#yeah so i’m reworking things. i miss my little guys so much

[sirthisisa-wendys]

Blood and Water: Geto Suguru x Fem!Reader

synopsis: a monthly sibling dinner turns into a much more exciting tradition. Y'all know where I'm going with this.

wc: 2.4k

tw: NSFW (former step-siblings, unprotected sex)

masterlist

Your doorbell rings every first Saturday of the month at 7 pm.

Depending on their schedules, your siblings would show up one after the other or together, but either way, they would show up. Satoru, Shoko, and your step-brother, Suguru.

The tradition started right after your stepmother and father had divorced and moved to different places across the country, leaving you and your adult siblings scrambling for some way to reconnect and stay together.

Thus, Sibling Saturday is created, and you all bring a dish (or buy one, in Satoru's case) for the potluck where you sit around the table and talk about the events of the past month in great detail, often staying overnight due to the amount of wine and beer consumed.

This week, you're in the middle of cooking a pasta recipe you'd stumbled across when your doorbell rings. Admittedly, you'd gotten home late (because of a certain boss that asked you to come in on Saturdays to help rework the blueprints), but when you open the door, you're greeted by Shoko and Satoru, who smile widely and bombard you with compliments, as always.

"You look so good!" Satoru gushes as he enters the kitchen.

"I'm just wearing an apron and a dre--"

"But you're so pretty!" Shoko adds, beaming at you and squishing your cheeks. "What're you cooking this week?" Satoru places two different dishes on the table as you walk back over to the basil pesto pasta cooking on the stove. "Smells so good..."

You smile and stir the pot twice, then look back over at your sister and brother, who are placing the plates and silverware around the table. And for a brief moment, you feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the small family bonds that have maintained themselves, despite the hardships you've endured.

"Where's Suguru?" you inquire, and Shoko answers you quickly.

"Oh, he's at the studio today but he said he'd come right after he finished." The doorbell rings right at that moment, and you put your spoon down to attend to the guest, who is undoubtedly your former step-brother.

"Thought you might not make it," you tease, and the dark-haired man leans over to hug you as he chuckles, his long locks brushing your shoulder.

"Just finished up filming the special report," Suguru answers, squeezing your arm. "Had to refilm the last part of the report."

"And you're excited about it?" Shoko calls out from the dining room.

"Of course." Suguru walks into the kitchen, then peeks at your pasta before smiling back at you. "It's going to air in a week. My first special report, y'know?" You grin back at him and shift the pot off the stove before turning it off.

"We'll all get together and watch it when it airs," Satoru suggests, taking the lid off of his purchased cupcakes and reaching in for one, ignoring your disapproving look. "And make a celebration of it."

"I love that plan," Suguru murmurs, pushing his shirt sleeves up to his elbows before setting the beer and wine bottles on the table. "Thanks, you guys. Want anything to drink, Shoko?"

"Nah, I have to be at a birthday party in the early afternoon," she answers, waving her hand in the air.

"Satoru?" But Gojo already has a beer in his hand, so no further discussion is required on his part.

"I drove him here," Shoko begins, rolling her brown eyes and fiddling with her hair. "So it looks like I'll be driving back too."

Satoru groans, pulling the bottle away from his lips. "You roll the seat up too far. I couldn't drive even if I wanted to."

"Still on your 'no alcohol' thing?" your sister asks, and you nod. "Geez. Can't imagine it."

_____________________________________________________________

"I'll help you clean up," Suguru offers, a little unsteady on his feet.

"You don't have to," you retort, but he's is already gathering the dishes to put in the sink. Satoru leans back, his blue eyes staring at the ceiling as he groans loudly.

"Gonna feel this in the morning."

"Should get you home," Shoko mumbles and stands, the chair scraping against the floor. "Got a lot to do tomorrow." You say your goodbyes, making sure Shoko and Satoru get to their car safely, before closing the door and shifting back to Suguru.

"Staying the night?" you ask, moving to the sink and turning on the water.

"I think so," he begins, undoing the top button of his shirt. "Drank a lot." You shrug, not really having noticed him drinking at all, but sure that during your tale of your recent breakup, you had missed it.

"Go ahead and get comfortable," you encourage. "I'll finish cleaning up." Suguru flashes his winning smile at you and then departs, leaving you alone in the kitchen. About fifteen minutes later, you put the last dish on the rack, and then dump the dishwater into the sink. Mindlessly, you wipe the counter, then walk to your room as you remove your apron. You hear someone grunting softly, and assume that Suguru is having a hard time, so you backtrack to the guest room, where you see the guest bathroom light on.

"Y/n..." you catch, and you walk to the bathroom door, which is slightly cracked, and you look through it to see if Suguru is okay.

But you were wrong about him having a hard time.

Suguru is facing the mirror, jerking his thick cock repeatedly. "Oh, god..." he moans, his hair falling behind his face as he tilts his head back. "That pussy feels so fucking good."

You want to walk away to give him so privacy, but... you can't move. You're frozen in place as Suguru shoots his cum onto the counter, his mouth dropping open as he squeezes his eyes shut, the white fluid hitting the mirror a little while his cock throbs angrily. You swallow hard, watching him come down from his high in silence before his eyes flick up to the crack in the door.

And to your face.

With this, the spell cast over your feet is broken, and you walk away from the scene, hurrying to your room and shutting the door. You stand in your room, shocked and slightly unnerved by the sight. But it's only when you're showering that you realize there's a considerable amount of slick between your thighs.

_____________________________________________________________

Sleep is laced with dreams of Suguru plowing into you, his eyes holding you captive and fingers tugging on your nipples. You even cum a few times, but when you awake in the morning, you realize it was all a machination of your mind.

Groggily, you stumble out of bed and walk into the kitchen to make coffee and possibly eat something. But when you see Suguru standing in the kitchen in his pajamas, you flush a little. He notices you right away, smiling as he pours himself a cup of coffee.

"Morning," he chirps brightly, and you smile briefly before moving to get a mug from the cupboard. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," you murmur quickly, avoiding looking at him as you make your own cup of coffee.

"Look, y/n... about last ni--"

"It's fine." You turn to the fridge, pulling out the milk and setting it on the counter as Suguru stands, setting the newspaper down.

"Actually," he begins. "It's not."

"No, really," you mutter, but your ex-stepbrother places a hand between you and your coffee, effectively blocking you from doing anything else.

"Y/n, I have to confess that I have feelings for you," Suguru mumbles, and you look up at him in confusion, searching his black eyes for some clarity. "I've had feelings for you for a long time. And I was thinking... we're not related by blood or by paper anymore. Is it possible for me to pursue you?" Your lips part, but no sound comes out of them. "I'll give you time to think about it, but--"

"You're a public figure, Su..." you offer, but he shrugs his broad shoulders.

"Not really a concern of mine."

"What about me? My job? What if they find out we used to be--"

"Used to be." The emphasis makes you pause. You turn to the sink, eyes downcast as your hands grip the polished edge of the counter. "Please," Suguru whispers, coming up behind you and sliding his fingers up your nightgown. "You're so perfect. So beautiful... Having you as my stepsister was amazing, but now..." He kisses the space below your earlobe, and you close your eyes, moaning loudly.

"Su," you start, but can't find any other words to say. Would you really be able to say no to yourself now, when for years you'd wanted nothing more than this very moment to happen?

"Your cooking is amazing... and you and that asshole finally broke up. Just let me make you feel good. Just one time," he breathes into your ear, and you shudder, the feeling working from the crown of your head to the tips of your toes. "And if you don't want it... say 'no' and I'm done. I'll never do it again." The fingers that are below your nightgown creep up to the waistband of your underwear, tugging at them suggestively.

"Okay," you breathe, and Suguru inhales deeply, pulling your panties down and letting them drop the floor. He doesn't speak as his fingers roam over your flesh, gripping certain areas with glee before he kneels, trapping your ass between his hands.

"Stay still for me, princess," he whispers before spreading your ass cheeks. "Such a pretty pussy." When Suguru's tongue hits your slick, you immediately raise up on your tiptoes, but his tongue chases your core, slipping across your clit and back up leisurely. You moan again, squeezing your eyes shut as he drives you insane.

"Suguru," you pant, and he hums, hand gripping your right ass cheek a little more. Your fingers reach behind you and grab onto his hair, pushing him into your cunt even more. Your legs begin to shake violently, knees hitting the cupboard below the sink, and Suguru hums again, tongue speeding its movements up. You finally give in to the building orgasm, letting go of his locks and gripping the sink as you buckle. Suguru continues to lap at you as you come down, slurping up your juices loudly before pulling back and licking his lips.

"So good," he murmurs, standing and pushing down his pants to reveal his twitching cock. You move to your knees immediately, taking his length in your hand and licking the tip gently. Su hisses, leaning against the chair behind him, and tilts his head to the side, watching you take the tip in your mouth and suck. You work half of his cock into your mouth before he reaches his hand down and tangles it through your hair. "No hands, princess."

You obey without question, and he bobs your head up and down for you, the head of his thick length hitting the back of your throat and making a clicking noise. "Good girl," Suguru groans, adding another hand to your hair. Tears begin to gather on your waterline as he fucks your mouth, and you swipe your tongue on the backside of his cock when you can to add to the pleasure, placing your hands on his thighs to stabilize yourself.

But Suguru pulls out of your mouth, a trail of saliva connecting his cock to your lower lip. "Stand up and bend over," he orders, and you do so, waiting patiently for him as he tugs at his length while watching you. With his foot, Suguru kicks your legs a little wider then steps between them, nudging the head of his cock against your pussy. "Yep, you're good and ready."

He pushes into you - or tries to, really - then pulls back, grunting. "Tight little thing you've got there," he mentions, spreading your cheeks with one hand. He rubs his cock up and down against your slit, trying again to slide into you, but finding too much resistance. "Arch your back." Your hips go a little higher, but Suguru finds his grip again, finally able to push himself into you a little. You hiss, feeling a sharp jolt of pain, but he pushes you back down with his broad hand.

"Oh, Suguru..." you whine, looking back. He swipes your hair away from your face, eyes meeting yours.

"Shh, shh... It's alright," he whispers, working himself into you with care, one hand on your hip and another resting on your shoulder. "Just relax." You groan again, tucking your head between your hands on the counter. After a few minutes, you release all of the tension in your lower body, and Suguru sighs, pushing into a little deeper. Immediately, his hips are able to connect with yours, and the sounds of your fucking echo in the kitchen.

"Fuck..." you moan, feeling his entire length shift in and out of you, hitting spots your ex couldn't explore. "Feels so fucking good."

"Yeah?" Su wonders, panting. "Such a good pussy. Never felt this perfect..." He speeds up a little, leaning over your back, and kissing your shoulder blade. "I can feel your cervix when we're like this." You groan loudly, tossing your head back. Suguru catches your neck with his hand, leaning your head back.

Your eyes cross, and he huffs a laugh, but your entire body is too full of him and thoughts of him to care.

"Please," you whisper, but you don't know what you're asking for, really. "Please." Suguru's eyebrows scrunch together, onyx eyes focusing on your expression.

"Oh, that's it," he hums. "Already cock-drunk, huh?" You try to nod, but all you can do is manage a strangled moan. A hand is lifted and smacks your ass as he continues fucking you, which is a welcome jolt of pain to add to the pleasure. Your former stepbrother eases his head back, observing the way his cock drives into your pussy. "You should see this... your pussy grips my cock so nicely, and you're creaming all over me."

"Oh, god..." you whine, keeling forward. "Suguru, make me cum."

"Say it again."

"Su, make me cum!" you cry out, shaking furiously.

"What's the magic word?" he pants.

"Please!" He reaches between your legs, rubbing your clit quickly. "Sugur---" You break off with a deep inhale, clenching around him fiercely. Suguru's breath hitches too as he spills his seed inside of you, hips slamming into your cunt three times before his hands slacken around your body. He hunches over you, cradling your body as his head rests on your back.

"That was better than I ever imagined," Suguru finally admits.

"Better than I dreamt last night, too." He laughs, fingers holding you tighter.

"Let me be your boyfriend, y/n."

"What's the magic word?" you shoot back, smiling.

"Please."

_____________________________________________________________

TAGLIST: @missbonekitty @wack0-genius @thankuary @r-i-m-f-009 @sunfloweroranges @leanne-tamashi @rein-icu @brownskinnedgirll @savantsoulfinder @chilledlucifer @kontentious @flare-on @meena-in-a-nutshell @falling-through-pages @naoyasdarling @vabybizzle

#geto suguru #geto suguru x reader #geto smut #jjk smut #jjk geto #jujutsu kaisen geto #jujutsu kaisen #getou suguru x reader #getou suguru

[lydias--stiles]

because your kiss is on my list

alternatively: four times juke snuck up on each other for affection and the one time they didn’t have to | based on the achingly beautiful fanart by @lovelyrugbee

1. 

Luke was being manic again. And not in a cute: “Oh my God, he’s so passionate about music!”-way, but in a: “He might actually tear his eyes out from these infuriating lyrics that aren’t working”-way. Every once in a while, songs didn’t flow out as easily as they usually did. The topic was a bit trickier, or the instrumentals didn’t mesh, or something was just off. Julie wasn’t too stressed about it. They had plenty of time to rework and fix things before the gig in two weeks. 

Unfortunately, Luke didn’t have the same mindset. 

He has been holed up in the studio all day, cramped on the windowsill to the point of submitting himself to a hernia and scrapping writing scrapping scrapping scrapping. The sound was infuriating, Alex being the first to poof out and Reggie following soon after when Ray became far more interesting than a guitarist going haywire. Which was sad, cause her dad was just unloading groceries. 

Alright. She had to do something. Standing at the doors of studio with a somewhat amused expression, she took in as her boyfriend was oblivious to the world and her. In any other situation, he’d notice and compliment the orange dress she was wearing. She thought about calling his name, maybe singing or jamming her fingers on the piano, but then a better idea came. A fun one.

Quietly slipping closer, a mischievous grin crawled on her lips. Thank God she was barefoot, or else her sneakers would’ve squeaked against the cement floors. He still hasn’t noticed her, the pinch between his brow so deep and lost in thought. 

Three, two, one... 

“Ah!”, she cried out like a warrior, snapping her arms around him from behind and snatching the damned songbook from his grasp. Before he could react, she smacked a wet kiss on his cheek and added a “Mwah!” for good measure. 

The startled Luke began chuckling, trying to get his book back, her peppering more kisses on his cheek in retaliation. He had to get out of this funk! Breathe a little! Turning his cheek to look at her, he smirked. “Sneaking kisses now, Jules?”

Julie hummed against his skin, eyes sparkling. Whispering in his ear, she said: “Stop breaking your head over these lyrics and relax. We have time.” 

His smile softened, gaze tracking the way she hugged him and then- “I like the dress you’re wearing.”

Ah, yes. There he was. 

2. 

Julie Molina truly made the afterlife less boring and a whole lot more bearable. Which became really apparent whenever she had an avalanche of homework and couldn’t hang out. Luke loved his boys, but damn did he miss his girlfriend a lot now. If the situation were different (you know, had he not been head over heels in love with her), he’d poof up to her room and annoy her until she came to the studio. Alas, he respected his girlfriend and her interest in getting good grades, so he had to deal with it. 

Bleh. “Dealing with it” was like a curse word to him. 

He hasn’t seen her all day though. She left early for school and didn’t pass by the studio when she got back. All he needed was a quick look and talk and maybe a hug and then he wouldn’t be so antsy. 

(What he’d give to wrestle her into cuddling right now. He was honestly blessed he found a girl who saw all of his need for affection and then gladly gave triple the amount.)

Yup. Screw homework. He had to see her. Without telling the boys, he stood up with a huff and poofed out. The offended “hey!” from Alex he ignored. 

Dropping into Julie’s room, a smile instantly bloomed on his face at the sight of her. She was on her bed, textbooks and notes splayed out in front of her while her curls danced with each breath she took. Even when tired, his girlfriend was pretty as hell. 

“Hey,” he grinned.

She didn’t look up and mumbled: “Hey.” A page turned. “What’re you doing here?”

Luke sat down on the edge of her bed, far enough so her pens wouldn’t roll away. “Haven’t seen you today. I missed you.”

This time she did look up, her weary eyes softening and smiling. “I missed you too. I have homework though, so...” The implication was there: please leave so I can finish. His hope for a hug quickly dwindled.

“Yeah,” he muttered, not ready to go back and get slapped by Alex. “Uh...” His eyes fell on her right hand, slightly more outstretched then the other. It just... laid there. Teasing him. Freaking tantalising him when he knew how good it felt whenever those fingers brushed his cheeks or raked his hair. 

It happened before he thought about it. Crawling onto the mattress, he snatched her hand and pressed soft kisses on the knuckles. Julie caught his gaze again, that smile he loved so much melting into an adoring puff - like she couldn’t believe this idiot was her boyfriend.

He didn’t mind being her idiot.  

3.

Sometimes, Julie was just that more adorable. Like now, with her hair spread around her shoulders and that small smile stuck on her lips and her eyes that seemed impossibly soft today. All for him, only for him. 

