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morfiveuscxo · 8 months

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TEMPTATION, buggy the clown.

la!!buggy the clown x fem!!marine!!reader summary: the daughter of Axe-Hand Morgan decided to go rogue finally, pairing up with the straw hat crew, only for them to get captured instantly by a wanted pirate captain. tw!! swearing, violence, weapon violence. notes: this is sort of a sneak peak to a full on book I'm writing on Buggy... ;)

A groan fell past y/n's lips as she was shaken awake by her captain in the straw hat. She was starting to wonder if this had been the right choice.

Then again she would rather stab herself in the eye than go back to her brute of a father. She squinted at the boy who grinned when seeing her starting to gain consciousness.

"Your awake!!"he exclaimed which had her groaning, pinching the bridge of her nose. She nodded and stood up, a few inches shorter than the box they were being held in.

"We need a plan."Nami tried to reason with Zoro who was banging against the walls angrily. That was when y/n noticed that her sword was gone from around her waist as well as her bag of throwing stars.

"I don't need a plan. I just need to beat the hell out of every marine I see."Zoro snapped. y/n shook her head. --"This isn't the Marines. My dad wouldn't lock us in a box."She informed them, her head still reeling from the gas she had inhaled earlier before losing consciousness.

Luffy nodded in response. --"Before I got knocked out I saw a Jolly Rogger."He informed the group, pausing for dramatic effect. --"We've been captured by pirates."He finished, almost excited by the prospect.

Nami seemed to freeze beside y/n earning herself a concerned look by the blonde. --"That's much better news..."She mumbled out sarcastically.

y/n only shook her head. --"I mean at least pirates don't have training like marines do."She tried to cheer the orange-haired girl up. Zoro nodded.

"They're right. Pirates are easier to kill."Zoro grumbled. y/n nodded in response and though she didn't have her usual weapons she was ready to fight with her fists.

"Shanks used to say not every situation can solved with violence," Luffy spoke in a wise tone. Zoro didn't seem to share the wise attitude as he squinted at his captain, --"Who the hell is Shanks?"He asked the boy who only grinned in response.

"we don't need to fight." he simply responded, still grinning. --"I can talk to them. Pirate to pirate." y/n couldn't help but smile at his optimism.

Though he was sometimes a little too optimistic for her liking, she still couldn't help but feel affection for the boy in the straw hat. Nami squinted at the boy.

"that won't work."She broke it to him harshly. y/n folded her arms but kept quiet. Luffy's facial expression doesn't change as he turned his gaze towards her. --"Why not?"

Nami gave him an obvious look. --"To start, you're not a pirate."She told him. y/n bit her tongue to disagree with her, figuring it not best to argue in their situation. --"Yes I am."Luffy responded.

Nami shook her head. --"No you're just some stretchy guy in a tattered hat.", Luffy didn't seem to be taking anything that Nami was saying to him to heart. --"I'm a different kind of pirate."He only responded.

A distant look appeared on Nami's face as she stared almost hatefully at Luffy. --"Pirates are pirates. There's only one kind."she spat. y/n eyed her, sympathy in her gaze despite knowing nothing about Nami's past. The tangerine-haired woman had obviously had a bad experience with pirates.

The roof of the box suddenly lifted and y/n tilted her head back, squinting at the bright lights beaming down on her. Seconds later one of the walls lifted allowing the group to step out from their temporary cage.

Folding her arms behind her back, she glanced around as numerous different performances happened around them. They were in a circus tent by the looks of things.

She eyed the performers with a sort of fascination. Growing up the daughter of Axe-Hand Morgan didn't allow her the opportunity to get out much so this level of excitement around her was a completely foreign feeling.

Her eyes drifted to where the sounds of clapping was from. There sat a crowd of people who appeared to be enjoying themselves but if you looked closer you could see fear in their eyes. y/n swallowed uneasily as the crowd laughed fakely, obviously fearful for their lives.

Luffy, who hadn't spotted the crowd yet, started to clap for the performers which had Nami whacking his hands.

y/n started glancing around the room, looking for any ways to escape or to attack. She couldn't find many and it didn't help much that they were completely surrounded.

"no, no, no, no..."A voice suddenly sounded through all of the excitement and the group all turned their attention to the source. Out walked the figure of a man. --"Stop!! it's all wrong."He called out, and the crowd instantly went silent which led y/n to believe this was the man in charge.

"The spotlight was late. You completely missed my entrance," he informed from the shadows, staring up at the spotlight man. y/n watched the dark figure gesture to the spotlight and then to himself.

And then the spotlight moved to land on him and y/n's heart stopped.

She knew him. Buggy the clown. He was one of the pirates who had been eluding her father for years. He was worth 15,000,000 berries. He was also not exactly her father's biggest fan for obvious reasons.

Now she knew what to expect. Not that, that was a good thing. Buggy walked closer to one of his crewmates. --"And where, oh where..."He trailed off as he got closer to a man who wore a funny-looking costume, --"Was the dancing...lion?", the man flinched back, shaking with fear.

y/n could feel a few of Buggy's crew members eyeing her and she shrank back a little under their gazes. She was aware that she had a bit of a reputation to her name among pirates so she had expected to encounter some trouble when she decided to go with Luffy, she just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

"Hey, I know you!!"Luffy suddenly called out and y/n snapped her head to him, begging him with her eyes to shut up. He nodded to y/n who stared bug-eyed at him. --"We saw you're wanted poster in Shells Town."He informed the clown.

Luffy kept a grin on his face, clearly impressed with Buggy's whole performance. --"You're the clown guy!!"He said more to himself as he tried to remember Buggy's actual name. --"Uhh, Binky, right?"He spoke, clicking his fingers as though he had gotten his name right.

y/n sighed into her palm, --"Buggy."She and the clown pirate corrected the young pirate at the same time. Buggy dropped down from where he stood, glancing towards y/n for a second before looking back to Luffy.

"Buggy...the flashy fool." he spoke as he got closer and closer to the group only adding to y/n's unease. --"Buggy the...genius jester."he finished, gesturing to himself with a flare of cockiness to him.

y/n almost rolled her eyes at the confidence.

Luffy looked even more impressed now, widening his eyes along with Buggy's words. --"Wow.."He drew out with no sarcasm. --"You have a lot of names." he finished with a nod.

He glanced around at Buggy's crew. --"I bet everyone in the East Blue knows who you are." y/n cringed at his poor choice of words, scrunching her nose up as the crowd gasps in shock.

Though she had never met the clown in person, y/n was fully aware that he was incredibly sensitive about his nose due to it's unusual size.

Buggy continued to smile but it wavered a little between anger and annoyance. --"What did you just say?"He asked, his voice now having a dry tone to it.

y/n tried to shake Luffy's arm in a way that would tell him to not respond to the pirate's question. However, Luffy only glanced down at her, confused. --"Just that everybody knows who you are."He said again and she scrunched her face up.

Something switches in Buggy instantly as he runs at Luffy, grabbing the boy by his face out of anger, and squishing his cheeks together. --"NOSE?!"He exclaims in a shout.

A hand suddenly gripped y/n by her shoulder and her eyes widened as she was yanked backwards, something instantly being pressed to her neck.

She hissed a little as the sharp objects digs into her skin, another sharp object being pressed into her back just to be sure she didn't try something to retaliate. --"Are you making fun of my nose?"Buggy asked the boy.

Luffy denied the accusation, curious about the clone's nose. --"But now that you mention it...is that thing for real?"He asked, lifting a hand to poke the clown's nose. Buggy slapped the hand away with an irritated look on his face.

"They have a marine with them, captain." a voice spoke directly behind y/n leading her to believe they were the one with the sword pressed to her neck.

Buggy glanced towards her, his eyes lighting up as he clicks his gloved fingers together. --"Axe-hand's daughter!!"He exclaims with a wide grin. She pursed her lips together, her stomach dropping at the knowledge that Buggy knew who she was.

He flapped his hands almost excitedly to his crew member, moving away from Luffy. --"Bring her here."He instructed the pirate holding y/n hostage with his swords.

Deciding it was best to not try and fight the guy who had a sword pressed against her neck and another one against her neck, she didn't put up a fight as she is walked over to the pirate captain.

Buggy gestured for his crew member to release her and he did without hesitation. Buggy walked to her side and swung an arm around the back of her shoulders mockingly so her side was pressed into his.

"I gotta say, toots.."He trailed off, lifting one of his gloved hands to pat her cheek teasingly. --"Big fan of your work." he told her with a grin. His hand grazed her arm as he glanced down at her, leveling his face with hers as he grinned.

"I mean, you see my crew?"He asked her in a hushed voice, pointing a finger to some of his crew members. She followed his pointed finger, glancing to a few of the angry faces that stared back at her.

"did you know that you've murdered a few of their friends?"Buggy chuckled into her ear like the fact was funny, his breath fanning the side of her face. She went pale as Buggy patted her arm.

"Small world, right?"He laughs as he whispers in her ear. She swallowed but didn't move away from his grip. She didn't have any weapons so what would be the point?

She swallows and turns her head to look at him. Her gaze met his coldly. He challenged her gaze with a wide grin on his face.

She wasn't used to that. Every pirate she had ever stared down gave in easily. She had that dark look to her eyes, the look of inescapable doom. But not Buggy. He grinned in her face and that irritated her to another level.

Why isn't he scared of her like the others?

With one last grin, her slapped a hand to her shoulder and glanced to one of his crewmembers.

"You."He pointed to him and the associate flinches at the attention, clearly terrified of his captain. --"Take this one back to my cabin."he informs him.

y/n's eyes widen in fraction, surprise appearing on her face as the pirate walks over to grab ahold of her. --"Put her in the thing!!"Buggy called out as she is ripped from his grip and tugged away away.

She could hear Luffy start to speak up, asking what they were doing with her but his voice is soon drowned out as she was now alone with the pirate. He was gripping her arm tight enough she was sure there would be a big bruise on her forearm.

Soon enough, he pushed open a door and shoves her harshly inside. She stumbles inside, staggering to her knees as she collapses into the side of what she assumed was Buggy's desk.

She groans and lifts a hand to clutch her side as the pirate walks towards her, lifting his foot to kick her in the stomach. She grunted and staggered back as he clutched her by her hair.

"Don't recognise me?"He spat at her, levelling his face with hers. She groaned in distaste as he snapped her head back so she was looking at him.

"Not exactly."She mumbled. A look of anger passed the man's face as he swung his fist at her face. Her head bounced back as she groaned, blood trickling down her nostril.

The pirate got close to her face. --"If Captain Buggy didn't need you I would kill you."he hisses, his disgusting breath fanning her face. She crinkled her nose and glared at him.

His face got even closer to hers. --"You murdered my best friend."He spoke through clenched teeth and she raised an eyebrow. --"You're going to have to be more specific than that."She spoke in a mocking tone which only earned her another punch to the face.

With a grunt, she pulled herself up to lean against Buggy's desk, spitting out some blood. Her jaw is suddenly roughly grabbed again by the crook pirate.

"You cut him down where he stood, forced him to swallow broken glass."He hissed. Her eyes go distant for a moment as her eyebrows raised, the memory coming back.

"The teenager..."She trailed off. She could remember this, it had happened when she was 14 and training underneath her father.

Axe-Hand had forced his daughter to go after one of the pirates that had been staying at a local tavern. Her original plan was to just threaten him and arrest him but that wasn't good enough to her father.

He needed to know that she was loyal to the marines.

And so, he forced her to attack, using his influence over her. She was desperate to please her father, desperate for any sort of attention from him considering he had never given her or her brother any sort of attention.

And so she did as she was told. It disturbed her how naturally she fell into the role, forcing the boy who was maybe only 2 years older than her to do things such as swallow broken glass and cut out his own tongue because, in her father's words, pirates don't deserve the privilege to speak.

Her eyes flickered back to the man in front of her, recognition appearing in her eyes. She did remember him. The boy she had killed was a young upstarter, looking to become a pirate captain, the man had been his first mate. She could vaguely remember his name being mentioned to her when they first went to the tavern to arrest them.

Thorpe Cliffton.

Thorpe still had a grip on her face, tears sprouting his eyes as memories seemed to flush in. y/n felt bad, she really did, but she didn't take too kindly to the blood pooling in her mouth.

"He was only 16."Thorpe snapped at her, almost happy that y/n seemed to remember. He wanted her to go through that mental torture.

An almost dead look appears in y/n's face as she stared. --"Yeah? well, he was a stupid 16-year-old."She snapped at him. --"You both knew fine well that Shells Town was swarming with Marines at that time, if it hadn't been me it would have been someone else."She hissed.

Thorphe's eye twitched a little as he shoved her back to the ground and stalked off to the corner of the room. y/n took the opportunity to spit out some of the blood that had been pooling in her mouth.

The freak returned with a chain. With little regard for how this might hurt, he reached down and snatched her by her wrists. She didn't fight him as he dragged her over to a hook hanging down in the centre of the room.

She would have fought him had she had her sword.

He wrapped some of the long chain around the hook tightly before chaining her wrists together so she chained to the hook. With a murderous look at her, he walked over to the door and moved a piece of fabric to lift two buttons.

He pressed the top button and the hook started to lift, lifting her wrists with it. Soon enough she was hanging by her wrists, having to stand on her toes so she could still touch the ground.

The discomfort was begging to appear on her features but she didn't show any reaction to Thorpe. She didn't want to look weak. He stalked over to her and leaned in threateningly.

"The second Captain Buggy gives the word. You're dead."he informs her.

She didn't respond, watching him leave the room, locking the door behind him.

With him gone, she let the discomfort appear on her face as she hissed through her teeth. She was starting to feel the effects of some of the punches he had thrown at her.

Tilting her head back, she rattled her chained hands in an attempt to break free but it was no use. He had chained her up pretty well. She had no option but to just wait and hope that Luffy manages to find some way to get out of this creepy clown's tent.

With a sigh, she glanced around the captain's cabin. Buggy's cabin was exactly what you'd expect from someone like him. It was messy, papers were scattered across his desk, and drawers were ajar.

She also took notice of a dart board on his door, a cutout picture of her dad from a newspaper was in the centre with a colourful dagger stabbed through it.

That almost made her chuckle.

She took notice that he had his own wanted poster on the wall and almost scoffed at the obvious cockiness. Other than the wanted poster, the walls were covered in newspaper cutouts of his circus act- a newspaper article that she had no doubt the journalist was forced to write.

There were a few circus tricks scattered around the floor but nothing that she could pick up with her feet and help her escape. Everything was just messy in the cabbin.

Rolling her neck impatiently, she glanced to the side just as the lock in the door was turned and in walks the clown himself. He grins at the sight of her.

"I see you're past has already come back to bite you in the ass."He snickers, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him as he glanced in amusement at her bloodied nose.

She only eyed him, the discomfort instantly going from her face when she saw him. She was now about to look weak in front of this dumb fucking clown.

He reaches into the inside of his coat, pulling out a switchblade. Though he didn't appear to be trying to act threatening towards her.

"Alright, sweets."he started out, taking a few steps towards her. --"Huge fan, by the way. The way you forced that one loser pirate to slice off his own eyelids?"He kissed the tips of his gloved fingers mockingly, making a 'mwah' noise.

She remembered that one. When she was 17, a pirate tried to force himself onto her in the streets at night. So she went on the attack and forced him to slice off his own eyelids as punishment.

She didn't feel bad about that one.

Buggy grinned and pointed a finger at her. --"you're a real damaged soul."He chuckled, he eyes her up and down. --"And no longer working for daddy dearest?"He questioned, raising an eyebrow.

She didn't respond but gave him a look that said 'what do you think you stupid clown?'. He reached to the side into a fruit bowl sitting on a table, grabbing an apple, he tossed it up and down in his hand.

"And y'know, I collect damaged souls."He told her as he started to carve off some of the apple with his switchblade. --"I collect the deranged, the freaks of nature."He continued, raising his eyebrows as his blue eyes stare at hers. --"Make them part of my act."He hums.

"And you.."He points a finger to her with a giddy chuckle, throwing some of the carved apple between his red lips. --"belong in my act."He tells her, taking a step closer so his face was a mere two feet away from hers.

"How about I unchain you and you ditch these nobodies and join my crew, huh?"He questioned, lifting a hand to grip her chin. His grip was nowhere near as tight as Thorpe's had been, it was soft as he tried to sway her.

She continued to stare at him, her gaze sharp and unwavering. --"How about you unchain me and I'll cut your nose down to your liking?"She questioned innocently, remembering how he flipped off the handle earlier when Luffy brought up his nose.

An amused and forced grin appears on Buggy's face. He clicks his tongue and waggles his finger, stalking toward her so she had to look up at him. His hand still clutching her chin.

