#she’d think they are so impressive and want to get to know em

[chloesimaginationthings]

FNAF movie Vanessa would love Glamrock Freddy

#myart #chloesimagination #comic #vanessa shelly #vanessa afton #fnaf vanessa #fnaf vanny #glamrock freddy #fnaf #security breach #fnaf movie #fnaf fanart #five nights at freddy's #Movie Vanessa would LOVE the Glamrocks #she’d think they are so impressive and want to get to know em #sorry to Vanny #you’re just trying to do your job #and it just got harder BAHA #Glamrock Freddy wins this time #also glamrocks are here!! finally getting to draw em 🩵

[mykneeshurt]

Infiltration part 5

Keegan x F!reader

I can’t lie this isn’t even enemies to lovers anymore. I don’t know what this is lmfao, just enjoy the ride I guess. Thank you to @taurus-ted for being my hype man 4eva

Warnings - 18+, minors DNI, all the smut, p in v, spit play, praise kink, voyuerism, masturbation, breath play, dom/sub theme, sub keegan. The reader is not a good person in this

‘Hope it was worth it’ Claude huffed as he sat at your desk, disgust evident in his features. Scowling at him you tapped at your keyboard ‘it was actually’ you hummed. Slowly you turned your laptop to face him, an audio programme already running. Turning up the speaker muffled voices could be heard. Realisation spread over Claude’s face at what you’d managed to pull off.

You’d bugged the Ghosts.

‘Still think my little indulgence wasn’t worth it?’ You smirked as you listened in on their conversation.

‘You fucked her didn’t you?!’ It was Merrick, clearly not impressed by Keegan’s actions. ‘I can fuckin smell her on you. Fuck were you thinking?!’ He was furious, which only turned your smirk into a smile. ‘Did you even get any names?’

Claude shot a glance towards you, a flash of disbelief. ‘Relax Claude I didn’t say shit.’ You motioned for him to continue listening.

‘Yeah, she gave me names. All of em. Said she’d give me more when I go back.’

‘When you go back?! Keegan. She’s got you round her fucking finger. Goddamn it. How do we even know these are real?’

That’s when you shot your own look over to Claude, who relaxed at the implied betrayal. Flexing your brows you smiled, ‘that’ll teach you for underestimating me. Need to lure them in’ you said as you mimed reeling in a fish.

Pulling up a satellite image of the surrounding area you zoned in on the old mill. ‘We know this is where they’re hiding. For all Keegan knows, I’m upholding my end of the bargain and keeping a truce. But …’ you chewed on your lip. ‘I want them. I want Elias. He’s the final piece of the puzzle that’s stopping us from taking control. Wait for Keegan to come here, take them then.’

Claude rose from the chair, ‘I’ll get my team on it. We’ll get em.’

———

Keegan entered your office once more, standing to attention in front of your desk. Floorboards creaking under his weight. Biting your thumb you smiled up at the Sargent before you. ‘You get more handsome every time I see you’ you cooed softly. He huffed as he strained against the bonds which encased his wrists, ‘this really necessary?’

Closing the gap between you, you placed both your hands on his chest, breathing in his scent. ‘For what I have in store? Absolutely.’ Pressing your lips ever so gently on his you sucked his bottom lip between your teeth. Nipping it gently. Narrowing his eyes at you a groan rumbled within his chest.

‘Nox’ he warned ‘we can’t.’

‘Why? Because Merrick said so?’ You pouted ‘the big bad wolf said no?’ Standing on your toes you pressed your mouth against his ear ‘I’m not afraid of the big bad wolf Keegan. He should be afraid of me.’

You slid your hand down his waist into the valley of this thighs, raising a brow at his already hard cock. ‘Mmm perfect’ you cooed. He flinched at your touch, not away from you, into you. Inadvertently he rolled his hips further into your grasp.

The air shifted, just like it always did. It became thick, tense, almost putrid. You were Ying and Yang, cat and mouse. You were the devil reincarnate, and you’d invited him to your table.

Gripping his onyx hair between your fingers you jarred his neck backwards, revealing his neck. The skin pulsated from the swollen artery beneath, but he was still calm. Never wavering at your touch. Switching positions behind him you kicked the back of his knees, causing him to fall. He hissed between his teeth, pain or pleasure you weren’t sure.

His hair still entwined in your fingers you lazily dragged your tongue along the crook of his neck. His skin slightly salty from his sweat, you savoured the taste. ‘Look at you. On your knees for me’ you mocked, placing a possessive kiss on his jaw. His stubble nicked the delicate skin on your lips. The only delicate attribute you had.

You sighed a moan into his skin, one of contentment, you could have stayed like this with him forever. He shifted slightly beneath you, pulling back you stared into his ashen blue eyes. Bumping your nose against his you forced your lips onto him, driving your tongue into his mouth. You didn’t relent as you gripped him closer to your chest, hands wandering, pulling, dragging, twisting around his body.

Dropping to your knees you straddled his lap as he knelt beneath you. Still buried within his kiss, you rolled against his cock eliciting a deep groan from him. ‘You wanna touch me Keegan? Wanna feel how wet my pussy is for you?’ Your voice was sultry and hoarse, a whisper within a sea of white noise. Screwing his eyes shut he choked out a breath, a muffled sob as you kissed him again. ‘Fuck, I need your cock Russ, I need you so bad’ you murmured, your breath tickling his neck.

He peered up at you through hooded lids, panting softly trying to maintain composure. Gripping his neck between your fingers you pursed your lips, ‘you want that Keegan? You want me fuck you? Make you cum in my pussy?’ His eyes widened, as his jaw went slack trying to process your words. Ghosting your lips along his jaw you nipped his skin between your teeth, ‘you want that?’ He swallowed hard, his mouth audibly dry ‘yes.’

Shooting him a smile that would make the devil proud you yanked his trousers open. You slipped your hand into his clothes, pulling his cock free. Biting your lip you looked down on your prize, feeling yourself involuntarily clench against the seam of your trousers. A smirk rigged at your lips, seeing him so weak and broken beneath you. ‘Beg for me Russ.’

You wouldn’t stop until he was a quivering mess, a pleading, whimpering mess.

Sliding off him you left his cock standing to attention in the cold office air. Grabbing his cheeks between your fingers you gave him a peck ‘good boy.’ Spitting on his cock you watched as your saliva dribbled down his shaft, the sensation made him shudder as a soft whimper passed his lips.

Leaning back you snaked your fingers into your own trousers and towards your weeping cunt. Resting your forehead against his you played with yourself. Slipping two fingers into your hole as you panted against his lips ‘fuck I’m so wet, s’all for you Keegan, s’all for you.’ The sound of your fingers abusing your hole filled the room, his cock twitched violently against his abdomen as you came undone in front of him.

His mind was empty, unable to find words to speak, just hoarse whimpers that forced themselves past his vocal chords. Watching as you fucked your fingers right in front of him, your skin glowing in the dim light of the room. You were ethereal.

As you neared your high you pulled out, gently skimming your fingers over his lips and onto his tongue. The taste of your arousal flooded his senses, sweet yet a tang that was undeniably yours. He craved it. With your fingers placed firmly onto his tongue you kissed him, your tongues gliding over your fingers.

He wasn’t sure how much longer he could take of this, his cock painfully hard. Throbbing from needing to cum so badly. Your juices danced along his tastebuds as he fought against your tongue. He tried to rise from his knees but you pushed him back down, climbing onto him once more.

Pulling away from the kiss a ribbon of saliva connected the two of you snapped. Using the fingers that were just in his mouth your gripped his jaw, keeping it open. Narrowing your eyes you spat into his mouth, eliciting another groan from him. ‘Swallow baby’ you cooed tightening your grip. He did as he was asked, taking in shallow languid breaths.

‘So good for me Keegan, such a good boy.’

Readjusting your trousers you raised above his taught cock, even the gentle touch of your finger tips to guide it had him arching his back as he moaned. You slipped the head of his cock into your cunt, just the head. He choked out a breath as you removed it again. You repeated this motion over and over and over. Throwing his head back he finally relented ‘please … please … please’ he begged.

Kissing his neck your bit down on the sensitive skin, ‘well because you asked so nicely.’

Sinking down fully onto his thick cock you both gasped, jaws falling open at the sudden change in sensation. You started off slowly, rolling your hips back and forth. He let his head fall forward onto your shoulder as he whined into you. The strangled and muffled moans that came from the depths of his throat just spurred you on.‘Fuckfuckfuckfuck’ he stammered ‘feels so good.’

Cupping his head you picked up your pace, ‘doin so well for me’ you praised against his lips. He looked up at you completely drunk off your cunt, his rolling to the back of his head with pure ecstasy. You allowed your own moans of pleasure seep into his skin as you lifted your hips, crashing back down onto his cock. ‘Oh god … don’t stop … fuck’ he mewled.

Using your fingers you rubbed your clit whilst keeping a punishing pace. You’d already edged yourself so it didn’t take long before your orgasm rebuilt. Pushing your face into the crook of his neck you fell into the abyss, your muscles clenching around him. A surge of adrenaline flooded your system as you rode out your orgasm. As the haze lifted you once again gripped Keegans throat, applying more pressure to the sides of his neck this time. Tampering with his blood flow. He spluttered and writhed as he came, choking out a sob, his eyes now glassy and vision blurred. Arching his back his mouth fell open as he gasped for air, moaning and whimpering. Completely at your mercy.

‘Who do you belong to Keegan?’

‘You, Nox. You.’

Smiling with satisfaction you placed a kiss on his red swollen lips, before sliding him out of you. Hissing through your teeth at the sudden empty feeling. Looking down at Keegan you smirked, nothing more beautiful than a man completely at your mercy, begging.

Once you were re-dressed you tucked his drained and abused cock into his trousers once more. You’d chosen for him to kneel as it was a stress position, rendering his legs useless. Which is what you needed for the surprise you had in store for him. He knelt next to your chair, like a dog. You stroked his hair and whispered praises to him, working your hand down to trace the back of his neck with your nails. He was broken, shattered into a million pieces like a shattered mirror. Unable to be repaired fully.

Crossing your legs you let out a sigh, ‘Claude!’

The door swung open and in they marched, gagged and cuffed.

Merrick, Hesh and Logan.

They’d heard everything.

—————

Taglist - @sashadiurnal @ave661 @bubble-dream-inc @polishcodfan @shyerue @pasta-m1lk

#call of duty keegan #keegan p russ #keegan russ x reader #keegan russ #keegan russ smut #keegan p russ smut #keegan cod #keegan russ x you #keegan x reader #cod ghosts

[anemonelovesfiction]

I Believe I Am Crazy

Neytiri x Human! Male Reader

MDNI- Ageless blogs and minors will be blocked

Warnings ⚠️: Mature Themes! Fingering (male receiving), Jerking off, handjob, chocking, Neytiri self pleasure near the end.

I’m sure there are some men out there who feel left out from the xreader things since its mostly AFAB reader (not that there is anything wrong with that) but I figured you guys would want something for yourselves! Here that is!

-This is my first posted fic on tumblr so I’m sorry if its weird or you guys hate it but please be nice I’m super sensitive🥲

Neytiri was the one woman I’d thought hated me the most. I’d learned as much as the next guy and have nearly perfected my Na’Vi, but was still actively learning their customs. Throughout the entire time I’d spent learning the way of the Omaticaya, I’d spent more days with the future Tsahik than I can count. I’d been respectful, of course, but her silence, few words, and lingering side eyes told me everything I needed to know about how she felt toward me.

I’d been cautious around her and learned to not speak or find conversation with her as she would mostly ignore me, but it was impossible to ignore her lingering stares after coming back from a long hunting session. I’d taken the biggest beast back to the village without taking credit for it, instead, I let one of the younger teenagers from the clan take the honors.

Although I’m sure the hunting party I’d gone with was more loose lipped than I imagined, I just wanted To’ite to make the girl he liked swoon over him.

“I’m thankful for you, Y/n.” To’ite places hisuch larger hand on my human chest. “The others were wrong about your abilities. You continue to surprise us even while hunting in your human body.”

“I’m just glad I could prove ‘em wrong.” I laugh a littleC finally tearing my eyes away from the woman across the- room?

“I owe you.” He smiles.

“Name your kid after me?” I tease.

“Hell no.” He responds with a laugh as he heads off.

“I was starting to wonder if To’ite had been the most successful of the hunt.” Neytiri suddenly spoke behind me and I’d be lying if the hairs on my body weren’t standing at attention.

“I just wanted him to impress the girl he likes.” I admitted.

“Then you are considerate.” She talks and I’m beyond shocked. “What?” She asks.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to sound rude but- this is the longest conversation we’ve had since I came here.”

I admit.

“Hmm.” She seems to state in agreement and the people by the fire start singing a song thanking Eywa for a bountiful hunt.

“I would like you to come with me.” She states before we could go back to doing our separate things and it catches me off guard.

I follow blindly behind her as I honestly was unsure as to what she had to say or show me. I had been curious and she was a fast walker. We reach the middle of a clearing with bioluminescent plants giving off a beautifully dim glow that illuminated much of what surrounded us.

“This is usually the part where the serial killer strikes.” I joke but when she turns her face shows confusion.

“Just a little Earth humor,” I explain quickly and she nods her head.

“Why are we here?” I asked and my brow raises but I stand upright with my arms crossed, waiting for her to tell me why she’d brought me here.

She only smiles and sits, patting the spot next to her as if silently asking me to join, I do so hoping she could tell me if I was going to get killed or not.

“I believe I am crazy, Y/n.”

“Why do you say that?” I asked while looking up at her, she was focusing her gaze toward the stars and she smiles, this is the only time I’d seen her stare not look condescending.

“Because.” She states.

“Uh-huh?” I urge her to continue and she turns to look at me, I’ve seen that look before, not on her but on other women, when they look at their mates. She doesn’t speak, she doesn’t need to, I understand.

“I see.” I respond “I think I’m crazy too.” I admit and meet her gaze and she smiles lightly.

I’m not sure how I ended up in her lap or even how she managed to take my loincloth on- I liked to keep one in my human size for when my avatar was being checked on by the medical team.

“F-fuck.” I cuss as she gingerly slides her fingers up and down my shaft.

“It is smooth.” Neytiri hums from behind me while slowing down her movements. I’m sure she did so to inspect my appendage but she was killing me right now.

“You tease.” I placed my hands on her thighs and try to push against her and feel the friction from before

“I see-“ She states and starts rubbing at a faster pace and settles my hips back down toward her lap with her other hand.

“S’good,” I groaned while throwing my head back onto her chest but closing my eyes to enjoy the feeling. I could feel her other hand rubbing my thigh gently and reaching to cup my balls and I moaned.

“Fuck, ‘Tiri-“ I sucked in a breath and she lets out a little laugh but continues her ministrations without ceasing.

She takes her time tracing my balls and gently stroking them as one while also sliding her hand gently, she was giving the head some extra attention and would often whip her wrist to twist her hand at the top and my thigh started shaking.

“You are enjoying this a lot,” theres a hint of a tease in her words, almost as if she was laughing, but she gasps when I gasp at the sensation of the hand that once held my balls had slid down and the tip of the finger had entered my ass.

“N-Neytiri,” I groan as she ever so slightly pushes the tip of her finger in and out, still jacking me off.

“Your fingers are b-big, fff-fuh-fuck-“ I moan and start trying to bounce on it but it was hard doing that whilst on her lap.

“Do you need me to go deeper?” She teases and twists her hand around the tip and I whimper. She coo’s while whispering how much of a great job I’m doing and I’m feeling the pit of my stomach tightly coiling.

“Please-“ I gasp as she does so, inserting a second finger in the process.

The Na’Vi are human in appearance, give or take a few features, and the female are often smaller than the males in size and height, but although they are, Neytiri’s fingers still feel incredibly big inside me.

“Fuck me, please!” I whimper as she hit’s my prostate and it felt like a tiny jolt of electricity going through my body, I could feel myself stiffen a bit and instantly relaxing at the feeling while remaining still to ensure she continue’s hitting that spot.

“Found it.” I can tell she’s smiling, the way her voice sounds, it’s giving it away.

“Please, please-“ I grunt and I sound animalistic while gritting my teeth and focusing in the pleasure she was giving me at the moment. How she knew what a prostate was or how she knew where to find it was beyond me, all I can focus on was the toe curling sensation she was giving me.

“Are you close?” She asks and I nod and grunt at the same time.

“Good.” She states simply and lets go of my cock.

“Ugh-“ I whine as her hand immediately reaches over to my neck and she squeezes the sides.

“I heard humans like this part a lot,” She continues thrusting her thick fingers in my ass and I’m also feeling twice as aroused from her sudden squeeze alongside my neck.

“Is this true?” She asks and slows down her thrusting.

“Yes, yes, please don't stop!” I try to slide on her fingers to get her to go faster but she chuckles a bit.

“Do you need some help?” She teases while slowly squeezing my neck.

“I need to cum, please,” I beg.

“You can,” She speeds her fingers to go faster than she was before, my cock was standing at attention, and I could feel the coil tighten even more.

“When I say you can.” She slows down again and I choke on nothing as she chuckles behind me.

“Please I can’t hold it for much longer-“ I try putting my focus on something else but it’s hard to when all I want to do is cum.

“Then I give you permission to cum.” She slows down her fingers even more. “But I want to see your face as you do.” She turns me around and lays be down before shoving three of her fingers inside.

The stretch is wonderful and I feel full on her fingers alone. I can feel her thrusting even faster than before and all I can think of was thanking Eywa for whatever scientist made sure these masks didn’t fog up with exertion. I could see her beautiful face staring at mine as she bites her lip and her other hand is moving as well. I look down and see she’s moved her loincloth to the side and was rubbing her own clit.

“Oh fuck, thats hot,” I mutter and she smiles while still biting her lip and focuses back on thrusting into my ass.

“Cum, Y/n, cum.” She grunts.

Looking back down I can see her pussy fluttering over nothing as some wet liquid comes out, and that does it for me.

Cum shoots out of my cock in pulses as she continues rubbing my prostate but her movements slow significantly and she stops when my penis goes limp. She smiles and slowly pulls her fingers out one by one while making sure she doesn’t hurt me. It warms my heart that she’s moving so gently and I sit up. She looks a little shy but I whip my mask off and her eyes widen as I walk toward her. Before she has the chance to say anything I grab her face and kiss her gently, once I come up for air I place the mask back on and she blushes.

“Thank you, for being crazy. It justifies my crazy too.” I gently place my hand in her cheek and she chuckles.

“Get dressed, Y/n, we need to go meet with the others.”

“I don’t think anyone will miss us if we decide to stay out here a little longer.” I tease and she rolls her eyes while fidgeting with her loincloth.

“I don’t think you’ll be needing that on any time soon.” I gently placed my hand on hers to stop her.

“But I already came-“

“Yes, but my wonderful woman, there is a think on earth we call multiple orgasms. And I want to see of I can give you another one on my own.”

“Multiple?” She asks and I nod.

“Show me.” She states and I smile.

“Take your clothes off,” I smirk and she unties her loincloth once more.

#neytiri #x reader #avatar #omaticaya clan #neytiri x reader #avatar smut #neytiri smut #neytiri x reader smut #smut #fingers #neytiri x human reader #male reader

[the-dumpster-fire-of-life]

Hello again 👋

Could I please ask for an Arcane request? (romantic) vi, Jinx, Ekko, Jayce, and Viktor, please?

They have a S/o that's like Maleficent? The wings and horns and get very protective over them and aren't afraid to use magic to get rid of people or things bothering them?

Just an idea, please and thank you 💕

(Hey! I'm sorry I didn't get an idea for Jayce or Viktor, I was pretty tired writing this. Again, so sorry! Enjoy!)

Vi, Jinx and Ekko x Maleficent Reader

VI

She thinks it’s totally cool you have wings

And you can fly?

Her heart is captured

She was really surprised by your horns though

Not in a bad way, she just is really interested and would wanna touch ‘em maybe

She gets into fights, it’s not a secret by any means

But you’re not scared of shit

And to be honest, she’s impressed man

She’ll probably piss someone off and be surprised when you get involved for the first time

But hell, she’ll probably do it again just for the hell of it

When you use your magic her heart is beating so loud

But she isn’t really a big fan of you hurting someone for her

A fight is probably enough

She’ll maybe have to drag you off once she sees what your about to do

n o ma’am 

Not today

She was used to being the protective one in all her relationships or friendships 

So it took a bit of getting used to once she saw how protective you were

But she loved it

JINX

She’d probably like petting your wings or like if you ever have any that fall of she’ll keep ‘em as momentos 

Or like make a small crown out of the feathers

She loves your magic

Would beg to see you do anywith with the magic

And if you pick her up with it? 

In love

She also loved how protective you are

And she finds it cool and kinda hot when she learns and actually sees you’re not afraid to use it to get what you want

Or get rid of someone

She always finds it fun when someone flirts with her and they jump once they notice you

She never sees them again

She liked your horns so much also

She liked just feeling them, not in a weird way though

She just loved how smooth they feel

You can fly also?

Once Jinx learns about that she’s literally not leaving you alone until you take her for a ride

She bases a lot of stuff off of you also

So don’t seem surprised once she shows you her own mechanical wings

Just be there to catch her if it doesn’t go right

EKKO

Ekko was shell shocked when he saw you for the first time

It was probably when you flew past him he had to register what he just saw

Your wings were what he saw first and let me tell you he was so in awe

And then he saw your horns

Oh my god

He felt like fainting on the spot

Probably did

One time he was arguing with someone and it got heated

He had to step back as he saw you step in and pick up the one he was arguing with with your magic

He had to talk you into putting them down

He didn’t know how to feel about how protective you were for him

He didn’t hate it 

He liked it really

Just had to take some getting used too

He also loved your wings the most though

Because you once swooped in to save him when he fell off his hoverboard on a mission

And let me tell you mans was in awe when you did

He has to stop you a bunch of times when he saw you were about to hurt people with your magic

For him or for your convenience 

He hates it dude

He’s trying to save people

Not hurt them

So please don't, and other than that it's all good!

#arcane x y/n #arcane imagines #arcane headcanon #arcane x reader #arcane vi #arcane violet #arcane viktor #arcane vi x reader #arcane jinx x reader #arcane jinx #arcane jayce #arcane ekko #arcane ekko x reader #ekko x reader #jinx x reader #arcane reader #arcane reader insert

[cloudlessly-light]

Sometimes I feel like I keep sending my promts like a crazy fan girl. But I think I am a crazy fan girl. So I have this thing in my mind. Hotch and Em saw each other naked once and Emily knows that bossman has big dick energy and HUGE DICK in his pants. So after they got together Aaron is afraid he will hurt Emily (cause nobody could take him all inside) so that’s why he doesn’t go all the way but Emily is sooo excited and says “I want it all”. I hope I’m not too crazy :)

A/N 1: Hey all you wonderful people, I’m officially back from my little break and I have a few things in the works that I really hope you like, but first we’re going back to old school Sara and doing a Hotchniss filth based on an ask! A/N 2: Hi Anon! Thank you so much, I always like hearing that people enjoy these silly little writings of mine! Title: Give me everything you want and need Summary: Emily accidentally walks in on Aaron in the shower when they’re forced to share a room. She’s impressed. Rating: Explicit Word Count: 3,1k Warnings: Smut, dirty talk, BDE Hotch (Yes that deserves its own warning), multiple orgasms, spanking (blink and you miss it)

 It’s an accident, it’s not like she planned for it to happen, it was one of those moments that she’d think back on and wonder why. But she was also happy that it happened, even though it was embarrassing, it was kind of their turning point.