Sure, it was probably because they were working on one of their personal songs, but the fact remained that his girlfriend still left him rendered speechless months into dating.

“What if we try it in a lower key?”, Julie proposed, nodding at his guitar. 

The song in question was a song about them. It wasn’t so lovey-dovey that it would turn the guys off, but it was still blatant. Only they would write about ‘the sea glass green of his eyes’ and ‘the smile that put Mona Lisa to shame’. 

He did what she asked, her singing the same verse again. It held more depth now, soulful and lively. The rasp in her tone made it playful and egged him on to join, like it was truly banter between lovers put to music. It was them. It was her. It was-

Luke abruptly stopped playing, pushed his guitar aside and grabbed onto her. She hardly had time to chuckle as he pressed his lips onto her forehead and held her as tight as possible. Warmth filled his chest, that strange sensation of being loved and loving back twice as hard, as she clutched his body. He almost got choked up. Here he was, in the sundrenched studio with the girl he adored playing the music they created together and she was singing it in such a quintessentially ‘them’ way. No one but them would ever truly understand the magic they conjured. How it was only explained through grins melting on skin and the giddy skip in his heartbeat. 

“What’s that for?”, she smiled. 

His hand trailed from her back to her cheeks with an elated shrug. How could he explain to her her ‘Julie-ness’ was dialled up to two hundred without sounding insane? Caressing the skin, he murmured instead: “I guess you’re just irresistible today.”   

Her eyes squeezed shut at his words, like she was embarrassed how much delight it brought her, and pressed her face back in his shoulder. 

Letting that giddy skip in his chest kiss her again, he gently pulled away to sent her a wink. “Let’s finish ‘Wicked Love’, yeah?”

4.

“So, Flynn’s been thinking-”

“Mh-hm.”

“-about a new poster for the gig we’re playing. The old one is a little amateur and she made some new concepts. Wanna see?” Julie held her phone at his face, his hand leaving the strings of his guitar to gently push it back. Falling back on the bed, she frowned. 

“Maybe later, I’m figuring out this progression...” His back bend over his guitar again, only giving her a view of the black muscle tee. 

When Luke told her he wanted to hang out that Saturday afternoon, she had hoped it would be a bit more ‘Julie and Luke’ and not ‘Luke and His Guitar’ - alas, the girlfriend was competing with a piece of wood and some metal. While texting Flynn about graphic design was fun, it was time for Luke to start doing what he promised her.

Then again, she was a sucker for music talk. “Why don’t you try switching up the chords? Start with G instead of C.”

He tried it out, a grin crawling on his cheeks. “Yeah... yeah, that works. Thanks, Jules.”

“So?”, she sang. 

“Hm?”

With a sigh, she grabbed onto the strap of his guitar and gave it a tug. Luke’s neck rolled backwards in surprise, catching her playful smile.  

Chastely pecking his forehead, she said: “Your head is in the clouds.”

The teasing look of his matched hers. “You’re kissing my head right now.”

“Mh-hm,” she mumbled, loving the way his hair had that perpetual scent of apple and something inherently Luke. Kissing the locks, she added: “And you’ll be getting a lot more if you actually start hanging out with me.”

His book and instrument slid off his body just like that as he speared her into hug. Luke collapsed onto her body with the cutest grin and she knew she caught him. Their laughs chimed throughout the house for the rest of the day. 

+5.

Luke poofed onto her bed with a grin, his girlfriend automatically snuggling into his side and finding each other’s lips with ease. For a beat, they’re cherished the quiet passion shared between them. They didn’t need to do a lot to feel loved by the other. 

He pressed his nose into her curls. “How was school?”

“Good,” Julie whispered against his neck. “How was the studio?”

“Chill. Reggie scared a spider.”

She giggled, the sound making his grin widen and hide his face so she wouldn’t see how ridiculously giddy she made him. Turning her head so she’d see him anyway, her nose scrunched. “I know you’re smiling.”

“That’s my line, Molina,” he huffed, the teasing glint shimmering in his eyes. 

A signature brow quirked. “You got that on paper?”

He didn’t miss a second. “I love you.” He didn’t need to ponder or linger or rewrite or scrap or workshop the thought. It wasn’t even a thought. It was a truth and he’d repeat that truth over and over again until the universe knew it too and kept it in their books for centuries to come. He loved her, he loved her, he loved her. 

The smile that came was worth the truth, how her love for him broke through without a moment of hesitation. Now she’d say the same, over and over and over again, so the universe knew they were talking about each other and would always keep their names together in said books. 

Julie kissed him again, long and sweet and as easy as breathing. Her utters were barely audible, but his heart caught it. “I love you too.”

Locked in their embrace, they shared earphones listening to their favourite music until they fell asleep. (How Luke could fall asleep, but only when in her loving touch, he wouldn’t question. Some oddities of the universe were best unsaid.) 

@blush-and-books @unsaid-emily @bluefirewrites @willexx @ourstarscollided @alexjulies

#its after midnight so excuse if its a jumble #ophelia? using metaphysical similes? why of course its the libra in me #juke #julie and the phantoms #jatp fanfiction #otp: i think we make each other better

[tlhrfanfic]

[Analogical ] Chemistry

Title: Chemistry Ship: Analogical Warnings:  Lots of cute and fluff. Words: 5,708 Request: So, this was the next request I chose: an analogical fic where Logan and Virgil are science partners would be vvv cute! if its ok! This was also sent in by an anon.

Summary: Logan is used to the routine of his typical life as a high school teen. When the new student becomes his brand new lab partner, however, changes seem to become the new norm. Logan, surprisingly, doesn't seem to mind.

Read on AO3

-----------------------------------------------

The day was like any other.

 … until it wasn’t. 

 Logan hadn’t changed anything. He had woken up and gotten ready at the same time; he’d taken a shower just like he always did. He had then had breakfast before grabbing his backpack and heading out the door. It was the same ten-minute walk to the high school he’d been attending for the last two years. 

 Same morning chat with his friends, same walk down the Science hallway, and same Chemistry lab.

 Logan settled into his seat before pulling his textbook, notebook, and a pencil out of his backpack.

 “Logan.”

 He looked up, interest in his eyes. It was, after all, common enough for his teachers to ask him for help with little things from time to time.

 The moment his gaze shifted to the unfamiliar teen standing near Mr. Sanders was the moment that everything changed.

A young teen Logan’s age stood with his hands in the pockets of his purple and black plaid hoodie. He had his hood off but it was evident by the way it was scrunched around the back of his neck that it would definitely be on at that very moment if it weren’t for the dress code.

 Logan brought his attention back to the teacher as he started to explain that this teen was a new student. Logan glanced at the teen from time to time as he learned that his name was Virgil and that he would be Logan’s new lab partner. Mr. Sanders then asked if he would mind showing Virgil around. 

 “I would be happy to assist Virgil in any way I am capable, sir.”

 Mr. Sanders beamed at him and left Virgil behind as he left for the teacher’s lounge. 

 “Welcome to the school, Virgil. Are you from out of state?”

 Virgil shook his head. “No… he said softly. Perhaps a little shyly. Logan assumed he wasn’t going to say more but a few moments later Virgil spoke up again. “I was homeschooled up until now…”

 He shrugged, his hands still in the pockets of his hoodie.

 Logan found himself staring at the new guy, wondering why he found him so enchanting. He’d had a handful of crushes in the past but not one of them was as lovely as this one.

 “What?!”

 Logan blinked. He blushed a moment later, heat rising up the back of his neck, as he realized he had been staring at Virgil for a minute at the very least. 

 “I apologize. Now, as Mr. Sanders mentioned, my name is Logan. Logan Wright. We are going to be lab partners in this class, evidently.” A thought suddenly occurred to him. “Do you enjoy Chemistry?”

 Virgil shrugged. 

 “I’m not the best at science since my mom is the one who taught me but it’s got its cool factors, I guess.” He shifted a little nervously. 

 Logan smiled at him gently, nodding. 

 “That’s more than fine, Virgil. I am quite accomplished at Chemistry so we will not see you fail.”

 Virgil blinked before slowly smiling.

 “Well… thanks for that… I uh. I appreciate it.”

 Logan nodded. 

 “It’s my pleasure, Virgil. Feel free to take a seat.” He nodded at the empty stool at his lab table.

 Virgil hesitated before dropping his backpack onto the stool. He pulled out his Chemistry book, a notebook, and a pencil before setting his bag under the table and taking the seat.

 Logan, realizing how close Virgil was, cleared his throat nervously. 

 “After class, I’ll give you the tour. It’s a fairly big high school but you seem intelligent so I think you’ll learn your way around here in no time.”

 He glanced at Virgil who actually smiled. 

 It was small and Logan almost missed it but it had definitely been there. 

 “Thanks,” the emo teen said. 

 “As I said before, it’s my pleasure.”

 The smile grew just a few centimeters more and Logan knew that this specific crush would not go away any time soon. 

»»————　♞　————««

 Virgil walked into Chemistry class two days later and set one of two coffee cups in front of his lab partner. He grinned as the bespectacled teen looked first at the cup and then at Virgil, confusion evident on his face. 

 “Salutations, Virgil. What is this and what is it for?”

 “Mornin’ Logan. That is a caramel latte and it’s a thank you… for, you know, showing me around on Monday.”

 Logan smiled and nodded. 

 “As I said then, it was my absolute pleasure. Thank you for the coffee. Really very nice of you.”

 Virgil blushed, bringing a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. 

 “Don’t mention it,” he said, his voice a little quieter. He smiled softly once Logan looked away.

 Taking a seat, Virgil pulled out his things for the class. As he pulled his homework out of his notebook, the emo teen watched Logan from the corner of his eyes. He barely held back a sigh. 

 When his mom had told him that he would be going to public school, Virgil had had a lot of hangups. He had not expected crushing on the very first guy he met to be one of them.

 Then again, Logan wasn’t just some guy. Virgil had only known him for two full days but he already felt as if he knew him pretty well. He was different compared to most guys their age, just like Virgil. 

 “Did you have any trouble with the assignment last night?”

 Virgil jumped in his seat because suddenly Logan’s voice was that much closer. He glanced at the other teen, finding him leaning in some to get a look at Virgil’s assignment sheet. 

 “Oh… uh, yeah. A little but it wasn’t too horrible, I guess.”

 Logan nodded before pointing at one of Virgil’s answers.

 “Understandable why you got this but you forgot to consider the temperature of the heat source.”

 Virgil glanced at the problem and picked up his pencil, erasing before considering the answer once more, now equipped with Logan’s hint. When he had finished, he looked up at Logan with uncertainty.

 Logan’s proud smile at the now correct answer made having to redo the whole question completely worth it. He hesitated before pushing the paper toward his lab partner. 

 “Any others I need to rework?”

 By the time the bell rang, signaling the start of first period, Logan had helped him correct the remaining two problems with incorrect answers.

 “Virgil,” Logan said as Mr. Thomas started the class. Suddenly a cell phone that was definitely not his phone was being pushed into his hand. He didn’t need any explanation, however, because the phone—which he assumed was Logan’s—was open onto a new contact entry. 

 “I’ll text you so you have my number too. This way, should one of us require assistance we can help each other out.”

 Virgil nodded, not trusting himself to speak as he ignored the heat rushing up the back of his neck and into his cheeks. Instead, the emo teen entered his information, saved the contact, and passed the phone back to Logan. 

 True to his word, he texted Virgil, the emo teen’s phone vibrating in his back pocket. He would have saved Logan’s number at that moment but class had begun and the thought of sneaking it out had Virgil’s anxiety rising. 

 Turning to Logan, he mouthed a thank you before turning his attention back to the lesson. 

 »»————　☠　————««

 Logan had hoped but honestly, had not expected Virgil to actually utilize his phone number when he gave it to him. It was with delighted surprise that two nights later—coincidentally a Friday night—that Virgil texted him, asking him for help with the assignment from earlier that day. 

 Logan called promptly. Virgil picked up by the second ring and for some inexplicable reason, Logan smiled at that. 

 “Hey, Logan. Thanks for calling.”

 “It’s my pleasure.”

 Virgil chuckled and Logan got the image of Virgil sitting there in class, a little half smile on his face as he shook his head and laughed just like that. It wasn’t a mean laugh. Just amused. Almost… fond, even. 

 Logan blushed. 

 “So… how can I help?”

 Virgil proceeded to point out the problem he was having trouble with and Logan was able to figure out where he’d gone wrong. Unfortunately, it was far easier to explain Chemistry concepts in person. 

 Biting his lip, Logan glanced at his watch and considered the time. It was Friday night and was still fairly early. He and Logan could grab a table at the local cafe and work on the homework. Logan had, after all, promised to help him, and being in person would really make it easier on Virgil. 

 Not to mention, Logan really wanted to spend time with him. 

 “Would you want to meet up with me tonight?”

 Virgil made a noise that Logan surmised was some sort of sputter and hoped it was a sputter of surprise, rather than disgust. He quickly cleared his throat and pushed on.

 “I was just thinking we could grab dinner at the cafe in town and work on this. It really would be much easier to explain and assist you in person.”

 Virgil was silent for a moment. It was just long enough that the intelligent teen was worried Virgil had hung up. 

 “Uh… okay, yeah. Sure. Wanna meet over at mine and walk over?”

 “I don’t know where you live, Virgil…”

 “Oh, right! Well, I know the place you mean and it’s really close so I guess… I guess, I’ll see you there soon?”

 “Sounds good, Virgil. See you soon.”

 “See you soon, Lo.”

 Logan gave a start at that. No one had ever called him that before. If anyone else in his life had, he probably would have had some scathing words to throw their way. But for some reason… it just sounded so nice spoken by Virgil. 

 “Yeah,” he replied only to realize that Virgil had already hung up. Blushing, he grabbed his keys, pocketed them and his phone, and headed out the door.

 »»————　♞　————««

 Virgil chewed his lip as he waited. Glancing around at other people, recognizing a few from school as he buried deeper into his hoodie, Virgil wondered if this had really been a good idea. 

 Luckily, before his negative thoughts could even hope to rain on his Black Parade, Logan was suddenly standing before him. And like moths to a flame, his attention shifted to only him.

 “Hey,” he said, smiling a little shyly. He reached up to slide his hood back enough to see Logan fully and allow the other to see him a bit too. 

 “Hey,” Logan said, smiling back. The smile was soft. It did things to Virgil’s insides, but there were too many reasons why it was soft for Virgil to be able to bank on it being a specific one. If it was soft because Logan liked him and wanted to be with him, that would be very good. It could just as easily be Logan liking him as a really good friend or regarding him as family. 

 Since Virgil really, really, really liked Logan… those, while nice, would not be good. 

 They would not be good at all. 

 Silence settled over them. Virgil panicked, fearing that it felt a little awkward. However, he was suddenly unable to use his words because he had to go and think about his crush with said crush standing right there. So, the silence stretched, making him panic more.

 Luckily, Logan was pretty good at reading signs of a potential panic attack. 

 “Virgil.” 

 Suddenly, Virgil’s focus was on Logan. He was still feeling anxious but his focus had shifted enough. Logan was a little like an anchor in that way. 

 “What… uh, sorry.”

 “I was just thinking we should head in. Grab a table, get dinner ordered. We can work on some of the homework while we wait for our food.”

 Virgil beamed at Logan. 

 With such a plan in place, how could Virgil feel anxious? 

 Well, aside from the butterflies he constantly felt around Logan, but that was beside the point.

 “Yeah… that sounds like a plan.”

 Logan held the door open for him and Virgil, ignoring the heat rising up the back of his neck, headed inside.

 »»————　☠　————««

 Logan was beside himself getting to Chemistry class that next Monday. He knew he had no logical reason for feeling this way. Even the evidence of their rather enjoyable evening of dinner and homework on Friday, and the fact that they texted the entire weekend outside of school talk, was circumstantial at best. Yet, he still felt uncharacteristically giddy as he settled in his chair and got out his things. That done, his eyes panned to the door rather than to the clock, as they would have in the past. 

 The moment Virgil entered the classroom—exactly two minutes and forty-five seconds until the bell was due to ring—Logan’s heart beat rapidly against his chest.

 Whoever said falling in love was the best thing to ever happen to a person was sorely mistaken. This cannot be good for one’s health.

 Logan took a deep breath as Virgil made his way over, dropping his bag to the ground unceremoniously as he slumped into the chair. Logan took pity on his friend. 

 “I take it you couldn’t fall asleep after we said good night?”

 Virgil, who had his arms on the desk and face pressed into them, turned to look at his friend and shook his head with a frown. Logan resisted the sudden urge to pull the other into a warm embrace. Blushing at the thought, he looked away and flicked open his textbook to the lab they were meant to cover that day. He then got his homework out, watching from the corner of his eye as Virgil did the same. 

 “Sorry, Virge.” Logan resisted the urge to correct himself. Virgil had assured him it was fine if Logan wanted to call him Virgil still, but had been sure to advise Logan that his friends usually called him Virge if they didn’t want to use the whole thing. Logan wanted Virgil to be certain in their friendship and his desire to keep it.

 He also very much wanted Virgil to be certain that if he wanted more then Logan very much desired that as well…

... but how could he make Virgil certain of that without actually confessing his feelings?

