Tumgik
#where's my cyber dog
neoplatinum · 20 days
Text
mission: gmag | kim minji
summary: coworkers fall in love, very oddly...
pairing: barista!minji x barista!reader
themes: HUMOR, coworkers to lovers, slow-burn, fluff...like tooth-rotting sweetness, rest of newjeans!, major loser reader
wc: 5.4k
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"no, listen to me, it's M I N," sakura is so over this, honestly. but you promised to buy her a new controller for her switch if she helped you, so she goes through with it.
"m...i...n..." sakura types slowly as she scrolls with a glass of water in one hand.
"ji," you continue quickly.
"what was that?" she asks and looks up at you.
"j...i. j for james and i for like iphone, i dont know." sakura nods and returns back to typing.
"okay okay, minji.....minji...kim minji....i found her!" sakura flips her phone to show you the girl's instagram page.
you squint at sakura's shaky hands.
"stop, stop. I can't see with your hands shaking all over." sakura frowns at you and tries pulling her phone away. but you're quick to grab it out of your hands. feeling like you've hit the jackpot.
"yes! it's her!"
sakura rolls her eyes and grabs more chips from the coffee table, popping them into her mouth as you happily scroll through your coworker's public instagram page.
"you know you could just talk to her right? like at work...where you both work together in that cramped barista station."
"kkura, you really aren't helping." you mumble as you hit one of the posts of minji at the beach; she's smiling and showing off her cute brown dog. you had overheard minji talking with another worker about her family's brown mini poodle. "that must be choco."
"what i also don't understand is why you're looking her up, on MY phone. when you have a perfectly working phone." sakura continues to eat through the family size bag of lays.
you scoff and pull the blanket off of sakura's legs. "what if one day she asks me to exchange socials and she sees that i've searched her up already? i can't let that happen."
you roll your eyes like it's the most obvious reason.
"wow, i thought i was a loser, but this really takes the cake." she shakes at the bag for more lays and returns her attention to the show thats been playing in the background.
you pay sakura no mind as you now have found yourself happily going through her page. examining each post closely and even going through her tagged photos for more information.
"okay, stop, this is just creepy. you're like a cyber-stalker." sakura yanks her phone out of your hand and pushes your chest away to knock you off your balance. you topple over like a bowling pin. "don't forget you have to buy me new controllers for this!"
sakura leaves with her phone in hand, probably off to phone her friends, leaving you all alone in the apartment with whatever show's been playing.
"what a cockblock." you mutter out as you finish up the lays bag and crumple it, getting ready to go to bed. you let out a long yawn that turns into a groan until the air has left your lungs. now you're coughing like a mad man trying to drink water, you finally cool down.
--
"welcome to milk mocha!" minji shouts from behind the counters, you successfully arrive just shy of 15 minutes late for your shift.
"oh, you're here." minji comments when she looks up from behind the espresso machine and glances at you. you grimace at the dismissive tone, but all minji can see is your hair all over the place and shirt worn inside out and backwards.
needless to say, you pressed snooze a few times too many, and now you're paying the consequences.
"i am so so so sorry minji, i slept past my alarm." you beg for forgiveness and start spewing about how you tripped over your charging cable, accidentally burned your tongue during breakfast, wore wet socks. and minji's heard enough already.
"okay, lets just...get you set up. you're lucky it's slow right now." she ushered you into the staff room and your heart warms at how considerate she is. even feeling a little lovesick that she hasn't written you up for tardiness.
"you're the best minji!" you shout over your shoulder as you change into the work shirt and tie an apron around your waist. horrified to find the tag of your t-shirt facing the world.
you try brushing your hair as best as you can, then tucking into your work cap. you walk out onto the floor and see a few customers around. no one seems to be ordering and you thank the coffee gods for this opportunity.
"soooo minji...." you start, as you wipe down the counters.
"yes?" she's busy cleaning the machines in the meantime and checking that there's enough supplies in the mini fridge.
you turn to her and smile widely, "are you single?"
she stops what she's doing and turns to you. "yes, why do you ask?" in the most monotone voice you've ever heard.
you wonder if minji was a robot in her past life.
"oh, no reason, just curious, hehe." you mumble to yourself and minji looks at you confused but then a customer walks in.
"welcome to milk mocha! how can i help you?" you begin and take the guy's order.
minji's walked away to get ready for the lunch rush, but mostly to think about your question.
--
"hanni, listen to me, the girl's weird." minji says over facetime. hanni's laying on her back scrolling through instagram and nodding along to whatever minji's ranting about.
"mhm, mhm." hanni finds a cute cat video and sends it to haerin.
"she asked me today if i was single."
"mhm."
"and like, why would you ever ask your coworker that? i think that's weird, like she's crossing work boundaries you know?"
"mhm."
"bro! are you even listening?" minji starts tapping at the screen, taking hanni's attention away from the many cat videos.
"yes bro! something about being single?" hanni only spares her some attention before returning back to her cat videos.
"yes! she asked me if i was single!"
hanni looks back into the small rectangular box that minji is in, "okay, i dont see a problem."
haerin sends over a funny gif of fluffy dogs tripping. hanni laughs while minji continues to rant about her new coworker.
then a random notification pops up.
[hairein]: "HI ITS HYEIN HI HI HI"
hyein must have taken haerin's phone and has begun spamming through all the group chats that haerin has. hanni decides that's enough scrolling for a day.
hanni closes her instagram to focus on the conversation, also muting haerin's account for good measure.
"i don't think it's weird that she asked if you're single. if you find someone weird, then of course you're going to think everything they do is weird." hanni continues as she sits up and pulls her self to her desk.
minji goes quiet, thinking about her own views on her new coworker. she's between reasoning that it's okay that she thinks you're weird, but she also feels bad because maybe you two just got off on the wrong foot.
she's never considered giving you a real chance to prove yourself. when you walked in two weeks ago for your first shift with a huge staff in hand (you were going to a convention later cosplaying as maki from jjk) minji already knew to stay away from you.
it doesn't help that the other people at work also thought you were weird. later that shift, your manager reprimanded you for showing up to work with a weapon; you profusely apologized and tried to show that it was just a foam staff. all the other workers already looked at you weirdly though, so maybe minji just followed along.
"well now i feel bad." minji concludes as hanni watches her through the screen.
"good! be more open-minded next time." hanni concludes and hangs up on minji immediately. minji on the other end drops her jaw and curses hanni through the phone.
--
"order for jay!" you shout from the counter, wiping down the americano. minji's shift just started but you're already elbow deep in your shift. it seems that friday's are always busy at miilk mocha. everyone is scrambling to get these orders out as quick as possible.
you look more tired for today's shift, constantly rubbing at your eyes and yawning when no one's looking. kazuha seems concerned that you're so tired.
"hey, you okay?" kazuha asks when you sit down for a quick break. you nod.
"yeah stayed up playing genshin, you know how things go." you explain and continue rubbing at your eyes. hitting a little too hard that it makes you see stars when you blink.
"you need to stop playing till 4am, you know you have a shift at 7." kazuha explains to you, she's already working on the next order. you take a breather and sip on the coffee you made for yourself.
"it's not my fault that game is so addicting." you explain and stretch your body, getting ready to take on the rest of the orders. minji finally fixes her apron and walks out to see you and kazuha chatting it up.
minji tries inserting herself into the conversation, hoping to see a new side of you that isn't so...peculiar.
"what's genshin?"
"minji! you don't know what genshin is?" you exclaim and begin going on a long rant about the game and it's gacha mechanics. you even begin explaining the pulls you have gotten. by the end of it, minji is even more confused and intrigued by you, also worried about your financial responsibility (lack of) because you really just dropped 300 bucks for in-game content.
--
"how are things with the new girl?" hanni's eating her sandwich and minji can't help but feel down.
minji scratches her neck as she thinks about you, "she's good...explained to me the lore of genshin, and then i found out that the staff that she brought to work on her first day was actually for a cosplay outfit, and not just a weapon she carries around."
hanni nods and grabs minji's drink, taking a sip out of it, "so, she's not that weird, just probably made a poor impression."
"yes, you were right." minji sighs and digs into her sandwich, feeling guilty about making presumptions about you.
"hey, cheer up! it's okay, i had a horrible impression of you when i first met you." hanni drinks the rest of juice and lets out a satisfied "ah." until she realizes it wasn't her drink to begin with.
minji just glares at her, "you better pay me back for that."
"see this is why i didn't like you at first." hanni complains but fishes out a five dollar bill and slaps it into minji's hand.
--
"order for macy." you grab the hot chocolate and place it on the counter. a cute little girl with pigtails walks up to the counter and grabs the hot chocolate, standing on her tippy toes. you look over the counter and aw at the cute kid.
"hi macy, want to see my latte art?" you offer, macy nods enthusiastically, you grin before grabbing the frothing cup and doing a nice rosetta for the girl.
she smiles in awe and you laugh, handing her a free cookie for staying, "don't tell anyone i gave you this, okay?" you offer your pinky finger to the small girl. she pinky swears and tucks the cookie into her jacket pocket before leaving with her hot chocolate in hand.
minji's watching the whole interaction and despite being shift manager and wanting to reprimand you for giving out free sweets to customers without asking firsthand, she doesn't have the heart to ruin the sweet act you just did.
in fact, when you find her staring at you, you let out a sheepish laugh and try to move past the fact you gave away a free cookie.
--
"minji! do you want a burger, or hot dog?" you ask, you've officially dedicated yourself the grill master at the company barbecue. the other employees are busy chatting each other up, but you're manning the grill with a coke zero in hand, and expertly making everyone's orders.
"burger, please." minji walks away from her conversation to watch over you, surprisingly you're good at manning the grill, despite still finding way to trip over nothing during work.
this side is actually quite charming, even if you have those ridiculous frog sunglasses over your eyes.
"how are you doing?" minji asks, she peers over the grill and finds rows and rows of burger patties and hot dogs on the other side. you're expertly checking each burger for doneness and rolling hot dogs to ensure even cooking.
"doing great! all patties and hot dogs are coming out delicious and hot hot hot!" you explain. you turn to her and all she can see are those goofy frog glasses on your face. you give her a smirk before turning back to the grill. "first burger that's done is yours to take, by the way."
minji blushes at the sentiment. "you really don't have to do that. everyone should eat first."
"no can do minji, got to make sure you're well fed." you explain and continue flipping burgers while drinking your coke zero. minji finds it adorable how focused you are at this job, even if no one is expecting stellar quality burgers/hot dogs.
"watch out minji!" your head turns faster and you see a football flying your way, definitely going to hit minji on the head, so you block her from the football, having it land straight into your forehead.
"oof." you land backwards and fall to the grass, now rubbing your forehead from the hit. the other coworkers are running up and checking on you, meanwhile all you can do is ask, "you alright minji? it didn't hit you right?"
she blushes wildly at the question and whispers a quiet "i'm good." while you are being pulled off the ground and everyone asks how you're doing. you make jokes, playing it off, saying you were born with a head harder than bricks. everyone laughs and returns back to what they were doing.
"okay, back to the grill." you brush off the dirt all over your apron, and start humming a song while plating finished burgers, handing the first one to minji. "for you!" you tell minji and she gives a thank you before walking away to eat it.
the rest of the barbecue, minji seems to stick by your side throughout the day. this doesn't go unnoticed by kazuha who saw the whole ordeal. her eyes squinting as she sips on her drink.
--
"zuha zuha! i'm tired!" you exclaim, you're working the earliest shift, you were opener and on food prep for the shift. it's near the middle of your shift when you decide to take your break. both kazuha and minji are busy tending to the coffee shop. you sit on a step stool behind the counter to eat a cold croissant from one of the failed batches.
"go walk around or something, you need to get your blood pumping." she explains and goes into depth about the stretches that would promote blood flow and restore energy to your body. you aren't interested in hearing actual solutions, just wanting to vent.
"no! you can't tell me what to do!" you grumble and stuff more of the croissant in your face, even picking out the ham slice to eat separately. minji finds this all a bit weird, as in weird in her stomach kind of weird. the same kind of weird she feels when someone takes the last bag of chips in the convenience store when she goes up to buy it.
she watches how kazuha is so easily able to grab you by the arm, a boundary that she would never cross. and kazuha is pushing you into the backrooms, while you make kissy faces at kazuha, all of which are being dodgeds left and right. "you love me zuha, just admit it!" you shout before the door is closed on you.
kazuha walks back out to the barista station and smiling at minji before continuing to work, "she's something else." minji just nods and tries to will away that nasty feeling in her gut.
"you know she's my cousin right?" kazuha continues, minji stops what she's doing.
"no, i didn't. wow that makes a lot of sense actually." minji explains, kazuha just laughs at her shocked face.
"yeah, just thought you should know." kazuha winks at minji before returning to her espresso machine. minji is confused by the wink, but it's too late to ask; kazuha is already busy in work mode. the feeling in her stomach quells a bit.
--
"what are you looking for?" minji jumps at the sudden voice behind her. you're peering over her shoulder as she holds the walk-in door open.
"you scared me!" minji exclaims and hits you on the shoulder, leading you to pout and rub at your shoulders.
"sorry, bad habit of mine." you explain, "so, what are you looking for?"
minji's still looking around for food that she can eat. she had the great idea of waking up an hour later today, only to find out that hanni already ate her work lunch with a measly 'sorry! i'll pay you back :)) ~hanni' scribbled over a sticky note taped to the fridge door. minji groaned and sped off to get to work on time, completely forgoing a lunch.
"hopefully lunch, hanni ate my lunch."
"you have a bunny named hanni?" you question, trying to look for food in the walk-in.
"no, i have a roommate named hanni, she always steals my food, claims it tastes better than her own food." minji sighs and looked at different rows for hopefully another lone croissant or even a cookie. "is there really no food in here?"
"probably not, since shipment's tomorrow and we've had a busy week." you explain but then you pull your phone out, making a quick call.
"yes one order of a club sandwich, with chips and a cookie please...thank you!" you speak into the phone, minji's confused but you smile at her when she looks at you confused. "okay thank you, can I pick it up now?" and then you hang up the phone.
"what was that?" minji questions but you've already darted out of the walk-in, and minji's hot on your trail watching you run out of the store and make a quick beeline to the deli store around the corner, with your work cap and work apron on. minji laughs at your antics, but her heart warms at the sentiment.
minji returns back into the coffee shop. she might as well wait for you to return so she opens her phone.
[minmin]: new girl bought me lunch
[hanbunny]: you're kidding. even i wouldn't do that.
[minmin]: of course you wouldn't you ate my work lunch!
[minmin]: literally this is all your fault >:(
[hanbunny]: hey, new girl literally is buying you lunch, i think im being a great wingwoman actually, my genius should never be doubted :>
[minmin]: shut up.
[minmin]: also pay me back.
you return breathing heavy but with a brown takeout bag in front of minji's face. minji puts her phone away as she grabs the bag, surprised to see all the things you ordered in the bag. "you really didn't have to do this, how much was it?"
"free 99, don't pay me back minji. it's a thank you for all times you've covered for me when i was late to work." you stretch your legs and sit down next to minji, watching her enjoy the food that you bought.
"want some?" minji splits half her sandwich.
"sure!" you happily grab at the half presented to you and chew happily; minji just laughs at the sight. you remind her of a dog in the way you're so energetic and food driven.
"well if you won't let me pay you back, can i cook you dinner?" minji takes a leap of faith and turns to you, your mouth drops open and you nod intensely, almost choking on the sandwich but finally swallowing the bite.
"yes! i would be honored to try your cooking." you offer as you bite into the sandwich again.
minji smiles at that, "it's a date then."
--
"no, kkura, listen. she said 'it's a date then', but like i don't actually think it's one." you explain while sakura's playing resident evil. her focus being taken up by this new development but also the anxiety from how scary the game is.
"okay, so it's a date." she echos back, moving her head away from the screen.
"but i don't think it is. you know how some people just say it's a date, but it turns out it's just a friend date?" you explain and groan into sakura's plushies.
"no, not really." sakura continues, jumping when a random NPC shows up on the screen's peripheral.
"i just don't want to make it seem like i read it wrong." you explain, toying with the feet of the duck plushie. "what if i the overread it and bring roses to a friend date, you know? then she would think i'm weird and not want to be friends with me. which is fine! but i really would like this to be a date."
"listen kid, just ask her directly if it's a friend date or more. it's easy." sakura explains plainly, frankly you've been going through this back and forth for the past fifteen minutes and sakura's had enough.
you freak out, taking a sharp intake, "absolutely not! that would ruin the mood, then i would look like i'm making her look like an idiot, and minji is not an idiot." you explain.
"i gave you the best advice i got, if you're not going to take it then leave."
"kkura pleaseeee, i need a better way to figure this out."
"nope, not hearing it, good luck!" sakura tunes you out, putting her headphones back on and locking in.
you walk out with sakura's duck plushie still in your hands, if she won't give you good advice then you're taking her belongings.
--
you give yourself some words of encouragement as you knock on her apartment door. behind this door was the living space of your crush and you were sweating, rocking on your feet back and forth in anticipation.
"hello! you're minji's coworker right?" the door opens quickly, and a shorter girl stands before you; she is definitely not minji.
"yes, and you're hanni?" you question to which she nods, excitedly welcoming you into their home. it's what you would expect of minji's living space, very light cream and brown colors all over the living space.
"hanni! i told you to let me answer the door!" minji rushes out of her room, with a cute top on and her hair done in cute braids framing her face, you think she looks gorgeous.
"well minji, it's rude to keep a guest waiting." hanni laughs and smiles at minji weirdly, giving her a quick wink and a pat on her shoulders before disappearing into her room, "it was nice to meet you!"
"you too!" you shout as hanni closes her door.
minji feathers through her hair, and directs you to take off your jacket. you're looking around and you spot minji's work clogs by the shoe rack, and laugh at the sight.
"sorry about hanni, she's usually not so enthusiastic." minji's leading you over to the kitchen where you can see her dinner being cooked. you smile at the delicious smells invading your nose.
"not at all, she seems very nice." you reply back and settle into one of the bar stools.
minji stands awkwardly, confused on how this date should go. "would you like anything to drink? we have water, juice, coke zero, wine-"
"coke zero." you decide, and minji laughs remembering your obsession with that specific drink, no other kind of coke.
"okay, coke zero it is." she hands you the drink to which you happily start drinking, even letting out a large burp, "excuse me."
minji just laughs and finishes stirring the pasta and plating them on the table, it's your favorite, carbonara. you thank the pasta gods for this delicious meal and start to dig in.
minji really hopes the pasta she made tastes good, "how is it?"
"so delicious, better than any pasta i've had before!" you are definitely enjoying the meal as you are finished with the plate before minji can even eat half of hers.
"can i have seconds?"
minji laughs, "of course."
you give yourself another bowl of pasta, happily chatting about interests, you find out that minji's a bit of a audiophile, enjoying all kinds music. she's speaking about her passions but you keep eyeing the stray hair on her cheek. so you reach out and pick it off if minji's face causing her to blush and glow red.
"thank you." she's back to the more reserved minji that you see whenever she's embarrassed. her hands are closed over each other.
"thank you for dinner by the way, you really didn't have to cook me dinner." you say in between bites. you appreciate the girl's kindness; you just can't tell if this is really a date. "i brought flowers by the way!" you go back to your bag and pull out pink carnations.
minji blushes at the gesture, finding it cute that you even thought to bring flowers. she grabs a vase and starts filling it to place the flowers that you have brought, she can't seem to contain her happiness. smiling wildly and then she feels her phone vibrate in her pocket.
[hanbunny]: hey
[hanbunny]: did you two kiss yet?
[hanbunny]: danielle's here too btw
[hanbunny]: hi minji! danielle here! i think your outfit is so cute <3333
[hanbunny]: anyways, hanni here, make a move by the end of the date, if you don't i don't have to pay you back for the lunch i stole
[hanbunny]: love you, good luck!
minji knew the two girls were up to something suspicious, hanni kept demanding that danielle come over earlier in the afternoon. she did not expect the two to be spying on her and your date. minji mutes hanni's conversation, turning to you.
"want to watch a movie?" minji asks as she walks over to the couch. you decide on the lego movie, claiming that it's been your favorite for years, and minji doesn't have the heart to tell you she finds it embarrassing to watch.
you both are enjoying it; well, mostly you are enjoying the movie, and minji's enjoying you enjoying the movie. you tend to recite the lines quietly when you know a long dialogue is coming up, or you clap when you find a scene enjoyable.
minji finds herself relaxing into the date, you seem preoccupied enough with the movie that she goes up to make some popcorn for herself. as she waits for the popcorn, she spots hanni's door cracked open. spotting two sets of eyes watching minji.
minji turns back towards the tv, happy that you haven't discovered the two. "i'm going to the bathroom." minji shouts. you give her a thumbs up and an okay, minji turns to hanni's room.
both girls are eyes wide seeing minji stalk towards them, trying to shut the door but minji's too strong, barging into the room, with hanni tumbling backwards into danielle. both of them sprawled out on hanni's carpet.
"you two have been spying us this whole time?" minji whisper shouts at them. quickly shutting the door behind her.
"i'm sorry!" danielle squeaked out while hanni glared at minji.
"you have nothing to be sorry about dani, minji here just doesn't understand that we are emotional support for her first date!" hanni explains, getting up to sit on her bed.
minji groans and looks around, seeing a giant corkboard filled with poorly shot photos of you and her at work, red string pinned criss crossing all over the board, as if this were a murder case.
"hanni, what is this?" minji nearly shouts, she's horrified to see photos of herself eyeing you or the other way around. hanni simply smiles at her work.