"Since I'm such a big fan of yours, I'm gonna take that response as a maybe."He grinned. She didn't understand this guy. Why hadn't the nose mention pissed him off?

He dropped her chin and took a step back to observe her. --"Where's my map?"He asked, folding his arms. She raised an eyebrow.

"Explain to me why i would tell you."She questioned. --"Because if you don't tell me I'll make sure the stretchy kid does."He simply replies, watching her face harden a little protectively.

"I don't know where it is."She told. It technically wasn't a lie, she hadn't been awake when Luffy had informed the group that he had swallowed the map. She was as clueless as Buggy was.

Buggy eyed her, irritation flashing in his blue eyes when not seeing any tells that she was lying. He popped another piece of the apple into his mouth, the muscles in his jaw flexing in annoyance.

They are silent for a moment, challenging the other's gaze. He then suddenly pointed at her with a grin. --"y'know we've actually met before."He announces, walking closer to her with that stupid fucking grin on his face.

A look appeared on y/n's face as she raised an eyebrow. --"I think I would remember you."She told him dryly and he shook his head. --"When we were both young pups..."He trailed off with a small grin, her continued to eat his apple.

"We met at the execution of good ol' Gold Rogers."He said, walking closer to her. --"You were 10."He spoke almost as though he was trying to remind himself. He started to wave the switchblade as he rambled.

"You were avoiding your dad in the crowd and wound up standing with me. Called my nose 'cool'."He grinned with his words, his gaze a little distant as he recalled the day.

And as he reminded her, she nodded, and the memory returned. Sure the interaction was 20 years ago but you'd think she would remember a kid with a round red nose and blue hair.

"huh..."She mumbled to herself, her wrists starting to ache. Buggy rested a hand on his chest, his crazed grin still spread across his lips. --"That comment stayed with me for a long time, blondie."

She almost snickered in response, raising a lazy eyebrow. --"Good to know I made such an impact."She mumbled sarcastically. Buggy laughed in response to her tone, lifting a hand to pat her cheek mockingly.

"Join my crew."He whispered to her, his face close to hers. Squinting, she tilted her head to the side against her raised forearm. --"No."She whispered back in a taunting tone.

She expected him to blow up but he didn't. Whether she wanted it or not, Buggy felt some sort of fucked up connection to her. He dropped his head in mock disappointment, his gaze on the floor as he sighed dramatically.

"What could those nobodies possibly have to offer you, anyway?"He questioned, lifting his head. His breath fanned against her face as he leaned in closer to her.

He raised a mocking eyebrow. --"A family?"He questioned sarcastically. Family is a touchy subject for her. She craned her neck back a little as his face got closer to hers.

"I could be your family."He tells her, his nose nearly touching hers. Her heart thudded a little louder against her ribcage at the closeness but she didn't back down. A hum rumbled up her throat as she eyed him, her brown eyes piercing.

"How about you unchain me and I consider it?"She tried and Buggy let out an amused laugh in response. --"Nice try, short stuff."He replied.

He took a step back, still peeling off some of his apple. --"Now I-"He paused to lift up a chunk of the apple he had cut off. --"-am going to go question our stretchy friend. I need my map back."He spoke, still grinning.

He then lifted the chunk of apple up to her lips, using his gloved fingers to pry open her mouth and slip the fruit between her lips. He clamped her jaw back shut, his eyes darting across her face mockingly.

The sweet taste of the fruit was welcomed against her tongue as she moved her jaw to chew on the apple, not breaking eye contact with the clown.

He continued to grin, his face still incredibly close to hers. --"I'll leave you alone to go over your options."He whispered, flashing a toothy grin.

Her eyes followed him as he left the room, shutting the door behind him. A near groan left her lips when she heard the sound of the door being locked again.

"shit."

She was going to be here for a while.

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the-s1lly-corner · 4 months

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Can,, can we have child!clown!reader making honking sounds at the circus members when they're really happy? They also do innocent pranks and and they are really silly and playful and so so small (smaller than Pomni herself perhaps?)

Caine, Jax and Ragatha w/ child!clown!reader who pulls innocent pranks! (platonic!)

not too into the mood to write today but i feel bad for leaving requests for a few days so imma (shuffles notes) rise and grind jumping onto my silly computer to get these written since its finally getting warmer in my house ehehehehe

CAINE:

i think he would take on a almost fatherly role for you; though hes not... okay well i was going to say hes not the best dad but that makes it sound like hes not a good one. hes definitely trying his best hes just a little chaotic and youre his first kid!!! probably encourages your pranks because it gives you something to do and you seem happy with it.. love when you honk, he likes to call you a goose/hj.. i think he might give you stuff to enhance your pranks and might even give you some ideas... though caines ideas can sometimes be a little complicated for your little brain... definitely would carry you around, usually flying or hovering from place to place

RAGATHA:

older sister/mother figure ragatha my beloved... i think depending on what kind of pranks you pull she either embraces it, since i doubt a little kid is like. dropping blocks of cement on people after propping the block on top of a door. truly innocent and playfully. visibly melts when you honk at her, she thinks its adorable. vaguely reminds her of how cats will chirp when they see their human coming home.. loves giving you little accessories for your clown outfit; bows, ribbons, pins, patches and so on! all hand made by her and personalized to your style! keeps a close eye on you to make sure youre okay, especially during an IHA... definitely holds your hand while walking you around to keep you from getting lost

JAX:

like caine i think he would encourage your pranks... just dont prank him. the whole "i like seeing funny things happen to people" but its only funny to him if its other people... you might develop a mischievous side from him... more of an older brother figure than a parental one, i think. sees you putting together a prank but he stops you mid way to give you something that would work better for the prank. kind of like the trope where a character gives an angry character a better weapon so they can go beat someone up except here its mostly innocent and theres no intention to hurt anyone and its about prank stuff... you kind of follow him around like a baby duck, very cute but hes trying to pretend hes not melting inside

#tadc x reader #the amazing digital circus x reader #digital circus x reader #caine x reader #caine x you #caine imagine #ragatha x reader #ragatha x you #ragatha imagine #jax x reader #jax x you #jax imagine

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writingquestionsanswered · 19 days

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Hello!

I am currently writing a novel that takes place in a traveling circus. Since all the primary characters are performers, their acts are, of course, a very important part of the story/who they are. Therefore, I'm wondering if you have any advice on how to go about describing the performance acts (i.e., contortion, trick-riding, clown acts, etc.) in the book? I fear the descriptions will end up sounding boring, being confusing, or seeming convoluted. I've primarily worked on screenplays for films, so this has been a great struggle for me. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!

Describing Circus Acts

1 - Map Out Your Need - Before you do anything else, it will help to map out the specific moments in the story where these performances will occur. What specific feat, trick, or sketch is being performed and by which character? Is it a performance, audition, or practice? Who else is watching? Who is the POV character? Does anything unusual need to happen with the performance?

2 - Research the Details - Once you have the specific moments mapped out, it will be much easier to research the details, and having a grasp on the details is essential to good description. You can create a much more authentic image if you know the names of different contortion poses or different trick riding moves, for example. Since you mapped out the need in step one, you should have a good idea of how much of the performance will need to be described to the reader, too.

3 - Consider Sensory and Emotional Details - Another part of creating an authentic and impactful description is remembering to consider the sensory and emotional details. What can the POV character see? What can they hear? What can they smell? What can they taste? What can they feel, both physically (touch, internal cues) and emotionally? See: colorful costumes, props, the joyful faces of the audience. Hear: prop noises, music, audience laughter. Smells: popcorn, circus animals, people smells from the crowd. Taste: circus food, bile rising in throat from nervous anticipation. Feel: warmth of the crowd, numb butt from hard seats, butterflies of anticipation, sense of thrill and joy.

4 - Resist the Urge to Overdo it - Even if these performances play a big role in the characters' lives, if the reader wanted eleven hours worth of circus performances, they'd probably just watch eleven hours worth of circus performances on YouTube. The performances themselves should play only a very small role in the actual action... like Katniss Everdeen's bow skills, Luke Skywalker's piloting prowess, and Arya Stark's Faceless Man shapeshifting abilities. They're shown only when they add something to the story, and never just for the sake of showing them.

5 - Some Telling is Just Fine - Obviously in fiction we want to rely on showing as much as possible, but there are certainly times when "telling" makes more sense, and telling is a great way to make sure these performances feel like the important part of the characters' lives they are without feeling every scene has to highlight such a performance. For example, once you've shown a couple of contortionist performances, you might instead have the contortionist doing something else in a scene... helping another performer, making repairs on a costume, or doing whatever they do in their spare time, and maybe have them talk about an earlier performance or something they're going to do in a performance that night. You and even have other characters refer to other characters' performances. For example, "I don't know where Ribena went. She was monkeying around with her horse's saddle while Lian was doing their Double Marinelli bend finale, and I haven't seen her since."

Happy writing!

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moth-eats-paper · 2 months

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UPDATEEEEE

I've made it to season four so here's an updated log of the Magnus archives thingy mubob (this contains spoilers :3.)

Oh the pig no no like you sir

Oh god I guess this pig is a weird thing

THE CIRCUS?

Oh god not more circuses

Oh dear I think the pig has decided to eat clowns now

Oh self cannibalism

Whelp the pig ate someone

Loud sound

The eyes doing it's thing

JOHN DOING THE THING WITH THE EYE

Tim keeps scaring people

Tims not ok

OMG TIM STATEMENT

Tims brother went missing

I don't think it's Tim's brother

Whelp he's gone

Oh clowns know

OH DEAR CLOWNS

I don't think that's your brother Tim

Oh blood

Oh dead clown

Oh no more skin .

Oh famous clown

Tim and Elias drama

Oh we're in China

Oh creepy opening

I wonder. Is this in Chinese? I know that the eye can allow you to read other languages in order to obtain more knowledge. Even if you never spoke that language or were able to read it you just suddenly are able to.

Oh screams

Nevermind I'm pretty sure it's in English cause it seems the person writing it is a British soldier

Does he have the black plague?

OH DEAD BODYS IN THE WATER

Oh-

This is a sad man

“True and total war”

GOD DAMMIT NO CIRCUS

HE CAN READ MANDARIN AND AND CHINESE NOW (cause of the eye)

IT WAS FROM 2004 NOT 2014

Oh the proper one's are in America

Space station time

I wonder if this is the same space station as the one Gertrude read

I think she kept talking about it in one of the statements well more specifically the guy who it is from

We love Melanie (even though she keeps trying to kill Elias but she has a good reason)

FAIRCHILD IS BACK

IT IS THE SAME SPACESHIP BUT JUST A DIFFERENT GUY

Because the one Gertrude read was the isolation guy. This is about the other two people who were on the ship

Oh god the space weird space hands are back I think

Oh blood

Oh he's bleeding

Oh god he's just going to let himself die

Old screaming things

Don't envy the isolation guy he had a really shit time

Whelp now he's in limbo space

OH SOMETHING'S BLOCKING THE STARS

Oh deep thoughts

Melanie is thinking deep

She's skeptical of stuff

Oh dear

IS HE STUCK IN SPACE

Viscera I think is how to pronounce her name?

MARTIN HAS A CRUSH ON JOHN?

Viscera and Melanie are gossiping and I'm here for it

Oh performance review

OH GOD ELIAS

JESUS CHRIST ELIAS STOP LEAVE POOR MELIAINE ALONE

WHAT DID HE DIE OF

WHY DID YOU GIVE HER THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM DYING

THAT'S TERRIFYING

He can just make her watch her dad's death!

I want texas toast I'm going to go make some

JOHNS IN AMERICA

Whelp he's being followed by a police officer

And Jared's “death”

GERTRUD WAS ARRESTED FOR BREAKING INTO A MORGUE

He just has to read statements to make him feel better

A screaming oven lovely

OH THERE'S A FIRE

OH A TRAINS ON FIRE

What do you mean you'd burn them?

John is better!

OH SHIT IT'S THE POLICE

WHAT IS THAT ACCENT

OH MY GOD ITS THE VAMPIRE HUNTER

YIPPEE MARTIN

I fucking hate Shakespeare

Lovely more masks

Poor Tim

And Melanie

AWW

OH SHIT

SOMETHINGS HAPPENING

PETER LUCAS IS BACK

Lucas seams so silly

Viscera gets really excited about her reading and I love that about her

Mmm more statements

I'm pretty sure John just asked for a statement because he was starting to feel sick lol

MORE VAMPIRES (I think) YIPPEE

His accent is kinda hard to understand

BODYS IN BOX

Spoopy people

Love how she calls the vampire hunter old man

Oh bodys on table

Silent screamers

OH WATER

Staby stab

Oh she killed him

OH SPOOKY THING

HAHAH DOLL THING (why is his voice kinda-)

More Marten :3

This girl sounds like an asshole

THIS PERSONS TRANS TDZSDHUGDZ

That is a long ass name

“Spiders are eating” PFF

Oh don't walk into people's jaws

Mmm Japanese spider movies

YOU HAD TO TRY AND CONVINCE YOURSELF HE ONLY HAD TWO ARMS

Oh spoopy

Oh they found A Way to distract Elias

A leitner?

JARED

Jared is cool

Jared's mom was an ass

Hmmm more things to kill and torture everyone

I keep forgetting meat is in this

Jared is so sad

MURDER

YIPPEE VISCERA

We're back in America and they found a bomb and the taxidermy or what's left of it

John and Tim drama

YIPPEE TIM A JOHN ARE OK

Oh tunnels

Bomb time

The meats back

LITENER

No more arm

And now he's in the water

PFFF

HELEN

Aww

YIPPEE SPOOPY

Meeting timeee

Gurtrud tape time

Wolfgang?

Puppets?

I think this is from a older time in europe because of the writing and how it is worded

DON'T GO

Mmm more robotic things

OH GOD A STAGE

Mmm birbs

BLOOD

WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CURL YOUR LEGS INTO A FIST

Funsies

Oh he's being protective of martennnnn

PLANS

SECRET PLANSSS

JOHN STATEMENT HDHJDGKDVJHK

Awww john

ITS LIGHTENERS

Melines to relatable

MELANIE STATEMENT

MARTIN NFSUSSTUDIY

TIMM

Aww goodbye Jarey

mmm masquerade

MARTIN!!

“sorry Elias I can't hear you there's a DOOR in the way” I love marten

Hehehe bomb

Oh god marten don't die

OH GOD THAT'S NOT WAX WORK

MARTIN NO

ELIAS FUCK YOU

Uh oh

SILLY MUSIC

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Mmm nothing is everything and everything is something

God what is happening

EYE THINGGGG

TIMMM

TIM SET OFF THE BOOM

What the fuck is this

He's not responseuve

Oh eye always watching

ELIAS STATEMENT?

(I'm listening to this for a second time)

Hehehe sad man

Oh dear

THE ELBOWS DON'T WORK

The sky?

Ma ma that's not edible

I don't want the box to sing

NOT THE COFFIN

Oh tunnel

Hmmm blood

TRAIN TIME

Hmmm watching

WHERE'D SHE GO

Oh dig

DOOR

Ants?

He screams

Who are we watching?

MARTIN

What

ARE TIM AND DAISY DEAD?

Bye Eliasss

PFFFF

Lucassss

YIPPEE PETER

NO TIM AND DAISY ARE DEAD

Season 4 babyyy

Poor marten

This is so sad

WHAT

WHAT DO YOU MORE GOODBYE

First actual episode of season 4 :3

Oh?

WHO IS THIS

WHAT

WHERE

YOU SAW JOHN IN A DREAM?

WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU

Oh statement

He sees how people die funnn

“What am I?” I ask that often

Ship into the middle of nowhereeeee

MEMENTO THING

Snakes?

Nevermind it's death

Why ya calm

Did you accidentally kill a bunch of people

Nope

YOU GOT A GUN?

YOU KILLED THE CAPTAIN!????

OH GOD YOU KILLED EVERYONE

This is this Oliver guy

SPIDERS

That's funnn

Oh boy

Melanie (I think it's her)might have scared him off

JOHNS AWAKE?

Zombieeee

I keep sending the homophobic vase because I can

oh no it was gorge

AND VISCERA

Magic tape?

JOHN!

HIII JOHN

6 MONTHS

He's very confused and I can see why

Hehehe eye thing

Statement timeeee

YOU CUT SOMEBODY'S HANDS?

I think this dudes on something

Maybe

Idk any more everything is odd

YOUR BEING FOLLOWED MX STATEMENT PERSON

This person's a little silly

Awww I love John

Even though he keeps making have deep thoughts

THEY CAN'T FIND DAISY'S BODY?