 Pushing such thoughts and questions out of his mind, Logan returned to the conversation in time to catch Virgil saying “Insomnia is a bitch, dude.”

 Logan nodded. “Yes, it is a troublesome disorder indeed.” Logan glanced around before lowering his voice. “Medication not helping?”

 Virgil shrugged. “Kinda, I guess. But it doesn’t really help all the time. It’s inconsistent.”

 Logan frowned but nodded. He wished to say more, but it was at that moment Mr. Sanders came in to remind them they were doing a lab that day. 

 Thomas gave a brief demonstration of the lab and asked them to write down the exact measurements for it. Logan took his notes in his own efficient style, often finished before the others. Usually, he would just wait patiently for Mr. Sanders to carry on with the next part of the demonstration but now he found himself glancing at Virgil. 

 He watched, mesmerized, as Virgil made big bold circles around the measurements he’d jotted down. Where Logan’s were neat and tidy, Virgil’s were scattered all over the page but a quick look over told him it was still organized, in it’s own way.

 In a way he understands… fascinating.

 Mr. Sanders finished the demonstration, passed out all the necessary chemicals and safety gear for the lab. Under his supervision, the lab went underway. Virgil watched Logan as he worked for a good part of it. 

 Logan, so lost in his work, hadn’t noticed until Mr. Sanders came up to them. Leaning down, perhaps under the guise of answering a question, the Chemistry teacher lowered his voice.

 “Virgil… don’t you think it’s a little unfair to allow Logan to keep doing the lab himself? Yes, Logan, I am aware you enjoy it and don’t mind, but my point still remains. It’s also not fair to you, Virgil, as you aren’t taking part in the experience.”

 Virgil nodded, his face beet red. Logan frowned, resisting the urge to speak up and not quite sure how to feel about it. Mr. Sanders sighed and crouched down.

 “I apologize for embarrassing you. It wasn’t my intention.”

 “N-no. I know. I didn’t mean to make him do it all… I just kinda got…” He blushed again and looked away, mumbling something that neither Logan or Mr. Sanders could hear. Logan tried his best not to focus on Virgil but rather on Mr. Thomas. He felt a little bad finding blushy red to be quite a fetching color on Virgil, considering the circumstances.

 Thomas looked from Logan to Virgil and for a moment Logan was certain he saw a little smile slip onto his face but when he tried to look more closely, it was gone. Interesting.

 “Well, that’s fine, Virgil. I get it. You guys are talking and you didn’t notice how much he’d done. But now it’s your turn, okay?”

 Virgil nodded. He waited until Mr. Sanders had gone to help someone else before turning to Logan and mouthing ‘what do I do?’.

 Logan laughed to himself, knowing that laughing out loud with Virgil freaking out would not help matters, and reached out a hand to squeeze the other’s shoulder. 

 “It’s okay. You’ve got this. I won’t let you get it wrong,” Logan promised. Virgil smiled and blew his hair out of his eyes. Logan got lost in dark pools of near black for a few moments before his bangs settled once more. He could still see Virgil’s eyes but he suddenly longed to brush his hair back just to look into those eyes once more. 

 Virgil snorted. “My hero.”

 Logan laughed, but smiled. “If that is your wish.”

 Virgil laughed and shoved him playfully. He then took a deep breath and allowed Logan to walk him through the process. He was grabbing one of the chemicals that Logan was passing to him when their hands brushed. 

 It was definitely accidental but they both jumped. Logan laughed softly and Virgil laughed as well. The laughter was different than the normal one they shared, Logan noted. He leaned in a little and offered the chemical bottle once more.

 Virgil took it, their hands not brushing this time. Virgil was still not looking away. Logan would have felt a little insecure under his sharp gaze but he was already looking at Virgil for just as long. He swallowed, unsure of what to do or say.

 Logan knew something was definitely happening here, he just didn’t have a name or a verified set of instructions on how to handle it nor what to do next.

 Virgil leaned in a little closer, his gaze falling to what Logan could only assume was his mouth. Logan swallowed hard again and felt a slight moment of panic. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to kiss Virgil. 

 He wanted that very, very much. He just didn’t want it to be in the middle of Chemistry class surrounded by of a bunch of classmates and Mr. Sanders.

 It had to be his lucky day. 

 A sudden outcry broke whatever spell Virgil was under. He blinked rapidly and blushed completely before laying his arms on his desk and burying his face in his arms. Logan glanced over to see the reason for the commotion. 

 Remus Prince and Janus Noirblanc had, from their story, done everything right and still caused the chemicals to overflow. Mr. Sanders explained once more the importance of writing down the notes rather than doodling during note time, to which Remus and Janus laughed but nodded. 

 The class settled down once more. Logan quickly finished the lab for them, keeping an eye out for Mr. Sanders, before turning to Virgil. 

 “Hey,” he said, tentatively. “Is… is everything okay?”

 Virgil let out a laugh but it definitely didn’t sound happy.

 “I nearly made a fool of myself.”

 “Because kissing me would make a fool of you?”

 Virgil sighed.

 “Well, yeah. You’re just… you and so amazing and great and… ugh, do we have to do this here?”

 Logan glanced at the clock. He raised a brow at the other.

 “Are you going to run from me when the bell rings?” 

 Virgil clears his throat and looks away. “No…”

 “Virgil.”

 “Fine… I won’t… run away…”

 Logan gave a nod of approval. 

 “Then, very well. It can wait.”

 Which made for a very awkward ten minutes but Logan supposed Virgil had a point. Confessing to Virgil in the middle of Chemistry class hadn’t exactly been his own plan either.

 »»————　♞　————««

 Virgil was always nervous but that was nothing like how he felt when he followed Logan out of class. He was quiet and making as little sound as possible, hoping Logan might forget he was supposed to be following somewhere. Still, as he had promised his friend, Virgil did not run.

 Logan led them to a little lounge area. Other people were around, unfortunately in a school as big as theirs it was inevitable, but no one was paying any attention to them.

 Virgil sighed as he took the chair next to the one Logan chose. He turned toward him but raised his hood out of habit. Logan looked at him and Virgil couldn’t resist the urge to look up at him. Their eyes met and Virgil blushed but found he could not look away. 

 “Hey,” Logan said softly, a warm sort of smile on his face. Virgil couldn’t help but smile back gently at such a display of beauty. 

 “Hey… so…”

 “It’s okay… take your time.”

 “Dude, it’s like five minutes between classes. We literally have no time.”

 Hands were suddenly offered to him and Virgil took them without thinking. Logan’s hands were slightly larger than his own and he blushed to see how well they held his. He sighed, shaking the nerves off as much as possible. 

 “We have time and I’ll talk to the Principal or whoever I have to if by some chance we are late.”

 “Yeah, okay… fine. So, yeah… I don’t know… back there, in that moment, I just really wanted to kiss you and…”

 “I wanted to kiss you too, Virgil… just not in the middle of Chemistry class…”

 “Heh, yeah.” Virgil blushed at the admission, feeling butterflies in the bottom of his belly. “It was excellent timing on Remus and Janus’s part.”

 “A little too excellent… but yes.”

 Logan and Virgil laughed, the tenseness from earlier slipping away. 

 “Look… you were correct… we are a little pressed for time…”

 “Duh.”

 Logan laughed and Virgil smiled, pleased with himself. 

 “Why don’t… why don’t we walk home together? I’ll walk you home.”

 “Logan… you live like two miles from me…”

 “Yeah. I’m aware.” 

 Virgil let out a whistle at that and sighed when the warning bell went off to advise students to start heading directly to their classes. 

 “Fine. You can walk me home.”

 “Wonderful.” Logan hesitated before leaning in to press a kiss to Virgil’s cheek. He blushed but smiled happily at Virgil, squeezing his hands. With that, he left Virgil in a bit of a daze. It wasn’t until some loud laughter broke through the fog that Virgil remembered he needed to get to class. 

 Taking off, Virgil smiled to himself. 

 »»————　☠　————««

 Logan had never looked forward to the end of a school day until that day. He wished all his classes would hurry up. He didn’t bother pacing out his work, instead getting the classwork done and waiting as patiently for possible for the class to end. 

 Lunch would have been a nice reprieve but due to being in a few Pre-Advanced Placement courses, the lunch he took was different from that of his friends and of Virgil. 

 He was grateful that his debate class took some of the edge off. He had been due to debate with Remy Lassus but, as Remy’s parents had called him out sick, Remy’s spot had been taken by none other than Janus. 

 The two weren’t exactly friends. Janus was dating Logan’s best friend Roman and they tolerated each other for the most part. In Debate class? Oh, that was another matter entirely. 

 Janus had been able to keep up with Logan for most of the class but Logan caught a weak point in his argument that unravelled the whole thing. In the end, they shook hands but both knew the rivalry was still going strong. 

 With Debate out of the way, Logan just had his teacher aide lesson and he was home free. 

 Free to see Virgil. 

 Free to kiss Virgil… 

 With such a happy thought in his mind, Logan took off for the last period of the day. 

 »»————　♞　————««

 Virgil couldn’t believe he was doing this. Just waiting out at the front of the school for his friend who he had almost kissed in Chemistry. If he were a smart man, he would have headed straight for home after school.

 Well, he’d never told anyone he was smart (but Logan seemed to think he was). For whatever reason, this seemed right, no matter how much his twisting insides seemed to tell him otherwise.

 “Virgil!”

 Virgil’s whole body spun in the direction of Logan’s voice, a smile slipping onto his face as he found the other in the distance, rushing his way.

 “Hey, dork,” Virgil said but his words were soft. His voice was even softer. 

 “Hey, you,” Logan said, wincing at what he had just said. He shook his head as if that would cause his perceived faux pas to disappear. Virgil, however, had found it cute. 

 “So, uh… walking and talking?”

 Logan smiled and nodded. 

 “Thanks for waiting.”

 “Always.”

 Virgil blushed. He’d honestly meant it. Well, as much as a 16 year old boy could mean such things, but the point was, it was true for him. He hadn’t meant to tell Logan as much. He was smiling, however, so maybe him knowing wasn’t such a bad thing after all. 

 “Shall we go?”

 Virgil could only nod as he smiled. They started heading in the direction of Virgil’s house when he suddenly wondered if Logan would want to come in. Then became a little worried that his room was messy. Still, his happiness at walking with Logan—being with Logan—outweighed all the worries in the world.

 “Hey, so… thanks. You know, for earlier… talking after…”

 “It was my pleasure,” Logan said, smiling earnestly down at him. Virgil was surprised, suddenly realizing how close in height they were. Yeah, Logan was taller than him but it wasn’t by as much as Virgil had always thought.

 Would make it easier to kiss him~

 Oh, shut up, you-me-argh, just shut up!

 “About that, and what had almost happened before… let me be completely honest with you when I say that had we actually kissed in Chemistry class, I would not have been upset. Far from it…”

 Virgil looked at Logan just as the other was glancing at him. 

 “Really?”

 Logan nodded as they turned a corner into Virgil’s neighborhood.

 “Without question. I would have been bummed about the location and the lack of some level of privacy for such intimate displays, but I would have been very pleased with the kiss.”

 Virgil looked at Logan with wonder, his butterflies returning.

 “So… uh… you like me too then? I mean, you like me back…”

 Logan laughed at that but there was no malice, only fondness.

 “What is it you say… oh, right… duh,”

 Virgil blushed and shoved Logan playfully.

 “Shut up.”

 “You know… I didn’t say this earlier for obvious reasons but you look so cute when you blush.”

 Virgil’s face heated rapidly. “I do not!”

 “Oh, but you do.”

 “Jerk!”

 “I suppose that is warranted, considering my flirtation through teasing.”

 Virgil just laughed at that, shoving his face into his hands for a moment. Logan reached out to guide Virgil to a stop with him. 

 “Virgil… are you okay?”

 Virgil nodded, face still in his hands.

 “Yeah, just… give me a minute.”

 Logan didn’t say anything and Virgil couldn’t see his expression. Instead, Virgil felt Logan's hand rubbing his shoulders as well as he could around the backpack strap. Gradually, Virgil turned toward him. The other seemed to understand because a moment later, Logan was wrapping his arms around him as much as their backpacks would allow.

 Virgil closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being pressed against the other. He already knew now that Logan liked him. The butterflies in his tummy now had nothing to do with that.

 Virgil really, really wanted to kiss him. 

 Thank God his house was not far from where they were. 

 Virgil pulled away from the other, though he hadn’t really wanted to ever leave his arms. He smiled at Logan and nodded.

 “I’m good now, thanks.”

 Logan nodded, hesitated, and looked forward in the direction they were headed. After a few moments of what Virgil assumed was deliberation, Logan looked at him with a little pink coloring his cheeks.

 “If you would permit me to, I would very much like to hold hands with you.”

 Virgil could see what Logan meant. He looked quite nice with pink cheeks as well. Of course, such a request got Virgil blushing more. Yet it was with no hesitation that he stuck out his hand closest to Logan for the other to take.

 Logan smiled and laced their fingers before they began walking once more. It was a silent agreement that any further talk could wait until they reached Virgil’s house.

 »»————　☠　————««

 Logan marveled at how wonderful it felt, walking with Virgil, the other teen’s hand in his own. Before Virgil, Logan had always wondered at how couples did such things. Now, after Virgil, he wanted all of those things. But with Virgil alone. 

 Virgil was leading them along the route he took home everyday. It was so interesting to experience, especially with the knowledge that Virgil liked him as he liked Virgil. 

 Logan squeezed the other’s hand only for Virgil to squeeze back, looking at him and smiling brightly. A little pink brushed his cheeks and covered the bridge of his nose. 

 How could one person be so mesmerizing?

 “We’re almost there,” Virgil announced. Logan swallowed hard. 

 Almost there. 

 Logan nodded and smiled. The smile felt a little forced, but Virgil smiled back. Logan tried to ignore the sudden nerves he felt and enjoy the walk. 

 Luckily, as soon as they turned the corner, Virgil was pointing out a house two buildings down on the side they were currently on. 

 “There’s my house,” he mumbled and Logan could just smile. 

 “Well, let’s go then.”

 Virgil led him to the house and inside. As soon as he opened the door, a short woman wearing a dress and apron came from what Logan assumed was the kitchen. 

 “My baby’s home!” She looked at Logan. He could see where Virgil got his sharp gaze. He smiled. “And he brought a friend…”

 Virgil cleared his throat.

 “This is Logan… I’ve uh… told you about him… he’s in my Chemistry class… we’re just gonna go up to my room for a bit before Logan goes home… kay now, bye Mom. Love you.”

 “Oh! This is Logan!” Virgil’s mom said, the words finally clicking, but Virgil had already dragged Logan down the hallway and into his room. 

 Closing the door behind him, Virgil sighed. Flicking on the light, he nodded at the bed.

 “Sorry, not a lot of options for seating,” he said with a soft laugh. Logan laughed as well and took the end furthest from the pillows. Virgil soon joined him. 

 “So…”

 “So…” Logan agreed with a little smile. He was silent for a moment more, teasing Virgil just a little, before he continued. “So… let’s go down the list, shall we?”

 Virgil snorted but nodded. Logan offered his hands which Virgil took immediately.

 Smiling, Logan began.

 “We both like each other…”

 “Check.”

 “We both want to kiss each other?”

 “Duh.”

 Logan gave him a look and Virgil rolled his eyes, smiling. 

 “Check.”

 “And am I correct in assuming that we both want… uh… something more? You know…”

 “Are you correct in assuming that we want to be boyfriends?”

 Logan nodded. “That’s better. Yes.”

 “Very check.”

 Logan grinned and Virgil grinned back. 

 Just like it had happened in Chemistry class, Virgil started to shift a little closer. Logan was more than happy to lean in as well. 

 This time, no chemicals overflowed and no one was around. This time, there was no almost.

 Virgil’s lips pressed against Logan’s first but he had definitely not been too far away. Logan hummed happily into the kiss, his eyes closed as he laced his fingers with Virgil’s.

 Logan felt such deep warmth like he had never felt before. He found himself immediately shifting closer to Virgil, as if he were his magnetic opposite. 

 Virgil chuckled into the kiss, soon having to break it. Logan looked at him with confusion and Virgil shook his head. 

 “What’s so funny?” Logan asked, tilting his head. 

 “Sorry, Logan… it’s just. I’m starting to think my mom sent me to public school just to make sure I found happiness… but I don’t really think she expected this. Maybe a favorite class. Maybe a best friend. I doubt a boyfriend was ever on her radar.”

 Logan laughed softly too. 

 “I think she will be happy with whatever happiness you find. And you’ll find many more happinesses… hopefully with me.”

 Virgil smiled. “Well, you haven’t actually asked me out yet.”

 Logan sighed. “Virgil Armitage, will you go out with me?” Though he had sighed, he was smiling by the time he finished.

 Virgil smirked. “Duh.”

 Logan would have groaned but Virgil was kissing him moments after and Logan really didn’t feel the need to stop him as he kissed back.

 A lot had changed in Logan’s life since Virgil entered into it but, as Logan had come to find, sometimes in life there were just some changes that were worth making.