She’s coming back from JJ’s room, the woman too pregnant for it to be fair for her to share a room so Emily had ended up sharing a room with Aaron. She didn’t know that he was back from the precinct, to be honest she kind of figured that he’d stay there all night. So she enters the hotel room and pulls her shirt off, followed by her pants and is heading into the bathroom when she sees him.

Aaron looks as shocked as she feels as he quickly grabs the towel on the sink, completely naked in front of his subordinate.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” She doesn’t mean to stare, but for a moment she lets herself. She sees the droplets of water dripping from his short hair, down his chest, covered with fine dark hair and further down where she got a glimpse of Aaron Hotchner in all his glory. And what a glory it was.

“Prentiss!” He all but yells when she doesn’t immediately turn away which makes her realize that her tiny thong and almost sheer bra is barely even covering her and she slams the door shut.

“I’m sorry!” She says again through the door as she frantically pulls her clothes back on. “I-I’ll sleep in Derek’s room.” Her voice lowers as he comes out of the bathroom, towel secured around his hips and a glare in his eye. “I thought you were still at the station.” She tries to explain but he just keeps staring at her and she feels herself wanting to squirm under the intensity of his gaze.

“It’s almost 2AM.” He says and she’s unsure if that’s his response to why he’s back to get a few hours of sleep, or his way to object to waking up Derek and Spencer in the next room so she just stares mutely at him.

The tension is thick, both of them simply staring at each other for what feels like hours until he sighs.

“Just, don’t mention this again.” He says and she hates the fact that her cheeks tint pink at the mere thought of him naked.

“This never happened.” She tells him and he offers a small smile.

It doesn’t surprise either of them when Emily finds herself outside his door less than two weeks later, kissing him with all the desire she’s felt for years.

But they don’t end up in bed that night, instead their kisses turn into a long talk, admittance of attraction and feelings until they fall asleep wrapped up in each other. So they start dating, and it’s easier that she’d ever thought it would be, except for the fact that Aaron would stop her wandering hands or searching lips once they got past the point of making out like teenagers.

It frustrated her, because she could feel him, huge and hard and pressing against her as she straddled his lap but he would stop her every time. A few weeks go by and she’s so wound up that she was sure that she’d implode from the heated tension that never seemed to leave her body, even after trying to take matters into her own hands, literally. But she didn’t want to rush him, she figured that he wanted to take it slow because she’d be the first woman after Haley, he wanted to be sure and she respected that.

They’re working a local case and she had just finished an interrogation with him, he had been intimidating and arrogant, bordering on aggressive with the unsub cowering in front of them. And Emily could feel the way her thighs clenched under the table, the steady thump of want, the heat of her arousal. He had always been impressive, had always demanded respect with as little as a look, but since they started dating she found it harder to control her body’s urges.

They leave Quantico that night with a case solved and a murderer in custody and Emily doesn’t question when he follows her home in his car. The team didn’t know about them yet and she would be lying if she said it wasn’t fun sneaking around.

“You were hot today.” She muses against his lips as he presses her against her front door before she turns in his arms, her hand trembling as she tries to get the key in the lock.

“Is that so?” He chuckles and presses a chaste kiss to her neck from behind and then patiently waits for her to unlock the door.

“Yes.” She opens the door and turns to take his hand, big and warm and starting to feel right in hers. “Always appreciated a handsome man in a suit, being decisive.” Her eyebrow arched as she smirked when his hands landed on her hips, pulling her closer to him just as the door closed behind him.

“I see.” He nuzzled her nose, teasing her before giving her a kiss that is supposed to be quick, but he easily finds himself unable to move away. She was addictive, a drug he never wanted to quit. He only pulled away from her when her stomach rumbled and he chuckled. “Are you hungry, sweetheart?”

“Didn’t have time for lunch.” She shrugged, it wasn’t unusual but Aaron hated when she skipped a meal and he frowned at her. “Italian?” She asked before he had a chance to reprimand her.

“Sounds good.” He was already picking up his phone and dialed the number to the restaurant he knew she loved. “Go shower, change, I’ll pick up dinner.” He smiled and Emily tried to ignore the flutter in her chest that he knew her well enough already to know that she always wanted to shower the stench of murder off her the moment she came home.

She showers quickly and changes into an old shirt and shorts that she knows are too short but she doesn’t care. The way his eyes lingers on her exposed legs when she comes back down the stairs makes satisfaction tingle along her spine and she pretends not to notice the way his jaw clenches and he swallows harder.

“This smells delicious.” She says instead and sits down at the table where he had just finished putting the food out. “Thank you, honey.” She kisses him after he’s sat down next to her, her lips lingering a little longer than necessary. She hums softly when his hand lands on her thigh, his fingers digging into the soft skin for a moment, like he’s trying to refrain himself from doing more.

“Let’s eat.” He mumbles when she pulls back and he almost groans at the familiar way her pupils dilated with want.

They eat and talk easily, always finding things to discuss and share, but there’s a tension between them, the same tension that had been in that hotel room when she walked in on him in the shower. She could tell that he was nervous but she couldn’t figure out why.

She lasts through dinner and approximately twenty minutes into the movie they decided to watch before her lips find his jaw, slow kisses pressed against his stubble as she laid halfway on top of him already. His respond is almost immediate, his hands tightening on her waist and moving down to grab her ass, his lips on hers as he pushes his tongue against hers.

“Aaron.” She sighs into his mouth and it’s breathy and low and he groans. The sound encourages her and she straddles him fully, her hands on his chest as she looks down at him.

“Em.” He tries to control his body, but the mere thought of having to stop her again felt like an impossibility. He had wanted her for years, the last few weeks had been close to agony, but he didn’t want to hurt her, knew that he probably would because how could he not when no woman had been able to take him before?

“Don’t.” She whispered, her hands fisting his shirt in desperation. “Please don’t.” She grinded on his lap, felt the evidence of his arousal pressing against her through his pants.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” He said quietly, his eyes moving over her face and he could see the realization hitting her.

“You won’t hurt me.” She said softly but she could feel want and desperation clouding her senses, her hips subtly continuing to roll against his.

“No one’s been able to- to take all of me.” He almost stuttered over his words and he was sure Emily’s eyes only darkened, her cheeks flushing pink as she leaned down to press a teasing kiss against his lips.

“I want it all, I want all of you so badly I can’t even think straight.��� She whispered, her words falling against his face in soft puffs. “I’ll stop you if it’s too much.” She promises and she can feel his hands gripping her tighter, his eyes boring into hers. “I promise.”

He takes another moment but he can see the desperation on her face, can feel her body pressing into his and his own arousal painstakingly clear.

“Okay.” He nodded and kissed the grin from her lips. “But let’s go upstairs to your bed, more room.” He smirked at the way her eyebrow arched and then all but chased her up the stairs as she hurried up towards the bed.

Emily laughs when he pulls her against his body, immediately going to tug her shirt over her head. She gasped as he licked over her pulse, bit the junction of her neck and shoulder, his hands moving the newly exposed skin until he tugs her nipples between gun-calloused fingers.

“I’ve thought about this since that damn bathroom.” He mumbled against her ear and she shivered.

“You’ve been the one making me wait.” She tries to tease but it packs little punch when she whimpers and arches into his touch. Her fingers move over the buttons on his shirt quickly and she thinks she deserve some credit for not just tearing it open in her haste to get him naked and inside of her.

“No more waiting.” He all but growls and pushes her back onto the bed. His eyes rake over her exposed torso, his fingers soon pulling her shorts off her hips, a smirk on his lips when he realizes she’s not wearing underwear. “Dirty girl.” His voice is so low she shudders from it, his eyes predatory as he crawls between her spread legs.

She tries to sneak a hand between them to get his belt unbuckled but grabs her hand, pins both of them above her head with a low hum of satisfaction as the other move between their bodies, the tip of his finger moving through her wetness gently.

“Gotta get you ready.” He mumbles lowly then kisses the whine from her lips as he pushes one finger inside of her. “So fucking wet, already.”

She blushes, the pink of her cheeks trailing down her chest as her hips buckle into his touch.

“You’ve teased me for weeks.” She huffs and he chuckles at her impatience, his smirk only widening when he pushes a second finger inside of her and curls them causing her to arch into him.

“So tight.” He breathes against her neck and she twists in his grip but he only tightens his hold on her wrists. “You’re going to come all over my hand.” His words are hushed and she can’t do anything but whimper in response. “And then you’re going to take all of my cock, aren’t you?” His hips grind into the bed at the thought, his hesitations gone now that they had gotten this far.

“Yes,” She whines “all of it, please.” Her legs widened as the palm of his hand rubbed against her clit, the pleasure building steadily as he kept curling his thick fingers inside of her, her wetness coating his hand. Her jaw went slack and her head fell back against the bed when he pressed a third finger inside of her, stretching her cunt and making her moan breathlessly.

“That’s it, good girl.” He watched the pleasure reflected on her face, could feel her walls tightening around his fingers.

“Don’t stop.” She gasped as her thighs trembled. Her hips buckled into his hand, her body chasing the release she had craved for weeks. “I’m so close- I- fuck!” Her orgasm ripped through her fast and hard, causing her to gasp for air as her eyes rolled back and her hands fisted above her.

Aaron bit back a groan as she came all over his fingers, her pussy so tight he could barely move his fingers so he focused on pressing the heel of his hand against her clit, drawing out her pleasure until she was whimpering and trembling underneath him. When she finally relaxed he gently let go of her wrists and removed his fingers from inside of her. He licked her wetness off them and waited for her to stop panting with a smug look on his face.

“Aaron,” She breathed as her eyelids fluttered open and she looked up at him, dark eyes, breathing labored, his cock hard and huge as it strained inside his pants. “fuck me.” She sat up so fast he barely registered it and claimed his lips in a kiss, her hands moving to get his belt unbuckled and pants undone. She helped him kick them away and when he finally hovered above her again she wrapped her legs around his hips.

He groaned against her lips as the tip of him nudged between her lips, let himself grind against her for a few moments, coating the underside of his shaft with her. He looked down at her when he pushed his cockhead slowly inside of her, careful not to go too fast.

Emily whimpered at the stretch, his cock easily the biggest she’d ever had inside of her. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he pressed inch after inch inside of her, the stretch painful but deliciously addictive.

“Don’t fucking stop.” She grunted when he faltered, her legs tightening around him. Her eyes met his and she nodded at his wordless question. “Don’t stop.” She repeated quietly.

“Fuck Em, you’re perfect.” He mumbled against her lips as they kissed messily, his hips pressing into hers until he was fully inside of her. She was clenching around his shaft, trying to accommodate to the stretch, but instead of pushing him away she relished in it.

“Move, Aaron move.” She warned, desperate for him. She could feel every ridge of him, could feel her the slightly painful stretch morph into pleasure when he started to pull back, her walls clinging to him.

He groaned loudly as he started to thrust, slow and long strokes of his hips, almost pulling out before filling her completely over and over again.

“Fucking made for me, made to take my cock.” He mumbled between haste kisses against her neck, his forehead soon landing on her shoulder as he started to fuck her harder.

“Jesus Christ, you’re so fucking big.” She panted as her short nails scratched over his shoulders and arms, leaving evidence of her on his skin. He was hitting into her perfectly, making the heat of a second orgasm build in record time, her moans and whimpers only spurring him on.

“Come on me again, let me feel you squeeze my cock.” He pushed up to kneel between her legs, his thumb finding her clit and rubbing it in circles.

She could barely breathe as he forced another orgasm through her, her back arching and hands fisting the sheets to keep herself grounded as the heat inside of her expanded by every thrust of his hips.

His name fell from her lips like a mantra, the only word she could get out through her loud moans until she was coming again with a cry of pleasure. She could barely hear his grunt as she tightened around him, could barely focus on anything but the earth-shattering pleasure of her orgasm until he was flipping her around and filling her from behind.

“Your cunt is mine.” He growled in her ear as he straddled her thighs and fucked her into the bed, no longer concerned that she wouldn’t be able to take him. “Say it!” He spanked her twice in quick succession and she only pushed her ass up, so he did it again.

“My cunt is yours.” She whined, the slight sting of his hand only making her shiver with want.

“Good girl.” His graveled voice sent tingles down her spine, his hands on either side of her shoulders, keeping her trapped between his strong chest and the soft bed. “Gonna fill you up.”

Emily couldn’t answer, she could barely breathe as he fucked her hard enough to make her body jolt, her clit pushed into the bed by every thrust. She was too sensitive, it was too much, it was perfect. She felt his teeth dig into the back of her neck, felt his ragged breathing against her sweaty skin as he chased his own release.

“Aaron, please…” She wasn’t sure what she was begging for, her mind delirious and hazy, all she could feel was him, all she could think about was him.

“Gonna cum again?” It was rhetorical, his voice smug even as he panted above her, he felt her body tense, felt her walls tighten and Emily nodded.

“Yes, yes, yes I’m so close.” She felt his fingers intertwine with hers as his hips somehow sped up even more, slamming into her hard enough for the bed to quake.

“Come with me.” He grunted in her ear, the strain in his voice palpable. She was still nodding when her orgasm ripped through her, dragging him with her as they strained and moaned together.

Emily felt the heat of his release deep inside of her, making her gasp and then he collapsed beside her exhausted body, his panting harsh as he started to laugh.

“That was amazing.” He pulled her into him, pressed a haste kiss against her forehead and cheeks, then against her lips. “You’re amazing.” He breathed with a smile.

“You are too.” She whispered happily, her hand on his cheek. They fell into a comfortable silence as they let their bodies relax and their breathing returned to normal. After a few minutes she turned to him with a smirk. “You should have just fucked me in that hotel.” She teased and he chuckled.

“I really should have.”  

#hotchniss smut #hotchniss fanfiction #aaron hotchner x emily prentiss smut #aaron hotchner x emily prentiss #hotchniss #hotch x emily #hotchniss fanfic #aaron x emily #criminal minds smut #criminal minds fanfiction

[girlblogger666]

Your headcannons are so good 🔥🔥🔥 Since we already have Chrissy telling Eddie she's pregnant, I would love one with Chrissy's pregnancy. I always imagined Eddie as a super overprotective dad-to-be, always hovering. Maybe throw in her mom too for added angst.

Eddie x Chrissy Pregnancy Headcanons 🤍

An: thank you so so much for this request 🥺 I hope you like it angel <3

Eddie is literally the most protective, proud father to be

After hearing the news, Eddie would happily walk around with a huge smirk on his face

“What’s got you all happy, hmmm?” Chrissy would giggle

“Oh, you know,” he’d playfully reply back, blushing like a school girl

Eddie would 100% call up the old hellfire gang to share the news

Chrissy getting hit hard with the unfortunate first trimester symptoms

Eddie always being there to hold back her hair every morning she races to the toilet

Hed rub soothing circles on her shoulder and also carry her back to bed because it’s still early

Chrissy would be raging with hormones

Tearing up every time Eddie has to go to work

“D-Do you have to go?” She’d sniffle as Eddie would stroke her cheek, his heart breaking just a tiny bit

Her hormones would also make her question her abilities to be a mother

Thinking about her own mother and how horrible she treated her own daughter makes Chrissy cry

She could never do that to her baby

I believe after moving out with Eddie, Chrissy would have zero to very little communication with her parents. So her pregnancy would pretty much be unknown to them

Eddie also listens to her struggles but is there to reassure her that Chrissys the most kindest soul he’s ever met

Eddie teasing her during dinner

“Hey baby, do you want a beer?”

They both have this joke that when they refer to the baby they call it their ‘86 Baby

It’s literally just a silly homage to their graduation

Eddie secretly reading baby books so that he can impress her with all the interesting information about what happens during each trimester

He loves going to every appointment with her and keeps every ultrasound picture in his wallet or on their fridge

When Chrissy starts to show, she feels a little insecure because mentally it brings her back to her mothers horrible comments my poor baby tbh :(

Eddie literally drools over her and cant keep his eyes off her bump

His hands also can’t stay off it. They’d always be lovingly rubbing her stomach up and down

Chrissy taking up knitting as a hobby to pass time while she’s alone during the day

Always showing Eddie the different creations she knits for the baby

“Do you like it?” She’d hold up the tiny blanket she spent all afternoon knitting

The both of them would literally be glowing

Eddie has that dad to be glow while Chrissy obviously has that pregnancy glow

Chrissy constantly wearing the cutest maternity dresses

Chrissy and Eddie wouldn’t want to know the sex of their baby, so they keep it a surprise

Deep down, she knows it’s a girl (ummm girl dad! Eddie hello??)

All the baby stuff they buy is completely gender neutral and super minimalist tho

The day the baby starts to kick, Eddie isn’t there

Chrissy phones his work and tells him instead

When she’s halfway through her second trimester, sleeping becomes a bit of a hassle because of her small frame

To help, Eddie allows her to sleep on top of him. His arms would be wrapped fully around her bump

Sometimes when she sleeps, he can feel the baby kick and it makes his heart flutter

Eddie putting headphones on her stomach so that the baby can hear the mixtape he made for them

“You gotta start ‘em young, babe,” Eddie would justify in terms of wanting his kid to have the best taste in music like their father

Chrissy constantly craving sweets

Eddie being awoken by her light touch as she sweetly asks him to go to the gas station to buy her a bunch of chocolate bars

Though it would be 3am, he’d gladly do it with a smile on his face

There isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for Chrissy and their soon to be born baby 🥺🤍

Tysm for reading babies 🥺 reqs are open :3

#stranger things #chrissy x eddie #eddie munson #edssy #grace van dien #eddie x chrissy #joesph quinn #stranger things 4 #hellfire club #stranger things 3 #eddissy #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things headcanons #steve harrington #nancy wheeler #eddie munson fanfic #dad! eddie munson

[quaranmine]

Gadus morhua

Atlantic cod, scientific name Gadus morhua, is benthopelagic fish in the family Gadidae. A series of three scenes from the Cod Empire, focused on the hydrological, ecological, toxicological, environmental, and engineering problems Jimmy tackles as the Codfather.

In which I use my college education to do worldbuilding for MC roleplay, and have entirely too much fun with it. Jimmy-centric, but other characters appear: Joel, Lizzie, fWhip, and Scott. No content warnings. Set in at a vague point in Empires S1!

Words: 6142

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1.

It was a casual sort of meeting day with Joel down by the docks of the Cod Empire. Jimmy had invited him over to do some fishing and some talking, and to well–just hang out. They were best allies, after all. They’d been out here for an hour or so already, but being a ruler was unfortunately a ‘round the clock sort of job, and even leisure time with other emperors was often punctuated by work. 

“So what did you invite me here for?” Joel asked. He was laying on his back on the dock with the sun shining on him and a hat over his face, while Jimmy slowly reeled in the line he’d thrown. 

“I wanted to talk about water,” Jimmy said. 

“Fish people,” Joel muttered. “It’s all you do.” 

“Hey!” Jimmy said, lightly smacking Joel’s shoulder. “Water happens to be the most important part of life. You wouldn’t exist without it!”

“Fine, fine,” Joel said, sitting up and pulling the hat off his face and on top of his head instead. “What about water did you want to discuss?”

“I wanted to talk about your desalination plants,” Jimmy said. “I was thinking about getting a few for my empire.” The corner of his mouth twitched up a bit as he said it, because he knew that asking this was tantamount to asking for a spiel on how much Joel loved his wife. It had been one of their most important trade agreements, and it’d apparently left quite the impression on Joel because he never stopped going to see the Ocean Queen after that. 

“Ah, those,” Joel said, and clapped his hands. “Built through an agreement with the love of my life. You, know, that was our first really important trade agreement–”

Jimmy bit back a laugh. Yes, he’d known. 

Joel continued. “Mezalea is a rich land blessed in many things. What it’s not blessed with is water. It’s dry and hot.”

“And yet you export moss,” Jimmy said. “Isn’t that known for growing in wet places–”

It was Joel’s turn to smack Jimmy. “Yes. Don’t talk about that.”

Jimmy raised his hands placatingly. “Fine, fine, just tell me about the desalination plants.”

“We have aquifers and reservoirs in Mezalea for water, but I know that in the future they might be drained. It’s not good for the growth of the kingdom–if we try to raise exports of moss, we’ll need more water, and as the economy grows we’ll need more people and clones who will need more water, and then we’ll start drawing more water than can be recharged. So we needed to find more options, and the ocean was right there.”

“So you went to talk to Lizzie.”

Joel twirled the wedding band around his finger absentmindedly. “Yeah, I went to talk to Lizzie. Didn’t know if she’d approve but she seemed more than happy to provide the technology when I told her how she could benefit as well. Desalination’s tricky. It’s not always efficient.” Joel squinted off into the ocean in the distance. “And I didn’t just need her help, I also needed her permission. Can’t be pumping ocean water without it. It can harm sea creatures, you know, but Lizzie’s able to keep ‘em away from that area.”

“What do you do with the leftover salt?” Jimmy asked, tossing his fishing line out again. Maybe he’d catch some salmon today, but so far he’d just got a pufferfish and an old useless book. It wasn’t really about the catches, though. It was about sitting here and enjoying himself. 

“Give the brine back to Lizze as part of the agreement,” Joel said. “She exports it. Scott buys a lot. It’s good for deicing apparently, but it never snows in Mezalea. Or here, for that matter.”

“And it works?”

Joel beamed proudly. “Come on Jimmy, you’ve been to my empire before. Would it look so good if it didn’t work?”

“I dunno mate, everything’s still a bit to dry for my liking over there.”

“Ugh,” Joel said, waving him off. “I don’t know why I bother with you, you’ve got no taste out here in the swamp. Just mosquitoes.”

“If you put on the slime, the mosquitoes wouldn’t bother you–”

Joel put a hand on Jimmy’s shoulder and said solemnly: “Jimmy, I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing slime. I would rather be carried off by the mosquitos first.”

Jimmy just laughed loudly at that. It wasn’t his fault that he told everyone how to live in the swamp and they refused. He thought they were all a bit too pretentious. After all, they’re surrounded by water here–you could wash the slime off any time you’d like. 

“Why do you want desalination facilities, Jimmy?” Joel asked. “You’ve got so much water here. I mean, it’s literally a swamp.”

“It’s brackish.”

“What?”

“Salty?” Jimmy said, and then pointed to the wide expanse of ocean on the horizon. “We live on the coast, and the river comes out here. This is an estuary. That means that the saltwater and freshwater mix, making the water brackish.”

“And can’t you just . . .” Joel trailed off, and gestured vaguely at his throat. Gills. “Like Lizzie does?”

Jimmy subconsciously brought his hand up and brushed the edge of his gills. “Well, I can,” he said. “Me and Lizzie both can. Doesn’t matter if it’s air or freshwater or saltwater. We were born in the ocean, after all. But that doesn’t mean all my people can. Most of them still need freshwater.”

“What about your wells though? Surely you get enough rain to keep them full?”