Oh oh god marten are you okay buddy

Aww

He miss his boyfriend (I'm desperately waiting for them to get together)

W E B yippee

Oh god meline she's very traumatized

Oh that hurt

OH MY GOD THEY'RE GETTING ATTACKED BY THINGS

(Not at the moment)

I think everyone's losing it

HE JUST CALLED HIMSELF THE ARCHIVIST NOT “Johnathan Sims head archivist” JUST THE FUCKING ARCHIVEST

EVERYONE IS EITHER DEAD, PART OF SOMETHING, FUCKING LOOSING IT OR ALL THREE.

#hello tumblr #i love my dead gay son #:3 #the magnus archives #tma podcast #tma #the magnus archives podcast #i love the magnus archives #i love Marten (i relate to him a little to much)#paper says stuff

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dia-smthidk · 4 months

Note

Hey! I was wondering if you could tell us more about Kaufmo? I was reading through the posts and you seemed a bit bummed no one was asking about him and I like the little hints that were dropped!

-Smiling anon :)

you have no idea how long i was waiting for atleast ONE question about Kaufmo

I love the silly clown guy so i might ramble

Surprise surprise, he actually made it to the circus while the virus was making itself at home

He’s gotten used to guiding other Comedians around the place, and had witnessed every single death of them til their last life..all except a certain Jester

Every little patch, stitch, clothing stain, or makeup mess up represents a death. This applies to every Comedian, so y’all can go ahead and guess what types of deaths Kaufmo had :)

Since Kaufmo had used up almost every life he had, he’d give advice to other Comedians on how to avoid loosing a life, whether it be telling them to never share their names, to keeping themselves from eating anything they don’t know about, even when they aren’t feeling like themself. Though it doesn’t work out all the time, atleast he’s trying his best.

Just as the pilot, Kaufmo doesn’t seem to trust Caine. Whenever Caine offers to help a Comedian, Kaufmo steps into the situation, telling the said Comedian “It’s for your own good”.

Comedians often had gotten this strange feeling about Kaufmo the longer they stayed with him, claiming that they feel this violent urge towards him, but they’re unsure why.

Kaufmo often carries a worn-out journal with him, he thinks it’s best to write down how his day goes everyday, and tries to encourage other Comedians to also write in the journal, since for some reason only Comedians can open the journal.

Much like Ragatha in the pilot, Kaufmo tries his best to look at the brighter side of things, though isn’t really that well at doing it. He mostly tries to brighten moods by telling jokes, but as the days go by, his jokes just get darker & depressing, to the point others can’t really tell when he’s joking sometimes.

When Ragatha was still in the slow process of corruption, her & Kaufmo would sometimes duet songs from any of the Raggedy Ann & Andy movies, since lots of the circus members started drifting away from Ragatha. Although, they eventually started drifting away from eachother, Kaufmo claiming “it’s for our own good”. So whenever Ragatha gets to atleast hum a tune, Kaufmo stays hidden & just listens.

Unlike Jesters, Clowns can take themselves apart, or atleast detach limbs that had been removed by a death beforehand, but only the Clown that owns the body can take themself apart without dying.

I think that’s about it 💪

#the amazing digital circus #tadc #tadc au #tadceldritchau #tadc kaufmo #dia-asks

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igotanidea · 2 years

Text

Toxic: Dick Grayson x f!reader (part 1)

I'm just testing the waters here, since it's my DC writing debut (please, forgive me Marvel, you are still no.1 for me). Anyway, let me know what you think.

He was a detective.

She was a forensic scientist and tech expert.

Their history started back in the circus days.

They weren’t exactly friends, but being the only two kids amongst the adults and animals brought them closer than they would ever like to admit.

He was an acrobat. She was a tamer which gave her ability to read through animals and as this skill expanded – people. She could easily tell the emotions and feelings of one’s person and control it. When she found out about that power she was scared at first. It was hard to cope with all the positive and negatives vibes suffocating and suppressing her. And it was not like she could tell anyone about it. She would be called a freak and even at circus this would not be good. But Dick knew. From the beginning. He saw it in her eyes one day at the arena, when the fire broke and people and circus crew started to panic and flee. Poor girl felt not only her own pain and fear but also all of the same emotion of about 100 or more people. It was just too much, hurting not only mentally but physically as well and so she started to shake with the burden on her shoulders. Eyes wide open, breath fastened she turned away from the source of the problem and started running, hit and miss, somehow avoiding collision with anyone else. Dick was quick to add two and two and chase after her through the other side of arena, ignoring his parents’ calls. However, she was too fast and soon was out of his sight. Now Dick started to panic as well. She should not be alone in her vulnerable state.

“YN!” he called for her, but there was no answer “YN!” another try and he heard some quiet sobbing coming from behind one of the circus caravan “what happened?” the boy fell to the ground next to his colleague. She was holding her knees close to the chest, face hidden, hair being a mess from the running “Hey, look at me” she hesitantly raised her head and followed his plea “what happened there?”

“I got scared, that’s all”

“It’s not. There’s more. You can tell me. “ he reached for her cold hands and this gesture surprised them both.

“Can I? How do I know you are not going to use it against me?”

“Don’t you know me better than that?” he asked sadly

“I do. I’m sorry Dick. I know you care. I just….. I don’t know what’s happening to me lately.”

“Tell me. I’ll help you figure it out.”

“I….. I feel more. More intense, more often. Some of those feelings are not even mine. Like, I can tell that right now you are worried, but also a bit curious. It’s a lot, knowing people’s emotions, you know.”

“I know.” Dick nodded and went to hug her “Seems to me like you are an empath.”

“I don’t think every empath can also control the mood of the people”

“control?”

“Yes, a bit, but most of the time it happens involuntarily…..”

“How so?” Dick frowned at the words

“Remember last week? When one of the clowns started a fight with fire eater?”

“I do….. Wait, was that you?”

“I guess. I mean, none of them would start jumping around and laughing falling into each other embrace out of their own will, right? They hate each other.”

“Right.” The boy rubbed his forehead “How long is this going on”

“Not sure. A month or some more….”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked with hurt in his voice, but she just shrugged.

“I was scared. Still am. But it’s ok if you think I’m a weirdo. I won’t blame you, just please keep it to yourself.”

“I’m not leaving you.” he spoke and hugged her again

“You are not?” she muffled into his chest clinging to the warmth and peace his presence brought her.

“No. I’m not going to hurt you, ever. I’ll keep you safe.”

***

That was the ice breaker in their relationship. From that day when she confessed they became closer and closer every day. And slowly, something more than friendship started to creep in inside their hearts. But as all was going really good in that area, life decided to pull a cruel trick. # years later a fatal accident happened, leaving Dick parentless. He was broken and vulnerable and despite the fact that she was there for him, offering help and support there was not much she could do, especially use her powers. She swore to him she would never use her ability against him and this was not the time to break the promise. Soon, Dick was adopted by no one else than famous Bruce Wayne and took away from the circus. She stayed behind. Those were dark couple of years for 15 year-old kids.

“Promise you won’t forget me” she whispered clutching him while the limousine was waiting.

“How could I ever?” he held her tighter “this is probably bad timing, but I ….” He stopped becoming shy.

“You what?”

“You were more than a friend to me. I…. I felt more for you.”

“Oh…..” the girl pulled away slightly

“Yeah” Dick scratched his head in confusion. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said that…”

“Dick?”

“Yes?”

“I promise you, when I turn 18 and I will be free to decide about myself I will find you. I’ll get you back and we may work on that feeling. Will you wait for me?”

“ Always.” He whispered resting his forehead on hers.

“Master Grayson! It’s time to go.”

“Come back to me.” Dick added

“In three years, I promise.”

***

Three years later, she did kept her promise as she showed on the steps on the Wayne Manor. Uninvited, of course, but with single purpose on her mind. Getting Dick back. Last year has been a constant torment for her. As she grew up, a lot of men in the circus turned their attention towards her and not in a good way. She was degraded because of the fact she was a woman, catcalled and a couple of times almost raped. Such things can change a person but she was still the same girl Dick knew, hoping he did not change much as well. Ok, to tell the truth she might have a bit more of a badass attitude and higher confidence, but those were good things, right? So why was she so nervous knocking at the door. Would the host of the place kick her out when he see her creased clothes and messy outlook? She travelled for three days to get here, but …..

“And who may you be?” dark dressed valet opened the door and started looking her up and down

“I’m….” she trailed

“YN?” the voice coming from the inside was too familiar and her eyes immediately went glassy “You are really here?” Dick, because who else took a few steps closer and gently touched her cheek to make sure she was real.

“I promised you, didn’t I?” she sobbed “I kept it.”

“You two better come inside, before you get sick from the cold” the butler pulled the girl into the manor and closed the door behind.

***

Bruce Wayne was less than happy about another kid in his house. Dick got into quite an argument with him about his friend but it did not brought the wanted result. Batman was good enough with one child under his care, no place for discussion and that broke said child heart. Thank god, Albert was a bit more sensitive as he took the girl in, so Dick and his friend could secretly meet. Maybe it was the aura of forbidden love but this situation only speeded up what was bound to happen between them. The first time Dick kissed her it was messy, sloppy and innocent, but as the years went by all the emotions they were hiding for years got the best of them. At the age of 21 the tame finally broke.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked hovering over her, his breath hot on the girl’s skin.

“Are you getting second thoughts?” she smirked but it was impossible to hide how impatient and longing for him she was.

“I love you.” he whispered in response kissing her fiercely and completely letting himself go. If she could she would probably say the same, but the way he was focused on her and taking care of every inch of her body made her words incoherent and limited only to single moans and groans under Dick’s touch. Both of them were waiting and aching for each other for so long, hiding inside their shells. But it was not necessary anymore. Just the two of them against the world, closer than ever, closer than it was possible and yet – still so far away from one another. Lips on lips, skin on skin, caressing, stroking and exploring. Being one another’s first time made it even more sensual and emotional.

“Dick?”

“Yes?”

“I love you too.” She smiled as he kissed her more. “It feels so good to finally say it” she whispered.

“You don’t ever have to stop.” he muttered “but are you sure it’s what you want?

“Yes, just …..”

“I’m not going to hurt you. You are safe with me” he repeated the words from the past and she closed her eyes actually feeling safe and secure in his arms.

***

They were training together despite Bruce’s best wishes. He was Robin and she was Flux. There was no discussion that Dick was skilled from the beginning but the girls had a lot to learn. And she was making progress so fast that it impressed even the Batman himself. Finally, he warmed up to her enough to let her join missions. Ironically, this was about to be her undoing. During one of the escapades, Robin and Fluxcame across two other vigilantes – Hawk and Dove, their real names being Hank and Dawn.

The girl was so different from YN. Gentle, caring with all her positive attitude and petite figure. Delicate in every aspect except fighting. Very well aware she captured Dick’s attention, not that anyone could blame her for it. If only she was mean or vengeful or rude…. But her being kind and helpful made it impossible for Flux to hate her for forming close bond with Dick. Yes, she was jealous. Robin was her boyfriend. She went through a lot to win him over and now it felt like she was losing him to another one. How could she ever compete with such beauty, former ballerina full of grace? Despite the fact that Dick never gave her any reason to doubt him she felt like there was something wrong and being pushed over the age she broke the promise given to him so long ago. She searched through his emotions and minds. And what she saw break her so much that when Dick came to visit her in Albert’s wing of the manor she was sitting on the bed staring blankly at the window.

“YN?” she got him alerted the second he saw her this way “Honey, what happened? Did someone hurt you” he sat down on the edge of bed, palm of her thigh trying to reassure her and get the answer.

“get your hands off me!” she yelled and moved away from his touch

“Why? What’s wrong? Tell me, please.”

“Is it true?” tears started to flow down her eyes

“Is what true?”

“Do you have feelings for her? For Dawn. I’m giving you the chance to be honest with me, Dick….”

“YN….”

“I thought you respect me enough to admit, but you are lying. I feel those emotions on you. I can do that remember?”

“You used them on me…?” he moved back as well “you promised not to…”

“Well then we both broke each other.”

“YN….. I want you to know nothing ever happened between me and Dawn.”

“But you think about her every time when we ….. Fuck, Dick. You act like your name. I feel like throwin up. That is probably the worst kind of betrayal.”

“YN, I still love you.”

“And for the first time in my life I don’t know how I feel. Leave me, Dick. I need to be alone for now. I have to think this all through.

“YN….” He reached for her again, but she yanked free

“Please….. Go away” and so he listened. He left her hoping she would get better till dinner. But when she did not show up he knew it was not temporary. And when after the meal he went to check up on her, she was gone. As well as her stuff. The only thing left was a short letter in which she explained why she had to escape Gotham and forget about that part of her life. She also mentioned being heartbroken and apologized for breaking him, but in her point of view this was the only thing to do. They loved each other but at the same time were toxic and this was something that would always prevent them from getting their happy ending .

to be continued.... or not.

@somest1 @pinksirensong - let me know if anyone wants a tag

#dick grayson #dick grayson fanfiction #dick grayson x reader #nightwing #nightwing x y/n #nightwing x you #nightwing x oc #nightwing fanfiction #dick grayson imagine #nightwing imagine #dc titans #titans hbo #titans x reader #dc x you #dc x reader

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farfromstrange · 10 months

Text

Chaos Theory | Michael Kinsella x Reader

Chapter 20: You Showed Me Colors You Know I Can’t See With Anyone Else

Masterlist ° Chapter List

Pairing: Michael Kinsella x Reader (she/her)

Summary: You tell Michael about the conversation with Birdy and deal with the aftermath.

Warnings: ANGST, this chapter hints at PTSD and mental health, Smut (18+), slight cockwarming, not proof read

Word Count: ~5.5k

A/n: I was waiting for the right moment to write smut again, and I thought why not now? There will never be a perfect time. But the angst train is also still very much in the station. Sorry for the long wait. Enjoy! (Or don’t)

(this gif does some things to me. holy mother of jesus i can’t even-)

Michael is still asleep when you walk back into the bedroom with the coffee and the bag carrying what you can now tell are the café’s best scones.

Your thoughts are scrambled. You can’t sort them. You want to stay positive because that’s the kind of person you taught yourself to be. Misplaced hope is better than no hope at all.

You force yourself not to think too much, but that is a near impossibility in your current state. There is too much going on inside of you, holding it all back will only drain you, and that not even in the long run but as soon as you set foot out of the door.

There’s a reason you put down the pessimism a long time ago, but the reality of your situation seeps in and destroys it. It destroys everything good you’ve built for yourself; now you’re just confused and maybe a little angry, but mostly the former. Your mind has always been your worst enemy.

You place the food and the coffee down on the nightstand and turn to Michael. He doesn’t seem to notice you. He’s either too exhausted to dream, or he did the same as you and pushed all the bad thoughts away to rest a little easier. He’s out cold.

You run a hand through his unruly hair. “Mikey,” you murmur.

He stirs under your touch, his eyes fluttering. It takes him a few seconds to wake up and take in his surroundings, his face contorting in a sense of panic before his eyes fall on you, and he relaxes visibly.

“Mornin’,” he grumbles.

You greet him with a soft smile. “Hey.”

He ruffles his hair. “Wha time is it?”

“Just a little after seven,” you answer.

“Oh.” Michael looks around. He notices you sitting on the edge of the bed instead of lying next to him, and he frowns. “Why’d ya get up then?” he asks.

“Couldn’t sleep,” it’s not a complete lie, but he can tell you’re holding back.

He purses his lips, clearly not happy with you falling back into old patterns, but he can’t force you to talk.

You disguise your feelings as something they often are not, mostly because growing up, you had to play an act at the circus that was your family, and you taught yourself to be kind, to smile and wave, to never disobey and to never question, so you disguised who you truly were and what you truly felt with a layer of pretense. You weren’t allowed to speak up or talk about your struggles, and you took that belief with you into adulthood. And although you know now that feeling and sharing those feelings isn’t a bad thing, you come with a built-in defense mechanism that grew during childhood and that can only be removed fully if someone reconstructs you and flicks the switch completely. It’s a complicated task a normal person can’t achieve; you would need help for that, help Michael alone can’t provide you because he, too, struggles with built-in mechanisms of his own that never had a chance of dismembering themselves.

When you escaped home, the circus ended, but you made it a habit to please everyone, to just get them to see you as something more than this godforsaken mess that you grew up to be deep inside, and you can’t deny that it feels like you’re nothing more than a clown most of the time. You’re walking the tightrope so close to the edge, you could fall any minute, but at least you tried. It’s always been just you trying your hardest, but it never felt like it was enough before, and it surely doesn’t feel like it now. It’s a losing game.

You can shine for Michael all you want, but he can see the darkness inside of you. He accepts it. He embraces it. He wants to love you regardless, you just don’t know how to let him.