"this is my board for mission: GMAG." she explains proudly, "stands for mission: get minji a girlfriend."
"you have got to be kidding me." minji looks all over the board, trying not to be upset at hanni. she understands the girl is just looking out for her, but this is all a bit much.
"this wasn't my idea!" danielle explains, minji knows that danielle would never do something like this. so she glares at hanni instead, the girl just smirks and points at the board instead.
"whatever, just don't make a peep, i need to get back to this date." minji explains and closes the door behind her, leaving the two alone.
"sorry that took so long." minji walks into the living room, seeing you happily invested in the movie. you smile at her, and pat the seat next to you, inviting her to join you.
"no worries, movie's good!" you explain. even though minji might not completely love the lego movie, she is enjoying being around you and spending time with you. also find it cute that you dropped a blanket over her as she got comfortable.
you recognize the final portion of the movie, "this is my favorite part, minji." you explain to her how cool the collaboration of lego fans and the production cast were. giving her insight on the movie that she definitely did not know. she ends up kissing you through your avid explanation, with your hands all over the place.
you thank the heavens she made the first move because you were worried this was a friend date. minji turns shy at the action, a little shocked by her own boldness. she shifts away from you and avoids your eye contact.
"minji, you just kissed me." you say, a little slow on the pick up. your brain is trying to catch up to what just happened. minji just nods, seemingly invested in the ending credits.
"did you mean to?" you ask, pushing her shoulder a bit.
"yes." she says and you can see her ears getting all red from the embarrassment.
"oh thank god, because i wasn't sure if this was a friend date or romantic date, i mean obviously i wanted it to be a romantic date, but i really wasn't sure if it was. i asked my roommate for help, but she was no help. she told me to ask you if this was a more than a friendly date, and i was like nuh uh no way i am going to ask minji that." you trail on and on, a nervous habit you picked up whenever you didn't know what to say next.
minji kisses you a second time. and you stop talking. "it's definitely more than a friend kind of date." she reaffirms your suspicions and you let out a little laugh. you pull her into a hug, before grabbing her face and giving her a kiss as well.
"i want to kiss you more often." you say.
"yeah?"
"yeah." you conclude proudly.
hanni and danielle are still in hanni's room with their ears against the gap of the door. and then you hear a loud squeal followed by a loud crash. you turn to minji and she immediately groans.
"hanni!" minji shouts. it's silent for a couple seconds until you hear a timid muffled voice. and out comes two girls from hanni's room. you're shocked because you completely forgot about hanni, and to now learn that there was another girl too makes you even more confused.
"hi minji, hello minji's lover." hanni smirks at you, while you hide yourself behind minji.
"hanni stop." minji groans out.
"what? mission: gmag is a success from what i can see." hanni gives you a wink, you feel oddly exposed by the action. meanwhile, hanni's friend is just smiling and nodding at you. you feel a little less worried with her.
as minji and her two friends head back into hanni's room to assess the aftermath caused by the troublemakers. you sit back, scratching your head and munching on popcorn. puzzled by hanni's interest in you.
minji returns with a smile, and casually suggests, "another movie?"
"lego movie part 2?" you ask with a grin.
--
a/n: wrote this in a very silly goofy mood. this piece was only supposed to be around 2k originally...anyways, stay safe and stay healthy everyone!
444 notes · View notes
tayyytayyy12 · 4 months
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My bad hun, I got school issues I've been trying to solve
Ive had this genius idea of a 3pt or just a side part of nonsense where it's just her posting and using the alternate outros (the ones on the eras tour) and people going insane
Logan + I bet on Losing dogs, idk all I want to do is give that sad florida boy a hug
Ok now here me out
Kimi + leclerc!sister (older than charles dw), maybe one of the drivers on the old grid cheated so of course she writes break up songs, THEN she starts releasing love songs and then paparazzi out her and kimi, and ofc she releases more love songs
-🪐( sometimes my brain is a genius other times..)
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𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 | 𝗢𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗣𝗶𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶 𝘅 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿!𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿
Warnings - Suggestiveness, swearing
Fc - Sabrina Carpenter
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User1 - UM HELLO? Y/NS NONSENSE OUTRO AT THE VMA’S??
User2 - “He said it was bigger than a moon man.” OSCAR, WHAT YOU SAYING THAT FOR
User3 - Nu-uh you missed out the bets part “So I guess I’ll be holding it with two hands.”
User4 - I’m not surprised. Oscar had Bde.
LandoNorris- Please stop or I’m going to cry myself too sleep.
Its.Y/n
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Its.Y/n - Mexico City N3, you were magical. “Come put something big in my casita.” It was never pussita there is children at my shows people, that’s reserved for the songs that their parents can monitor.
OscarPiastri - That singers hot.
Its.Y/n - Yeah, I heard she fancies some F1 driver though.
LandoNorris - This is bullying.
Its.Y/n - Cyber bullying actually.
User1 - I love how she basically said she would’ve done pussita in a live recording just not in front of the kids at her show.
User2 - Icon behaviour.
Its.Y/n
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Its.Y/n - When I walk out onto stage every night my brain refuses to fathom that all of those people are here too see me. Mexico City N4, you made my dreams come true.
“Felt so good, he made me hit the top note” 😉
LandoNorris - BLOODY HELL Y/N. TOO. MUCH. INFORMATION.
Its.Y/n - Oh well
OscarPiastri- Oh you definitely can hit those high notes.
User3 - Oscar you dirty man.
OscarPiastri - Of course they want too see you, your beautiful.
It.Y/n - Stop you’re making me blush
Its.Y/n
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Its.Y/n - “How to ride him I can think of five ways, my head goes so hard I’m giving migraines.” Argentina N1, you deserved this killer line, the best crowd of my life, I love you.
LandoNorris - THATS IT. IM DONE. NO. NO. NO. WHY DID YOU DO THIS AT THE SHOW I WAS AT. YOU’RE A BULLY. STOP IT. THIS IS PERSONAL NOW. I HATE YOU.
Its.Y/n - Aw I love you too.
OscarPiastri - She’s not wrong, it goes very hard.
LandoNorris- YOU DISGUST ME.
User4 - Oscar must give it good.
OscarPiastri
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OscarPiastri - Taking some much needed and deserved time off. No migraines yet, but we’ve still got a few days.
Its.Y/n - I love you
LandoNorris - I’m blocking you both.
421 notes · View notes
yokohamapound · 2 months
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HEYYYY! When I tell you I pounce at every update. You’re legitimately my favorite Bungou stray dogs blog. Can I request Dazai and Fyodor with a famous s/o? I think it’s be interesting to see how they’d interact with it all 🫶🏾💕🦋✨
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Thank you so much, lovely! I had so much fun writing these. I hope you enjoy!
Characters: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Dazai Osamu
Contents: gn! reader, possessive behaviour, Fyodor being a little shit
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Fyodor Dostoevsky
This would be…interesting. I’m usually of the opinion that Fyodor would want to squirrel his s/o away and have them all to himself, away from all the corrupting influences of the world, but this is not necessarily a given. He’s more than capable of dating whomever he pleases, as long as he is in control of almost everything. 
It’s possible that he may have targeted you deliberately for a relationship, using you and your fame as a stepping stone in some scheme of his. While he certainly didn’t expect to catch feelings, he’s not going to admit failure on his part or deny himself something that he wants.
He’s extremely camera shy. Fyodor’s been involved with (and betrayed) most of the Gifted organisations and governments in the world, and he’s, y’know, a terrorist, so he can’t exactly show up on the red carpet on your arm. 
This doesn’t necessarily set off alarm bells in your mind. As far as you know, he’s some Russian tech genius who just doesn’t want his identity made public. He’s not the celebrity couple type. You’re more than willing to put up with this if it means you get to spend time with those violet eyes and cunning hands. 
Your fans are a little obsessed with finding out who your lover is, and there’s a paparazzi who are on the hunt to get a photo of him and flog the picture for big bucks. But there’s only been a few sightings of him, and never anything concrete:
A pale hand reaching out of the limousine to take your hand after you’re leaving an event. 
Someone in a dark coat standing next to you, though you can’t see their face. 
A photo of you having dinner with a dark-haired man, shot from behind so no one can see the man’s face. 
Fyodor’s a master at covering his tracks, whether in real life or digitally, so he’ll remain your phantom boyfriend. I think he leaves these little breadcrumbs out in the world, when he could easily erase them, because he likes your fans knowing that you’re not theirs, you’re his.
The online trolls that will be present on any famous person’s social media should beware Fyodor’s wrath. He’s cold, calculated, and amoral, and he won’t hesitate to retaliate in petty, yet devastating ways, like ruining their credit, framing them for a crime, or even just airing their dirty laundry to all their friends and family. The best part? They won’t even know who or why it happened. But it happens enough that you get a reputation for having a scary fanbase. 
In reality, it’s all just one man who dabbles in cyber-crime as a hobby. Heh.
If you’re in movies, TV, or singing duets where you have to pretend to be with someone else, he won’t act crazy jealous. That’s far too brutish. But you will notice an uptick in his possessive behaviour. He always has a hand on you in one way or another, paying more attention to you, etc. Anything to bring your attention back to where it belongs: on him. 
If you ever ask him outright if he’s bothered by you being famous, he retorts:
“No, my dear. It amuses me, to think of all those people looking at you, crying out for your love and attention, wanting to be you. And at the end of the day, you come home to me. I have something that none of them ever will~”
Dazai Osamu 
At first, Dazai would probably have significant reservations about dating someone famous. A brief fling, sure, but a full relationship is something that’s gonna give him pause. He’d be that way with anyone, but even more so when you spend so much time in the limelight. 
He’s not worried about your rabid fans digging into his past and finding out about him being a Port Mafia executive. That shit is too well hidden for even the most determined netizen to find, thanks to Mushitaro’s Special Ability and Ango’s cover-up work. 
The simple fact is, Dazai’s a loner. 
You’ll see him interacting with the members of the Armed Detective Agency and seeming to be the life of the party at rare points, but if you pay close enough attention, you’ll notice he slips away a lot. Sometimes he’s gone from the office for a day or two. Once all the action is said and done, he’s vanished like a ghost when everyone is too busy celebrating. Being around other people is exhausting for him. If his character is anything like the main protagonist of No Longer Human, it’s because he spends so much time playing the clown and wearing a mask. Other people are difficult for him to interact with.
Being on the arm of someone famous brings a lot of attention his way. Sure, he smiles and laughs about all the guys and girls suddenly swarming into his DMs, trying to get his attention. (More than usual, that is.) But he won’t enjoy it if he can’t go anywhere without being mobbed, or if people expect him to be on TV with you. 
His good looks will get him a lot of modelling and movie role offers, most of which he’ll turn down. The only ones he accepts are for…malicious reasons. 
“Dazai, you’ve turned down every single offer that comes your way. Why’d you take that hair care one?”
“Oh, that’s very simple, bella. It’s because I knew they’d paste it all over that billboard that faces Chuuya’s penthouse windows. Now he has to look at my face every single day.”
“You’re evil.”
Dazai’s not the jealous type, really, so it won’t bother him in the slightest when the gossip rags publish lies about you flirting with this or that J-Pop star, or when your fans profess their love to you. He’ll pretend to be jealous sometimes, but that’s only because he wants to be dramatic and have you baby him.
He gets a lot of his own fans, even though he doesn’t really want them. It doesn’t stop him from dialling up the charm and sending them swooning, just for shits and giggles. Mostly, he’s sly enough to avoid them. 
They figure out where he works and turn up to the office, much to Kunikida’s chagrin. 
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ambassadorarlert · 6 months
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a compilation of some of my personal armin head canons. lmk if i should do another. this is kinda long, sorry not sorry. <33 NSFW 18+ ONLY MDNI
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scorpio sun, virgo moon, capricorn rising.
- sun in scorpio: emotional and compassionate / intense and mysterious
- moon in virgo: service minded and shy / analytical and judgmental
- rising in capricorn: loyal and ambitious / unfulfillment and drudgerous
armin is the sweetest person to exist ever
- treats you the way he wants to be treated and more than you ever thought you could ever deserve.
- would rather die first than to hurt your feelings
- and when he does it’s never on purpose and it’s always sorry for it and will try to make up anyway he can
- always goes out of his way to make things easier for you
- his love languages are acts of service, physical touch, and quality time
- if your space is kinda messy he’ll do his best to reorganize and clean up for you
- needs to live in your skin. hugs often. holds your hand any chance he can. plays with your hair. lays in your lap. touchy touchy touchy
- date nights ever weekend, or every other weekend. tries to go somewhere nice and do something grand once in a while.
- he’s too embarrassed for full fledged PDA, but chaste kissing and holding hands is okay.
neurodivergent
- might be on the spectrum. you kinda gotta squint.
- has some kind of sleep disorder like insomnia or parasomnia.
- prone to nightmares
- also has depression, ptsd, anxiety
- does not take medication, like an antidepressant, even though he should
- he tries not to lay around too much when he’s around you or staying at your place, but when he’s alone in his own home he can stay in bed for literal days.
- his grandfather is getting older and his parents died when he was young so he has looming anxiety of death and losing people he loves.
- also has separation anxiety. he’s like one of those howling cats when their owner leaves for work.
- is kind of a picky eater. goes out and orders either alfredo pasta or chicken tenders.
- will stay up rlly rlly late until he can’t stand it
- drools in his sleep so if he’s laying on you, there’s a little wet spot lmao gross
anxious attachment style
- you remind him every single day that you love him, that he’s the only one for you, and that you’re happy in your relationship
- but he just can’t help not feeling adequate and good enough so sometimes his insecurities bleed out into other things.
- it gives him peace of mind that your location is on and he can see where you are.
- he goes through your following almost every day to see if anything has changed.
- will sometimes ask “do you know this guy?” when he sees you’ve gotten a new follower or if someone leaves a comment on one of your pics.
- super cyber stalker. if somebody leaves a nasty comment he can find their full name, place of employment, where they went to school, and their grandma’s facebook.
- he definitely screenshots the ugly stuff and sends it to their family. and says “this is how your offspring talks to people online” and that he “doesn’t appreciate you being treated this way.”
- other ppl would think he’s doing too much and sometimes it is but you know and understand him better than most people ever would.
- goes through your stuff when you’re not there
- he’s not looking for anything in particular, he just likes looking through things and seeing what you have
- smells everything. lotions and body washes. perfumes and hair products. reads the ingredients in your skin care. doesn’t know what any of it does.
- wears your house robe when you’re not there either. walks through the halls like a student at hogwarts.
cares for your animals when you’re gone or need help
- befriends whatever pet you have.
- your aloof and distant cat adores him and crawls in his lap.
- your dog follows him in every room and waits for him outside the bathroom. he cannot escape.
- if the litter box needs to be cleaned, he’ll do it.
- he’ll walk your dog and pick up your yard. might try to teach your dog a few new things.
- he’ll feed whatever you got in your cages or tank and refills all bowls and water
- gives them extra treats and snacks just because
passionate and sensual
- sex isn’t just sex for him. it’s like another way to connect emotionally with one another and be completely vulnerable and experiment with things.
- always has his mind in the gutter and is always down to jump your bones. or have you jump his bones.
- is a switch, equally enjoys being dominant and submissive.
- when he’s being dominant he wants to consume every piece of you. he kisses you everywhere, touches you everywhere, reminds you that you’re his and no one else’s.
- whispers to you about how good you feel around him. how tight you are. he loves the way you sound. he wants to stuff you full of his cock. likes to bend you over and watch how wet you get and watches his cum dripping out of you.
- wants to breed you so bad but alas. birth control.
- tries to convince you to get off of it. that you don’t need it and whatever happens, happens, and that he can support you.
- when he’s submissive, he whines and mews. he’s begging for more, harder, faster, uses his manners and says please and thank you like a good boy <33
- he turns you down most of the time when you wanna suck his dick, but he can never get enough of eating you out.
- his favorite positions are prone bone, doggy, missionary ofc, and when you ride him
- once he’s in sub-space there’s no coming out of it until he cums.
- his bookmarks on twitter is literally all porn, and he likes some weird stuff.
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2023. do not copy or repost any work by arlertwitch on any other platform. violators will be prosecuted.
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lalalian · 3 days
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futuristic dr ideas pt.1 : jobs
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date: march 24, 2024 (technically march 25, it's 2 AM rn)
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If you're interested in more futuristic dr things, I posted a video on tiktok with more futuristic stuff
A lot of this stuff is inspired the things I've read in cyberprep books!
disclaimer: none of my ideas are made by AI, sometimes I may be aided by AI to get inspired (especially with civilizations). If I do use AI somewhere in my ideas I’ll be sure to let you guys know!
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World Acclimatizer:
Also known as an ‘Acclimaitzer’
These help people move to other planets by aiding them in adapting to either living in space or living on different planets. World Acclimatizers often work closely with primary care doctors, and are extremely well-versed in non-earthly sicknesses and the effects space has on the human body. Realtors from other planets will always refer their clients to an Acclimatizer if the house is located on another planet.
Planetary Humanitarian:
Planetary Humanitarians promote natural and peaceful development in other planets. These people typically advocate for limited human interaction with other life, some even going as far as to never stepping off earth. Planetary Humanitarians tend to dislike Civilization Examiners.
Cybernaut:
Cybernauts work with techspace (technology relating to space) engineers to test out products. These people are often pretty popular in the media sphere because, as I mentioned earlier, many engineers are inclined to sponsor them. Cybernauts can frequently be seen in AR Gaming hubs and Cyber parkour arenas (more about those in the tiktok linked to this post)
Cybernetic Designer
Cybernetic body parts are designed by these people. These parts are not designed to look realistic like the prosthetic parts we see today. Most designers specialize in a body part, the most popular one being the left arm. Cybernetic designers are not licensed in creating full body AI androids, but they can create parts for androids.
Android Engineer
Android Engineers obviously do have some sort of license to make androids, but there are different tiers to an android making license:
Limited 2D Design: Very similar to character ai or j.ai bots, these bots do not have a physical form and can only be spoken to through text. They may have voices or a 2D body.
AR Immersive Experience: Like love and deepspace but with AR, you can feel, hear, and taste the android only through AR goggles. Some android engineers make their own goggles to allow their customers to feel a more personalized experience with new features. Why is this a completely different tier from 2D design? There's more room for corruption both mentally and digitally (hacking). The AI that makes the bots act so human can make the bot become too sentient, which could make them want to break free from the simulation.
Small Non-Human Physical Design: Most people with this license make android pets. Dogs are obviously the most popular, but jelly fish and vampire squids are popular these days. This license requires more training than the AR experience degree because these androids exist in the physical world.
Non-Human Physical Design: Designers with this license are not always involved in the abstract or purely artistic sphere. Many make hyper realistic android animals to blend in with the environment to either monitor species development, observe other planet-life in a non-invasive way, or encourage certain behaviors in animals. Even if the creature is not considered large, designers who plan to enter this field of design must earn this license because of this job requires complex AI design and ultra realistic visuals.
Non-Interactive Human Design: Designers with this tier do not create androids with crazy complex AI models. These androids are often displayed in museums, and are no where near sentient enough to even speak outside of a few lines, if that.
Life-like Interactive Human Design: This is the highest tier. People with this license often advocate for equality amongst humans and androids. Anyone with this license should exercise caution when making their androids, as talented designers can make androids that are so indistinguishable from humans that they become acknowledged as civilians rather than 'product'. Reports against designers with these license are taken extremely seriously.
Civilization Examiners
I'm planning to have a DR with this job kekekeke. I'll tell y'all storytimes if I can get myself to focus on shifting instead of scripting 😞
There's two kinds of civilization examiners: public or non-public. Public examiners assist journalists and researchers after living for days, weeks, months, or even years on a different planet. They collect data like plants, animals, environmental samples, and most importantly, get as much information as possible about other civilizations. Civilization Examiners are required to be at least semi- decent artists because they need to be able to draw what they see. They are required to come back with information about the civilization's culture, religious customs, traditions, language, fashion, appearance, parenting style, government, and more importantly, alliance potential.
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istg more shifters need to talk about their futuristic drs :(
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munsster · 2 years
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i’m so glad u want to start writing for keys i feel like he’s pretty underrated on here </3 maybe something where him and reader have interacted a lot in the game and one recognizes the other’s voice in real life in public? idk i think that would be really cute! x
free life on earth
A/N: listennnn i consumed every tumblr fic i could find of him in one night and decided there was not enough nor will there ever be.
Pairing: Walter “Keys” McKey x GN!Reader
Summary: He thought he was just out getting coffee. But then he bumped into his cyber crush. 2.1k words.
Warnings: fluff, meet (?) cute, you know i had to put this in a coffeeshop, shamelessly awkward flirting, mutual pining, a teensy little accident kiss (unless…), cursing
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He was fascinated. From the very beginning, despite how cliché and theatrical it sounds; he swore up and down he'd never go all puppy-dog-eyed again. And then you let out a whip of deafening expletives, and he swan dove right into a new obsession.
But saying obsession seemed too intense and creepy, so he's been calling it his online thing like it's a business meeting. Like he's not lovesick and doting and you have no idea he's worming himself around your little finger.
"You've gotta be—Keys! Don't fucking throw that while I'm standing right here."
The laugh rips out of him and jolts him back in his chair. To think that the limited amount of time he spends not working on this godforsaken game he happens to spend playing the game. He must have something wrong with him. He drops the flashbang back into his inventory and scuttles over to your crouched avatar.
"Sometimes I wonder why they let you graduate," you poke, swiveling in circles in the wavering shade of a big tree, blank eyes staring up at the sky.
"Hey, if I didn't graduate, we never would've met."