Mezalea was arid, and rain was infrequent enough that depleting the aquifer was always a worry. The water underground was thousands, if not millions of years old, and it was no guarantee that it could be recharged quickly enough through rain to keep up with the demand of a growing empire. 

The Cod Empire was wet. The water table was at ground level or above ground in most places, leading to soft muddy ground, marshy pools, and little ponds. It rained frequently, and the river came in from the south. But the river mixed with the ocean throughout the empire, and the water around them was not fresh as a result. 

Jimmy nodded. “We do. But it’s just . . .” He fixed Joel with a look. “Joel, you’re my best ally. This is important alliance matters. This is being told to you in confidence.”

Joel stared back at him. “Okay.”

Jimmy glanced over his shoulder as he talked. The tips of his walls were just visible over the trees. “The wells are a weak point for us,” he started. “They’re too far on the edge. They’re vulnerable to attack from my enemies, and that would be dangerous for my people to be left without freshwater.”

He’d always been on shaky relations with Sausage. He didn’t think the man would attack his water supply, but he wasn’t sure with all the corruption on the server. Jimmy also knew he wasn’t always on the best of terms with a lot of people–he was often a bit too bold or brash or impulsive, which didn’t suit him as an emperor and had caught him in hot water more than once. 

He also knew he wasn’t the strongest empire on the server. He knew what other people said about him, and he was too proud to admit to any weakness. But he was still pragmatic enough to see the truth: he didn’t even have enough resources to guard the wells all the time, anyway. They’d always be a risk. 

Joel scowled. “So why don’t you just move them closer to the middle of your empire? You’ve got water running out your ears, can’t you just drill further until you reach freshwater?”

Jimmy shook his head. “Can’t. If we move them closer, we’ll just start sucking seawater in and ruin them. We’ve got freshwater, but just like on the surface, it mixes with saltwater underground too at a certain point. They also have to be far enough away from the coast that they can keep up with the demand of the empire, because we can only take up so much water at a time safely.”

“Oh.” Joel blinked. “So, desalination.”

Jimmy smiled. “It’s just for backup.”

Joel clapped a hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. “Well, Codboy, I won’t go tellin’ your empire’s weakness to anyone. If you ever need help, Mezalea’s on your side.” He leaned over. “I don’t understand, though. Why’d you invite me here to ask me this, and not Lizzie? She’s the one you’d have to actually talk to about getting it built and she’s the one who knows the ocean better than any of us.”

“Oh,” Jimmy said, amused. “That’s because it’s not nearly as fun to do this with Lizzie. She just swims too well.”

“What-”

And with a great shove, Jimmy pushed Joel off the dock. He hit the water with a splash, leaving the hat floating behind him. 

Seconds later, the man popped up above the surface, sputtering in anger. “JIMMY!” he shouted. “Did you plan this all day?”

Jimmy didn’t answer, because he was bent over double laughing so hard he could barely breathe. He wiped a tear from his eye. 

“That could be considered an act of war, you know!” Joel yelled. 

“You wouldn’t,” Jimmy wheezed. 

“Oh, I will,” Joel said. “In fact, here’s my first attack!”

And with a great effort, Joel grabbed Jimmy’s foot from where it dangled over the dock, and pulled him in after him, and Jimmy laughed the whole way down until water filled his lungs and forced his gills to start working again. 

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2.

Jimmy was not having a good day. Or, well–series of days. 

Yesterday, he’d received word from one of his merchants who had been traveling home via the river of a fish kill upstream. Dozens of fish, all inexplicably dead and floating in the water. They’d come straight to his governing office to report it as soon as they were back in the bounds of the empire. 

It wasn’t within his borders. The reported fish that were killed were all salmon. Some people would likely think that would make Jimmy happy but . . . he winced.

It’s for the greater good. 

Salmon were large fish. It was the wrong time of year for spawning season, where salmon frequently died after laying their eggs. If something had killed many of them, then it was undoubtedly screwing with the rest of the river too. It was likely that smaller fish, plants, amphibians, invertebrates, and more were also killed. 

And water flowed. 

And Jimmy’s empire was downstream. 

It could be a magical accident. Jimmy had made sure his advisor questioned the merchant about that, but the average person could not detect magic like Jimmy could, and thus the merchant didn’t know. It could also be some form of pollution–something that lowered the oxygen in the water, or perhaps a chemical. And that was why Jimmy had ordered his staff hydrologist to take samples.

Samples whose lab work were now laying on his desk. Jimmy squinted at the papers. He was no scientist–he was the Codfather, it was his job to rule, he had governmental officials for this sort of work–but he did know a little about it. It was good to know, because it was important and he might have to make final decisions over it. He couldn’t be totally out of the loop on issues that could mean life or death in his empire. 

Either way, he knew enough about the reports he was reading to know they weren’t good. There were no reported cod deaths in his empire so far, but the ecosystem was stressed. Jimmy could feel it. They couldn’t afford the problem getting worse. 

Before he could examine the paper much more, there was a fast knock on his door. 

“Come in,” he called. 

The door swung open to reveal one of Jimmy’s advisors, who spoke quickly. “Sir, the Ocean Queen is–”

Lizzie ducked past the man and walked through the door. “I don’t need an introduction to see him, I can come anytime I like. Isn’t that right, Codfather?” She winked. 

Jimmy rolled his eyes and set down the paper. “You’re always welcome in my empire, Lizzie. Come sit down.”

“See?” Lizzie turned to the advisor and smiled a little too sweetly. Jimmy just shrugged apologetically and waved him away. He appreciated the effort of the warning but it wasn’t really necessary for his sister. She’d have climbed in a window or mined through the wall if his advisor had said no, anyway. 

“What do you need?” he asked. “‘Cause I’m having a busy day.”

“You? Busy? I doubt it,” Lizzie said snarkily, before stopping and correcting herself. “No, wait, nevermind, the thing I’m here about is probably the same thing you’re busy with. See, I’ve got some papers of my own.” She pushed them across the table. 

Jimmy picked them up, but he already knew what they were. He scanned the headings of the lab reports. 

2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene, and 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene. 

Those were the same chemicals from Jimmy’s report. Lizzie’s listed a few more complex chemicals–2,4,6-trinitrobenzaldehyde, 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, 2,4,6-trinitrobenzoic acid, and 2-amino-4,6-dinitrobenzoic acid–and less of the first one than Jimmy’s had. The numbers were a bit less concentrated, but overall similar. Jimmy didn’t need his hydrologist to tell him it was the same problem. 

“Yeah,” he muttered. “Me too.”

“Jimmy,” Lizzie said. “This water came from you. Your estuary opens out into my ocean. These readings are from the edge of our border.”

Jimmy gave her a sharp look. “You can’t think this is me,” he said, a little too hotly. 

Lizzie raised an eyebrow, and crossed her arms. “Of course not,” she said. “I came here to see what you want to do about it.” She gestured at the paper. “These concentrations aren’t enough to bother the ocean. The ocean’s big, so it’s all diluted. But it is large enough to prompt a visit to an ally. So since you clearly already know, what are you going to do about it?”

Jimmy leaned back in his chair, tipping his head back and staring at the ceiling. “I need to talk to fWhip,” he said finally. “Trinitrotoluene. That’s TNT. The hydrologist told me that the other chemicals are what it degrades into when it’s exposed to sunlight in surface water.”

“Well, I can stay here for the meeting if you’d like,” Lizzie said, reading his mind. “Two empires are more intimidating than one.”

Jimmy sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I don’t wanna have to intimidate him. I just want him to take me seriously.”

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ 〈 ⏣ 〉 ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

fWhip arrived alone, and Jimmy thought he should feel snubbed about that. 

Casual meetings between rulers were rarely accompanied by guards or advisors, especially between allies. Lizzie and Joel certainly didn’t bring any of their people to Jimmy’s when they visited, for example. They didn’t even make appointments or let him know they were coming most of the time. They didn’t even always knock.

Hell, Jimmy preferred to go places alone too. He wasn’t a fan of pomp and circumstance and making a fuss and having people follow him around. But this wasn’t a casual visit, this was official serious business. And Jimmy and fWhip were not allies. And fWhip hadn’t even brought any of his environmental personnel. Jimmy had brought along his chief advisor, staff hydrologist, and staff ecologist. 

Hence, Jimmy felt like he wasn’t being taken very seriously right now. 

Nothing made him angrier. He couldn’t show that though, lest he was taken even less seriously. If fWhip knew he was riled up, he’d continue to push his buttons and try his luck. No, he had to be calm. He grit his teeth a little behind his smile. 

fWhip was measured, but standoffish. He listened patiently to Jimmy’s explanation of water pollution and how it had to have come from a spill upstream, but his expression was closed off and unreadable. Jimmy knew he had to explain the connection to be listened to. Whatever happened further up the river wasn’t located in his empire, and he had no ability to clean it or fix it. But it was affecting the Cod Empire just the same, so he needed help.

Or a threat. This was the safety of his land and people on the line, and while the problem wasn’t an imminent mortal hazard, he still needed to guarantee it wouldn’t happen again. If he failed to talk it out now, he’d have to escalate this. A threat with fWhip was unlikely to go down very well though, and Jimmy didn’t want to make the relations between their empires any more tense than it already was. 

As such, Jimmy needed diplomacy.

Before he could bring out the lab reports though, fWhip spoke up. “I don’t understand why you’ve called me over here,” he said, crossing his arms. “Why not Sausage? He’s your nearest neighbor upriver. Or even Joey is further upstream. I’m a lot further away than the rest of them. How can you prove this came from my empire?”

“I’m so glad you asked,” Lizzie said, and when she smiled her sharp predator teeth glinted dangerously. She handed fWhip the Cod Empire documents. “Tell me, what do you see in there?”

fWhip was silent as he flipped through the papers. He didn’t respond, but he scowled. Jimmy knew he recognized the chemicals. There was no way that fWhip–alchemist, tinkerer, engineer, inventor–didn’t know what he worked with. 

“Is your empire not the server’s leading manufacturer of gunpowder and explosives?” Lizzie asked. What a leading question! Jimmy almost wanted to reach over and high five her, except that it’d be terribly unprofessional in such a serious meeting. 

“I am,” fWhip said cooly, returning the documents. He looked at Lizzie and Jimmy. “This looks like the result of discharge from TNT manufacture. There’s TNT, compounds from the degradation of TNT, and chemicals associated with red water that’s produced during the TNT purifying process. It’s highly toxic.” He paused for a moment. “It’s also illegal to dump this in my empire.”

“Are you following your own laws, fWhip?” Lizzie asked. 

“I always dispose of my waste properly,” fWhip snapped. 

Jimmy cringed a little. He was certain it was from the Grimlands–not only did the chemicals match up with his manufacturing processes, but the location of the reported fish kill matched up for a place further upstream than Sausage. He had no jurisdiction, though. He couldn't fly over to the spill, document it and prove it was from the Grimlands, and go home. He wasn’t allowed to collect data from there–he was barely allowed as a guest in normal times. 

Well, it was time to pull out his secret weapon. 

“Do you know how I knew to test for this?” Jimmy asked. 

“No.”

“One of my people was traveling between empires and found a fish kill upstream, which they reported right away. They reported that the dead fish appeared to have hemorrhages, which can be caused by this type of exposure.” He made eye contact with fWhip, and really tried to drive it home. “They were salmon, fWhip. Don’t you want to protect them?”

 Don’t let pride get to you, he wanted to say. Just because you have to admit I’m right.

fWhip sighed. “I don’t know anything about any waste discharges,” he said. “If one of my forges has been disposing of waste by dumping it in the river, they are breaking the law. If it was a spill, then I haven’t been notified, which is also breaking the law. But it’s definitely explosives manufacturing waste, and I can’t risk the salmon.” He frowned. “I would have thought you wouldn’t care about that, Jimmy.”

Jimmy shook his head. “For the greater good,” he muttered. “It affects all of us.”

fWhip nodded once, then stood up and quickly gathered the copies of the reports that Jimmy’s hydrologist had supplied. He tightened the strap on his elytra. “Well,” he said. “Thank you for bringing to my attention.”

“Thank you for listening,” Jimmy said, and he meant it. 

fWhip headed for the door, but before he went he threw a glance back and called over his shoulder. “Don’t get your scales in a twist, Codfather,” he said. “I’ll fix this. You’ll be hearing from me again soon.”

And then he was gone. Jimmy let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, and laid his head down on the desk. 

“I think we did well,” Lizzie said. 

“Ugh,” Jimmy groaned, muffled by the wood. “That was almost a disaster.”

“What do you think he’ll do about it?”

“He’ll do something,” Jimmy said. “I don’t know what, but he won’t want to look like he’s not in control of things happening in his empire.”

The staff hydrologist stepped up. “If I may,” she started.

“Of course,” Lizzie said. 

“I can tell you what he might do,” the hydrologist said. “It’s not up to us to choose how to handle it since it didn’t happen within our borders. But we’ll probably be fine anyway if the source of the spill is stopped. For rivers, time and dilution can work wonders. The further it dilutes into larger bodies of water, the less concentrated the contamination will be, and it will be less likely for our ecosystem to be badly harmed. We’ll likely be able to get by with increased monitoring until all the contamination diffuses.”

“What about the source?” Jimmy asked. 

“It’s hard to say. He could try some bioremediation methods, or even install a filter across the mouth of the river. He could divert water and try and treat it before it is redirected back into the river.  Most importantly, he should ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

Jimmy sighed. “Thank you,” he said. “I suppose this is the best we can hope for when it’s not actually within my borders. He put his arm around Lizzie and pulled her into a half-hug. “Thanks for staying, Lizzie. Definitely made it look more legit.”

“I know,” Lizzie said. “What would you do without me?”

“Probably start a war with fWhip.”

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ 〈 ⏣ 〉 ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

3.

“So, Jimmy,” Scott said. “What am I here for today?”

“Um,” Jimmy said, raising his hand over his eyes and squinting at the sunlight behind Scott. The sun rises in the east, and Rivendell is southeast of the Cod Empire. Sometimes in the morning Jimmy looked at the rising sun and wondered if Scott was awake yet. He was definitely awake this morning, since he’s standing in the Cod Empire with his back to the rising sun. It’s like a halo of light around his head. 

“So?” Scott prompted again, gesturing with one hand. “I don’t have all day, you know.”

Jimmy blinked. “I was wondering if you wanted to build an embassy.”

Scott cocks his head. “Didn’t I already build one over there?” He gestures to the lily pads where all of Jimmy’s allies have built little statues. 

“Yeah, well, it’s just . . .” Jimmy trails off. “Too small? I mean, you couldn’t stay the night there if you wanted. It’s just for decorative purposes. I mean, I built one at your empire . . .”

“Ohhhh.” Something changed in Scott’s stance. He leaned forward, a little too closely, and made direct eye contact with Jimmy, who until that point had mostly been looking just off to the side of Scott’s eyes. The edge of Scott’s mouth tugged upwards. “Are you trying to invite me to spend the night, Codfather?”

“No, no, no, it’s not like that, I just mean-” Jimmy’s face was suddenly hot like the sunburns he’d learned to avoid in the swamp. Scott was nearly bent over laughing at him. “Well, now you’re not invited to my empire anymore,” Jimmy said, trying to retain at least a little of his dignity. 

“You’re banning me?” Scott said. He raised an eyebrow skeptically. 

“Yes. For life.”

“Hm,” Scott said. “Seems like a blessing, honestly. Your empire has so many mosquitos. And it’s so not cute here.”

“Hey-”

“Where do the Ocean Queen and the King of Mezalea stay?” Scott asked, interrupting before Jimmy had a chance to sputter any indignant defense of his empire. Slime worked perfectly well as a repellent, even if Scott refused to touch it. The Cod Empire’s aesthetics might not be as grand as the other empires’, but they serve their purpose and Jimmy finds more comfort and familiarity in them than anywhere else. 

And, well. The question. Jimmy wasn’t not sure how to say Lizzie is always welcome in my house and Joel just comes by and crashes without any prior warning. They were more than just old friends, they were literally family. Even before Jimmy had found out Lizzie was his sister, they’d felt a little like family. 

Scott was different. Rivendell was a new ally to the Cod Empire. They didn’t have years of prior relationship between them. Jimmy thought it was, well, a little too personal. Maybe someday. 

“They stay in my house,” he said finally. 

Scott’s mouth dropped open in mock offense. “So I’m not even special enough to stay in the Codfather’s house? Wow, I guess it’s a good thing I’m banned then.”

Jimmy rolled his eyes, but fought to keep a smile off his face. “Enough! Enough. Do you want to build an embassy or not, Scott?”

“Sure.”

“Great. I have a spot in mind for it, and I can call over my engineers to discuss your plans. You can bring in one of your royal architects, to make sure that the decorative elements of Rivendellian architecture make it into the final product. The project will be overseen and constructed by my team–”

“No, no,” Scott said, shaking his head. “You don’t have to give me your engineers, I have my own. I don’t want to end up with some Cod Empire building, I’ll ask them to build something cuter than that.”

Jimmy frowned. The insult to his building hardly even registered to him at this point–it might as well have passed through his brain like water through his gills. He knew he didn’t have the prettiest empire, it wasn’t new knowledge. And he knew Scott liked to tease him about it. But what caught Jimmy’s attention this time was that Scott really, really wasn’t making the sensible choice here. 

Did he even realize? “Um,” Jimmy said. “This isn’t Rivendell, this is the swamp. You need my engineers. They’ll provide–”

Scott waved his hand. “Don’t worry Jimmy, I’ll still report to them. I won’t build anything where I’m not allowed and I won’t ‘harm the swamp.’ But if this is to be a Rivendell embassy, then it is part of Rivendell and I won’t be building a Cod Empire building.”

Jimmy opened his mouth to object again, but a larger, pettier part of his mind made him shut it again. The rising sun was still behind Scott, but it was higher now, shining less like a halo around the edges of his hair and instead beating down on his head. Maybe Scott could afford to be knocked down a few pegs. 

It was ill-advised, inefficient, and possibly even irresponsible, but Jimmy thought the satisfaction of seeing Scott flounder would be worth it. What better way to gain a little respect for the Cod Empire than direct action?

It’s not like Jimmy didn’t have a precedent for doing ill-advised, inefficient, and irresponsible things. 

The Cod Empire’s buildings weren’t grand or beautiful like other empires. The nicer rulers said his buildings were “simple” or “homely,” while the ruder ones outright called them ugly. Jimmy knew this. Aesthetic architecture had never been a part of Cod Empire culture and he was fine with that. After all, floods and typhoons can cause significant damages. 

But what the Cod Empire was really good at was making buildings that last.

Fluctuating water and particulate matter levels? Some areas of the swamp were anoxic, leaving submerged wood practically preserved without any special treatment since it couldn’t rot without any oxygen. In other areas, the constant moisture caused severe decay. Flooding? Many buildings in the Cod Empire were built on stilts because of this, depending on elevation. Typhoons? Houses in the Cod Empire were built with thick and reinforced walls, but flexible enough to move with wind instead of breaking, if needed.

There were parables that reminded the reader that good things came from having sturdy foundations. Unfortunately, the point was always moot in Jimmy’s empire. Sturdy foundations didn’t mix with wet, submerged, and sinking soil. So the Cod Empire drove piles into the ground until it hit solid ground, and made floating foundations. They made amphibious houses to float on floodwater when required to. The Cod Empire had developed special engineering techniques that as far as Jimmy was aware, hadn’t made their way to other empires yet. 

So no, the Cod Empire’s architecture was not pretty, but it was sturdy. Jimmy didn’t care if it had awe-inspiring castles and steep spires. It just needed to last, and it did. 

Rivendell had rock foundations, blasted and carved out of the mountainside. 

Jimmy’s foundations were floating, ever complicated and up to the whims of nature.

This could end up being fun, on second thought. 

Jimmy shrugged. “Do what you want,” he said with an easy smile. “It’s your embassy.”

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ 〈 ⏣ ��� ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

“Codfather.”

“Iris.”

She stood in front of him, on the balls of her feet. A large grin split her face, crinkling the corners of her eyes. The gill-fins on the side of her head twitched a little in excitement. 

“I just wanted to say, to start, that this is the best thing you’ve ever asked me to do.”

Jimmy shook his head, unable to keep the corner of his mouth from turning up. “I hope you’re not enjoying this too much.”

“Well, it is a lot of fun to watch them. I’ve never found construction work so interesting.”

“What’s the latest?”

“Cracking foundation. They had to repour it twice, and then it didn’t dry properly and sank.”

Jimmy laughed. “And how distressed is Scott over this?”

Iris tilted her head. “Pretty annoyed. His engineers were convinced that the soil substrate wouldn’t pose any problems and they promised him a much faster timetable than this.”

“Iris,” Jimmy asked. “I’ve known you for a long time. You’ve been my closest advisor. Tell me: is this really evil of me? Like, on a scale of one to ten, how bad of a person am I to let this continue for this long?”

Iris tapped her foot, making a big show of thinking it over. “Well, sir . . . if you asked me, I’d say Rivendell has had this coming for a long time. So maybe it’s like a 5, sort of rude, but hey, you did offer our engineers to them and they refused it. So yeah, I think this will make them put a little respect on the Cod Empire name.”

“So you don’t think this will, like, cause a war or anything?”

“You can fire me if it does.”

“I don’t think I could manage this place without you.”

“I know you can’t,” Iris winked, before twirling around and walking out, braid swinging behind her. “Besides,” she called back just before she stepped out of the door, with a certain tone in her voice Jimmy had trouble placing. “I don’t think Scott exactly wants to fight you.”

Well, he’d never been very opposed to the idea of fighting in the past, Jimmy thought–although they were allies now. But he also insulted the Cod Empire a lot, so maybe he deserved this a little.

Jimmy pushed back in his chair and looked out the window. The builders had been at work for a few weeks now. They had previously made blueprints for other embassies and were using the same one, so architecture hadn’t been a concern. Only the site condition and foundation remained an issue. The Rivendellian engineers had surveyed the site though, to their credit. 

They just . . . didn’t have the knowledge of how to build in a swamp. They had no experience trying to build on a moving, unstable, saturated surface. The mountains in Rivendell didn’t move at nearly the pace the swamp did. 

And as such, they were struggling. Hard. 

They didn’t just have to keep the foundation and building from shifting, but they had to make sure that it didn’t flood. And they had to do this within the rules of Jimmy’s empire–wetlands were very important ecosystems, and Jimmy didn’t want them going in and messing anything up. Of course, constant construction and tearing down failed foundations wasn’t great for the land either, but Jimmy found he didn’t worry about that so much when he was enjoying Scott’s frustration. 

He went outside to supervise them in the afternoon. He didn’t have much paperwork to do for Codfather duties and was already through for the day. He never did. Not that’d he tell the other emperors that, though. They’d probably turn up their noses and make some comment about how of course he had nothing to do, he wasn’t a legitimate empire. 

Jimmy thought a lot of that red tape was unnecessary if you ruled properly, made things simple the first time, and had people who respected you. And that it wasn’t a bad thing if your people saw you enjoying some free time once and a while–especially if they felt comfortable enough to join in. He found he got to know a lot of people better like this. 