Your lips turn down. He sees right through you. Wordlessly, he reads you like an open book and his eyes bore through your soul like piercing daggers. He takes you apart and puts you back together all at once, trying to show you that he cares and you don’t have to be afraid around him, but it’s not that easy, is it? It can’t be.

You can’t hide the truth from him forever, and you don’t want to. You physically can’t. It’s exhausting. You’re overwhelmed. You need someone to lean on or the storm will drag you under and drown you in an ocean of endless despair. You tried keeping everything far away from him before and it didn’t work. He assured you he would never judge you, so why are you holding back? Old habits die hard, but you have to learn to beat them before they kill you.

You crawl back under the blanket and place your head on his chest. “I had a nightmare,” you admit quietly.

He nods, seemingly satisfied with the answer, and wraps his arms around you. “‘Bout what?” he asks.

He still holds you, even though you are a million shattered pieces of broken glass and he could easily cut himself. But if being there for you makes him bleed, he would gladly bleed out for you.

You shrug. “You died.”

His hand strokes through your hair. “But I’m here,” he tells you. “I’m alive.”

“I know, it’s just…” Your wide eyes focus on the wall across from you. “I’m so scared.”

There it is. The three words he had been waiting for.

“Fear’s human, love. Nightmares are human, but they’re not real. They’re just dreams. And fears are just yer body tryin’ ta protect itself from danger, but that doesn’t mean ya have to face it alone, y’know?”

You wonder if he used to tell his daughter the same when she was little. It sounds like something he has said many times before, maybe even to convince himself. You’re not sure, but you appreciate it.

“But you died,” you repeat, your voice barely above a whisper. “And I couldn’t save you.” Your lip quivers. “It was my fault you died because he said–he told me to stay away from my sister and I didn’t listen, and then you died. To save me. ‘Cause you said you’d always protect me and you jumped in front of the gun for me and…and you died.”

“Hey,” he tilts your chin up, “I’m here. I’m alright.”

But it’s not as easy as he makes it out to be, you both know it.

“You were shot at last night, Michael!” Your voice holds a lot of force with its honesty. “What if you hadn’t been alright? What if you’d died?” you say. “I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself. I know I’m the last person who gets to say that after the shit I put you through, but it’s true. I’m selfish. I know I’m selfish because I want you alive for me, but it’s better than not having you at all.”

His brown eyes slip from yours and he looks away. He can’t face you. The truth hurts, and you have a way of hitting the knife right where he doesn’t want it. Now he knows what it feels like when he reads you so openly.

You let out a shaky breath. “I feel so bad because Jamie died and he was your son, but you also could have died and I can’t bear the thought of that. So forgive me for being scared of losing you. Forgive me for being glad you’re alive, but for being afraid of something like last night happening again and this time, it won’t be someone else!” Your voice breaks.

He only holds you tighter, your broken edges tearing deeper holes into the parts of his soul that had been barely hanging on by a thread; and now Michael’s falling apart completely, too.

“Shh, I know,” he whispers.

You shake your head. You begin to think he doesn’t know because he doesn’t value his life as much as you do, and that hurts. Physically and mentally, it’s scarring to love someone who is so prepared to die.

But it’s the same with you, isn’t it? You would die for the people you love too, with no hesitation, and that’s what makes you so eerily similar. Pretending to be a good girl is one thing, but showing your true colors in every version there is to someone just as damaged as you holds a different kind of depth that already feels painful again, while at the same time being the only thing you could ever need. You need him.

“People die,” you whisper. “This is your life, I know, but it scares me…It shouldn’t be like this.”

You’re crying without actually crying, and it hurts even more than being able to let it all out. Your body restricts you. It’s a dry sob that burns through your throat and chest, and your soul suffers in the process.

Michael is silent for a moment as you bury your face in his chest. The sound of your dry sobs shakes him to his core.

It’s his turn to take a deep breath. “Even though I told ya this is the kinda life I was born into and shit like this can happen, I didn’t anticipate this,” he says, his voice breathy and barely audible. “I distanced myself. I tried t’keep the people I love safe. I focused on other things. I tried…but it still happened. And I couldn’t even protect my own son.”

You close your eyes in agony. “It’s not fair that you have to live like this,” you say.

“It’s not, you’re right. None of this is fuckin’ fair to anybody, but they’re my family.”

“This isn’t about family–”

He cuts you off, “I’ve been a target before. I’m used to it. But Jamie…he never did anythin’ wrong. He was innocent,” he says. “And I can’t reassure ya that it won’t happen again ‘cause it will. I know it, my brother knows it, everyone in this family knows it. And that’s wha makes this so fucked right now. We don’t know what’s goin’ on, but we know the risk.”

You shake your head. “That’s not fucking okay,” you snap.

He doesn’t snap back, he simply shushed you again. “I know,” he says. “Jamie was unfortunate enough t’be there with me last night, but he wasn’t the target. That’s why it hurts so much. It might have been Eric or me or someone else, but yer right. People die.”

“Children die. No one should have to accept shit like this to be the norm.”

His jaw tightens.

“This is so fucking unfair,” you hiss under your breath. “Why is it so unfair?”

“You’re right, it’s not fair,” he answers, tears of his own building up in his eyes now, “but I can’t tell ya what you wanna hear from me. It’d be a lie.”

“I don’t wanna hear anything from you other than that you’ll be okay,” you shoot back with a sniffle that breaks his heart.

He looks down, the honesty breaking your own heart in the process. “I can’t tell you tha and you know it.”

His words hang heavy in the air. You take a deep breath, but it shudders in your chest and gets trapped in your lungs. You try to block out the truth, but the truth is a cruel bastard. It manifests.

Eventually, you break the silence. “You’re shitty at comforting me today,” you say, but you’re not serious, not really. He told you the truth, which is what you needed, and you appreciate it.

It still sucks though because it doesn’t make you feel much better.

“I know,” he says, regret lacing his voice. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I wanna keep ya safe, I do. And I wanna make sure your father never lays a hand on you again. I’ll kill him myself if I have ta, and I wanna make sure ya get to fight for your sister. I need to protect Anna and you. Neither of you deserve t’be a part of any o’ this,” he says, his voice wavering ever so slightly. “You’re my priority, but what happened last night is gonna have consequences and things are gonna get messy, even though I don’t want ‘em to. It’s dangerous, and I can’t tell ya how things are gonna work out because I don’t know.”

You nod, your eyes still closed. His fingers trail up your spine. This is why you fell in love with him, and there’s not even a proper word for it. He’s the man you’ve been looking for without ever knowing what you were looking for.

You slowly lift your head to look at him. “This is your life,” you say, “and I wanna be a part of your life. I just…I can’t lose someone I love again. I can’t lose you, and it terrifies me that I might.”

You don’t care that he killed people or that his family deals drugs and regularly hurts others for a living. You thought you would care, but you love this man with all of your heart, and if you know one thing it’s that Michael Kinsella is not a bad person. He fights for those he loves. It’s not his fault he was born into this family, or that he is still loyal to them. You know he’s trying to be better for his daughter, but you can’t change the fact that he’s a Kinsella, and you no longer want to.

You don’t have to like his family, you only need to love him, and he deserves it more than anyone to have someone by his side now.

Your life is a mess too, and he’s there for you because he sees something in you that’s worth fighting for. He loves you. He wants to protect you from the demons of your past, and you bring your fair share of dangers into this relationship, so perhaps he is the only man who could ever truly understand. And you don’t want to fight alone anymore, either. You can’t.

Fate put you in each other’s paths for a reason, now you have to somehow deal with your lives crossing and find a way out of the woods to maybe have somewhat of a happy ending one day where everyone you care about and love is safe and taken care of, and you have both dealt with your respective grievances.

Michael cups your cheek. “You are my life,” he says. “Gives me a reason to live for.”

“But what if you die?” you ask.

“I won’t.”

“But you can’t promise me that, can you?”

He shakes his head. “Trust me,” he says. “We’ll make it through this. Just promise me ya’ll stay. No matter how hard things get...just stay, please.”

You don’t have to think twice. “Always,” you answer without missing a beat.

“I love ya,” he says.

“I love you too,” you echo. You reach out and intertwine your fingers with his. “Always, right?”

He nods, his thumb stroking your cheek. “Always,” he says.

You lean forward to capture his lips in a kiss. His grip tightens and he draws you closer. His hands remain close to your body, grabbing every last inch of skin they can reach, and you melt.

“You taste like smoke,” he pants between kisses.

You bite down on his bottom lip, making him groan into your mouth. “Had a cigarette,” you say, but it’s nowhere near a confession. You don’t owe him an explanation. “Is that a problem?”

He shakes his head. “Just surprised me, is all,” he says.

You force your tongue into his mouth. At first, he fights back, but he eventually lets you take control of the kiss. It’s the first time you do so.

Struggling for breath, you both reluctantly pull away from each other. His lips move to your forehead, your hand still holding onto his. The comfortable silence between you wraps around you like a blanket.

Michael is the first one to break the serenity, but only because he catches the familiar scent of coffee and scones in the air. His eyes fall on the bag on the bedside table. “Did ya go t’work just for breakfast?” he asks.

You completely forgot about Birdy’s surprise visit, and all the calm he infused you with disappears. You’re nervous about telling him the truth, but he would see right through you if you chose to lie.

You sit up, grab one of the coffee cups, and hand it to him. “No,” you say, “Birdy…Uh, she came by earlier.”

Michael’s wide awake within seconds, sitting up against the headboard. His hazel eyes trail over you, taking in each sign of discomfort and the fear in your eyes that doesn’t just come from the nerves that threaten to consume you, and it’s not just anxiety or trauma. When you say Birdy’s name, there is a slight shift in your demeanor, and he picks up on that.

“She’s nice, by the way,” you try to talk yourself out of it. “She…she brought this for you. Well, for us, but mostly for you because she wanted to check up on you. She said she came to pick you up at the station last night, but I was there and she figured you’d be in good hands, and you were, right? You still are. I guess she just wanted to do a wellness check this morning.”

His eyes darken a little and he reaches out to grasp your hand again. “Birdy came here?” he asks to clarify.

You nod, nursing your cup of coffee. She surprisingly chose the right kind, and your heart beats twice as fast again. You shudder.

A million thoughts run through your head, and you think back to the strange customer that threatened you a while back; you want to puke, but you haven’t eaten so that would be counterproductive. Your stomach is just as upset as your mental state, which never ends well for you. You need to calm your breathing before it’s too late.

“She knocked and I let her in because she asked nicely and she didn’t seem like a threat to me,” you say, almost as if you’re defending yourself. “She knew my name, but I didn’t think it’d be that serious.”

“Yeah, I told her ‘bout ya, but–” Michael looks at the logo on the coffee cup, the blue butterfly appearing all too familiar. He swallows. “I never told her where I work now,” he says. “Damn it!” Running a hand over his face, he sighs. “Did she ask you anythin’?”

You bite your lip guiltily. “Well, yeah…Isn’t that what family does?”

“I need to know what she said to ya. What did she ask?”

“Well, um…Nothing too detailed. I mean, you know I don’t like talking about details. I…She asked some things about me and the job when I saw the logo on the bag. I told her about the Butterfly Effect, how long I’ve been working there, and stuff like that. But that’s it, I promise!”

“And what did you tell her?”

“I–”

“Tell me.”

You flinch a little at his tone. “I didn’t tell her any details about my life or–or anything about my family. Or about you,” you insist. “I just said you were resting and you needed time, and that I’d tell you that she came by so you could tell her how you are yourself. She told me you guys have to support each other now, a-and she mentioned Jimmy. Especially him. I don't know, it was weird, and I found it even weirder that she knew about the café. For a moment, I thought she was trying to pry, but she left when she noticed I was uncomfortable. She was nice to me, Michael,” you say. “And she brought breakfast. That’s not an evil act, right?”

Who are you trying to convince now, you wonder. Not him, surely. It’s more like you trying to tell yourself that you didn’t make a mistake when he clearly thinks it was, and you’re not sure who you’re supposed to trust in this case. You can’t trust your own judgment, that’s for sure. You have a horrible dating history to account for it.

“Jesus,” Michael curses under his breath. “Why–How could you be so foolish?”

His words strike you hard. “I thought she was just trying to be kind,” your voice sounds higher now, and your eyes are wider than usual. “I’m sorry,” you whisper.

All color has faded from your skin. The way you look at him reminds him of a deer once again, but this time a frightened one, and he stops himself.

Your lip quivers. “I’m sorry,” you repeat again, “I didn’t mean to upset you. I thought I was doing the right thing. But you told me to stay away from your family and I didn’t listen. Please, don’t be mad at me.”

You’re begging him even though he isn’t even mad at you, and that’s when he realizes that you misinterpreted his worry for something else.

Michael's expression softens as he watches the distress on your face. “Hey, hey,” he murmurs, grabbing your chin. “I’m sorry. I’m not mad. I was just…worried. I’m sorry.”

“I wanted to be nice to her,” you say. “Because you said she was good and you cared about her.”

“I know, and Birdy isn’t…she isn’t evil,” he clarifies, “but she’s still a Kinsella and when she asks questions, she asks them to make sure you aren’t a threat. It’s nothin’ personal, she just wants t’keep this family safe. I thought…I thought she trusted me, but maybe I was wrong. I dunno. I’ll talk to her and make sure she keeps her nose out of any of yer business.”

You sniffle. “I’m still sorry.”

Michael glares at you in return, but it’s more of a gentle warning than meant in a threatening way. He assures you, “I've been tryin' to keep ya away from my family's business fer a reason, and I fear tha involvin' you in any way might put ya in danger, so I'll make sure it won't happen,” he says. “And I'll make sure your father won't catch wind of his 'til we can ensure Maya's safety, too.”

“I…” You meet his eyes. “I don’t deserve you,” you say.

“Don’t say that.”

“It’s true.”

“No,” he lays back down and pulls you with him, “It’s not true.”

“How can you say that so confidently?” you retort.

“‘Cause you are worth everythin' to me. And you deserve so much better.” He brushes a strand of hair away from your face and traces his thumb along your cheek. “I've made mistakes in my life, and I've done things I'm not proud of, but you've seen the best in me,” he says. “Ya’ve brought out the goodness in my heart, and I'll spend the rest of my days showin' ya how much ya mean to me. That’s what you deserve and nothin’ short of that.”

Instead of answering, you force him down to your level and press your lips against his. He closes his eyes, pulling you into his lip, and you use the added space to press yourself closer to him. His hands continue traveling the path of your spine, eventually resting on your lower back.

You stay that way for a while, your lips moving lazily against each other. Time seems to stand still. You lose yourself in him, and you taste too good for him to keep a clear mind when you’re so close to him. You become one, and he makes sure you won’t go anywhere by keeping his hands locked to your hips.

Michael manages to bring the coffee cups to safety before he sits up against the headboard, pulling you with him. His tongue asks for permission and you open your mouth to him, allowing him to explore the depth of your mouth further as you search for leverage on his broad shoulders.

“What about breakfast?” you ask when his lips move to your neck, brushing over your pulse point.

“That’s not what I’m hungry for,” he says.

His hands slide up your sides underneath your shirt, his touch igniting a trail of fire on your skin. His lips find yours once again, capturing them in a passionate kiss that leaves you breathless. The taste of him lingers on your lips. You moan, involuntarily so.

“Can we…” He trails off, pulling away enough to meet your eyes. “I wanna forget. Just fer a few minutes.”

You lick your lips. There is nothing you want more. “It’s not gonna be just a few minutes though,” you murmur.

“I don’t care.”

If he doesn’t care, you can't find it in yourself to care either, so you cave. It doesn’t take much convincing for you to give yourself over to him and trust him fully. It’s human nature at this point.

He is so desperate, he doesn’t even waste time to take your shirt off. Michael slides it up enough to reveal your breasts, encapsulating one of your nipples with his wet lips, and you throw your head back.

Usually, his movements are calculated, but this morning, he’s following instinct. The boxers you borrowed join his shirt on the floor, and you help his aching cock out of his underwear. Giving him a few good pumps, you spit into your hand to add some more lube. Sucking your nipples isn’t much foreplay, but he does it well enough to get you worked up.

He pulls you down in one swift motion and you let out a collective gasp. Your hand finds the headboard. You shouldn’t be doing this, but here you are, and you don’t intend on stopping.

Michael moans into the crook of your neck, his arms wrapping around you. He’s silently asking for you to take the lead, and how can you deny him this much-needed release?

You straighten your back and begin to move your hips slowly. His cock is hard, thick, and achingly buried between your velvety walls. Your breaths soon turn into little whimpers before transcending into a crescendo of moans.