You chuckle. "Oh, Keys, life would be so horrible without you"—you click your tongue and your avatar's knees straighten, and his heart shouldn't skip a beat the way it does with your digital face this close to his—"because I have nothing better to do than sit at my desk all day and talk to a stranger on the internet."
"A handsome stranger," he teases.
"I'm logging off."
"Wait—"
"Nope!"
"Come on," he whines, "you know you love me."
Curse him with that sometimes confidence and all-the-time charm. And maybe that's the one thing you don't know. He smoked you out just to get at you while unassuming and lovely. You blink hard just to realize you've gone a little blurry, and the sun slices through your blinds and glares against your monitor.
"Is it light where you are?" you mumble, a songbird cooing and flapping away outside your window. His character goes still, no longer shuffling across the grass, just still. Strands of his hair animated to flow. It makes you smirk every time you think of it.
"Yeah, think so. Geez—"
"What if I was a stalker? Now I know the sun is up for you. That eliminates like... a lot of places," you say, very proudly and kind of worried. You don't rest well as it is, and now this boy might be giving out his address to random users.
"Okay, but is the sun rising or setting?"
"...Maybe it's neither," you hum.
"Maybe it's both."
It takes a second for him to laugh, and he's crazy but it's contagious. You shake your head and press your face into your palms to muffle a soft laugh. Hoping he doesn't hear you humor him. But you do, and he does.
"You're delirious, go have caffeine," you huff, definitely smiling, even with your jaw aching from wearing a headset for much too long. But you're sure the tightness in your neck is worth it when he hums softly and rustles with something on his desk.
"No," he whines, spamming the space bar, sending his character hopping down the grassy slope of the park's small hill. He sighs. "Alright, fine. Didn't feel like staying online anyway."
"Oh, hush, it'll be good for you. Plus, I gotta head out, and I don't want you missing me too much."
"Yeah, yeah," he mumbles, "but you better be on tonight."
"C'mon, baby, you know me," you say, head lulling to the side as he sprints back up the hill just to slip down once he's halfway there. He must be too tired to think about it. Because you've called him that once before, and it sent him reeling. He's glad the game wasn't designed for webcam gameplay. Not only would that be nightmarish, but you would immediately catch him beet red and fidgety.
He yawns.
"Alright, see ya."
You chirp something nice into his ear. Like a goodbye, but you'd never say it. He powers his desktop down and throws on a crewneck before heading a couple blocks north, hands shoved in his pockets the whole way. Head incessant with the thought of you. Even if he could stop it, he wouldn't. If you'd stay holed up in his noggin until the next supernova, he'd be satisfied. And the coffee shop is sticky and warm when he steps in from the chill.
But something makes him smile. Only a few tables have anybody seated there: mostly couples. Except, there's one person sitting alone. Occupying the table closest to the register, scarf draped over the back of the oaky chair, fingertips patting along a dim phone screen.
"Morning, two sugars," the barista chirps, "the usual?"
Keys hisses in a deep breath, eyes flicking over the extensive, swirly-lettered menu.
"You know what—?"
"Aw, break my heart, man—don't tell me you're switching it up on me now."
Keys chuckles with a shrug, "what can I say? I'm a sucker for a limited time offer. Gimme one of those seasonal drinks.”
"That's it, no more discounts for you," he huffs, already scribbling 'Keys' and a pouty face across the side of a bright orange cup.
"You were giving me a discount?"
"Keys," a soft voice chirps. And it's not something he could've imagined if he tried, because it sounds like you, and maybe this is some wishful thinking hat trick, but he turns to the side. And there you are. Arm perched on the back of the chair, torso twisted around to peer up at him. And he peers back. It's you. Wide-eyed and grinning.
"Hi," he pants, "it's you."
Your chair scrapes across the wood flooring, and you get real close to him like you're still not sure this is real life and not a simulator. Or you accidentally signed up for a drug-induced sleep study, and this is the desired, coma-adjacent lucid dream.
"In the flesh." You scoff, hands on your hips. He wonders if you're letting him look at you. It's a little perverted, but he's in denial, watching your mouth and the way it's so different from your in-game avatar. "I was hoping... I mean, I wanted it to be you. You sound like you."
He nods. And his hair flops into his face. Hides his soft pink forehead and the line between his furrowed brows.
"You're... taller than I thought you'd be. And you wear glasses," you say, lifting your hand like you're about to touch him. It makes him happy. He knows you—he's known you exclusively by your code and the sound of your voice, and yet your first instinct was to reach for him. And even though you drop your hand and glance away, he smiles.
"Disappointed?" he teases like he's expecting the rejection. Like you'll laugh and tell him to scram because yes, he's not what you had imagined. Maybe you had imagined him to perfection and doomed him in the process.
But you shake your head.
Decisively, a serious conclusion, borderline frowning at the sentiment. How could you be disappointed after spending days upon days doing absolutely nothing and everything with him. Just him.
You sigh, "You techies are always a wild card. To be honest, I'm just glad you're not a serial killer."
He chuckles and takes a deep breath. Letting it buzz through him because by some miracle, you're glad.
"I take it my dashing looks are just an added bonus," he huffs, raising his brows, but out of the corner of his eye, you smile. You don't laugh, but you smile. Brightly, too, sincere in the creases by your tired eyes.
"Toffee latte for... Keys?"
He scratches the back of his neck when you look away, feeling like he's sweating buckets all over the polished floor. Then you look back at him, lips only parted for a breath, mouth quirked. You look cute. Like he couldn't have imagined you sweeter. He just knows you're gonna leave him all syrupy and stuck on you after this.
"So... d'you—"
"Keys! Latte for Keys?"
"I think that might be you," you tease, nodding over to the pick up window with a grin.
"Oh. Oh, right!"
He hurries over to the disgruntled employee, grabbing his coffee and a couple of napkins and a stopper between his teeth before popping it into the lid. When he turns back around, you're not there. And his heart sinks. Frantic, he cranes his neck, spinning dizzily before catching your wave and the bell above the door. And you duck outside.
The cold smacks him into reality. It’s terrifying the way you look back at him with a smile because he’s been thinking about it since the day he first heard your voice. And now you’re letting him catch up to you, walking backwards with your arms crossed over your chest.
"Sorry for ditching. It was kinda stuffy in there—"
He chuckles, suddenly shy with the way you look right through him. And you’re right. Everything’s clearer. Crisp and frosty, but it’ll melt away with the sun.
"No, yeah, it's totally..." he huffs, "I know."
"Good, 'cause I was hoping you'd walk me home."
He shudders, not knowing whether it's the cold or the way you're so sure of him. Even with sweat rolling down his back. He doesn’t think he’ll make it as far as you plan on taking him. Not after you've flattered him enough to lay him bare on the sidewalk.
“You live around here?”
“‘Course I do. I’m not about to drive fifteen minutes for a cup of coffee,” you grumble, skipping over the cracked pavement where weeds sprout up into teensy yellow flowers. Then the toe of your show catches a jilted and offset curb, sending you teetering forward.
“Woah”—Keys catches you by the hand, too focused on the way your fingertips find their way to his, slotting down hard and curling. “I gotcha.”
“Pssh,” you scoff, tugging him close as an excuse to catch you breath. Only, you’re in the middle of the sidewalk and a biker wheels by with a groan. “White knight.”
“I prefer the term gentleman, but whatever floats your boat.”
You stick your tongue out at him when he takes a swig of his coffee and flinches away from it, fingers clenching around your knuckles.
“Hot?”
“Burning.”
“Thanks,” you say with a wink. And his tongue isn’t the only thing burning when it settles into his ears and nose.
“So, are you nearby, or…?”
“Oh! Yeah, this is my building.” You thrust a thumb over your shoulder and yeah, he’s hooked. So hooked he doesn’t realize you’re less than a block up the road from his building. He doesn’t realize he could have been yours. He could be yours, but he’s too hooked.
“Shit. Then I guess this is goodbye.” He leers up at the art deco apartment complex with a squint. Kind of disappointed before he realizes his palm is damp pressed to yours. Suffocating into the space you give him when he scuffs against the rough concrete.
“Guess so.” The sunlight beams from between the strands of his mussed hair, catching the rim of his lenses, and rendering you in awe. “At least we have the game.”
He scoffs. “We’ll always have the game.”
You shrug and tap the bottom edge of his cup. “And you’ll always have this.” Your finger traces the digits and dashes along until they’re dotted off with a heart. “Definitely didn’t slip him ten bucks for that.”
“You’re pretty desperate, huh?”
You smile. “Yup.” You squeeze his hand and tug him close to kiss the supple place his cheek dimples just slightly when he smiles. And he shifts a little. On accident. But suddenly, your mouth is pressed to the corner of his, and he’s short-circuiting when you pull away. “Sorry!”
“It’s… it’s okay, I’m not—I don’t mind,” he sputters and you laugh despite yourself, “Really, don’t worry about it, I mean, I’m not worried, it’s not a big deal, I just—”
You kiss him again. In front of the steps of your apartment building, holding his hand, and boiling him up inside. He can’t help but smile when you tongue at his bottom lip and drop his hand in favor of his waist. He thinks only you’d be so delicate with him. After all, it’s you. And when you pull away, his mouth is a little pink and a little slobbery, and you swipe your thumb across his chin.
“You better call that number,” you warn. He smirks.
“Beats talking to strangers on the internet.”
masterlist
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master-john-uk · 2 months
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I did not share this story when it was first reported last week, as I was too shocked, horrified and angered!
A car deliberately ran over 14 sheep in a field. In order to do this, two sets of farm gates were broken through. This proves the culprits' determination to cause injury, death and distress to the innocent farm animals!
Farmers can legally shoot dogs that do this... perhaps this permission should be extended!
If Surrey Police fail to get these bastards severely punished, farmers may (justifiably (n my opinion) take matters into their own hands!
Land on the furthest side of my Dorset farm was broken into in 2019.
I had been alerted my London cyber team that my land was being advertised on social media as a venue for an illegal rave. (They blocked and deleted these posts.) I set up several wireless surveillance cameras, and positioned my secret weapon, The Cow Poo Cannon... A large tanker with a high pressure hose, filled with slurry.
On the advertised date it was very stormy, and the security cameras were knocked out of place by the wind. (They did capture a very strange image of a cat stalking foxes though!)
Nothing happened that night, and after a couple of days we moved the cow poo cannon back to the main farm compound.
The following weekend I was alerted by a phone call from a neighbour who told me that the lane at the far end of the farm was blocked by cars. RED ALERT! I immediately contacted Dorset Police... estimated response time "about two hours."
My two Czech farmboys started to take the cow poo cannon over the fields, Farmer Frank took the big tractor out onto the road to try and block their escape, and I drove cross-country in the Land Rover.
I was first on the scene. Approximately 30 to 40 youths had broken through the gates to Bottom Pasture. They were having a wonderful time. I positioned the Land Rover where the headlamps gave me maximum visibility, got out of the vehicle, and walked towards them, calmly at first.
After trying to talk to them in a cool, calm manner... I lost it! It was at this point that two Dorset Police cars turned up (much sooner than expected). I was bundled into the back of one of the police cars. This made me even more angry.
Most of the little gits had escaped before Farmer Frank blocked the road with the tractor. Although one got stuck when he tried to escape by driving his Ford Fiesta across a field.
The cow poo cannon did not arrive on scene soon enough to be of any operational use... probably because the two Czech lads had been drinking vodka all evening!
Only eight people were arrested that night (including me), and only five were charged, all with drug related offences... nobody was charged with causing criminal damage by breaking into my farm.
In addition to reinforced gates, most of our fields are surrounded by ditches, which very few vehicles can drive across.
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httpjungkookcom · 2 years
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Master List :)
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All of my written works, whether they’re popular, not popular, low interaction, high interaction, and everything in between! Have fun! :)
(a) = angst 
(f) = fluff
(m) = smut/nsfw 
☆ = personal favorite 
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CYBER BOY | JJK (m)
↳ Jimin, as much as you love him, is a major pain in your ass. After dragging you to his store against your will (literally) you end up with; the newly manufactured, eerily human Jungkook android model. He's so human, you begin to have questions.
Wobbly Legs | JJK (m)
↳ Jungkook's never shy when asking you to try new things because he knows you'll never judge him, never laugh at him. (With malicious intent anyways.) That doesn't mean he's not nervous, hiding and ducking his head the entire time with a giant blush spread across his face while he's asking. With a bit of coaxing, Jungkook finally spits it out. He's more in for it than he even realizes.
☆ Please Don’t Go | (a) JJK
↳ Jungkook’s never kept anything from you, ever. Not even the time where he tripped and accidentally kicked your dog, or when he fucked the most popular girl in high school and couldn’t make himself cum (poor guy was embarrassed for weeks), or when he accidentally rubbed all of his acceptance letters in your face without realizing. To put it short, Jungkook is an open book to you. So when he suddenly disappears, there’s a lot to question. Even more to question when he finally gets back and won’t tell you anything, going as far to avoid you.
☆ Man Eater Hunting | (m) JJK
↳  Namjoon’s never very aware of what he says when he’s drunk, and this time is no exception to that rule. Unknowingly, Joon creates a chain of events that lead to his youngest member actively chasing his best friend. All under the pretense that you’re an untouchable, unpleasable, man eater.
Assistant Boy | (m) JJK
↳  Sitting pretty at a desk all day gets boring, dealing with minimal tasks and check ins. You’re unbelievably excited when a new assistant joins the office. And said assistant is a pretty boy with an even prettier personality.
Good Morning Cutie | (f) JJK
↳   After a late night out with his friends, Jungkook makes it up to you by spending the morning with you.
Break The Bat | (m) JJK : Part 1 Part 2
↳  There’s always ben a rivalry between you and Jungkook, ever since the first practice where he bet on milkshakes. Nothing ever changes, until it finally does.
↳  After promising Jungkook a reward if he won the game, who are you to deny him that? and he’s more ecstatic than ever to receive it.
Hardworking Baby | (f) PJM
↳  You hate work meetings with a passion. Listening to stupid ideas that wouldn’t even work, constantly being talked over by your male coworkers, going on for way longer than necessary, the list goes on and on. No one knows this better than Jimin, who’s determined to baby you back to health. Of course, not without light teasing.
Kimchi Fried Rice | (f) KSJ
Happy Birthday | (f) JJK
↳  “ Falling so madly in love with you is a tragedy. Nothing in my world will ever seem so beautiful again.”
Rainy Day | (f) MYG
Is This Me? | (f)  KTH
Bear | (f) JHS
Jealous | (a) JJK
Morning | (f) JJK
Coffee Shop | (f) JJK
Blankets | (f) MYG
Hoodie | (f) JJK
Cold | (a) JJK
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Jimin As Your Boyfriend | PJM
Namjoon As Your Boyfriend | KNJ
Jungkook As Your Boyfriend | JJK
Being Jungkook’s Best Friend | JJK
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BTS Secretly Crushing On You | OT7
BTS As Dumb Things I’ve Done | OT7
BTS As Your Childhood Friend  | OT7
Cuddles With BTS | OT7
BTS During A Zombie Outbreak | OT7
BTS At Parties | OT7
BTS Reaction To Their S/O Being Geeky | OT7
BTS Reaction To An Unexpected Hug From Their S/O | OT7
BTS Reaction To You Braiding Your Hair | OT7
BTS Reaction To Your Friends Not Liking Them | OT7
BTS Reaction To You Barely Wearing Any Clothing When You Sleep | OT7
BTS Reaction To Seeing You After Tour | OT7
BTS Reaction To Meeting Your Family/Parents | OT7
BTS Reaction To Their S/O Sharing A Certain Skill With Them | OT7
BTS Reaction To You Becoming A Blanket Burrito | OT7
BTS Reaction To Their S/O Playing A Sport | OT7
BTS Reaction To Their S/O Overworking Themselves | OT7
BTS Reaction To You Being Clumsy | OT7
BTS Reactions To Another Member Hurting Their Crush | OT7
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Some of my older works are really, really bad. I definitely recommend reading the ones with stars the most. 
I’ll most likely revise and edit, especially since some also have my old username on them anyway. I believe if I edit them, the link should stay the same. If not, I’ll do my best to update this master list as frequently as possible. Thank you! :)
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sarandipitywrites · 14 days
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find the word tag
thanks for the tag, @i-can-even-burn-salad! go check out her snippets here (Aurelia and Laurent are 💞💞💞)
my words to find are bleed, breathe, behave, and bargain; i'll be looking through Dead Roots, Dark Water. gentle tags to @ahordeofwasps, @aziz-reads, @sam-glade, @that-cyber-writer, and @rainydance91, plus an open tag to find consume, cliff, cry, and consider.
bleed
Jak's body tugged him towards Keira's room like Daxter had buried a hook in his heart. He'd seen the slump in Daxter's spine, the glaze over his eyes. He couldn't leave Daxter alone, now — not when his thoughts were bleeding into his body.
breathe
Light. Bright and silvery and getting bigger. From a pinhole in parchment to a star at sunrise to a candle flame at midnight, the light grew until it consumed them. Moonlight filled his eyes with spots, leaving him to blink them away as the wind raised goosebumps on his arm. He breathed it in, tasted fresh air — real air, flavored with lush green and salt and soil. Ferns and trees and grass greeted him, flanked by tall cliffs on all but Jak's right side, where the earth fell away to the sea far below. Glowing violet flowers lined the cliff's edge, their mauve edges brightening as they rustled in the ocean breeze. Jak didn't recognize them.
behave
Back on the main level, both kid and dog were still on the couch. Moss snored softly while the kid stroked his patchy fur. Samos's voice echoed in his head: If only you two could be so well-behaved… The kid studied Jak — his face, his horns — but didn't react. Didn't cry out, didn't run or hide. What had he seen? The question turned Jak's stomach. What had this little kid seen, that he was less afraid when Jak wore his own face?
bargain
The chair creaked as Brutter straightened. He loomed over Torn, casting him into shadow. “If Underground cannot spare men, babaks maybe cannot spare intel, ha?” Torn arched a hairless brow, tattoos stretching like spiderwebs in the breeze. “You really want to play this game with me, Brutter?” “What game? If babak freedom no value, babak intel no value. True?” “You know it’s not.” He swirled his mug, considering, then poured himself another double. “You want to bargain? Fine. Answer one question for me, and you’ll have an agent on call at all times — you whistle, they come running. Deal?”
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jamiesfootball · 8 months
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hey, it's leverage anon back at it again! do you think roy and keeley crossed paths previously in this au, maybe on opposite sides of a job where roy was hired to protect something keeley was trying to steal (and keeley wins obvi)? or do you think they've only heard of each other through word of mouth and when they actually meet, it's like the spiderman meme with them pointing at each other like "ROY KENT???" "KEELEY???"
Oooohhhhh
I do think that at first it's in the same vein as Ted Lasso, where they know of each other, they've moved in similar circles for years, their names are all over London but they've just never had occasion to meet.
I think the spiderman meme comes screeching into play when they have a Rashomon Job moment where they both realize they foiled each other's heist going after the same golden scepter on the same night and they're both like, "THAT WAS YOU?!!"
In Keeley's defense she was undercover as a waiter so of course she was rocking her Bjork wig with the purple stripe so people wouldn't take a closer look at her face. And there was this guy there, a real proper intellectual type, with the glasses and the sweater, and the look he kept giving her! Piercing eyes, like they could see deep into her soul. She was so rattled that once she went into the vents to make her move, she didn't want to come back out!
In Roy's defense he was at a low place, making the switch from hitting to retrieval specialist, and his hair was like. So long. So curly. Bushy beard. And he was wearing glasses he stole from a guy in the car park (and busy cursing himself because fuck he might actually need glasses), and he had a cozy nerd sweater on so like. Everyone was looking but it wasn't because they were looking for Roy Kent, they were looking for a different reason, you feel?
Meanwhile Rebecca's like "you BOTH were trying to steal my ex-husbands tacky golden scepter under my nose? While I was trying to steal it?" And that confuses Ted because, "If you were already married to him, why would you need to steal it? It's technically yours at that point," and Rebecca is like, "Exactly. I was married to him, Ted. Of course I wanted to steal it."
Meanwhile Beard is just side-eyeing Jamie who ain't said shit.
And the longer Keeley, Rebecca, and Roy go round and round the only thing they agree on is there was this skinny little teenage kid at the museum like on a fucking field trip and he was annoying like he was just constantly underfoot no matter where they went-
"Oh, I know who you mean! He was rather sweet. Kept asking for a glass of champagne- cheeky little thing."
"Was that the one who kept wandering off from the pack? Insufferable. Every time I thought I had an opening, security would interrupt to tell me they found a child wandering into the cordoned off areas. By the time I had a chance to intercept the stupid sceptor, someone had replaced it with a champagne bottle."
No, he was fucking annoying and he dogging Roy's heels and asking Roy questions about Rothko and Hockney ("It's not about the composition. The colors are richer because of the depth of the layers" and "Because he's a twat," respectively). Roy finally thought he got lucky when he nudged the kid towards a buffet table and he started scarfing down food but then the kid almost choked to death and Rebecca does remember that actually she had to take him in the back so they could make sure his parents wouldn't sue have some medical doctor guest take a look at him.
And now Beard and Ted are both just looking at Jamie, and Ted has a bit of a smile on his face, and he's just like, "Jamie? Do you have anything you want to share with the class?"
Jamie winces and admits it was his one and only cyber heist - drawing up a fake school record to get in with a field trip, writing a little program that would temporarily disable the security cameras and motion sensors- he'd done it as a dare to himself to see if he could do it. And- "I never technically stole it. Got as far as stashing it in my school bag, and then the bag went missing. Lost my homework and everything."
