#they really should have taken the metro

[risuola]

▶ ONE BEDROOM?! — a short memory about how you found yourself sharing a bed with two of your best friends.

contents: college!au, roommates to be, fluffy, silly Satoru, caring Suguru and all that jazz — 0,9k words

a/n: feel free to send me suggestions for entries of this series! any specific situations you think might be funny? any topics that sound interesting to you? let me know!

𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀 𝙈𝙀𝘿𝙇𝙀𝙔 | series masterlist

“Alright, I found one,” Satoru informed, a grin of mischief tugging on his lips and both you and Suguru knew immediately that there are some gears turning below the mop of white hair of your best friend. “Near our uni, rent’s cheaper than any other we looked at, it looks nice, and there’s even a balcony for the addict. Available anytime.”

It sounded too good to be true, really. You’ve been looking for weeks now, desperate to find the right balance between the price and quality and it turned out to be the hardest thing you had to face in your lives. It was honestly a nightmare, turned out that you were way too late to find a rental with three rooms in the college area – everything was already taken and you were forced to scratch the idea of all having separate rooms. Two bedrooms, turned out, were just as hard to find. You were slowly coming to terms that you’re gonna have to either spend three hours in metro every day just to get in and out of uni or pay an unreasonable amount of money just to live even moderately close. In your head, you already saw yourself searching for the second job.

“Where’s the catch?” Suguru’s raised an eyebrow, his mind analytic as always and his questioning tone matched your thoughts perfectly. He wrapped one arm around your waist and reached with the other to snatch a phone out of Gojo’s hands, but the snow-whites grin grew even wider as he dodged the attempt. You could feel your friend taking a deeper breath behind your back, you were seated next to him, resting against his body whilst Satoru was on the floor, with his head comfortably on your thigh. “Is it one of those ‘rent a room along with ten other students’ kind of deal?”

“Nah, it’s a separate apartment. It’s not big, by any means, but as far as I’m concerned, it should be more than enough for us,” you reached your hand, but instead of giving you his phone, Gojo put his chin on your palm, smiling with the typical amount of cat-like mischief. “In fact,” he said, pulling the lollipop out of his mouth with a loud pop and threatening to lick you. The trail of sticky sugar covering his lips in a reddish tint from the cherry, his favorite, flavored candy. “I already sent a message to the renter.”

“Toru, spill it,” you pushed, pinching his cheek and with a theatrical roll of his pretty blue eyes, he put his phone into your hand, sticking the candy back into his mouth. You leaned back against Suguru’s chest again and with his head on your shoulder, you swiped through the pictures of the offer. “It… does look nice?”

“Sus,” the brunette mumbled, reaching to swipe over the screen with his own finger. “Very sus. What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing’s wrong with it,” Satoru said in fake offense and got up to his knees to peek on what you two were doing, sticking his nose in front of the screen so aggressively that you had to push him away. “But—”

“Wait, is there one bedroom in this apartment?” You noticed. The pictures you were analyzing all showed the same room and the living area with joined kitchen, the bathroom, and again the same room, and some weird kind of storage? and again the same room.

“That explains a lot,” Suguru laughed lightly and leaned back again.

“We can see the place in an hour” Satoru showed off his pearly whites. “Come on, let’s at least see it, yeah?”

“I guess we can see it,” you gave it a nod. “The price is really nice.”

“Alright… so let’s get going.”

And so, all of you hopped on the bikes, you behind Satoru, and took the ride to see the apartment. Turned out, it really was perfect. Despite the apartment having just one bedroom, it was spacious enough to fit all three of you. The bed was so big it could easily fit five and during the many years of friendship, you and two of your friends shared way too many single person mattresses, sandwiched and squished together to think twice about it. The odd storage room seemed to be a perfect candidate to become a guest room (later called: a fuck room).

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Satoru grinned, looking at both of you as he was bouncing his ass on the bed, testing it as if he was already the owner.

“It is nice, I’ll admit,” you said, looking at Suguru to hear his opinion, but the man seemed to be thinking still. “Sug?”

“For me, it’s perfect. But,” he looked at you, a concern clearly written in his eyes, “is it alright with you?”

Geto has a way of constantly reminding you why you love him. He doesn’t look like it, in fact, he looks quite intimidating to anyone who doesn’t know him, but to you he’s just the sweetest, most caring friend you could ever wish for. If anyone was to worry about your comfort, it was him because it is true that all three of you slept together already, sharing sheets and being as close and personal as it was possible, but a random sleepover doesn’t equal sleeping with them every single day.

“It’s fine with me, don’t worry,” you reassured him, squeezing his bicep playfully.

“If it’s fine with you, then I guess we have a place.”

taglist: @kibananya, @r0ckst4rjk, @rixo-19, @soraya-daydreams

#𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀 𝙈𝙀𝘿𝙇𝙀𝙔 #satosugu #satoru #satoru gojo #suguru #suguru geto #geto suguru #gojo satoru #satosugu x you #satosugu x reader #satosugu x y/n #satosugu fluff #satoru gojo fluff #suguru geto fluff #geto fluff #gojo fluff #jjk satosugu #jujutsu kaisen fluff #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen x you #jujutsu kaisen x y/n #jjk x reader #jjk x you #jjk x y/n #gojo x reader #gojo x you #gojo x y/n #satoru gojo x you #satoru gojo x reader #satoru gojo x y/n

[so-fuck-what-im-dreaming]

Date Night | Damiano David

Pairing : Damiano David x Reader

Prompt : A post I saw a while ago where someone was talking about a speakeasy they had been to that also doubled as a tattoo parlour and I couldn't stop thinking about it...

Warnings: Poor Italian translations, bad tattooing process and aftercare, not proof-read

Word Count: 2527

“Are you ready to go Amore?” He asks, walking back into your shared bedroom and standing behind you as you looked in the mirror, slipping your earrings in. “Though I don’t really know why I’m asking, considering I have absolutely no Idea where you’re taking me,” He says with a soft laugh as he places his hands on your hips, pulling you into him.

“I promise you’ll love it,” You assure him as you lean back, resting your head on his chest.

“I’m sure I will,” He says as he starts to kiss your neck. The warm Rome air was flowing through the apartment, all the windows and doors open creating a nice breeze. This was your happy place, here with him. “Mmh…let's get going,” He teases, pulling away from you.

“You just don’t like surprises do you?” You ask him as you put your sandals on, buckling them at your ankle.

“You know I don’t” He says with a grin as He spritzes himself with his cologne. 

You left the apartment hand-in-hand as you walked towards the metro station, it was only a few stops away so you were quickly off again. You double checked the distance when you got out and it was only a five minute walk. You passed the Circo Massimo and you reminisced about when Damiano played there a few years ago. You had only been dating around a year when He begged you to come, guaranteeing you it would be the best night of your life and He had definitely not been lying. 

You had heard the band practising before, even having sat in on some recording sessions…but there was something different about seeing them perform, seeing Him perform. Damiano was almost a different person. He was raw, unapologetic and very fucking hot. Not that He wasn’t anyway but somehow it had been taken to a whole new level.

“It should be just here…” You say looking down at the map on your phone.

“Are you sure Amore? I think your map might be wrong…” He says looking around. You spot what you’re looking for. A dark wooden door with a golden ‘T’ and matching knocker.

“Follow me,” You say with a wide smile on your face as you pull Damiano with you. You knock on the door three times followed by saying the word ‘Sfizio’. A moment passes before you hear it unlocking and the door swinging open. 

“Benvenuti Signore e Signora,” The Doorman says, nodding in your direction as you walk past him. 

“Welcome to temptazione,” You say quietly to Damiano as you both take a moment to soak in the atmosphere. There’s a light haze of cigarette smoke and the smell of expensive cologne filling the air as you’re silently led to a booth in the corner.. 

“Wow…where did you find this place?” He asks, both of you sliding into the dark green leather lined booth.

“Friend of a friend is one of the owners…it opened up a few weeks ago and as soon as I heard about it I knew I had to bring you,” You say, not wanting to give up the biggest secret yet.

The lady who had sat you left a menu card and a small piece of paper. ‘you’ll be seen at 11’ 

“What's that?” He asks as you look at the paper.

“The second surprise of the night…but it looks like you’ll have to wait,” You tease him

“You just can’t help yourself can you?” He asks and you just shake your head. You had just over an hour to kill until it was your turn so Damiano offers to grab the first round of drinks. By half past you were two drinks in, Damiano’s arm wrapped around your shoulders as you alternated between slowly kissing and quietly talking. The next half an hour seemed to go pretty quickly and soon enough you were being escorted down a dark hallway, your boyfriends fingers laced into yours as you followed,

“Leo will be your artist tonight, godere,” She says before leaving you. You turn to Damiano and you can see all the pieces starting to click into place.

“Is this what I think it is?” He asks and you nod, a smile spreading across your face. You had gotten a few tattoos in the past, nowhere near as many as He had and you had been saying for years that you wanted to get them done together some day. “-and you want to?” He asks and you nod again. When he sees your reaction you're pulled into his chest, lips colliding with his. “You’re perfect” He whispers before you're interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway.

“11 O’Clock?” A guy asks as he comes into the room.

“Yes,” You answer and He pulls back a curtain revealing a large leather chair and a tattoo station.

“Do you know what you want?” He asks and you look over at Damiano. 

“I was wondering if we chose for each other,” You suggest, and Damiano’s wide smile was a good enough answer.

“Do you want to leave it as a surprise?” Leo asks, opening a drawer and pulling out a black silk blindfold. You were definitely not a stranger to a silk blindfold. “ I can wrap it up for you so you can wait until you get home to see it? Quite a few of our couples do,” He offers and you both like the sound of that.

You were always slightly nervous before a new tattoo and Damiano knew that. “Let me go first, Amore,” He says, kissing your forehead. “Where do you want it?” He asks.

“Where have you got space is probably a better question,” You reply with a smile and He starts to unbutton his shirt. He shrugs it off and hangs it up on the hook behind the door. As he looks at himself in the mirror trying to see where you could put it you can’t help but admire him. A soft smile rested upon your lips as you let your eyes roam over his body.

“Up here Amore,” He says, directing your gaze back up his chest. “Either the top of my ribcage or just above my waistband?” He suggests, pointing out the two areas.

“I think here should be perfect,” You say, brushing your hand over the top of his ribcage. Damiano heads over to the chair and lays down. 

“Do you know what you’d like Signora?” Leo asks.

“I do, can I have a pen and paper…wouldn’t want to give anything away,” You say smiling up at your boyfriend. He quickly hands them to you and you draw out your design. “If you can do it as close to that as you can, that would be amazing,” You say and he nods. Leo hands you the silk blindfold before leaving the room to make a template of your design.

You moved towards Damiano, walking around the chair so you were looking down at him. He sits his head up slightly so you could tie the blindfold around his eyes.

“Oh how the tables have turned,” You say quietly, moving to sit on the edge of the seat. You slowly run your hand over his chest, paying special attention where his new tattoo will be. You lean down to press your lips to the base of his neck, slowly kissing your way up towards his jawline.

“Per favore…Amore,” He says but you’re interrupted again. Leo pays no mind to the position he found you in as he showed you the template.

“It's perfect,” You say with a smile, getting up and moving to sit in the chair on the other side. Damiano turns onto his side so Leo can reach his ribcage. The tattoo takes about five minutes, maybe not even that. He moisturises the area and covers it up so it’s hidden from prying eyes.

“That means it’s your turn, Amore,” Damiano says, pulling the blindfold from his face and smiling at you.

“I guess it is…how do you want me Signore David?” You ask with a grin as He stands up and walks you over towards the mirror. 

“May I?” He asks and you nod, before taking the back zip of your dress in between his fingers and pulling it down slightly. The dress hung around your waist, revealing the laced bra you wore underneath it. He moved his hand onto your stomach, dragging one of his fingers along the area where your skin disappeared under the lace. “What about here?” He asks.

“I like it,” You say with a smile and He seems pleased with his decision. You look down and see Damiano pulling the black silk out of his pocket. 

“Your turn,” He says as he ties it around your eyes. You feel his fingers lace into yours as he leads you over towards the chair, you carefully sit down, making sure your dress doesn't fall any further.

“Signore? Your design?” Leo asks Dami, who asks to speak to him away from me. Leo leaves the room and I can feel Damiano coming back over to me.

“Leo’s just gone to make the template…he’ll be back in a moment,” He says quietly, only a few inches from my ear. “I think it’s going to look beautiful Amore,” He says, tracing the area again with his finger…then something else…you can feel his breath on your stomach so it must be his tongue. 