He decided to use his free time to lounge around the edge of the construction site with a smug look on his face and see how long it took for Scott to come up and start yelling at him. 

It took about five minutes. 

Scott, engaged in some sort of argument with an engineer, turned and saw Jimmy leaning against another building in the shade, and stalked over. It looked like he was muttering to himself. His hair, normally perfectly styled, was a little sweaty. That just made Jimmy even more smug, because Scott wasn’t exactly used to exerting himself in the hot sun since Rivendell was so cold. 

“What did you do?” he demanded. 

“Me?” Jimmy said. “I didn’t do anything. I’m just standing here. My people aren’t involved in this project at all.”

“Stop smiling,” Scott groaned. “There’s nothing here to smile about.”

“I disagree,” Jimmy said, still grinning. “My advisors and I are having a great time with this.”

“Well I’m not,” Scott said petulantly. “Why didn’t you warn me? Why won’t you help me?”

“Huh,” Jimmy said. “Last I remember you didn’t want any input from the Cod Empire on your design. You said you’d build something cuter instead.” He looked over Scott’s shoulder to where someone was somewhat frantically trying to fashion a water pump for the foundation. “I figured your grand Rivendellian architects could handle a little water. Aren’t they the best in the land?”

“They are,” Scott hissed. 

“Then why don’t they know how to build something on wet ground? I mean, I guess they could be the best in the ‘land’ but not the best in the water–”

“Rivendell is not this wet!” Scott cried. “Or muddy! There’s no saturated ground and sinking foundations. They’re perfectly good engineers.”

“So you agree that your engineers only know how to build in Rivendell?” Jimmy asked. “Because I offered you mine and you refused them.”

Scott glared at him. “My engineers could build in any place. It’s just your swamp that’s stupid.”

“The swamp,” Jimmy said sternly, “is just existing. And it’s been the home of my people for generations before, and will be for generations to come.”

Scott sighed, picking up Jimmy’s not-so-subtle irritation. As much as Jimmy got teased, there was a limit that all the rulers recognized where teasing dropped into true offense. Scott backed off, but he didn’t apologize. “Your swamp’s fine,” he mumbled. “It’s just difficult to build in. I can’t believe you all live like this.”

“It’s difficult for you to build in,” Jimmy said. “My people do it just fine.”

Scott turned partially away from Jimmy, scanning the horizon full of houses. He had a look on his face like maybe it was the first time he’d actually seen any of this and properly paid attention to it. “How do you do it?” he asked finally. “My engineers don’t know the techniques.”

“Well,” Jimmy said. “How about I show them? Or, well, I guess it wouldn’t be me specifically showing you, I’ll call my head engineer and architect over here, ‘cause I’m not the one who actually does the calculations for these things, I just sign off on them–”

“Jimmy,” Scott interrupted. “I’d like that.”

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ 〈 ⏣ 〉 ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

Thank you for reading! :D Sources, links I used or found while writing this, cool things I found (well I thought they were cool) etc can be found in reblog of this post!

#empires smp #empires s1 #empires jimmy #jimmy solidarity #solidaritygaming #solidarity gaming #empires fanfic #smallishbeans #ldshadowlady #fwhip #scott smajor #quara fanfic

[thebirdandthebee]

Easy As

A Carmen Berzatto Universe

A/N: Another request from the inbox - though I think this has been on everyone’s mind for a while! Let me know your guesses at gender ;)

Vanessa Monaghan is the breath of fresh air that Carmen had been gasping for.

Chapter 28: Sous

It was earlier than they planned – about six months earlier. Vanessa would be walking at her graduation ceremony in three months, and by then, she’d be six months along.

She didn’t care if it was earlier than planned. Frankly she was more impressed than anything – she’d only gotten her IUD taken out a few months ago. Her gynecologist warned it could take six months to a year for her cycle to regulate again and they had been using condoms in the mean time.

She hadn’t even necessarily gotten off of her IUD with the intention of getting pregnant, but to help with cramps that had been getting worse over the last year or so.

But there it was, looking right back at her as she stared down the little Clear Blue test. Pregnant.

It took a few days for it to really sink in – and about six more tests along with a trip to her gyno to confirm.

Sure, they’d been talking about having babies for years, but it was something else entirely to actually be pregnant.

She wanted to tell Carmen in a cute way – not just blurt it out over dinner one night.

But she didn’t know how. She didn’t want it to be tacky, she wanted it to be sweet – maybe use something they could hold onto as the baby got older.

After a week of thinking it through and work-shopping a couple of items on Etsy, she had a solution. Tracking down a vintage baby Levi denim jacket wasn’t easy, but with enough money, anything was possible.  Six days later, she got the jacket back from an artist based in Chicago that had artfully stitched Sous Chef across the top back panel of the jacket. It was perfect, and she cried as she clutched it to her chest after opening the box up on campus.

She couldn’t risk Carmen finding it before it was time.

But the time had finally come. It had been nearly four weeks since she found out and she was bursting at the seams to finally tell him. Nerves shook her hands as she wrapped up the little jacket in plain brown wrapping paper, tying off the box with white ribbon.

She’d text Carmen that she’d pull together dinner that night. He’d been helping Natalie and Pete with the fence in their backyard for a few hours that afternoon and she’d prepared a big cheese board, salads and sandwiches for dinner – something that they ended up eating most nights.

She was just plating up the spring mix as Carmen walked through the door. She figured she’d save the gift for after dinner. She was starving after all, and didn’t think they’d get around to eating after she told him the big news.

“Mrs. Berzatto?” Carmen called out, hearing the tell-tale thunk of his shoe against the back of the entry closet.

“You hungry?” Vanessa called back, cracking open a ginger ale and leaning back against the kitchen counter. “I found the last bit of our jalapeno spread in the deli drawer.”

Carmen’s arms appeared around her waist, hugging her back against him.

In that moment, she realized she couldn’t eat more than half of what she’d plated up for dinner. No deli meat, no soft cheeses, no smoked salmon. She didn’t know all the rules, but she knew some of them. God she couldn’t eat sushi for nearly six more months?

She wondered if he could feel her little bump – did she even have a bump?

Oh my god she was pregnant.

“Starving,” He replied, kissing her neck gently.

“How are Nat and Pete?” She asked, hugging her arms against him.

“Enjoying their newly fixed fence,” Carmen said, rocking her gently back and forth. “Lily and Maxie were out with the babysitter, so didn’t get to see ‘em.”  Vanessa could feel his frown against her skin. Max was Nat and Pete’s rainbow baby after their miscarriage before Lily turned two. At fourteen months, he was a little monster that Carmen was absolutely obsessed with.

“They’re coming over this weekend,” she reminded gently. “Then we can give them the water table.”

“They’re gonna love it,” Carmen’s frown turned upside down.

Vanessa spun in his hold, taking in his beautiful features.

“Come on, handsome, there’s a salad out there calling my name,” she greeted him once again with a soft kiss.

“God I’m starving,” he said, squeezing her sides in his hand. “After dinner maybe we can walk down to Jeni’s for dessert?”

“That sounds like a magnificent idea,” Vanessa agreed. It was another sweltering late summer in Chicago and their air conditioning had been working overtime all week.

They shared dinner at the dining table, Vanessa’s feet in Carmen’s lap as he told her about his day. She’d been studying away for final projects and she could feel the shift in their life coming – a welcome, exciting shift. Maybe Carmen could feel it, too.

“You not hungry?” Carmen asked, noticing she’d barely picked at the cheeseboard and left most of her sandwich on her plate.

“I ate a big, heavy lunch today and for some reason this salad is the only thing calling my name,” she explained way. He didn’t blink twice and happily picked up her sandwich to put on his plate.

“I already know what flavor you’re going to get,” Carmen said as their hands swung between them, looking up at the board of flavors at Jeni’s.

“I think I’m going to change it up this time,” Vanessa replied.

“No gooey butter cake?” He asked. His wife was a severe creature of habit.

“Something about Savannah buttermint is really doing it for me this time,” she said, “will you get me two scoops?” Carmen shrugged, reaching the counter to order and grabbing his own scoop of salted caramel.

The noises Vanessa was making as they trekked back to their apartment were downright unholy.

“Good then?” Carmen asked with a laugh.

“Fuck Carmen, this ice cream is getting me wet,” she replied, only half-joking. Carmen honked out a laugh at her words.

“Wait, let me try,” he insisted, reaching his spoon over.

“Don’t you dare,” she pulled away, twisting her body so he couldn’t reach it.

“Vanessa!” He laughed, “you got two scoops, let me get a little nibble,” he said, only halfway sounding like a petulant child.

“I’m not sharing!” She said, shoveling another big bite into her mouth.

“C’mere,” he lured her in, sealing his mouth over hers in a kiss, getting all the flavor of the Savannah buttermint. “Wow, that is good,” he commented, proud to see he could still make his wife blush.

“Come on, I have a little something for you at home,” she teased out, piquing his interest.

“For me?” He asked, brows raised.

Vanessa finished her treat in the same time as Carmen, dropping their used cups in the garbage before she grabbed her perfectly wrapped package from their bedroom.

“Baby, what did you get me?” He asked, happily taking the box as she settled herself in his lap on the couch.

“I think you’ll like it,” she replied, “I love it,” she added quietly.

Carmen gave her an inquisitive look as he pulled the white ribbon, tearing the brown wrapping paper. Lifting the white tissue paper, he tossed the lid to the ground, revealing the little jacket.

“Ness?” He asked, holding it up in its entirety. It was impossibly small, and he heart lurched at the sight of it. She pushed the box to the ground as he turned it over, revealing the embroidery.

She could see Carmen’s brain stop working all together.

“Nessa?” He asked again, mouth agape and blue eyes wide. “Sous Chef?” He asked mostly to himself. “Ness is this for –“” His brain flipped around the babies they knew, Rosie, Lily, Max – they were all too big for this. “Vanessa are you pregnant?” He finally formed a full thought.

“Check the pocket,” she smiled serenely. Carmen reached in to pull out the infamous blue-capped test.

Pregnant.

“Are you kidding me?” He asked, looking absolutely shocked. “Vanessa please don’t tell me this is a joke,” he all but pleaded.

“It’s not a joke,” excited tears bubbled up to the surface. “I’m pregnant – went to the doctor and everything.”

“Ness – I” Carmen’s face morphed into pure joy, his lashes dark and slick with tears. He wrapped her up in the biggest hug he could, wanting to hold onto this moment forever in case it was another dream. “We’re having a baby,” he breathed in disbelief.

“We’re having a baby,” she laughed, nervous and excited giggles leaving her lips.

“You’re pregnant!” He exclaimed, “holy shit, Ness, it’s happening!” he pushed his hair back, holding his forehead underneath his palm.

“It’s happening!” She agreed.

“When,” he breathed in again, “when?” He implored.

“Valentine’s Day,” she giggled.

“Valentine’s Day?” He gaped, still in pure disbelief.

“Our little valentine,” she repeated, tears now flowing down her cheeks.

“So you’re – you’re almost three months?” He asked.

“Next week I’ll be out of my first trimester,” she replied, “happy birthday.” Carmen would turn thirty-two next week.

Carmen leaned forward, kissing her soundly, his hand sliding up her back to cradle her head in his palms.

“I love you so much,” he shook his head. “We’ve got to build a nursery.”

Vanessa laughed at his thought process, stroking the back of his neck gently.

“We have so much time,” she insisted.

“Ness it’s going to fly by,” he replied. “We can get painters out here next week.”

“And what color are we painting, huh?” She asked with a tilt of her head. “Should we find out?”

Carmen froze. They were either going to have a baby boy or a baby girl and even now, with just two options, it seemed like a universe of possibilities.

“I want to find out,” he said, eyes almost desperate. “I don’t think I can wait till February to know.”

“I want out find out, too,” Vanessa agreed. “It’s been killing me to walk by all the baby boutiques and not buying anything,” Carmen laughed at her honesty.

An hour later, they were laying in bed, Carmen’s head resting gently on Vanessa’s stomach.

“It’s the size of a cherry right now,” Vanessa said, combing her fingers through Carmen’s hair. He was due for a haircut, but she loved it long and shaggy in the summer.

“A cherry,” he repeated, marveling. “A little rainier,” he commented. “I think she’s more like a little maraschino,” Vanessa replied.

“You think it’s a girl?” He asked, hand resting gently below her belly button.

“I have no idea,” she said honestly. “It’s fun to picture it.”

Carmen nuzzled against her, feeling like he was positively floating.

“Thank you,” he said, lifting his head to look Vanessa in the eye.

“Well my love, I really couldn’t do it without you,” Vanessa smiled. “I’m impressed honestly, my gynecologist was impressed, too.” Carmen laughed softly, placing his head back down against the warmth of her body.

“How are we ever supposed to sleep again?” Carmen asked, “I’m too excited to sleep.”

“Baby I think our days of sleep are officially over,” Vanessa admitted.

Carmen began to run through it all in his head. He’d never put anything before his baby. He knew that some adjustments would be on the horizon, because he wouldn’t give up a single minute with his growing family.

#Carmy #carmy smut #carmen smut #carmen x oc #carmy fluff #carmy berzatto #carmy x reader #Carmen Berzatto #carmen berzatto fluff #carmen berzatto smut #the bear #the bear hulu #the bear fx #carmen just wants to be a dad and make pancakes

[elvenbeard]

Blank Canvas

Cyberpunk 2077 Fanfic Summary: Mr. B has called, and V and and Kerry follow his invitation. The man who claims he holds the solution to V's problem in his hands, has yet to deliver the proof and keep his word... This is truly V's last shot at a long and happy life, and he sacrificed so much to get here... it better be worth it. (Post-Sun-Ending, mostly canon-compliant, Chapter 8/?, 7542 words, Kerry Eurodyne/V, content warning for mild body horror and canonical disgustingness! - notes at the end >> Previous Chapter >> Read from the Beginning

V’s Kenshin tech pistol rested heavy in his lap. The sharp, cold metal ridges of the word “arasaka” engraved into the barrel bit his tracing fingertips. His eyes were pinned to the building not far ahead, casting an ominous shadow on them in the late afternoon light.

“Got the sneakin’ suspicion we’ll lose contact as soon as you go in,” Rogue said on the holo, “So if I don’t hear back from you within an hour…”

“Send in the cavalry,” V chuckled, as did Rogue on the other end of the line. She sighed.

“Don’t think you gotta worry as much as ya do. They’re shady motherfuckers… but that’s what’s gonna be your protection. They wouldn’t wanna draw the attention hurting you would get ‘em… and even more so, fuckin’ Eurodyne.”

“Good point,” V said, but he couldn’t quite shake the impression that Rogue herself wasn’t so sure about this, deflecting, relativizing a little too much. She’d been in this business more than thrice the time he had, knew what she was talking about. Usually. But even she didn’t know more about these people than V did.

“Ya really think it’s a good idea to take him along?” she asked after a short pause.

V kept his eyes straight ahead, to not give Kerry, on the driver’s seat next to him still, any indication that they were talking about him.

“Well, what do you think?” he said in a tone as neutral as he managed.

“That he’s almost as fuckin’ stubborn as Johnny,” Rogue said, “I get it, really do. Still… Y’know what happened last time I took a rockerboy to a gig.”

“Yeah…”

This knowledge, this memory, was exactly why V did not want Kerry here with him, amongst many other reasons practical, logical, and probably also irrational.

“I’m not sayin’ that lightly,” she said, “But be careful. He might be doin’ this for you, and it could make all the difference. But they sure as fuck know he’s your biggest weakness while you’re in there together. They’re not gonna hesitate to use that against you if they gotta.”

There was a short, heavy pause.

“C’mon now, go, kid,” Rogue then said, ordered almost, “Lemme know how it went… And don’t worry ‘bout the Afterlife. We’ll cope with not havin’ ya around a little while longer.”

“Still not a fan of my optimization plans, hm?” V grinned.

“Fuck off. And move your ass. I’m not gonna come over and kick it for ya.”

She ended the call and V sighed.

“So… she got any final words of wisdom?” Kerry asked, fingers gently drumming on the steering wheel. They had swapped cars at home, and with what Rogue had said just now V wondered if it might not have been better after all to use Kerry’s Aerondight to get here… But then again, if shit hit the fan in some way, he didn’t want any more unnecessary negative attention drawn to him.

“Not really,” V shook his head, “Nothin’ I didn’t think of already at least.”

“Told ya so,” Kerry shrugged, pulling out his cigarettes at the same time. He only paused when he noticed V’s stern stare.

“Ah, fuck,” he mumbled and then got out of the car. They had not only swapped cars, but also changed clothes quickly while at the penthouse. As he slipped from the driver’s seat, Kerry’s black bomber jacket rode up briefly, revealing the gun tucked into the waistband of his cargo pants.

“You shouldn’t do that,” V said as he got out himself, “Posers in action films keep their gun in their pants. In the real world that’s gonna get you shot in the ass faster than you think.”

Out of reflex V closed the passenger side door with his left elbow, flinching at the pain shooting through his shoulder and chest. He took a deep breath, then adjusted his own gun holster worn snugly under his coat.

“Fiiine,” Kerry sighed, lit cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth, and he put the gun into his jacket’s pocket. Not ideal still, but better. V smiled at him, and then slowly turned to look down the short, narrow side street they were parked in. They were close to the Santo Domingo district border, in the middle of the industrial area at the edge of the city. The location coordinates Mr. B had sent him laid not far ahead. A new, sleek white building, curved and modern in design, rose at the center of what he remembered to be factory grounds formerly. V guessed it around seven stories tall and it was far from imposing, a little bit lost on the large lot even, but it blended in well with the surrounding corpo complexes. The entire compound was fenced in. V spotted cameras and security turrets near the reinforced entrance gate. No security staff though, not even mechs or drones, much to his surprise. Or maybe they were simply not out in the open, or cloaked, or, or, or...

“I’d like to have a short look around before goin’ in,” V said, turning back to Kerry, “You wanna wait here?”

“I’d rather tag along,” he said, then added, “If I’m not in the way.”

Kerry’s tone was off, he stood slightly hunched over, as if to make himself smaller.

“You’re not,” V quickly said, forcing a smile as he reached out to tug on his sleeve briefly. Kerry really wouldn’t be a bother for some casual scouting ahead of time. He might even notice things V didn’t. Four eyes, and all that.

“I’m just asking ‘cause I’m still not sure what to really expect. Give you the chance to back out, y’know?”

“V, how many more times do I gotta tell you you’re stuck with me?” Kerry asked sternly, then slowly started walking towards the compound and V followed. As soon as they’d reached the end of the side street though, he hesitated and turned back around, downplaying his uneasiness with a brief smirk and cocky shrug, as if to say, “after you”.

“Let’s go for a short walk around the block,” he decided, nodding to have Kerry follow him around the corner. To look around, and to maybe walk off some of their nervous energy.

They headed along the main road in northern direction, “Francis Street” said the small buzzing signs at the intersection. The building was to their left now, and they’d slowly surround it counterclockwise. Kerry stayed close, V had his scanners active and investigated the security setup, looking for weaknesses in the system or structure, and anything out of the ordinary they could potentially use to their advantage.

“Isn’t it, dunno… suspicious to walk around out in the open like this?” Kerry asked shorty before they’d turn around the first corner, “I mean, not tellin’ ya how to do your job, but…”

“No, you’re not wrong,” V said, “But this is not a stealth job. If we had to sneak in quietly, I would’ve parked the car somewhere else to begin with. Do the reconnaissance from further away, over a longer timeframe. But since they expect me, and we got an access token…”

“Then… why make the effort?” Kerry wondered.

“Can’t hurt to know what we’re up against if something goes wrong,” V said, “I don’t know this area well, and it’s good to have a rough layout of everything in mind at least. ‘specially since the place doesn’t seem to have regular windows.”

They stopped briefly on the northern side of the compound and V nodded into the direction of the building. So far, he had noted nothing out of the usual, nothing he wouldn’t have expected in one way or another.

“See that?” he pointed to a gate on the side of the building blending in so well with the exterior walls, it was barely visible without a scanner, “Could be a garage entrance, and going by the size it’s big enough for a small tank. Could even lead underground. And the lights on the roof, the colors, and the way they’re arranged, suggest an AV landing pad. But can’t tell from here if there’s one there right now or not. No big communication towers or anything though, so this is all pretty closed off, which fits their secrecy and posing as an independent little lab with no ulterior motives. The security tech I’ve seen so far… all Arasaka, even if they removed the branding for most of it to make it less apparent.”

No wonder, his former employer’s name wasn’t well-liked in Night City once again.

“Huh,” Kerry pondered V’s explanations for a moment, looking the building up and down, “Wouldn’t even know where to start, like… sure, there’s security turrets and cameras but, what to do with that info…”

V had been uncertain about whether or not he wanted to… but in the end, he was convinced that Mr. B would expect him to check out their security upfront.

“Can you keep an eye out for a moment?” V asked, “Just out here on the street. Make a note of anyone passing by or giving us weird looks.”

“What’re you up to?” Kerry wanted to know, shoulders tense, but voice relaxed.

“Check the cameras. Just a minute or so, don’t wanna push it,” he said with a grin, hacking into the CCTV at the same time. His vision blurred and he gained control of the camera nearest to their position. It was attached to the corner post of the fence surrounding the compound.

“Oookay…” Kerry said reluctantly, and through the lens V saw themselves, Kerry looking around with his hands in his pockets, surely clinging to his iron.

“Don’t worry,” he tried to soothe him, “I’ll be quick and then we continue.”

The cameras on the outside of the building were all part of a separate closed-circuit network, and V couldn’t find an easy way to gain access to any internal systems. Not that he had expected to. He switched through the various cameras, most of them on the fences, around the gate, then surprisingly one surveying from the rooftop. He panned it around.

“Huh, no AV on the roof,” he informed Kerry, “Also, nothing out of the usual… apart from all security completely automated it seems. No illusive private security firm like the Peralezes had to deal with…”

He logged out of the system again, blinking a few times until his optics had refocused.

“Let’s move on.”

They completed the rest of their lap around the compound in a little less than ten minutes overall. There was not much to discover, nothing out of the usual, and V had to shut up the nagging voice in the back of his head complaining that all he did was procrastinate the inevitable.

“Last chance,” he said quietly, turned to Kerry, who shook his head sternly, eyes narrowed and dark.

“The only way I’m not going in there with you ’s them draggin’ me back out by my feet.”

V more mouthed than said “okay” in response, but still his whole body screamed to put Kerry back into the car and lock the doors until this was over. Instead, he stepped down from the curb onto the dusty tarmac. Crossing the few yards now separating them from the compound entrance seemed to be an insurmountable distance, while with each step V’s dread grew.

The gate at the center of the lot was heavy black metal, just like the fence. V recognized security scanners embedded into the floor. A couple of signs attached warned of trespassing and lethal force being used, the usual markings one could find to the entrance of every corporate- or government owned facility like this. Only now V finally noticed the nameplate above the entrance. It was somewhat subtle, fine silver letters engraved into white marble-like material, mirroring the design of the building.

“Beyond?” Kerry muttered as if he’d read V’s mind. V glanced at him also reading the sign, then Kerry looked at him.

“Heard worse names for a startup,” V shrugged. Very faintly below the “Beyond” a tagline stated “Technologies” in a spaced out, heavier font.