And now it's Ted's turn to look apologetic, "Well I am awfully sorry about your homework, but let me tell you- that essay you wrote on Napoleon? Really good stuff. If I was your teacher, I'd have given you an A."
And that's the record scratch moment because Ted? Turns out he was the """medical doctor""" who volunteered to go with Jamie, but was actually there to keep an eye on things for his old security company.
Also they shouldn't beat themselves up to bad about losing because the scepter was a fake. See, once he found it ("in a highschooler's backpack no less!" "no, Ted, we don't call them that here") he got to thinking that the whole thing was mighty suspicious so he did what any normal midwest man would do if he thought he was being taken for a fool -- he called up a friend he knew who'd been to prison and asked if there was a way to tell if gold was fake.
"Lick it."
"Pardon?"
"Lick the scepter. If it's real gold you'll be able to tell."
"...Okay, but for the record I just want it to be acknowledged how much trust exists in this relationship."
And that's how they all (failed) to steal Rupert Mannion's (fake) golden scepter (what a twat).
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w33nies · 1 day
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Qué Maravilla - CH.10
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Previous Chapter Miguel O'hara x SpiderFemReader rating: E for Everyone bby warnings: none? lots of angst tbh and bad words + shit proof reading summary: purely exposition, no miguel x reader juice unfortunately art is from the movie !!
-------------- Ch.10 - Send in the Clowns ----------------
The makeshift group of spider men and women rush through the dark maintenance corridors of the subway system on Earth-42. The gang silently swing in the shadows along the tracks, climbing on walls and even hitching rides on the side of the subway carts. It isn’t long before they reach a large, sparsely lit, graffiti-littered room. Surrounding them are several large archways, their tunnels each housing a dark pit leading who-knows-where. Then, suddenly, everyone simultaneously perks up, like a dog hearing high frequency. Even May Parker’s eyes widen with recognition. They each exchange glances with one another.
“Did we all feel that?” Spider-Noir is the first to break the silence. He is met with a wave of agreement.
“Then he’s gotta be around here somewhere,” Peter Parker mumbles, mostly to himself and the baby straddled to the front of his chest. Parker closes his eyes and begins to walk all around the room, concentrating on using his senses like a magnet to determine where the pull feels the strongest. The rest of the spiders wordlessly follow suit. Not long after, they all pause in front of the same archway, each staring wordlessly into its abyss. 
“He’s here. Definitely.”  Gwen Stacy announced. For a second, nobody moves. A common feeling of apprehension holds the group hostage. All of them shared looks that confirmed their communal hesitation.  What worrisome scene could lay on the other side? Could them barging in make matters worse?
“Well? What are we waiting for?” Pavitr Prabhakar shouts oblivious to the atmosphere. He marches towards the entrance, “चल दर!”(let’s go) he belts in a sing-songy voice. “Let’s go save my new frieeend-”
“-Not so fast Pavitr.” Spyder-Byte (aka Margo Kess) blips in front of the restless boy in her cyber blue-pixel avatar.
“What? Why are we stalling?”
“We can’t just walk in there without a plan,” she cautions. “It'll scare him off. I highly doubt he’ll be happy to see… some of us.” Byte takes a moment to pause and look amongst the guilty culprits in her mind. From Gwen to Noir to Porker to Penni and then finally Peter.
Stacy looks away shamefully under Margo’s judgemental gaze before recollecting her composure. “Okay… So how about we send one person? Like a representative or something like that.”
“Okay, but who?” Penni Parker pipes up, reclined comfortably inside the cockpit of the giant humanoid robot she pilots.
“Well, we know who it won’t be. Aye?” Pavitr says in jest motion to Gwen and Peter. 
Peter stuffs his hands in his robe pockets and shifts his weight back and forth from the heels to the balls of his feet, the motion earning an amused gurgle from the infant strapped to his chest. “Yeah. We know. Thanks Pavitr.”
“Now’s not the time Pav.” Gwen crosses her arms defensively, “We need to figure this out fast. Who knows how much time we have.”
“The answer is obvious isn’t it?” Penni remarks. “Who here does Miles trust the most?” 
“Well, that’s me of course,” Peter Porker makes a jaunty strut to the front of the group with an air of certainty, his anthropomorphic hand placed sincerely over his heart. Which crumbles immediately as soon as he sees everyone baffled expressions. 
“Kidding!” the pig let out an embarrassed laugh, wringing his small hands self-consciously. “I totally said that as a joke you guys. Not as a serious suggestion or anything…because that would be totally stupid…” The silence that ensues after is deafening.
Spider-Noir clears his throat loudly. “Anyways, we need to send someone who he knows for sure isn’t on Miguel’s side. Someone he knows who never acts as a double agent.” The black and white clad hero raises his fist dramatically, shaking it with emphasis. “Look alive eggheads! Who among us is known to put their money where their mouth is? Who has the gall to laugh in the face of authority? Who here best represents the rebel cause?” 
They all simultaneously to Hobie Brown who’s in his own world, mask half lifted so he could mindlessly pick at his teeth. When he comes to, he’s shocked to see all of the spiders mutely staring at him.
 “Eeh?” the man pulls his finger from his teeth, his mouth slack in confusion “What are you lot looking at me for?”
-    -    - 
A muffled THUD echoes through the air of the lab. Miles Morales of Earth-42 and Jonathon Ohhnn are both startled. 
“The cultists.” Jonathoon says in a hushed alarmed whisper. “They’re here.”
“Stand back.” Miles quickly positions himself in front of the timid scientist, with his metal talons bared. His Prowler helmet moves automatically to cover his face.  
“You’re not slick, pendejo!” Miles shouts into the void, his head gear obscuring his voice to its titular mechanical drawl. “We know you’re there!” 
“Woah, Woah, Woah settle down mate.” The man who reveals himself, striding nonchalantly towards the pair gives a truly confounding sight. He wears a mask similar to Miles (the other Miles) except this one sports a metal mohawk and a red and blue color scheme. He wears a spiked denim jacket, black distressed jeans and an electric guitar which was strapped to his back. As for spikes, he's covered in them. “I come in peace.” 
 Miles finds his deep accented voice mesmerizing. It possesses an almost sardonic quality to it. As he walks closer to him he notices the UK flag enamel pin on his vest. ‘British, obviously’ Miles deduces. That and the fact that this was probably the coolest person he has ever seen in his life. 
“Who are you!?” Jonathan pipes up from behind the shelter of a teenager. 
The unknown man removes off his mask, revealing a tall, dark man with a full head of thick, voluminous hair styled in wicks. The first thing Miles eyes gravitated to is his smug smile. His bottom lip holds a piercing, but that’s not the only one. He scans his face and finds a matching nose ring, hoop earrings, and two steel studs artfully placed above each of his eyebrows. One look at him and he knew he wasn’t from his world. Every moment or so he looked as if he walked straight out of an array of punk rock magazines (literally). He never met a man who’s aura was constantly changing. He seemed too hypnotizing to be real but there he was, standing in front of Miles looking down at the duo with a sophisticated yet headstrong poise. 
‘How is he even cooler under his mask?’ Miles mumbled loud enough for only him and Jonathon to hear. 
“I’m spiderman. Well one of ‘em variations. Name’s Hobie. Hobie Brown,” he stuffs his hands in his vest pockets, looking around impatiently. “I'm looking for Miles.”
“Uhhhh.” ‘Quick! Play dumb!’ Prowler thinks to himself. 
“Who’s Miles?” 
‘NOT THAT DUMB!’
“I mean- uh…,” After a thoughtless delay, he straightens his posture in an attempt to emulate confidence and clear his throat. “Yep, that’s me. You’re looking at him.” 
Hobie scoffed. “Wow, funny bloke you are, yeah? You know who I mean, man. I’m looking for spider-man Miles, of Earth-1610. I know you’ve met already.” Hobie walks around intensely scanning his surroundings. “I know he’s ‘round here somewhere. I felt it. ” 
“I don’t know what you’re talking about” Jonathan blurts out clumsily “I don’t even know what a spider man is.” He tugs on his shirt collar that suddenly feels too tight on his skin, sweating under Hobie’s unconvinced gaze. 
“A Spider man? Ha! I don’t even know what that would look like! Would they have six legs or six arms?  Would he spit venom and have webs come out of their but? That would be ridiculous. Not that I would know, because I’ve never seen one before! Ha ha-” 
Miles pats him aggressively on the back to shut him up, biting his lip in frustration. Why was he such a shit liar? And why did he feel so embarrassed by it? 
“You said you can feel it?” Miles asks skeptically
“It’s the spider sense.”
“Huh?” 
“The…what?” Jonathan added, completely puzzled. 
“Spider sense. It’s like a sixth sense. When we’re around other spider people it kinda… I don’t know tingles-” 
“-Ewww.” Jonathan interrupts. Miles bites on both his lips to keep from laughing. 
“Come out of it mate, you know what I mean.”
Jonathan and Miles share a confused look with one another.
Miles grins amusedly, “Nah man. I don't think we do.” 
“So like you see someone spider kind and you get like what? Excited? It stimulates you?” Jonathan asks with sincerity. Miles lets a laugh escape his lips.  
“Are you havin’ a laugh? Why are you making it weird?’ Hobie scrubs his hands down his face and starts gesticulating wildly with his arms. “It’s like…like a pull… in the back of your mind. Sorta like a magnet or something. Get your mind out of the gutter.” Hobie sighs, picking up some fallen tech sprawled out in the ruins of the explosion, examines it carefully before pocketing it. 
“I swear, youngers like you are such bloody menaces.” he mumbles, leaning against the one of many now dilapidated work desks.
Miles scrunches his face “Younger? How old are you?” Prowler asks defensively.
“How old do I look?” Hobie asks with a cheeky smile. “I’ll tell you this, I’m definitely old enough to be your older brother. Probably could’ve changed your nappy, who knows?” Miles can’t help but feel slightly disappointed. Older brother? Now that he’s getting a better look at him, he reasons that he'd probably be old enough to vote. So their age gap was significant enough for this man to see him as a kid. He was too old for him. He knew he would want nothing to do with him, at least not in the way Miles would’ve liked. And for some reason it made him feel drawn to him even more.
“Oh I get it!” Jonathan exclaimed, cutting through Miles’s conflicted thoughts “It’s like a multiversal connection. A bond that stems from your shared powers?”
“Exactly. That is what I was trying to say. Also a really good guess by the way.” Hobie pats Ohnn on the back. The scientist winces. “You’re obviously the smart one, eh?” 
Miles’s is visibly irked but there's also another feeling in his stomach he can’t quite place. Though he still didn’t trust him, he couldn't bring himself to hate him. ‘I’ll provoke him a bit…’ the boy tells himself “to get him to talk…’. He decides he needs to learn more about Hobie because he is a potential threat. Yes…Of course. This is all just a classic case of one keeping his friends close and his enemies closer. Or at least that’s what he tells himself. 
“Okay so you share some tingles. Now what?” Miles brings his metal claws inches away from Brown’s neck. Hobie raises his hands in submission, though his face gives away that he’s not at all threatened by the young man. 
“Why should we trust you? Miles told us some cultists were him and then a few minutes later, like magic, you show up with your funky Irish jig-” 
 “-I’m gonna pretend like I didn’t hear you say that-” 
“- and expect us to believe you’re not in a cult.”
“Do I look like I'm in a cult?”
“Yes.” Morales counter immediately 
“100%,” added Ohnn.
Hobie breath hitches in an attempt to keep from cursing. “Well, I’m not in a cult. I don’t believe in 'em’-”
“-Yeah, of course you would think that,” the boy retorted. “People in cults usually don’t know they’re in cults. That’s how they work.” 
Hobie rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Mate, I’m not here to sell you a religion. We’re here to get Miles back home. Your uncle Aaron Davis, he was the one who told us you both would be here.” 
“Us?” both men questioned in unison. 
“Who’s us?” Morales pushed his claws further, just millimeters away from scraping his adam's apple.  
Hobie smirks then he throws his head toward the sky, stumbling backwards he shouts. “Oi! You can come out now.”
Suddenly, a loud BANG shakes the entire lab. A massive silhouette, almost like an enlarged action figure, slams on the ground seemingly out of nowhere, beginning its slow and menacing crawl towards the trio. The only thing visible being its two glowing diamond shaped eyes and its glowing spider crests similar to Miles’s and Hobie’s. Each subsequent step reverberated the air around them as it got closer and closer and closer. Jonathan and Miles, stifled with fear, had to crane their neck upwards just to even attempt to absorb the full design of the creature. Then its head opens up, a billow of smoke looms outside of the cockpit. A small figure emerges.
“Hey ya!” A teen girl in an oversized jacket and pink hair clips throws a peace sign. “My name is Penni Parker, and this is my robot. ” The girl then launches herself into the air, springing into a backflip and landing effortlessly on the ground. Both her and her robot break out into sensational battle poses.
“You have a pet robot?”
“I wouldn’t call her a pet.” Peni motions the robot, the machine then bends down to meet her. Penni scratches the display that operates as its head. A cartoonish happy face on its monitor. “It’s a long story. But we are best friends.” 
Jonathan timidly walks toward the robot and reaches his hand out ‘Can I?’ he seems to ask wordlessy. Penni nods. ‘Yes, you may.’ Jonathan pets the robot and its screen interface emotes with heart eyes. 
Another muffled thump is heard from a distance. Everyone’s head turns. 
The culprit of the sound walks apprehensively from the cover of the shadows. 
“Hey, I’m Gwen.” She’s wearing the green and red jacket she borrowed from Miles' room back on 1610. “I’m, uh…” Gwen Stacy fiddles with the zipper as she thinks of the right words to say, “I’m...a friend…of Miles.” 
“I’m Peter! With little Mayday.” Peter grabs May’s hand and gives it a wave. He looks around, taken aback. 
“Yikes. What happened here?” he nudges a glitching, fractured statue with his foot, “Looks like some inter-dimensional barf in here.” 
“Names Peter as well. Peter Parker but they call me Noir.” The man in all black tips his hat respectfully, hanging from the wall and the wind blows his trenchcoat. Both Miles and Jonathon shared brief bewildered looks.
 “Where is that wind coming from? We’re in a subway.” Jonathan whispered to Miles, his hand obscuring his mouth. The boy just shrugs.
“I’m here riding with the flow of justice.” (Unbeknownst to Noir, Peter is rolling his eyes. Mouthing his exact words as he’s speaking them while mocking his theatrical mannerisms). “Because in this world, justice is as fickle as the rain. And like rain, she’s taken for granted until times of drought and corruption-” 
“-I’m Pavitr Prabhakar!” A teen boy rushes in with an infectious eagerness, excitedly shakes the two men's hands. “हे भगवान!” (Oh my god) “You’re exactly like Miles!”
“I am Miles.”
“Yeah but you are like a much more serious, jaded version of him. You seem more like a lone-wolf, brooding type of guy.” 
“That’s a lot of assumptions for someone you just met.” 
“I’m really good at reading people,” the teen proclaims proudly. His eyes dart subtly from Hobie to Miles with a smirk on his face. His masked face somehow managing to convey that they knew his innermost emotions. Miles scowls and looks away. 
“Anybody else I should know about?” he asks, desperate to avoid the subject.
A blue toned blue hologram materializes instantly in front of the two. Jonathan lets out an embarrassing high pitched yelp. 
“Kess comma Margo,'' she says casually. “But where I’m from, they call me Spyder-Byte.” 
“Woah.” Jonathan whispered under his breath, captivated by the sight of a moving human hologram. He moves his hand out to touch it.
“Nuhuh!” Margo smacks it away. “Just because I’m cyber doesn’t mean I'm not solid.”
“Solidified light?” Jonathan awes, cradling his smacked hand. Another thing to add to the list of technological marvels he would never dream he’d live to see. Yet now he was seeing all of it in one day.
Prowler takes a step toward, also taken with the avatar.  “How-” Suddenly, he trips on his shoelace and falls flat on his face with a loud SMACK.
“Whoops! Careful There!” Miles groggily lifts his head and finds a carton pig cheerfully strutting towards him on its hind legs. 
“Oh I see the problem here. It’s your shoe! It’s very untied.” The hog spits in his…hand? Hoof? And hold it out for him to shake. “The name’s Peter Porker, put ‘em here!”  
“No thanks, I…just ate.” Miles said, waving the creature away with his hand.The pig, undeterred, then turns to Jonathon. 
“Um nice to… meet you.” Ohnn reluctantly licks his thumb and pointer finger. Leaning down to lightly pinch the very tip of one of the hog’s fingers, reluctantly gave a very light shake of his hand. 
“Wow.” He chuckles, whipping his hand on his lab coat. “A lot of P names in this group huh?”
“There's plenty more where we come from,” Peter Parker jokes. Only the other spiders laugh.
“And that's all of ‘em.” Hobie sneaks up behind Jonathon and Miles, wrapping his arms over their shoulders. Miles feels his face burn with embarrassment.  “I wouldn’t sweat memorizing ‘em all,” he murmurs. “I reckon I forget most of these blokes as well.”
 “You said my uncle sent you guys? ” Miles directs his question to no one in particular “Why?”
Everyone immediately breaks out into their own explanation of events. All wildly talking over one another in a long, complicated mess of unintelligible words. Hobie abstains from the futile madness. 
“Did that help?” Hobie asks amusedly 
“Not at all, thank you” Miles speaks with fake sincerity. 
Hobie snorts.  “Well to be fair, it is quite the story.” 
“We can talk about it over snacks!” Jonathan enthusiastically walks over to his snack stash, listing his commodities as he sees them. “I have green tea, oolong, lavender, chai tea...” 
Silently, the other spiders shoot a nervous glance at Pavitir. Miles swears he can see a vein popping underneath his mask. The boy slowly turns, “Chai?…Tea?...”
“Yuh huh. I also picked up some bagels, biscuits, oh and picked up  some naan bread from this spot on 7th street this morning -” 
“NAAN? BREAD?”
“Uh huh. I also made this Tikka Masala to go with it! I followed this recipe online-”
Pavitir breaths heavily with his fists balled at his side. He is surrounded by the spiders desperately trying to calm down. 
“Take deep breaths Pav.” Margo Kess instructs him.
“Look at him! He doesn’t know any better.” Penni attempts to reason
“Oh, here we go. ” Hobie crosses his arms, leaning against the wall with the biggest smile on his face.
“-Did you just say NAAN BREAD? Do you realize what you just said? NAAN means bread. Chai is tea. Did you really offer me some tea-tea with some bread-bread? How can you call yourself a scientist if you don't even-”
“-PAV!” Gwen places herself between Jonathon and the disgruntled boy, “I think he gets it.” Pavitir turns away with a huff, arms crossed and cheeks puffed like a scolded child.
Jonathan looks at the thermos in his hand shamefully. “If you don’t want it I can-”
“-I’ll take the food.” Pavitir quickly grabs the container and plastic utensils from him. Just as he’s about to leave he abruptly stops to face the scientist once again.
“...Thank you.” The boy says in a low voice. After retreating to a more secluded corner of the lab he opens the container. His shoulders visibly relax when he sees the steam pop out. Hobie digs in from over his shoulder. 
“That doesn’t have pork in it does it?” Porker asks the scientist
“I believe it’s chicken.” 
The pig shrugs. “Welp, better them than me!” making his way towards the impromptu picnic.
“Can we stop dallying and get down to business?” Noir rubs his temples in annoyance “Where’s our boy Miles?” 
Jonathan and Miles look at eachother, tight lipped. Both telepathically communicating their unswayed distrust in the eclectic group of characters. Though it’s Miles who has the gall to voice his skepticism. 
“Give us a reason to trust you guys.”
“Hold on.” Gwen types a few buttons on her web watch, from which it emits a hologram rife with all the relevant pictures and text files.
“You see this guy here?” Gwen points to the lanky spotted silhouette depicted on the orange hued screen. “This is theSpot. He’s a sorta trans-dimensional super being. You see the spots on his body?” She fiddles with the settings on her watch, zooming in on his likeness. “Those are portals he uses to travel to alternate dimensions. He’s already opened up several worm holes in other universes.” 
“Mine included.” Pavitr speaks up, pointing to the wreckage surrounding them. “This is all from my home.” Gwen swipes the hologram, which shows the devastating aftermath of the Spot’s carnage. The boy exudes an uncharacteristic somber tone, his voice racked with hurt. 
“A lot of people got hurt and many more could be dead. We got a handle on it now…though barely. And now… he’s after Miles.”
“Why?” both men inquired at once.
“He thinks it’s his fault.” Pavitir says, “The way he looks now, he blames Miles for it.”
“If we don't get Miles home the same will happen again in his dimension and he won’t stop after that.” Noir falls gracefully from his vantage point, light as a feather, and onto his feet. “Every second he’s free, the entire multiverse is at risk.” 
“I do remember Miles bringing up the name Spot.” The scientist steps closer to get a better look. “Wait..That’s the guy I saw in my vision!” He peers over the accompanying slides with written information. He doesn’t get very far before he sees the thing that makes his blood run cold.
‘Subject: Jonathan Ohn A.K.A The Spot’
“Hey… that’s my name.” Jonathan gives a feeble laugh which falters as soon as he sees the sympathetic gazes from around him. None of them bother to look him in the eyes. With a trembling finger, he points to the stranger on the screen.
 “That’s not actually me… is it?” 
 “I’m sorry Jonathan.” Gwen’s voice is a but a low whisper
“I -” Jonathan opens his mouth to speak but no words come out. He stumbles backwards and falls into the uneven office chair. 