“Dami…” You moan softly but he stops…drying the area so nobody would know. 

“Later, I promise,” He says, gently squeezing your thigh as He sits up…Leo having come back into the room.

“Signora…do you mind taking off your bra…I think the fabric might get in the way,” He asks and you sit up, a guy's hands, who you know for a fact are Damiano’s wrap around you, unhooking the bra and moving it away. Your nipples peak at the sudden cold air, then an alcohol wipe to disinfect the area is gently brushed over the area before the design is transferred onto your skin.

“Just stay nice and still for us Amore,” Damiano says, relieving you of any worry or concern you had. 

“Signore…would you like to do it?” Leo asks and there's a moment of silence.

“That's not up to me…Amore?” He asks and you quickly agree.

“Yes, of course,” You say, butterflies erupting in your stomach at the thought of Damiano tattooing something that would be on your body forever. You could still hear the music from the bar as they concentrated, the only other sound being that of the tattoo gun. You didn’t find it particularly painful and before you knew it, it was done. Damiano followed the same routine that Leo did with the aftercare before wrapping it up.

“You did so good,” Damiano says as He kisses your forehead. The silk blindfold is untied, left to drop into your lap.

“I’ll leave you two to get dressed…the charge has been added to your bill. It was a pleasure working with you Signore e Signora,” Leo says with a smile before quickly leaving the room. You loosen your bra slightly so it doesn’t affect the dressing before you pull your dress back up, over your shoulders. Damiano had already buttoned up his shirt by the time his hands reached for the zipper again, gently tugging it up.

“That was amazing Amore, thank you so much,” He says, kissing your shoulder blade.

“Thank you for tattooing me,” You say with a slight laugh. Damiano would later tell you that Leo had been following him on social media so had seen that He had tattooed before, so the whole ‘would you like to’ was a farce.

It was nearing midnight by the time you got back to the bar, both of you deciding to finish your drinks before heading home. Damiano’s jacket was draped over your shoulders as the cool air settled in on your journey home. The metro was quiet and the streets near your apartment were even quieter.

You had decided that you would both wait a week till revealing your new tattoos, wanting to give them time to heal before seeing them for the first time.

..................

The next week flew by, Damiano back in the studio, You were back in the office. It was a pretty unremarkable week that was all counting down towards the day you would finally see your tattoo. Damiano had ordered your favourite food for delivery, you had eaten whilst watching a movie you both wanted to see, a very nice bottle of red wine had been cracked open but both of you knew what the other was waiting for.

“I think it’s time,” You say to him as the film finishes.

“I think so too,” He says, getting up from the couch and taking you by the hand. He led you into your bedroom and towards the mirror. He pulled your shirt off of you whilst you unbuttoned his. Dropping both onto the floor in a crumpled heap. You watched as He moved to his bedside table, pulling out a very familiar black silk blindfold. “I’m going to clean it up before you see it, ok?” He asks, tying the silk around your head for the second time. He takes your bra off and can feel him peeling away the adhesive dressing. He headed into the bathroom and grabbed a damp towel, gently brushing it over the tattoo making sure it was clean and healing properly.

He positioned you in front of the mirror.

“Ready,” He asks and you nod, he removes the blindfold and you look down at your left breast. The dark black inked words cupping it. ‘Il Ballo Della Vita’ Curved around, identical to his, but this time in his handwriting, done by his hand.

“I…I love it,” You say, slightly lost for words. “It’s perfect Dami,” You say, unable to take your eyes off of it. You finally managed to tear your eyes away from it to turn around, pulling him down into a long and drawn out kiss. “Thank you,” You whisper with a wide smile on your face.

The silk is wrapped around his eyes now, damp towel gently wiping at the tattoo before letting him see. You were very impressed at how much it looked like your handwriting…Leo had done a very good job. You untied the blindfold, throwing it behind you and onto the bed as Damiano’s eyes travelled down his own body, locking onto the written words. ‘Sarò ciò che respiri’ Your favourite line from the song He wrote about you.

“You are what I breathe…” You say quietly, now it was his turn to be unable to tear his eyes away. It was very rare that Damiano was speechless…his whole job was putting his emotions into words…but this had stumped him.

“I…” He tries to say but to no luck. You smile to yourself…you definitely won. “It's perfect…you’re perfect…fuck, I love you so much Amore,” He says pulling you into his arms. “How about we put that blindfold to another use?” He asks quietly against the shell of your ear.

finite

#maneskin #damiano #damiano david #damiano david x reader #maneskin x reader #thomas raggi #vic de angelis #ethan torchio

[the-guilty-writer]

Cane and Shame

Request from anon: Hi love, could you possibly do a hotch x reader where they come to work with a walking stick/cane for the first time. Like they’ve known that they needed to use it but have been embarrassed to use it?

Aaron Hotchner x platonic!reader

Summary: You've been putting off using your cane at work for a while. When you finally cave, your boss makes sure you feel supported.

A/N: This was truly a joy to write and it reminded me why I put limited requests up in the first place- because I love to write, but this is the stuff I really really love to write. Garcia is featured in this as well. Hotch is the most supportive boss/friend. I love it. Thank you so much for this request.

CW: reader experiences pain, takes pain medication, uses a cane, experiences internalized ableism surrounding using mobility aids

---

You knew it was going to be bad when you woke up two hours earlier than normal feeling like your body was on fire. For a few months now, your pain had been slowly getting worse- going from an underlying and annoying constant ache to a sensation so intense you could hardly move some days. Even your emergency pain medication could only help so much. If you didn’t have to work, you probably would have taken a higher dose, but even the low dose made you feel rather spacey; anything more and you wouldn’t have been able to get things done that day. It was an awful irony that the drugs which were supposed to take the pain away so you could function sedated you to the point that you’d spend most of the day fighting to stay awake and out of bed.

Part of you wanted to call out of work, but you’d only been working at the BAU for a year and in the past six months you’d already taken three sick days due to flares worse than the one you were currently experiencing. If you could manage to get through most of the day and leave a little early then it wasn’t worth calling in sick.

You got out of bed thirty minutes before your alarm went off, knowing well that your morning routine would take you longer than you intended. Walking to the bathroom was painful- manageable, but painful. You piled some over the counter meds over your prescription, praying it would kick in before you had to leave for work, but the more you got ready- showering, getting dressed, eating breakfast, and packing lunch- the more you realized that your body just wasn’t going to cooperate with you that day.

As you got ready to leave your apartment you spotted your cane by the door and let out a heavy sigh. You knew it would help, but you really didn’t want to use it. Outside of work, you never left home without it, but at work you were an FBI agent. You’d been a part of shoot-outs and take-downs and car chases, so surely you should be able to walk without assistance. The closer you got to the door, however, the more you felt the pain as you walked and the clearer it became that you didn’t have a choice in the matter. Reluctantly, you took your cane from its place and tried to hold back tears as you got out the door.

---

You arrived at work a bit later than normal, having opted to take the metro so you wouldn’t have to drive. No one questioned you as you walked through the main lobby and got on the elevator, but the dread was building inside you; dread that would turn into shame as soon as you saw the look on the team’s faces.

The team knew you experienced chronic pain- they had to for safety reasons and protocol- but you never let it show. You always acted like you felt fine even when all you wanted to do was curl up into a ball and sob. The only one on the team who really knew about your struggles was Garcia. Months ago, after a very physically demanding case, you went home in so much agony that you had reluctantly called her and asked her to drive you to the ER, which led to you having to explain everything. At your request, she promised not to tell the rest of the team. Since then, on days that you needed to take a few deep breaths to keep yourself from crying out or simply knew your face was going to distort with every minor move you made, you would bring your work to her lair instead of sitting in the bullpen.

But today you couldn’t even bring yourself to go get your files from your desk knowing everyone was in there. Instead, you went straight to Garcia’s office, keeping your head down and hoping that no one you knew would see you. Garcia had an open door policy, but you always knocked before going in. You raised your hand, knuckles about to tap the wood, when the door swung open.

Hotch stood on the other side of the door, holding a stack of papers. You jumped when you startled, causing pain to shoot through your body, but Hotch didn’t even blink.

“(Y/L/N),” he said. “Are you alright?”

“Fine, sir,” you responded quietly. 

He scanned you, taking in every inch of your appearance, from your hair which was up because you were too fatigued to wash it, to the uneasy look on your face, to the cane that you were leaning on a little too heavily at the moment as you recovered from moving a bit too fast. You hung your head slightly, but Hotch just nodded once and left to go back to the bullpen.

You pushed into Garcia’s lair, holding back your tears. You weren’t sure if the need to cry was coming from the humiliation of your boss seeing you at your worst or the torturous discomfort that plauged you limbs from standing too long.

“Good morn- Oh, (Y/N),” Garcia said sweetly as you sat down on one of her extra chairs. “What happened?”

You knew she wasn’t asking about the cane- Garcia was well aware of your use of mobility aids outside of work- she was worried about the look on your face.

“I ran into Hotch,” you sighed and hid your cane underneath Garcia’s desk.

“Do- do you want me to go get your files for you? There’s no case today,” she said.

You nodded, closing your eyes and leaning back, willing the emotional and physical hurt to stop.

“I'll be right back,” she said. She ran off to get your files. There was no hiding from your boss now, but maybe you could hide from the rest of the team for just a little longer.

---

With your cane hidden out of view, everyone who came into Garcia’s lair just assumed you were keeping her company for the day. The few times you did have to leave her lair, you did so without assistance. It hurt, but it didn’t hurt as much as the judgment and questions you would face. When lunch rolled around, Garcia left to go out with Morgan, Reid, Prentiss, JJ, and Rossi, leaving you alone in the den of technology by yourself.

Sometime while they were gone, you received a text message from Hotch: Meet me in my office if you can. If not, I can come to you.

Though it probably would have helped for Hotch to come to you, you didn’t want to seem incapable of walking less than 100 yards. You grabbed your cane from its hiding place- Hotch had already seen it and none of the rest of the team was around- and made your way to the bullpen, painfully walking up the small set of stairs to your boss’s office. You knocked on the open door and he looked up from his work.

“(Y/N),” he addressed you by your first name- a rarity, “take a seat.” Hotch gestured to the chair that always sat across from his desk and began to put his paperwork aside. You sat in the chair, keeping your eyes down. You didn’t want to see what kind of pity look he was giving you.

“Are you alright?” he asked. It was the same question from earlier, but it sounded different this time- more gentle, like he was talking to you as a friend instead of a Unit Chief.

“I will be.” You gathered the courage to look at him, but to your surprise he wasn’t looking at you with pity. He was looking at you with concern. “I- um-” You couldn’t get the words out.

“Take your time,” Hotch said.

You took a deep breath, gathering yourself. “I always told myself I wouldn’t bring my cane to work.”

Your boss furrowed his brow. “Why not?” He seemed genuinely confused.

You shrugged. “It’s kind of embarrassing,” you admitted. “People stare and judge.”

“(Y/N), how long have you been putting this off?” he asked.

If you weren’t so worried about looking weak, you probably would have started to cry. “Six months, but I’ve only really… needed it the past two... or three.”

“If it helps, you should use it,” Hotch said, his tone more light and reassuring. “There’s no shame in utilizing mobility aids if they make you physically more comfortable. You’re a valuable part of this team. No one is going to judge you for taking care of your health and we can’t afford for you to be damaging yourself. We need you at your best. If your best means you use your cane, then use it.”

In an effort to lighten the tone just a bit, your mouth twitched up at the corner as you said, “Is that an order?”

Hotch’s rare smile graced his face. “Not yet, but if I see you struggling I’ll make it one.”

Voices came from outside of the office. You looked to the glass doors to see the rest of the team coming back from break. Morgan and Garcia were laughing, JJ and Emily were smiling at something on a phone, and Reid and Rossi were talking enthusiastically together- probably about cars. 

They were your team- your friends- and they would never judge you.

“But,” Hotch started as he rose from his seat. “Going to the conference room with the rest of the team so we can do a consultation on a case is an order.” He left the room, going to gather the rest of the team.

You paused for a second before rising from your seat as well, gripping your cane to help you stand. You left Hotch's office and walked to the conference room with your head up, knowing now, that you had nothing to be ashamed of.

#aaron hotchner fanfiction #criminal minds fanfiction #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner x platonic!reader #aaron hotchner x y/n #criminal minds x y/n #criminal minds x platonic!reader #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds x disabled!reader #criminal minds #penelope garcia x platonic!reader #aaron hotchner #penelope garcia

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIbta if I don't read an author's books for their opinion on book piracy?