“Guess time will tell if they’re beyond awesome or beyond awful,” Kerry muttered, and V chuckled.

“Beyond belief, maybe?” he said, and Kerry groaned.

“Beyond belief how many bad puns this will lead to…”

They both snickered, briefly forgetting why they were here, that there was nothing really to joke about just yet.

V looked around for an intercom or something comparable, but there was nothing.  Security cameras, yes, but even as they finally stood right in front of the gate, there seemed to be no immediately visible way inside, nothing happened.

“Hello?” he asked out loud, for lack of a better idea in the moment, his heart beating in his throat, “I’m here… For Mr. B?”

Nothing.

Kerry stepped a little closer, hands still in his pockets, and looked around, over his shoulder, at V.

“Gonna try and call him,” V said after a couple of moments, but then a soft crackle of static somewhere above their heads made them both look up.

“Welcome,” a voice said. Not Mr. B’s as far as V could tell, probably an automated receptionist. He still couldn’t tell where exactly it was coming from though, it seemed to be all around them with no discernible source. Not loud or otherwise attention-drawing, only just so they could hear it.

“Please step into the scanner,” the voice ordered.

V did as he was told, somewhat reluctantly, and he flinched slightly when suddenly Kerry grabbed his hand. Not to hold him back, just to hold on as he followed. The scanner activated, blue lights flashing and surrounding them completely for a few seconds.

“Firearms detected,” the voice said, “Combat cyberware detected.”

“A cyberdeck is classified as a weapon now?” V muttered under his breath as the scan completed.

“Ezaki, Vincent, 28. Fixer, Afterlife-Merc. Ex-Agent, rank III, Arasaka Counterintelligence. ‘King of the Afterlife’, wanted in Night City for - …”

“The fuck, you wanna yell my whole biography across the street?” V complained and almost simultaneously Kerry also started berating the voice.

“Shit, how do you even know - …”

They looked at each other, as the voice continued. Then it dawned on V. He only heard it in his head.

“Fuck me sideways…” Kerry muttered quietly, coming to the same conclusion, “That’s not creepy at all...”

“Scan complete,” the voice said before they could even recover from their realization, “Token verified. Visitor access granted.”

There was a loud click and a thud, and then, like an ancient creature awaking from its slumber, the massive gate crawled open.

“What the fuck was that?” Kerry asked, both of them hesitating to enter.

“Intimidation tactics,” V said sternly.

“If that’s how they treat their guests I don’t wanna know how they treat their enemies,” Kerry mumbled. V wondered if concepts like “friends” and “enemies” really mattered all that much to these people.

“Stay behind me a bit, just in case,” he said, still convinced that any moment now someone would open fire, or snatch Kerry away from him, that he was not wanted here after all. Reluctantly Kerry let go of his hand as they entered the compound, the gate rattling shut behind them again. Mr. B had sprung one of his may traps once more.

A white-tiled path wound its way between coarse dark gravel towards the entrance of the building, framed by freshly planted, synthetic bonsai trees that were all a bit too uniform, too perfect. V and Kerry were not even halfway there when the tall black entrance doors slid open, revealing a sprawling hall beyond. A handful of flat steps led up and into it, and the hair on V’s neck stood up when they stepped inside.

“Got a bad feeling,” Kerry uttered out loud what V was thinking.

Describing the entrance hall as imposing was an under- and overstatement at the same time, somehow. Its dimensions were certainly breathtaking, encompassing at least half of the building’s height and width. A smartglass ceiling projected the endless night sky above them, cosmic clouds swirling between sparkling stars and far solar systems, the logo “Beyond Technologies” floating among the digital nebulas. The darkness of the ceiling was reflected in the black marble flooring, while the indirectly lit walls were white. Decorative silver lines crawled between earth below and sky above, reminiscent of circuit boards. “We reach for the stars” seemed to be the message here, and the first impression was certainly something. Apart from that though, the room was disappointingly empty, almost as if the budget had run out mid-furnishing. No desks, chairs, decorations. No people, either, and the security systems, which certainly existed, were well-hidden. On the inside the building was just as devoid of actual life as its surroundings.

The only outstanding architectural element was a large glass tube housing two separate elevator shafts at the center of the room, the only other visible ways in and out. Just as V had finished the thought, an elevator came into sight from above, within the familiar face of Mr. B.

“That’s him,” V whispered, and Kerry shuffled, whether with unease or to ready himself he was not certain.

The elevator stopped on their level, the door slid open elegantly. Mr. B, dressed in a white blazer combined with sleek, silvery pants today, stepped out towards them.

“So glad you could make it this soon,” he said, tone overly friendly, “Although you look somewhat more roughed-up than Saturday…”

“Nothin’ to do with the gig,” V quickly deflected.

“Didn’t think so,” Mr. B said with a nod. He slowly, steadily walked towards them, but stopped retaining about three yards of distance – respectful or distrustful? Arms behind his straightened back, he held his head high, and blue glowing eyes looked V up and down briefly before wandering to Kerry.

“Mr. Eurodyne,” he hinted a bow, “A true honor and pleasure to meet another Night City legend in person.”

V half expected a snarky response like “wish I could say the same” or “can we just skip the pleasantries and get down to business”, but in fact, Kerry remained quiet. V looked over his shoulder, just to make sure he was still there.

“So, you’re the guy claimin’ he can save V’s life?” Kerry then finally said, the tiniest, most gut-wrenching tremble accompanying his last few words.

Mr. B’s smile grew slightly wider.

“I’m not just claiming it,” he said, oozing confidence.

“How?” Kerry asked promptly, “’Cause - …”

Mr. B raised his hand to stop him, and Kerry scoffed.

“I think it is easier to show you than to explain,” he said, “Follow me, please.”

He half-turned and elegantly gestured towards the elevator. V and Kerry exchanged a quick glance. V could sense Kerry’s nerves, his nausea about this whole situation. Every cell in V’s own body warned him about stepping into that elevator and yet… Was that Johnny’s lingering influence, his aversion to corporations and slimy bastards like Mr. B, or really V’s own instinct speaking? Also, Mr. B seemed surprisingly relaxed about Kerry even being here… V had expected more of a resistance, more hoops to jump through. And now they were invited in just like that?

Mr. B led the way and V and Kerry felt they had no other option but to follow, as if they were being pulled by an invisible leash. There was no way for them to speak, communicate what to do if something went wrong. V did a quick scan of their surroundings as they walked, noting that there really were no doors beyond the entrance and the elevators in this whole cathedral of a room – was this really built just to show off, impress the – presumably – rare visitors?

“After you,” Mr. B said and V stepped into the wide, circular elevator, closely followed by Kerry, glued to his side.

“I know everything is a bit bleak still out here,” Mr. B then said with a glance over his shoulder, right as he joined them. V shivered.

“Not at all, it is impressive,” he flattered, “But yes, you mentioned this building is brand-new?”

Blue-Eyes nodded.

“You are among the first of our… clients to walk within these walls,” he said, “For lack of a better term.”

The doors slid shut with precision. V couldn’t see a control panel, and yet the elevator just seemed to know where they were headed, ascending towards the galaxy ceiling, and then passing through. Remote controlled, probably. Blue-Eyes had to be stock-full of chrome capable of little tricks like that, nothing that impressed V too much just yet.

“Who are your other ‘clients’, apart from people you invest in,” V inquired instead. Unable to hide his curiosity he deliberately used Mr. B’s terminology, even though he’d always hated to be treated as some corporation’s investment. Kerry’s stinging stare was like a knife to his throat, but V kept his eyes on Mr. B as they ascended slowly. The elevator shaft was only see-through on the ground level, further up the futuristic magic of it all was somewhat diminished, replaced with run-of-the-mill skyscraper interior aesthetics.

Mr. B turned to look at V, smile as piercing as his eyes.

“So far it is only people we invest in – in one way or another,” he said.

The elevator came to a halt, the doors slid open again, revealing a long, bright corridor that screamed “lab”. There were doors left and right, but V could not make out identifying markers, nameplates, or anything else to give an indication of what lay behind them as they followed Mr. B to the end of the hallway. The silence, apart from their echoing footsteps, was thick, and V counted the doors, memorizing how far apart they were and approximated how long it would take to run the entire distance to the elevator, how quickly they would be able to find cover.

Mr. B opened the tall white door ahead of them. They entered a large office, its shape followed the curve of the building’s exterior walls, and V roughly knew where they were now. Somewhere above the large garage gate they’d seen from the outside.

The room was about twice the size of V’s old Megabuilding H10 apartment. The entirety of the curved wall was covered in smartglass displaying once more the name “Beyond” on a minimalistic, slightly animated white and silver background. It provided enough illumination to bathe the whole room in soft, almost-natural light. A large white desk sat roughly at the back center of the room, a modern art piece of its own volition. There were two comfortable armchairs for visitors and a large office chair behind it, all white leather. In fact, the whole room was so bright, so white, so immaculately clean that it made V dizzy. As if he’d walked right into the afterlife – the literal one this time, not the bar. And again, apart from the desk and seating, there was nothing else in here. Some modular shelves built into the walls that weren’t covered in screens, but no decoration, no sliver of personality. Smooth, cold, bright, blinding, corpo-chic… in a way, it did make sense after all that this was Mr. Blue-Eyes’ office.

“Please, have a seat,” Mr. B said as he sat down in the office chair. V and Kerry obliged, Kerry still with his hands in his pockets, slumping back, legs spread wide, right one slightly bouncing. He never took his eyes off Mr. B. The latter pulled up a holographic screen in front of him, top-notch tech if V had ever seen any. Arasaka’s collapse was probably what had made the setup of this lab possible in the first place – certainly the security measures, so why not the tech on the inside as well? In a way, V was suddenly thrown back into Jenkins’ office, the many lengthy private meetings either with just V alone or the other agents on his level invited.

“I take it Mr. Eurodyne has been brought up to date on why you’re here today?” Mr. B then asked, catching V completely off guard. Blue-Eyes tapped around on his screen briefly before leaning back in his chair, legs crossed, and hands folded expectantly. Only now Kerry briefly glanced at V.

“Wish I was being brought up to date still if I’m being completely honest,” V said sternly, “I’ve kept my word, no mention of what I did for you until it was done.”

“Who else knows?” was the counter-question.

“No-one that wasn’t directly involved,” V replied fast and truthfully.

Blue-glowing eyes stared him down intensely, certainly equipped with the tech to read intention and recognize lies. But V was a good liar, and in this case, for once, he even told the truth, had nothing to hide. After a couple of moments, Mr. B’s shoulders relaxed somewhat, but V’s heart continued to run a marathon in his chest.

“I’ve left him in the dark long enough. Your turn now,” he added sternly.

Mr. B slightly tilted his head, and his smile returned.

“You remember our conversation at the Afterlife?” he asked, “I promised you something beyond your wildest imagination… An instant and permanent solution to your medical issues.”

He cleared his throat briefly, then continued. V had to force himself to relax his own posture, mirroring Blue-Eyes’ now with his legs crossed, as if they were having a nice dinner date to talk business.

“The way I see it, having known you and your condition for a while now, your problem has always been the one of an alert, bright mind, trapped in a dying body,” Mr. B said, “First it was the Relic slowly killing you, and now it’s the only thing that’s left of your life how it used to be.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” V shook his head, but he was sick to his stomach hearing what he knew deep down spelled out so clearly, with so little emotion. The doctors they’d dealt with so far had always at least somewhat tried to sugarcoat the facts, usually in medical terms. Or provided them with the same “options” Hellman had already loved to push on him, “options” to consider apart from chasing a cure that didn’t exist.

“You can sense it though, don’t you?” Mr. B continued, leaning forward slightly now, “You should, at this point. Your mind disconnecting itself, slowly but surely, from a host not fitting its specifications anymore.”

“Can you cut it out with that gross tech-jabber?” Kerry interrupted him now, “V’s not some machine, and his body is his body, not a ‘host’, for fuck’s sake.”

Mr. B briefly turned to look at Kerry, keeping up his friendly smile.

“Apologies,” he said, “I do sometimes get caught up in the technical terminology.”

“How do you know all that anyway?” V then asked, trying to maintain his relaxed posture while his head began to throb in pain once more, “The emptiness the… disconnect. Because yes. That’s how I’d put into words what I’m feeling lately. Or… not feeling, rather.”

Blue-Eyes reached out to turn around his screen for V and Kerry to see.

“We were able to get our hands on a lot of very interesting data from Arasaka’s ‘Secure your Soul’ program,” he explained, “It is far from complete, but we have access to a large database containing both simulations and clinical trials with human study participants, for both the original Relic and the Relic 2.0. With what we have, gaps were easy to approximate.”

V scanned through the data on the screen briefly, recognizing some names and information here and there from his own venture into the depths of Arasaka’s labs during that long, dark, awful night back in June.

“The 2.0 never made it to completion though,” V then said, looking up from the terminal, “I’m the first one where it… somewhat worked as intended. Failed successfully. Hellman himself said so.”

“Indeed,” Mr. B nodded, “We were able to secure many notes of Mr. Hellman’s team as well, verifying his concerns on our own time meanwhile, and reaching similar conclusions. In subjects where the Relic malfunctioned or the engram didn’t fully take, even in those otherwise most promising, there was always mentions of a growing numbness, disconnect, distance between engram and host… until the engram eventually malfunctioned and, for lack of a better word, disabled itself.”

“You mean, died,” Kerry said sternly.

“I hope you’re not implying you’ve carried on Hellman’s work…” V asked, his mind racing at the mental image of the basement levels of this building just a whiter, friendlier-looking copy of Arasaka’s labs, while containing the same or even more messed up levels of human experimentation. He did not like Mr. B’s widening, predator-like smile.

“Not in the sense you’re imagining,” he shook his head. But he did not outright deny it either.

V swallowed, he struggled to continue holding eye-contact with Mr. B, when his mind told him “Run. Now!”. Kerry looked back and forth between V and Blue-Eyes tensely, brow heavily furrowed, slowly sliding closer to the edge of his seat.

“Anders Hellman’s focus were the Relic’s architecture and the engrams themselves. Optimizing those two variables to ensure the transferred personalities were as close to their originals as possible,” Mr. B continued, “For Arasaka’s purposes that was a valid concern. Nothing worse than transferring Saburo-sama into a new host body only to have him, well… come back wrong. Not the man, the leader he is. It makes sense.”

He paused, uncrossed his legs, and got up from his chair. He turned to look at the smartglass wall behind them, the slightly pulsating “Beyond” engulfed in digital fog. Then he looked back at V.

“Your concern though, as mentioned, lies in the fact that you’re currently in the wrong kind of host body, which is actively rejecting your psyche.”

“Get to the fucking point, fucking hell,” Kerry muttered and pulled out his cigarettes.

“I’d kindly ask you not to smoke in here,” Mr. B said, tone still friendly, but he looked down on them, towered over them.

“Make me,” Kerry challenged, rummaging for his lighter at the same time, eyes electric and wild.

“Kerry,” V awkwardly placed his injured hand on Kerry’s right thigh in an attempt to soothe him. Only after staring at each other intensely for a couple of moments Kerry stopped searching for his lighter.

“I don’t like where this is going either,” V thought, hoping somehow to convey his conflicting emotions without words. He hated everything about this, but… Mr. B’s promise was his last shot at a life together. At the very least he wanted to hear all details of his offer, even if…

Kerry put his hand on V’s carefully, holding it in place. He understood.

“I know this is a lot to take in at once,” Mr. B then said, “Even more so I am glad to have you both here, as, with how close you are, my solution to your problem will certainly be a concern for each of you to consider.”

V’s stomach twisted at that implication alone. Mr. B tapped around on his screen once more, and a sudden hissing noise behind them made both V and Kerry flinch, then spin around. A previously invisible hatch in the ground slid open, steam rolling in, probably caused by the reaction of some sort of coolant with the nicely air-conditioned office. A large platform began to rise from the ground, on top of it an eerily coffin-shaped and -sized container.

“Here is my offer, my solution, my payment for you, V,” Mr. B said proudly, “And my promise for a bright future ahead.”

V’s heart and thoughts were racing. The platform came to an agonizingly slow halt, locking into place with a metallic thud. The cold steam slowly subsided, and Mr. B walked around the desk passing them, towards the container, until it sat between them. It was built from the same black metal as the gate and fence outside, as the interior of the building beneath the polished white walls and shiny screens.

“Am I gonna regret looking at this?” V asked hesitantly, still glued to his chair, as was Kerry, fingertips digging into the syn-leather.

“I think you have seen worse in your time,” Mr. B smiled, then beckoned him to come over. V rose, slowly, each movement calculated precisely. Step by step, one after the other… his feet barely obeyed him, he had to convince them to move, carry him towards this human-sized pandora’s box.

Kerry remained behind a little while longer but got up as soon as V had reached the platform.

The lid on top of the container was see-through, thick security glass, slightly covered in condensation. The interior was still clearly visible though, illuminated by the same icy light as everything in the building.

V leaned forward, daring a glimpse. He gasped, shuddered at the sight of a body laying inside. Not surprised, he was also not thrilled, but also unable to take his eyes off of it. This was not a random dead person in front of him. It appeared human at first glance, but the longer V looked the more wrong it became. It was hairless, sexless, naked, its facial features weirdly smooth and undefinable, a mannequin made to look human at best… and the worst alternatives would certainly haunt V’s nightmares in the days to come. It appeared sleeping, or dead, arms resting at its sides, its eyelash-less eyes closed. It wasn’t breathing, seemed frozen in place almost, and the container was giving off an icy cold aura.

 “What in the fuck… is that?” V finally managed to ask. Stepping away from the container he bumped into Kerry who had only just reached his side.

“Your means of survival,” Mr. B said as if they were looking at a cartoonishly colorful pill bottle, not a prop from a bad mid-last-century sci-fi horror flick.

“Sorry, but that ain’t quite cutting it as an explanation,” V said, and he was close to reaching the point of slapping the slimy smile out of Mr. B’s face. He kept his cool though, forced himself to breathe slowly.

“Motherfucker, what the hell…” Kerry hissed, now also getting a peek into the futuristic metal-casket, but he quickly withdrew again, ���That a fuckin’ corpse or what?”

“What you’re seeing here is a second chance for many people in your situation, V,” Mr. B said, disregarding Kerry’s remark. He placed his hands on the rim of the container’s lid.

“People with a healthy mind that are dying of an incurable disease, whatever it may be. Let down by their own body, all options are exhausted. But they are not yet ready to give up. This is an individual, pain-free solution to live a long, healthy life, in a more natural way than any other modern therapy could offer.”

“Fuck that, nothin’ ‘bout that thing’s natural,” Kerry grumbled, and once more, Mr. B raised a hand to stop him, calm him down. Kerry glared, then he turned to V.

“You’re seeing how fucked up this is, right?”

V’s own heartbeat was so loud, he barely heard Kerry’s voice.

“This is more natural than your body is at this stage, Mr. Eurodyne,” Mr. B said, then paused briefly, “No offense.”

Kerry froze, biting his tongue certainly sharp with an angry retort.

“What exactly is it, even?” V then slowly asked, but still didn’t dare to look back inside the container, “Some kinda… RealSkinn-covered cyborg? A new kinda total body conversion, a clone, or what?”

“Neither, not quite,” Mr. B shook his head. He looked down into the coffin, bright light from within reflected in his eyes, illuminating his pale face. Then he took half a step back again and sought V’s gaze.

“This is the product of years of trial and error, research and optimization, many failures,” he began to explain, “A blank canvas comes closest maybe to what it is exactly. No conversion, but a replacement. A biological body, with slight… enhancements. It needs food, sleep, exercise, grows hair, ages, can get aroused, sick, injured, bleeds, and it will eventually die… everything a ‘natural’ body would do as well. This is not immortality, but life. The body can be pre-equipped with top-tier synthetic organs, an operating system, interface plugs, personal link, and any other cyberware the client wishes for or is used to. With the great benefit that, since the body ‘naturally’ comes with these enhancements, cyberpsychosis is almost no concern anymore, for example. On its own though it cannot survive. It needs to be equipped with a conscience first.”

“Not so ‘natural’ after all then…” Kerry muttered under his breath.

“No offense,” V said, “That’s all nice and well but…”

“You can’t see yet how this would help you in your situation?” Mr. B asked. V grinned.

“That thing’s ugly as fuck,” he said, “Adam Smasher was a beauty pageant winner in comparison.”

Mr. B chuckled, but his eyes remained coldly fixated on him.

“Can I just pick a nice faceplate to slap on, too, together with all the other fancy chrome you can stuff in there?”

“Oh, far from it, V,” Mr. B said, raising his head triumphant, “This body can be yours as much – or even more so – than your current one is.”

He walked to the lower end of the container, tapping onto a small panel there. V was momentarily scared the creepy flesh-mannequin would now wake up and emerge, to secure its spot in the top three of messed up things he’d seen this year. Instead, though, the glass panel atop the container flickered, like a screen being turned on.

“No need to be afraid,” Mr. B smiled.

“I’m not,” V quickly retorted, almost believing himself.

“Come closer, have a look.”

V swallowed, then slowly stepped forward again. When he looked in the container, his heart stopped. He looked at his own face, asleep, dead, frozen in this weird state of stasis.

“What the… a projection?” he realized as he tried to process this visual still.

“To give you an idea of what’s possible,” Mr. B nodded.

And indeed, it was still the same, blank, doll-like body, just with his face and hair projected onto it. Kerry slowly approached again as well, staring into the container speechlessly.

“The body will be yours not only in a biological sense,” Mr. B explained, “We use your DNA’s structure as a basis to shape the genetic aspects. From skin- and hair color down to individual freckles.”

The projection slightly adjusted, beginning to resemble V more and more. Describing the visuals as “bizarre” was not nearly strong enough an emotion to fit V’s thoughts and feelings in this moment.

“But we can also modify every aspect to your liking, create an ‘ideal’ you, far from what modern medicine and modifications could currently achieve in an already existing body.”

V didn’t even have to ask for clarification when the appearance of the body’s chest changed, top surgery scars gone as if they’d never existed… and its genitals definitely were different from what V was used to seeing when he looked down, when he scrutinized himself in the mirror on a bad day. He shuddered, with intrigue, horror, disgust, curiosity alike.

“You’re saying… you’re remaking my body from scratch, and ‘better’, basically…”

He barely managed to get the words out, his throat tight and dry, his stomach unhappy with the mere thought.

“Not better,” Mr. B said, marketing-voice in full action, “However you want it, whatever you wish it to be like.”

Next, V’s neck cyberware appeared on the projection, then his tattoos, in surprising detail. Even Johnny’s stupid love-heart… V didn’t want to ask or even know just how they got all of this down so accurately.

“Okay okay,” V said and stepped back from the container, before the nausea of seeing himself lying in that coffin, kind of dead-looking, got the better of him, “You got a new body for me, alright. But how do you get me in there? And…”

His breath hitched at a grim realization.

“What happens… to this body? My… real body?”

Mr. B blinked slowly, raised his eyebrows, then turned off the projection. Only the blank body base from the beginning remained in the container.