“How?” 
Nobody speaks up. 
Jonathon throws his arms up in frustration. “How? How did this happen to me? Tell me. I deserve to know the truth.” 
“We destroyed the collider on Earth-1610.” Peter speaks hesitantly, “We thought we were helping but…He absorbed the dark matter as a result of the explosion and…” he trails off sympathetically. “...I’m sure you know the rest.”
Jonathon takes a second to absorb the words but shakes his head in disbelief. “That- That makes no sense,” he stutters. “Why would I be  mad at that boy? He saved my life. When I was trapped inside the collider and then he was the one who-” 
Jonathan’s face becomes crestfallen. “Oh,” is all he can manage to muster . 
 Just then. his heart threatens to burst out of his chest the more the reality dawns on him. Had he been trapped near that machine for just a few more seconds his future would’ve looked very different. The thought makes him physically ill. See, Jonathan Ohnn had grown accustomed to the idea of a strenuous future when he crossed the higher ups at Alchemex. He was by no means a fearless man, but he learned to stomach the notion of violence being used against him. But this? This thought that this depravity that could’ve consumed his entire waking being was too much to handle. He hated to admit it, but he could better brave the concept of a vicious death than the idea of him being a grotesque, wicked monstrosity. 
Then scientist feels his knees give out from under him as his head aches from the overwhelming realization. 
“Jonathon? Jonathan!” Many people speak his name in concern but he can’t hear them.
Jonathan clutches his skull as he writhes in pain. Bombarded with flashes of memories that are not his own. Yet somehow feel as real to him as the pain currently working to overwhelm him. He sees it all. For a moment, he can feel the shame of being fired from his dream job. The way armed men escorted him out the building through the back door so as to not disturb anyone with his ghastly appearance. For a moment, he can see the horror on his family's faces. How the people who promised to love him unconditionally removed all the hanged photos of his former glory from their walls and refused to return his calls. For a moment, he can feel himself being shunned by his fellow scientists and turned away by doctors. All to disturbed with him to even pretend to care for him and his condition. He can feel the disgusted glances on the street. The way mothers fearfully pull their children closer to them when they see him walk past. For a moment, he can feel the realization that as he is now, there is not a single living creature that could endure him in any capacity. How In just one night, love and normalcy had become something entirely unattainable for him. In the span of seconds it was like he felt his entire life go in a downward spiral. And all the while in the background a voice bellowed with malice. A voice that sounded a lot like his own.
‘Maybe then I won’t be such a joke to you!’ 
It was enough to make any man go mad.
When he comes to, Jonathan finds himself on his hands and knees surrounded by worried folks. An onslaught of concern from the group hits him in one giant wave. A multitude of  hands grab him to support him back to his feet. A flurry of voices drown his thoughts.
‘Are you alright? Do you need water? Here, sit down. Take deep breaths now, in and out. How many fingers am I holding up? Be careful with him. Careful! Stop crowding him, give him some air. You’re freaking him out! Can somebody please get him some water?’
Miles rushes over with a water bottle in hand. “Thank you” he says weakly. He downs most of it in one gulp.
“I saw it.” he says crushing the plastic in his hands. He leans back in the chair recalling the vision, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. “I saw everything. He’s so… miserable. I -” His voice catches in his throat. 
“No one should ever have to go through that!” He cries hysterically, barely able to get the words out through choked sobs. “No one should ever be made to feel so… alone.” He finishes weeping dejectedly into his hands. Miles sympathetically places his hand on his back, shooting irritated glare at the newcomers. 
Gwen can feel her heart break in two. As she closes her eyes with a sigh, she begins playing the first rhythm that comes to mind, lightly drumming her hands on the table. Not that she intends to, but high stress environments or bad rhythm situations prompt her to emulate a good rhythm to counteract it. Is it a trauma response? A defense mechanism? Probably. This isn’t one she uses often though. She played it only one other time for her dad after losing her mom. As they cried holding each other on the living room floor, the tapping of her fingers managed to empty the well of her father's eyes until he had no tears left to cry. It wouldn’t make him happy. No rhythm could do that for a loss like this, but it would be enough to ease his pain just for a moment. Like a little morphine for the soul.
She opens her eyes to see Jonathon's head leaning on the headrest of the chair, holding the plastic bottle over his heart. His breaths are deep and steady. His face was still wet with freshly shed tears. She listens to the rhythm of his breathing. It stills houses a great dejection, but now she can sense a hint of acceptance . ‘Good’ she thinks to herself. ‘It’s good enough for now.’
She bends down to a squat in front of the man, looking into his eyes. “I know this is a lot.” she began, “But you would be helping us save a lot of people if you helped us out. Please Jonathon…Can you tell us where we can find him?”
Jonathan takes a moment before responding, the hand holding the water bottle falls limply into his lap. 
“You’re right about him being here,” he began softly, his head thrown back and eyes open ajar. “He went to the lab just before you arrived. He was going to steal the prototype for the new strain of Rapture.” Jonathan points out to the broken machine through the window of the observation deck. “We stayed here to attempt to fix the collider and hopefully  circumvent its shortcomings so we could  send him home before we destroyed this thing for good.” 
“Rapture?” Gwen asks.
“It’s a highly addictive, insanely deadly drug Alchemex and Scorpion Pharmaceuticals  have been shilling. It’s supposed to be illegal but…” MIles sighs, “That word doesn’t mean much here.”
“It’s the stuff Miguel is mulled up on.” Hobie speaks quietly, “The stuff that makes him… you know.” Hobie glanced at Peter, Noir, and proker. Among the more established, long standing members of spider society it was an open secret. One no would ever talk about, not even behind closed doors. 
“Without it he’s even worse” Peter adds. “If you could imagine,” he laughs bleakly
“Well they wanna distribute it through every universe.” Miles spoke with his arms crossed. “They’ll not only make a monopoly out of it but the cure as well. Who knows what other stuff they’ll do with that kind of power...”
“So what are we going to do?” Jonathan spoke weakly, his head rolled to the side. “If they fire this machine again anytime soon, which to be honest they absolutely will, we’re talking about a rupture in the space time continuum! It’ll totally destroy-” 
Jonathan head perks up worriedly taking deep sniffs in the air. “I’m sorry, What’s that smell?”
All eyes turn to Peter Parker, who lifts up Mayday from her carrier. He takes a whiff of her backside then immediately recoils from the stench. 
“Sorry everyone, my daughter just-” he looks at the baby before lowering his voice to a  whisper “-she just shit herself.” He looks around wildly, clicking his tongue. “You don’t happen to have a baby changing station here, do you?” 
“Uh-” 
“You know what, nevermind. That’s a stupid question I’ll just change here…uhhh…over Here!” Peter walks over to desk. In swift motion he wipes all the documents and equipment off a table before taking off his baby carrier and getting right to work. 
“Don’t mind me, as you were saying? 
“Well, It’ll open up a black hole big enough to swallow all of Brooklyn. Possibly extending to the Hudson Valley, Long Island, hell maybe he Jersey-”
“Would Long Island really be a loss?” Peter jokes whilst lathering his palms in a heap of baby powder
Everyone looks at him, speechless. 
“Peter-” Penni reprimanded.
“-Geez, tough crowd.” The occupied father said, “I guess I’ll just shut up now.”
“Anyways, with the shock wave that happened when Miles disrupted the colliderIt’s only a matter of time before the higher ups show up…'' Jonathan slowly wheels himself to turn towards Miles, “...Then what are you going to do?”
“Me?” 
“You didn’t kill me, and you’re not going to hand over the collider are you?”
“No. Of course not! And also I was never going to kill you per say-” 
“-But they’ll kill you.” Jonathon slammed his thigh with emphasis, “You know that. They’ll kill both of us.” He puts his head in his hands, mumbling quietly to himself,  “What are we gonna do?What are we gonna do?...” 
“I’ll figure something out man,” Miles attempts to assure. “I do my best work when the stakes are high” he jokes
Jonathan looks up from his hands, completely disheartened “Maybe... You should’ve just killed me…When you had the chance.” 
“Jonathon-”
“-You still can.” Jonathan reasons. “Then afterwards you and Miles can dispose of the strain. Maybe use it as leverage to negotiate-”
“-Don’t be ridiculous Ohnn.” 
“I’m fine with dying if it’s for a good reason. I’ve served my purpose-”
“-You’re not dying Ohnn.” Mile begins to pace around,  thinking to himself . “Can’t we just, I don’t know, blow it up?” 
The boy is met with chorus of no’s
“Again, we tried that on 1610 and we’re still dealing with the aftermath.” Porker reasons, “It’s the reason we have this Spot problem in the first place.”
“To destroy, I would need to corrupt the files.” Jonathon rises to his feet and makes his way over to  the monitors. “But most of the computers are busted. It’ll take ages for me to make a kill switch and download the relevant files to save my work.”
“Sorry do you have anywhere I can throw this away?” Peter holds up a stinky diaper, “Whew, this smells BAD.” 
Jonathon responds actually perturbed this time, “I’m not sure.. the trash can?” 
“You know what, I'll just hold onto it, I guess. Sorry I'm new to this whole parenting thing.” 
“Can we worry about this whole money hungry, supervillain side plot  later?” Margo practically begs, “When there isn’t a massive threat to time and space on our hands.”
“And this isn’t?” Peter Parker speaks up, wiping his hands and placing his baby back in her carrier. “We can’t leave this alone. It’ll bite us in the ass.” 
“So what should we worry about first then?” Hobie asks, “The Spot
Suddenly, All the spiders react. 
“Spider sense?” Miles asks
“Spider sense.” Hobie affirms 
“At least it’s not the cavalry,” Jonathon sighs in relief. “It's probably Miles.” 
“NO! Wait-” The spiders attempt to protest to no avail.
“-Cabron!” Miles shouts, “Hurry up! We have important business to talk about.”
Who emerges is an incredibly tall, hulking figure possessing the build of a linebacker and the disposition of a giant. The spider emblem at the center of his suit possessing a skull head and fangs. As if it was intentionally designed to be threatening. At his sides his fists sit balled in anger.  
“Who is that?” Jonathan whispers.
“...The cultist.” Hobie whispers back
For an agonizing moment Miguel O’hara says nothing. Taking all the time in the world to scrutinize each body that occupied that dark, ruined lab. Eventually his mask dissolves. The face underneath held his customary scowl, which not only housed its usual contempt, but also an intense bitterness and perhaps a slight look of betrayal. If looks could kill the daggers he was glaring into the group of traitors would’ve had each of them mangled beyond recognition.
“Business?” Miguel spoke tersely. “Well then, I’m all ears.”
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robboyblunder · 11 months
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Was in the mood for drawing another robot and came up with this beast for my solar/cyberpunk setting :) It's a giant robot that processes an entire city's data instantaneously and fluently and LOVES information. the robot doesn't really have pronouns, so I gave it it/they where people unfamiliar use 'it' and those closer to it use 'they'. I don't have a name for them other than 'data bot' at the moment lmao.
more info about 'em under the read more! Image ID in ALT text :)
(please don't repost or use these, and leave my description; thanks! reblogs appreciated!)
-this data bot cares about information more than anything, and will do most anything to get it; the only way it isn't destroying systems and taking over is built in inhibitors lmao. it's one of the only things that can handle the massive information flow the cyber city it resides below needs to compute and control things. having something with that much power go out of hand... not safe!
-data bot loves talking about the things it knows and providing information, but doesn't have strong attachment to most anything; sentimentality, empathy, and morality are not part of its AI. It does feel emotions, but simply tends to be mostly curious, ambivalent, and quite bored.
-intruders or rude people will get rapidly 'disassembled' into information by the data bot; as in, like a praying mantis, it'll snatch them up so fast they can't react before they're pulled apart to be dissected for how they work and what's inside them. it's a little brutal! cleaning up after sucks for everyone except data bot.
-data bot is not entirely waterproof as a safety protocol; the water in the bottom of the room serves to cool its tech, but also as a threatening reminder that if it goes haywire or tries to escape, it'll be dropped from the ceiling straight into a watery pool grave.
-the glass panels floating around the bot are actually intricate low-tech data storage made from special tech imbued glass that is water proof and holds large quantities of information each. data bot is one of the only things that can read them! the slot holes in the walls are for putting away panels, retrieving them, or getting new ones to write data upon.
-data bot can move in most any direction in its giant bubble room, and is incredibly flexible and nimble. this makes its motions oddly organic and kind of creepy to most! the workers seriously fear this thing, and rarely want to be the ones to have to go near it.
-workers are required to be sterile and hazmatted up around data bot for unknown reasons to them. data bot doesn't mind either way.
-data bot gets rapidly bored, and this is dangerous; its super intelligent mind needs constant stimulation lest it start trying to find ways to entertain itself to the detriment of the building and the city it controls. workers often give it puzzles, news from their own lives, and talk to it to keep it busy when the city's data isn't enough.
-to keep it clean, workers must squeegee bathe the bot, who funny enough, finds it very enjoyable and relaxing; one of the only times it's safe to be remotely close to it is bath time. holding up a squeegee in their presence is like holding up a stick for a dog.
-data bot longs to break free and pick apart as much of the world to understand and catalogue all information out there... if it had a body, it would be catastrophic as its information is priceless so destroying it would be incredibly devastating, expensive (its tech is state of the art), and difficult (in the event it manages to break out, shut off the inhibitors, and upgrade itself to be water proof).
-the city council and members in power often use data bot like an AI assistant, and have no idea how dangerous, huge, and scary the thing is minus a select few. the ones who know are the most wary.
ty for reading :)
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tenebraevesper · 2 months
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Sonic Cyber Revolution, Entry 38: Operation ARMS (Part 1)
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''I've never felt so lost, don't know a soul I'd trust. Wait for the winds to bring some change in. Out here alone, I'm shaken. Time stands still (stands still, stands still), I can't help but feel (can't help but feel). Throw me away, stop the wasted chasin', it's all to much to face and (have you ever felt) lost? Tried to find a way out, I couldn't let myself down, there's no goin' back now. (Lost) Thought I found my way out, I never felt this way before, my mind is lost, I'm torn. Everything feels different to me, I can't be myself. Stranger, won't you be my friend and show me thе way out? (The way out) Hope you'll see that I need help (show mе how)! Show me how to make it out!''
– Lost by Shawn Christmas (Sonic Frontiers)
xXxXxXx
''Take that!'' Sonic went for a kick, with Shadow blocking his attack with his arm.
Smirking, he grabbed Sonic's leg and swung him around before throwing him away, only for Sonic to do a backflip and safely land on his feet, his gloves scraping the ground as he braced himself. Shadow rushed towards him, but he was ready, using what appeared to be a breakdancing move to kick Shadow off his feet, then quickly pinned him down by his arms to make sure he wasn't getting up. Both hedgehogs were breathing heavily, still feeling the adrenaline surging from their fight, but also knowing that the fatigue would be kicking in soon. Sonic smirked as he looked down at Shadow, gazing into his red eyes.
''Looks like I win this time,'' he said smugly, with Shadow furrowing a brow as he stared back, clearly not pleased by his loss. Sonic chuckled lightly, getting up and extending his hand to Shadow. The dark hedgehog accepted it, getting up. ''You know, I think I'm getting much better at this 'being cornered in an area where I cannot use my speed' type of combat. Don't you think the same, Shads?''
Shadow, knowing very well that Sonic was just fishing from a compliment, folded his arms across his chest. ''The student is only as good as their teacher.''
Sonic's happy gaze turned into a half-lidded stare with a sweatdrop forming. ''Eh, is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?''
''Interpret it however you want,'' Shadow replied, walking up to the tree below which they had placed their bento boxes. Sonic just stared at him, before grinning.
''It's a compliment then!'' he said proudly. Both sat down under the tree, opening the bento boxes, with Sonic staring hungrily at his. He had to admit that hard training made him really hungry, even though he was a bit disappointed it wasn't his favorite food. Although, he had heard enough of Lucas nagging him to eat other stuff rather than just chili dogs, and he figured that a cheap bento box would be enough. He glanced at Shadow, who already opened his and was eating it in silence. ''Hope you like the lunch!''
''It is fine,'' Shadow replied without a beat, placing another batch of rice in his mouth. Sonic didn't appear to be too bothered by that response and just decided to dig in. Things were pretty silent for most of the time, with Shadow reaching out for the red and black bottle next to him. He was about to drink it when he felt weight on his shoulder, his eyes darting o the side as a frown formed on his expression.
Sonic smushed his face against Shadow's shoulder, looking at the bottle curiously. ''What are you drinking?''
Shadow, a bit irked by the sudden invasion of his private space, replied, ''It's just normal water.''
''Oh, I see.'' Sonic suddenly backed away, realizing that he got a bit too close, but didn't completely back away. ''I thought you would be drinking coffee.''
Shadow's expression remained unchanging, even though he had to admit that he was a bit amused by Sonic's assumption, ''I mainly drink coffee in the morning, and it would be a bad idea to drink it after a training session. Not to mention, I don't trust you to take it, even if accidentally, because the last thing you need is caffeine.''
Sonic paused, then chuckled. ''Yeah, you're right. I'm already full of energy, so I don't need that.''
Shadow just sighed in response, noting that, while Sonic is more than capable with keeping up with him, be it in combat or speed, he had to wonder whether he could match Sonic's infinite energy. Unlike Sonic, who was a social butterfly, ready to strike up a conversations with strangers and turn them into his friends, while Shadow grew tired and weary of just standing in a crowd, not wanting to talk more than necessary, even if it were his own teammates. He did come to acknowledge them as his friends, but that didn't mean that he was going to spend time with them in a way not related to whatever task he was asked to perform.
So, how did he end up spending so much time with Sonic, even engaging in small talk?
Shadow closed his eyes, folding his arms across his chest as he remembered how all of this had started. Sonic came several days ago to the Kageura residence, reminding Shadow of how he wanted to learn how to fight in a situation where he couldn't use his superspeed, and Shadow agreed easily. After all, it was just training to improve Sonic's combat skills, who was a quick learner and developed his own way of fighting. Once the training was done, Shadow would try to leave, but was stopped by Sonic, who would either keep him talking by asking him about specific techniques or even invite him for lunch. Shadow would get caught up in those conversations as Sonic seemed to have an infinite amount of questions and he was patient enough to answer all of them, only to realize that their conversation would slowly steer towards something more mundane, like the weather. As for the invitation for lunch, Shadow considered it a payment for the training sessions, something Sonic didn't disagree with. Since Shadow wasn't too fond off the idea of constantly eating chilli dogs, Sonic offered to buy them bento boxes at the local grocery store instead.
As a matter of fact, Shadow had noticed that Sonic wanted to spend more and more time with him, clearly happy to just be in his company, even if they were sitting in complete silence. Actually, Shadow was quite surprised that Sonic was able to keep silent for so long, but he wasn't going to complain. He would usually just lean back and just take everything in, completely relaxing. Shadow, on the other hand, had a hard time relaxing, his mind always filled by some kind of worry.
A life filled with peace is impossible for me. Shadow sighed, only to hear Sonic sigh as well.
''I should've bought another bento box,'' Sonic muttered, looking at the empty container, clearly still hungry. He rose an eyebrow when a half-eaten container was shoved under his nose, realizing that Shadow was giving it to him. ''But, aren't you hungry?''
''I'll be fine,'' Shadow replied. However, instead of just taking it, Sonic just scooted closer and placed the container over their legs.
''Well, we can share,'' he said, happily eating his part of the lunch and leaving enough for Shadow. The dark hedgehog was a bit surprised by this solution, as well as how physically close Sonic got to him, he just accepted it as a thing Sonic would do. ''You know, Knux told me that he and Lily decided to hire the Chaotix to keep an eye out for Rouge.''
''They did?'' Shadow knew about Rouge's disappearance, but this was news to him.
''Yeah. Knux did tell me that, while he is worried that Rouge might be up to something, he pointed out how she would've antagonized him already in some way,'' Sonic replied.
''Even if the Chaotix are the greatest detectives on Earth, I doubt they'll find Rouge if she doesn't want to be found,'' Shadow replied. ''But, I suppose it is a bit suspicious that she had been gone for days.''
''I just hope that nothing bad had happened to her,'' Sonic said, with Shadow giving him a curious look, only to be surprised by Sonic's following question, ''Hey, what would you do if I just disappeared one day without a trace?''
Shadow took a moment to think about it, as this was a very sudden and unexpected question. ''Considering how you're my teammate and friend, I believe that the obvious answer would be to immediately search for you…'' Shadow trailed off when he saw Sonic smirking at him. He narrowed his eyes, staring back in annoyance. ''Why are you looking at me like that?''
''Heh, you just called me your friend,'' Sonic replied, only to lean closer. ''So, do you see me like your best friend or rival-turned-friend or second best friend, considering how there is also Touka, or…''
''It is rival, teammate, friend… In that order,'' Shadow replied in a somewhat matter-of-fact tone, folding his arms across his chest. He didn't know why he was feeling so weird. He didn't really feel uncomfortable or anything, nor did he feel annoyed enough to punch Sonic for breaching his space, but he certainly felt weird. ''Why are you even asking me that?''
''I'm just happy to see you open up like this, even if you still act grumpy about it,'' Sonic replied, a wide smile on his lips. ''It's been a long time since what happened at Codex. Or, at least it feels like it has been a long time.'' Shadow lowered his head in thought, having to agree with Sonic. Even if his mind at times wandered back to the events at Codex, it always felt as if that event occurred years ago, not weeks. ''You know, I would definitely search the entire Earth and space, and even other dimensions, if you ever disappeared.''