Context: I live in a country where literary has plummeted, reading is a hobby for the privileged, bookstores are closing or dilapidated, libraries are worse off.

Bookstores here are not good at keeping up with new releases. Their bestsellers are local publishes, and things like Percy Jackson or the Hardy boys. Requesting them to bring books almost never works.

With libraries, schools and colleges have their private ones only open to students and staff but they're... Restrictive about what someone can check out. Librarians here totally pro-censorship. Public libraries are less than 10 in my metro city, they keep old books, academic texts, and in some cases specialize in one area. That includes one of the biggest libraries in the country. And it's like 6 hours to commute so that's not a sustainable option for me. Of course library apps straight up don't exist here.

We have a couple book box subscription services. One sends those bestsellers that everyone's read as kids. The other one is expensive and more of a privileged influencer orientated thing than for readers.

What I said so far might sound too bad to be true but it is the reality. Physical books have been getting expensive worldwide. On top of that if I can't be caught reading things our government doesn't like. I read a lot of classics, for which I use a legal free site. But for something like a queer fantasy book written by a foreigner my only options are buying on kindle or well.. downloading them. Kindle doesn't always have the books I want, but the download sites tend to bring in requested books.

So of course there's ethical dilemma. With my salary I can save up and buy 6-7 books a year, I only buy the ones I've read and thoroughly enjoyed, enough to want them on my shelf or because I want to support the author, even with the risk of kindle copies being taken away at an exec's whim in the future.

I found out a couple authors I really wanted to read from are anti-piracy, one of them put a message like "Whoever pirates this book I put a curse on you" in their ya fantasy book. And I don't read a lot of ya but that book sounded interesting, until I saw that. These author's tone while talking about readers in my kind of position put me off and I decided not to read their works.

My logic is that I'd rather download and see if I love a book before buying, if I love it I wouldn't want to support people like them and feel bad reading it too, if I buy first and hate it then it's a waste of my money while the authors get a few cents off that purchase.

So naturally I've been told to suck it up, read less, stop reading if I can't afford, stick to free classics and fanfics, make more money, bring revolution in my country etc.

I do feel bad about the authors, even though most of what I read are from dead people there's a good amount of living people too and not all of them are getting their coins whether I want to give it to them or not. And the reason for this ask: Someone said I'm overreacting to those authors, I should just read those books like a normal person and move on instead of viewing them as books not to be touched.

So?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

[queenlua]

also: aforementioned shopping mall was in Los Angeles (or, rather, one of the infinite technically-separate little cities that have taken big ol' chomps out of LA over the years, even though they are very obviously part of the same metro, isn't white flight / redlining / etc a trip, etc)

ANYWAY. it was my first time really getting to explore LA as an adult, and

the city might be cursed??? but i also kind of dig it???

it kind of reminds me of Las Vegas, in the sense that both cities seem audacious and in defiance of natural law & good sense & God's will & all that,

but whereas Las Vegas's form of defiance is: "fuck you, we are making the city of Sin And Gambling And Sex, and it's going to be So Goddamn Gaudy, and on top of all that we're building it in an *uninhabitable desert* just to prove that we can"...

...well, Los Angeles's form of defiance seems to be more like: "fuck you, we are making our city One Infinite Suburb, except with taco trucks everywhere because come on we're not *that* kind of suburb, HOWEVER the car WILL reign supreme, and instead of having a City Vibe it will be like a hundred little neighborhoods each on their own little island surrounded by the Sea Of Traffic, and also if anyone tries to build a SINGLE GODDAMN SKYSCRAPER they will be SHOT ON SIGHT"

which is obviously not how a city should work!!! and yet there it is, vast and sprawly and even with some tbh pretty dope access to nature, extremely good food, Silver Lake was a lot of fun, etc

like obviously this is just a cursory feel from spending a handful of days there, many grains of salt, etc, but. wow what a vibe. i kinda dig it in the way I dig all loud ostentatious defiances and such

#also driving there was not NEARLY scary as everyone led me to believe #the roads are so WIDE and the road design is so FORGIVING #i'm increasingly convinced Seattle is just EXTREMELY brutal lol i haven't yet driven someplace worse!!!

[strawberriescherrieskiwi]

Valentine on the Town

Anon request:

Valentine’s day first date. I know it’s cheesy but I love it so much.

Wordcount: 2.4 K+

Description: It’s Valentine’s day and your roommate won’t let you stay home, instead she has a double date planned, but the date turns out better than you think and probably the best Valentine’s day ever.

A/N: Happy Valentine’s Day everyone. I hope you enjoy.

Warning: Fluff, smut.

“Look I told you Pauline, I am not in the mood for Valentine’s day?” You whined to your roommate as she opened your closet pulling out clothes and examining them for a moment before tossing them on the floor, and looking for something else.

“Pauline listen to me,” you tossing a pillow at her back. You really wanted to spend all of Valentine's day in your bed watching your favorite rom-coms and drinking wine until you thought you were in the movie.

“I am listening and I am choosing to ignore you. We are going out tonight. We have dates.” she reminded you.

“I should have taken the roommate that didn’t speak French or English and had a pet goat,” you groaned, turning over and burying your face in another pillow.

“You would not have half as much fun as you did with me,” she said. And without even looking at her, you could tell she was smirking at her. 

“The goat looked like a lot of fun,” you mumbled. You loved Pauline, you really did, when you decided to move to France you were lucky to meet her. She was your best friend, the Ying to your Yang, but sometimes you really wanted to wring her neck.

“Oh this skirt is the cutest, you can wear my jumper,’ she said happily, slapping your bottom. “Up up and put this on.”

“Paul really,” you said, turning over.

“You said you wanted me to set you up with someone, remember?”

“That was 2 years ago and you set me up with three guys and two girls and things didn’t work out.”

“You and Serria were together for 6 months, and were a cute couple,” She pointed out.

“She cheated on me.”

“And I throw my drink at her and dropped her as a friend.”

“I know and I love you for it,” you said, sitting up and hugging her.

“So take a change this time. Trust me it will be worth it.”

“Fine.”

20 minutes later you were on the Metro and were glaring over at your best friend, who grinned smugly at you, chewing her gum. “You look hot,” she mouthed.

Smirking slightly you blew her a kiss. “You look hot too,” you said.

When the train stopped, Pauline grabbed your arm linking them together and pulling you off the bus. “We are meeting them at the bar and having a few drinks, you will have a good time so stop pouting,” she said.

“I’m not pouting,” you said, as you walked to the bar. “Tell me about this person.”

“Umm I don’t actually know them,” she confused.

You paused, staring at her as if she was insane. “You don’t know them?”

“Well, my brother set it up?”

Timothee Chalamet was gorgeous. He was Paul’s younger brother, your age and to say you didn’t think about him a lot would be an understatement. You’ve met him dozens of times during your friendship, he even kissed you on New Year’s, but you didn’t have his number and he lived in America most of the time.

“Why did you let Tim set me up on a date?”

“Well I told him I was looking for someone for you and the plans and he asked to come, make it a group thing and he said he had the perfect person to set you up with.”

“And you didn’t tell me why?”

“I don’t know.  I know you have a thing with Tim?”

“A thing?”

“Yeah you clam up when I mention him and I was unsure but I saw a photo from New Year’s and I.. shit, this is so horrible,” she said, worriedly. “This is such a shitty thing I should have told you. Hey, we can go back to the house, get food and watch all the rom-coms you want.”

You chuckled, pulling her into a hug. “I didn’t realize I was being weird about him, but really I’m fine with seeing him. It was a stupid New Year’s kiss nothing more, let’s go to the bar. I should be asking you if you are okay with going on a date with your brother. He might be making out with a girl.”

Her nose crinkled. “I did not think of that. God, I am going to need a lot to drink.” She laughed pulling you alone to the bar.

The moment you walked in your eyes found Timmy. He was leaning against the bar, talking to Pauline’s date. He was grinning widely as he listened intensely to whatever was being said before he threw his head back and laughed.

The music was loud and you couldn’t hear him, but the joy on his face, the way his eyes crinkled, the way he tilted his head back had your breath catching in your throat. You knew you were attracted to him, but you didn’t know you had feelings for him, but the way your heart speed up, the way your hands clammed up you couldn’t deny it.

Luckily, it seemed that Pauline didn’t notice and quickly pulled you over to them. “Timmy, look how nice you look,” she teased pinching his cheek.

Timmy’s cheeks dushed pink slapping her hands away from his face. He turned to you, smiling shyly. “Hey Y/n, you look amazing.”

“Thanks. And ignore your sister you look great. Fantastic actually,” you said, taking a seat next to him. “So I’ve heard you are in charge of my date for the night?” you commented after ordering a drink, Paul and her date were already moving to a table.

His cheek lit up again. He ran his hands through his hair before chuckling nervously. “Umm, yeah about that. I hope you aren’t upset but I’m umm. I’m-” he stopped looking away.

You bit your lip to keep the grin off your face. “Are you my date?” You guessed.

“Yeah,” he nervously said, his voice a few octaves higher than normal. He quickly cleared his throat and grab his drink. “I hope you aren’t disappointed,” he said.

Smiling you grabbed your drink, moving closer to him. “I would have been disappointed if it was anyone else.”

He turned to you with wide eyes. “Really?”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about you since New Year’s, but I didn’t want to ask Paul for your number encase you didn’t feel the same and I didn’t want to put her in an awkward place.”

“Yes yes same, I didn’t want to ask her and make things awkward for us all, but I’ve been mad for you for a while now,” he confessed.

“Well, just know that the feeling is mutual,” you said, walking to the table. 

Pauline looked up when you joined. “So where is your date? Did Timmy fuck up?” She asked, giving her brother a glare.

 “Well he didn’t set me up with any of his friends, he lied,” you said, Pauline reached over to grab her brother but you kept talking. “He is my date,” he finished.

She gasped looking between the two of you. “Is this what Ross felt? My best friend and my brother, my brother and my best friend,” she waxed cupping both of your faces dramatically.

You laughed, pushing her hand away. “So you aren’t like upset or anything?”

“Why would I be? I always wanted to set you both up, but either one of you would be in a relationship or Timmy was jetting off to America. You two are perfect for each other.”

Smiling you glanced at Timmy, who was already looking at you. “Let’s just see how the first date goes,” you teased.

“We need more drinks though if you two are going to be giving each other eyes all night long,” she said, getting up to order more drinks.

“Champagne is the perfect thing to drink, get some glasses and a bottle we can make a tower and  see how can drink the most. Loser pays?’ You suggest.

“Good idea,” Paul said as she walked away.

“Oh I love the way your mind works, but you know I can drink you under the table,” Timmy smirked.

“You are insane, I can hold my alcohol better than you,” you laughed.

“Want to have a side bet?” He teased.

“Always?”

“Whoever gives up first has to do a dare later.”

“Oh, what’s the dare?”

“It’s a blank dare. Still up for it?”

“You are on, Timmy.”

Two hours later you sat outside a café with a chocolate heart-shaped cupcake. You and Timmy lost Pauline and her date 45 minutes ago between  going from dinner to another club. You weren’t sure how you got to the café, but you the cupcake was amazing.

Timmy sat across from you, staring down at his own cupcake. “It’s beautiful. How can we eat them?” he whispered.

Giggling you ran your finger through his icing. “Oops” You teased as he gasped looking from you to his ruined cupcake. 

“I don’t think that relationship will work out,” He said shaking his head.

“Really?” You said, slowly licking the icing off your finger staring him down the whole time.

Timmy’s mouth flew open as he watched you. His pants tightened and he felt his breath catch. You grinned pulling your finger out of your mouth making sure to make a loud popping sound. “Too bad I was really having a good time,” you said after a moment of silence.

“What?” he asked still a bit dazed.

“You said this relationship won’t work, remember?” You teased.

“I take it back. I take it back,” he said.

“Hmm really?”

“Yeah,” he said whispering once more.

“Eat your cupcake, Timmy,” you grinned switching with him and taking a bite, moaning at the taste. “Fuck this is good,”

Timmy was still staring at you. He  was breathing harder and his thoughts about cupcakes were long gone.

“Timmy cupcake,” you teased.

“Oh yeah,” he said finally looking away, eating his cupcake. He was thankful it was too dark for you to see how flushed he was.

“So I won what should I dare you to do?” You asked once you finished. Your fingers were locked together as you both walked down the street.