“Your new body will be more real, more you, than this one is at this stage,” he said calmly, gesturing in V’s direction, “It will be healthy, free of old trauma, and equipped with the tech to safely contain your mind and memories without the option of someone – accidentally or willingly – turning the lights off by removing the Relic from your neck slot. I hate to say it, but your current body is your greatest weakness, V, riddled with exploits. You will not need it anymore, as it is only holding you back from using your full potential.”

V's head began to spin wildly, midway through Mr. B’s explanations.

“Vince…” Kerry, who had kept himself in the background for the last couple of minutes, reached out to support him, hand firm on V’s back.

“So… what, I gotta… You’ll run me through Soulkiller again, or what?” V asked, trying to sort his racing thoughts as he spoke.

“In a way, yes,” Mr. B said, but he might as well just have punched V in the gut, “We are currently looking into creating our own version of the algorithm, a more… gentle approach. The problem of engrams created with Arasaka’s Soulkiller has always been, to more or less of a degree of severity, their emotional stuntedness. We would want to avoid a further decrease in authenticity for this transferal.”

“And my body is just… It will die?”

“It is dying this very moment,” Mr. B said, without a hint of sympathy in voice or expression, but a flat matter-of-factness striking V at the very core, “And it will take your mind along with it, if we don’t act soon.”

“Hold up, hold up,” Kerry said, his fingers digging into V’s bruised side, making him flinch, but he leaned into the touch, into Kerry for support, “Didn’t you just say you’re still working on… how to even get him into this new body?”

“Yes, and we are almost ready,” Mr. B nodded, “A few days, at most. And for the time being, we also have the option – just an option, no must – to slow down the decay. A medically induced coma, in laymen’s terms. You go to sleep in this, and wake up in your new body, without noticing anything in-between, ideally.”

“Ideally…” V repeated weakly.

“V?” Kerry said quietly, urgence in his voice. V slowly turned away from the container to look at Kerry. His eyes were wide and worried, he looked him up and down briefly. Beads of cold sweat ran down the small of V’s back, his legs were numb, his hands clammy.

“I think I need some fresh air,” was all he managed to say, trying to hold Kerry’s gaze but failing, grabbing his arm now as his head grew heavier by the minute.

“Of course. It is a lot to take in at once,” Mr. B said. With that and a loud clank the body container started to slowly disappear into the floor again, locked away behind shiny white tiling, like a well-hidden dirty little secret.

“Let me accompany you outside,” Mr. B suggested, and now it was Kerry to raise his hand at him.

“We’ll manage, thanks,” he said, mimicking Blue-Eyes’ overly friendly tone.

“As you wish,” Mr. B nodded, opening the office door for them at least, “As I said, at the latest in a few days we are ready to receive you here, but you can come in any time from now on to get the procedure started. It’s the least we can do to ensure your wellbeing for the future, V. That you even get to see a future… both of you together.”

“Sure, thanks,” V said tersely, Mr. B’s voice muffled and distant as Kerry half-dragged, half-pushed him out of the office, through the endlessly long white hallway with mystery-doors left and right. The open elevator awaited them, miraculously took them to the ground floor without them having to push any buttons or even say a word.

“We’re outta here in a moment, don’t worry. It’s all good,” Kerry said, hands cupping V’s face, but every time their eyes met, V reflexively looked away at the stinging flash of blue.

The elevator doors snapped open, and V and Kerry marched across the huge, empty, echoing entrance hall to the already open exit. The sun had almost set when they stepped outside onto the flawless path ahead, sand and street dust swirling across the courtyard. V stumbled down the steps by the entrance, almost pitched forward, breath shaky, knees trembling. For a moment he thought he’d be able to regain his composure, taking a few deep breaths… but his headache, the nausea that had been riddling him the whole time they’d spent in that building, took over. Right on Mr. B’s doorstep, between neatly trimmed fake bonsai trees, V puked his guts out onto the pristine white marble tiles.

*****************

>> Next Chapter

*****************

Notes:

Last time there was smut, and now here's the promised angst... HHHH I was really really nervous about posting this, cause we're entering straight-up sci-fi territory now and my Cyberpunk lore knowledge is not as deep as I would like it in some regards sometimes XD But yeah... V's problem is, his body's letting him down, is dying... time for a new one right? Simple! Easy!

What would you do in his situation? I'm honestly curious (as I'm unsure how I would even feel like xD)!

I hope you enjoyed reading this, I think this was the longest chapter so far... and the angst will continue for a bit next time but maybe... maybe (I'm really not 100% certain yet, depends really on how V and Kerry are gonna behave XD), we'll have a little cameo of someone coming up soon 👀

Requested Fic Update Tags:

@humberg @r3d-f0x-blog @thatinternetwanderer @localtranspigeon @xtaiyo  @kharonion  @genocidalfetus  @seeker-of-truth 💜

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#cyberpunk 2077 #cyberpunk 2077 fanfiction #cyberpunk 2077 spoilers #cyberpunk 2077 fanfic #cp2077 #cp2077 fanfic #cyberpunk kerry #kerry eurodyne #kerry eurodyne x v #mr. blue eyes #cyberpunk v #male v cyberpunk #male v #vincent ezaki #otp: to bad decisions #my writing #love is stored in the olive jar

[sequinsmile-x]

can you write a thing about Emily suddenly realizing that her relationship with her mom is so fraught because she was always trying to find the sense of comfort and safety you’d expect to find in a mother, but her mom just doesn’t have it? she’s spent decades, since her earliest memories, trying to get that from her mom and only now understands that her mom isn’t that person. and maybe following it up with a moment of peace because she gets it all from Aaron

of course bestie <3

You know I love to write complicated family dynamics. At this point it's my brand!!

-x-

My Best Colours

She knew her relationship with her mother wasn’t a typical one, that she wasn’t the sort to sit with her daughter and discuss dresses and entrees before sitting back with tears in her eyes as she watched her little girl dance with her husband. But she’d always expected something.

Words: 4.2k

Warnings: Big big mommy issues.

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

She had seen it coming. 

They’d talked about marriage more than once. Both of them shyly admitting it was something they wanted one night early into their relationship. The fact that they were never going to be anything other than forever, not lost on either of them. 

For a man who did what he did for a living, he wasn’t subtle. She noticed a ring of hers missing from her jewellery box one morning, and when she mentioned it to him his eyes had gone wide as if he’d been caught doing something wrong. He and Dave disappeared at lunchtime, both returning looking impressed with themselves. 

The ring was back that evening, in the slot it had always been in. It was only after he proposed, something that has still taken her by surprise despite knowing it was an inevitability, that she realised he’d taken it to measure her ring size. Her engagement ring perfect in every way as he placed it on her finger. 

“You ok, sweetheart?” 

She turns to look at him, her fiancé, and smiles as he reaches for her hand, linking their fingers on the centre console of their car as he parks it. 

“I’m ok,” she says as she looks at her mother’s house, blowing out a steady breath. 

“That bad, huh?” He asks, lifting their joint hands to his lips to press a kiss to her knuckles. She sighs and looks back at him, leaning back against the headrest. 

“I hate that she can make me feel like this,” she says, “I’m a grown woman for fuck sake. And I’m telling her I’m getting married. That’s supposed to be a good thing.” 

“A great thing,” he replies, kissing her knuckles again before releasing her hand, “It’s one dinner, and then we can tell the team at pasta night at Dave’s on Friday.” 

She nods, smiling at the thought of their friend's reactions, “I think Pen might need medical attention after we tell them.” 

Aaron chuckles, “I’ll make sure we have EMTs on standby,” he says as he gets out of the car, walking over to her side and opening her door for her before she can even undo her seatbelt.

She smiles and looks down at her hands, her fingers gripping at her engagement ring as she pulls it off, placing it into the cupholder next to her before she looks up at Aaron, “So she doesn’t clock it right away, she’s always been like a crow when it comes to diamonds.” 

Aaron offers her a hand to help her out of the car. A completely unnecessary thing she allows him to do. 

“Just when it comes to diamonds?” He asks, a spark of mischief in his eyes that he only ever let her see. A well-timed attempt to calm her down as she was getting stressed, an evening with her mother one of the few things that could make her lose her cool. His joke makes a laugh catch in her chest and she squeezes his hand, leaning in to kiss his cheek. 

“I love you so fucking much,” she says, kissing his cheek again before she pulls away. 

“I love you too,” he replies before he looks at the house and sees his future mother-in-law in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest, “Let’s go, sweetheart,” he says to Em, his hand still wrapped around hers as they walk towards the door. 

She blows out a breath and murmurs under her breath, “Into the crow's nest we go.” 

___

They make it past dinner before she brings it up, her stomach unsettled with nerves as she forces herself to eat. It’s Aaron who encourages her, his hand reaching for hers on the table as he links their fingers together.

They’d always been able to say so much without any words.

She clears her throat and decides there is no time like the present, “Mother, we have something to tell you,” she says, waiting for a response, but all she gets is a subtle nod of Elizabeth’s head, “Aaron proposed,” she continues, joy warming her chest from the inside out at the memory of it all, at the image of him on one knee in front of her, “We’re getting married.” 

Elizabeth stares at them, her eyes lingering on their linked hands on the table, Emily’s bare ring finger, “I see.” 

Emily falters, her smile flickering for a moment before Aaron squeezes her hand, a silent reminder he was there. 

“I left the ring in the car so you wouldn’t spot it right away.” She says, hating how small her voice sounds, how she feels like she’s a teenager who has been caught with a boy in her room, “It’s beautiful, Aaron did a good job.” She turns to look at him and he smiles encouragingly at her, his hand still around hers. 

“When are you thinking of getting married?” Elizabeth asks, taking a sip of her wine, her expression almost indifferent. 

“We’ve discussed it,” Aaron says, taking over for Emily as she takes a large gulp of her drink, her grip on the glass tight, “We don’t want a long drawn out engagement, so probably this summer.” 

Elizabeth looks at Emily, her eyebrow raised, “You do remember I’m going to be in Germany for several months after I leave in a few weeks right? Chances are I won’t be back in the US until close to Christmas.”

Emily grits her teeth, a familiar churning in her stomach as she gives herself a moment to calm herself. A mix of irritation and dejection making her feel nauseous, something she remembered feeling ever since she was small and desperate for her mother’s attention. 

“I know,” she replies, forcing a smile on her face, “But we don’t want to wait-”

“Are you pregnant?” 

Her mouth falls open at her mother’s question, taken aback by how much it hurts, the slight edge of distaste in her voice that she files away for another day. 

“No,” she says firmly, “I’m not,” she doesn’t mention the birth control pills that are now at the bottom of the trash can in their ensuite, or how another child is something that she and Aaron both want. It’s something she thinks she’d share with her mother if their relationship was different, seeking advice as hope that felt a little dangerous swelled in her stomach, “That’s not…” 

“We don’t want anything big,” Aaron cuts in, his expression stern as he looks at Elizabeth, “Our friend already told me we can use his backyard when he helped me choose the ring.” 

Elizabeth smiles politely, “Someone's backyard?” 

“Surely you could come home for one weekend, Mother?” Emily asks, her annoyance getting the better of her. Her mother, and her endless judgement, the very thing that could always break the resolve Elizabeth herself had built the foundations of with her bare hands, “Your kid is getting married.”

“You aren’t a child, Emily,” Elizabeth replies, raising an eyebrow at her, “And you know how important my work is.” 

Emily scoffs, laughing bitterly as she shakes her head, “More important than me, I guess.” 

“Emily-”

“We’ll make sure you send you pictures,” Emily says, standing up as she throws the napkin she’d had on her lap onto the table, she looks at Aaron, “Can we go, please?” 

He stands without further prompting, the stern look he throws Elizabeth’s way the most he will add to this conversation. The promise he’d made long ago to Emily to not get involved firmly in the back of his mind. 

“Of course,” he says, his hand on her lower back, both of them highly aware of Elizabeth staring at them. 

She smiles tightly at him before turning back to her mother, “Let me know when you get to Germany,” she turns to leave but stops herself, looking at the other woman once more, “Just so you know, most people say congratulations when someone tells them they are getting married.” 

She walks away without looking back, her body tense in a way that it always was in this house. Her back as rigid as the walls that surrounded them, held up by secrets and the things she and her mother never spoke about. 

As soon as she’s in the car she reaches for her engagement ring, placing it back on her ring finger, some of the tension in her chest easing at the coolness of the metal against her skin. She purposely looks out of the window as Aaron joins her in the car, his gaze burning into her neck. 

“Sweetheart-”

“Can we just go home, please?” She asks, not looking at him as she wipes a stray tear from her cheek.

His response is his palm briefly on her thigh, squeezing it gently before he starts the engine. 

She should have seen this coming. 

___

She goes through the motions of saying goodbye to Jessica when they get home, smiling politely at the comments she makes about the wedding, excitement dripping from every word. It makes her mother’s lack of interest hurt even more. Her own mother unable to be as excited for her as Aaron’s ex-sister-in-law - a pillar of support their family would collapse without. 

Emily goes to the living room and sits on the couch, sighing as she looks at her hands, her eyes fixed on her engagement ring, the diamond shining in the low light of the room. 

She knew her relationship with her mother wasn’t a typical one, that she wasn’t the sort to sit with her daughter and discuss dresses and entrees before sitting back with tears in her eyes as she watched her little girl dance with her husband. But she’d always expected something. Arguments ranging from everything about the cake, to the venue, to the groom as the days toward her wedding counted down, her mother’s interference her own way of showing she cared.

She had never anticipated that there would be nothing. That her announcement that she was getting married would be treated as nothing more than a typical dinner conversation before being told how her plans were an inconvenience.

It hurt. And she feels anger at herself for once again letting her mother upset her creeping up her throat, a familiar bitter taste of disappointment settling on her tongue. Something she would recognise anywhere, an old friend that had visited her for as long as she could remember.

“Em?”

She turns to look at him, pulled out of her thoughts as he stands in front of her, a large glass of wine in his hand that she takes with a tight smile as he sits next to her on the couch, “Thanks, honey.” 

It was a twisted tradition of sorts. He’d bring her a drink and they’d sit in silence as she contemplated what her mother had said during dinner or whatever event they had gone to at her behest. It was something Emily appreciated. One of the many small ways Aaron loved her. Quiet and unassuming. 

A type of love she never thought she’d get to experience. 

“I don’t know what I expected,” she says, her eyes fixed ahead of her, staring past photos of her, Aaron and Jack. The family she had found and built around herself, steady and firm foundations after a lifetime of being on unsteady ground, “She’s never been the type to be happy for me,” she shakes her head at herself and laughs bitterly as she sips her wine, “It was stupid of me to think otherwise.” 

“Sweetheart-”

“Don’t tell me it’s not stupid,” she says sharply, turning to look at him. Her eyes are shining with tears he knows she won’t let fall until later when they are curled up in bed. Their room a sanctuary for the both of them, “She’s not…she’s always been like this. For as long as I can remember and yet I still let her get to me,” she clears her throat, “I’m 41 for fuck sake. At what point does it become my fault for expecting her to suddenly be the mom I always wanted her to be?” She closes her eyes and blows out a breath before she reaches out and puts her hand on his thigh, squeezing it lightly, “I’m not expecting you to answer that by the way it’s just…”

“Complicated.” 

She laughs humourlessly, nodding before she replies, “Yeah. It’s complicated.” She places her wine glass down and shifts to face him, one of her legs curled under herself as she rests her elbow on the back of the couch, her temple resting on her hand, “Want to know the worst part?” 

Aaron nods, placing his drink down next to hers before he places his hand on her knee, “You can tell me anything, you know that.” 

“When I was in Paris, I didn’t know if she knew that I was actually alive. It was one of the things I kept thinking about. If she thought I was dead,” she admits, her eyes focused on a loose thread on the couch that she starts to idly pick at, aware that if she didn’t keep her hands busy she’d rip her cuticles to shreds, “Then when I came back and found out she didn’t know I was alive, a part of me hoped that it was the second chance we both needed to get it right,” she looks up at him, and her chin trembles with the force of the emotions she can’t quite keep at bay, “But then Pen told me that she didn’t come to the funeral. Mother has told me since that she was in Spain but…I’m her only child. Are you really telling me whoever she was on assignment for wouldn’t have understood?”

He remembered talking to Elizabeth at the time, tasked with being the one to tell her as Emily’s superior. He’d called her, feeling guilty for what he was doing yet sure it was the right thing at the same time, hoping that eventually Elizabeth and Emily would forgive him for what he was doing. The call had been quick. Over in a matter of minutes. But he’d heard the tightness in her voice, the crack in it when she asked him to repeat himself. Ever since he and Emily had got together Elizabeth had always been a little short with him, more so now he and Emily were personally and romantically linked than when it was just professional. On some level, he wondered if his role in Emily’s faked death was part of it. If Elizabeth resented him for forcing her to face her own failings, something she had never been good at accepting. 

“She does love you, Em,” he says eventually, wiping away a tear from her cheek that neither of them will acknowledge. “Even if she isn’t capable of showing it in the way you deserve.” 

“I know,” she replies, shaking her head, “And that makes it worse. Sometimes I think it would be easier if she didn’t love me at all.” 

His heart aches for her, for every version of her there had ever been. The little girl who was desperate for her mother’s attention, too young to understand why all her time was spent with hired help. The teenager who understood too much, something that led to her making decisions she would always live with. The young woman who had taken a dangerous job to get away from it all, the very thing that had ultimately led to the world thinking she was dead. 

His heart aches for the woman in front of him. The love of his life. The person he’d spend the rest of his life ensuring had the love and support she’d always deserved. 

“Oh sweetheart,” he says, opening his arms to encourage her towards him. She doesn’t need asking twice, closing the gap between them and seeking out solace in his embrace. She ends up in his lap, her side against his chest as he holds her close, his lips against her forehead as she allows him to surround her, “I’m sorry.” 

She nods against him, wrapping her arms around him and grasping at his shirt, “Me too. I wish it could be different,” she chokes on a suppressed sob, the sound cracking her ribs from the inside out, “But I think it’s time I accept it never will be.” 

In a painful twist of irony, Emily thinks it will ultimately make her relationship with her mother better. The lack of expectations that she would never be able to meet would mean she wouldn’t react when she felt let down, and then Elizabeth wouldn’t react in turn. She knew that she’d never quite been what her mother had wanted. Expectations held on both sides that neither one of them had ever been able to live up to, leaving them where they were now. Emily once again crushed by her mother’s indifference, leaving a small mark on the excitement she felt about her engagement, about the happiness she had finally found. Elizabeth likely sat in her office wondering why Emily had overreacted, unable to see her own role in any of it. 

“I know it was the done thing,” Emily says after a few moments of silence, “And it helped her career to have a family, but I’ll just never understand why she had me if she didn’t want to be a mother,” she says, resting her head against his shoulder. 

Aaron sighs and kisses the top of her head, wishing that there was something he could do to make Elizabeth see sense. 

“For purely selfish reasons, I’m glad that she did have you,” he says before pulling back to look at her, a half smile on his face as he tucks some of her hair behind her ear, “I can’t imagine my life without you in it.” 

She smiles sadly at him, reaching up to cup his cheek, “I can’t imagine my life without you either.” 

Aaron turns his head to kiss her palm, and then the band of her engagement ring. He’s about to say something else, his mouth open to reply to her, when they hear a door open upstairs, followed by the familiar sound of Jack’s feet in the hallway and then on the stairs. Emily just sits up enough in time, removing herself from Aaron’s lap, before he’s on them, the little boy scrambling into the tiny gap between them on the couch.

“Daddy! Em’ly,” the 6-year-old says, his smile sleepy as he settles down, “Missed you.” 

Emily smiles at Aaron over Jack’s head, “We missed you too, sweetie, but you should be in bed.” 

Jack turns to look at her, whatever excuse he had tonight for being out of bed on the tip of his tongue, but he frowns instead. His eyebrows furrowing together in a way that made him look so much like Aaron it made her ache.

“Are you sad, Emily?” He asks, reaching up to touch her face, his small fingers catching on the sticky tear tracks on her face. “Was your mommy mean again?” 

Her breath catches in her chest at the question and it hurts. This little boy that she loved as her own had picked up on something she’d tried to hide from him.

“Jack-”

“I’ll be ok, sweet boy,” she says, cutting over Aaron’s admonishment of his son as Jack climbs into her lap, “I have you and Daddy.”

Jack nods, a serious expression on his face as he leans in to kiss her forehead before he pulls back to look at her, “Do you feel better now?” 

It takes everything in her not to start crying again. His tender affection, something she did for him when he was sad or sick, enough to tip her over the edge. 

“Much better, thank you,” she says, pulling him into a hug and kissing the side of his head.

Aaron wraps his arms around both of them and holds them close, pressing a kiss to his fiancée’s head, “We should go to bed,” he says quietly, his lips against her skin. 

“In a minute,” she replies, turning her face to bury it in his neck, seeking out the comfort that the scent of his cologne, of him, always brought her. 

“Ok, sweetheart,” he says, pulling her and Jack impossibly closer, “In a minute.” 

___

She grimaces at the sound of the scream of delight that comes out of Penelope, the sound hurting her ears as she’s pulled into a hug so fierce she thinks it could crack her ribs.

“Jesus, baby girl,” Derek exclaims, his fingers in his ears, “We’re all excited for them but we’d also like to hear whatever vows Princess pulls out of her ass for the wedding.” 

“Actually, Garcia would have to scream at 120 decibels, which is the sound of an average rock concert, for an extended period of time for it to damage our hearing,” Spencer says, his smile turning into confusion as Derek shakes his head at him. 

Emily narrows her eyes lovingly at Derek for his comment about the vows. Penelope releases her and Derek pulls her into a hug himself, her fiance pulled in a different direction to her, forced into a hug by Penelope. 

“I’m happy for you, Em,” Derek says, kissing her cheek before he pulls away with a wide smile on his face, “You both deserve it.” 

“Thanks, Derek,” she replies, smiling widely at him. Dave is next, his arm around her as he hugs her. 

“I’m so pleased I don’t have to keep it to myself anymore,” he exclaims as if having a secret that none of them knew about had been a hardship. 

“Yeah right, Zia Rossi,” she says, smirking when he rolls her eyes at her, “We all know you love being part of something.” 

“Wait, Rossi knew,” JJ asks, grabbing Emily’s hand to look at the ring, “That’s not fair.” 

“He helped with the ring,” Aaron says, rejoining Emily’s side and putting his arm around her waist. 

“Which is gorgeous by the way,” Penelope says, looking back and forth between Dave and Aaron, “I didn’t know either of you had it in you.” 

“I’ll have you know that every Mrs Rossi had the finest ring available,” Dave replies, he points at Emily, cutting off any sarcastic comment she had ready, “Don’t say a word.” 

She laughs and leans into Aaron’s side, “I love it,” she says looking down at her hand, the ring still taking her aback every time she looked at it, before she glances up at Aaron, “You did a good job.” 

She kisses him, ignoring the mixture of jeers and encouragement from their friends, making a point of keeping it going for longer than she usually would in front of him. Laughing as she pulls away and sees the tinge of pink on his cheeks. 

“Save it for the wedding,” JJ jokes, her smile wide “Speaking of the wedding, when will it be?”

“Summer,” Emily replies, “Dave has already said we can have it here at Hotel Rossi.” 

“What will the ambassador make of that?” Derek asks, sipping his beer.