»»————　♞　————««

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Thomas Sanders or Joan, nor the rest of their group. I do not own or make money off of these characters. I only own the story as it is written.

Super uber thanks to my beta reader for this fic @sunshineandteddybears​ and the two that preread my stuff to make sure its up to par: @romantichopelessly & @sunshineandteddybears.

#tsart #analogical #ts analogical #logan sanders #ts logan #virgil sanders #ts virgil #insanelycoolish #tlhrfanfic #lab partners au #lab partners #science boyfriends #tlhrfanfic writing #request fills

[lovelyirony]

Winteriron Idea: Tony doesn’t expect to see his high school crush at his cousin Sharon’s wedding, but here he is, in a suit that makes his mouth water.

Tony never exactly got over his stupid high school crush on Bucky Barnes, honestly. He was a nice guy, always humorous, and he was good-looking to boot. 

And yeah, he followed him on social media and sneakily liked the pictures or just stared, and that was fine! That was fine. 

He could be happy just simply living his life and not having any romantic partner! And who knows, maybe Bucky wouldn’t be a romantic partner, maybe he would suck at it and Tony’s just foisting all of his romantic scenarios onto Bucky and nothing is ever realistic! 

Besides, they were living different lives now. Bucky was working at some security company that Nat also worked at, and Tony was working for his own company in the R&D department after Pepper overtook as CEO. (Thank god, he loves that woman immensely.) 

Tony sees his cousin Sharon every so often. They’re closer now that they’re grown up, and he always looks forward to hearing from her. 

Especially now, when he sees a golden band on her left ring finger, and her eyes are grinning. 

“Steve proposed!” 

“You sound like an excitable debutante,” Tony says, although he’s smiling. “I’m surprised that Steve took my hint. Along with everyone else’s.” 

Sharon lightly taps his shoulder. 

“Hey, he’s not that dense.” 

“Isn’t he?” Tony teases, bringing her into a hug. “You have to promise me that I can help with some of the stuff.” 

“No way,” Sharon says. “You can help by supervising the other cousins and making sure that they don’t steal all of the alcohol at the open bar like last time.” 

“Didn’t we also do that?” 

“Yeah, but we were better about it, so that doesn’t count.” 

Tony laughs. 

“Okay, well let me know if there’s anything I can do.” 

“You know I will.” 

He’s mostly left out of wedding planning, although Sharon nervously asks where he gets his suits, and Tony takes care of that little portion. (Or at least, part of it. Sharon still wants to pay for it, and so he calls the tailor ahead of time and says that he’ll pay for seventy-five percent of the cost beforehand if he’ll only charge twenty-five percent.) 

And then, the day of the wedding. 

Tony’s been helping set everything up, center the tablecloths, and making sure that everything is perfect or Sharon doesn’t know about it if it isn’t. 

He’s so busy with everything that he doesn’t notice all the guests, and he hasn’t seen any of the groomsmen. 

This is a problem. Kind of. 

-

You see, as Tony is sitting by Bruce and Thor, he realizes that he forgot one crucial detail about this whole thing: 

Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes are best friends. 

He doesn’t know how he forgot this, it’s the easiest thing to remember. Hell, they would say the same thing at the same time and would get each other out of trouble every single week. 

He’s in a suit. 

A suit. 

He sits up a little straighter and Bruce sends him a look that says he still remembers when Tony would literally rework his day to see even a glimpse of him. 

“You’re still stuck on him?” Bruce whispers. 

“What? No!” Tony whispers back. “No!” 

“You’re so bad at lying,” Bruce says, grinning at him. 

“You both need to pay attention to Sharon,” Thor says. 

“We are!” They whisper back, and their eyes go back to Sharon, who has her vows written out on a napkin from Steve’s favorite diner. (Disgustingly cute.) 

-

Bucky can see Tony from the altar. It’s weird, seeing him again. 

Steve had told him he’d be there, obviously. 

“So you can still have your crush there,” Steve had teased him. “You want me to tell him that you liked him in that last magazine he was in?” 

“Aw shut up,” Bucky whines, fiddling with his cufflinks. “I can still knock your ass out when the priest asks for any objections.” 

“But you won’t,” Steve says. 

“Then you get to hear me talk about how embarrassing you were all throughout high school and how Sharon still doesn’t know that you were the reason that they got the really nice suite for the final basketball championship.” 

Steve flips him off, and Bucky laughs at him. 

He knew Tony would be there, but it’s very different to see him. 

He looks handsome, beyond handsome. He has an artfully shaved beard, a tailored suit that fits to perfection, and the way he’s smiling as he watches Sharon and Steve say “I do” and kiss to seal the deal is good to see. 

He’s always liked his smile. 

- 

Now the reception. 

Bucky is busy with pictures and catching up with old family and friends, and everything else that came with being the best man at a wedding. He can’t really find Tony until he sees him in line to congratulate Sharon. 

After he does so, Bucky waves at him. Tony carefully weaves through the crowd to see him. 

“Hey,” Bucky says. “Good to see you again, Tony.” 

“It’s nice to see you too,” Tony answers, smiling gently. “What have you been up to?” 

-

From then, they talk all night. Bucky nearly misses his cue to give the speech before dinner, and his eyes keep drifting over to Tony, who’s smiling up at him. His heart skips a couple of beats. 

He finishes up his speech, watches Steve twirl Sharon around the dance floor, and catches Tony’s eyes as the song finishes up. He tilts his head, indicating the dance floor being open. 

Tony steps out. 

They meet in the middle, and Bucky grins. 

“Been waiting since high school for something like this to happen,” he admits. “I remember you being an exceptionally good dancer.” 

“You...you do?” Tony asks as they twirl expertly around. Bucky sends him out of his arms, and watches as he twists back into the embrace. It’s perfect. 

“Of course I remember. You’re an exceptionally hard person to forget about, Tony.” 

“I could say the same of you,” Tony says, smiling up at him. “I remember that you were always kind. And nice. And also an alright dancer.” 

“Like I could’ve held a candle to you and Pepper,” Bucky asks. “How is she, by the way?” 

“Enjoying running the company,” Tony answers. He changes the pace of their steps as the song shifts into a slower one. “She and Dr. Helen Cho are doing well together.” 

“Oh?” 

“Oh is right,” Tony teases. “She adores the hell out of her.” 

“And what about you? Surely there’s someone who adores the hell out of you.” 

“Not so far,” Tony says, small frown on his face for a moment. 

Bucky takes his chance. 

“And if there was someone?” 

Tony’s eyes snap up to his. 

“Oh?” 

Bucky smiles. 

“I, uh...I meant to ask you out senior year of high school, after graduation. But then time got away from me, and I was too much of a damn coward to ask. So I’m hoping I’m not too late.” 

“Better late than never,” Tony says with a grin. “I had wanted to do the same, but then I had found out that you and Steve and Sam were doing your grand road trip, and I didn’t want to ask you and then leave.” 

“Then how should we make it up to each other?” Bucky asks. 

“Coffee for starters,” Tony says. “But I think I might make you come with me to an art museum next...it’s only fair.” 

“Of course,” Bucky says. “It’s only fair that I treat you to dinner afterwards, as well.” 

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

They leave together, and Natasha cusses as she hands Bruce some bills. 

“How were you right about this? You thought his name was Binky!” 

Bruce cackles. 

“I know my romance, Romanov.” 

“You told Thor if he didn’t date you then he would receive grilled cheese sandwiches unexpectedly throughout his life.” 

Bruce shrugs. 

“Like I said. I’m a romantic.” 

#lovelyirony writes #winteriron #bucky barnes #tony stark #staron #natasha romanoff #bruce banner #of course i have to write bruce into everything i do what else is to be done?

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Satisfied, Part 20

First

Previous

Next

~~~

The next day, she walked through the bad part of town (was there really a bad part of town in a place like this?). With the horse miraculous the whole ‘walking’ thing wasn’t quite necessary, but she was waiting for something.

She checked her reflection in a mirror and made sure that her earpiece was completely invisible and continued on.

People avoided her like the plague. If you were wearing a costume you were either a rogue or a vigilante. In this part of town they were both equally bad. The best option was to avoid them and hope you don’t find out.

So, when she saw people approaching her, her brain shorted out a little bit. They were all obviously affiliated with each other. They were wearing the same suits, even had the same general build. Did their boss get mad at them? At her? Did they have some sort of grudge?

Then she saw the needle in the closest’s hand.

She made a squeaking noise in the back of her throat and turned on her heel. To her horror, she saw more people in those same suits. Great. Brilliant, even. They’d surrounded her and were blocking her only two exits.

She could use a portal, sure, but she didn’t want everyone to know her powers. The less people knew about her new persona the better.

“Feeellas,” she said awkwardly as they neared her, hands up in surrender. “Listen, listen, you rea -- eeee!”

She had been cut off when one lunged for her. She backed up as quickly as she could, eyes locked on the needle in his hand, only to feel a hand clamp around her shoulder.

Her head whipped around and the man gave an apologetic smile as he held up a syringe.

“Ah, bon,” she hissed.

She didn’t register a gradual drop of consciousness, didn’t even feel the needle puncture her skin. One second she was struggling to get out of the man’s grip, the next she was tied in a chair, a bag over her head.

She could hear people screaming in her ear but it all came out as fuzz.

“Quoi?” She murmured to herself.

The bag was whipped off her head at the sound and she blinked a few times as she tried her hardest to understand what was going on through all the fog.

She was in a warehouse of some sort, that much was obvious from the high ceilings and boxes. For some reason, though, only one light was on; the one right above her shone brightly, making it hard to see more than a few feet in front of her.

Her brain cleared when she felt the cold barrel of a gun touch the back of her head. Her pupils dilated in fear. Even if it wouldn’t kill her, a shot to the head would definitely leave her incapacitated for the next few days.

A person stepped into her vision.

She looked up at the face of Harley Quinn and gave a weak smile. “Hey, miss, if you wanted to thank me this wasn’t at all necessary.”

She gave a soft laugh. “Thanks for your help, darlin’, but that’s not what you’re here for.”

“Then why?” She asked, trying to subtly tip her head back and see who had a gun to her head.

She heard the safety click and froze. She slowly trained her gaze back on the woman in front of her, but she never heard the safety turn back on.

The intention was clear: one more chance.

The smile that stretched across the woman’s face was so calculated and cold that she felt a shiver run through her. “I just have a few questions for you.”

She looked up at the woman in front of her and knew instantly that lying would be a fatal mistake. While she definitely gave off the impression of someone who had a few screws loose, her eyes were far too sharp for that to be completely true. At the very least, she’d been a very smart person before she had gone off the deep end. There was nothing saying that she didn’t keep those smarts when she’d changed.

So, no lies. This should be fun.

She swallowed thickly. “Of course.”

“One: why did you help me?”

“I was in the area, I saw you fighting Robin, I wanted to help you out.”

“Okay, that’s how, but why?”

Marinette bit the inside of her cheek. “You’re pretty high up in the crime world, I thought it would be a good idea to get on your good side.”

Harley raised her eyebrows. She must not have detected a lie, because in all technicality there wasn’t one, so she moved on: “Two: how do you know Robin?”

She blinked a few times.

“He went easy on you at first, it’s not normal for him.”

She gave a small shrug. “We’d met before. Didn’t go great on either of our ends but definitely not for me.”

Harley nodded. “Three: why can’t I take off your mask?”

Oh, thank kwami. Something she could answer having to think of a lie. “Miraculi don’t let you take them off without a fight. Especially this one, because it doubles as a mask.”

“Miraculi?” The woman’s cold smile dropped slightly in her confusion.

Great. She’d been wrong. Apparently they weren’t all that well-known in America. She could have hidden that information by just saying it was a part of her powers. Still, she couldn’t start lying now, so she just said: “It’s a France thing, apparently. It just grants me my powers.”

“And how do those powers work?”

She gave a small shrug. “I can open portals anywhere I can see or visualize perfectly. Like, I can make a portal across the room and send another to my house, but I can’t make one ‘just outside’ because I don’t know where I am.”

Harley nodded slowly. “Last question: why are you on this side?”

The girl closed her eyes to think, then looked up at the woman. “Necessity,” she said simply.

She looked at the person behind Marinette and tipped her head to the side. “She wasn’t lying.”

“She’s still hiding things,” said a man’s voice.

“She’d be stupid not to.”

There was a long silence and Marinette’s forehead beaded with sweat.

The safety clicked and the gun left her skin. She breathed a sigh of relief and slumped in her chair as much as her restraints allowed.

Harley smiled. “Have you already had your debut? You said you had already fought Robin once before...”

Marinette bit the inside of her cheek. “I’ve not really done anything outside of fight him while like this. I kind of wanted to do some sort of major thing to debut.”

“Weeeell,” she began.

The man behind her sighed. “Harley. Don’t.”

“Whaaat? I like her,” she pouted.

The man groaned.

The woman grinned and leaned down to be at eye level. “Listen, darlin’, we’re planning to crash the Wayne Gala. You want in?”

Marinette’s eyes widened. The Wayne Gala? She cursed in French. She was lucky she hadn’t yet made prototypes for the outfits, because she was going to have to rework them to make running easier.

“Um... don’t speak French, darlin’.”

“Oh. I was just saying that sounds fun! Can’t wait!” (It was true, the context had just been much different.)

The woman walked around her. “Great! Let me just untie you...”

“No need.” She winked and opened a portal under herself and went crashing to the ground a few feet away. The chair broke under her from the force and she grinned as she pushed the splinters away from herself.

“Are you okay?” Came Batman’s voice in her ear, and Harley unknowingly echoed him.

“Yeah, these suits are pretty durable,” she answered both, then looked up at her captors. Whoever the guy was, he wasn’t the Joker. Still, he had the very distinct look of a villain. She frowned slightly as she tried to place his face, then shrugged to herself. She’d describe him to the bats later.

She stood and picked up the rope holding her, then pouted at the pair. “You used my own weapon to tie me?”

“Sorry, darlin’,” said Harley, not sounding at all sorry. “It was what we had on hand.”

She reattached her lasso to her waist. “Alright. I’m gonna head out. Next time, if you want to contact me, could you just send a guy to tell me so?”

Harley grinned. “No promises.”

She sighed and shook her head slightly, then opened a portal back to the grocers rooftop. She sent a tiny wink before slipping through.

~~~

You know I got five plants at the beginning of this and named each of them after a different Wayne, then I said ‘hey, whichever one(s) is/are dead by the end of three weeks will die in the fic’ and all of them are still alive. The plants have spoken

~

Taglist

@comet-kun @thatonecroc @trippingovermyfeet @swiftie-miraculer13 @nickristus-dreamer @moongoddesskiana @i-am-ironic @indecisive-mess-named-me @thebooki3h @insane-fangirl-of-everything @deepestobservationwombat @theymakeupfairies @fatimaabbasrizvi @clumsy-owl-4178 @fanofalittletoomuch @iamablinkmarvelarmy @nathleigh @lilkymilky @silvergold-swirl @dino-lovingreen-angel @thestressmademedoit @kissa-chan @ladybug-182 @alysrose-starchild @t1dwarrior-of-earth @spyofthenightcourt @rowanrouge @nik-nak-3 @momothefemur @aestheticnpoetic @labschaos @our-preciousss @mochinek0 @eliza-bich @mythogaychic @severelyenchantedwonderland @sashakoi @smolplantmum @bluesimani @tropestropestropes @kitsunebell @keepingupwiththemalfoys @sassakitty @2confused-2doanything

#maribat #satisifed #timinette #timari #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #tim drake #red robin

[13-reasons-ideas]

Can’t Go Back Part 19

A/N: Sorry this one is a few days late. I was having issues with it. I couldnt get it to flow and it had to be reworked a few times. No smut in this one. It also wasn't working for me. There will be smut in the next Present chapter. The next chapter will be posted on Friday as usual. As always, feedback is appreciated and much love. -Em

Monty and I were still dancing around each other a little, but things were getting easier. Our life had fallen back into a comfortable routine. The date night we indulged in last week seemed like it hit the reset button on our relationship again. Our alarm went off on Tuesday morning and we both groaned in protest. It was so warm in bed. “Remind me again why we can’t just cut school and lay here all day?”

“Because we need to go learn things. Helps with the whole graduation thing we are supposed to do this year.” I could feel Monty peppering my neck with soft kisses. “It’s not going to work, Casanova.”

“Shhh. Let me try.” He shushed me.

“No. We don’t have time.” I sighed. I really don’t want to get up. How was I a morning person before?

“I think we do.” Oh yeah.  I didn’t have someone waking me up with cuddles and kisses. Nd begging to stay in bed.

“We do not.” I sighed again. Monty sighed. He let go of me and I rolled out of bed. I could feel his eyes on my ass, and I shook my hips a little. He ignored me.

After a hot shower, separately lest we run late for another joyous day at Liberty High, we enjoyed coffee and breakfast together. I smiled to myself while I ate. I was just thankful that we were getting back to normal again. I hated fighting with him. We both knew that it would happen. Especially since we are both stubborn and have an inexplicable need to be right. We were prepared for the little tiffs that would come along. We were prepared for the big fights that were sure to come. Forever is a long time, after all. There were just some things you couldn’t prepare for. Our current struggle was one of those things. But we were getting through it.