“Something we will both enjoy. I drank a lot and now I lost, be gentle with me,” He pouted, dropping a kiss to your shoulder.

You shivered which didn’t go unnoticed by him. “Oh, you like that?” He teased, doing it again.

“Timmy,” you whimpered, pulling him into a nearby alleyway. You pushed him against the wall, tangling your fingers in his hair and kissing him.

Timmy’s hands grabbed your waist, pulling you flush against his body. You could feel how hard he was and you reached down and grabbed his cock. His hips jerked into your hands.

“Should I dare you to fuck me on the side of the building? Or maybe dare you to let me stroke you until you come in your pants?” you said against his lips.

He whined, thrusting into your hand. “Either one is good,” he moaned.

“I’ll save my dare. I’m sure you will be okay with that right?”

He nodded, flipping you both around until you were the one pressed against the wall, his hand sneaking under your skirt, rubbing your damp underwear.  “So wet for me,” he mumbled into your shoulder, pressing kissing up and down.

Goosebumps spread across your body. All the control you had was gone but you were more than happy to let him take control. Grabbing the back of your thighs, he gripped them tightly, “Jump,” He ordered.

Without missing a beat you jumped, wrapping your arm around his waist. He pushed your underwear to the side, thrusting two fingers inside of you quickly and roughly

Gasping you rode his fingers, throwing your head back. “Timmy fuck. I knew your long fingers would feel so good inside of me.”

Smirking, he curled his fingers adding a third, shoving them harder inside of you. “You’ve thought about my fingers, thought about my cock too?” He asked.

“Yeah. Thought about your cock for years. Wanted you to fuck me on New Year’s. Wanted your cock stretching me.”

“Fuck. I wanted to fuck you too, wanted to bend you over your balcony and fuck you for all the Paris to hear you.” 

You moaned arching your back and cumming. Timmy’s mouth descended onto yours swallowing your moans just as a couple walked passed the alleyway. 

Your eyes closed as you rode his fingers through your orgasm. Once you calmed down and only whimpered softly, Timmy’s lips moved to your ear. 

“If you want me to fuck you, you need to be quiet. Don’t make me gag you,” he chuckled, biting the shell of your ear.

You tugged his curls, kissing along his jaw. “I thought you wanted all of Paris to hear me.”

“I do, but I don’t want to get arrested,” he chuckled. Pulling his cock out of his pants, slapping his cock against your clit a few times, rubbing it against your soaking and quivering hole.

“Don’t tease me. Just fuck me, Timmy. I want your cock, dripping for it,” you begged.

“Fuck begging without me even telling you. Gonna be the death of me,” He said, plunging his cock balls down inside of you. 

You grabbed his hand and covered your mouth as cried out. “Has no one ever fucked you like this, baby?” He chuckled at your reaction, pulling all the way out before thrusting back in, setting up a quick and brutal pace.

His hand never left your mouth as he fucked you. You tightened your legs around him, pulling him closer and deeper. Your back rubbed horribly against the wall, but the pain only fueled your pleasure. 

Your core tightened around him and he groaned. Timmy’s thrust turned irregular as he grew closer to his release. His hand moved to your neck, squeezing lightly as he came burying his cum deep inside of you.

Your thighs shook as you came right after him, pressing your lips to his, kissing him roughly and passionately. His hips never stopped rutting into you until you were begging him to stop. He kissed you sweetly before slowly pulling out.

He helped fix your clothes before tucking his cock back into his pants. He let you down gently on the ground, kissing your neck. “Sorry, I squeezed a bit too tight,” he apologized.

“It’s fine, really. I didn’t mind. It was really hot,” you chuckled. He grinned, wrapping his arm around your waist. 

“For Valentine's day, this is probably the best one,” he said as you walked out of the alley.

“Well, let’s go back to your apartment and make it even better.”

                                                   Taglist.

@gatoenlaciudad​

#timothee chalamet #timothée chalamet #timothee chalamet x reader #timothee chalamet imagine #timothee x reader #valentine's day #timothee chalamet x you #timothee smut

[lover-i-lover]

Spencer get's drugged and Aaron takes him home

Spencer knew that drink tasted funny. He shouldn't have drunken it- he really shouldn't have taken a drink from the unsub at all! But, that's undercover work for you. As Spencer stumbles back to his desk, he knows he can't take the metro home alone tonight, it wouldn't be safe. He tries to pack his things, but his fingers won't move or grab the things properly.

"Reid?" It's Hotch, standing by the side of desk. Hotch wasn't with him on the undercover mission and is therefore in his normal work suit, which makes Spencer feel very out of place in his skinny jeans and tank top. Going undercover as a young bisexual man in a gay club known for drugs and hook-ops means you need a certainly look. "Mhmm?" Spencer muses and attempts to grab his book from the desk. Hotch takes it and puts it in Spencer's bag.

"I've been made aware you've likely been drugged"

"Likely, huh. Mhm. I have" Spencer throws his head back on the last word and regrets it instantly as the bright lights blind him and he jerks his head down to the floor. "Reid?" Hotch asks, placing a hand on the younger man's lower back. "Mhmm?" Spencer glances to the older man, confused as all hell as to why his boss is touching him. "Is there someone to take you home?"

"Noooo, well, no. No." Spencer shakes his head, trying to hike his bag onto his shoulder. "N- But, but, there's, couch, in the room, Garcia stayed in, the-"

"Absolutely not Spencer" Hotch half scolds, making Spencer pout in the middle of the office. He'd normally never make such a face but, the drugs are making him all loopy. "I, why not? I can't, I'm not in a state to..." Spencer falters, he's not sure what he was trying to say. "I'll take you home, alright? There's no reason you should stay here or make your own way home"

Spencer whines lightly, feeling his knees go weak. "Don't you need to get, home to Jack?" Hotch's face is blurry mess, Spencer can't see, he tries to think of what drug would make me feel like this, but he's mind is a mess and he doesn't understand anything. "Jack can wait the 13 extra mintues it takes for me to drop you off" Hotch grabs the bag that was hanging off Spencer's elbow. "13 mintues? how you know that?"

"How i know how long it takes? I've driven you home before, when you were in protective custody, I was the one to take you home" Hotch explains, gently turning Reid around to the way of the door. "Jacket" Spencer protests, sloppy on his feet. Hotch glances to him, confused. "My jacket, I'm cold"

"Um" Hotch glances around "You didn't have a jacket to work tonight Reid" Hotch says, Spencer pouts, he's so cold, how do people go clubbing in tank tops and not get cold. Spencer throws an arm over Hotch's shoulder's for some more stability. "Okay...." Spencer mutters, stumbling along with Aaron. Spencer struggles to walk with him to the elevator. Like his feet are pointing outwards and not straight out like normal.

Aaron sets him against the elevator wall and Spencer grabs the handle with both hands, the world suddenly spinning. "Reid?" Aaron's looking down to him, trying to help him stand op a bit straighter. Aaron's hands are under his armpits, what's he doing? His feet stumble back and he's back in the corner of the elevator. "Reid can you hear me?"

Spencer can't get his head to nod and just hums instead. "Okay, let's just get you home" Aaron says. Spencer hums, trying to move Hotch's hands but he fails, it's too hard.

"I know it's an unpleasant touch but I don't want you falling" Aaron says. Spencer groans, he's so tired, so dizzy, so confused. He just wants to go to bed. He needs sleep "Wow, Reid, Reid!" Spencer's leaning against Hotch now, Hotch's got arm around him. Spencer let's his head rest on Aaron's shoulder, he can't make himself move, his body is too slack. "Spencer, are you alright?"

Spencer lazily paws at Hotch's chest, leaning against him for stability "Ah..huh" He tries to nod but his head goes in a circle. Aaron moves Spencer's hands to hold around his neck. "Hold on okay? Tight" Aaron says as Spencer's fingers curl around his neck. Spencer hums as Aaron grabs his legs and swings him op in his arms. Spencer feels the cold rush his skin as he's carried outside.

Aaron sets Spencer down in the passenger's seat of Hotch's car. Something soft is draped over him, his bag is set in his lap and some hair is tucked behind his ear. "Spence?" "Mhmm" He hums. "Are you alright to be home alone?" Aaron asks, getting in the drivers side.

His words come out in a mumble. "need, have, to" The car starts and Spencer feels himself fade a bit, he's so damn tired. "Um, well. you could stay with me if you don't feel safe being alone"

"Nah...no" Spencer shakes his head. "Fine" He leans his head back. "I'm fine" Spencer mumbles. Spencer sleeps through the ride. He's frazzled when Aaron's moving him again. He clings to Aaron's neck as he's lifted from the seat. "Mhmm" "Just relax Sweetie" Aaron reasures, pushing the door shut with his hip. Spencer doesn't even question the nickname, he barely notices it at all, only tucking his head into Aaron's shoulder.

Aaron brings him inside, Spencer doesn't know if he slipped Aaron a key to his place or if he just found it in his bag. He doesn't care. Spencer's back meets the soft sheets of his bed. His shoes are slipped off, socks and then a blanket is laid over him. Spencer blinks as Aaron tucks him into bed. "Mhmm, thank Hotch" Spencer mutters softly.

"Get some rest okay?" Aaron brushes some more hair behind Spencer's ears. Spencer tries to nod, but needs op nodding his eyes instead of his head. "Call me in the morning, alright? I need to know you're okay" Hotch says, gently caressing Spencer's cheek.

"Mhmm"

Spencer wakes op to the sun shining through his window, he glances to his nightstand, there's a tall glass of water by his phone. He picks the glass op, downing the whole thing in one go. He sets it down again, noticing the small piece of paper laid down by his phone.

You promised to call me when you woke op

-Aaron Hotchner

#criminal minds #spencer reid #dr spencer reid #aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner x spencer reid #hotchreid

[promenadewithme]

Chapter 2 (The Kiss of Eros)

a/n: here is chapter 2! all feedback is always welcome <3 pairing: Spencer Reid x Rebecca Sanders (original character) warnings: whirlwind of emotions here, be ready. someone gets hurt, blood, guns, fire, feelings so many feelings. word count: about 3k

Series Masterlist

The hot humidity of the subway hits me like a slap on the face. I remove my sweater, leaving me in my white button-up, and tie it around my shoulders. 

“Have you ever taken the LA metro?” he asks beside me.

He’s also wearing a white button down, but his are rolled up at his arms, covered by a gray sweater vest and paired with charcoal pants.

“Nope, you?”

“I thought you were experienced.” he jabs and my face twitches.

“At public transportation, not specifically Los Angeles. Vegan city isn’t exactly my go-to holiday destination.” I answer while switching back to my normal square glasses.

“Where, then?”

“Where what?” I ask, trying to figure out which rail to take.

“Where is your go-to holiday destination?” he turns towards me, hands in his pockets, and I pause.

Is he trying to make small talk?

“I-I’ve always wanted to visit Scotland.” I offer.

He nods, looking at the map.

“Did you know that Scotland's official animal is the unicorn?” he asks.

“Yes, I did know that.” I offer a smile.

“Odd, though, isn’t it? That an official animal isn’t even a real animal?”

“Y-yes, I guess so.” I stutter.

“The first record of unicorn myths actually dates back to Mesopotamia.” he gesticulates while looking at the map “Many people think it originated from Greek mythology, but they just confuse the unicorn with the pegasus. Even though they are completely different, their only common factor being the body of a horse. Unicorns have a single horn on their head, while Pegasuses - or Pegasi - have wings.”

I gawk at him.

He’s actually talking to me. About unicorns. I am so incredibly confused right now. This is probably the most he’s ever said directly to me.

His gaze meets mine and he immediately turns away, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. I look back at the map, searching for the rail that takes us to the address Pen sent. 

“We should take rail C.” I say, turning to look at him.

He’s already looking at me. All I get is a nod before he spins on his heel and walks towards the railway.

We wait behind the yellow line in silence until the metal tube arrives. The station filled with a few people after we arrived, but not enough to mean there wouldn’t be seats for us. Good, my feet are starting to hurt from the heels and I chide myself for not packing more comfortable shoes.

As soon as the doors open, I move to sit close to the exit when a large hand closes around my upper arm. 

“No you don’t.” He orders, lifting me before I have the chance to sit. “Do you know how many microbes are on that seat?” 

“I don’t and I really don’t want to know, but I have a feeling you’re going to tell me anyway.”

“Trillions, Sanders. Trillions.”

I grimace and notice his hand still holds my arm. I’m pretty sure this is the first time he has ever touched me. So much for Dr ‘I don’t do handshakes’.