Emily is grateful that she doesn’t react physically, the two days since the dinner at her mother’s enough to help her pull herself back together. Stitching together old wounds with time spent with Aaron and Jack. Wounds she was determined to never let her mother open up again. It may be fantasy, something that was impossible in practical terms, but she was going to try. She didn’t need to seek out what she’d always wanted from her anymore, she’d found it, and more, in abundance elsewhere. Everything she’d ever wanted in the most likely of places - a job that she took as she was desperate to find herself again. 

“She’ll be abroad but she’s happy for us,” Aaron says, running his hand up and down her side. She kisses his shoulder, a silent thank you for answering that question for her, “Dave, you said something about champagne earlier?” 

If any of them pick up on the redirect, they don’t say anything, and Dave springs to life, his hands clapping together as he walks towards his kitchen.

“I put it on ice before you all arrived.” 

He disappears into the kitchen, and the rest of the team talk amongst themselves, giving Emily and Aaron a brief moment alone. He kisses her temple and turns her in his embrace to face him.

“You ok?” He asks, concern lingering in his eyes like it had ever since they left her mother’s house. She smiles, because she knows if she says no, if she asks to go home, he’d take her no questions asked even though this had turned into a defacto engagement party. 

“I’m ok,” she replies, stamping a quick kiss against his lips, “Or at least, I will be,” she rests her head against his chest, smiling as they both hear Penelope excitedly chatter about a bachelorette party to JJ, Dave joining in with his own comments about the bachelor party when he returns with a tray of champagne flutes. She tilts her head to look up at him, a soft smile on her face, “How could I not be when this many people love us?” 

-x-

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#hotchniss #hotchniss fanfiction #hotchniss fanfic #aaron hotchner x emily prentiss #aaron hotchner fanfic #emily prentiss fanfic #aaron x emily #hotch x prentiss

[sebstan2020]

The Sharpest Lies

Chapter 13

Pairings: Max Burnett x Original Female Character

Summary: Violet was an expert. She could pick em, play em and win em. She was taught by the best. Conning was an art to her and she had a taste for it. But when she comes to visit her father and his new partner, she aims for the biggest mark she's ever seen.

Warnings: Underage in the past, Controlling, Dom/Sub, Light BDSM, Daddy Issues, Mentions of medical conditions, Con Artists, Daddy Kink

Max entered his apartment, shuffling out of his shoes so he didn’t get the carpet dirty. The snow had turned to brown slush and no way was he getting his carpet wet. The apartment was silent and as he hung up his coat, he shuffled back into the living room, eyes peering into the open plan. Violet was nowhere to be seen and the newspapers looked untouched. Perhaps she left. He had hoped she would stay. She seemed promising and he had something to offer her, a warm place to stay and food to fill her belly. With a little training and correction, she’d be the perfect student. The hundreds of cons he could think of swirled in his head, the thousands of stories he could come up with and the millions of dollars they could get from a single mark. 

Max sighed and made his way to the kitchen but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the toilet flush. Seconds later Violet walked out, free of her dirty coat and jumper and walked around only in her socks, as if this was her home already. So she didn’t leave. 

“Oh you are back,” she said, making an observation rather than asking a question. Max smiled a little. 

“I said I would be… here I brought you some clothes” he held up a couple of shopping bags, filled to the brim with warm dry clothes. Nothing special, just plain T-shirts and jeans and some pyjamas. If she wanted the luxury he lived in she’d have to earn it. Violet seemed surprised and took the bags, looking inside. As if she’d go back to the orphanage to collect what little she already had. 

“Thanks” she murmured, not quite knowing how to thank him properly. 

“Oh and your cut” Max reached into his pocket and pulled his wallet out, flipping the bills through his fingers like he was shuffling cards, the paper sliding across and snapping in the silence of the apartment. He handed her $300, all in fifty dollar bills and Violet was shocked. She took the money but looked up confused. 

“My cut?” She questioned. 

“From today, that was impressive what you did so you deserve a cut” he smirked and Violet scoffed. In actual fact it wasn’t that impressive, it was a simple trick of bumping into someone but Max wanted to make her feel better and he hadn’t been conned in a very long time, she at least deserved some reward. Violet didn’t say anything and stared at the green in her hand. 

Max flicked on the kettle, preparing to make a coffee, cups clattering and metal spoons clinking as he rustled in the draw. Violet flicked the money through her hand, counting it herself. She wasn’t as slick as Max was counting the bills but she’d soon get the knack for it. 

“Did you read the newspapers?” He asked and Violet leaned against the counter, folding her hands together and smirking. 

“Yeah, I did” In actual fact, she didn’t and this idea of lying and conning had her excited that she wanted to test how good she could be. 

“Good, so what was the cover headline from yesterday?” Max asked causally, his back still turned towards her as he stirred his coffee. Violet froze for a second, looking panicked at the counter and swallowed. Was he really testing her on newspapers? What was so important about a newspaper from yesterday or a week ago?

“It was a story about a murder, stabbing in the Bronx, a girl… so sad” she whispered, turning on the sadness in her voice and sunken eyes. Max finally turned, a stern look on his face and he walked around to her, easily towering over her and she stepped back. Violet wasn’t normally intimidated and found she intimated people herself however as Max towered over her, staring down at her with his dark eyes and lips pressed hard, she suddenly felt it. 

“If your trying to lie to me you’re doing a shitty job at it” he said and Violet was about to argue but stopped. This wasn’t your average Joe, clueless and innocent. This man knew what lying was all about. She only knew him for two hours now but Violet knew he was a man that could not be fooled. Any other time she would have retaliated with anger and fibs but that wasn’t going to cut it with Max and somehow a fear of being kicked back into the streets was in the back of her head. 

So she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. 

“Fine I didn’t read them, I don’t see why I should” she sassed, folding her arms and Max hummed, picking up his coffee and making his way to the sofa. 

“If you want to be as good as me then you’ll do as your told or you can just leave, it’s up to you” he shrugged, slumping down on the sofa, resting his feet on the coffee table and sipping at the hot coffee. Violet groaned, almost wanting to stamp her feet like a child but refrained. It was either do as she was told or be kicked to the curb and no way was she going back now. 

“Okay I’m sorry, I’ll read them” She dragged herself over to the newspapers and threw herself in the chair, snatching one from the table. 

“Good girl” he murmured and Violet looked up. It was the second time he called her that and for some reason when the words rolled off his lips, she felt a tingle and warmth in her heart, her cheeks flushing slightly. 

Reading newspapers wasn’t the most exciting thing, in fact, Violet could think of a million more exciting things she could do right now than reading week-old newspapers while Max sat and read the one for today. She huffed and puffed, her eyes starting to skim over the words but she remembered Max said cover to cover. What if he was going to test her again? Would he make her read them all again if she didn’t answer everything question correctly? But being a sixteen-year-old girl meant her attention wasn’t too focused and she sighed heavily, the newspaper falling in her lap. 

“This is so fucking boring, please let me why I’m doing this?” She groaned, looking to him for an answer and Max glanced at her, his eyes slightly narrowed. 

“Because I said so” he answered softly and Violet scoffed. 

“Fuck” she sighed, shaking her head and Max stood.

“Where’s that money I gave you?” He asked and Violet furrowed her brows. 

“On the counter… why?” She questioned, becoming defensive and protective of her money. She never had money like that and if she did it would be spent away in minutes. Max walked over to the kitchen counter, picked up the money and snatched one of the bills from the stack. 

“Every time you swear now I get fifty” he held the dollar bill up and tucked it in his pocket. Violet stormed up, the newspaper rustling and she stomped over.

“Fuck you that’s my money”.

“That’s $100” he snatched another bill. 

“In fact, you swore three times so that’s $150” he was being serious and Violet stared up with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. How dare he take the money which she earned. He said it himself she earned it and now he was taking it away like some sort of punishment. 

“From now on you don’t swear. If you want to work for me you need to obey my rules which means curfew at nine, no smoking, no drinking, no drugs and no stealing” he said sternly but calmly. Violet was outraged like she wanted to scream and shout and storm straight out of this apartment. She thought the orphanage was bad with their rules but it seemed pretty much the same. But she had a clean dry bed to sleep in, hot food and drinks, dry clean clothes and a chance for big bucks. She didn’t have a choice, she’d be a fool to pass this opportunity up. She’d just have to accept that Max was in charge here and she no longer had the authority she gave herself. So instead of calling him an asshole as she would have with others, she backed down and watched as he tucked the bills in his pocket.

“Okay,” she said and Max smiled after a couple of seconds. 

Violet sat and read every single newspaper, reading word for word, cover to cover, focusing on every story written. Max busied himself and soon he became a blur in the background. It wasn’t until the sound of a plate hitting the table in front of her broke her from her intense reading session and she looked up to see Max holding a plate of steaming hot food for himself. He cooked tomato paste with cheese grated on top, stringy and melted and a piece of garlic bread. It smelled delicious and Violet had forgotten how hungry she was. 

“You can take a break now and eat” he said softly and she gently placed the newspaper down, bringing the plate to her lap. It smelled amazing and looked so tasty. The orphanage only ever cooked the same dinners, watery soup, dry potatoes and beans and spam. Violet dug in like she hadn’t eaten in a week and the pasta melted in her mouth, the tomato sauce rich and saucy, the cheese adding that little kick to it. Max smiled as he watched her devour his food. He had sympathy for her. Growing up in a place like that couldn’t have been nice and for all he knew this could be her first time eating pasta. It warmed him to see her gobble it down like a young child. 

“This is good” she mumbled with a mouth full of food. 

“Thank you, I’m glad you like it”.

“You don’t look like a guy who can cook, you look like someone who orders takeout all the time or goes to big fancy restaurants,” she said honestly and he chuckled. 

“There’s nothing better than a home-cooked meal” he answered.

“I try and cook as much as I can, gets boring going to the same places all the time” he took a bite of the garlic bread, the crispy bread snapping and crunching. 

“Yeah well can’t be as boring as soup and spam every night” Violet shrugged, focused on her dinner in hand. 

“They really didn’t treat you well there did they?” He asked and she nodded. 

“Yeah, they don’t give a sh-“ she was about to swear but held back.

“They don’t care about us, just want us gone as soon as we turn eighteen,” she said sadly. She couldn’t help but think of the other kids still back there. She had her ups and downs with them but they were the only family she had. She wondered if Max would let her see them again. It was pretty obvious she wasn’t going back to school if she was to be working for him. The room turned to an awkward silence and Max cleared his throat, standing and collecting her plate. 

“Thanks,” she said. 

“You're welcome” he smiled and Violet felt that warmth again, watching as he went back to the kitchen to clean up. She was slowly starting to relax around Max and things were less awkward than they were in the beginning. It was like she was home. 

That night Violet changed into the new pair of pyjamas. He brought her a pair of pink cotton pyjamas with little white flowers dotted on the t-shirt and long trousers. Pink was not her thing, she was used to black and brown and orange but she wasn’t complaining. He went out of his way to buy her new clothes and it was better than wearing what she wore today. They were soft and smelt freshly washed. The spare bedroom was huge, holding a double bed and a large wardrobe and dresser. The large windows facing the city were what caught her eye and Violet walked up to them, staring down at the brightly lit city. She had never seen it from above, all the tall buildings and lights creating that beautiful glow of the city. 

“Do you need anything else?” Max’s voice made her jump and she gasped, startled and turned. He was standing by the door, still dressed. 

“No, thank you,” she said shyly, brushing her hair behind her ear and he smiled.

“Good night Violet,” he said. 

“Good night… Max” she said nervously, and the door shut softly, leaving her to the great big room. She didn’t know why she was nervous. Perhaps it was because, for the first time in her life, she was going to be sleeping in a double bed when she had been sleeping in nothing but a city cot built for one person only. It was all so new to her and it was like she didn’t know how to work the bed. Grabbing the curtains and yanking them shut, saying goodnight to the city itself, she hopped in the bed, the heavy warm duvet engulfing her and it wasn’t long before she fell into a deep slumber. 

Chapter 14

Hey so I hope you like this chapter, let me know what you think in the comments

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[gwenbrightly]

(Re)Building the Future chapter 5

“She called me a monster,” Roxy says, backing away from the unconscious child. How can she justify being anywhere near Cassie after that?

“Roxy, I'm sure she didn't mean it,” Eclipse tries to comfort her. She doesn't seem to hear him.

“I mean, I know I can be a little competitive and maybe I'm moody sometimes but…” the wolf trails off. The thought of frightening a kid that badly hurts more than she'd like to admit.

“Sometimes?” Helpy repeats sardonically. A glare at the monitor he's hanging out on from Eclipse is all it takes to shut him up.

“Maybe she wasn't even talking to you. She could have been hallucinating. Those Moondrop candies are such powerful things and we did give her more than one serving size,” Eclipse suggests, frowning thoughtfully. Maybe giving Cassie the candies hadn't been such a good idea after all. One or two candies at nap time has never been a problem (for most kids, anyway). But they’ve given her way more than one or two. Probably more like one dozen. Or two. Suddenly, Eclipse finds himself wondering if they've given Cassie permanent brain damage on top of her damaged limbs… Oh Fizzy Faz, this poor kid!

“Honestly, I think you're both being over dramatic here,” Helpy announces with an eye roll. Okay, so maybe he’s being a bit harsh. But the constant panicking of everyone around him the past 24 hours has gotten old. Roxy looks like she’d like to strangle him (too bad), while Eclipse doesn’t look phased by his comment. Huh. Must be a theater thing…

“It’s not like this is the end of the world,” he continues.

“How would you know?” Roxy mutters, still offended. It does feel a little like the end of the world to her. All the Fazbear animatronics, herself included, are meant to bring joy to children, after all. Not strike fear into their hearts. Even if there has been the odd parent complaint in the past. Those are usually brought on by some Karen and her spoiled offspring not getting exactly what they want, when they want it, anyway. Oh, how she misses the days where the wrong flavor of birthday cake was their biggest worry. Everything has been so… broken lately…

“Easy. I see the bigger picture,” Helpy tells her.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She asks. Well, more like growls, but who’s keeping track of semantics?

“Roxy, Roxy, Roxy,” He says as though talking to a confused child, “think for a minute. Where did you get those horrifyingly outdated eyes from, again?”

“… oh…” Roxy brings her good hand up to her face in horror. Of course Cassie would remember the way it’s eyes looked in her first moments of consciousness. They had probably been one of the last things she’d seen before… How could she be so stupid?

“Now you’re getting it! Yeah, you should probably find some sunglasses or something,” Helpy suggests. He’s not cruel enough to suggest she remove the eyes just yet if there’s another (possibly more entertaining) solution.

“I’m sorry, can we back up for a second, please?” Eclipse interrupts, thoroughly confused by the direction this conversation has taken. “Where did Roxy get her new eyes? Am I missing something?”

“Oh, didn’t she tell you? Roxy stole em off of It during her epic battle royale earlier. No biggie!” Helpy explains casually. He’s actually pretty impressed by the way she had ripped them clean out of their sockets, truth be told.

“Roxy, did what?!”

/////

“Can’t this car go any faster?” Gregory asks, anxiously staring out the window. Usually he’s fine with the half hour drive between his new home and the Pizzaplex. Usually there’s no reason to go anywhere near it and having a bit of space from the place they almost died (multiple times!) is a good thing. Usually-

“Gregory, I’m already driving over the speed limit,” Vanessa tells him, making a sharp turn. There’s a bump as the car goes over the curb. “If I go any faster, we’ll get pulled over for sure, which will not help our situation!”

Gregory groans in disgust. Why does Vanessa have to be a responsible adult at a time like this? Cassie needs them!

“She has a point, Superstar,” Freddy observes apologetically.

Ugh. Two responsible adults are even worse than one.

“I bet if you let me drive, we could-” Gregory starts in innocently.

“There is no way I’m doing that. I’d like to live a little longer, thank you very much,” Vanessa cuts him off. The lack of faith in his driving abilities is so unfair. She has no proof that he’d get them all killed. Roxy being maimed the last time he ‘drove’ a vehicle wasn’t even really his fault (she’d had it coming)!

“Not to mention, you are far too short to legally sit in the front seat,” Freddy adds. Bold words for a bot that was built by a company with more OSHA violations than an oil spill.

“Freddy. Vanessa. Cmon, you guys… This is an emergency!” Gregory pleads. Vanessa ignores his puppy eyes, even though she can clearly see in the rear view mirror. Freddy doesn’t seem affected by it either. Can’t they hear Cassie’s screams ringing in their ears, too? Don’t they understand the gravity of the situation?

“We want to help Cassie just as much as you do,” Freddy tells him, sensing his rising fear, “but let’s save the reckless endangerment for once we’ve arrived at the Pizzaplex.”

“I’d be good with avoiding it there, too,” Vanessa mutters. What a killjoy. She slams on the brakes to avoid going through the red light up ahead, making Gregory momentarily grateful Vanessa made sure he was wearing his seatbelt before they left (for about five seconds before remembering that he’s supposed to be annoyed with her).

The light takes forever to change back to green, and by the time it does, Gregory has begun anxiously doodling with his fingers on the window. The Fazcraft logo, a cow being abducted by aliens, Freddy in a cowboy hat, a duck with a clump of grapes, a FizzyFazz soda can, a frowny face. He’ll probably be stuck cleaning the marks off the windows later, but at least it gives him something to do besides worrying. Another frowny face. And another. Okay, maybe this isn’t working so good.

“Hey, look. It'll only be a few more minutes. Just hang in there,” Vanessa says when she notices his poor attempt to distract himself.

“Thank goodness. I’m running out of things to draw,” Gregory admits. And draws another frowny face. Because that feels easier than mentioning that every second he’s stuck in this car is another second that Cassie could be laying somewhere dying. Or dead. No- bad idea. Definitely don’t think about it like that. Giving up on his window art, Gregory stares out the window at the darkening sky for the rest of the drive. He’s out of his seat before Vanessa has even parked the car.

He races over to the entrance. It’s not looking so hot. The light of the full moon illuminates boarded up windows and scaffolding. The obnoxiously bright neon lights and signs he remembers from previous visits are all gone now. Broken glass litters the ground in more than one place. If the inside looks as bad as the outside, it’s a miracle that Cassie didn’t get taken down by tetanus long before it got to her. Freddy and Vanessa come to a stop next to him, similarly taken in by the scene.

“Well, I think I know how Cassie got in,” Vanessa muses just as Gregory is about to suggest using Freddy as a battering ram (there isn’t an obvious entry point at the moment and it’s not like it would hurt Freddy). She points a flashlight towards a child sized opening in the newspapered glass on one of the upper levels of scaffolding.

“Guess we better get climbing, then,” Gregory announces, one foot already on a ladder rung.

——

Footnote: If you have never watched a 350 pound animatronic bear try to climb construction scaffolding, you should know that it is simultaneously hilarious and painful to do so.

Freddy’s efforts are valiant, but it’s safe to say that if Fazbear Entertainment ever decides to finish repairing the Pizzaplex (which, let’s face it, they won’t), they’re going to need a whole new set of ladders, platforms, and railings. Flat surfaces? Haven’t heard of them. Dents and awkward slants are totally in now. Also, that hole in the glass has always been that size… why do you ask?

Gregory and Vanessa try to hide their entertainment at Freddy’s suffering, they really do. But in the end, they can’t help but share a moment of laughter as he clatters down the final ladder and onto the floor inside the Pizzaplex. Freddy pauses to glare at the contraption before joining them, acting as though it was placed there specifically to inconvenience him.

“Take this before we go any further,” Vanessa says, handing Gregory one of the flashlights she’d packed before they left (along with a first aid kit and several other items she thought they might end up needing). She isn’t too worried about Freddy, what with him still having Roxy’s upgraded eyes, but Gregory is already a tad accident prone without blindly stumbling through a pitch black space filled with deadly objects. She’d really appreciate it if they make it through the rest of the evening (or however long they end up stuck in this hell hole) without anyone else getting hurt and/or trapped somewhere.

Gregory waves the flashlight around like a lightsaber, nearly blinding Vanessa. She briefly considers legally changing his middle name to ‘Distractible’, but decides that it’s not worth the effort. The flashlight beam bounces off an assortment of debris, construction equipment, deactivated floor bots, cleaning supplies, and several spray paint messages left behind by previous trespassers.

“Wow…” Gregory comments, looking around the ruined lobby, “they’ve really let this place go.”

“You can say that again,” Vanessa agrees.

“They have really let this place go,” Freddy repeats, taking her literally. “I am a bit disappointed that Corporate would neglect things like this.”

“It is kinda sad,” Gregory agrees. The Pizzaplex used to be so impressive (Fazbear Entertainment had clearly put a lot of time and money into the place) and now it looks like the setting for a post apocalyptic thriller. He remembers being a little in awe the first time he saw the giant golden statue in the lobby. But now, especially after everything he’s been through, the place gives him the creeps. The things that have happened here are not worthy of any awe. Probably just anger and disgust, along with a healthy dose of fear.

“So, uh, question,” he says, not wanting to dwell on his lingering trauma, “how exactly do we get,well, anywhere in this mess?” There’s a gaping hole in the floor directly in front of them. Shipping crates and safety barriers block off another hole on the left side of the lobby.

Vanessa carefully picks her way around bits of debris and caved in flooring. It’s a shame Gregory hasn’t started watching the security footage a little bit earlier so they’d have a better idea of how Cassie had navigated this mess. Deciding the areas with the biggest holes aren’t worth exploring, Vanessa wanders towards the area that used to house the final set of turnstiles before the entry pass display. Somehow, this area has significantly less damage done to it. If you ignore the headless staffbot in the distance and the spray painted warning that says ‘Danger’. How very welcoming and not foreboding in the slightest!

“The floor seems a little more stable over this way,” Vanessa calls to the others against her better judgement.

“Time for some reckless endangerment,” Gregory announces, leading the way into what’s left of one of the gift shops.

#myfics #fnaf sb ruin #roxanne wolf #Helpy #fnaf fanfic #fnaf fanfiction #five nights at Freddy’s fanfiction #fnaf security breach #fnaf vanessa #freddy fazbear #eclipse #reckless endangerment #Gregory just wants to drive

[mademoiselle-red]

lesbian AU for The Charioteer with a love triangle between Laurie, a volunteer nurse injured at Dunkirk, Ralph, a cross-dressing naval officer, and Nurse Adrian, a religious (vicar’s daughter!) nurse at the EMS hospital

Nurse Adrian is incredibly impressed by Laurie going to Oxford (even though she wasn’t much of an academic and was on her way to getting a Third when war broke out) and thinks it is so cool that Laurie experienced the war, even though Adrian herself is a pacifist. She’s gone about her life having “bosom friends”, girls she’d have over and cuddle with, kiss, and write love letters to. It’s “perfectly normal for young girls”, her mother, grandmother and aunt told her, but she’ll “grow out of it” as she gets older and discovers men, they assure her. But in the meantime, Adrian is glad that Laurie has become her new “bosom friend”, and Laurie doesn’t want to destroy her innocence —“it would ruin her female friendships forever”. She will never be able to innocently cuddle in the same bed with her girls, lay her head across a friend’s chest, playfully pinch and tickle them, and take their arms as they stroll down the street, as affectionate girl-friends do. There will always be a fear of being found out, of being cast out as a pervert. It’ll make her feel like a predator in changing rooms, Laurie thinks, a secret breach of the easy trust women have with each other as they change in and out of swimsuits in the same room. Laurie is a swimmer, she knows.