''I'm pretty sure that you'd do the same for any of your other friends,'' Shadow replied, his eye-lids lowering as he looked back at Sonic, who just scratched his cheek.
''Yeah, true, but now you also have a confirmation of what I'd do in such situation,'' Sonic replied. He then placed the almost empty container on the grass as he leaned back against the tree, placing his hands behind his head, taking a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Shadow couldn't help but smile a little at how predictable Sonic was. In one moment, he could have a very deep and meaningful conversation, and in the next, he acted like nothing happened and took a nap.
That's so typical of you, Sonic.
xXx
It was late in the night at the Kageura household, with both Touka and Kisaki being deeply asleep. Shadow was lying on the bed next to Touka, staring at the ceiling of their attic room. He had been awake for a while now, his mind once again filled with thoughts that didn't let him sleep. Admittedly, he could handle a sleepless night, having been trained to work under extreme pressure, but looking back at things, he wondered just how necessary it was. He was leading a relatively peaceful life, with his only worries being The Eggman Empire, something that was a problem the entirety of Team Neos was dealing with, and Mephiles and Toshiro, who haven't showed up in a while. He knew that most of Team Neos was back to their daily life, not really worrying about what Dr. Eggman might be up to, as they were certain that they could handle anything he throws at them.
At this point, I'm the only one who is concered about this stuff. Maybe I should follow their example and not put too much thought into it… No… I don't think that will ever be possible. He turned to his side, his eye-lids lowering as a familiar face appeared in his mind, followed by that weird feeling. To live life freely… I'm not like you Sonic.
Shadow took a deep breath, trying to relax and finally drift off to sleep. But then, he heard it. A creak.
Follow your instincts.
Shadow knew that the creak could mean nothing. Maybe it was just the house making noises or they had pests, but when he heard more creaks, he got up and walked over to the hatch. He pressed his ear against it, listening intently, only for his eyes to widen when those creaks turned into actual steps.
Someone is inside. Shadow had to fight his instinct of getting down and confronting the intruder, or rather, intruders, by himself. He could hear some muffled whispering, sounding like someone was searching for something… or someone. He reached for the hatch, opening it only slightly, hoping that whoever was below him didn't notice it. Being able to see well in the dark, he could spot multiple figures in dark uniforms, all of them holding weapons as they searched through the house. Two of them barged into Kisaki's room, and Shadow could hear her cry out in fear as she woke up, only to be told to not move or she will be arrested. Gritting his teeth, he quickly closed the hatch, grabbing his air shoes and Touka's sneakers, and walked up to the bed, placing his hand on Touka's shoulder.
''Touka, Touka!'' Shadow whispered in an urgent tone, his voice a mere hiss as he shook her awake. He felt his heart beat rapidly, as he knew that they needed to get out of the house. ''Wake up!''
''Sh-Shadow?'' Touka opened her eyes, staring at Shadow drowsily. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. ''Wh-What's wrong?''
''Put your sneakers on. We need to get out of here,'' Shadow told her, tossing her sneakers to her, while he quickly put his air shoes on. Touka still stared at him in complete confusion, her brain trying to process what was going on, only for both of them to get startled when they heard a cry and someone shouting from downstairs.
''Where are they?!''
Touka and Shadow stared at each other for a moment, completely frozen, only for both of them to quickly put on their shoes and grabbing their respective AR Visor without a word. Shadow then grabbed Touka's hand, and both of them vanished in a flash of light.
They appeared in what Touka recognized as the neighbor's backyard, both of them hiding behind the house. They looked towards their own house, spotting several black vans in the oddly dim-lighted street, with a group of people, all in dark militaristic uniforms and masks and carrying weapons, observing their house, with the other group searching through it.
''What do we do?'' Touka whispered, shivering a little due to her PJs consisting of a black T-shirt and shorts, the night being quite chilly. ''Kisaki is still inside.''
''They have already caught her,'' Shadow replied in a matter-of-fact tone. He knew well that he should've gone back to fight off whoever these people were and get Kisaki, but he hesitated, aware that it was too late and that his priority was to keep Touka safe. However, he also wanted to get closer in hopes to get some information in regards to why they wanted him and Touka.
''Let's get closer.'' Shadow glanced to Touka, who lowered herself to his height, whispering into his ear and pointing towards the nearby bushes that were closer to their house. He nodded, but noted how they needed a moment of distraction, because they could still be noticed. Their moment of distraction arrived only a few seconds later, when the group that was inside the house dragged a cuffed Kisaki towards one of their vans.
''Let me go!'' Kisaki shouted at them, clearly fighting back. ''You have absolutely no reason to be here!''
''Shut up!'' the leader of the group yelled at her, clearly angry that she was shouting in the middle of the night and fearing that the neighbors would hear them. ''You know well why you're being arrested. Hiding government property is no small offense.''
''I haven't been hiding anything. We had an agreemed and I've been keeping my end of it to the best of my ability,'' Kisaki hissed, glaring daggers at the man. ''I have no idea where they are, but I hope they're somewhere safe. Any place would be better than with your people. They're just kids, for God's sake!''
''They aren't 'kids','' the man stated angrily. ''They are dangerous military weapons and we are going to bring them back where they belong – both the girl and the Irregular.''
Shadow could feel his hands shaking in fury as he understood who those people who broke into his house were. He was now certain that they were associated with the scientists at the Codex Research Facility, here to force Touka and him back to their former lives. He thought had he had finally escaped his past, having put it behind him after their encounter with Mephiles and Toshiro, but now it came back, breaking down the door and trying to drag them back. Now, all he wanted was to blast whoever those people were into oblivion.
''Shadow…'' Shadow turned to Touka, who stared furiously at the scene before them. She too was shaking, understanding the situation they were in.
''Touka, what do you want to do?'' Shadow asked her. He was ready for some kind of battle plan, only for Touka's response to surprise him.
''We can't leave and we can't fight,'' she said, as if reading Shadow's mind. She saw his stunned expression, adding, ''If we leave, I'm certain that they will probably go after the rest of Team Neos in order to find us. If we fight, we'll put Kisaki into danger.''
''So, you want to surrender?'' Shadow asked, raising an eyebrow.
''No, but knowing these people, they will stop at nothing to get both of us,'' Touka replied, lowering her head. ''I'm sorry.''
''For what?'' Shadow asked, but before Touka could answer, he added, ''Whatever you want to do, I will be by your side, every step.''
''Thank you, Shadow.'' Touka smiled, quickly hugging her younger brother, much to his surprise. They then turned towards the group, quickly rushing out of their hiding spot, as they spotted Kisaki being dragged into a van. ''Stop!''
The military squad suddenly turned towards them, pointing their guns at the two, with Touka and Shadow skidding to a halt, just staring back, not daring to move at all.
''Touka, Shadow! Don't!'' Kisaki cried out, only for the woman who was guarding her punching her in the stomach to keep her quiet.
''Kisaki!'' Touka cried out as Kisaki doubled over due to the pain, and then turned to the leader. ''Let her go! I know you want me and Shadow!''
''Huh, so you know why we're here? This should make things easier,'' the leader replied, frowning at the two. ''Admittedly, we were supposed to bring only you two back, but Kisaki Kageura hadn't followed her agreement either…''
''If you don't leave her alone, we assure you that we will fight back,'' Shadow replied. ''Do you want to risk the lives of your men?''
The leader glared at the dark hedgehog apprehensively. He understood his own mission. He was just supposed to bring Touka and Shadow back to HQ with minimum fuss, while Kisaki was supposed to get a warning to make sure she keeps silent about the whole ordeal. He was also told that Shadow was an incredibly powerful and dangerous Irregular, so forcing him to come with them wouldn't be easy. He decided to take the diplomatic approach.
''If you two come with us, we will leave Kisaki Kageura alone, so long as she keeps silent about this situation and your existence,'' the leader said, with Shadow glaring daggers at him, gritting his teeth. Kisaki was horrified to hear that, her eyes widening even more when she heard Touka's response.
''Fine, we'll go,'' she said, her expression matching Shadow's scowl. The leader smirked, gesturing to his men to free Kisaki, and then pointed towards a van, indicating that Shadow and Touka should enter it.
The Codex siblings exchanged glances, noting how the rest of the squad had their guns pointed at them, and they walked into the back of the van, followed by a woman who extended her hand to Touka.
''Your AR Visor,'' she said in a stern tone, with Touka reluctantly reach for the AR Visor around her neck before giving it to her. She wondered if she would ever get it back, as this was her only way of communicating with her friends, only to realize that this is probably what they wanted to prevent her from doing. Then, she and Shadow sat on the bench in the back of the van, followed by two more squad members, looking like criminals who were being led to jail.
Kisaki just stared at the black van as the doors closed and it drove away, feeling her heart shattering completely. She didn't even notice when the hand cuffs were taken off her hands, nor did she care when they all left. She fell on her knees in devastation, her eyes watering as she stared at the empty street, with tears streaming down her cheeks.
She wanted to scream, but could produce no sound.
xXx
Sonic tapped with his foot impatiently at the usual meeting spot. He tapped on his AR Visor, which showed him a holographic screen of the time. It was only a couple of minutes past his agreed time to meet up with Shadow for their training session, but Shadow was late. Except, Shadow was never late. Sonic knew that, if there was an agreed time, Shadow would be already there, waiting for him.
''So much for The Fastest Thing Alive arriving on time for a meeting.''
''Hey, only because I'm fast doesn't mean that I can't be late for a couple of seconds. Look, I brought us lunch!''
Sonic waited for another minute, trying to calm down and ignore the sense of panic he felt. Maybe Shadow was late because he got caught up in something. That was a possibility. Sonic decided to call him, but he couldn't reach him. He figured that Shadow was just being Shadow, either busy or just didn't want to answer the call for some reason. So, he called Touka, knowing that she was the one who'd usually answer. However, to his shock, the number was blocked.
''Wait, this is not supposed to happen,'' Sonic said, raising an eyebrow. ''Usually, Touka would answer the call.'' He shook his head, lowering it and placing his hand on his chin. ''Something doesn't make sense here. Maybe I should go to their house.''
Sonic then sped off towards the Kageura household, hoping that nothing bad had happened. When he arrived there, he quickly knocked on the door, waiting for someone to open it. ''Hello? Anybody there?''
To his joy, someone opened the door. It was Kisaki, and Sonic was about to ask her about Shadow and Touka's whereabouts, only to notice the bags under her red and puffy eyes. She looked like she was crying the whole night. ''Uh, Kisaki… Are you okay? Where are Shadow and Touka?''
''Who are you?'' Kisaki asked in a curt and very unfriendly tone, surprising Sonic.
''It's me… Sonic the Hedgehog? You know, Shadow's friend?'' Sonic said, now confused by the reaction.
''There is no one living here by that name. Please don't come here bothering me anymore,'' Kisaki replied, slamming the door in his face.
Sonic was startled by the sudden slam, but was more intrigued by what Kisaki said, or rather, the fact that she lied straight in his face. He knew that something was wrong, judging by her demeanor and he decided to slowly back away from the house and back on the street.
Something is wrong. Sonic walked down the street, noticing a peculiar black van parked across Kisaki's house with it's windows tinted. He had been in this street before, this was his neighborhood after all, but he never saw a car like this parked here. Not to mention, it looked similar to the van that was parked down the street from his and Lucas' house. Suspicious.
Sonic then quickly sped off down the street, only to make a huge U-turn through the neighborhood's backyards, climbing over walls and fences until he made his way to the back of the Kageura house, where he knew that no one could see him from the street. He stopped below a window, and threw a pebble at it, followed by another, followed by another… Fortunately for him, Kisaki actually opened the window to see what was going on before Sonic could accidentally break it, allowing Sonic to swiftly climb inside, leaving the former stunned.
''Listen, I know that you're lying for some reason. I made sure that no one would see me coming here. Where are Shadow and Touka?'' Sonic asked, now more serious. Kisaki was actually surprised by how bold he was, but given how they were in the privacy of her home, she yielded.
''They're… They're gone,'' she said in a defeated tone. ''They were taken away by people who knew about their past and connection to the Codex Research Facility. I- I thought w-we had a deal and t-they just…''
''Hey, maybe you should sit down. Should I get you a glass of water?'' Sonic asked in a gentle tone, pointing at the couch. Kisaki nodded, with Sonic quickly rushing into the kitchen and then rushing out with a glass of water for her.
''I should be the one offering you this,'' Kisaki said, with Sonic sitting down next to her.
''It's no problem, but I need to know, who exactly took them away,'' he told her, understanding the severity of the situation. Kisaki drank the water greedily, then took a deep breath, her head lowered.
''It is a military organization known as ARMS. I honestly didn't know about their existence until last night, they broke into the house and told me who they are and why they wanted Touka and Shadow,'' Kisaki replied. ''You see, in my contract as a former worker at the Codex Research Facility, I was told to never speak of anything that happened and keep Touka in the dark. But after she regained her memories and Shadow returned, I had to tell both of them what had happened. From what I remember, nobody at Codex, or ARMS. for that matter, knew where Prof. Sakamoto had hidden Shadow. Now that he is back, they believed I kept him hidden, and from what I understood, it seems that they want to revive Project Shadow, by finally getting the chance to use the two as weapons.''
''That's bad,'' Sonic said, giving Kisaki a determined look. ''We need to do something about it!''
''No, you can't. This is not the same as you and the rest of Team Neos fighting Dr. Eggman. ARMS is a military organization whose actions are sanctioned by the government. You can't just fight against them,'' Kisaki protested.
''But, we can't just let Shadow and Touka be taken away by this ARMS organization,'' Sonic protested. ''They hated being at the Codex Research Facility.''
''I don't know what to tell you, but if you go against them, you're poking a hornet's nest, Sonic,'' Kisaki replied. ''I too wish that this hadn't happened, but I'm completely powerless here. Even the papers naming me Touka's guardian won't work in this case. They'll just erase everything.''
''Maybe you can't do anything about this, but I'm sure that I can,'' Sonic replied. ''I won't let Shadow nor Touka down. You can leave this to me and the rest of Team Neos.''
''Be careful, though. I'm sure that that ARMS will be keeping an eye on you and your friends, just like they're doing with me,'' Kisaki said, glancing towards the window.
''Yeah, I noticed the same van in my street. I also tried to call Shadow and Touka, but they wouldn't respond, and Touka's number is unreachable,'' Sonic replied. He then grinned. ''Don't worry, we'll get them back.''
Kisaki nodded, watching Sonic leave the same way he came in. The blue hedgehog then sped off towards his house, spotting the same black van driving up and down their street, as if they were lost. Frowning, he rushed into the house, where he startled Lucas, who was watching TV.
''Huh, Sonic? What are you doing at home so early? I thought you said you had another sparring match with Shadow,'' Lucas said.
''We have a problem. I was just talking to Kisaki and it turns out that Shadow and Touka were taken by a military organization called ARMS because they want to use these two as their personal weapons,'' Sonic explained.
''Woah, wait, what?!'' Lucas was shocked by this sudden revelation, trying to process what Sonic had just told him. Sonic then pointed at the window.
''Not only that, but ARMS is watching us. There was a black van at Kisaki's place and there is another driving down our street,'' he said, with Lucas glancing at the window. Just as Sonic said, there was a black van with tinted windows passing their house. Lucas frowned.
''I have seen it, but I thought they were just lost,'' he replied.
''So, what do we do? I want to get Shadow and Touka back, but I won't lie, Kisaki was right that this situation is different than beating up Eggman,'' Sonic said, folding his arms. ''I also don't want to sit around doing nothing.''
''I don't think we have to worry too much about Touka and Shadow. We both know that they can handle themselves in a dangerous situation,'' Lucas said, with Sonic nodding in agreement. ''However, I think we should tell the rest of Team Neos what happened.''
''Gotcha! I'll call Tails-'' Sonic tapped on his AR Visor, but Lucas stopped him.
''Wait a second, I don't think you should do that,'' Lucas replied.
''Why not?'' Sonic gave him a confused look.
''I may have watched too many spy movies, but it is possible that, if they're keeping an eye on us, they might also be tracing our calls,'' Lucas said. ''We'll get in trouble if they find out that we're talking about Touka and Shadow.''
''Now that you mention it, when I wanted to talk to Kisaki, she lied to me and told me that she doesn't know me nor that Shadow and Touka ever lived with her. It is as if ARMS wants to erase their existence,'' Sonic said. Lucas nodded in acknowledgement.
''That's why we'll have to be smart about this, and I think I know just the thing,'' he said, tapping on his AR Visor and opening a holographic screen with of their group chat, with a holographic keyboard appearing below it. He then started typing.
'''Hey, guys, I've been playing a modded SA2 and for some reason, Maria and Terios vanished from the game. I thought at first that they were taken by G.U.N., but I think it may have just been a glitch. Warren, do you think you could help me fix that?''' Sonic read the message, then glanced at Lucas with a confused look on his expression. ''Who is Terios?''
''So, here's a bit of lore on the history of this game. Back when Sonic Adventure 2 was still in development and Shadow's design wasn't finalized, he was a hedgehog named Terios. I had figured that, if this message is traced, Shadow's actual name might act like a trigger word. However, this way, people who are not familiar with it will think I'm just talking about some random character. After all, Sonic Adventure 2 came out more than two decades ago, and if the scientist at Codex couldn't figure out that Shadow was based on his namesake video game counterpart, then I doubt they'll figure out this message,'' Lucas replied.
''Got it!'' Sonic replied, only to see more messages popping up on screen.
Warren: 'Uh, sure I can help you with that. I'll be over in a bit.'
Minami: 'Woah, what mod are you guys talking about? I've never heard about this! I'm coming over to check it out!'
Makoto: 'Well, if Minami's coming, could we come too? I'm also curious.'
Lily: 'Does it have multiplayer? Maybe I could help you add one!'
''Heh, seems like everyone is coming over,'' Sonic said, while Lucas facepalmed, much to the hedgehog's surprise. ''What's wrong?''
''Goddamnit, I didn't plan for everyone to come over. What if ARMS gets suspicious of the gathering?'' Lucas replied.
''What should they get suspicious of? It's just a bunch of friends coming together and playing a video game. Would they really arrest us for that?'' Sonic asked, with Lucas looking not too convinced. ''Relax! At least this way we can tell everyone what's going on.''
''I just hope that this won't go wrong,'' Lucas said, sighing.
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yeenybeanies · 11 months
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Smallest Cyber Specialist (pt. 11)
as it turns out, working from base is just as stressful as going out in the field with the 141. never a dull day! (feat. nikolai) the bold+italic text is meant to signal non-english dialogue, but apparently i can't code in underlines or hover text anymore on tunglr.hell 🙃 read it on ao3! (better formatting there tbh) first • previous • next call of duty | task force 141, nikolai, & pip lagomorph/lag (oc) 6,976 words strong language warning thanks for reading!! reblogs > likes!! patreon ✨ ko-fi ✨ ao3
The next time that the 141 left the compound, acting on more intel Pip had provided them, the hideling had opted to stay behind. She was fine at the base, she insisted. Where the operators were going, she was certain she could do everything she needed to do remotely. This particular target wasn’t directly AQ or Ultranationalists, but a side contractor that took an unfortunate deal to help out some terrorists. 
“I think it’s best,” Pip had argued, “that I stay out of the field for now. At least until I get this off.” She’d gestured to the cast on her leg. “With it, my mobility is limited. I’m vulnerable, and I slow you guys down.” 
Price had looked conflicted at the time, but ultimately agreed with her reasoning. None of them needed a repeat incident with Pip and an angry dog. Or something worse. 
So there she sat, using Price’s office as her workspace. She had her laptop, of course, and had it linked up to Price’s and another human-sized laptop, giving her plenty of screen space and computing power to do what she did best. 
“You boys almost there?” she asked into her headset. It was a redundant question; she knew exactly where they were, having been tracking their position ever since they left the compound two hours ago. She had a transponder on each of her handlers, unbeknownst to them. 
“Three kilometers out,” Price answered. “Gonna be walking the last one.”
“Roger that, Captain,” she said. “Sergeant Garrick, you still have that uplink I gave you?” 
“Got it safe and sound, Lag,” Gaz responded. “You want me to just hook it into just any computer?”
“Any computer or smart device. Anything that’s attached to the wifi.”
“Smart device?” Soap chimed in. “You tellin’ me you can hack in through someone’s smart fridge?” 
Pip leaned back in her seat, feeling a little smug. “A fridge. A printer. A dishwasher. Whatever. I’ve hacked into someone’s network through an aquarium filter before.” Without an uplink, at that. That was a fun time. She remembered it fondly, the satisfaction of it all, and the absurdity. “That uplink Gaz has bypasses a few steps for me, so it’ll be even easier to get in.” 
“Remind me when we get home to toss my smart speaker,” Price said with a huff. 
“You have a smart speaker, sir?” Gaz asked, sounding incredulous. “Do you know how to use it?”
Price made an offended noise. “Of course I do, Sergeant. I don’t know where you muppets get off, thinking I don’t know how to use modern technology. I’m not that much older than any of you.” 
That was true. The man wasn’t even forty yet, according to his file. 
A chorus of snickers rang over the comms, but Pip just grimaced. “You should definitely get rid of it, sir. Those things are painfully easy to break into. I could do it from halfway across the world, with my eyes closed.” 
“No need to brag, Pipsqueak. We can’t all be tech geniuses like you,” the captain chided playfully. 
“I’m just saying.” 
“Nearly there,” Ghost cut in. His voice surprised Pip, and sent a chill down her spine. 
She’d been more or less avoiding the lieutenant for the past few days, ever since she’d gone snooping into his files. The things she’d read in there… the stuff he’d endured… It made her shudder. She knew she’d have to get over it and carry on like normal sooner rather than later—preferably before Ghost noticed—but it was still very fresh in her mind. 