Your hearts start beating in sync, and your connection deepens with every touch, every kiss, every whispered promise. You move your hips in a rhythm of your choosing, and he goes along with it, occasionally helping out when you get tired, and you can't help but succumb to the power of pleasure that is dragging you down.

As you lose yourselves in each other, the world is reduced to the rhythm of your bodies.

You circle your hips, chasing your high by chasing the sweet spot inside of you. The head of his cock bumps against it, and you moan. You continue moving just like that.

He presses open-mouthed kisses to your shoulder, licking the salty skin over your shoulder blade, and he sucks a deep purple mark in the same place the last hickey has disappeared from.

You run your fingers through his hair. He rests his forehead against your shoulder, his hands gripping your hips a little tighter.

“Michael,” you breathe.

He whispers your name back. He’s somewhere else, sweat running down his back, and the sweetest sounds come out of his mouth. He’s a mess underneath you, but he looks even more beautiful like this.

“I love you,” you tell him. “So much.”

His cock brushes against your G-spot, your clit bumping against his pelvis over and over again, and the pleasure mixes with the conflicted pain in your soul. It’s a lot. You love him so much, it’s overwhelming, and knowing about the danger you might be in makes it even worse, but you can’t find it in yourself to care. It’s your body that makes all the decisions for you right now, not your mind. Your heart is screaming for more, and you give it what it wants.

Michael grabs the back of your head and pulls you in for a searing kiss. You grab his face to pull him impossibly closer.

“I love ya too,” he tells you.

You lift your arms so he can take your shirt off. It’s getting hotter and therefore harder to breathe.

Happy with the new playground, he leans in to suck one of your nipples back into his mouth. His hand rests on the other, making sure it won’t feel neglected. He pushes all your buttons at once, eliciting moan after moan from you. It’s like you were never apart.

Sex between you has flowed effortlessly from the start, and it’s no different now. Maybe it’s because Michael knows exactly what to do, or maybe you’re just so in sync that it works; either way, you have never felt this much pleasure even from a sloppy fuck as this one, and you still manage to find it in yourselves to tell each other how much you love each other because this is not just sex, this is more. It always is more when it comes to you. You need to forget, but that’s not all. This is more than desperation. This is love.

You dig your nails into his back when he hits the sweet spot inside of you again with his cock, and the wave crashes into you almost unexpectedly. You were too focused on the way his body feels against yours that you ignored the pleasure completely.

You throw your head back. When you come, the room fills with the call of his name, followed by a string of curses and your name, and then, silence.

You remain in his arms, his cock still buried deep inside of you, his cum staining not only your insides but your thighs as well, but you’re finally close again, and you don’t want him to be anywhere else but where he is now.

Sweat stains your temple. Michael wipes it away with his thumb, caressing your face as he looks at you, his cheeks flushed. He always looks so good after sex.

You lean into his touch, closing your eyes. This is where you want and need to be. You’re alive with him. Without him, there is no you anymore.

He woke up the person that had been asleep inside of you for so long. You found yourself, and in his arms, you can be the person you should be without fearing judgment. You can just be yourself, no questions asks. He accepts and loves you unconditionally. He worships your body like a goddess, and he’s kneeling at the altar of your love.

He takes a shaky breath. “I hope I didn’t imagine that ya just came,” he says.

Your face contorts into a smile. “Trust me,” you say, “you weren’t imagining anything.”

“Good,” Michael pulls you closer, “‘cause I don’t wanna be selfish.”

“Don’t worry about me. With you, I always come.”

“Only with me, huh?” He raises his eyebrows. “No one ever made ya come before?”

You meet his eyes, your blush deepening. “I...I've never felt this way with anyone else in general. Not just with orgasms, although you win those,” you admit softly. “You just have a way of making me feel things I never thought possible, you know? It's like you have this innate understanding of my mind, body and soul. It's...it's crazy,” you bite your lip, “but, like, in a good way.”

His hand is on your arm, stroking the sensitive skin there the same way his thumb caresses your cheek, and it manages to leave goosebumps in its wake. “Yer not alone in tha, love,” he says. “You've opened up a whole new world for me too. Everything about you drives me wild. You have a spell on me, I think.” He leans in to press a tender kiss against your lips. “Witch.”

You snort. “Hey!”

He playfully bites your bottom lip. “I’m jokin’. It’s not just physical,” Michael continues, his fingers continuing to stroke your arm. “It's the way we understand each other. It's the way ya make me feel alive...like I'm truly seen and accepted for who I am. I've been so lost, but…now I feel a little less like that,” he says.

Your eyes flutter closed. He’s everywhere, all over you, and it’s hard to think straight. “Yeah, me too,” you respond, your voice barely above a whisper.

“Not much makes sense lately…”

“But you have me.”

“Yeah,” he nuzzles his nose against yours, “I do.”

You smile, your eyes still closed. You don’t need to see him, you only need to feel him close. “You should ask for a few days off to deal with things,” you say, changing the subject in a different way.

His nose rubs against yours again. “Yeah, maybe.”

“And I’m gonna stay with you for a few days to make sure you’re okay.”

“Sounds good t’me.”

“But I have work today,” you add. “Late shift.”

He sighs, cradling your head in the crook of his neck. It’s an intimate hug in the position you’re in, but you can feel his heart pounding from his chest to yours. “Money doesn’t grow on trees, does it?” he says.

You shake your head. You don’t want to leave him, but as he said, money doesn’t grow on trees and you can’t lose your job.

Your breath fans hotly across his shoulder, “I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

He holds you tighter. “There’s no reason ya’d have to.”

You can feel him against your temple when he presses a kiss right on the scar he found the night before. You shiver slightly, but it doesn’t make you uncomfortable. Even looking at it seemed terrifying before; his kiss works like a bandaid, keeping the memories from spilling out through the broken skin.

“I don’t want ya to lose your job ‘cause o’ me,” Michael says. “We’ll figure it out.”

You nod against his shoulder. It’s not easy juggling the demands of work and personal life, especially in times of crisis. You’re tired, mentally and physically drained, and you might as well be on the verge of slipping into depression, but that doesn’t stop life from happening.

You have to suck it up for today. Maybe you can talk to Ava about using your remaining overtime to take a day or two off to deal with stuff, but you know shit is going to hit the fan even more soon, it always does, and you’ll need even more time then. You need a whole year off to just focus on yourself, but that’s not possible. So you have to learn how to live with it. You lived in delusion before, you just have to find a way to return to this pretentious picture of a perfect life for a few hours.

You’re determined to find a way to support Michael, and he’s determined to find a way to support and protect you. You know he will, so you’re a little less scared. Even the thing with Birdy seems like something he has under control. He’ll take care of it.

One thing he can’t take away though are the demons and the memories, and that’s what keeps your mind occupied.

It’s the same you told Anthony; it hurts, and when something hurts, cigarettes and alcohol only offer a momentary relief. That’s why they’re so addictive. Your love for tequila is a dangerous game you’re playing.

You’re thinking too much and it’s starting to show.

Michael brushes the hair out of your face. “Hey, I’ll be okay,” he tells you, his voice gentle yet firm. “You take care of yourself and do what ya need t’do. I can fend for myself. We’ll have plenty of time together once yer done with work. I have things to take care of myself that can’t wait.”

You partly know what he means by that. So, you nod. You take a deep breath, trying to ease the tension in your body by rolling your shoulders, and you remember his cock is still buried deep inside of you.

You blush, a little flustered now. “Thank you,” you whisper.

He presses a kiss to your forehead, not phased in the slightest that your walls are still hugging him, keeping him warm. “Always,” he says.

With a final kiss, you reluctantly pull off of him and begin to prepare for the day ahead. As you leave the room, you take comfort in the knowledge that no matter the challenges you face, you have each other’s unwavering support. And that, in itself, gives you the strength to carry on.

Tagging: (let me know if you want to be tagged, too!) @bellaxgiornata @mattmurdocksscars @ms-murdockswift @your-not-invisible-to-me @shouldbestudying41 @glowstick-lesbian @acharliecoxedfan @roseallisonparker @norestfortheshelbywicked @1988-fiend @loveroftoomanyfandoms @mattkinsella @schneeflocky @harperdoodle @ravenclaw617 @lunaticgurly

#michael kinsella x reader #michael kinsella #michael kinsella x you #michael kinsella x female reader #kin amc #michael kinsella angst #michael kinsella fluff #michael kinsella smut #charlie cox #chaos theory #reader insert #no y/n

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i-consume-content · 6 months

Text

THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS: PILOT

A Promising Premise with a Playful Plot

SPOILERS AHEAD

youtube

I’ll be upfront: I don’t like clowns. I’m not afraid of them, but something about them makes me… uncomfortable. Overly joyous, bright and flashy, and more effective at drawing in a crowd of those goblins we call “children” than a box of Capri-Sun. The Amazing Digital Circus (which will henceforth be referred to in this article as TADC) plays with the vibes I get from clowns perfectly, goblin children and all.

Quick plot synopsis! We find ourselves inside the titular Amazing Digital Circus, a virtual world in which a wacky cast of characters have been trapped for an unknown amount of time. The story follows Pomni, the newcomer, as she tries to escape the circus and get back to the real world without losing her mind. After meeting the other suckers trapped in this world (and then running away from one of them), Pomni finds an exit door free-standing in the middle of the tent. After running through a Backrooms-like facility, her efforts turn out to be all for naught, since the ringmaster Caine hasn’t even finished building the exit. Whoopsies! Yeah, a bunch of other stuff happens, but the B-plot isn’t really as interesting as Pomni’s journey.

I’m going to start the actual review part of this article with the art and animation. The love and care put into making the characters feel alive is not to be overlooked, and it’s clear that the team behind TADC took care in making sure the animation was the best it could be. The characters are expressive in the way they walk, run, and use their hands. Each design is unique and fun, with none of them being standout great and none lagging behind. My personal favorite design is Caine, who is as wonderfully ridiculous as the circus he runs. An honorable mention to Gangle, whose ribbon body leads to some genuinely funny goofs and gaffs in the show. I think the only character design I have problems with is Zooble, a mishmash of multicolored parts of many styles. It’s a neat idea in concept, and Gooseworx’s previous works prove abstract designs can be pulled off well, but Zooble is way too cluttered for my tastes.

Something I really enjoy about TADC is how well it pulls off sound. Music production and voice acting are my hobbies and sound work is my job, so it's always nice to see a show or movie pull off sound well. Goofy character movements are often accentuated by bouncy and cartoony sound effects, and the overall mixing and mastering of the episode is high-quality. At no point did it feel like any character was too loud or too quiet, too bland or too overeffected. I like the subtle changes in reverb as the camera switches to a new point of view, a thing that in hindsight seems obvious but many people may miss when making a show like this. I must also commend the voice actors and voice directors for their amazing work bringing these characters to life and giving them personality. As soon as I heard Caine in the promotional material, I realized it was a complete no-brainer to bring on Alex Rochon to use the Spamton voice from his Deltarune dubs. I also must point out Michael Kovach's work as Jax, being just obnoxious enough to make you want to hate him but not enough to stop you from absolutely loving him. The music is also fantastic, as one comes to expect from the talented hands of Gooseworx. It should come as no surprise that my favorite track from the pilot is Your New Home, and I seem to be far from the only one with that opinion.

Unfortunately, it's not all sunshine and rainbows with TADC. I do have one major gripe with the show, and that's the writing. The story is intriguing and entertaining, but a lot of dialogue near the beginning of the episode falls flat for me. It's a good script assisted by great VAs, but it really does feel like some of the dialogue is trying to cram in lots of information in a shorter time frame, to the point where some of it feels stilted and drags on. However, I suppose I can understand why this is the case. A pilot is a way for a show to tell the audience what it's doing, what it's about, and why you should watch. Thus, it's reasonable to put more information into a pilot than feels necessary, so that you don't need to take as long to get someone hooked.

All in all, TADC is a lovely show that I highly recommend checking out if you haven't already, and I wish the best of luck to GLITCH, Gooseworx, and the rest of the team in funding a full season of this show.

FINAL RATING:

A Breaking Point out of 10

- Rock

#the amazing digital circus #tadc #tadc caine #tadc pomni #tadc jax #tadc zooble #tadc kinger #gooseworx #tadc review #iconsumecontent

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strawberryspotsstuff · 2 years

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Can you make a yucko x new female clown reader, the reader is a new employee at the circus but only works part time because of college (the reader is 18 - 19ish btw), she is paired up with yucko for one of the performances in the tent but during the performance goz notices something about yucko during the performance and how he is weirdly sincerely happy with with y/n so goz tries to play matchmaker with yucko and y/n, yucko may think it’s annoying and embarrassing but y/n thinks it’s funny and sweet, could you write something like that?

-curious anon

ooo i love the in depth ask :00

ver cute i cant wait to write this!

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

Yuck0 x Female! Clown! Reader

Humming softly to the upbeat tunes of the music, your made your way through the populated crowd. Little kids stopped and gawked at your colourful outfit, your bright nose and crazy hair-do. Waving brightly at them as you passed, bells that were tied to your shoes knocked together creating soft chimes.

Making your way to the one and only Circus which stood high and mighty at the back of the carnival, the iconic red and white stripes and blue ribbons which got tussled from the wind. You made your way to the back of the tent, a small staff's area was sectioned off with plastic chairs and boxes of outfits which were laid on the dirty grass. Bee-lining to the small chalk board, it had the colourful, bubble writing (probably G0z) which had the schedule of everyone's performances.

Scanning through the names it seemed like... you were paired up from Yuck0! Personally, you have never met the fellow, only meeting G0z on your first day, but it was good to branch out!

"who the hell is.. y/n" a low, almost displeased voice grumbled next to her, she titled her head to eye the the other co-worker, her braids falling in front of her face as she blinked owlishly.

"That's me!" You happily answered, holding out your hand.

The other clown rose his brows, but his expression didn't change from the deep frown on his face.

"right. Uh, we're both together, seconded act" He mumbled, you happily clapped your hands.

"Awesome, I can't wait!"

G0z watched from the sidelines as the new clown and Yuck0 performed. He worried for Y/N, it was only her seconded day and he paired her with Yuck0, he prayed that they worked well together and to his surprise Yuck0 was smiling?

Giggling softly, at the once grumpy clown now smiling along with the newly employed clown as they performed for the little kids.

"YAY!! GO YUCK0 AND Y/N!" He happily cheered, leaning over the railing and cheering

Yuck0 faces flushed with embarrassment as he kept his gaze on the ground, crossing his arms, but you happily saluted to him, giggling.

"THANK YOU G0Z!" You cheered back, the kids the giggling and laughing as you picked them up and made them their balloon animals.

"That's so embarrassing" Yuck0 groaned, pressing shoulders with you, trying not to look at G0z.

You laughed, ruffling his head, some of kids teasing the blushing man.

"Daww, G0z was just being nice" You cooed softly.

Yuck0 rolled his eyes, sighing. His face flushed a soft pink "I guess so.."

#strawberrycow writes #roblox myths #circus in the sky #yuck0 #x female reader #reader is new clown employee #g0z plays matchmaker :]

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friendlyneighborhoodborg · 2 years

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Julerose AUs

No matter where, in any universe, I'm yours.

These two background gays and their wholesome vibes are almost single-handedly keeping me in the miraculous fandom, I swear to god. You could put these two in anything that isn't Miraculous and it would be all the better for it.

Such is the nature of many conversations I've had with @le-chiggin-nuggie over the years, coming up with AUs that these two could (and rightfully should) be the stars of. I'm posting some of our favorites up here in the hopes it will intrigue and inspire- we've had a lot of fun coming up with them, and writing little bits for them, and I want to share that with you guys here.

Description of each AU under the cut:

Starting on top left and going clockwise...

Carnaval Clandestin. This is an idea of mine that I'm currently writing a full story for. I've seen a few of circus-ey type AUs, and I am absolutely trash for spooky carnival stuff, so I decided I'd throw my hat in the ring. These performers may lean heavily into shock value and creepy stuff, but it's all in good fun. They don't mean any harm, really. Juleka in this AU is the mysterious head clown, nicknamed "Reflekta." She has shapeshifting abilities and can look like anyone else, and takes no small amount of pleasure in using her abilities to scare the living hell out of patrons. Rose, or "Princess Rose," as she likes to be called, is a budding alchemist who sells novelty and remedial potions out of her snake-oil caravan.

Pirate and Fairy. This is what you get from trying to overanalyze Peter Pan, a stupid book which has no cohesion and makes even less sense than Wonderland. Pirates and fairies are a fantastic combo, however, and since Juleka's mom is literally a pirate and Rose acts like she was pulled out of Cinderella, that's what this picture is. I just drew a simple, generic action scene, no actual story behind it. This just seems like the logical conclusion for a high fantasy or DnD AU, but anyone can do what they want with this. Nugg's also suggested Rose as a mermaid, I know Princess!Rose is popular, and all of them work just as well.