Monty startled me when he placed a full cup of coffee beside me. “Thank you.”

“I promised I would never leave your morning coffee empty, remember?”

“I remember.” I smiled fondly and took a sip. He placed his bowl-we had moved up from sticking his hand directly in the box, thank God-in the dishwasher. Scott texted me while I was packing up my backpack.

Can we talk before lunch?

Yeah, sure. About what?

Monty.

Is everything okay? I looked up from my phone at my husband. He was shoving his physics textbook into his bag. It didn’t seem like anything was wrong.

Nothing’s wrong exactly.

What do you mean? He didn’t reply. There was still no answer when Monty and I got to school. Scott wouldn’t look at me when we stopped to chat with our friends. What the hell?

Scott met me outside of my class. “Hey.”

“Hey.” We walked to an empty alcove outside, chatting about nothing in particular. He sat down on the bench and motioned for me to join him.

“I want to keep this short because I’m hungry. We need to talk about Monty.”

“What about him?”

“Now, I know I said I would stay out of your marriage unless I was invited.”

“Yes. You did?”

“And I’m glad everything is working out between you two now.”

“Yeah.” I was beginning to get nervous.

“I also swore to myself I would take zero interest in your private life.”

“That sounds like bullshit. But okay.” He didn’t say anything. He looked at me seriously. Oh. “You mean, our private life.”

“Yeah.”

“So, why do we need to talk Scott?”

“You need to have sex with your husband.” He stated.

“Oh. Okay. I’ll get right on that. Shall we text you updates before, during, and after?”

“Addison. I’m serious.”

“If you are going to lecture me on ‘needs’ Scott….”

“No, nothing like that. He’s just really fucking annoying.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Don’t worry, we don’t talk details. All I need to know about that is that its consensual. But he’s getting kind of cranky.”

“Not with me.” I shrugged.

“Yeah. Because he loves you and he just got out of your bad books.”

“You think that would stop him from being cranky with me? Are we talking about the same Montgomery de la Cruz here? Have you met your best friend?”

“Yes. I think, given the situation, that it would. He likes you. He doesn’t exactly like many other people. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed.”

“Maybe once or twice.” I shrugged.

“Will you just think about it?”

“Yeah, I’ll think about it.”

“Great. And no. I don’t need updates. Or want them.” We stood up and started walking to the cafeteria.

“Hey Scott?”

“Yeah Addy?”

“Thank you. For being so supportive during this whole mess. I don’t think many other people would be.”

“You’re my friends. It’s what I’m here for. And you feed me at least once a week. I wasn’t about to start missing out on that.” He grinned at me. I laughed and pushed him gently.

“Let me check with my wife.” Monty was saying as Scott and I sat down at lunch.

“Check with me about what?”

“I was just asking Monty if he was down to come to my place for a party later this week.” Bryce said.

Monty gave me a look. “And so, I said I would check with you.” Ah yes. The old checking with the wife line.

“When this week?”

“Friday. Are you his daytimer?”

“Friday?” I thought for a second. “You have a doctor’s appointment at four and physio at seven. It seems I am.”

“Sorry man.” Monty shrugged.

“It’s one appointment. I’m sure you’d be fine to miss them. Or you could swing by after.” I rolled my eyes.

“Do you want your friend’s knee to be permanently fucked? No? Then he can’t go.” Bryce didn’t answer. Thinking the matter had been decided and was no longer up for discussion, I settled in to eat my lunch.

“You could just come anyway. How would she know?” I heard him whisper to Monty.

“Considering we live together I think I would notice if he wasn’t home.” I whisper said back. “We share a bed.” I left the implication of what happened the last time he wasn’t home in our bed, but rather out with Bryce, be.

“Fine.” Bryce pouted.

I caught up with Monty after lunch and he walked me to class. His arm was thrown over my shoulder, possessively, more often than not now that we were getting back on the road to happy, healthy marriage land. “Check with your wife, huh?”

“Yeah. Don’t want to hurt his feelings.”

“You know I’m okay with you going, right?”

“I know. But I would rather spend my Friday night with you. I don’t actually have a doctor’s appointment I forgot about, do I?”

“No. You’re free for the night.”

“Good.”

“How has your knee been doing, by the way?”

“It’s been okay. Not like I’m doing anything to stress the ligament too much.” I smirked softly. “I mean, I can’t play ball. I’m not even supposed to be working out that much.” Right. That’s what you meant.

“That’s true. What are we doing instead of Bryce’s?”

“I was thinking pizza? Maybe make it ourselves?”

“Hey guys. Wait up!” Scott called after us. We stopped and turned around. Scoot was tailed by Anders.

“Hey.”

“Doctor’s appointments?” Scott smirked.  

“Sure.” Monty nodded.

“You really don’t want to go on Friday, do you?”

“No. I have much better plans.” He squeezed me softly.

“He really does.” I nodded.

“What are your plans?” Anders asked.

“No pants pizza night.”

“What?”

“No pants pizza.” I repeated.

“What’s that?”

“We make or order pizza. And then we sit on the couch. And eat it. Without pants on.” I explained slowly.

“No pants pizza.” Monty shrugged. Scott quickly quirked his brow at me. I made no indication of noticing. The warning bell rang so we went our separate ways.

In class, I took my seat next to Alex and Zach. Alex had come around to Monty and I after we all had dinner. Zach was still pretty stand-offish. The Zach issue had been pushed to the side. We had bigger things to worry about recently. And trying to figure out what was going on in Zach Dempsey’s head was always a tossup. The boy was far from an open book. “Hey Addy.” Alex greeted.

“Hey guys.”

“Hey.” My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out to look. It was a reminder about Monty’s physio appointment tomorrow night. He texted me right away. I didn’t forget about this one.

“How are things?” I asked.

“They go.” Zach replied. Why the hell is he so cranky. It’s been two months. Over two. Everyone else has moved on. Why can’t you?

“They’re good. I started working out with Caleb and Tony.”

“That’s great Alex.”

“Yeah. Girls aren’t really that into scrawny guys.”

“That’s not true.”

“Says the girl married to an Adonis.”

“Semantics.” I shrugged.

“You’re a catch Alex.” Zach added.

“Thanks Zach.” His smile seemed a little brighter at the compliment. Huh. That could be interesting. We chatted a little more before class started. We were watching a video in class and our teacher hadn’t come back with the TV yet.

“Hey, did you guys want to get a burger or something from Rosie’s tomorrow night? Monty has physio so it would just be us.”

“I’m always down for some junk food.” Alex laughed.

“Zach?”

“Sure. I mean,” he paused, “I could eat.”

“Great. Say five thirty?”

“Works for me. I can give you a ride Alex.” Zach offered.

After school, I waited for Monty. He had a test in physics and Mr. Brown was still a hardass about people leaving after they were done. He made everyone wait until every test was handed in. That being said, he always gave everyone five extra minutes at the end of class to finish. For daytime classes, he gave the class notes to excuse lates in their next class.

“Hey Casanova.” I called as Monty left.

“Hey Bookworm.” He leaned in to kiss me when he reached me.

“How was your test?”

“It was okay. My brain hurts.” We walked hand in hand to the Jeep. He hadn’t let me drive since he got cleared by Dr. Marcus. I miss driving it.

“Awe. I’m sorry. Can I drive?”

“No. My car. I drive.” Oh. Okay maybe Scott is right. Maybe he is a little cranky. That’s okay.

“Okay.” I smiled. I climbed in the passenger seat and buckled up.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound that harsh.”

“No, I know. It’s okay. I just thought I’d offer since you look drained from that test.”

“I appreciate the offer, really. I’m good though.”

“Okay.” He leaned over and kissed me again before we drove home.

Inside, I grabbed a snack and refilled my water bottle. I grabbed a couple bags of fruit snacks for Monty too. We worked on homework quietly for a couple of hours. Justin called as I was finishing up. “Homework help?” he asked in lieu of a greeting.

“Shoot.”

“The discussion questions from my English class make no sense.”

“What are the questions?”

“What’s going on?” Monty asked me quietly. I pulled the phone away from my ear and covered the mic.

“English discussion questions.”

“I have them here.” He handed me the sheet. I looked over it carefully. I had uncovered the mic while reading.

“These are kind of dumb. Is this what you do in regular English?”

“Yeah.” My boys responded together.

“Huh. At least you get to read fun books. City of Bones is good. Okay then. Uh let me see.”

“The movie was still bad.”

“Shh. I’m helping Justin.” I grinned.

“Sorry.”

“Okay. Valentine’s rebellion.” I thought for a moment and then discussed it with Justin. “If you just write down what I say, your teacher will know you had someone else do it. So, work through it on your own now.”

“Thanks Addy. You’re the best.”

“I know. Night Justin.” After we hung up, I remembered the plans I made with Alex and Zach. “I’m going to Rosie’s with Alex and Zach tomorrow while you’re at physio.”

“Sounds good.”

“Okay.” I grinned at him.

With our homework finished, we spent the rest of the evening cuddling on the couch. There was something Monty wanted to watch on tv. I had lost interest in it pretty quickly, so I got up and grabbed a book. Laying back down on the couch, I rested my head in his lap. He absentmindedly stroked my hair. Scott’s words played over in my mind. I thought about it for a little while but decided a Tuesday evening probably wasn’t the best time to potentially spend all night having sex. We have school in the morning after all. When we were getting ready for bed though, instead of putting a pair of shorts and one of my old gym shirts on, I walked over to Monty’s dresser and pulled out one of his shirts. I swam in it. I changed my underwear. He whistled to himself when he left the bathroom. I smiled to myself. The seed is planted. Monty pulled me a little closer than usual when we got in bed.

I met Zach and Alex at Rosie’s for dinner. I had run home to change first because it was warmer than I expected it to be today. I didn’t feel right going to dinner in my gym shirt, even if it was at the local diner. Since it was quiet, being the middle of the week, our waitress was at our table almost before we sat down. Melinda had been our waitress here since Zach and I were kids. She was a kind old lady. She knew everyone’s orders by heart. As such, we didn’t have to give our drink order. She did let us look at the menu “just for fun”.

“How’re things with you guys?” I asked when our drinks arrived. I took a few sips of my Cherry Coke float and stirred it to mix it up.

“Things are good. The team is looking pretty good this year. School prospects are looking good.” Zach said.

“Monty was saying that they’re shaping up pretty well. And you Alex?”

“Good. Jess and I are friends again. Tony says I’m getting stronger.”

“That’s great Alex.” I smiled.

“How are things with you Addy?”

“They’re good. I’m done with college applications for now.”

“Early admission?” Zach asked.

“Yeah. If I don’t get in anywhere, then I’ll apply for regular admission somewhere.”

Melinda was eyeing us from the counter, so we looked at the menu quickly. We decided to split a couple baskets of fries, some chicken strips, and each get a burger. I got a chicken sandwich. The boys both got cheeseburgers. After our drinks were refilled, we got back to talking. “How’s Monty doing?” Alex asked. Zach’s face pinched slightly. Seriously what the hell is his deal?

“He’s doing okay. Stubborn. But that isn’t a surprise to anyone.”

“Is he ever not stubborn?” Well, sometimes. During sex.

“I don’t think you want to know. And he would have to kill the three of us if I told you.”

“Oh? Are you trying to tell us that he’s fun?” Zach asked.

“He likes to make me smile. So sometimes he does stuff to make that happen. And that’s all you’re getting out of me.”

“And his knee?”

“You know. It’s a process. Some days are better than others. I think it bugs him more than he lets on, but I don’t want to push. Physio is helping and Dr. Marcus says he should be able to do some lower body workouts if things keep progressing well.”

“That’s good. Tell him to stop by practice sometime?”

“I’ll try. I think there’s only so many practices he can go to and just watch.”

“I get that. The invitation is open though.”

“I’ll let him know.”

Our food arrived. The three of us took a break from catching up, to savour the food. “How’s married life?” Alex asked.

“Oh, you know.” The boys looked at me, expectantly. “It’s mostly a lot of asking each other what we want for dinner. Every night. For the rest of our lives.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.” Zach smiled.

“That isn’t. It’s agreeing on something that’s the hard part. I married a guy who would be content eating chicken nuggets and fruit snacks for dinner every night. Trying to get him to eat a vegetable is an almost insurmountable battle.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Can you blame him?” Alex asked.

“It feels like it is sometimes. And not really. But would eating some carrots really hurt him?”

“Yes.” My friends said in unison.

“Boys.” I rolled my eyes and laughed. “It’ll only get worse when we have kids and they’re at eating regular food age. Because they’ll need to be included in the decision.”

“And how can you make them eat vegetables when their dad doesn’t?” Alex laughed.

“Exactly!” I exclaimed, pointing a chicken strip at him. The three of us laughed.

“How are things with you guys… otherwise?” Zach asked, hesitantly.

“They’re,” I paused, “getting better. We’ve talked a lot in the last few weeks. I think we are back on the same page. It’s a work in progress.”

“That’s good. Things seemed pretty….” He didn’t finish his sentence.

“I know. And they were. We are working on it though.”

“It was pretty funny watching him shut Bryce down at lunch.”

“What happened?” Alex asked.

“He played the ‘let me ask my wife’ card.”

“Oof. And I’m guessing that went over Bryce’s head?”

“What do you think?”

“Of course, it did.” He grinned and shook his head.

We talked for another hour or so. Melinda brought us another basket of fries on the house. Around seven, Monty texted me. I grabbed a couple of pints of Haagen Dazs at the store.

Okay. I’ll see you at home. I love you.

I love you too. The three of us called it a night around eight. We bid each other good night and promised to text each other when we got home.

I’m on my way home. Do we need anything else before I get home?

No, I grabbed a couple of things. I’ll get your ice cream out. Drive safe Bookworm.

Okay. Thank you. I will. See you soon Casanova.

#can't go back #monty imagine #monty x reader #monty de la Cruz fanfic #montgomery de la cruz x oc #monty de la cruz #montgomery de la cruz #montgomery de la cruz imagine #montgomery de la cruz x reader #zach dempsey #Alex Standall #scott reed

[winters-void]

100

a/n: this is based off of episode 9 of season 5 “100″ of criminal minds. -Requests are open.

warning: death, blood, violence, angst, George foyet, murder

relationship: dad! Hotchner x daughter! reader, Spencer Reid x reader (light)

____

Y/n felt her heart in her chest. She couldn't hear, over her heartbeat and her vision was blurred due to the immense amount of tears in her eyes. She felt Spencer's hand on her shoulder and that was all it took to break down. She fell to her knee's being caught along the way by Spencer and began to bawl into his shoulder. His cane fell to the side as he held her close as she broke down into his body.

— previously —

Y/n was exhausted. She graciously took a cup of coffee from Spencer as they made their way up to the bullpen. Finally, there had been a break in the Foyet case. She was so tired of this devil. It seemed like he was everywhere she looked. Even if he wasn't there physically.

She could feel him in her dreams, plaguing her with nightmares. Every time she looked at the family photo on her desk, and a picture of her and Jack from her little brother's 3rd birthday she was reminded of the torment he had caused her family. From stabbing her father and leaving him at the hospital, and now threatening Jack and her mother. She was so tired of it.

They were working on a geographical profile now, focusing on the two different addresses from the letters he had sent. Garcia and Kevin where cross referencing a list of Foyet's medications, trying to find something that he couldn't get over the counter or on the streets.

"Okay so what are we going to do about the two cities?" J.J. asked. "Usually we need 3 different points to get an accurate geographic profile."

"That's all we got right now." Derek speaks from beside her.

"Gaithersburg, Rockville, D.C., Alexandria, Bowie, Annapolis." Prentiss begins listing off nearby cities.

"Where the hell are you Foyet?"

Wasn't that the question of the hour? Of the year actually. All Y/n wanted was to have her family under one roof again. Even if her parents were divorced, she just wanted the ability to call her mom after a long case and play with her little brother. Instead, they were placed into protective custody. She knew they were safe, at least she hoped they were.

The team wasn't told where they were going whatsoever, it was safer that way. No way of knowing where your mom and brother were, and not knowing how to contact them. There was a small amount of people who knew where they were located.

"Okay, me and the boy found a thyroid medication that has no substitute over the counter. You gotta get it from a pharmacist, but a lot of people are on it." Garcia said bursting into the bullpen with a laptop in her hand.

"Find the midpoint between the 2 cities." Rossi told her. "And isolate names in a 25-mile radius."

"153 names." Garcia told him.

"He's smart enough to use a different name." Y/n spoke up. "This guy lived off of the grid for years."

"What kind of names should we be looking for." Derek asks.

"He could've easily stolen someones identity." Prentiss speaks up pointing toward Derek, reminding Y/n of the night her father got stabbed and Foyet checked him into the hospital using Derek's credentials.

"No, he's a narcissist in love with his own mythology." her dad speaks up, flipping through a file. "He'd use a name connected with the case."

"A victim maybe, a cop." Rossi adds.

"Okay, let's check the Foyet files for a list of names, and... nothing." Garcia says shaking her head.

"Wait a minute guys." Her boyfriend speaks up. "Foyet likes things to have meaning to him. The eye of providence, the addresses he wrote on the bus that led us back to him."