Snatching my arm from his grip, I ask “Well you don’t even shake peoples hands, so I doubt you’ll hold the support bars. Without them, you’ll be falling more than a sailor in the north sea, so what’s your solution?”

He doesn’t answer me, instead he opens his satchel and takes out two wet wipes, holding one out to me. 

“We’ll sanitize our hands when we get there.” he states, grabbing the rod with the wipe as a barrier between it and his hand.

I hate to admit it, but that’s kind of genius. I’ll never tell him, though.

“Fine.” I huff and copy his actions, just in time for the metro to start moving.

He keeps his free hand tight on the strap of his satchel, eyes drifting between me and the floor. He’s nervous. Over the past year I’ve known Spencer, I’ve learned about his germophobia. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for him to be stuck in a metal tube swarming with trillions of microbes. Maybe if I can get his mind off of it…

“Let’s play a game.” I suggest, immediately regretting it.

This man is a genius and you want to play a game with him? Like a little kid? That voice reprimands in my mind.

“A game?” he asks slowly.

“You know what? Never mind, it’s stupid. I don’t know what I was th-” I splutter before he interrupts me in a soft voice.

“What game?”

My mouth opens and closes as I scour my mind for a game worthy of his intelligence. Dear lord, is there even one?

I think of every game possible. Rock, paper, scissors. Never have I ever. I spy. Truth or dare. He looks at me expectantly and I blurt out the first game on my mind “20 questions.”

“20 questions?” he asks.

I’m so dumb. So fucking stupid. I just suggested that Dr Spencer Reid play 20 questions with me.

“How do you play?” He looks interested.

Oh, okay.

 “You’ve never played 20 questions?”

“I um,” he scratches his neck, crimson tingeing his cheeks. “I didn’t have all that many friends growing up.”

“Oh, well… that’s ok. I’ll teach you.” I nod.

When he doesn’t say anything, I start explaining the rules of the game.

“So, basically, person number 1 thinks of something - anything. A person, an object, a band, a place. That person then says ‘I am a country’, for instance. Then person number 2 has 20 yes or no questions to figure out what country that person is. Got it?”

He nods and asks “Can I start?”

“Sure.”

Okay, we’re eager. Good. 

“I am a person.” he states.

“Alright, are you a woman?”

“Yes.” he nods.

“Are you from this century?”

“No, she’s actually from-” he starts, but cuts himself off before mumbling to himself “Yes or no questions. Just yes or no.”

I nod and hide my smile.

“Are you a monarch?” 

“No.”

“A writer?”

“Nope.”

“A scientist?”

“Yes!” he exclaims with a smile.

He has a very nice smile. It’s a rare sight for me. He does smile a lot, but it usually fades when I enter the room.

“Is there a Disney princess based on you?”

“No, not Jane.”

“Did you study dark matter?” 

“Not Freese either.” I can tell that he’s dying to tell me and his excitement is contagious “Come on, Becca. Think about the most obvious answer.”

Becca. He’s never called me that before. I like it.

“Rosalind Franklin?” I try.

“So close, come on. Just one step before her.”

“Marie Curie!” I exclaim.

“Yes!” he laughs. 

“I love Marie! I have a magnet of her on my fridge.” 

“You have a Marie Curie magnet?”

“Yes.” I smile and he just stares.

But this time, it isn’t a bad stare. I wouldn’t mind if he stared at me like this.

“Okay, okay. My turn.” I say.

I already knew what I would pick from the start, so I hint “I am a book.”

“A book?” he tilts his head.

“Is that your first question, doc?” I joke.

“No, no.” he shakes his head and brings his fingers to rest on his chin “Let me think.”

We’re closer to each other than we were before. Close enough for me to see the light stubble beginning to grow on his face and how his lips look slightly chapped.

Is he not drinking enough water? A voice whispers in my mind.

I notice I’m staring at his lips when he asks “Are you a romance book?”

“Yes.” I focus my attention on his eyes and, for the first time, he holds contact with mine.

At least he does for a few seconds, which is enough for me to notice the amber streaks in the midst of his chocolate brown irises.

“Are you from this century?”

“No.”

“Pride and Prejudice.”

I blink at him, mouth agape “How did you do that?”

“You read a lot of romance books.” He shrugs “I thought it could be your current read, but you’re reading a christmas rewrite of groundhog day so definitely not. Statistically, in these situations, we tend to pick something we can see at the moment, have seen recently or a favorite of ours. Considering there aren’t any books around and it’s not your current read, your pick could only have been your favorite.”

“How did you know Pride and Prejudice is my favorite?” I ask, completely shocked that he knows my reading preferences. 

Though, thinking rationally about it, he is a profiler. He’s just doing his job and noticing his surroundings.

“It’s the only book you’ve repeated in the last year. You’ve read it three times. Plus all the times I’ve found you watching the 2005 version with Garcia in her office while going on about something you called the ‘hand flex’ scene.” He looks confused at that last part, but shakes his head before looking expectantly at me.

I realize he’s waiting for me to confirm his answer.

“Yes, you’re right. You won.”

“I never lose.” he simply answers before looking away with a small smile. 

Maybe working with him won’t be so bad after all.

***

Spencer knocks on the last partner’s house, his black Ray-Ban sunglasses perched on the tip of his nose. We wait a few beats, but there is no reply. Strange. 

“FBI, open up.” Reid bangs against the door.

“Maybe they aren’t home?” I suggest.

“Do you have your gun?” he asks.

I move my hand to hike up my skirt and his gaze follows as I remove my glock gen 5 from the holster strapped to my thigh.

“Do you think we’ll need it?” I question, but hear the answering sound of glass shattering inside the house.

We exchange looks and snap into action. Reid jogs to the left side of the house and I stick to the right, checking the corners and bushes for movement with my gun held in defensive. I dial Pen’s number and leave the ringing phone in my pocket. I reach a window and look inside quickly. Clear. Clear and unlocked.

The smell of benzene reaches my nose before I completely open the window. He’s here. Why did he change his pattern? He just set a fire a couple of hours ago. 

Maybe he thought we wouldn’t expect it. He was right, I certainly wasn’t. Maybe he was afraid he was going to get caught and was eager to finish the job. 

I hear Reid’s voice and follow it to the living room, where the whole family is held hostage. They are each tied to a chair and completely wet with what I assume is the benzene. Four chairs. Two adults, two kids. Their screams of terror are muffled by his makeshift gags. There is a stuffed teddy on the floor next to white flowers and what looks like a broken vase. Their tiny faces are red from screaming and crying. He is going to kill the kids.

I thought I escaped this side of the job when I left CASMIRC. Adults can fight back, adults have flaws and maybe could have done something to deserve what they got, but the kids? They still have the hope and innocence that humanity takes from us once we reach a certain age. They are too young to know what is happening, but what does happen scars them for life. And if it doesn’t, that means I was too late. That means their lifeless faces scar me for life. Haunt me every minute that I am awake and in my nightmares. No, the kids never deserve it.

Spencer’s calm voice brings me back from my thoughts. “I know it was unfair. I know that what they did was wrong, but you don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do.” his voice booms and the woman cries behind her gag “They have to pay for what they have done to me. Put your gun down!”

He slowly lowers the gun to the floor before saying “You want revenge.” Reid looks at me for a millisecond, he’s buying me time “I understand the feeling.”

I take a step closer, still out of sight, and try to come up with a plan. 

Think! That voice yells in my minds

He has a gun and a lighter. The lighter is on. If I shoot, it falls and we all die.

“You have been wronged?” the unsub, Anthony Lewis, asks.

“I have.” he nods. 

When Anthony doesn’t say anything, he continues “I used to be considered the smartest guy at my job. Then, about a year ago, they hired someone new. I’ll tell you,” he laughs humorlessly “everyone thinks she’s so smart.”

“She?” Anthony questions.

He’s talking about me? Why the hell is he talking about me?

“Oh, yes. She. Everybody loves her. She’s so perfect and so smart and so young and so sweet. That’s what they say about her.” He scoffs and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him gesticulate this much. My heart races and constricts in my chest as he continues “But I’ll tell you what I think. I think she’s nothing more than a pretty face, that’s honestly not even that pretty. She’s not smart, she’s a far cry from perfect. I’m better than her in every single way”

I hold in my gasp. I try to tell myself that he’s just distracting the UnSub, that his speech means nothing, but tears still well up in my eyes.

He doesn’t mean it, he doesn’t mean it, he doesn’t mean it, it’s not true, it’s not true, it’s not true, …

I repeat it over and over in my head, but it’s no use. It’s no use because it’s what my mind tells me every single moment of every day. 

You’re not good enough, Rebecca. 

You’re not smart enough. You are not pretty enough. You are not brave enough. You! Are! Not! Enough!

“But, you know what? There is something that comforts me, something that helps me keep going. One thought that I play over and over in my head to keep me sane.”

“What is it?” he asks. 

His hand drops and I see that his grip loosened on the lighter. There is no longer a flame. He still has a gun so I have to be smart with this, but I walk in his direction, keeping to the wall.

“That someday, hopefully soon, they will see right through her little facade and realize that I’m the best.”

That’s enough. 

I kick the lighter out of the UnSub’s hand and move to disarm him, but he’s faster. Before I can react, he pulls the trigger. I push his hand down, but I think it still hits my leg. I can’t tell, it doesn’t hurt. 

Where the fuck is my gun?

I grab his gun by the barrel with my left hand and upper-cut his nose with my right. Taking advantage of the distraction his broken nose brought him, I twist the gun right off his hand and point it at him. 

“Anthony Lewis, you are under arrest for the murders of the Phillips family, the Jones family and the Martinez family,” Reid comes from behind the unsub and cuffs him “as well as the attempted murder of the Andersons.”

FBI agents swarm the room and take him away. Hotch and Emily are already taking the family to the ambulance, so I grab my phone from my pocket and see that Pen is still on the line.

“Hey.” I greet.

“Oh my God, are you okay?” she exasperates.

“I’ll be fine.” I say, picking up my gun on the floor. What Reid said hurt, but I’ll get over it. Maybe not now, maybe in a few years, maybe after a bottle of wine and a good cry, but I will get over it.

I am a little dizzy, though. Must be all this benzene. Even my tights are wet with it.

“Are you sure? I heard gunshots.” 

Oh, shit. Right. 

I look down and see the red blood oozing down my leg, the bullet lodged somewhere on my upper thigh. Well, fuck. I really liked this skirt.

Adrenaline must still be coursing through my veins because I take a tentative step forward and it only stings a little. I keep limping around the house, trying my best to keep pressure on the wound while walking.

“Yeah, um- Pen? I’ll talk to you later. There are some uh- pressing matters I have to attend to.”

“You got shot, didn’t you?” she gasps.

I sigh. Why does she have to know me so well? 

“Just a little, yeah.” I wince at a painful step.

“There is no such thing as getting a little shot!” she exclaims in my ear and the dizziness gets worse. 

Pain shoots everywhere with every step I take, slowly but surely becoming unbearable. Shit, I think I might pass out.

I reach the front of the house feeling lightheaded and I think my phone is slipping from my hand. I look back at the trail of blood I left behind and just stare as the world spins around me. 

Two hands grip my shoulders and I think Spencer is trying to say something. I push him away, but he doesn’t even move. I’m so mad at him. 

So, so mad.

The last thing I see before the world fades to black are his wide eyes.

tag list: @dreamsarebig @aaleksmorozova @jem08

tell me if you want to be on the tag list!

#spencer reid #criminal minds #criminal minds fic #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid fandom #spencer reid x oc #the kiss of eros

[notsolocalsimp]

Rotten Ribbons

CHAPTER ONE

Next chapter

It was a normal Tuesday for Y/N, they woke up, styled their (H/C) hair and looked at themselves in the mirror with their (E/C) eyes, admiring the work they did before making coffee and heading to work.

Y/N worked in an office building, it was small but respectable and she had many friends there who helped her around the place, and made sure she didn’t overwork herself. The office workers knew she was a writer because she would always have a notebook on hand, even when she didn’t have work to do.

When asked where they got their stories she would say,

“I write down all I know about life.”

They knew not to bother them with their silly questions because Y/N was never really bothered. They just wrote, and if they knew what to look for, they could see some pages on the inside covered with notes of what the girl was saying, like scripts for conversations.