Teen Titans Crossover. This is a favorite of Nugg's, putting Rose in the shoes of Starfire and Juleka in the cloak of Raven. Pretty self-explanatory here. Others may have their rosters, our reasoning is such: Kim is Beast Boy and Max is Cyborg, and sometimes they're paired off as well. Nathaniel takes Robin's role, Alix is X, Chloe's Terra and she LIVES, Marinette and Adrien are Jinx and Kid Flash, and everybody else is everybody else.

Death and the Vampyre. This one came about after listening to too much Steam Powered Giraffe. "Delilah Morreo's" throwaway line about the eponymous vampire queen being friends with Death, coupled with familiarity with Discworld's interpretation of Death, led to this idea. Perhaps Juleka is a vampire who's been stuck in her castle for hundreds of years, explaining her dated clothing. Perhaps Rose is the chipper "new" Death, who does the duty with pep and respect. They meet. Sitcom antics.

Angel. Nugg's idea, and a very interesting one. It's forbidden for celestial beings to fraternize with mortals... but that's not stopping Rose from playing favorites. A bit of good luck to brighten Juleka's gloomy day, perhaps, or some divine inspiration on her music. If she were only able to be seen by her... That's the setup, the rest is up to the prospective storyteller.

Different Heroes. Nugg's currently in the process of writing a story involving a full new set of Kwamis. Rose, or "Princess Oz," holds the Lion here whilst Juleka, "Corbeau," holds the Raven. Given how that last season ended, the side characters may need new kwamis anyway. And making Rose's new miraculous a crown and Juleka's a capelet? *chef's kiss* Immaculate.

Wonderful. Here's one we don't see around too often in any fandom- a crossover with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Gotta love those classic madness vibes, and it's so old that which Wonderland you use is like a sliding scale from Disney Animation to American McGee. That, and I've been on a total Alice kick ever since I found the Royal Ballet production online, which everyone should watch at the earliest convenience.

Well, that's seven AU ideas to inspire art from everyone! Many thanks to @le-chiggin-nuggie for their contributions and for being an incredible fount of creative ideas. All these ideas are free to use or change however you want. And Happy Pride, everyone.

(Image Id: A circle of seven drawings depicting Juleka and Rose in each of the described AUs, surrounding a bubble which reads "In any universe, I am yours.")

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfic #miraculous fanart #julerose #juleka couffaine #rose lavillant #juleka x rose #fanfic prompts #ml #ml fanfic #ml fanart #ml au #miraculous au

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city0f-dreams · 19 days

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Muse Profile: Pomni

“…I guess I just don’t want you to feel like you’re nothing. I don’t want anybody to feel like that.”

Fandom: The Amazing Digital Circus (TADC)

Bio: The colorful, albeit anxious jester you see before you is not what Pomni is used to looking like. In fact, Pomni isn’t even her real name.

Little is known about who Pomni was before putting on the headset of a strange, seemingly in-development VR simulation, waking up in this strange, stretchy body in the middle of a circus with no memory of her life before or even her name. The circus’s ringleader was quick to show her around and randomize a new name for her, which is the name she goes by now. Her first day was incredibly overwhelming and stress inducing, to say the least, but she’s been slowly opening up to her fellow performers, even if the key word is slowly. If there’s any way she’s going to find the real exit out of here, it’s with them-and besides, most of them seem to genuinely care about her.

Pomni is deceptively anxious and almost constantly overwhelmed, in contrast to her colorful and jolly looking appearance. She also struggles to quickly make decisions. Every new occurrence in the circus is given the same confused, somewhat mistrusting treatment-but give her time and she’ll come to believe in and trust in you like with the others.

Please note that a lot of the finer details about my version of Pomni will be based on headcanons, at least until more of the show comes out.

Verses:

V1: this new home feels like a prison-The default verse, as detailed above, where Pomni is the latest human performer to be trapped in the Digital Circus.

V2: after all, you’re just a silly clown-A verse for a Pomni that exists anywhere else (aka a crossover verse). Pomni’s been a member of a traveling circus carnival for all of her life, and to her credit she’s a pretty good jester when the nerves die down. But she swears there has to be more to her life than this…if only she could leave the carnival’s borders…

This verse is inspired by the Witchlight Carnival from that one D&D adventure, but prior knowledge of that isn’t necessary!

Anything Else?: Most will forget their real names and lives upon entering the circus, and that’s true as well for those interacting with Pomni-but if your muse doesn’t have a dedicated TADC verse and/or you’d like to interact with her without any “forgetting” shenanigans, just let me know before we get to writing! Otherwise, we can always go with the crossover verse.

#(getting to know you): muse profile #pomni: when did I become a jester?

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folkloreguk · 3 years

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🍒Cherry Ice Cream🍒

A/N: Happy July! I planned this almost a year ago and finally got around to writing it...I hope you like it! As always, I appreaciate feedback a lot! Hope everyone has a lovely day <3

pairing: optional bias (male) x reader (gn)

words: ~ 3.7 k

genre: fluff, comedy, lifeguard!bias, reader is the most awkward and chaotic person ever (are we at the public pool or the circus?? seriously I’m so second hand embarrassed for her lmao), bias is the hottest man in existence, the universe has something against the reader apparently (rip)

PART 2 (nsfw, both parts can be read independently)

You approached the front entrance of the public swimming pool. Everything was still going by plan. Ever since the weather had gotten warmer, you’d had swimming on your mind. And every single person in your life had been made aware of it. Despite the friendly asking and the occasional begging, you still hadn’t found anyone to accompany you to the public swimming pool. You had heard all the reasons: Work, already planned vacations, a sick pet, a hatred of water, a hatred of people, you name it. After all the searching you had come to the conclusion that you were tired of waiting. Nothing could possibly rob you of your excitement about swimming pools. You’d go alone and have a wonderful time. It would be a relaxing day with loads of time just for you. So you had told yourself. But let’s face it, nothing could have prepared you for the utter chaos you were about to walk into.

It began before you had even set both feet into the facility. Your steps were light, and you beamed, ready to enter after you had paid. The strap of your sports bag had caught in the turnstile in the entrance area. Stubborn as you were, you yanked on it, instead of turning around and manually freeing the fabric from the steel contraption. You had put your entire weight on the line, tugging and pulling, when the strap finally came loose from the turnstile. As expected from such antics, you tripped and struggled in your flip-flops, blundering into the compound like a baby giraffe walking for the first time. By the time you tried to compose yourself to look cool and relaxed after such a mistake, you noticed him.

He, who looked like a Greek god blessing you with a visit on earth. He was all tan skin, red life-guard swim trunks, perfectly sculped shoulders, pushed back hair, a smile that put the sun to shame and sunglasses sitting on top of his head. Instantly you thanked yourself for not seriously injuring yourself. The young godman crossed the lawn, presumably to take his seat by the pool, watching out for the visitors. Only he made it look like he was strutting on a runway at Paris fashion week. All you could do was pray that he hadn’t seen you entering his workplace headfirst like some impatient six-year-old.

As people passed you, you realized you were standing in the same spot where you had almost fallen a minute ago. Manifesting that this was just the silly beginning to a perfect day, you paraded into the shaded grassy area to find a spot to set up your things. Countless groups of friends, families, and lone visitors like yourself had already settled down, but you managed to find a fine spot. It was the superb balance between sunny and shady and not too far from the swimming pools and water slides. In seconds you had shed off your clothes to reveal your swimsuit underneath. Although you could barely keep yourself waiting, you decided it was best to stay there a short while before you threw yourself into the waves. Just until the sunscreen had absorbed into your skin. Meanwhile, you would unpack the catchy book you had recently begun to read.

Now and then you raised your head and peeked at the cute lifeguard. You seriously had no intentions of coming across like a creep, but you couldn’t stop yourself. The way he patrolled the side of the large pool had more coolness than the prettiest shot of a hot movie star in a film. You allowed yourself a few seconds, then you’d go back to your novel. The sounds of summer floated through the air – children laughing, water splashing, birds chirping above you – and the scent of the sunscreen catapulted you straight on cloud 9. It felt like your own small piece of paradise. Little did you know, the universe had so much more in store for you.

You hadn’t been buried in your book for even 10 minutes when a group of kids ran by. They were passing a water ball from one to the other and giggling uncontrollably. You saw it coming in your peripheral vision but had no time to react. As they had reached your level, one of them punched the ball especially hard. And instead of catching it, the dark blue ball bounced off one child’s hands and straight into the side of your face. It knocked your sunglasses off the bridge of your nose, but more importantly gave you the fright of your life. You dropped your book while the children’s mother scolded them from the side. After the initial surprise you couldn’t accept their apologies quickly enough. Anything if it could spare you from even more attention from random guests around you. Impulsively, your eyes searched for the cute lifeguard. But he was looking into the opposite direction. At least fate had saved you from embarrassing you in front of him. The last thing you wanted was to look like more of a clown than you had when entering the facility earlier. But against your expectations, the train of unfortunate events was only beginning.

Surely things would be more peaceful in the water, you had thought. When you finally entered the cool pool, it felt like heaven on earth. Fearing a case of recurrence, you avoided the shallower areas, where the children crowded and went straight for the deeper waters. Finally experiencing some form of relaxation, you swam and dived a few laps around the pool. Now and then you caught a glimpse of the lifeguard on the far end of the pool. Just to make sure he was still there. Just to make sure he’s still as handsome as when you first spotted him. And you weren’t disappointed. Gesturing kindly, he helped an elderly woman find directions to the restaurant on the far end of the site. From up closer, his smile and his jaw were even prettier – even though it had seemed impossible for him to become even more perfect.

After a while, your limbs became tired and you retracted into less busy waters, close to the exit and entrance area of the swimming pool. As you paddled your way through bodies, a bug startled you. It had by all appearances chosen you as its victim, as it took direct flight into your face. Even when you swat it away and turned around to change directions, it kept chasing you and only you. Like some crazy, obsessed stalker, it followed you to the edge of the pool. Eventually, you became tired of running and turned to it. If some random flying beetle wanted to fight you, so be it. To the untrained eye, you might have appeared like a lunatic, fanning the air, and squinting against the bright sunlight. But it was war, and you would square up against the most annoying of bugs. After a while, you realized that you were waving off the air – no more bug in sight. Only then you noted the little girl laughing in your direction from the poolside. You were way too mortified to turn into his direction at first, but when you found the lifeguard, he was conversing with one of his co-workers. Once again, you were safe.

Your next approach at a good time was the colorful waterslide close by. Certainly, these heights would not include micro-aggressive bugs. Instead, they included something far more unsettling. Considering there were toddlers going down the waterslide, you deemed it safe and fun. Your mind changed in the first sharp turn, when you tumbled over and hit your elbow from the sudden change of direction. Maybe you should have just stayed in the ring with the bug instead of choosing this more than violent escape. But it was too late. Once on the slide, you had to make it through to the finish line – more or less in one piece. Your grand finale composed of a semi-somersault off the edge of the waterslide into the pool. Although it wasn’t intentional, you still hoped it looked somewhat graceful to the audience at the bottom. Hint: No, it didn’t. You looked like a baby monkey that had been sent down a self-constructed-waterslide in someone’s backyard. It was a disaster.

Feeling over-heated and exhausted from the sun and your embarrassing antics, you found a drinking fountain by the showers to refresh yourself. Patiently, you waited in the short line until it was your turn. As fate wanted it, the next messy incident wasn’t long in the coming. In fact, it only took four sips of water before you accidentally inhaled some of it. You stepped back, choking, coughing, and gasping for air all at once. A helpful woman showed mercy with you and your awkward behavior and softly pat your back. “Are you okay, dear?” she asked. Unable to speak just yet, you smiled and nodded gratefully. Great. Maybe you should add “clown” onto your previous professions in your CT. By now, half the visitors probably knew who you were – a walking safety hazard to yourself.

After retreating to your bath towel set-up in the shade for a while, you had almost found new hope that the universe wasn’t against you that day. You managed to lie there, for a whole hour, without any issues. But then, slowly, another idea crept up on you. After all, what was summer without ice cream? By chance, you happened to know the little ice cream truck next to the yellow waterslide sold your favorite brand of ice lolly. So off you went, money in hands and wild determination in your head. The visual of the handsome lifeguard lingered in your mind even after you had passed the chair he was sitting on by the poolside. You acquired your ice lolly successfully and ripped the wrapper right away. It tasted like summer in food format, and you reveled in the cold treat for a while, as you strolled back in the direction of your bath towel.

Fully aware that you would have to walk by the insanely cute lifeguard again, you tried your best to look cool, next to the large pool. In your imagination, you were glowing in the sun, hair slightly flowing in the warm breeze and steps bouncing happily. You were the personification of summer bloom and radiating everything good about the season. For a moment, you closed your eyes and actually indulged in the warmth on your face. That was when the next mishap struck.

You didn’t even understand what was happening at first. Someone accidentally bumped into you – or did you bump into them? Upon the impact, you opened your eyes. Your ice-cream had vanished from your hands. Turns out, you had dropped it and it had landed only two feet from you. Out of balance, you stumbled ahead even after the impact. And of course, only a second later your foot stepped directly onto the ice lolly. Inevitably, you skidded and struggled to stay on your feet by means of flinging and waving your arms in the air. As if you were some stranger, trying to attract the attention of an aircraft whilst stranded on a desert island. One thing was for sure, you had everyone’s observance tied to you. With an involuntary but comedic performance of theatrical extent, you fell and hit the water surface.

The cool hit you so suddenly, you had swallowed a gulp of water before your instincts had time to set in. Quickly, your limbs began paddling to get you back to the surface. At that instant, a pair of arms suddenly linked under your armpits and swooped you up from underwater. Your brain processed what was going on. Without a doubt, someone had jumped after you and was pulling you out of the water. Stubbornly, you tried to avoid the idea of the cute lifeguard helping you out. Christ, that would really be the peak of all your embarrassing moments. No, it was probably the person you had run into, or someone who had already been in the water.

When you were placed by the poolside and blinked against the blending sun, your worst concerns came to pass. There he was, so close you could have touched his face. His worried expression changed when you opened your eyes, and he smiled, relieved. “Is everything alright?” he asked. You’d think this would make you into the most shamefaced person on the planet. And yet, all you could wonder was how two people’s genes could combine so flawlessly, so beautifully, to create such a man. When he got no answer from your moonstruck figure, he furrowed his eyebrows in alarm.

“Oh my- my god,” you stammered. “Yes! I’m fine, I’m sorry!”

You weren’t sure why you were apologizing. For worrying him? For inconveniencing him? For causing another scene? Either way, he grinned, and you felt your cheeks heat up terribly. You had to get away from there before something cringy came out of your mouth. Although you weren’t sure there was any way you could have made this more awkward than it already was.

“Make sure you have no injuries, okay?” he asked, helping you up. “If you need any medical assistance, just let me or one of the other lifeguards know.”

“Um…okay,” you said. Wow. That was no way to flirt with the most attractive person you had ever met. With all this drama you had gone through on that day, the universe could have at least blessed you with a romantic, your-life-savior-realizes-he-just-met-the-love-of-his-life moment. But no. The movies really were one massive hoax.

“It’s probably best you take a little break from the surprise, before you go back into the water,” he advised you. “And don’t hesitate to ask, if you need any more help.”

If only he knew how many times you had already tried to take a break from the surprise after everything on that day. You stood on your feet safely but felt like a cat that had fallen into the bathtub. At last, you managed a smile in the lifeguard’s direction. “Thank you.”

Funny enough, the stares people gave you bothered you only slightly as you walked back to your spot under the trees. Maybe you had used up all your embarrassment for the day. Nothing could intimidate you anymore. That meant, whatever happened from now on, it couldn’t get worse. Somehow after the pinnacle of chaos, you finally felt some inner tranquility. You went back to your novel, now and then keeping an eye out for potential water balls coming your way. But everything was calm. As time went on, you lost yourself completely in the story line and forgot about everything around you. Maybe this was all meant to happen. Perhaps it was a message, that you should have waited for your family to have a free day, or for your friend to come back from vacation. Would the same things have happened? There was no way to tell. Just as you reached a specifically exciting scene in the novel, a figure suddenly appeared in front of you. You couldn’t believe your eyes.

“Hey,” the handsome lifeguard stood there, smiling kindly. Wide-eyed, you straightened up and greeted him shyly.

“I couldn’t help but notice how happy you were about that ice cream earlier,” he said. “But then you…lost your ice cream.”