Spencer stands up, walking to the bored and writing "George Foyet" on it. "Maybe he's doing the same thing with the alias."

"Like an anagram or something." Prentiss says catching on.

Spencer begins crossing letters out and drawing arrows. Y/n wonders what's going on in his mind. He's always been brilliant and she's not sure she'll understand how he does it all.

"You see something Spence?" She asks him.

"Not yet."

"Reid, he named himself the reaper." Her dad tells him and suddenly 'the reaper' appears on the board as well and Spencer repeats his process of crossing out letters and making arrows.

All of a sudden he turns around, with a name. "Peter Rhea." He speaks.

"There's a Peter Rhea in Arlington." Garcia says looking down at her laptop.

"We found him." Rossi says.

___

The team begins to suit up. Y/n pulling on her vest as calm as possible. Her hands are shaking and everyone notices. This isn't the normal Y/n whatsoever. She just wants her life to go back to normal. With a case hitting this close to home, she can't help but feel like her nerves are racking up against her.

"Hey." Spencer says placing a hand on her waist gently. The rest of the team looks away giving them a moment. "You're okay. We're going to get him."

"Are we?" She asks, voice cracking.

___

Y/n, Spencer, J.J. Derek and Rossi were in an empty building across the street from Foyet's apartment. They had a swat team behind them and Y/n was sitting next to Rossi, her back to Spencer who was leaning on his cane.

"SWAT's getting antsy." Jennifer told Morgan. She didn't really listen to what else they had to say. She just focused on the building ahead of them.

Less than 15 minutes later, the decision to move was made. Derek sent in someone with a camera to look under the door of Foyet's apartment.

"What's that on the floor?" Her dad asked from beside her.

"That's his mail." Derek said and the decision to move out was made. They ran across the street, guns drawn, followed by the SWAT team and undercover units.

They busted into the apartment quickly, discovering Foyet wasn't there.

"He's not coming back here, he left an untouched meal." Her father declared.

"You drop your mail like this when you're startled, when you need to get out of dodge quick." Rossi tells him.

"Something tipped him off, he knew we were coming."

"Suitcases are open there's some clothes missing, there's a safe with a stash of guns in it." Derek says coming back into the kitchen with J.J.

"He didn't even bother to lock them up again." J.J. adds.

"If he's in a hurry, he'll make a mistake." Rossi says.

"Yeah but when Foyet gets cornered he starts killing." Hotch says leaving the room.

"We're not gonna let that happen."

"We need Garcia to get on this." Y/n whisper watching Foyet's screen. It's continuously deleting files from its system. As Garcia reworks the files, you notice something in a picture. "Wait, stop, stop! Is that-"

"The US Marshall assigned to my family." Her dad says looking right at her. He leaves a message on Kassmeyers cell before locking eyes with Y/n. "Let's go."

____

The black SUV's halt to a stop outside of the U.S. Marshals house. When walking inside, they find Kassmeyer on the ground, slowly dying. Rossi gets an ambulance as your father tries to communicate with him.

Y/n could hear the sirens of the ambulance now as medics came in.  "Gunshot wounds to each leg he's missing several fingers and he's badly beaten." Spencer said from beside her.

"Clear out of the way" the medics ordered her father before getting to work. As they got into the ambulance Hotch followed him into the vehicle leaving Y/n with the rest of the team breathing heavily. She felt Spencer grab a shaking hand and squeeze it tight.

Later on the team received a phone call from Hotchner, telling them that Foyet called Y/n's mother from Sam's phone.

"We'll get Garcia to trace it. J.J." Morgan said nodding at J.J. to start working on that.

"He told her she was compromised and I was dead, and that Y/n was in critical condition." Her dad told them.

"Well have you called her?" Prentiss ask him.

"No. He said to throw her phone away and to buy a disposable." Y/n heard her dad say. She wanted to vomit. There was too much happening at once. She wanted to be calm and collected but there was too much on the line. This case was targeting her home, her family.

"Hotch we're gonna come get you right now." Morgan told him.

"No, Anderson's bringing me a car."

"You want us to meet you back at the office?"

"I'm hoping that she's just going to call me, at least, to check. Maybe even Y/n."  

"Foyet posed as a Marshal, called from a number that she recognized." Derek told him.

"And then he did what gets him off. He scared her." Rossi added.

"No, He paralyzed her. He overwhelmed her." Prentiss told the team.

"And now, she trusts him. Where do you think he would take her?" Spencer asked him.

"Witness protection had her living in New Jersey." Prentiss told Spencer.

"He has a head start. He could be there now."

"Garcia's got a trace." J.J. told the team a form of somewhat good news.

"He's bouncing between a few towers." Garcia spoke being added to the call.

"Where?" Y/n's dad asked panicked.

"Fairfax County." Garcia told him.

"He's still local?" Y/n asked confused. "He wants to be close."

"Send the coordinates to my phone." Hotch told her.

Hotchner hung up from the phone call, and the team watched as he called another number.

"Wait that phone's on?" Prentiss asked.

"Hotch is calling Foyet."

"Garcia get us connected to that call." Y/n spoke grabbing the phone.

"Agent Hotchner." Y/n heard Foyet's voice on the phone and her blood ran cold.

"If you touch her.." She heard her father tell him.

"Be gentle, like I was with you?" Foyet asks and Y/n is reminded of walking into her fathers empty apartment find his blood on the floor. "What the hell took you so long? I was beginning to think this phone was dead or something. Why so quiet? You usually lash out when you're frustrated."

"I'm not frustrated. You're more predictable than you think." Her father spoke lowly.

"Am I?" Foyet asked.

"You didn't know where Haley was so you made her come to you."

"You make me sound lazy."

"Just another way for you to show control." Hotch told him. "Your mother tried to protect you from your father but she wasn't strong enough and you hated her for that didn't you? You decided that all women were weak."

"Those are your words, not mine."

"What were you 9 when you killed them?"

"It was a car accident."

"That you couldn't take credit for. That had to be hard for you. But poor George got another chance, the little orphan was saved. By the wealthy, sterile Eastside couple, the Foyets and the story should've ended there." Hotchner spoke, analyzing the Reaper.

"I don't believe in fairy tales, do you?" Foyet asked him.

"That's the thing, George. This isn't a fairy tale." Hotch told him. "You don't have to write this story, you don't have to do any of this. I know you're exhausted, always looking over your shoulder." Her father was pleading with the man now. "Always wondering when the other shoe is gonna drop. Haven't you gotten what you wanted? You've set yourself apart from anybody we've ever dealt with. You're not just a famous serial killer, you're the reaper. We're gonna study you and your methods for years and years."

Foyet took a moment to respond. "You know what I've been thinking? Haley looks pretty good with dark hair. She's lost some weight, must be all the stress you've caused her. Where's the little man? Oh. There he is. Does he like Captain America because of you?"

Another phone rang in the background. Y/n's eyes began to swell with tears. This sick bastard was watching her family. He was playing them like a fiddle.

"That's your wife. Hold please." She listened closely as Foyet answered the other phone. "Mrs. Hotchner."

"I'm here." Y/n heard her mothers voice and she closed her eyes to hold back the tears. It was the first time she'd heard it in months. Never in a million years did she think this would be the circumstance.

"Open the gate and I'll drive in." Foyet told her, and not knowing any better her mother agreed. "Aaron? I really got to go."

Her mind wasn't there while the team was talking. She was just trying to think of where they could be. It clicked once Reid recited Foyet's end of the conversation.

"The gate. The fucking gate. He's going to my house." She blurted. "The one I grew up in."

Immediately she grabbed a pair of keys to one of the SUV's and began heading out the door.

"No, give me the key's you're in no condition to drive." Derek said. "I'll call Hotch."

"Foyet's going to your house Hotch." Derek told him.

"I know." Her father spoke.

"We're sending a full tactical unit. We're on our way."

With that the phone was hung up and Garcia's voice came through to the line they were all connected with. "Foyet's calling Hotch."

"Garcia can you get us on?" Derek asked her.

"Foyet."

"Aaron?" Her mothers shocked voice said. "You're okay? What about Y/n?"

"I'm fine." Hotch said and y/n could tell her father was swallowing his tears. Attempting to make it seem like he was okay. "Y/n's fine as well. She's with the team."

"But.. he said that-" Haley cut herself off. "Oh Aaron."

"He can hear us right?"

"Yes. I am so sorry." her mother apologized and Y/n bit her lip. She felt Spencer place a hand on her back.

"Haley, show him no weakness." Her father told him. "No fear."

"I know, Same told me about him. Is he uh-"

"No Sam is fine." Hotch lied. Sam was indeed very not fine.

"Aaron, Aaron, Aaron." Foyet spoke up. The reality of this situation becoming a lot clearer to Y/n ever second that passed. "Is that why your marriage broke up? Because you're a liar?"

"Don't listen to him Haley."

"I have Sam's service phone right here. They sent out a mass text about his death. You can take a look if you want."

"He's trying to scare you." Her father told her. "Did you even tell her what this was about? About the deal?"

"He's just trying to make you angry."

"Well she should be, she's gonna d-i-e." Foyet spoke up, taunting the family. "Your kids are going to be motherless because of your inflated ego."

"Ignore him Haley." Hotch spoke.

" I'm sure you don't want her to know about this part either." Foyet added. "You know, all he had to do was stop looking for me and you wouldn't be in this mess."

"Don't react."

"What is he talking about?" Haley asked.

"Tell Jack I need him working the case." Y/n knew what that meant. Jack needed to hide. She prayed that he would remember and listen to their father.

"What?" Haley asked confused.

"Tell Jack I need him working the case."

"Did you hear that?" Haley asked her younger brother.

"Hi daddy." Jack spoke into the phone causing Y/n to lurch forward. Her heart ached for her younger brother. His whole world was about to change and he was too innocent for that.

"Hi Buddy." Her dad said voice cracking.

"Is George a bad guy?"

"Yes he is." Hotchner said clearing his throat. "Jack, I need you on this case with me and your sister. Do you understand? We need you to work the case with me."

"Ok daddy." Jack said and Y/n hoped he knew what to do. He was a smart kid, and it was one of his favorite spots to be in when Y/n and Aaron worked on a case at home together.

"Jack, hug your mom for me and sissy okay?" Her dad knew she was listening in. She heard some shuffling and knew Jack was giving Haley a hug for the last time.

"Mommy hug me too tight." Jack said unknowing of the situation at hand.

"I'm sorry." Haley's voice said gently.

"Why are you sad?" Jack asked.

"Oh, I just love you so much." Haley said. "You and your sister are the light of my life."

"Mommy, I gotta go. I'm working the case." Jack told her. Y/n heard Jack's footsteps retreat from the room. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. They were still too far away.

"He's so cute." Foyet said. "He's like a little Junior G-Man. I'll be right up, Jackie boy!"

"Is he gone?" Hotch asked her.

"Yes." Haley responded wiping away her tears and sniffling.

"You're so strong, Haley. You're stronger than I ever was." Aaron told her.

"You'll hurry right?" She asked. Y/n looked at Derek almost as if urging the car to go faster and she felt Spencer grab her hand. She'd be squeezing her fist so tight there were imprints left from her nails.

"I know you didn't sign on for this." Her father told her.

"Neither did you."

"I'm sorry for everything." Her father admitted.

"Promise me that you will tell him how we met and how you used to make me laugh." This was her goodbye.

"Haley-"

"He needs to know that you weren't always so serious Aaron. I want him to believe in love because it is the most important thing. But you need to show him. Promise me."

"I promise." Her fathers voice was a whisper. Tears were quietly streaming down her face at this point.

A moment of silence thickened the air, before the sharp sound of 3 gunshots rang out. Y/n broke down in the back of the van letting out a steady stream of quiet tears and flinching at the sound. Derek and Rossi looked back at the girl as Spencer pulled her close letting the girl sob into his shoulder.

"Mom-" She croaked out in barely a whisper. She knew Haley was dead. She knew Foyet would make sure of that. She was in shock at the moment. She didn't want to believe her mother was dead, but she knew that was the case.

The line went dead after the sound of her father throwing the phone and she knew they needed to get to the house as fast as possible.  Morgan sped down the street of her old home, skidding to a stop in front of the house. They found her father relentlessly beating Foyet to death before Morgan wrapped his arms around him and pulled him away.

"Hotch! Hotch!" He yelled. "He's dead. Hotch stop, come on, stop it. It's over, It's over." She watched as her father broke down in Morgans arms. "It's okay it's over man."

Y/n felt her heart in her chest. She couldn't hear, over her heartbeat and her vision was blurred due to the immense amount of tears in her eyes. She felt Spencer's hand on her shoulder and that was all it took to break down. She fell to her knee's being caught along the way by Spencer and began to bawl into his shoulder. His cane fell to the side as he held her close as she broke down into his body.

"Jack-" Y/n said before bolting from the room and into her fathers office. She heard his footsteps behind her. She went to the ottoman that served as a storage unit and opened the lid, not quite knowing what to expect. Her father appeared behind her, a breath of relief escaping both of them to see Jack's face.

"I work the case, just like Daddy said." Jack spoke innocently.

More tears rolled down Y/n's face as she reached into the box to pull her brother out. "Good job Bub" She whispered pulling him into her arms and falling into her dad's embrace.

"What happened to you daddy?"

"I'm okay. I want you to go outside with Ms. Jareau okay?" Hotch told his youngest.

"Come here, sweetheart." J.J. said picking her little brother up and taking her down the stairs.

"Where is she dad?" Y/n asked and slowly they walked into the bedroom where Derek was checking her mothers pulse. She was laying there lifeless, and stained with her own blood.

"I'm so sorry Hotch." Derek whispered and slowly she dropped to her knees next to her mother letting out a sob.Grabbing her hand and falling on top of her not caring. about the blood seeping onto her.

"Mom." She sobbed. "Please, no-"

She knew there was no coming back from this. Still, her mind didn't want to process that the woman who raised her was really gone. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Her mom was supposed to be there while Jack grew up, and to watch them both get married and become a grandmother.

"Y/n." Hotchner spoke laying a hand on his daughters back.

She let out a flood of tears screaming into her mothers body as her body racked with sobs shaking violently. She let go and fell back into her fathers embrace staring at her mother's lifeless eyes as he hugged her tightly.

"Get out of here." She faintly heard Derek say. "Go see if they need any help downstairs."

___

"She was already gone." Y/n told Strauss looking blankly at the table. "My dad could do nothing for her, but there's not a doubt in my mind that he saved my brother from what Foyet would've done to him. He would be dead as well."

"She died rather quickly." Strauss told her. Y/n flinched at the word. It was still hard to process that her mother was really gone. "She didn't suffer much."

"That doesn't make it right." Y/n snapped before biting her tongue. "I'm sorry-"

"I'm sorry for your loss." Strauss told her. "If there's anything your family needs-"

"Thank you."

Y/n stood up and nodded at the director before walking to the bullpen to be with Jack and the rest of the team again. She sat down next to Spencer as Jack ran to his sister.

"Hi Bub." She said pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Hi sissy." It wasn't long after that when her father joined and Jack got down from her lap to greet their father in a hug. Reid placed a loving hand on her back and she felt herself relax for the first time in that day into his embrace.

She grabbed his hand subtly and squeezed it tight. I Love you.

He squeezed it back in response and she nodded. I love you too.

#criminal minds #spencer reid x reader #dad hotch #Hotchner x daughter reader #dad! Hotchner x reader #criminal minds oneshot #Spencer reid oneshot #Hotchner x reader #Aaron hotchner #Spencer reid

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

Won’t You Stay (Part 3)

Summary: Jensen is injured on set which leads to pushing back one of the biggest stunts of the movie. Later on that night, Jensen walks the reader to her car where a few sparks start to fly...

Masterlist

Pairing: Jensen x Director!reader

Word Count: 4,200ish

Warnings: language, minor injury

A/N: Please enjoy!

______

“Jensen! Run it back again!” you called the next morning. He jogged back to his first mark, spinning around and taking a deep breath. He’d taken a hard fall a few takes before on a stray branch and had been slow to get up. You knew something was bothering him but he didn’t say anything so you decided to keep going. “Action!”

Jensen ran through the woods and paused right at the camera, panting a few times before he looked around nervously.

“Cut! Good, very good, Jensen. Just what we need,” you said. “Moving on to 12!”

“Uh, after lunch,” whispered AJ.

“Let’s break for lunch and then get going on the big scene for the day,” you said. You let out a sigh, leaning over to your AD. “Thank you. I thought we were running late again.”

“We’re ahead of schedule. Everyone here gets their union breaks so don’t worry, someone will let you know if we’ve gone too long. Don’t stress so much,” he said with a smile.

“We have one of the biggest stunts of the film today. I am more than a little stressed,” you said. You hopped out of your chair and walked to the lunch line, making sure everyone went through before you went to get yours. You didn’t catch Jensen though and headed to his trailer when you didn’t see him around. “Jensen? Are you in there?”

“Yeah,” you heard from the other side of the door. “What do you need?”

“You get some lunch yet?” you asked.

“I’ll grab it in a minute,” he said.