Laurie realized who and what in she was in fifth form, when they tried to send Ralphela who goes by Ralph, who was the head of their house, to an insane asylum after the Hazel affair. This wasn’t just some light petting —that was frowned upon but did not damage a girl’s innocence. No, Ralph had done something to Hazel that only her future husband should have the right to do. It breached her innocence. Laurie didn’t believe Ralph was insane, and started a campaign to save her, but Ralph summoned her to her study and put an end to all that. There, they shared a kiss, and Ralph gave her Sappho’s poems, assuring her that this love isn’t insanity. It was real, beautiful, poetic.

After meeting Adrian, Laurie decided that she could be happy writing beautiful poetry to an innocent young woman, like Sappho, but never corrupt such love with the desires of the flesh. She would not associate herself with the banner waving feminists, the underground queer parties where everyone’s girlfriend is their ex-girlfriend’s ex-girlfriend, where women wallow in self pity about their lot as women who love women. Instead, Laurie’s love would remain a pure poetic love expressed through the gentle guidance of her beloved and a chaste affection, as Sappho had done for the girls under her mentorship.

But then, she meets Ralph at Sandy’s party and everything changes. Ralph had escaped from school before they could finalize her transfer to the asylum. She’d gone first to Southhampton, dressed as a boy, worked her passage to Berlin, where she —through means she was willing to explain despite Laurie’s prying —raised enough funds to get a hysterectomy. After that, she returned to Britain and joined the merchant navy, convincingly cross-dressed as a man and freed from inconvenient feminine bodily functions that would have given her disguise away.

She’s been around, did two years of men, went back to women, tried to settle down with Alexandria (Alec), then moved on to Bunny. She was injured at Dunkirk and received a “relocation” to naval intelligence to be a secretary after the people in the hospital discovered she was a woman. She’s currently attending class to be retrained as a secretary. Those are the only open positions for women in that department. She had been captain of her ship. But now they’ll never give her a ship again, because she has only 2 and 1/2 fingers and because she isn’t a man. Seven years of effort, a hard-earned career, gone in a flash. She could see no future.

But when Laurie came back from Dunkirk, alive and ever adoring, Ralph began to see glimmers of a future life. They’ll get a flat together using her stipend and Laurie’s inheritance. If she’d had her officer’s salary she could have supported them both, but not on a woman secretary’s salary. They’ll rent the other room while Laurie is away and she’ll give her best shot at being a secretary. She’ll try to join the WREN and become a “lady officer” at the first opportunity. They’ll be separated again once Laurie graduates Oxford and relocates to a new job, but they’ll make it work. The Americans even have a phrase for two single women making a home together, they call it a Boston marriage.

#the charioteer #tc au headcanon

[zuppizup]

Unresolved

She’s sits on the rock, ostensibly keeping watch but really, she just needs some time alone.

Which seems utterly ridiculous. She’s been alone for literally years now. Things were easier in some ways when she was by herself. She didn’t have to compromise or debate. If she wanted to do something, she did it.

She hears footsteps on the hard ground and doesn’t need to turn to know it’s Callum. Things haven’t exactly gone well between them. She probably shouldn’t have got so angry when she found him, Ez and Soren in Xadia. She was worried and scared but that tended to come out sounding angry.

Of course, he’d started yelling back at her. Rightfully so, to be fair.

She’d been impressed with Ezran’s diplomacy when he managed to end the argument. Not that anything was resolved but well, the yelling had stopped at least.

They just couldn’t seem to stop sniping at each other though and she could tell that Soren and Ezran were getting pretty sick of the tense atmosphere at this stage.

“Hey.” His voice is softer than it has been of late. “Em, do you mind…?” He gestures to the large rock she is sitting on.

She shakes her head, not quite trusting her voice. She hates fighting with him, especially after all this time. And in her defence, she had tried saying sorry to him but he’d rejected her apology and had thrown it back in her face.

And so, here they were.

This was not how she wanted to be reunited with him and she wanted so desperately to make things better… she just didn’t know how.

He sighed, eyes on the dark forest before them. “I’m, em, sorry for how I’ve been acting…”

She snorted, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. “You’re sorry?” Why was he apologising to her? He might have said some harsh things, but it was nothing compared to what she did to him. Soren had told her how much he’d changed since she left the Moon Nexus and she hated that her sweet, kind Callum had become angry and bitter because of her. Because of her lies and deceit.

He seems to read her words wrong though, looking hurt and upset for a moment before the now familiar sneer crosses his face.

“No, that’s not what I-” She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes in a vain attempt to stem the tears she can already feel on her cheeks. “I’m sorry. For… everything.” Her voice cracks and she pulls her knees into her chest as she tries to control herself. She owes him so much more than that, but the words stick in her throat, threatening to suffocate her.

Callum sighs, moving around a little to look at her better. “I know.” He sounds calmer and more like the Callum she remembers from before.

She risks a peek at him, confused by how in control he seems for the first time since they started travelling together again.

He’s watching her, his own eyes glassy but he smiles a little when they make eye contact.

“I don’t want to fight with you, Callum.” She swallows past the lump in her throat. “I wish I could just make things better. I wish we could go back to how we used to be.”

“Me too.” He takes a shaky breath, looking back to the forest again. “It can’t though, you know that, right?”

She looks away too but she doesn’t answer him. She can’t. She did all this because she couldn’t bear to lose him and she’s lost him anyway. Nodding stiffly, she hopes that’s good enough for him.

This is it. They’re over. It’s stupid that she held out hope he’d still want to be with her after everything, but she’s been stupid more than once in her life.

“But maybe…” He breathes out slowly, turning to look at her. “Maybe we can begin something new?”

She feels tears spring afresh from her eyes, but these ones are happy. Hopeful. “I’d like that.” She barely manages above a whisper but from the small smile that crosses his face, she thinks he heard her.

His hand reaches for hers but she finds herself unable to resist moving next to him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in the crook of his shoulder. “I missed you, Callum. I missed you so much.”

#rayllum #rayllum fanfic #rayla #callum #the dragon prince #tdp #tdp fanfic #the dragon prince fanfic #tdp spoilers #season 4 spoilers… if you blink #zuppi fanfic #series: speculation pre season 4 musings #zup tumblr ficlets

[the-hilda-librarians-wife]

Fireflies Over The Wall - Chapter 6

Relationship: The Bell Keeper & Meiri (Original character)

Summary: "The troll brought with herself, every night without a fault, a baby.

Every night, she placed it upon the grass, and pointed upwards, showing her baby the stars and constellations. Showing her baby the fireflies.

Holding it tight. Cuddling with it. Making sure it saw the beauty the world had to offer. He had never considered himself a sentimental man. Yet this image, for some reason, never failed to make him return home feeling something gaping and void inside of himself.

Every one of his former coworkers must have returned to their families.

Who would Edmund return to when he could work no more?

What would give him a reason to get out of bed when the fireflies were no longer enough?"

An OC's origin story as well as a Bell Keeper character study, because this character is much more fascinating than I'd been giving him credit for.

Notes: Title from 'Soap' by The Oh Hellos

This chapter was brought to you by White Light Haters Club. My church turned all of their orange lights to white lights (meaning ALL of them) some weeks ago and I feel hatecrimed

Chapter title: I think that you’re worth keeping around

Read it on ao3

The girl worked in extremes. Either Edmund could hear her approaching from two miles away, or he only noticed her when she was standing directly beside him, making him start and nearly lose his balance and fall down the wall. 

It might seem like hyperbole, but it had almost happened a couple of times now. Not that night, though. That night she barged into his cabin loud and clear.

An awkward couple of moments of plain old staring followed her entrance, because Edmund had been on his knees on the floor trying to fix the wobbling on one of his chairs and was taken completely for a loop when Meiri closed the door behind herself. She kept her back glued to the door, panting. She’d probably run there.

“Kid? What the-” He got up with a frown, brushing the dust away from his knees. “It’s late, you shouldn’t be out at this hour.”

“They’ve changed the lightbulbs.”

Being in the process of walking towards her, Edmund stopped dead in his tracks and tilted his head to the side. 

“Huh?”

“At Saint Anne’s. They’ve changed <em>all</em> the lightbulbs. At once. And they’re all so much brighter now!”

Even if he didn’t completely understand where the problem was, he could hear the very obvious and plain distress in her voice, and continued approaching her slowly. 

“And that bothers you.”

She looked down, but her nod was still perceptible. 

“It hurts my eyes. And my roommates asks for the bathroom lights to stay on because they’re afraid of the dark.” He was close enough now, and she looked up at him. There were tears in her eyes, but even though she was in a stressful situation, he had the impression that what she was really struggling the most with was allowing herself to be this open. “I stayed there for as long as I could stand. I don’t want to anymore.”

She sniffed, and with a low whisper that was all the girl could muster, she asked. “Can I spend the night?”

The alarm bells in his mind sounded a lot like good old regular bells, which made sense all things considered. Maybe even if they weren’t much good against trolls, they could at least save him from digging himself deeper into a grave of his own creation.

“If it depends on me, sure.” He said, proving that the bells were, in fact, just as inefficient inside his own mind. “But I don’t think the orphanage would allow it; to be fair, I don’t think they should. For all accounts and purposes, I’m a stranger, ya know?”

“No, you’re my friend.” 

In all honesty, he didn’t actually understand that sentence, since it was so muffled by the strain in her voice. All he really got was the last word, making him start.

“What was that?”

“I don’t want to go back.” She said even though he could tell it was something different from what she had before. “It feels bad. I’m okay here, why can’t I stay?”

Edmund crouched down next to her, raising one hand slowly to her shoulder. When she gave no indication that the contact was unwelcome while he approached, he touched it gently. “It’s a matter of safety, kid. They worry about you and you can’t trust everyone out there, even if they seem nice at first. It’s not to punish you; it’s to keep you safe. But if you’d rather, I’ll ring them up and ask them about it. How’s that?”

Instead of answering, Meiri just sniffed again and nodded, walking past him (after leaving her shoes by the door, as always, even though he’d never really asked that of her). As he got up again and picked up the black phone on the wall by the doorframe, he heard her climbing the ladder up to his bedroom.

The numbers for both Saint Anne’s and Terry were glued to it. He rang the caretaker.

“Please tell me she’s there with you.” Were his first words as he picked up on the second ring.

“Good evening, Hansen. Yeah, she just arrived. Listen, I understand you’ve changed the lightbulbs at Saint Anne’s?”

Edmund heard the sound of sheets being ruffled behind himself. 

“Oh, yes. The former ones had lost their potency and were really dim. So the director decided that it would be a good investment to switch to LED lights. Saves money, and everything. What does this have to do with anything?”

Edmund bit the inside of his cheek before he could say something rude.

“Didn’t ya notice Meiri was feeling uncomfortable with them?” Well. Before he could say something too rude. His voice could have sounded less accusing, too.

“I- no.” He stumbled. “She didn’t mention anything.”

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Edmund sighed. “Well, she is. It’s making her feel unwell; she wanted to ask if she could spend the night here.”

“I think you understand why we cannot allow that, Edmund.” Terry answered before even giving him a chance to say that it was fine by him. Truth be told, he felt less angry with that answer. It was already bizarre enough that they trusted him to keep her during the day, even if only because they knew they wouldn’t be successful in stopping her, he didn’t need to go to sleep knowing they’d just leave her under the care of just about anyone for the night.

“Yes. I do. But isn't there anything you can do? The bulbs were changed in all parts of the house?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“And can’t you at least, I dunno, change her room? So she doesn’t have to share with kids who have some lights on at all times?”

“That would be against our protocol, seeing as they’re all well established with their roommates. And I don’t think any of our other children would want to do her the favour of switching. I’m afraid Meiri had some trouble making any real friends.”

Edmund lowered the phone for a second, just so he could groan without being heard. He had heard her talking about the orphanage crew, even if not often; he truly believed that they were trying their best and cared about the kids, but they could be so stupid sometimes. Why did whatever protocol they had matter more than the comfort of one of their kids?

“I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do at the moment, Edmund. But thank you for telling us what the issue is, Meiri can be very closed off at times.” Terry said, somewhy making Edmund feel angrier about the situation. “I’ll make sure to talk to her when she gets back. See if there’s something that would make her more comfortable.”

Clenching and unclenching his fists was all he could do as he ended the call. It would be fine. She would be fine. She’d be cared for. She didn’t need him sticking his nose into business that wasn’t his.

She didn’t need him. He had to keep believing that, for his own sake.

“Hey.” He called out, not being able to see her from where he was standing. “You okay, kid?”

Only silence met him. So he removed his muddy boots - even he wasn’t enough of an ogre to go to the second ‘floor’ with them on - and climbed the ladder at the far end of his living room. He couldn’t immediately see her, but he did see a lifeless lump covered by sheets on his bed, so that was good enough. She only seemed to curl in tighter around herself the closer he walked.

“Firefly.” Edmund whispered in what he hoped was a comforting voice as he knelt down by his bed. It wasn’t even really a bed, but rather just a mattress on the floor. Served him well enough. “I’m sorry, but I really need to take you back.” 

“I don’t want to!” She repeated with a whine, the sound muffled by the comforter she’d cocooned herself in. “Why can’t I stay?”

There was a chest by the bed; it doubled as his bedside table, so Edmund had to put the items that had been on top of it on the ground in order to open it.

“No reason other than your safety, kid. They can’t just leave the children they take care of with people they don’t know if they can trust.”

“I can trust you.”

His breath hitched. “Yeah. But they’ve no way of knowing it. They’re not wrong.”

For all that she was upset, that had probably been one of their calmest conversations. Poor girl must be very tired already. It was past her bedtime and she’d run all the way there.

Rummaging through the chest, he found what he’d been looking for at the very bottom. 

“Ah, there you go.” Her head poked out of the sheets to look at what he was trying to show her. “Haven’t worn these in a while. They might help.”

It was a pair of sunglasses, very plain and straightforward. By the look of them, they really had been left forgotten for a while. Meiri watched, not knowing what his point was, as he cleaned the lenses on his flannel shirt. Then, he turned them so that their back was facing her and gently pressed it onto her face.

“What do ya think?”

“It’s dark.”

“That’s the idea. Thought they might make the lights at Saint Anne’s more bearable.”

The fact that she took a while to answer was enough of a reply; they would help, she just didn’t want to admit it.

“Heh.” Edmund leaned back to look at her from another angle. “They’re far too big for you. You kinda look like a fly with these.”

As Meiri tilted her head, the glasses nearly fell off, sliding down the bridge of her nose until he could see her lifted eyebrow. “Dermatobia hominis or Cochliomyia hominivorax?”

“Pardon?”

“They’re fly species!” She smiled, looking morbidly excited about it suddenly. “Their larvae feed off of live human tissue!”

“How is this better than feeding off of dead tissue?”

“It’s not. I’m not trying to defend them, I just think they’re cool.”

“Alright, don’t think you can distract me with bug stuff.” He chuckled while beckoning her out of the cocoon. “I still need to take you back.”

She did untangle herself, but just laid limply there after doing so. “It’s not fair. I don’t wanna.”

“Yeah, so I’ve heard already.” He shimmied his hands underneath her so he could pick her up himself. “Come on. I’ll take you there.”

After a brief interlude for him to put on his coat, during which she remained on his couch, he picked her up again and trekked all the way to the city. Their progress was slow at first, seeing as the absence of any light other than the moon’s for the first couple of miles made it difficult to walk in the woods, but the task became easier once streetlights and sidewalks showed up. The entire time, Meiri remained hanging on to his neck, the sunglasses stored away inside her pocket. She’d even dozed off for a while, lulled by the rhythmic movements of his pace, but was able to give him directions once they were close.

The orphanage was in a good location. It was peripheric, but a nice neighbourhood nonetheless, even if there wasn’t anything to do close by. It felt weird for Edmund to see it with his own eyes for the first time, since Meiri had been visiting him for so long already. The outer walls were painted with a faded baby pink colour, peeling and cracking near the doors and windows. Late as it was, no sound was coming from inside, and he knocked on the door, feeling Meiri tighten her hold on him.

Terry opened the door, looking weary but happy to see them. He stepped aside to allow them in; the first room inside the orphanage was a living room that doubled as a reception, and no one else was currently there. Save for a woman with dark skin and curls crocheting on a couch.

“Thank you for bringing her. Sorry for the trouble, I know it’s late.”

“It’s no trouble at all.” Edmund lowered himself down so Meiri could steady her feet on the floor. He thought he felt some reluctance in the way she didn’t let go for a second, but it might as well have been in his own mind. 

The woman on the couch set her needle down on the couch and got up to walk towards them, the wrinkles on her face made deeper by her worry.

“Are you alright, Meiri?” She asked softly with a heavy accent; he couldn’t pinpoint where it was from.

Meiri shoved her hands in her pockets, probably wanting to fiddle with them but finding the sunglasses there instead. “Yes, tia. Sorry for worrying you.”

“Let’s go.” She extended a hand towards her, which wasn’t taken, but Meiri followed anyway. “Let’s see what we can do for you.”

As the two of them walked away, Teresa tried to give Edmund an approving nod, but wasn’t noticed. His eyes were focused on the back of Meiri’s head, who was for the moment being too preoccupied about not meeting them. Terry sighed as soon as they were out of earshot.

“It’s very good that you came, sir. Would you like something to drink?”

“No, I’ll-” He shook his head as if that would help him clear his thoughts. No such luck. “I think I’ll just be going.”

The blond man took a step towards him. “Alright. I’ll try to make this quick, then.”

There was a fearful and sympathetic expression on his face, telling Edmund he needed to brace himself but not disclosing what for. His mind immediately set to worrying that something bad had happened to Meiri, before remembering that even if it had, it wouldn’t be his problem.

“I’m sorry. I fear Meiri has gotten quite close to you in the recent months.”

He nodded, arms crossed. Trying to let as little emotion show as possible.

“And we know this is good for her. She’s always had trouble making friends, even though we know she’s a sweet kid, and she’s been coming back home happier ever since she started going out to see you.” He ran a hand through his hair, awkward about the situation and really having hoped they could have at least been sitting down for that conversation. “We don’t doubt you’re a good man, Edmund; please don’t take it as that-”

Edmund tensed up more than he already had, knowing that flattery always preceded rug pulling and holding his breath for when it came. Terry noticed it, and grimaced since he knew he was going to deliver exactly what was expected.

“But we fear she has gotten too attached to you. Teresa, our cook, she’s the only person here Meiri even slightly opens up to. And she feels like you’ve become some sort of…” He should have picked his words better. It was no use, now they were on the tip of his tongue and rolling out before he could do anything about it already. “Some sort of father figure to her. And we have no doubt you’ve done her a lot of good, Edmund. But we’re really afraid that this will only hurt her down the line.”

Terry was a very lucky man, he thought amidst the static that filled his brain. It was the only explanation as to why Edmund could hear him even through the drumming of his heart on his chest, beating like he was about to jump off of a cliff. 

Scratch that. Cliff jumping was less scary than this.

“What if-” 

He began the sentence, but didn’t have the courage to finish it. Or maybe courage wasn’t the right word, since all it took was the caretaker asking ‘what was that?’ for him to continue.

“What if I could be her father?”

The question rang loud in the awfully quiet space, competing only with the annoying tick of a cuckoo clock. In a matter of moments, Terry’s face went from surprised, to compassionate, to pitying.

“If that’s really what you want, my friend.” He said softly, with the resigned tone of a soldier who had given up on a battle. “Then I wish you the best of luck.”

#meiridom #fic: fotw #my fic #hilda oc #the bell keeper hilda #meiri #meiri (oc) #the bell keeper fanfic #hilda the series fanfic

[harrowharks-iliac-crest]

29

Third skull, again.

It had been your faintest and most childlike hope that Ianthe would consider your bondage over; that your saving her life would be enough to release you from the collar of debt she had placed around your neck. “As if,” she’d said. “When I ask, you will know you have been asked, Nonagesimus.”

Yeah, that would have been way too easy. She didn't ask, and you enjoyed yourself way too much giving her that arm.

She looked at you, quiet, and perhaps even a little lost; and she said: “I can’t tell if you’re a once-in-a-lifetime genius, an insane imbecile, or both.”

Wow, Mercy must be Really impressed with Harrow's handiwork, to warrant this response.

And, well, it's definitely both, I think.

“But she touched my head,” you said. “She was changing something, or looking for something—and I have no idea what.” “Your brain,” suggested Ianthe.

Mercymorn isn't a very likely suspect anymore. First, her constructed memories would be perfect, not leaving inconsistencies or clues - second, she would be acting very differently here if it had been her.

Here, she was most likely confused by the name Harrow gave for the Saint of Duty - she doesn't ordinarily seem to know him as Ortus.

She was looking for brain damage, most likely.

“Augustine said yes? Augustine agreed to the murder of his brother Lyctor?” “There are very complex power dynamics on this station,” said your sister Lyctor, with whom you had a very complex power dynamic.

This made me laugh. Oh, indeed.

“Eighteen,” she said, in the tones of the jaded, fagged-out socialite. “I remember being eighteen.” “You are twenty-two.”

Omg, I remember seeing this quote in a tumblr post. It is also very funny.

You were lucky that the memory of your own cavalier did not hurt you—except sometimes in the form of a sick headache in your temples, or in words stuck on repeat in your head.

Are you sure that the memory of your cavalier doesn't hurt you, Harrow? Are you SURE???

“I am very satisfied,” pronounced Ianthe. You said drearily, “I look like an imbecile.” “You look just good enough that I’m proud of my handiwork, but not so good that I’ll be consumed with lust and ravish you over the nut bowl,” she said. “I walked a fine line, and I walked it admirably. Go and fix your paint; your skull’s dribbly.”

Harrow's had a makeover, and she looks, by her own admission, uncomfortably like her mother.

And Ianthe pokes the sexual tension between them with boney fingers, hah.

Now to set in motion The Plan; the one to kill the Saint of Duty.

the twin blades of her shoulder blades looked strangely nude and vulnerable to you. She said languidly, “Button me up,” and you obeyed by sprouting three skeleton arms from the bone-impregnated inlay of her chair, glad to hide her vertebrae.

Goodness, Harrow, so flustered you don't even want to risk touching her skin.

The lynchpin walked in. It was the Saint of Joy.

Is Mercymorn in on this as well? This might get ugly.

“Ignore ’em,” said Augustine. “Better you don’t know why they’re here. Look—I need you to fully commit to this one, Joy, and if you don’t, I will consider the oath I just swore tampered with.”

Curious. Augustine is plotting something else??

Whatever you see tonight,” he added, suddenly serious as the grave, “do not get involved.” Behind his back—as you walked down the corridor—the Princess of Ida mouthed at you smugly: Quick! Sophisticated! Devious!

Devious in-fucking-deed.

I don't think I've ever trusted Augustine, but I extra don't trust him now.

#harrow the ninth #harrow the ninth liveblog #htn liveblog #tlt liveblog #htn spoilers #tlt spoilers #the locked tomb