“What an interesting way of saying I stomped on it and made an absolute fool of myself,” you smirked. He chuckled.

“However you want to put it, I thought maybe you could use some cheering up,” he went on. “So I got you a new one.”

He pulled two ice-lollies from behind his back. “One for you, one for me.”

You couldn’t believe your ears. “You bought me this? I don’t want to sound rude… but aren’t you supposed to be looking out for the next victim to repeat my foolery?”

“I’m on my break,” he laughed. His eyes crinkled up cutely when he smiled, and it only made your stomach flutter more. “If you want me to leave, I will. I’m not trying to be weird or obtruding. Just making sure you’re okay, because I noticed you’re here alone.”

“Oh. No! Feel free to stay here for as long as you want!” you said, and now maybe you were the one sounding obtrusive. You scooted over and let him take a spot on your bathmat. You thanked him for the ice cream and gleefully unwrapped it. “My friends and family weren’t available today. But I really, really wanted to come here today. Maybe not my brightest idea.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve seen way worse plunges than yours. You were lucky, really. You got away with a small shock and nothing more. It was pretty impressive, actually.”

“I’m glad I have entertaining qualities, at least.”

“I’m just messing with you,” he laughed. “I’m glad you’re fine. This place gets a little wild during the afternoon, especially on weekends.”

“You don’t say,” you chuckled.

“I recommend coming here in the mornings or late evenings, if you want a little more peace and quiet.”

“Thanks, I’ll probably consider it. Do you work here full time?” you asked.

“No, this is just a summer job,” he said. “It’s great. I get to swim for free and be outside a lot. Not to mention this is one of my favorite places in town.”

“You love swimming too?” you asked and regretted it right away. A lifeguard who hated swimming made no sense, after all. But he didn’t seem to think your words were silly.

“I do! I come here a lot to swim, when it’s not as busy and I don’t have to work,” he said. The thought of seeing him again when you came back in a few days – which you already knew you would – made you feel some sort of way. You had been embarrassed, but his sweet words had appeased you. You could definitely get used to seeing his face all summer long. The two of you talked for some time, while you both finished your ice cream. You learned his name, which was just as beautiful as its owner, and that he thought you had actually looked pretty cute (!) when you fell into the pool. You swore he wasn’t even real. Perhaps he was merely a hallucination, a product of your imagination, to cheer yourself up after your messy day. Either way, your head was up in the clouds as long as he was sitting there, next to you, with his perfect shoulders and charming voice. Soon, he had to excuse himself, though. His break was over and as he had put it, he needed to prevent any more ice cream-murders from happening.

After your conversation, the universe had apparently shifted in your favor. You spent the entire rest of your day without any more misfortunes. Like you had talked to a lucky charm who had done miracles for you, you had a fantastic time. You were even brave enough to face a few more go’s down the ever-so-threatening waterslide. As it got later, more people went home, and just as he had predicted, things calmed down. And you were convinced you would stay until the bitter end. Only when a female voice announced over the speakers that the swimming pool would close in 30 minutes, you slowly started to pack up your things.

As you approached the exit, you scanned the area for your favorite lifeguard. But he was nowhere to be found. You assumed he had already finished his shift and gone home. But as luck would have it, as you neared the bicycle stands to retrieve your bike, you saw him already there. His eyes beamed when he noticed you.

“Wow, you held out a long time,” he said. “Had fun?”

“I did,” you said. You could only be grateful your ice-cream massacre was the sole of your antics he had witnessed that afternoon. Who knew how he would look at you if he had experienced your full chaotic capacity? “Thank you again, for making sure I was fine. And for the ice cream.”

“It was no big deal,” he said. “It’s what I’m here for.”

“To buy random girls ice cream?” you teased.

“No, only the special ones get the ice cream.”

“Define special.”

“To be honest? I was genuinely concerned you would feel down. I’ve seen you almost trip over when you first came in, you got hit in the face by a ball, I’ve witnessed your little quarrel with that bug and your somersault from the waterslide looked pretty rough. After all that you choked on water and then ended up falling into the pool and losing your ice cream. I supposed you could need some serious cheering up.”

Oh my god. If only you could have opened a portal straight to hell, you would have taken the chance on the spot. All this time he had been watching you? It couldn’t get more mortifying than this.

“Sorry, I sound like some creepy stalker,” he said. “I didn’t mean to stare. It’s just you-“

“I looked like a clown in a neon suit?”

“You’re really pretty,” he said. Your cheeks warmed up and you could have yelled out loud.

“But you have to admit, at least the clown part is true.”

“Maybe,” he joked. “Don’t be embarrassed. I thought you were – are – adorable.”

“Thank you,” you managed to say. What the hell were you doing? The most handsome guy was complimenting you. You had to take your chance. “Maybe sometime I could buy you some ice cream too? If you feel like it-“

“I’d love that,” he smiled. It was only the beginning of summer, but it was a glorious one. You already knew it could only get better. Instead of cursing the universe, you had to say your thank you’s now. Without your string of bad luck, things would have never led this way. Perhaps fortune was on your side, after all.

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lokislastlove · 3 years

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Come One, Come All (dark!Loki x reader)

Summary: A girls night out to the fair takes an insidious turn.

Warnings: Noncon/Rape, knife play, oral (m&f), smut, bondage, kidnapping.

This is a dark fic! 18+ ONLY! Explicit Adult content. Please READ THE WARNINGS! Do not continue if these matters upset you!

Authors Note: I wrote another one! No idea where this came from, but it was fun to write. Still working on improving my smut, huge thanks to @darkficsyouneveraskedfor for some tips and editing the shit out of it. 😘 also I know there is a creepy clown in the pic but I feel like I have to say there aren’t any clowns in the fic. I hate clowns.

Chapter 1:

It was the kind of summer night you dream about, warm enough to keep you comfortable in your shorts and peasant top, but with a light breeze that keeps you cool enough to fight the flush of alcohol in your veins. You look forward to these moments when you are able to go out with your girlfriends and let loose, forgetting about all life’s responsibilities, if just for a single night.

“Come on!” Ash calls over her shoulder, her hand tight around your wrist pulling you impatiently.

“Aww but that looks so good” you groan as you press your face longingly against the glass barrier of the hand dipped corn dog cart.

The sweet scent of the frying corn dough wafts tantalizingly through the air making your mouth water. You friends laugh at your theatrics, having just helped you scarf down a large sugary funnel cake and a platter of nachos, the evidence of which still stains the corner of your mouth. Really, it was their fault for getting you tipsy before taking you to the county fair, everything just smelled heavenly and if you could you would try one of everything.

“Just a slushee?!” You beg as Jen steps behind you and pushes you out of the food court, giggling the entire time.

“Come on, fight the drunchies! You promised you would try that new funhouse,” Jen whines, looping her arm through yours, Ash doing the same on the other side.

“Oh yeah,” you grumble.

“Oh stop it” Ash scolds playfully. “Everyone at work keeps talking about it - it’s like a mini escape room! And I’ve always wanted to do one, please.” She rants excitedly before giving you her best puppy dog eyes.

“Ugh that’s cheating. No one can resist those big brown eyes” you pout, but yield as easily as they knew you would.

“I know” Ash smirks, tossing back her long silky black hair over her slender shoulder.

“This is gonna be so much fun, I promise” Jen bumps your hip, giving you a wide encouraging smile.

You manage a strained grin as you let them lead you through the crowd. It’s not that you don’t like funhouses or the idea of doing an escape room, having always loved solving riddles and doing puzzles. It’s just you don’t like clowns, and every funhouse in your experience has at least one.

“Oh damn there’s a line!” Jen moans as you all stop in front of a large structure covered in flashing lights, the ominous ‘Tricksters Trap’ bathing your face in a violent red glow.

Garish contrasting colors somehow both attract your eye and make it hard to look at. Your pupils dilate with the lines of fluorescent bulbs burning into your retinas. The stereotypical circus music blares through the cheap speakers, reminding you of one of those old Jack in the box toys. And of course, without fail, was the obligatory clown statue hanging over the entrance, like some creepy sentinel there to guide you to your inevitable demise.

“Ugh fucking clowns” you grimace as you pass by the entrance, heading toward the end of the line.

“Yeah they definitely nailed the creep factor,” Jen agrees, her eyes shining with nervous excitement.

“I know isn’t it great?!” Ash squeals.

You stand there taking in the horrific detailing painted on the side of the metal structure. You are thankful when Ash explains there is a time limit, only ten minutes to complete the puzzle or else they kick you out and you have to try again. If you figure out the puzzle you get to leave through the mirror maze and you earn the coveted “I tricked the Trickster” sticker.

“Gotta get that sticker, or else that bitch Katie at work will never let me forget that she got one and I didn’t” Ash complains, causing you and Jen to share a look and snicker.

“Hey! Don’t laugh, this is serious! We gotta be smart and figure this out, failure is not an option” she urges dramatically before collapsing into drunken giggles with you and Jen.

“You ladies seem eager to prove yourselves,” slithers a low voice.

Startled you gasp and spin around quickly. The three of you look up at the tall lean figure standing behind you. He wears a perfectly tailored black ensemble, that matches the color of his slicked back hair. His eyes practically glow green against his alabaster complexion. His sharp cheekbones and angular jaw make your breath hitch, causing his thin lips to curve into a sinister smirk. He is stunning.

“Um, yeah. Well this place has the whole town buzzin’. Seems like everyone is talking about it” Jen is the first to speak.

“Ah I see. Wouldn’t want to miss your chance to take a stab at it” the mysterious man surmised, eyes focused on you.

“We got this shit. Right guys?” Ash assures him as she playfully smacks you and Jen.

“Well, I guess we’ll find out. Good luck,” he challenges with a raise of a brow.

You stare after him as he saunters away without another word. His hips and shoulders sway smoothly, his soft footsteps giving him a dangerous almost feline vibe, like he could rival even the most deadly of predators. As he turns to round the corner of the ride he takes one last look over his shoulder at you. Your eyes lock for only a fraction of a second but it’s enough to send a chill down your spine.

“That was weird, right?” You mutter, eyes still transfixed where he disappeared.

“Eh, just another creepy dude. If I had a nickel for every weirdo who tries to chat me up…” Jen jokes.

“You’d have like a whole 50 cents,” sasses Ash.

You are finally broken from your daze when Ash is pushed into you. You laugh and try to brush off the lingering effect of the handsome stranger, shifting your focus back to your friends. The line goes by quicker than expected, with only one group out of the three ahead of you making it out with stickers. The losing groups return to the line from a back door, bickering about where they went wrong.

Finally it is your turn. Ash claps her hands excitedly, dancing up the metal stairs to the costumed man at the entrance. His red and white stripped suit is expertly torn and painted with fake blood to make him look as intimidating as possible. With a tip of his top hat he welcomes the three of you and begins to explain the rules in his well practiced accent.

“Come one come all to the Tricksters Trap, if you’re feeling lost, just go find the map.” He sings with flair and a perfectly timed bow, directing you to the inauspicious black door.

Taking a deep breath you follow your squealing friends into the darkened hallway. Pausing to look back as the door creaks shut, cutting off the jovial sounds of laughter and chatter with a sudden slam. You flinch at the loud noise and turn back to the dim hallway. The short corridor is lined with wall to wall green velvet curtains barely visible with the green rope lights running along the ceiling.

“Guys?” You whisper when you don’t see them next to you, causing your heart rate to quicken

You call for them again, this time louder, your feet unwilling to move from the spot. It has only been thirty seconds and you are already about to call it quits. Get a grip. You take a hesitant step forward.

“You guys?!” You call shakily.

“Hey! Come on we found the map!” Jen pokes her head from around the corner at the end of the hall.

She disappears just as quickly, waving her arm for you to follow. You breathe a sigh of relief and rush after her. You enter a large room filled with all sorts of random objects. It’s as if it is designed to overload your senses. The green from the hall carried on into the room, more velvet green curtains hung on the walls that were not obstructed by shelves of books or other oddities. You saw everything from perfectly aligned glass jars filled with alien looking creatures, grandfather clocks, to treasure chests overflowing with grizzled toys.

Jen and Ash are hunched over a table with a map spread out smoothly. It was easy enough to see it was a map of the room and hallway, with what appeared to be three small rooms hidden along the wall behind the heavy green drapery. You go over and pull back a curtain and find a locked door, the other two also hiding a locked door.

“Ok so it looks like we gotta find a way to open these doors” you offer, your anxiety calming a bit as you focus on the mystery at hand.

“Hey look there is some sort of code over here by the lock on the door.” Ash hollers excitedly.

You each pick a door code and frantically search the room. It doesn’t take long for you to figure out you need to use the books on the large shelf along one wall. The first number tells you the book the second refers to a specific page. You find a slip of paper in the book with a riddle written in a blood red ink.

“I make two people out of one” You read aloud.

“You can hold me in one hand, but I’m used to fill the room” Ash reads hers, her face twisting in concentration.

You both look to Jen, “I have two hands, but I can’t clap.”

“Damn no wonder so many people failed, definitely wish I wasn’t drunk right now” Ash laughs.

“No no we can do this, it’s probably items in the room so let’s just focus. We’ll do one at a time.” You assert, pacing the room and trying to take in all the random objects.

“Two hands…” you mutter as you stop in front of a large grandfather clock. “Clocks have hands!” You yell excitedly and open the narrow door.

The heavy pendulums swing inside and you see a shining silver glint off the rounded golden end. You pull off the small silver key, stuck on by a tiny magnet, and jump in excitement.

“Holy crap! You’re a genius!” Jen exclaims running over to take the key and try it in the door.

The key slides in smoothly and the door opens with a gratifying click.

“Woo! Keep going, you are on a roll!” Ash claps as she cheers you on.

“Ok, ok” you giggle before taking a deep breath. “Two people out of one… maybe a camera? Or wait…” you realize as you stare at Ash currently checking her makeup in an antique mirror hung between two curtains.

“Ash! Try pulling on that mirror!” You yell pointing frantically at the mirror in front of her.

Her brows knit together briefly before understanding, grabbing the frame and tugging gently until it swings open, revealing a key hung on the wall.

“Yes!” You all shriek together.

Suddenly, the lights flicker and a loud maniacal cackle reverberates through the surround sound speaker, turning your elation into yelps of surprise.

“Two minutes left” a familiar polished voice echoes forebodingly throughout the room.

“Shit, that scared the crap out of me” Jen laughs clutching at her chest.

The warning gives you pause, managing to shift the spirit of the whole room. Ash giggles nervously as she watches the lights of the room transition from their previous dim yellow light to a menacing red hue. The mood lighting in addition to the increasing volume of the horror soundtrack playing over the speaker helps to put you back into your initial anxious state.

“Seriously? Is this fucking necessary?” You curse, shaking your head.

“Ok let’s get the last one guys! We can still do this!” Jen yells through the cacophony of sound effects.

“Yeah what can we fit in our hand but somehow also fills the room?” Ash reiterated the final riddle.

“These red lights make it so much harder to see” Jen complains bitterly as she rummages through the items inside a large chest.

“Lights… Jen that’s it! A lightbulb!” A smile breaks out on your face as you figure out the final clue.

“Look up there!” Ash points to a solitary darkened light bulb screwed into the ceiling.

“I got it.” Jen jumps onto the table and reaches up, unscrewing it quickly. “There is a key inside!” She shouts.

She unscrews the bottom of the fake lightbulb and received the key before handing it to Ash. Each of you run over to the corresponding doors and turn the key, squealing in delight when they all slide open.

“Is that it?” Jen asks looking into the cramped dark space behind the door.

It was little more than a closet. Barely enough room for each of you to stand in. You were at a loss. You could have sworn that would be the end.

“Guys there is a lever here on the back wall of mine, how about yours?” Ash’s muffled voice calls from inside her closet.

“Oh yeah mine too!” Jen replies.

“Do you think we have to pull them at the same time? ‘Cus mine did nothing when I tried it” Ash says poking her head out to look at you.

“Thirty seconds!” That haunting voice booms again as a tick clock sounds through the speakers, counting down your final moments.

“Ok let’s try it together!” You nod at both of them, before stepping into the tight dark space.

“THREE! TWO! ONE!” You shout, mirroring your friends calls, pulling down your lever with a snap.

There is a moment of silence as the lights of the room behind you suddenly go dark, the music and sound effects cutting off instantly.

“Did we get it?!” You yell.

You don’t get the chance to hear your friends response as the wood door slams behind you, locking you into the small space.