“Are you okay?” you asked. “You were moving a little slow those last few takes.”

“Yeah, fine,” he said. You leaned against the door, staring at the name plate panel on the outside.

“You’re doing a hell of a job of convincing me, Jensen,” you said. 

“Y/N, I’m fine, really,” he said as a small whine came out of him.

You rolled your eyes and opened the door, stepping up and spotting Jensen in his kitchenette without a shirt on.

“For fucks sakes, Y/N. What if I was naked?” he asked, putting his arms around himself. Your gaze went to his ribs, a dark purple spot there he tried to cover up.

“Hey, you are not okay,” you said. He sighed and put down the roll of bandages in his hand on the counter. “Did you get hurt this morning? I saw you fall in the woods. You should have said something.”

“It’s a bruise,” he said. You sighed and stepped over, Jensen closing his eyes. “We have a big stunt this afternoon and as long as I wrap it up-“

“I am cancelling the stunt. We’ll push it back,” you said.

“Y/N-“

“My actors are more important to me than schedules or budgets. You get injured, on or off set, you tell me, no matter what,” you said. “Understand?”

“Okay but-“

“My dad, action hero, supernatural horror, romantic leading man, devilish boy with the soft core, has a very important rule when it comes to acting,” you said.

“What’s that?” he asked, taking a deep breath and wincing.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s your dream role. It doesn’t matter if it’s a story you love. If you’re not respected and treated with kindness on the project, you walk away. If it’s not a safe environment, you walk away. It’s a good rule to have, Jensen,” you said.

“What are you saying?” he asked.

“I’m saying that I will go tell the studio that we need to push back scene 12. We can do it when you’re healthy. Until then, no stunts for you,” you said.

“I don’t want to cause any trouble,” he said.

“Jensen. It’s no trouble at all. Honestly. It’s my job. Now put on your shirt and let's go to medical, get you fixed up and then have some lunch, okay?” you said. He nodded, pausing as he pulled his flannel on. “Need help?”

“I like your dad’s rule,” he said. “I think I’ll be okay on this project though.”

“You will be,” you said. He started to button up his shirt and you turned away to give him his privacy.

“It’s okay, Y/N. It’s not like I don’t have to get down to my undies for this thing at some point,” he said. “I’m so looking forward to that day on set.”

“Well the ladies have a thing for Lyle. But this is your personal space. I’m sorry I came into it without permission. I thought you were hurt. I won’t do it again,” you said. “I promise.”

“It’s okay. You were concerned,” he said, finishing with the buttons. “I’ll just remember to change in my bedroom from now on.”

“Good call. Ready to go get your check up?” you asked.

“Alright,” he said. “Lead the way, boss.”

“I thought I said not to-”

“I’m teasing,” he said, bopping your nose. “Boss.”

“Keep it up, Ackles,” you said, grabbing his arm. “Let’s go get you feeling better.”

“I’m really not that bad,” he said as you walked out of his trailer. 

“You don’t want to mess with bruised ribs if you can help it. At least the nurse will be able to get you wrapped up all secure and she probably has some good pain meds,” you said.

“I mean, I can go on my own. I’m not five. You gotta be starving. Go get your lunch, Y/N.”

“Ackles. Anyone ever tell you you’re grumpy when you’re not feeling well?”

“Actually yes,” he chuckled. “My parents would fully agree with you.”

“I had a feeling,” you said. He was a little slow as he walked but you didn’t push him to go faster. “Jensen. If you do get hurt again, please say something. Even outside of work.”

“I will. This kinda sucks,” he said. “Not that I’m a whimp or anything. But it does hurt.”

“What hurts?” asked your dad, popping out of the bathrooms nearby and jogging down the steps.

“Jensen has a nasty bruise from a fall this morning. I just want him to get checked out in case,” you said. “We’re going to push back scene 12 in the meantime.”

“Hm. Any idea what we’ll do instead?” asked your dad.

“Something easy going. I have to see what sets we have available,” you said.

“What about when Hale and Lyle sit and talk that night? You could probably do that without too much hassle in the studio,” said Jensen.

“He does have a point,” you said. “Scenes twenty eight and nine and thirty three? You guys think you could study those while I get it organized?” you asked.

“Yeah. I think that’ll be good. Oh and Jensen. Put some aspercreme on that bruise tonight before bed, ice for ten minutes and then wrap it. It’ll help. I’ve taken my fair share of hits,” said your dad.

“Thanks Ethan,” said Jensen as you went over towards the medical area with him. You got on your radio and told Mark and AJ the new plan while Jensen was checked out by the nurse. You knew you’d be getting a nasty phone call probably within the hour but you tried not to think of that when Jensen came outside and gave you a thumbs up.

“Doing okay?” you asked.

“Not broken. Just bruised the muscle. Got some medicine and a better fitting wrap to use. I feel better already,” he said. “But I was advised to take it easy for the next week.”

“Awesome. I’m glad it’s not too bad. We’ll make sure that we rework the schedule to do some easy-going scenes for you this week,” you said. Jensen walked with you back towards the lunch tent, most people either done or wrapping up with their food. You got a wrap and salad, sitting down with Jensen at a free table. You wolfed down your food, Jensen chewing slowly. He stared at you and you ate more slowly, Jensen chuckling quietly.

“I like a girl that’s not afraid to eat,” he said. “Go for it.”

“I don’t know why I’m rushing anyways. Everyone needs time to prepare for the new scenes,” you said. “You probably have an hour or two to learn your lines.”

“Oh don’t worry about that,” he said. You took a bite and tried to enjoy your meal, Jensen looking like he was in less pain than earlier. “So how do you become a director?”

“Hate yourself and the idea of ever sleeping again,” you said, smiling to yourself, Jensen returning it. “Well the truth is I grew up on film sets. I know a lot of stuff that most people don’t get to learn until they’re older. I started working when I was fourteen on set actually. Only a few hours a week after school or on the weekend but I learned a lot about camera work, pacing, lighting, basically everything. By the time I was done with college, I was interning in the production office and when I was working on my deal for the movie a few years later, I was confident enough that I knew all of the ins and outs to pull it off.”

“Wow. You were in training your whole life for this, huh,” he said.

“Sorta. I actually had a pretty average desk job for two years after college. I was writing in my spare time but I didn’t do any of this kind of stuff then. I missed working on something like this. Once the book was published, I knew I was going to write for a career and get back in the business if I could,” you said. 

“I’m glad you came back to it. I like working here,” he said, showing off a soft smile and bright green eyes. “The set I mean. It’s better than pretty much every project I’ve ever worked on.”

“It’s only day three. I have plenty of time to mess this up,” you said. You let out a dry laugh, Jensen cocking his head, giving you a friendly 

“Maybe that’s true but you have to have some serious talent to be put in charge. I wouldn’t write that off for nothing if I were you,” he said. You nodded and finished up with your wrap, diving into your salad as you noticed a piece of his hair flop down over his forehead. 

“You even got Lyle’s hair,” you said, pointing towards it. Jensen cocked his head and ran his hand over his forehead and up, the piece sticking back up. “Fixed it.”

“Thanks,” he said, wetting his thumb and running it over the spot.

“I caught a bit of your reel from when you were on Supernatural,” you said. Jensen paused but continued eating. “You do realize it was a good show. It wasn’t cancelled for bad acting.”

“I wish we could have gone a little longer is all. I really liked that story,” he said.

“Maybe someday Netflix could pick it up or something. You never know,” you said.

“Maybe. Right now though Lyle has my full attention,” he said. He took his last forkful of lunch and swallowed. “I better go learn my lines.”

“You got some time. Don’t rush,” you said. He hummed and stood up, turning to leave.

“Hey, Y/N,” he said over his shoulder. “Thanks for writing the book.”

“Thank you for reading it,” you said softly.

“You got this,” he said before he took off back towards his trailer. You smiled to yourself and tried to believe what he said. 

Then your phone had to ring and you saw your boss calling.

“I’m sure this is going to go well.”

“Hey,” said your dad as you stretched from your chair at the end of the day. “I heard that studio exec said more than a few not nice things today.”

“Yup,” you said as you grabbed your bag. “Kinda made that time I cried after failing Calculus seem like not such a big deal.”

“You were such a good student. Your first semester of college was a hard change. Also your professor was a dick,” he said.

“Yeah, well nothing compared to being told off by my boss,” you said.

“I called Bryerson,” he said. You whipped your head around.

“Dad. I told you not to do me any favors on this whole deal,” you said.

“It wasn’t a favor. I heard what happened, just like everyone else. I called all of our bosses to let him know that you prioritized safety over a stunt. It won’t even cost that much to push filming back. You want to know what he said? That was the right call. You just made a friend up top today, kiddo,” he said.

“...Don’t call Bryerson for me again,” you said as you turned away. “Thank you.”

“Get some sleep at home tonight, Y/N,” he said. 

“I will. Give Anthony a noogie for me,” you said.

“What’s Ella getting?” he asked with a smirk.

“Also noogie. I’m an equal opportunist older sibling torturer,” you said, laughing to yourself.

“You can always move back home, kiddo. We miss you,” he said.

“I’m twenty seven dad. I stayed long enough. I need my own space,” you said. “But I’ll try to be better about coming home more.”

“I know. Still getting used to it is all. So go home, try to relax and remember you did a good thing today,” he said. “Want a ride home?”

“No. I have a quick meeting but then I’ll get out of here, promise,” I said. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”

“Yes you will. Night, sweetie,” he said. You got a quick hug before he headed for his trailer and you went to the production office to go over your new filming schedule.

An hour later you trudged out of the office with a yawn. You slipped on your jacket and backpack, hitting a few lights in the quiet building before you walked out the front door. You hummed and headed across the studio lot for the parking lot, whistling as you went.

You were about halfway there when you heard a noise come from the trailers. You paused and looked over at the little maze of them, poking your head down a dark row.

“Hello?” you asked.

“Do you always talk-“

“Fuck!” you shouted, spinning around, Jensen wincing in your face behind you. “I’m sorry.”

“I probably deserved that,” he said. “Sorry for scaring you. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

“I thought I heard something,” you said.

“It’s probably the generator. It kicks on sometimes,” he said.

“What are you still doing here? We wrapped an hour ago,” you said.

“I was watching dailies and had to sign some worker’s injury report thing at medical,” he said. “You?”

“Got bitched at again for pushing the stunt back,” you said.

“Y/N-“

“Jensen. I will take the bitching. I’m happy with my decision today,” you said. “Don’t worry about it. How’d the dailies look?”

“Cool,” he said. You giggled and he laughed. “Sorry. I know that’s not the technical term.”

“No. Cool is what I’m hoping for,” you said. “You like the camera stuff?”

“My dad’s an actor too actually. I grew up hearing about the whole industry. I’ve always been interested in the process,” he said.

“Ah. Another Hollywood baby,” you said.

“Nothing like you. I grew up in a house in the suburbs, nothing fancy or anything. I came here like once before I tried out acting. I had a very boring stereotypical childhood,” he said.

“I would have liked that,” you said. “We moved a lot growing up. It wasn’t until my dad got married that I went to the same school and stuff.”

“Yeah but your dad is Ethan Y/L/N. That’s pretty awesome,” he said, smiling wide. “It’s got to be fun working with him.”

“It is. It’s nice to see more of him. I moved out two years ago. I don’t make it home much lately,” you said.

“Any reason why?” he asked.

You shrugged, Jensen nodding. 

“I moved in with my boyfriend,” you said.

“Oh.”

“He’s not in the picture anymore, hasn’t been for about a year,” you said.

“Oh,” he said. “Yeah, I’m kinda between girlfriends myself.”

“Wow,” you laughed. Jensen chuckled, shaking his head. “No, I like that. It’s funny.”

“Sorry. Last girlfriend sort of slipped some personal stuff about me in an interview. I wasn’t a fan. It kinda turned me off from dating to be honest,” he said.

“She give out your address or something?”

“Talked about our sex life to MTV,” he said. 

“Oh. Wow. That’s just bad,” you said. 

“Yup. I don’t care if she thought she was giving me a compliment. That’s too personal to share,” he said.

“I don’t blame you,” you said.

“Being single has its perks though, right?” he asked. “We can stay up how late we want, no one to crowd the bathroom. No one eats your leftovers on you. It’s not the worst thing in the world, that’s for sure.”

“Oh yeah,” you said. You had to admit there were some upsides but having someone to come home to wouldn’t be half bad either. You gave him a smile, Jensen turning towards the parking lot a ways off. “I uh, should get home. We have an early day tomorrow.”

“I thought we didn’t have filming until two?” he asked.

“You don’t. I’ve got an assload of prep work to do before filming starts,” you said. He nodded and looked at you, the night air quiet. He moved a little closer and you saw his eyes dip down to your lips for a brief moment.

“I’m sure you do but you should probably sleep in,” he said, cupping your cheek. You stared at him, his hand quickly pulling away. “Uh, bags under the eyes.”

“You sure know how to make a sleep deprived girl feel pretty,” you laughed. He chuckled but it was forced and you saw him make a face at himself.

“Sorry. I uh, still get nervous around you,” he said.

“I wrote a book. Ain’t no reason to be nervous with me, Jensen,” you said, giving him a smile. “We should both probably head home though and get some sleep.”

“Agreed,” he said. You started to walk towards the lot, Jensen walking the other way for a second. “Sorry. Forgot I parked in the far lot.”

“I thought the actors had their own lot right around the corner?” you said. He stared at you, looking past with a tired smile.

“Just let me walk you to your car. It’s the least I can do after scaring you,” he said.

“I’m a big girl, Jensen,” you said.

“I know that. But let me walk you,” he said.

“Is this a you’re a gentleman thing?” you asked.

“This is me asking my friend if I can walk her to her car late at night so that I feel a little better knowing she got there safe,” he said.

“Alright,” you said, Jensen staying by your side as you walked in the quiet night air. “Thank you.”

“I’m not perfect but my parents did a few things right,” he said.

“My dad would appreciate that,” you said. “Mom too but dad’s always been a tad protective.”

“I never realized that the Y/L/N that wrote The Dark Woods was related to Ethan Y/L/N,” he said.

“You a fanboy of all the Y/L/N’s or just me?” you teased, getting closer when you heard shuffling on the other side of the lot fence.

“Well every boy growing up the past two decades thought he was awesome,” he said, moving to your other side. “I liked your book a lot though.”

“Why?” you asked. “I get that Lyle is kind of a dreamboat and like, the ideal guy but why do you like it? Give me the guy’s perspective.”

“Because Lyle could have been a bad guy and he turned out to be good,” he said. “Hale really treated him well.”

“Hale did kind of kidnap Lyle just a smidge,” you said with a laugh.

“Because he thought Lyle killed his son,” he said. “Then he ends up taking Lyle under his wing.”

“You know, I almost had Hale be evil,” you said.

“Why? Their relationship is even more important than Lyle and Molly’s,” said Jensen. “Nothing against Molly, I love her too but Hale and Lyle is so interesting to read about.”

“It was a rough time and I took it out on my characters,” you said. “It was wrong though, to do that to Lyle. Sorry. I know he’s not real.”

“You created him. He’s real, Y/N. He’s a good role model, for men and women,” he said. 

“So you like his relationship with Hale the best?” you asked.

“Lyle was alone and Hale was kind to him after he realized Lyle didn’t hurt his son. Hale became a good dad to him,” said Jensen. 

“Hale’s based on my dad a bit you know,” you said. 

“Your dad is a vigilante?” teased Jensen.

“No. No. But you know, he was a single dad to his son and then to Lyle. I know what that’s like,” you said.

“I’m glad you didn’t make Hale evil,” said Jensen. “It would have crushed Lyle.”

“You really know that character, don’t you,” you said.

“He’s not a stereotypical guy. He’s not any one thing but at the end of the day, he’s good. I don’t know, it’s just...he’s more like how guys actually are, you know?” he said.

“Not in my experience,” you said. “Guys fucking suck. Except you. You’re sweet.”

“Well, you’ve also never dated me so it’s entirely possible I do indeed suck,” he chuckled. 

“Jensen,” you said as you spotted your car and started to slow. “I um…”

“I know. Fanboy has to learn when to keep his mouth shut,” he said. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow?”

“Hey,” you said, grabbing his wrist before he could head back for the other lot. “I think it’s cool you like this story so much. No one besides my family ever encouraged me to write or thought I was any good until I got published. I think Lyle’s really lucky he ended up with having you play him.”

“I’ll try to do him justice,” said Jensen.

“Jensen,” you said again. “Saturday night. I...I don’t think us seeing each other outside of work is such a good idea after all.”

“I’m sorry for bothering you,” he said as he turned away.

“I’m just crazy busy and I’m not ready for a relationship, Jensen. Maybe neither of us are. After filming is done we could-”

“It’s okay. I get it. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. You sighed and stared at him, waiting for him to go. “Get in your car.”

“Why?”

“So I know you got in your car okay,” he groaned. “Just do it.”

“Guys don’t do that sort of shit outside of movies and books,” you said.

“Yes they do,” he said with a small smile. “You obviously haven’t met too many great guys then.”