You walked out of the lobby of your apartment, which was only about 3 kilometers away from your workplace, and headed out of the street towards the metro station. As soon as your feet hit the floor tiles below, you felt the tingling of your ribbon as the magic that bound the two you together began to strengthen, they were getting closer to you. You had never put any effort into finding your soulmate, you would meet them when fate decided, and it seemed that fate had decided that you will meet them soon.

Your train arrived after you had boarded and sat in your seat, watching how other people dressed, smiled and laughed while they enjoyed being alive on this day. They were living their lives as you should be. You watched how the man next to you got off his stop, his blue coat was slightly worn, and he carried a messenger bag in his left hand.

your stop was next and your train started moving. Your body was tense due to anticipation and anxiety, you hoped that the person who will make you happier wasn’t someone that would cause you problems later... You kept your head low in hopes to avoid eye contact with anyone else as you exited the subway station, and went to work.

You would need to keep your mind blank for today so you could focus on your work without having too much trouble. the day passed by in a blur and it was late by the time your boss gave you permission to leave early, you packed up your things quickly, and went to get coffee at your favorite Café

You lived in Japan, and earthquakes were very common there, so when the ground shook you didn't think about it, that was, until you saw debris from a nearby building begin to fall while you were drinking your coffee. You set the glass mug down, and the building collapsed, the impact had to have killed someone, and that's when you saw… your ribbon was rotting

Hero students had came to rescue the surviving civilians, since all heroes were currently busy, except for one, who was their teacher Shouta Aizawa, better known as Eraserhead. He had gotten a call from the police department and had taken up his role as the hero who saves people, despite being exhausted from a grueling week of teaching, even though it was only Tuesday.

Tears had pricked your eyes despite never meeting your soulmate, you were still upset, because they were so close, and you still didn't get to meet them. you took a deep breath to compose yourself, and exited the coffee shop after paying to see two hero students (Katsuki Bakugo and Tenya Iida) arguing instead of helping people out of the rubble. you sighed with disdain, and tore the sleeve of your (F/C) sweater to cover the wounds of some of the injured to help out at least a bit, lets just hope the medical college courses you took in high school were accurate.

As you went to check on another civilian that had fallen unconscious, you heard a loud explosion behind you. you turned around, and saw a blonde boy in a flashy hero costume holding onto a massive piece of concrete with one hand and using his quirk on the remaining rubble in front of him. you frowned in disgust, does he not realize how dangerous that is!

you had pushed away more rubble before you froze, someone was killed on impact, and it was your soul mate... a rebar had impaled him through the lungs, and his legs were pinned due to the rubble, and you saw the shining red ribbon... that meant... your heart stopped beating for a moment as you stared down at your mangled soul mate, and your ribbon was already decayed, he was gone...

As a single tear fell from your eyes, you couldn't help but feel a deep sense of loss. The sight before you was devastating, your soulmate lying lifeless beneath the rubble. The red ribbon, once vibrant and full of life, now slowly dissipated into thin air. It was a cruel reminder that he was gone, that fate had dealt you a heartbreaking blow.

Despite the obviousness of his death, you couldn't bring yourself to let go. You clung onto his lifeless body, desperate for something to anchor you, to keep you from collapsing under the weight of your grief. The scene was hauntingly vivid, his life extinguished so swiftly and violently. It was a moment you wished you had never witnessed, yet it was also a moment that allowed you to meet him in his final breath.

Every detail etched itself into your memory—the pain etched on his face, the blood staining his clothes, the rebar that had pierced his lungs. It was a sight that would forever haunt your nightmares, a tragic ending to a love story that never had the chance to begin.

But even in the midst of your sorrow, you knew you had to let go. Reluctantly, you released your grip on his lifeless body, allowing him to rest in peace. Your soul ribbon, now faded and frail, fluttered gently in the breeze before finally vanishing into nothingness. It was a bittersweet moment, knowing that you had at least met him in his final moments, yet also realizing that the love you had yearned for was now lost forever.

As you stood there, surrounded by the remnants of destruction, you couldn't help but feel the weight of the world crashing down on you. The tears continued to flow, your grief consuming you like a tidal wave. The room felt suffocating, the walls closing in on you, mirroring the void that now existed in your heart. Life had lost its vibrancy, its color, and all that remained was an abyss of sorrow.

Days turned into nights, and nights turned into days, but the pain persisted. You retreated into your bedroom, seeking solace in solitude. Each moment was filled with memories that you clung onto desperately, the laughter that would never be, the love that would never bloom.

Time seemed to stand still as you mourned the loss of your soulmate. It felt as if the world had forgotten its purpose, its joy. But deep within you, a glimmer of resilience flickered. You knew you couldn't let grief consume you forever. Life had to go on, even in the absence of the one who was supposed to complete you.

Slowly, you mustered the strength to face reality. The tears may still sting your eyes, but you knew you couldn't dwell on the pain forever. Your boss, understanding the weight of your loss, granted you time off work to cope with the overwhelming grief.

In the confines of your room, you battled the sorrow that threatened to consume you. It took all your might to push through each day, to ignore the ache in your chest, a constant reminder of the void that now existed in your life. Your soulmate was gone, and no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't fix it. They wouldn't be coming back.

The world outside continued to move, oblivious to your pain. People went about their lives, laughing and smiling, as if nothing had changed. It felt like a cruel mockery, a reminder of what you had lost. But amidst the darkness, a small glimmer of hope remained.

Though your soulmate was gone, you still carried a part of them within you. Their essence, their spirit, their love—it would forever be etched into your heart. And as you slowly began to pick up the shattered pieces of your life, you knew that you had to keep going, to honor their memory by living a life filled with love and resilience.

The transitional plot had woven its way through the tapestry of your life, connecting the devastating end of a love story with the arduous journey that lay ahead. It was a chapter that would forever shape you, that would mold your understanding of love and loss. And as you stood at the precipice of the unknown, you vowed to keep moving forward, even as the scars of your grief continued to mark your soul.

#ao3 #fanfic #mha #bnha #aizawa x reader #aizawa x y/n #mha aizawa #bnha aizawa #aizawa shouta

[adventuresasmrsfindley]

Last day of 2022. What a year 😅 it's taken me a while but I think I'm ready to share what we've been up to! Buckle up.

So y'all know for the last year at least, really the last 2, my husband has wanted to move. He has lived in the KC metro area for his entire life. I have been here for 16 years. It's home. It's where we met and fell and love. Where we got married. Where we became a family of 3. I love it here, but he was not fulfilled. He wanted a slower paced life. To raise our son in a smaller school district. To live where there is land to roam (I think you all know he is PASSIONATE about deer hunting). We talked about it endlessly. For a good year, it led to a fight every time. I didn't want to go. I didn't see anything wrong with the life we were living or the place we were raising our son. But as time went on, I did start to see the benefits. I found myself daydreaming about the life we could build in a smaller town. The adventures we would go on, just the 3 of us. Looking back, I really don't know if I got there on my own or if I was just so tired of the conversation that I would do anything to make it stop. That's something that will take some more time to process. Either way, around August or September I agreed to pack up our life and give it a shot.

We worked on our house for maybe a month. Got it ready to list, and by Cole's birthday (first weekend in October) we were under contract. We had talked extensively about our options and decided to live with Cole's mom for 6 months to a year to save more money and explore the area to decide where exactly we wanted to put our roots down. It sounded great in theory, but boyyyyyyy was it not. Almost immediately after packing up our life and flipping it upside down, I knew we had made a big mistake. I hated the town. I hated being away from all of the friends we've made, my parents. We did not feel welcome where we were despite many conversations prior to moving and his mom being the one to offer up her home to us. Tensions were extremely high. Cole took a week off and then started at his new job in that area and again, almost immediately, he realized what a terrible fit it was. Everything started spiraling and it was a very miserable 6 weeks. And I know what you're thinking. How can you know in such a short time that it wasn't going to work out. But we just knew. All the things that we took for granted in our "old" life, we started to miss terribly. We talked and talked and talked and talked. There were a LOT of tears on my part. But ultimately we decided to come back home.

Now, that wasn't an easy thing to do since we had sold our house 😂 so again, we talked and talked about what our options were. We decided to move into a rental to get back here but give us some time to think about what it really was we wanted in a home. We packed up everything (again) and flipped our life upside down (again). And it sucked. Despite never really making us feel at home, Cole's mom was very hurt (?) that we were moving back. She's all alone in the town where she lives (a place she moved a year before we ever talked about joining her, mind you) and I guess we just really let her down by leaving her up there alone again. Things are...not good at all with us right now. We have barely talked to her since we moved back. I'm hoping with time we can all process the whirlwind that the last 2 months was and have a conversation and get back to where we were. But I guess only time will tell.

So fast forward to about 3 weeks ago, we are in a rental back in the KC metro. Cole still has dreams of getting out of the suburb life. He wants room to roam, and room for Knox to roam. And I get that. And I support it. And basically as soon as we get into this damn rental house, a spot like that in our price range comes for sale. And we are like.....should we? And ya know what, 2022 was clearly the year of fuck it. If we want something, we have to go after it. Even if it's hard. Even if it's messy. So we go and see the property and we fall in love. It's close enough to city conveniences for me. But far enough that it feels like the country for Cole. It's a modest home, but the perfect property. There's space. There's a shop in the back which is something Cole has wanted for a longgggg time. Sooo we offer on it (below asking! We really got the best of the sale and purchase side this time around) and they accept!

At this point I know we are absolutely insane. We will pack up (again) at the end of January and move (again) into what I can really see being our long term home. I've realized over the last few months there probably isn't a "forever home" for us. We like change. We are impulsive. So I'm sure there will come a day when this home we are about to move into will not serve us. But I think that day is a long way off. I'm so excited to watch my boy grow up playing in the big yard. Riding our 4wheeler around. Hanging out in the shop with my guys. House projects with my husband (and my parents, let's be honest. They're really good at that stuff). Mostly, I'm ready to get somewhere and stay there. It has been a HARD couple of months. But I am so proud of the way Cole and I have communicated through it all. We have grown endlessly in our marriage and I don't feel like those young kids who got married anymore. I feel like we are in a mature, loving and supportive marriage and for that I am so grateful.

I'm posting a few drone pics of our new place below. Don't be weird and go google image it or something to find out where I live 😂

I hope that 2023 brings us.... calm. And I hope the same for all of you! ❤️

[transboysokka]

@transuncletaylor made a post that really made me remember how easy it was to get lost back before we had smartphones and being home, it was just normal and they weren’t really essential, but TRAVELING omg…. When I would travel with my parents, no big deal at all. But traveling alone….

I used to live in Fuzhou, China, in like… 2018? In day-to-day life, smartphones were very much a thing by then- but without a VPN you couldn’t use pretty much any of the Big Western websites, including Google so now that I think about it, maps were much more difficult there. But that’s not my point right now.

Fuzhou’s kind of on the central coast, across the strait from Taiwan. On long weekends I would take the high-speed train about 4 hours to Hong Kong alone (most of my traveling is done alone) and BOY I never had ANY idea what was going on there. I wouldn’t bother with a SIM bc I would never be there for too long and there was free wifi in a lot of places (but, I’d find out, never in the places that mattered)

Anyway I would tend to just wander around Hong Kong without a real plan, hop on a ferry to some island I didn’t even know, wander around, get back on the ferry, go somewhere else to hike… It was fun! I have a good sense of direction so I was always able to end up back at my hostel when I needed

Another important thing to know… my Chinese bank account (and I ONLY had a Chinese bank account) for some reason wouldn’t let me use my debit card or any ATMs when I was in Hong Kong. So it was very much a cash only situation but I was always pretty good at bringing the right amount

Well

Here’s the situation. It’s December 23rd. I’d taken a couple days off work so I could do a long weekend for my birthday (the 20th) and experience Christmas (which was really not celebrated at all in Fuzhou) but I DO have to work the next day, the 24th and I can’t remember why but there was something really important happening that day that definitely couldn’t be missed.

The train to Fuzhou ran something like twice a day and my ticket was for the afternoon train. Security and immigration took unexpectedly WAYYYYY too long and for the first time in my life I missed my train.

So here I am, without any money to even buy another ticket if I want to, PAST immigration with no real way to reenter Hong Kong, with no phone signal or Wi-Fi, and HAVE to work the next day…

I go up to the help desk and explain what happened and they were like “Well, you gotta go somewhere so we’ll stick you on the next train to Shenzhen” which is right over the border but I’m thinking “great because at least I’ll be in China with a phone signal and it should be easy to get a train from there”

So I get to Shenzhen. Which is a HUGE city that I know nothing about and have never been to before. I find the ticket line at the station. Because I was a foreigner, I was required to buy tickets in person instead of from the machines? There were a lot of rules like that, I’m not really sure what was up with that. So I get in the line which takes FIVE HOURS to get to the front of. Not even joking. That’s also for some reason not completely unheard of there. By now it’s probably like 7pm? I tell the lady I need to get to Fuzhou TONIGHT and I’ll take a standing ticket if I have to and she says they JUST sold out but I can get an unreasonably expensive business class ticket for 7am the next day if I want.