Tags: @darkficsyouneveraskedfor @caffiend-queen

#dark fic #dark Loki #dark loki x reader #tom hiddleston #come one come all

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voiceless-terror · 3 years

Text

More than Enough

For @tma-mspec-week Day Three: Polycule

Characters: Jonathan Sims/Sasha James/Tim Stoker/Martin Blackwood

Rating: Teen

Summary:

“But what if-” Once again, Jon struggles to find the right words. He knows their situation is unorthodox to most people, and the thought of Martin looking at him differently is too much to bear. “What if he doesn’t understand?”

“Then explain it to him,” Sasha relays patiently, her hand never leaving his. Things are always so clear to her, Jon envies that. “You’re my partners, you’re dating Tim, sometimes me and Tim have-”

Or: How One Became Four.

It starts with Sasha and Jon.

She’s fresh off six months in Artefact Storage, shell-shocked and stand-offish. Jon starts a few months later and they learn the ropes together. She warms up, divulges little tidbits of her time in the other department that Jon devours. He’s young, hungry for answers and Sasha’s already jaded by her few years in academia. This is just a transitional job, she assures him. It pays better than most research gigs and allows her to keep up a certain lifestyle.

“I’m looking at other places, putting out feelers,” she confides in him one day over coffee. It’s become their daily ritual, a mid-morning break where they can commiserate on the staid academics that ask too much of them and the fanciful statements that end up on their desk. “Whatever you do, don’t get stuck here.” She leans back in her chair, gives a cynical little smile. “Or maybe you should. It’ll be different for you, you’re a man.” He starts a protest but she cuts him off. “It’s an old boys club and you know it. Besides, I know all about your extra meetings with Bouchard. He’s never done that with anyone else. Who knows - in a few years you might be my boss!”

He scoffs at that. Jon feels like he’s treading water. He’s a great researcher, sure, but he hasn’t exactly made himself popular among the others. He’s quick to bite, dismissive, blunt. It’s why he and Sasha get along so well, tucked away in their own little world. Of course she would notice the attention from Elias; Jon’s flattered by it, even if he stammers his way through every interaction. Elias seems to find this amusing, but Jon wants to impress him.

Though not at the cost of his friendship with Sasha. “I always mention your work to him. I’m rubbish with technology, but you-” She rolls her eyes.

“Don’t, he’ll see right through that. Manipulation’s not your strong suit.” Jon stares down at his rapidly cooling drink, an embarrassed flush spreading across his features. But her hand reaches out to grasp his and a fond smile lights her features. “Thank you, though. It’s sweet of you.”

Jon likes Sasha. Their personalities occasionally clash, but never for too long. Jon’s quick to forgive and Sasha’s too fond to hold a grudge, though she’s loath to admit it. So when her roommate suddenly moves out and she’s left in a bind, it’s only natural for Jon to take her place. He’s been rent-poor, living paycheck to paycheck in a shitty studio that’s still an hour’s commute. Sasha’s closer and her flat’s substantially nicer; she offers and he accepts, easy as that. It’s a practical move, and Jon has to admit his lonely little flat is starting to feel suffocating.

They fit together easily, like pieces of puzzle slotting in place. Sasha’s brutally efficient in her personal matters; bills and maintenance that Jon finds overwhelming and confounding she takes care of with ease. He’s heard her on the phone in that light, practiced tone of hers as she casually threatens the landlord for necessary repairs. Jon finds himself relaxing bit by bit, feeling comfortable in his own skin as she snarks at the dinner table over a dish he’s made. He used to cook for Georgie like this. Now he cooks for Sasha.

“You’re good at this,” she comments one night over chana masala. “Loads better than the frozen meals I’m used to.”

“It’s nice, having someone to cook for. Harder to do it for one.” He feels a bit uncomfortable with the admission, though he knows he shouldn’t - this is what it’s like, when you love someone.

He’s never said that to her, of course. He gets attached too easily but never knows quite how to show it. And it’s not his usual sort of love, he doesn’t want to date her. She’s more than a friend, and Jon’s never had many of those; he has no metric to measure this against. He thinks he could stay in this flat with her forever, so long as he could see her smile every morning and yawn every night.

On a Saturday morning she stumbles out of bed and makes her way over to the kitchen. “Morning,” she grumbles, as she reaches for the coffee pot and kisses his forehead. Jon doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t need to.

On a Wednesday night Jon drinks too much.

“Sasha,” he slurs, her arm the only thing keeping him from falling off his stool. “I want you t’ know…”

She smiles indulgently, takes a sip of her drink. “Yes, dear?”

“I-I love you.” She pauses and Jon’s heart drops. “N-Not like that, but like friends. Good friends. Very good friends. But m-maybe not.” She’s still smiling, that’s got to be a good sign, right? “I-I just love you, okay?”

And then she laughs, puts an arm around his shoulder and pulls him close. “I love you too. Stay with me forever, okay?”

He takes her hand between his and promises, with all the solemnity a drunken man can muster, that he’ll stay with her forever and then some. The next morning, while they’re both nursing massive hangovers, Jon broaches the subject again.

“Did you mean it?” he asks tentatively, trying to keep the worry out of his voice. “What you said last night. Do- do you want me to stay forever?” She turns to look at him, bleary eyes suddenly alert.

“Yes.” There’s no tease in her words as she leans into his side, a warm weight on his shoulder. “I don’t think I’ve ever meant anything more.”

Jon stays.

______

Two years later, Tim joins the Institute.

He’s handsome; charming, but subdued. He’s been assigned a desk near theirs, invading the quiet little corner that had become their world. Tim greets them both with a smile and a perfunctory handshake before settling down at his desk and powering up his laptop. He doesn’t speak to them again.

Jon watches as he goes back and forth between circulation and his desk, building an impressive stack of books- The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi, The Congress of Clowns and Other Russian Circus Acts. Sasha told him he worked in publishing, Jon knows she got that information through her usual nefarious means. Perhaps he’s writing a book, Jon says. Sasha thinks otherwise.

“He’s one of those,” she says over sandwiches and tea. She invited Tim, but had been turned down with an apologetic smile.

“Hmm?”

“Like you.” She sets her drink down, eyes him with her steady gaze. “He’s got a reason.”

Mr. Spider doesn’t like it.

Jon shivers at the reminder. Sasha never brought it up after he initially confided in her one vulnerable night last year; she just held him through the shaking and the tears. He’s only told the story twice; once at eight, again at twenty five. It never got easier.

“No one believed me,” he whispered, tucking his face into her shoulder as his body itched from phantom legs skittering across skin. She squeezed him back.

“I do.”

They’re friendly enough to Tim, giving him his distance while still trying to be helpful. Jon points him in the direction of texts and scholars who might be useful, Sasha teaches him a few of her more invasive tricks that Jon refused to learn. Slowly, bit by bit, he opens up. Never shares his story, no- but he smiles, jokes around with them, accompanies them on their lunch breaks and eventually entices them to after work drinks.

He’s handsome when he smiles, Jon thinks to himself as Tim regales them with stories of dates gone wrong. Sasha catches his eye and winks. He wonders if she’ll tire of Jon now that Tim’s around. He’s everything Jon’s not; good-looking, confident, secure in his intelligence. Sasha laughs so freely around him. He could ground her where Jon cannot- they can be a chaotic force, the two of them. It’s why they keep to themselves.

But at the end of the night it’s Jon’s hand she takes, swinging it gently with hers. “Stay with me forever?”

He smiles. “Forever.”

They invite him over to their flat one night in spring, when the trees are blossoming and Jon’s allergies are acting up. He’s sniffling miserably on the couch, Tim sprawled next to him as Sasha pours some wine. Despite his misery, Jon’s content.

Tim nudges him with his foot. “So what’s your deal?” he asks in a wheedling tone, though his smirk betrays an almost imperceptible anxiety. It’s strange. “You and Sash. Dating, roomies…?”

It’s Sasha who answers, handing Jon a glass of wine and standing before Tim, tall and proud. “Jon’s my partner.” It’s matter of fact, and Jon can’t help the warmth that floods him. “We’re not dating. I’m not interested in that.” She hands him his glass with a smirk. “But if you want to romance Jon, feel free.”

Jon sputters as she laughs- he’s transparent, as usual. They’d talked about it briefly- Sasha’s fine with him dating other people, but Jon’s never felt the need to. Sasha’s enough. She still is, but he can’t deny the way his heart swoops whenever Tim aims that smile in his direction. Sasha likes him too, in her own way.

Tim’s still gaping at them and Jon can’t help but join in on the laughter, as embarrassed as he feels. “Is the great Timothy Stoker nervous?” Sasha says in between giggles. “Guess we know how to shut him up now.”

“L-Look, can you blame me?” Tim says, a smile growing on his face. “You two can be very intimidating, not to mention gorgeous-”

Jon kicks at his leg. “Don’t joke.”

“No, we are.” Sasha interrupts, daring him to disagree. She turns that deadly smile back on Tim, delighting in his falter. “So what’ll it be, Stoker?”

There’s silence, Jon can feel his heart racing. They’ve got this all wrong, Tim doesn’t want him, Tim’s going to leave, Tim doesn’t understand-

“Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow night?”

Jon blinks. “Uh, yes?”

“He likes Thai!” Sasha calls as she walks over to her bedroom, leaving the two of them on the couch, laughing nervously.

“So you’re bi, then?” Tim asks, scooting closer to Jon and throwing a blanket over their legs and an arm around his shoulder. It’s warm in all the right ways and Jon leans closer, the awkwardness dissipating at the touch of his hand.

“I prefer pan,” he replies. It’s the first term that felt right to him. Georgie used to make some stupid joke about a ‘gender buffet’ and him ‘having one of everything.’ It still makes him smile. “And- and you should know I’m also ace. So there’s some things I won’t be able to do for you.” He looks for disappointment in Tim’s eyes and finds none. “I hope that’s alright.”

“Of course.” Tim smiles like he means the words and Jon feels light, almost dizzy. “Are kisses alright?”

He nods shyly, and Tim takes this as his cue to pepper him in obnoxiously loud smooches- one in his hair, another on his nose. Jon manages to bat him away after Tim almost gets him in the eye.

So Tim and Jon are dating. Tim takes him out to dinner, the movies, one memorable night of karaoke. Sasha joins in when she wants; they go to museums and lectures. One night she laces her fingers through Tim’s, smiling at his wide eyes.

“What?” she says innocently, doing the same with Jon. “I’ve got two hands.”

On Wednesday nights Tim goes to the gym. Jon sits at the table, passes Sasha a bowl of reheated spaghetti before settling down in his chair. He fidgets, not touching his fork.

“What is it?” Sasha asks, setting her own fork down. “You’ve got that look on your face.”

“I-” he stutters, sighing as the words won’t come. Just tell her like you practiced. “I’m not trying to, well- hmm. I don’t want to insinuate anything-”

“You would never.”

“But, I’ve noticed- I’m not- Tim is very handsome.”

Sasha smiles indulgently. “Mhm. Go on.”

“And I’ve noticed. I don’t- if you wanted to-” Goddamnit. Pull yourself together. “I wouldn’t mind it, if you were to - that is, if you’d like to engage in-” He closes his eyes, purses his lips in frustration. “Please stop me.”

“Why Jon,” she replies, her voice coy and teasing. “Are you giving me your blessing?”

Jon sighs, his face warming as he opens one eye- she’s grinning, just as he expected. “...Yes?”

Six months later, Tim moves in.

_______

“Jon wants to bring a boy home!”

Jon smacks him in the arm and scowls. “Tim, don’t-”

“What, it’s true!” He leans back in his chair, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Jon wants to knock the smile off his face and maybe onto the floor, if he can get a good kick in. “I don’t blame you and in fact, I encourage it. Martin’s a catch-”

“Martin?” Sasha perks up. “Finally!”

“Not you too-”

“Jon, he’s a very sweet boy-”

“-good-looking, too!”

“And if you want to bring him over, please do.” She reaches across the table to give his hand an encouraging, if condescending, squeeze. “I’ve seen the way you look at each other.”

“I don’t think I’ll need to go into that much detail just yet,” Jon cuts her off, ignoring Tim’s snicker. “It’s just...what if he thinks it's weird?”

“Weird can be good. And if he doesn’t agree, well - he’s not worth your time.”

If only it were that simple.

It’s been about three months since he first ran into Martin in the break room. He’d seen him around plenty of times, but despite his hulking form, the man can make himself very, very small. It wasn’t until he quite literally ran into him, causing him to drop his newly organized files, that Jon got a good look at his face.

It was a nice face. Soft, kind, with big blue eyes and curly red hair that fell across his forehead. He wanted to touch it, tuck it behind Martin’s ear and he almost did, despite the man’s rambling apologies and meek demeanor. He stood there, frozen, even as Martin handed back the file with a bashful smile.

“Sorry, I’m pretty clumsy. Are you alright?”

Jon was fine. He should probably say that.

“Y-Yes. I’m Jon.” Wow. Smooth.

“I know.” Martin put a hand behind his neck, nervously chuckling. “You’re quite known around these parts.” His eyes widened and his face turned red. A nice red. “N-Not in a bad way, of course! You’re- you’re just very smart and- and direct- and oh Lord, that’s not a compliment, is it-”

“Thank you for my file,” Jon replied robotically, his eyes trained somewhere over Martin’s shoulder and not on his very, very blue eyes. “I have to take my leave now.” Why are you talking like this?

Their next few encounters were similarly stunted and awkward. Martin made tea at ten every morning, coincidentally when Jon got his yogurt from the fridge. He started making Jon a cup as well; he wasn’t sure if Martin was particularly excellent at making tea, or if it just mattered that he was the one making it. Jon tried not to dwell on the sentimentality of it all.

He shouldn’t want another partner. He’s got Sasha, who he loves, and Tim, who he also loves, albeit in a different way. They should be enough for him. They are enough. But Martin makes him tea and asks him how his day is going and smiles at him and people don’t do that. He tells himself he just wants a friend, but he finds his mind wandering- Martin’s hand in his while they walk down the street, Jon nestled into his side on a movie night and Tim’s there too, because Martin is very comfy and handsome and warm. Sasha’s in her armchair reading a book because tonight they’re watching a romantic comedy and she hates those. Jon hates them too but Martin likes them, of course Martin likes them-

No. He’s getting distracted. And he’s standing in front of Martin like an idiot, saying nothing. This is going terribly. Why did he ever think this would not go terribly-

“Jon? Are you alright? You look like you’re about to have a stroke.”

“I’m not having a stroke,” Jon responds on auto-pilot. “I’m trying to think of a clever way to ask you out but you are very distracting.”

Shit. Martin stares at him, mouth open in shock. He’s got nice teeth. Very straight.

“Um- I-I thought you were with Tim?” Martin squeaks out. Oh God, I’ve scared him. Do I keep going? “Or- or Sasha, oh! I’m not accusing you of -”

“No, you’re correct,” Jon grinds out, willing himself to be calm. He doesn’t want Martin to think his frustration is aimed at him. “Sasha’s my partner and I’m dating Tim, and sometimes Sasha and Tim-” No! Abort! “-sorry. We’re together. But, um, I-I also like you, and I think Tim likes you but he hasn’t said- I’m sorry, this is going all wrong.” He looks down at the floor, clenching his jaw. “I understand if you say no.”

“I’m not saying no,” Martin’s voice is lower now and Jon feels a hope rise in his chest. He’s not? “So it’s, it’s like an open thing? You’re accepting applications?” Jon would laugh at the joke if he weren’t so paralyzed with fear.

“Not really? It’s, we aren’t dating around or anything, but I suppose it is open, in a way.” He pauses, takes a deep breath. “Open for you.”

Martin’s smiling like he can’t believe his luck, and it confuses Jon because who wouldn’t want him? Kind, handsome Martin who makes him tea and doesn’t laugh at his stupid jokes but rolls his eyes affectionately and tells his own in turn. Jon doesn’t think he’ll ever understand his humor but it makes him smile and that’s important. And now Martin’s taking his hand and he- oh fuck Martin’s taking his hand Martin’s got his hand and it’s warm, just like he knew it would be-

“I-I think I’d like that.” A squeeze. Jon dies but only a little. “Wow, this is sort of crazy for me, y’know? You’re all so, so intimidating and good-looking-”

“Yes, we are,” Jon agrees, squeezing his hand back. “But we’d like to buy you dinner, if you’re amenable.” Martin laughs and says yes, he’s very, very amenable. It feels right holding Martin’s hand. It feels right to see him with Tim and Sasha, smiling and joking. It feels right to lean into him at the end of the day, to nudge his side in the night and apologize in the morning.

Martin’s lease expires in seven months. They start looking for a new apartment after three.

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29032062

#tma #the magnus archives #tma mspec week #jonmartimsasha #archive polycule before there's an archive #jonsasha #jontim #jonmartin #timsasha #jonathan sims #tim stoker #sasha james #martin blackwood #jon is pan #tim is bi #sasha is aro

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