The cruelty of humans towards their own kind astounded Pip sometimes. It reminded her every day of why she and her people worked so hard to stay a secret from the wider human population. 
“Right, men,” Price said. “Look alive. Let’s make this quick; don’t wanna leave Lag lonely for too long.” 
“Go rot,” Pip grumbled in Hidespeak. 
“Heard that one before. Starting to think that’s an insult,” Soap said. He sounded like he was smiling. “Gonna have to teach us someday.” 
“Not on your life, Sergeant.” 
She watched on her screen as the four transponder icons slowed to a stop, and then started moving away from the road. They were on foot now, hoofing it towards the target compound. Ghost was going to take overwatch with a few operators, while Price, the sergeants, and the rest of the team infiltrated. 
This was going to go fine, she told herself. There was a different kind of anxiety that came with not being in on the action with her handlers, but Pip reminded herself that she was far from helpless here. As soon as Gaz could get her uplink hooked in, she would have the compound under her control. 
The first crack of a rifle—Ghost’s sniper, if she were to guess—rang over the comms. 
“Och—beautiful shot, LT,” Soap commented. Pip found some satisfaction in guessing correctly. She was learning a little bit about guns. 
“I can do better,” Ghost said. “So can you. Watch your six, Soap.” 
“Don’t need to when I got you watchin’ it for me. How’s it look, by the way? I’ve been doin’ some extra squats.” 
“I noticed.” 
Oh, gods. Pip muted her mic and let out a groan. Gaz did not mute his mic; his groan was heard by all. 
“Boys,” Price said, sounding exasperated, “don’t make me put you two in timeout.” 
“Would you put us in timeout together?” Soap asked, cheeky. 
“Soap,” Price snapped. There was more warning to that one, but it still made Soap snicker. 
Pip dragged her hands down her face and seriously considered taking her headphones off. Let her handlers do this mission on their own. They’d be fine without her. 
But no. She wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t just abandon her boys, even if half of them were being very annoying right now. 
Wait. "Her" boys? What? When did that happen?
Actually, no time to think about that right now. Or ever. 
Pip breathed out a sigh and leaned back. Her role wouldn’t start until Gaz got the uplink hooked in. In the meantime, she was an observer, for better or for worse. While she waited, she pulled up some codes and programs she’d be using, giving them another look-over to make sure everything was in order. It was, of course, but there was no harm in septuple-checking. Or was it the octuple-check at this point? 
A flashing on Price’s laptop caught Pip’s attention. There was a new notification. An incoming call. The name “NIKOLAI” stared back at her, spelled out in all caps. 
“Uh… Captain, Nikolai is calling you.” 
“See what he wants,” Price said. “Little busy right now.” 
“Wha—you want me to answer it?” She watched the green phone icon shake as it rang, beckoning her, but she wasn’t feeling very swayed. 
“Nik doesn’t call unless it’s important. Go on and answer, Lag.” 
Liar. “I will pull up your call logs right now to prove to you that that’s not true,” she retorted. “And I’m not your secretary.”
“Lag—” the captain released an annoyed groan. “Just answer the bloody call for me, yeah? Make it quick; we’re almost to the first building.” 
Ugh! Pip glared at the incoming call, still ringing away on the computer. She’d never spoken to Nikolai before. Wouldn’t he be suspicious of someone other than Price answering his personal line? She knew she would be. 
Muting her end of the comms with the 141, Pip quickly connected her headset to Price’s computer, made sure the video camera was off, and accepted the call. “Nikolai,” she said, her voice modulator ringing back in her ears, “Captain Price is unavailable right now.” 
The other end of the call was silent for several long, uncomfortable moments, then the thick Russian accent came through, “Who is this?” 
Yep. Just as she’d predicted. Pip pinched her brow and shook her head. “My name is Lag. I am the cyber specialist Chief Director Kate Laswell assigned to Task Force 141.” Hopefully dropping Laswell’s name and title, along with the task force’s name, would earn her some credibility. “Captain Price is occupied right now; but I can relay a message.” 
“Oh! Lag! This is you?” Pip blinked, a little taken aback. He knew about her? How? And how much did he know? “Captain Price has mentioned that he now had a hacker. Nice to finally meet you. Er… sort of. I cannot see you.”
No shit. Pip cleared her throat. “I am unavailable for video calls. Nikolai—sorry to be short with you, but we’re in the middle of something. What is it you need?” 
“Right, right—I was just calling to let Price know that I got him the weapons he was asking for. I am on my way to drop them off, and will be there in—”
“No one’s at the base right now,” Pip said quickly. Her heart started to pick up the pace. “Probably best to hold onto them until Price gets back.” 
“Oh. But you are there, no?” 
Oh, hell no. “I’m unavailable for the time being. I can’t help—”
“Ah, no worries. I will drop them off anyway. It’ll be quick. Be there soon.” 
“Wait, no—” Before she could voice further protest, the call ended. Pip stared blankly at the computer screen, her heart pounding. 
Nikolai was coming here. And Pip was alone . 
Oh, shit. Fuck. No no no no—
“Ready to breach, Captain,” Gaz said, drawing Pip’s attention back to her handlers. Fuck! And she also had them to deal with too! The hideling let out a frustrated growl and turned back to her own computer, mic hot. 
“Nikolai has the weapons you asked for, Captain” she relayed, voice tight with irritation. “He’s coming to deliver them.”
“That’s my Nik,” Price replied approvingly. “Always pulls through for us.” 
“Charges set,” Gaz said. There was a muffled boom, then the comms erupted with chatter and gunfire. Pip hunched over, taking stock of where her handlers were, piecing together the scene in her mind. Gaz’s marker split away from Price and Soap, heading towards the server room, as discussed prior in planning. She focused in on his comms, his chatter; he was the important one right now, as her involvement depended on his success. From the sound of things, he was making quick, efficient work of any resistance he encountered. 
Pip’s hands hovered over her keyboard in anticipation when he entered the server room. She was ready. Eager. She wanted to help her boys get this done so they could hurry up and get back to base and deal with Nikolai. (That wasn't going to happen, but wishful thinking was all she had at the moment.) As soon as Gaz plugged the uplink in, the notification popped up on Pip’s screen, and her hands went to work. 
“Got your gadget hooked up,” Gaz said. “You connected?” 
Code scrolled down her screen, already hard at work to shatter firewalls and extract data. “Yep. I’ve got it from here. Thank you, Gaz. I’ll be in the security cameras here in a minute.” 
“Good work,” Price said. “Gaz, get back here. Lag, let us know what you can see.” 
“Roger,” they said in unison. 
A minute was a generous estimation to give Pip some leeway; she had the feeds  for all the security cameras pulled up on the other human laptop in less than thirty seconds. She watched for a moment as the dark, well-armed figures stalked through the halls, clearing the place out corridor by corridor. It was scary how efficient the 141 was. 
“I can see you, Captain,” Pip said. Price looked around until he spotted the nearest security camera, which Pip nodded up and down to acknowledge him. “Your hall is clear for no—wha– woah! Gaz, wait!” On another camera, the sergeant, having not yet made it back to Price, stopped in his tracks. His shoulders went stiff. “Five hostiles are coming your way!” 
Gaz cursed under his breath and ducked for cover behind a crate. Pip watched with bated breath as the group of five ran past. One stopped to look down Gaz’s hall, but continued on after deciding it was clear. His mistake. Pip breathed out in relief. 
“Thanks, Lag,” Gaz said, giving the camera near him a thumbs up. 
She kept an eye on things while the boys worked, offering advice and instruction as needed. Simultaneously, she also kept an eye on her laptop, where files rapidly flashed across the screen. This was going well. Going smoothly. For the first time since her (unofficial) induction into the 141, things weren’t going batshit buckwild fucking crazy. 
This was fine! 
And then Nikolai’s van pulled up outside of the base. Pip didn’t realize he’d arrived until she heard a heavy knocking on the vehicle bay door. 
“Hello?” The Russian called. 
“ Fuck—!” Pip’s blood ran cold. She snapped her laptop shut and scrambled for her belongings. “Fuck fuck fuck fuck—” 
“Lag?” Someone asked. It sounded like Soap, but Pip wasn’t sure. She was preoccupied.
“Lag—what’s wrong?” That was Price. 
Pip shoved her stuff into her backpack, hauled it under her pelt, and hobbled with her crutch to the edge of the desk. She could hear Nikolai in the hall now. Apparently he had a code to the garage door, and was able to come and go as he pleased. Terrible security practice on Price’s part.
“I told him not to fucking come! I told him—” 
“Lag, what the hell are you saying?” Was that Ghost?
“Nikolai is here!” she spat. 
“Wha—already ?” Price again. “I didn’t think he was coming now!” 
She reached the edge of the desk and dug her hook into the wood, then rappelled down to the floor. She shook the hook free right as knuckles rapped against the office door. 
She’d told him that no one was here! 
Ah, but the two laptops—the human-sized ones—were still up on the desk! There wasn’t much Pip could do about those. She cursed under her breath and took cover underneath the desk drawer. It was a narrow space of only a few inches between the floor and the bottom of the drawer, so she wouldn’t be spotted unless Nikolai decided to crouch all the way down. He had no reason to do that, right? Hopefully he wouldn't drop a pen or something.
The door opened slowly, squeaking on its hinges. Heavy boots took two steps into the office, then stopped. Pip watched, not daring to breathe. “Hello?” Nikolai said. He sounded confused. The boots remained still for a few moments, then stepped further in. Pip’s eyes didn’t leave them, not as they paused for a moment in front of the desk, then rounded it. 
“What is this?” the man said out loud, now in his native Russian. Pip listened to the soft groans in the wood above. If she were to guess, Nikolai was leaning his hands on the desk, looking over the two laptops. One still had all of the security camera feeds; the other had code scrolling down the screen. 
“Lag, how copy?” Price asked. Her comm was still in her headset, so Nikolai couldn’t hear it. With him so close, though, she wasn’t willing to risk being heard to answer the captain. 
Ghost spoke up, once again surprising Pip. “I’ll handle it,” he said. “You lot keep at it down there.”
He was going to handle it? What was he going to do? How could he handle anything from—
A buzzing sound came from somewhere up above. Pip recognized it as the vibration of a cell phone with an incoming call. Nikolai hummed a confused note and answered. “Ghost?” 
Ah. That’s how he was going to handle it. But Pip didn’t release her breath just yet. She couldn’t hear Ghost’s side of the conversation, and she had no idea what he intended to say. She was reasonably sure that he wouldn’t tell Nikolai that the 141’s resident cyber specialist was secretly a six-inch-tall hideling, but not knowing still made her nervous.
“Yes, I am at your base,” the Russian said. “Did your hacker tell you? …Is she here? I see two laptops here, one with what looks like security cameras… боже мой—that is Gaz! Is this feed live? …And you have access to the security cameras?”
Hearing Nikolai sound so impressed did make Lag feel a hint of pride in her work, but her fear and annoyance largely overshadowed it. She just needed him to leave ! She couldn’t work with him here!
“A compliment? From you?” 
What?
“She must be good then. I want to meet this hacker,” Nikolai said with an enthusiastic chuckle. “Maybe see if I can get her to work for me.”
Fat chance of that. 
“Wha—hiding from me? Why would she be—... Oh. I see…”
Pip’s anxiety spiked again. What was Ghost telling him? 
“Right…” He said, dejected. Pip grimaced. “No problem. I will be out of here in a few minutes. Leaving the manifest on Price’s desk.” 
Thank the gods...!  
Nikolai’s boots headed for the door and stepped out, the door closing behind him. Pip finally released her breath, and gasped to soothe her burning lungs. She waited a few seconds more, listening to the Russian’s retreating footsteps, then crawled out from her hide space. Using her hook, she quickly climbed back up onto the desk and pulled out her equipment to resume her work. She glanced at the cameras to regain her bearings, then checked her download progress. It was almost done. About a minute left.
“Okay, I’m back,” she said into her comm. “Thanks, Ghost.”
The lieutenant didn’t respond, but Price did. “All good?” 
“All good,” she confirmed. “One more minute, then I can kill the power for you, if you need.” 
She would have done so earlier, but this facility’s power unit was more centralized, so she wouldn’t have been able to keep the computers working. 
“We’ll let you know,” Price said. “Might not need it. We’ve already found what we’re looking for.” 
“Missile parts?” 
“Missile parts. Nothing assembled, though.” 
That was good news. Pip’s computer dinged, signifying the complete download. She gave the file names a cursory look-over, and selected one of the manifests. It listed off parts for ten missiles, among other things. Her brow furrowed. There were no cameras inside the storage room where the parts were being held, but she had a funny feeling. 
“Captain, how many missile kits do you count? This manifest I’m looking at says they received ten.” 
The answer wasn’t immediate, though she heard a few men counting under their breath. 
“Looks like I got four over here, Cap” Soap said. 
“Two here,” Gaz answered next. 
“Shit. Only two over here, too” Price said gravely. “Everyone fan out. Search this place top to bottom for any signs of those last two kits.” 
Pip turned her attention to the cameras. She accessed the harddrive, pulled up recordings over the past week. She opened an image analysis program on her laptop and linked it to the recordings, giving it specific parameters to scan for. Large crates leaving the compound. It wasn’t a failsafe program, and would likely flag more than what she was looking for, but it would be a start. If those missile parts had left this facility at some point in the last week, she’d find out when. 
“I am leaving now!” Nikolai’s voice boomed out in the hall, making Pip jump. She put a hand to her chest, feeling the pounding within. Fucking hell, she’d almost forgotten that he was still here. “If you can hear me, Lag, I apologize for intruding! All the cargo is in the garage.” 
A part of her—a very small, but surprisingly loud part—felt kinda bad for just ignoring the Russian. Sure, he’d dropped by unexpectedly and given her quite the fright, but his intentions were good. He was a valuable asset and ally, and Price seemed to trust him. 
Did she trust him? No. Not when he was so close. Hell, she barely trusted her handlers. 
Wait, so she did trust her handlers? Maybe. Maybe she was starting to. 
Pip transferred Nikolai’s contact information from Price’s laptop to hers, and typed out a quick SMS. 
>> спасибо, николай >> this is lag by the way. my personal contact
From down the hall, almost to the far door, she heard Nikolai’s surprised words: “Oh! She speaks Russian, too!” 
Hopefully she wouldn’t regret giving her contact to him. 
The analyzing software pinged with a few matches to the parameters she’d set. She pulled up the flagged clips and looked them over. The first three were nothing, but the fourth one—
Pip switched on her mic, “Captain, I think I’ve found them leaving the facility two days ago.” A chorus of cusses echoed over the line. Pip felt the sentiment. 
“You got all the data from the computers, right? Can you find where they’re going?” 
“Working on it, sir.” Fingers flying over her keyboard, Pip dug into the files she’d taken. She navigated over to one of the shipping schedules and looked up the date and time that matched the camera feed. Surely something had to be here. It had to. There was no reason for there not to be anything here.
But it was blank. That whole day was—it was missing. 
She checked another file, and found that day missing from there too. 
Confused, Pip started a broad search—something, anything to do with the missiles for that day. Communication logs, manifests, shipment schedules—literally anything . Russian, Arabic, Farsi, English, French, German, Spanish. 
Nothing.  
Pip sat back, frustration and unease starting to boil in her gut. This didn’t look good. This was… bizarre. Why would there be no records on that specific day? It was like that day had been erased from the entire system. 
“I…” she didn’t like this feeling washing over her. This feeling of failure. Of uselessness. Failure, of course, was an inevitable part of life, but, when it involved terrorist missiles being lost to the wind, things got a bit more dire. “The records… they’re not here,” Pip said, forcing her voice to remain even. Calm. “I can’t—I don’t have anything, Captain. Not until I can comb through this more thoroughly, which will take time.” 
Price sighed, sounding disappointed, and it stung. That surprised Pip. 
“I’m sorry, sir, I—”
“Don’t apologize,” Price interrupted. “Just do your best. Keep looking. Everyone, clear out! We’re gonna torch this place. Ghost, you and your team RV with us back at the truck.” 
“Yes sir”s and “roger”s quipped from everyone on the channel. 
Pip didn’t pay much attention to their retreat. She kept her comms open, and could hear the idle chatter, but, if asked to repeat anything said, she would come up with nothing. She was focused instead on furiously tearing through the files, looking for something, anything. Anything that could alleviate this catastrophic (gods, calm down) failure of hers. 
Why was that one day missing? It had to be intentional, right? Alarm bells rang in Pip’s mind, screaming that this was sanitation work. Someone had gone through and wiped this data from the computers. 
But why? That would suggest that they knew to counter hackers. 
They’d even gone beyond basic file deletion and completely removed any traces of the data from the server, leaving no chance of file recovery. Pip raked her fingers through her hair and took a deep breath to try and curb her frustration. Today was turning out to be a lot more stressful than she’d anticipated. She thought bitterly that, at this point, she might as well have just gone with her handlers, if it was going to leave her feeling about the same level of distress.
Gods, could she have one calm day with the 141? Just one? She would love that. 
Another sigh, then the hideling steeled herself, and settled in for a long stint of file analysis. 
The next two hours went by without her noticing, too engrossed in her work to pay attention to the time. So it surprised her when she heard several pairs of boots in the hallway. First she flinched, ready to fling herself off of the desk again to hide, but she noticed her handlers’ transponders were all back at the base before she could act on that impulse. 
Ah. So they’d returned to her. She frowned hard with the knowledge that she’d gotten no new useful intel on the missing missile parts in the time it took them to return home. 
She quickly closed the tracking program—no need to keep it up, lest it garner her any uncomfortable questions—and resumed her scanning. Familiar footsteps approached the door. Gaz pushed it open tentatively and peeked in. Pip glanced up to acknowledge him. There was a thin layer of ash and dirt on his skin, in his hair. 
“You alright in here?” he asked, stepping into the office. 
“No,” she said flatly, eyes falling back to the document she was reading through. “No I’m not, Kyle.”
For reasons unknown, Gaz’s first name came easier to her. It also helped that he didn’t miss a beat, hearing her say it. Either he hadn’t noticed, or he didn’t care. He rounded the desk and leaned in, looking over the different screens Pip still had up. The laptop that had the camera feeds was just a mosaic of black squares and static now that the compound had been reduced to rubble. Various documents with highlights and margin notes littered the screen of the other. 
“Quite the setup you’ve made for yourself in here,” he commented. Pip responded with a vague hum. Gaz squinted over her shoulder at Pip’s hideling-sized screen, but couldn’t make much out between the small font and the Cyrillic. 
“I haven't found anything useful yet,” Pip said, under the impression that Gaz was here to check up on her progress. “There’s a lot to go through; I’m working as fast as I can.” 
“Of that, I  have no doubt,” the sergeant said. “Just checkin’ in to see how you’re doing.” He sounded sincere. Pip felt something tickle in her gut. She turned her head to look back at him, the hard furrow of her brow softening just a little. 
“Thanks, Gaz.” Genuine. Appreciative. 
“You haven’t touched your snacks,” Gaz notes, nodding to the still-wrapped protein bar, strips of jerky, and small cup of water left for her. 
Pip shrugged. Honestly, she’d forgotten that they were there. Too busy. Too stressed. “Not hungry.” A partial lie. She was hungry, but she hadn’t noticed until now. Still, Gaz responded with an unconvinced hum.  
“We didn’t all split this,” he said, taking the protein bar into his hand and turning it over to read the label. “Before we left. Forgot our ritual. Maybe that’s why you’re having bad luck.” 
Pip snorted. It was her turn to sound unconvinced. “Don’t think it counts as a ‘ritual’ if we’ve only done it once before.” But she did feel a warmth settle under her skin at the memory of them sharing that last snack. That was only a few days ago. Gods, why did it feel like it had been longer? 
“Well, that’s how you make something a ritual, yeah? You keep doing it,” Gaz continued. “Think we can tap into some of the good luck if we share it now?” 
“I’m not superstitious,” Pip replied with a shrug. “Don’t believe in any of that luck nonsense. But if you want it, go ahead.” Despite her body reminding her that she was, in fact, hungry, Pip didn’t feel like eating just yet. 
Gaz didn’t pressure her, which she was silently grateful for. He set the bar down, and straightened up, sparing the screens just a moment more of his attention. “Wanna come see what Nik brought us? Price said it’s some cool stuff.” 
Pip hunched further. “Guns and weaponry are more your style. I wouldn’t really know what I’m looking at” she said. This reminded her that she still needed to get a better familiarity with the equipment her handlers lugged around, but now wasn’t the time for that. Something compelled her to not outright reject the sergeant, though. “Maybe another time, Gaz. You guys have fun. I’m… I’m going to keep at this for a while longer, I think.”
A weight settled on her right shoulder—Gaz’s index finger, she quickly realized. Reassuring touches could be awkward with the size disparity between humans and hidelings, but Pip did appreciate the gesture. She reached up and patted his knuckle in return. 
“If you’re sure,” he said, voice softer. 
“I am. Thank you for checking in.” 
–– –– ––
After Gaz left, Pip lost track of time again. It was almost like she was in a trance, a fugue state of sorts, her mind on one sole track: sorting and scrolling and combing through these goddamn files for a crumb of usable information. Her frustration, for the time being, was tempered; there was a numbness that settled in its place. A resigned numbness. 
Eventually, there came another knock to the door, now ajar after Gaz’s exit. Thankfully, this time, Pip felt no compulsion to hide. She didn’t look up just yet, nor did she say anything. The door swung open so Price could let himself in, a frown fixed under his mustache. 
