish, we can stay here and we will face Father’s wrath together. Or we could leave and come back when he is not so….worked up.” Damian says, his scowl replaced with a more neutral look. Jason was honestly shocked at how well Demon Spawn got along with Marinette. Especially since she was a “blood child” and older than Damian. It was weird. Marinette leans up against Jason, and he swears his heart breaks. He could tell, despite the mask, that she was hurting. 

“If you want, we can follow him back to Gotham and then head to one of my safe houses. Stay the night there, watch some movies, eat a shit ton of junk food.” Jason suggests with a grin. 

“Really?” She asks, looking up at him. He nods, ruffling her hair. 

“Sure thing, kiddo. Trust me, I know B can be a lot.” He says. He glances up as Diana clears her throat.

“Ladybug, I’ll be in contact. But the time limit set by Batman is quickly dwindling. I suggest leaving now to avoid any altercations.” She says and Jason nods, tugging his emotionally stunted little brother along with his emotionally distressed little sisters. One of these days Bruce was gonna fuck up bad enough that not even Jason could fix it.

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