I take it. At least I can afford it now bc I’m back in China

Then I gotta figure out where to stay. I get on the Chinese version of like booking.com or whatever people use nowadays and find a shitty hostel that accepts foreigners. Many hotels and hostels DIDN’T take foreigners bc they’re allowed to choose and you need a special license of something. So the closest place that had a bed and would take me was AN HOUR AWAY on the metro.

Okay good I finally get there and I’m exhausted.

I pass out and wake up at like 4 or 5am to make my morning train. I try to take a faster route back to the train station and somehow it’s WAY slower. I ALMOST MISS THAT TRAIN TOO. But I do get on and NOW IM STRESSED BECAUSE I HAVE TO WORK AT NOON and the train is gonna pull up in Fuzhou at like 11:30.

I get in and RUN to work, luggage and all, and make it but oof how exhausting, Merry Christmas…

Not nearly as dramatic as going missing in Seoul, but I do love this specific genre of story 😆

#text

[lowlights]

okay as someone who has never actually been on an irl date before could we please get ''i've never really… been on a date before.'' with marcus pike!!!!! <3 i feel like he'd be really really sweet and kind about it

Hi bby! Here is some sweetness for us all. Marcus is the PERFECT choice for this. Thank you for this lovely prompt!

The Not-First Date

Marcus Pike x f!reader ; ~1k words ; SO fluffy. A little bit of language and doubt.

**

Office parties are the worst. 

Especially when you’re the new girl. 

You clutch your drink to your chest and try not to look awkward as you lean against the back wall in your cute yellow dress. You picked it for the little embroidered daisies along the bottom of the skirt and the fact that it has pockets. You had only worked at the FBI for about three weeks, happily settling in to your new desk job. You were friendly and talkative with people that you got to know, but for the most part you kept to yourself in new social situations.

Like this one. You knew you needed to make an appearance but you kept checking your phone to see if a socially-acceptable amount of time had passed so that you could leave. It hadn’t. 

You sigh and look down at your feet. 

“These things are so boring, aren’t they?” A voice startles you, and you turn to see the handsome Agent Pike lean against the wall next beside you, crossing his arms and looking out at the room. 

“Um, it’s not bad,” you offer half-heartedly. He chuckles, seeing right through your lie. You think his smile might make you melt into a puddle where you stand. 

“I’m Marcus Pike, Art Crimes division.” The introduction is unnecessary, you know exactly who he is. You’ve seen him around the building and heard people talk about the whip-smart agent. How is he so devastatingly charming, and so quickly? You wish you had even half of the confidence and ease he demonstrates daily. 

You give him your name and the department where you’re working. He makes a funny joke about your boss’ excessive plant collection, and you find yourself immediately more at ease than you’ve been all night. The conversation progresses easily and you both slowly turn your bodies towards each other as you talk over the next hour, until you’re both facing each other with your shoulders leaned against the wall. 

“Need a refill?” he asks, pointing to your lemonade that you’ve been nursing all night. 

“What I really need is some food. What kind of party is this without food?” you wonder out loud. 

“Mostly people just drink at these things. But hey, I know a good spot around the corner that’s open late. Do you want to get out of here and grab a bite?” he asks hopefully. 

Your mind goes into full panic mode, and it must read all over your face. 

Marcus’ face falls. “Oh, it’s ok. It’s fine. We can stay. Or- or I can just leave you alone. I’ve taken up way too much of your time. I’m so sorr-”

You interrupt his rambling. “No, it’s totally fine. I-I would like that. I need to see where the locals eat, I’m new in town and haven’t eaten out anywhere yet.” 

He grins and grabs your empty glass, setting it down with his lukewarm beer. A quick three-block walk lands you at a diner where time has seemingly stood still, black and white tiled floor and all. Marcus beelines for a booth in the back, and you just know that this is his regular spot. 

Marcus orders a Rueben sandwich, and you miss the way his lips quirk into a smile when you order pancakes. The conversation is so easy, both of you feeling like you can really open up with each other. Marcus alludes to past relationships, you change the topic so that you don’t have to talk about that. An hour and a half later, your plates long cleared and stale coffees refilled twice, you both know that it’s time to say goodbye. But neither of you want to leave, afraid to burst the bubble of these last few perfect hours. 

You speak up first. “I hate to say it, but I should probably catch a Lyft home. I don’t usually do the Metro this late at night, I don’t know the stops that well.” You fiddle with the daisies on your dress under the table, feeling your heart sink that the evening has to come to a close. 

Marcus shakes his head. “No way, they’ll charge you an arm and a leg. I can drive you home,” he says, motioning for the check. 

Your brain goes into panic mode. Does he think something is going to happen now? Shit, you shoudn’t have flirted with him like that. He probably thinks you owe him something now. Oh god, he’s paying the check. Maybe you can slip him a twenty dollar bill and call it even. 

Marcus is keenly observent, the job demands it, but you have no poker face whatsoever. He can tell you’re freaking out. 

He hands over his credit card to the waitress and considers you. “Listen, I’m sorry. I’m not suggesting anything at all, I just want to make sure you get home safe. I have a…history of moving a little too quickly with women that I like and I’m trying to be better.” 

Women that he likes…Oh my god. 

The words you’ve been holding inside for the past hour just tumble out of your mouth, much to your complete horror. “Marcus, it’s okay. Really. I’m just a little awkward about this all. I’ve never really…been on a date before. Not that this is a date or anything. I’m sorry. Ignore me.” You feel your face heat up and wish that you could teleport out of this diner to literally any other spot in the universe. 

He reaches across the table and rests his hand on yours. “You’re not awkward. You’ve been the best part of my evening. Hell, of my whole week. What if…this was a first date. Then it’s out of the way, nothing more to worry about. Then maybe next week we could go on a second date? If you want?” 

You smile at him. “Yeah. I want.”

#LOVE YOU #marcus pike #marcus pike x f!reader #fluff city #drabble #day 6 of 14? #let's pretend i posted this 30 mins ago when it was still Saturday #thank you

[istandonsnowpiles]

You have a natural talent for photography. Your work consistently evokes emotions and leaves a lasting impact on viewers. Congratulations! The question I want to ask is this: What is the best photograph you have ever taken?"

Thank you much for your kind words! I'm so glad you enjoy my photography! I doubt I can pick one best photograph, but I'm happy to talk about a few of my favorites, and I'll say a few words about "natural talent" at the end.

To me photography is so great because it gets me out into the world doing cool things. It gets me to explore places that I wouldn't have otherwise and gives me awesome insight into the world. That's more important than any photo I've taken.

Flickr links are attached to each photo if you'd like a higher quality look at them.

Waiting

Okay first favorite photo is this shot at Dulles Airport. This was taken right after the Dulles Metro station opened in late 2022. I think this was the first time I really nailed the alien blue/green night time look. I've used it a bunch since.

The photo perfectly captures the distant, disconnected feel I often try to capture in my photography. In this case, the photo was taken from a parking garage next to the metro station with a long lens. Love it.

Forest in the Tidal Basin

Next up is this landscape taken at The Tidal Basin on a foggy night. So many things I love about this photo, first just being the experience of capturing it. I love foggy nights and this one was perfect. Thick fog all night, not too chilly.

In many ways this photo is an anomaly. It's a pure landscape which is reasonably rare for me to shoot living in DC, and it's a woodland shot which I've never really understood and generally do not like. I used a tripod for this shot, which is fairly rare for me. Yet it has a lot of elements that are familiar in my photography. Long lens, devoid of people, night shot, and a bit spooky.

As soon as I took this shot I knew it was gonna be good, and I was flabbergasted that this was first truly great shot for 2023.

Castle and The Sunset

Third we've got this panorama taken on Whiteface Mountain in The Adirondacks, above Lake Placid. This photo also comes with a cool story. @lesbianredpanda and I were headed down Whiteface Mountain as the place was closing.

We got caught up in this gorgeous sunset. We took our all of our cameras and started shooting. A truck full of employees pulled up behind and told us the place was closing & they were gonna shut the gates when they got to the bottom & we'd have to call the State Police to get out.

We packed up and Avery sped us down the mountain, burning brake smell the whole way. I was scaring her by taking pics out the window. Awesome time. Terrifying.

Technically, I did everything wrong in this shot. I took this HDR panorama that consists of 40 photos, shot handheld with a 28mm lens wide open at f/1.4. It shouldn't have worked out but it did!

What's in the Dark?

Last shot is my most popular photo here on Tumblr. It also should not have worked! An 8 minute exposure into darkness in the middle of the night near Lake Placid in The Adirondacks. The vibes are immaculate.

This photo has inspired me to keep trying weird stuff to see if it works. Usually it doesn't. I don't think I've ever really replicated the feeling of this shot since. Doesn't matter tho, it's cool & has inspired so much.

Those are my favorite! There's so many important photos to me, it's hard to choose a few.

Natural Talent

Okay, so I do have a bone to pick with the concept of natural talent. I doubt it really exists. For me specifically though, I don't think I'm naturally talented in photography.

I've tried to get into photography several times, and failed many times! Heck, I didn't even think to get a camera until I had been hiking around NY for a year. When I finally did get a camera I didn't like it and quit photography soon after.

There is no natural talent here. Instead, there's years of trying, failure, and, most importantly, a ton of time spent learning and going out taking photos. Then repeat the process to learn how to edit photos.

I would much rather have this time I've invested in photography be recognized, as I think it's what has made me any good at this stuff. Not inherent ability.

#my life #my work #photography #answered

[gourdkeeper]

Reader x Jamie Halloween fic part 1

Middle of July but the crave for Halloween struck early so here we have it. This will be a two part fic, both with the same prologue.

Word count: 2374

Content warnings: 18+, gender neutral reader, reader gets scared and promises payback, Jamie becomes a victim to the reader, knife usage (a prop), semi public, masturbation, sex in costumes

Part 2 where Jamie scares you instead (soon)

🦇🦇🦇

It was Halloween and both you and Jamie planned to go to the party being held in the abandoned Red Factory.

Jamie wasn't much of a Halloween person, he never really dressed up much, he found it silly as he said, truth is he was a bit scared of being seen as cringe-worthy and wouldn't be taken serious anymore. He also didn't like the idea of getting scared during a movie or if he happened to play a videogame. He remembers, not so fondly, of a time his cousins had him play a maze game that ended up jumpscaring him and giving him trust issues for awhile and even though there was no ill intent, he had been teased over his reaction for awhile. He doesn't hold it against them, he's just not the biggest fan of horror. He scared easily and he would never be caught confessing it.

However, for you, the love of his life, he is willing to put that aside and dress up for once, go to a themed party and even go and visit a haunted house in the middle of a forest that stays just outside Metro City. He's not exactly thrilled for it, but you're worth the effort and he would do just about anything just to see a smile on your face. After all, you're the great Jamie Siu's partner, if anyone deserves happiness, it's you.

You decided to meet up at the party instead of going together to save up on time otherwise you'd end up making out or getting drunk even before arriving, which isn't a bad idea, but not for tonight.

You were wearing a Michael Myers costume. Halloween is dear to you so you just tend to put some effort every time in it. Donning a jumpsuit full of fake blood splatters, a chainsaw with a motor but without the chain equipped carried on your back,  dull prop knife in hand and the iconic mask was kept on your belt so you can put it on later after you find your boyfriend.

The place is crowded already almost everyone wearing costumes, it's gonna be hard to tell who Jamie is, you don't even know what he's wearing to boot.

You're pretty sure you see Luke far off wearing some sort of frankenstein get up, he's the only face you recognize so you start walking his way until you feel a light tap on your left shouder.

You halt and look behind.

"Huh?"

No one, what the hell?

You just begin turning back to a loud yell making you stumble back a few steps clutching your chest.

"What the- ...jerk..." you mumble with a small smile appearing on your face.

Jamie's laughing his ass off, not expecting you to fall for something so basic and silly.

He looks stunning, it's gonna be hard to keep your eyes off of him. Wearing a long and tight sleeveless black and red qipao with baggy grey pants underneath, and a paper charm attached to a small hat, resembling a jiangshi with a modern twist. Damn. He even got fangs on.