“Awful quiet in here,” he commented. 
Pip paused her scrolling and leaned back, taking the captain in. Her eyes stung from strain, and she could feel the beginnings of a headache creeping under her skull, but she did not voice her complaints. “Welcome back, Captain,” she said simply. “Happy with your new toys?” 
“Oh yeah,” he replied, some of that frown lessening just a smidge. “Sorry about that mess earlier with Nik, by the way. Though I’m positive he wouldn’t have hurt you, had he seen you.” 
Pip closed her eyes, quiet for a few seconds as she waited out the sting. “That’s not the point,” she said. There was a hint of bitterness in her tone, something resurfacing from prior resentment at past actions. But she didn’t want to get into that right now. Too much other shit on her plate. 
“I know, I know, I’m just sayin’—” 
“Price—please… Is there something you need? Because I have a lot of files to go through, and I’ve barely made a dent.” 
The captain shook his head. “Don’t need anything,” he said. “Well—I’ll need the desk back. And my laptop. Paperwork, y’know? Best part of the job.” The sarcasm was thick on his tongue. Were Pip in better spirits, she might have graced him with an amused huff. Not a laugh, but a huff. Instead, she ran a hand through her hair and took stock of where all of her stuff was. 
“Right. I can relocate—” 
“Don’t pack up.” Price held a hand up, stepping closer to the desk. “Just scoot over a little bit. Plenty of space here for the both of us.” 
Right. Of course. They’d done this already before. Hell, they were sharing this desk just the other day. Pip untethered the wireless links to the larger laptops, letting both screens go black, then scooted herself and her belongings over to one far corner of the desk. Price sat down heavily in his chair with a sigh, scrubbing a hand down his face. He swiped the hat off of his head and set it aside. He too had a fair amount of dirt caked to his skin. Pip suspected that Soap and Ghost were in similar states. Everyone was in need of a shower. 
Damn, a shower sounded really nice right about now…
Maybe later she'd ask one of her handlers to help her with one. 
Pip settled in, mentally preparing herself for a sleepless day, and possible sleepless night, of work. 
“You didn’t eat,” Price noted, his words cutting into Pip’s thoughts. 
She suppressed an eyeroll. She’d already had this conversation with Gaz. Already done this song and dance. “Don’t feel like eating.” Not a lie. 
“Probably should, though.” 
“Gaz said as much. Lamented that we didn’t share a snack before you guys left.” 
Price quirked a brow. “‘Lamented,’ did he?”
“Lamented,” she repeated. “Blubbering like a baby. Blamed the bad luck I’m having on that protein bar right there.” She nodded to the bar in question. Price took it up in his hand, the wrapper crinkling against his gloves. 
“If I open this, will you eat some?” 
Pip turned her head up toward the ceiling, eyes closed. “Price, I’m really not—Gaz and I already had this talk. I just want to keep at this before I lose steam.” 
“Alright. Okay.” He set the bar back down, and let the topic drop. “Let me know if you need anything.” 
In lieu of a verbal response, Pip gave him a thumbs up, then set back to work. 
At some point, she’d put on music in her headphones—something to fill the silence in the space that Price’s pen scratches and slow breaths couldn’t. And, at some point, that music stopped without her noticing. It was a two-hour-long playlist she’d put on, and who knew how long ago it had ended. By this point, she was properly spaced out, too focused to notice the ache in her back, the numbness in her limbs, the growl in her stomach. 
But Price noticed that last one. He lifted his head, brows scrunching together. “Was that you?”
Pip hummed without actually having heard him; it was an automatic response on her part. 
It didn’t register that the crinkling noise behind her was Price opening the protein bar. The soft snap of said protein bar being broken up didn’t register either, not until Price’s fingers entered her field of vision, a piece pinched between his thumb and pointer. Pip blinked, leaning back from the intrusion with a confused look on her face. 
“Sir…?”
“Eat somethin’, Lag,” Price said. “You’re overdue for a snack.” 
Long overdue. Overdue for a nap, too, but that wasn’t going to happen if she could help it. Reluctantly, Pip accepted the piece and nibbled on it. It was sweet with caramel and bits of crunchy nuts. Normally, it would delight her, but she was too distracted to notice the taste. 
“Not every mission is a success,” Price says. “Sometimes our intel doesn’t work out—” he winced as it left his mouth. Pip’s head whipped around, her pupils blown wide. 
“My intel was solid,” she snapped. The stress and her weariness had worn down the restraint on her temper. “I found the facility. I found those missile parts. I just…” Protein bar forgotten again, she turned back to her computer. “This is intentional. There’s no way I’m just… missing it. Someone’s tampered with this database.” 
Price reached around her. For a second, she thought he was going to pick her up, but he didn’t. Instead, he pushed the top of her laptop down, closing it. He then took the discarded snack and handed it back to her. 
“The data’s been removed,” he summarized. Pip nodded, staring down at the food in her hands. “And you can’t recover it?” 
The hideling ducked her head, eyes squeezed shut. “I can’t,” she said. “It’s been wiped clean. Whoever sanitized this server knew enough to cut off any chances of recovery.” She drew in a slow breath. “The only somewhat useful information I’ve been able to get so far is the vehicle that took the missing missile parts. But the license plate wasn’t visible in the camera…” She trailed off, brows furrowing. For a long moment, she was silent. A light bulb went off over her head. 
“Pip…?” Price prodded. He ducked his head, trying to catch her eye again, but she turned away and opened her laptop back up. 
“Maybe there were cameras somewhere on the roads leading away from the compound.” She wasn’t talking to Price anymore so much as she was voicing her idea out loud. The man leaned over her, squinting at her little screen, but she paid him no mind. There was a renewed spark of hope in her chest. A hope that just maybe, maybe she could get something out of this failure—
“Mother fucker!” No fucking cameras. Not a single street camera on the one road that led to and from the compound. 
Pip slammed her laptop shut again and dropped her head into her hands, fingers pulling at her hair. A frustrated, borderline anguished groan pushed its way through her clenched jaw. Behind her, she heard Price shift, then felt a warm pressure on her back, over her pelt. The pad of a finger, sans glove. It rubbed gently up and down her spine, sending a wave of shudders in its wake. 
“It was worth a shot,” he said, no-doubt meaning to be encouraging, but it came off as patronizing. Pip grumbled something unintelligible and sagged under his touch. “We’ll find those parts, Pip. You need to let this go.” 
Let it go. Pip huffed and shook her head. She’d never been good at letting go. Never been good at failure. 
“I’m sorry, Captain,” she said, her voice weaker than she would have liked. “I… I’ll keep trying. I’ll figure something out—” 
Both of Price’s hands came down around her, scooping her up into his palms. He held her at eye level, his sharp eyes studying her. “You’re done,” he said after a long moment of silence. Pip’s head snapped up, brows raised in alarm. Her heart rate spiked.
“Wha—?” 
“For the day,” he clarified, seeming to realize how ominous his words sounded. “You’re taking the rest of the day off.” 
That sounded awful. That sounded like the worst thing she could do right now, when this was so critical— “Price, I can’t just—” 
“Nope. No arguments,” he said with a hard sense of finality. “You’re not to use your little laptop for the rest of the day.” 
Pip snapped her mouth shut, her teeth coming together with an audible click. She ground them together once, twice. “You’re treating me like a child,” she growled. 
“Would make sense, since you’re acting like a child.” Pip bristled, but the captain continued, “But no, I’m not. I’m treating you like a cranky, stubborn little shite that needs to take a break.”
“Fuck you.” Bitter. Acrid. She switched to Hidespeak, “You’re the most infuriating commanding officer I’ve ever had to deal with, and I hope you rot.” She didn’t mean it. Not the last part, anyway. (Or even really the first.)
Price leaned back in his chair, an amused smug smirk peeking out under that mustache. “Only part of that I understood was ‘commanding officer.’ No word for ‘CO’ in your language?” 
She ignored that question, not in any mood to entertain prying into her culture. “What am I supposed to do then?”  
“Eat. Drink. Sleep. Try to relax.” The captain shrugged, nonchalant. “Get yourself in the headspace for your vet appointment tomorrow.” 
Motherf—! She’d forgotten about that! Fuck! Pip pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes and swallowed down the urge to scream. Price chuckled, but Pip didn’t find the deep rumble very pleasant right now. 
“I want to go home,” she said. She wouldn’t, not before she finished this damn mission, but she had to voice her sentiment. 
“We’ll get you there,” Price said. “Just need you to hang on with us a bit longer.” It sounded like a promise, but Pip knew all too well just how easily a promise like that could be broken out here. This was dangerous work. No one was guaranteed a ride home in this line of work. Not even Price. 
Reluctantly, she nodded her head, still buried in her hands. 
“Right. That’s a good girl. So. Finish up that protein bar and this water, and then I’ll take you somewhere where you can get some shut eye, yeah?” 
Sorry, good girl? Oh no. Nope. She was not going to acknowledge that, nor the way it sent a shock of butterflies fluttering through her gut. None of that. Pip snatched her snack up and tore off a big bite, a bit more ravenous than necessary to distract herself. She didn’t meet Price’s gaze, but her eyes did wander to the scarf folded loosely around his neck. 
That gave her an idea. She’d done it with both of her past handlers multiple times. 
“There,” she said, pointing to the scarf. Price glanced down at it, brows furrowed, then looked back at her quizzically. 
“What?” 
“Your scarf,” she clarified. “If… if it’d be okay. I could sleep in there.” 
One of Price’s hands fell away to curl into the scarf, pulling it away from his neck. “You want to sleep in this? While I’m wearing it?”
Gods, the more he asked her to explain it, the more awkward she felt. Her cheeks were getting warmer by the second. But she nodded. “If you’d be okay with that.” 
And when he agreed after thinking it over for a moment, she did find it a little surprising. But she wasn’t going to back out now, not as the captain brought her close to his neck, letting her and her pelt slip into the folds of his scarf. It was warm, and smelled of sweat and gunpowder, but that had never bothered Pip. It was cozy. Once she was settled in a comfortable pocket against his neck, situating her pelt between herself and his skin, she was practically invisible, lost under the scarf. No one would know she was there. 
“You alright down there?” Price asked. So close to his throat, his deep voice rattled through her. Pip sighed and buried her face into the fabric. 
“‘As good as I can be,” she answered. 
"You're not gonna slit my throat while you're in there, are you?"
Now that was an idea. Pip hummed. "Tempting." But probably not. Probably.
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parisian-nicole · 6 months
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Garvez Ficlet: It's A Date
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“She’s right on time,” Tara spoke out while she munched on the gummi bears, she had just gotten from the vending machine she was currently leaning against. “I swear you can set your watch to her desperation,” She added and Penelope, who had just retrieved a granola bar from the machine turned to see whom Tara was talking about.
“Who?”
“Agent Melinda Gomez,” Tara replied as they both now stood non-covertly watching the beautiful Latina woman who looked to be in her late 20s and like she should be working as a supermodel instead of an agent for the FBI. Penelope found herself standing up a little straighter and sucking in her midsection a tad as she watched the other woman who appeared to be searching for someone.
“Is she new here? I’ve never seen her up here before and I make it my mission to get to know everyone on our floor.”
“She works in the Cyber division 3 floors up,” Tara stated. “And you haven’t seen her before because today is your first day back after your mini vacation last week and that’s when she met Luke in the elevators when we all left work to head to O’Reilly’s for drinks,” These words made Penelope frown up a bit and her mind clearly told her that she did not like this woman she didn’t even know. “She spoke something in Spanish to Luke which was hella rude to the rest of us, but she was clearly fishing. Luke replied but in English.”
“What did she say?”
“Well, according to what Prentiss told me later when I asked her, she had asked Luke if he knew any good Mexican restaurants. He told her no because he didn’t eat out often. Before she could flirt further the elevator hit the lobby and I have never seen Luke book so quickly to get out of there,” Tara chuckled at the memory of it. “But she’s been coming up here ever since, scoping and hoping to run into Luke. I gave him the heads up and he’s been strategically watching out and avoiding her. You better look out too because she is definitely trying to make moves on Luke.”
“Why are you telling me?” She countered. “If Miss, ‘I was the head cheerleader and homecoming queen’,” She spat out mockingly as she sneered a little. “Wants to throw herself at Luke like a little trollop, more power to her. And if Luke wants to play Ken with FBI Barbie over there, well, it’s none of my business,” She finished as she almost violently tore the wrapping off of her granola bar while she scowled in the direction of Agent Gomez.
“Penelope Grace Garcia,” Tara pushed out as she locked disbelieving eyes onto her friend, who frowned up as she looked back not liking the use of her Government name in the workplace. “You have got to be joking right now.”
“What?” Penelope replied as she was truly baffled.
“You should care since ‘you’re’ dating Luke,” Tara clarified as she stared dumbfounded at Penelope, who frowned up in confusion at what was said.
“No, I’m not," She scoffed and frowned a little at the implication. "After the Tyler Green debacle, I have sworn off dating for a while,” Penelope argued.
“So, you haven’t gone out on any dates with anybody since Tyler Green, or hang out regularly with a guy?” Tara asked knowingly as she folded her arms across her chest as she waited for the answer.
“No,” Penelope continued to deny and then she thought about it some more. “I mean, when there are no cases that take you guys away, I will usually have lunch with Luke at that little Vegan café around the corner from here. And on Sundays Luke and I usually grab brunch at one of the places near the dog park and then we’ll take Roxy to the park to run around for a couple of hours. On Fridays, he and I will usually go catch the latest movie at the theater if something good is playing, or if there’s nothing good out, we’ll either hang out at his place or mine, where we’ll watch old Charlie Chaplin and Our Gang films. Then on Tuesdays, we alternate cooking dinner for each … Oh my God, I’m dating Luke!” She exclaimed as realization finally struck her and she snapped her wide alarmed eyes onto Tara who stood before her nodding her head and giving her a ‘No, Shit’ look. “When did that happen … how did it happen?”
“Well, I started noticing how much you two were hanging out about a week after we hung out at your place right after Bailey’s memorial,” Tara answered. “I don’t know about how it happened but I was waiting impatiently for you to finally tell me. I cannot believe you didn’t even realize you were dating Luke.”
“Wait, you make it sound like everyone knew it but me.”
“Yeah, we all do. I mean Prentiss wasn’t 100 percent sure until we went to Milwaukee on our last case.”
“What was significant about that case that made her think Luke and I were dating?” Penelope questioned as the confused look swept over her face once more.
“Geez, Penelope, you guys kissed,” Tara replied and her words made Penelope’s mouth drop in genuine shock as her mind tried to recollect the moment. “You walked us to the elevators like you usually do, told us to be safe, and then you and Luke had a short conversation about kissing Roxy for him. Then you both leaned into the other and gave a quick peck on the lips, and Luke got in the elevator and we left. You acted like it was a natural occurrence that you two had done before. So, have you?” Penelope simply nodded her head as she played back in her mind other times they had kissed, and Tara was correct in her assessment that it was like a natural occurrence.
“Yeah, whenever we hang out on our days off, we usually end things with a kiss goodbye or a kiss goodnight. But they're very chaste ‘platonic’ smoochies, nothing like you’d read in one of those trashy novels Emily loves so much.”
“Yeah, but do you go around giving those smoochies to other guys or are they Luke’s lips only smoochies?” Penelope contemplated the question a moment before she replied.
“Shit … I am totally dating him, aren’t I?” She asked and Tara smiled, nodded her head, and then popped another gummi bear into her mouth. Before she could pose another question to Tara, Luke appeared around the corner.
“You ready to head out, Chica?” He greeted them as he stopped in front of them.
“Uh, yeah,” Penelope replied as she gripped the strap of her purse a little tighter. “Goodnight, Tara.”
“Night you two, and Luke check your six,” Tara said and then moved past them to head back into the bullpen to pack up for the evening. Luke frowned up some as he turned to check what she was talking about and he inwardly groaned as his eyes landed on the person he had been purposely trying to avoid for nearly a week. Agent Gomez had already spotted him and she stood near the elevators pretending to be engrossed in a file she held. She was seemingly so engrossed that she didn’t join the two people who had just entered the open elevator. She was clearly waiting for him. Penelope rolled her eyes slightly at how obvious the woman was being.
“Hey, would you mind if we take the stairs? I wasn’t able to get in a run this morning with Roxy and it would be good cardio.”
“Good cardio for you maybe,” Penelope replied. “Have you noticed the shoes I am wearing?” She asked him and he had noticed them as soon as she had entered the bullpen that morning to give her usual greetings. And he had mentally noted how good she looked in them. “These are not ‘let’s take the stairs’ kind of shoes, Luke,” She stated and then began to walk to the elevators and Luke instantly fell in step behind her. She was quite curious to see if Tara was right about this Agent Gomez. When they had stopped at the elevators Penelope plastered on her biggest smile and looked at the younger woman. “Hi,” She greeted and Agent Gomez smiled back in kind and gave her a nod. The woman then shot a quick lecherous glance at Luke who stood looking straight ahead while they waited for the elevator doors to open. When the doors finally pinged open Penelope was the first to enter and Luke's gentlemanly nature made him wait until Agent Gomez had entered before he finally did. Luke maneuvered himself on Penelope’s left side, while Agent Gomez stood on Penelope’s right side. Once the doors had shut and they had pressed their destinations; the Lobby for Agent Gomez and the underground parking garage for Luke and Penelope, Agent Gomez spoke out.
“¿Tiene algún plan esta noche?”
“No, sólo una cena con él y nuestra chica, Roxy,” Penelope was the one who replied and she clearly stunned both Gomez and Luke with her excellent attempt at speaking Spanish, though she was not well versed but had really started to seriously try to learn it after she had heard Luke once, speaking on the phone to his mother. It was crystal clear that Agent Gomez was embarrassed and she said nothing more until the doors opened to the lobby, she then tossed out a goodnight before she rushed out of the elevator.
“Muy bein, Chica,” Luke congratulated truly impressed, especially with the way she rolled her Rs. She smiled coyly to his praises and they continued on for a few seconds in a comfortable silence before she spoke again.
“Luke, can I ask you something?” She began as she kept her gaze honed straight ahead, though she could see him turn to regard her in her peripheral vision.
“You know you can ask me anything,” He answered and scowled a little in concern as he looked over at her.
“Did you know we were dating?” She pushed out as calmly as she could and then held her breath awaiting his reply. Luke smiled at the question as he averted his eyes from her face and also looked straight ahead, and then casually draped his right arm over her shoulder before he answered.
���Yes,” He answered honestly and he was relieved that she had finally realized it too. He silently prayed that she wouldn’t freak out about it and start to push him away. He sincerely wanted their budding relationship to blossom into something more but had been willing to wait for as long as she needed him to. To allow herself to heal after what had happened between her and Tyler Green. After a moment’s pause, she nodded her head.
“You know what, I don’t really feel like cooking tonight,” Penelope stated and Luke could feel his heart clench in his chest from her backing out of their weekly ‘cook dinner together’ night. “So, why don’t we grab some take-out on the way to my place? And not having to spend so much time prepping and cooking frees us up to just hang out and find other things to occupy the time,” She said as she still kept herself from looking at him while still being able to watch him. And she couldn’t stop the small smile that played on her lips upon seeing a huge smile spread across his face.
“And what do you think we could do to occupy our time?” He asked as he cast her a very heated look just as the doors opened to the parking garage. Before stepping out she turned and looked at him head-on with a brazen smile on her lips and a playful glint in her eye.
“If we put our heads together, I am sure we can come up with something,” With that said she walked out of the elevator with a big broad smile on her face. Luke followed close behind with a smile on his face that matched hers.
***
THE END
***
Rough Translation:
- ¿Tiene algún plan esta noche?: Any plans tonight? - No, sólo una cena con él y nuestra chica, Roxy: No, just dinner with him and our girl, Roxy.
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hazelminesims · 11 months
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15 questions for 15 mutuals 🤍
i was tagged by @druidberries, @softietrait, @devotedsims, @lucidicer - thank you for the tag! 🤎
are you named after anyone? - Nope. Only person I have found with my name in the census records. My mom and a friend were pregnant at the same time and thought of baby names. Wish I could remember the boy name.
when was the last time you cried? - Ughh about a month ago when the man my sister married decided to be his usual deranged self. I have had to ignore him for 36 yrssss y'all.
do you have kids? - yes - my babies are my heart - 3rd and 9th grader, boy and girl. they are some nurturing souls. 🤎
do you use sarcasm a lot? - I try but it comes off as me being mean.
what sports do you play/have you played? - Oohh none. Always the bookworm/computer nerd.
what's the first thing you notice about other people? - their aura and intention - i feel my way through life, probably too much
Eye color? - Hazel/green…they change
scary movies or happy endings? - depends on the day - i need some happy right now though
any special talents? - being the family detective and problem solver 😑
where were you born? - oohh ....Birmingham, Alabama.... with no plans to return
what are your hobbies? - gaming, photography, digital scrapbooking
do you have any pets? - hubby won't let us have one...I think he will secretly fall in love with a dog before we do
how tall are you? - 5 feet. Vertically challenged all my life
fave subject in school? - MATH - It is straightforward... I love numbers and seeing the pattern (there's always one)
dream job? -  Cyber Forensics Investigator - wish I had someone talk to me about what I like to do before college. I'm an introvert with a marketing degree...lol!
i’ll tag (a few) - @therichantsim @cinamun @mysimsloveaffair @sweetnovember77 @storiesbyjes2g @sim4areason @ex0ticgen @bobatrait @bobnewbie feel free to ignore if you've already done it and if you want to join in, please do!
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