"Maybe Halloween can be fun", he says still laughing at your expense, "Should have seen your face-"

Your fist meets his chest lightly.

"Tsk knock it off. I'm gonna get you back for that."

"Get me back? Oh come on now, Jamie Siu doesn't ever get scared." Lying through his teeth, you know you can scare him and you will, you're not going home without it happening.

"Is that a dare?" You smirk, hand on your hip.

"A dare you'll fail at." He has this smug attitude and cocky smirk on his lips that you can't wait to wipe off later.

You banter for a bit longer before going to sit at the bar for a little.

"You sure put a lot of effort in this... Is that thing real?“ he points at the chainsaw.

"What do you think?" You gauge what his response will be, might give you a good idea.

He looks at it for a couple of seconds, drink in hand.

"Hmmmm... Fake." He looks pretty confident of that answer.

You smile at him, trying not to laugh because he's so so wrong. "Smart. How did you know?"

"Of course I'm smart, you know me. I shouldn't even need to answer something like that." He kicks back the drink in one go and pours himself one more.

"You put in a lot more effort than expected too, thought you'd just show up in a tank top or something."

"If it wasn't for you I wouldn't even show up." he smiles at you, baring his cute fangs.

"So," you start, "do you still want to go to the haunted house after this?"

He chokes up on his drink momentarily. "Ah- uh..." He forgot about it, or was hoping you would have forgotten at least but of course that didn't happen. "Sure!" He exclaims while trying to hide any anxiousness, "Can't wait to see you getting scared a second time."

"Sure thing wuss."

"Am not, you were the one getting startled not me." He spits back.

"Well," you get up energised, "let's get going then, it's kinda boring here anyway!"

You tug on his arm and drag him away with you.

Outside he walks in front of you. Your eyes are glued to him, he's so beautiful you could just eat him up. You're basically undressing him with your gaze.

You reach the outskirts of Metro City, loads of vegetation and trees.

"Is there really no other way there? Do we really need to walk through the forest?"

"Yep. No other way." You lie, there is a beaten path elsewhere but it's more fun this way, for you that is.

You stick to him while walking, he looks painfully wary. Every small sound has him whipping his head around, doesn't help much that it's dark and the moonlight only lets you see so much.

"Babe..." you speak in a small voice.

"Hm?" he turns his head to look at you.

"I need to pee."

"Now? There are no bathrooms here-"

"I'll just, go behind a bush, it's alright. Will you wait for me here?"

"Ugh...sure, make it quick though."

He's clearly not a fan of this. He's antsy enough as is, being left alone right now is downright terrifying. The wind whistling and blowing through the leaves, branches smacking each other making him jump, "Nothing bad's gonna happen, it's just some trees dude..." he pep talks himself to keep calm.

You went behind a bush like you said you would but of course you don't need to pee, you just needed to keep him somewhere you could see while he's distracted. You sneak your way around. Careful to not step on any twigs or make any unwanted noise. You circle around a tree and keep going until you can see him from the back. You tiptoe your way to another tree. He has no idea you're this close, any closer and you'd be practically breathing down his neck.

"Babe..?"

He grows more inpatient by the second, he asked you to be quick goddamit and it's been *almost* a minute, outrageous. To him it felt like an eternity.

"You ok?" he asks with a shaky voice and takes a step forward. Good. This is it.

You take the chance to put on your mask.

"Look if this is your attempt to scare me it's not gonna work..." He takes another uncertain step forth.

You take the, according to Jamie, "fake" chainsaw into your hold and slowly emerge from your hiding, eyes glued to his back.

"If you jump out at me you're so lame-"

You rev up the engine in short bursts, holding the chainsaw upwards and charging at him.

"WHAT THE F-" he exclaims, color drained from his face, followed by a breathless scream.

He trips and stumbles back incredulous, hat falling from his head. His heart pounding, damn near bursting from his chest as he scrambles to get back up and running.

Perfect.

You give chase for a second, revving up the harmless saw a couple more times as you see him turn and hide behind a tree. You know exactly which one. You can't help but giggle to yourself, his reaction could have not been any better, it's like you took it straight from a cheap slasher movie.

"You! Fucking! Asshole!" He yells out from his crappy hiding spot. His heart is still doing flips in his chest and breath shallow. He knows it was you under the mask but *still*. There's no brushing off this one, he knows he shrieked and looked horrified, there is no "Jamie Siu doesn't get scared" out of this.

You remain silent, approaching slow and steady, just hoping you can squeeze a bit more out of the situation. You sling the chainsaw back, and take your prop knife out instead.

You're standing at the tree he's hiding behind of and pace around it. You can see his face, his head whipped back against the tree, taking in short and heavy breaths, spine slouched back, hand opening his garment because he's too warm.

He looks delicious and the expression painted on his face makes you hot and bothered. You approach just a bit more. Somehow unnoticed. Your face inching from his.

Were you really that good at sneaking around or is it just unexpected to be *that* close? It doesn't matter.

"Boo" you whisper.

Jamie jumps out of his skin once more.

"BRO WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU."

You erupt in laughter, you almost pity him, he was so out of it that even the "bro" came out, you'd feel bad for him if he hadn't been the one starting this.

It's his turn to punch your chest in jest now.

"That was *not* funny!" he pouts with his eyes shut and holds his index finger out, "And take that damned thing off it's freaking me the hell out!“ he points at your mask shakily.

You oblige, you have the biggest shit-eating-grin on your face, "Not funny to you maybe!"

You take a step in his direction. Your eyes diving under his collar bone and at his exposed chest... Did he really have to undo his shirt?

"What are you staring for?"

"Oh you know..."

"Hm?" he can tell the gears in your head are turning but he's unsure what the thoughts are.

"What if... What if I chased after you..." your voice low, barely above a whisper, your body closing in on his, "Until I got you pinned down... And then had my way with you... We're alone after all..."

His adam's apple bobs on his throat, face feeling warmer with the implications, he hates how much his body betrays him, he was supposed to be upset at you for scaring him but he knows where this is going and he can't say the idea doesn't excite him.

"You played such a good victim..." you take the knife and put it under his chin, lifting it up. You can see his lips part and his hands reaching for the tree behind him for salvation.

"...Want to keep playing?"

You must've awakened something new in him, something primal deep within.

He flashed you a smile and quickly pushed you off of him with his foot and runs off.

You yelp and chase right after. Hot on his track, gripping hard onto the knife.

Just as you're closing in he changes direction. Leaving you scrambled up momentarily before resuming.

"Fine, you wanna play that way?“ you mutter and speed up parallel to him to cut him off.

Jamie looks over his shoulder, thinking he lost you and the moment he turns around there you are, almost mimicking the way he got you earlier in the evening.

He stops abruptly and tried to get away but you grab him by his hair and pull him to you, knife against his throat threateningly.

"I would behave if I were you..." you whisper in his ear, pulling the knife backward, limiting his range of motion further.

"Ah-!"

Of course the blade is completely dull, but the cold steel plays tricks on his mind.

The hand that tugged on his silky hair travelling down his body, groping his exposed chest.

His hands threaten to hold onto yours and you remind him of his place.

"Keep those hands up where I can see them."

He's quick to obey and has to surpress a moan. His dick is rock hard against his pants. Why this is turning him on his beyond his comprehension but he'll play along.

Your hand travels down and snaked beyond the flap on the garment and under the pant's waistband to find his erection and the lack of underwear.

"Oh? Someone's a bit dirty..." you whisper as you take him in your fist, small cries of pleasure spilling from his lips when you start pumping.

His knees are buckling together, his hands up and sticking out but trembling.

You can feel how wet he has become, there is almost no friction as you jerk him, applying more pressure everytime your hand passes the ridge of the head and sometimes rubbing your thumb on his tip.

He's moaning and rocking his hips, not thinking clear anymore. He never expected to be handled this way in the middle of a forest in Halloween but here he is, with his voice growing whiny by the second and pleading you to keep going.

You speed up, knife flush against his neck as he moans with his eyes shut tight and mouth gaped. He doesn't hold back as he comes with a grunt of relief, his body weakly leaning on yours for support as you drain him dry.

You take a couple of minutes to take a breather together.

He's a bit embarrased by this discovery. Maybe Halloween isn't that bad.

You clear your throat. "Still want to go to the haunted house?"

He chokes up on air, "Nah, I think I'm good!“

You both laugh together.

"Told you I'd get you back."

"No idea what you're talking about." he averts his gaze still laughing.

"Sure thing o'great Jamie Siu." You poke at him.

#jamie siu #jamie siu x reader #gourdkeeper #street fighter 6 #jamie street fighter

[rain-is-moody]

(super long post ahead)

Hello !

I just want to preface this by saying that I'm starting this blog as a way to document and be able to look back more on my life, especially with my journey as a full-time artist. I've thought about vlogging or making short-form videos instead, but I'm not that comfortable being on camera so this is the best option! — thinking of this as a visual diary :)

☆☆☆☆☆

I'm Reign (or Rain, whichever is ok)!

I'm a 26-year-old Filipino artist/designer residing in Manila, Philippines and I own a brand called WE ARE MOODY aka MOODY CLUB.

I feel like I've never formally introduced or talked about what my brand is and how it started to anyone so I guess this is the right opportunity to do so!

To start, Moody Club is a variety brand that aims to tackle everyday emotions in a fun and creative way through art and design! I want to let people know that being moody is normal— or even cool! I'd like to subtly send out the message that you should embrace your feelings, whether good or bad because ultimately, it's part of being human.

The brand was formed in 2019 when I was about to graduate from college. I got a Bachelor's degree in Applied Arts and majored in Visual Design at a small school here in Metro Manila. I always knew I wanted a career in the creative industry and at that time I was heavily into streetwear fashion, so I started We Are Moody Clothing!

^ some of the merchandise I sold in 2019!

It was really fun to make designs and make them come to life, but back then, I had no clue how to operate a brand. I didn't know how to find the right suppliers nor how to efficiently sell online and manage my expenses. To be honest, it was hard especially since I didn't have any connections with fellow artists or entrepreneurs to ask advice from or at least interact with. So, I put it aside and got a job instead. It was a different industry but it helped me earn more income. Unfortunately, however, the pandemic hit, and the place I worked at shut down permanently.

I was struggling mentally during the early months of the pandemic (along with trying to sell baked goods from home aka MOODYBAKES — but this story's for another time!). I felt like time was being taken away from me and that I wasn't doing anything worthwhile. It truly felt like I was running out of time 'cause I was entering my mid-20s as well. Soon enough though I discovered the online journal community — specifically, the K-pop journal and deco world!

It was kind of the start of me "healing my inner child". I was drawn to making more handmade crafts, collage making, and sticker collecting. I definitely found comfort in cute things! It was the outlet I needed. I was also lucky to get to know fellow journal/deco lovers and eventually some local artists.

When I started gaining a following as moodzlover (my journal/art account on Instagram) I got to know KITA, a local artist whom I've admired and looked up to since I was a college student. She noticed my work and asked to collaborate. That was probably how I also slowly entered the ARTPH (local online art scene) community.

KITA X RAIN COLLAB

I vividly remember her telling me to start a shop too so I could sell my art in various forms such as stickers, prints, etc. It definitely motivated me to become a full-time artist like her! (I will be forever thankful for her friendship).

So that's what I did! Fast forward to a few months later, I re-branded WE ARE MOODY/MOODY CLUB and registered myself as a full-time self-employed artist!

I was worried that people might not really like what I make since I took a long break from designing or making art in general (I used to hate drawing in college) but thankfully, I've only been receiving love and support since then!

I've done several product releases, art markets, and collaborations in the past 2-3 years. Just last year, I became a partner artist at a physical consignment store and I was also able to buy my own website! Moreover, I moved from working alone in my bedroom to working in a shared studio space!

I feel blessed to be where I'm at right now but I have so many things I still want to do, and there's a lot of work to be done to get to where I want to be. Honestly, I still think I'm running out of time sometimes, but that kind of thought will always be followed by me remembering the saying, "Everyone has their own timeline".

I know I've come a long way but there's still a long way to go! There may be times when I feel stuck or tired but I still love what I do and I want to continue to make myself and other people happy.

I'd like to apologize if this has gotten way too long but I just wanted to share a little piece of my story!

Thanks for reaching the end of this post :)

You can check out my brand here: @we_are_moody on x and instagram wearemoody.store My personal socials: @moodzlover on x and Instagram @rain_is_moody on instagram