“Thank you for walking me to my car,” you said as you put your hand on the door. He didn’t say anything and you rolled your eyes, sliding inside before you were turning the keys and heading home.

______

A/N: Read Part 4 here!

#supernatural #spn #jensen x reader #jensen ackles #supernatural series #supernatural reader insert #jensen ackles x reader #spn reader insert #jensen reader insert #jensen x #jensen ackles x you

[springtimebat]

The Autumn Meeting (Part 1/4)

Six suns peer down from perching clouds, leaving heavy, gilded dents on the heavens. They watch with amused, greedy eyes, their eyelids soft and rusted. They sit and wait for a hymn to be sung.

The city of tomorrow arrives in the early morning, on a thousand dying legs. The crow is beginning its call as the sun sets in the east, and the queen begins to cross the old town bridge just as the sky turns pitch black. The queen is young and full of life. Her hair is dark and wild. Her eyes are electric green. Naturally, the shadows clamber over each other, desperate to touch her skin. They claw at her footprints, grasp desperately at her diadem. The Queen places a shawl, a piece of midnight, careworn and devoid of stars, around her shoulders. She places galoshes on her feet. They snap against the cobblestones. The shadows attempt to bash her brain in. The queen pulls the shawl tighter around her neck and carries on. She must begin her quest before it's too late, before she misses her window. She pulls apart the ghoulish bonds restraining her and slips into the forest, the heavy frame of her home balancing on stilts behind her.

When the clock strikes the right time, three pilgrims meet deep inside the bowels of the forest to tell stories they stole off of wanderers backs. One is skull and bones, the second is more shark than man, the last is cast in iron and gilded armour, kept together with unsteady bolts and springs. The three are old, dear friends with different destinies that lead them to separate for months on end. Still, now they gather for a night in. They gather for the stories and for listening.

The forest is a protective shield, swarming with thistles, brambles and decaying pieces of junk. Years before, during the days of the dust, a king set up booby traps in the forest, hoping to capture some kind of beast. Now spikes and barbed wire festered among the moss, weary of a world full of colour beyond the tree trunks. The queen notices flashes of silver as she races through the trees; simply shadows against the bruised sunset and the sad oaks. Her feet dance around the puddles and quicksands. She flies through the grass and the rock until she comes across the meeting place from her stories. In a clearing stands a roaring fireplace and three men, huddled together like three fates. One stands up and hurls wood onto the fire, his back muscles tensing. He is a fish-man, with silver scales framing his brow and giant saucers for eyes. He wears the same strange uniform the Queen had seen him wear in an engraving once, all frills and ridiculous trimmings. The second man sits watching the third as they recite a poem. His body is masked by a suit of metal armour. Atop his helmet sits a boar’s head, its eyes closed, bored. The final man shakes their bones and clacks their teeth. He disguises his lack of skins with a cloak, similar to the Queen’s. He is standing by the fire, whistling a strange sonnet:

“-so the little girl set off to win back her foot. But the ogre’s own pair of feet were large and heavy. He was quicker than the little girl and it took her months and months of travelling to catch up-”

“Didn’t her parents worry about her?” Interrupts the fish man from his space at the mantle-piece, “Poor girl out on her lonesome.”

His friend groans and stamps his foot.

“She had no parents Abram. She was all on her lonesome to begin with and that’s how she lost her foot. Haven’t you been listening, you knucklehead?”

“Surely she has friends who would wanna know where she is...right? I mean, surely one of you guys would wanna know about my fins being cut up? Or my scales being punctured-”

“Enough! I have a story to finish Abram. Leave questions ‘till after the workshop.”

Abram lets out a tiny squeak but speaks no more. The skeleton grins in the firelight and begins again:

“The little girl carried on, always searching for her missing foot. She asked everyone she came across and slaughtered the many who tried to take her for their own, with their nets and their traps and their cages. By the time she finally found her foot she was covered in blood and guts and body parts. Still, she had found her foot and that’s what truly matters-”

“Where’d she find it Emil?” Abram asks, his eyes widening.

“I’m getting to that! Now where was I- oh right! The little girl, all alone and bloody in middle of a winter wood, found her foot on the low branch of a great oak much like these-” The skeleton waves his arms at the trees encasing the three storytellers, “The bone was still brand new, like a new pair of shoes elastic new. It had been left there many, many moons before by someone very tall.”

“What did she do then?” 

“Well, she grabbed her foot from the oak tree and put it back, snapping it into place so to speak. Then she began the journey back home. As she did she thought to herself, “The ogre must have not needed the foot as much as I did.” The End.” Emil raises his skull to the sky, grinning proudly. 

His friends give awkward coughs.

“What happened to the ogre?” Abram asks, frowning, “Surely something interesting happened to him.”

“Unimportant.” Emil growls. 

The suit of armour gives a squeak and stretches his wiry arms. Emil rolls his head to the side in annoyance. 

“What the girl did once she got home does not matter Gus. Not in the slightest. Don’t you understand what I was trying to get across? What I was trying to convey?”

“Not really.” Abram says, poking at the fire with a stick. 

“The moral of the story, of the stanzas, was that quests of revenge, of bloodshed, are simply pointless. The journey is important and needed. All the other benign details are just...unnecessary!”

“It was good ‘till the ending. You just need to rework the ending.”

Emil scoffs, “Amateurs! Both of you! And Francis, Boris and Johnson and…all of the folding folk at the board up in the mountains! I cannot compromise my masterpiece with...amateurs!” 

“I enjoyed it.”

The three men turn to see a young girl approaching their campground, her eyes an electric green, her pupils dancing. She has an amused smirk on her face. Her hair is a dangerous dark brown. Abram just stands there, blinking, confused. Emil turns his back on the visitor, muttering some obscenities about damned fairy folk under his musty breath. Gus on the other hand, recognises the queen immediately and falls to the ground in a bow, his chest plate and helmet clinking. The queen’s smirk grows into a grin and she pats the knight on the shoulder. 

“I enjoyed the blood and the guts...and the body parts.”

“Yeah you would,” Emil growls, “You and your tasteless, tasteless people.”

Gus gasps and places himself in front of the queen, as if Emil’s words can pierce her skin. Emil simply laughs.

“Look at this old fool! This old, old fool! She doesn't care for you at all my boy! She looks at you as she looks at the bugs swarming around her feet. Learn that Gus! Learn these young girls only want to look at you in amusement and never want to settle down!” 

“I want to settle down,” The queen replies, and she strides towards a chair the men have manufactured from fallen Autumn leaves, “I am going to settle down.”

“Ah see! I knew it! I knew you were that queen I’ve heard gossip about!”

“Gossip?” The queen’s eyebrows raise, “Gossip about me?”

“Oh yes. I’ve heard quite a lot of tall tales about you. Stories about you eating babies, stabbing your own knights with their own swords-” At that, Gus swallows and sits back down on the forest floor, shaking, “-stories of you charming snakes and cobras. Stories of you sleeping in their coils.” Emil stares at the queen, goading her to respond. The queen tuts and stretches her short, stubby legs. They were tired from hours of running as their owner searched the dark places. Her skin stretches and shifts in the firelight.

“I only ate one baby. The rest is just nonsense.”

“Hmmm. All the gossip came from your kind so I never took any of it seriously. Seeing you now makes me think it wasn’t so far fetched.”

The queen furrows her brow and rolls her eyes. 

“Are you all telling stories?” She asks, focusing on the dirt beneath her leaf throne instead of the man in front of her, “ When I was little I read stories about you telling stories together. In an endless loop.” 

The men fall silent. The queen sighs. 

“I would like to join you all. For just one night.” 

Emil growls. Abram roasts a marshmallow. Gus shivers in an invisible wind. His legs make a strange croaking sound and detach themselves from his waist, stumbling about on the rocky terrain.

“What are you queen of, exactly?” Emil asks.

“All sorts of things really.”

“Like what? What do you do? What are your day-to-day ac-tiv-teees?” 

“I look after the lost ones most of the time.”

“The lost ones?” 

“Folks made of time and sand. They come to us, my husband and I, full of regrets and sorrows. They lose themselves in our corridors and become our subjects. We transform their troubled minds into something sweet.”

“Sweet for the monarchy, one supposes, but not for everyone else,” murmurs Emil, picking at his cloak,“ I heard you two aren’t married already.”

“We will be soon.”

“Once your quest is complete, I’m guessing.”

“Yes. Once I return.”

“Do you take babies?” Abram asks, sitting cross-legged on the milkwood grass, “I heard you take babies.”

“Sometimes.”

Emil clears his throat, which makes his bones rattle in a very unattractive way. He then nods to Abram, who nods back. He turns to Gus, who by now is just a bunch of scraps flailing about in the mud. Gus’ head, however, has enough time to tilt his head back in agreement.

“Very well. You may join the club for a night. A single solitary night-”

“No baby eating!” Abram shouts from his corner. The Queen tuts and crosses her heart with a wicked finger. 

“I promise. No baby eating.” She grins. 

“-And you’ll be the last to go. No cuts!” Emil growls.

“Very well.” The Queen sighs and closes her eyes, listening to the whispers in the breeze. 

Emil looks to his companions, sitting by the campfire as they always do, and shrugs.

“Now that…compromise has been met I suppose we can continue with the workshop.”

“Finally,” Abram mutters. 

And as the four take their places in the storyteller’s guild, the woods begin to shiver with excitement. 

The annual Autumn meeting was only beginning.

#creative writing #my story #a devil's palm story #fantasy #monsters #parallel worlds #cryptids #cryptidcore #weirdcore #oddcore #american gothic #surreal #southern gothic #character study #ongoing series #a rough draft #part one of four

[snarkwrites]

03 pt 2 | m i n e ; tim speedle csi miami

Notes:

This.. Took a lot of time because for a long time, absolutely nothing I tried was clicking. But it finally came to me after a discussion of sorts with bae @twistnet​ and I sat down and reworked everything I’d originally written and now, finally, here we are. The continuation of the last part’s cliffhanger. And.. Things get kind of hot. A little intense. And maybe a little creepy...

Pairing:

Tim Speedle x OFC, Sylvie

Warnings:

Stalker warning. Huuuge stalker warning. Mentions of violence / swearing and other adult themes to come. Anything else I need to warn about will be listed here as needed.

If you can handle the stuff that happened on this show in the past, you should be alright reading this. 

Other Parts

[ one - two - two pt two - three pt one - soundtrack ] 

Other Stuff

[ faq - tag squad ] 

Tag Squad

@chasingeverybreakingwave​

@twistnet​ 

                                       THREE PT. TWO.

“You’re startin to burn, doll.” Tim’s voice drew me out of a light cat nap. I rolled over onto my stomach, gazing at him through a curtain of damp blonde. Pushing my hair out of my eyes. “It’ll tan tomorrow.” I teased, nodding to the way he seemed to skip any burning phase and go straight to golden god status as I remarked, “Not all of us can lay around in the sun and turn into a bronze god, sir.”

“I also have on sunscreen, doll.” Tim pointed out. Motioning for me to sit up and turn around. A calm and firm look in his eyes that prompted me to do as he asked before I even realized I was doing it. He’d always had that way about him though. A fact I pouted about and teased him over as I settled between his legs, my back facing him so he could rub me down with sunscreen.

His hands worked over my hot skin clumsily. Before I could stop myself, just the feeling of his hands on me had me squirming more than just a little. Hissing quietly as he accidentally spilled some of the lotion onto my back and swore under his breath about it. “Sorry, doll.” he apologized, the warmth of his breath caressing the shell of my ear as he leaned in to mumble the words against it. I barely managed fighting back a whimper that I knew beyond a doubt might just make things awkward. Awkwardness was the absolute last thing I wanted. 

What I wanted was for everything to go back to the way it was before. But realistically, I knew that couldn’t happen. That even if we got close, it wouldn’t be the exact same because we were different people by now.

I shivered at the gentleness of his touch as his hands worked over my back. Clumsy. The roughness of his hands against the softness of my skin had me barely fighting a whimper.

I wiggled around slightly and when I did, Tim chuckled quietly. Leaning into me from behind. Mumbling next to my ear with a hushed laugh, “I’m all done back here.” as his mouth once again brushed right against the shell of my ear. He was resting his chin on my shoulder, looking at my cell phone because I was trying to take a picture of us just for the random hell of it. His mouth brushed against my shoulder and I dropped the phone, not bothering to restrain the whimper that came as a result of the way the soft drag of his mouth against my shoulder felt.

I shivered once again, making him laugh. Lock eyes with me in the viewfinder of my phone’s camera. His tongue darted out and across the outline of his lips and I swallowed hard. Tried to tell myself that I was taking things out of context. That Tim wasn’t flirting with me right now.

I couldn’t drag my eyes out of the depths of his. The warmth there.

And I missed him. Suddenly, it didn’t matter how many times I told myself things needed to happen slowly. I missed him and I was tired. So tired. I didn’t want to fight whatever was happening between us now.

As much as I knew I should’ve been trying harder to stop it, trying harder not to fall back into old habits. Were our old habits really so bad, I found myself wondering.

I couldn’t fight it anymore.

I turned around to face him. My legs settling over his thighs as I sat between. Leaning in close. Closer and closer until I could feel my heart about to beat right out of my chest. I grabbed hold of his chin, pulling his mouth against mine before I even had the sense to stop myself. Tim didn’t seem to be up for stopping me either, because his tongue slipped past my lips, tangling with mine. His hand tangled in my hair, pulling me into the kiss even deeper. I scooted closer to him, wrapping my legs around his hips as the kiss continued to go on, everything and everyone around us seeming to fall away.

Until a throat cleared from behind us.

Tim eyed the person who’d done it, a brow raised. Deadpan.

“Is there somethin you want?”

I turned, shielding my eyes from the sun. Gazing up. The color draining from my face as soon as I realized exactly who was standing there watching us.

The man I’d had a run in at the gas station with. The one I’d thought was following me that day. I gulped. Took a deep breath. Doing my best to pretend as if I’d never seen him before.

“Hey, I’ve seen you before.”

“I have never seen you before in my life.” I answered as calmly as I could. Leaning against Tim a little as I felt him starting to tense up.

For a second, I saw something darken in the man’s bright blue eyes. Anger. His fist clenched, but he quickly shoved it into the pocket of green palm print board shorts.

“You’re that model, right?”

I sighed. Taking a deep breath as I nodded. Informing him with the best non-confrontational smile I could manage, “Not for much longer.”

“Think I could get a picture with you? The guys back home would shit a thousand bricks…” he chuckled. Tim cleared his throat. Gazing up at the guy.

I noticed that the guy seemed to stand taller. Seemed to take on that same distant look that he’d had when I locked eyes with him at the pumps of that gas station two weeks before. 

Tim spoke up. “You do realize that she’s here on vacation, right? And that we were kind of in the middle of something?”

“Sorry, my bad man.” the guy flashed a grin that somehow seemed menacing. Chilling. Almost as if the light was on upstairs but nobody was home. I bit my lip and sighed. About to call out to the guy to tell him I’d take his selfie. Trying to tell myself that maybe in this case, it was paranoia. Maybe the guy had just seen me then, hadn’t been following me. And we happened to bump into each other again, today.

Tim was turning me back around to face him. His hands at either side of my face as he asked quietly, “Everything okay, baby girl?”

“Yeah.”

“You acted like you’d seen a ghost when you looked up at him. Are you sure you don’t know the guy?”

I know I should’ve told the truth when he asked, full stop.. But when I opened my mouth, the answer No came out. Tim eyed me. “You wanna try that again, princess?”

I swallowed hard. Told him about the run in at the gas station. Quick to add that it had to have all been a coincidence. Tim mulled it over, nodding after a few seconds. “If you see him again though, let me know. I mean it, doll. With everything that’s going on right now, you can’t be too careful.”

“I know. Trust me, I know.” I sighed, leaning against him. My arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around me, tilting my chin to make me look at him. Licking his lips as he leaned into me a little and muttered with a teasing smirk, “Where were we, huh?” as his mouth crashed against mine all over again, his tongue parting my lips.

XXX

“She’s mine. Mine!” he fumed as he paced his seedy hotel room. The couple in the next room were fuck fighting again and it wasn’t helping him at all. He pounded on the walls and then sank down onto the bed. Gazing up at the pictures of her he had taped up all over the wall above the bed.

Raising to sit as he ghosted his finger over the newest one he’d added. Taken the night before. When she’d been asleep in her new beach house.

“Soon. I’m gonna get you away from all of this soon, sweetheart.”

His cell phone rang and as soon as he saw who was calling, he chuckled. Deliberately turning off the device so that any attempt the caller made to contact him would go straight to his voice mailbox.

“Let’s see how you like that shit, brother. I’m gonna show you. I’m going to make you regret the day you were born, man. Burn me, I’ll burn you first.” he muttered to himself as he stood, peering out the keyhole.

 Watching for his pizza delivery.

Because for the time being, pizza and shitty porn were all he had while he bided his time. Waiting on all the chips to fall in line.

His eyes settled on the blown up poster of Sylvie in her yellow swimsuit. He bit his lip, taking a deep breath. “Shouldn’t be too much longer, sweetheart. Then I’ll finally be able to have you all to myself. I’ll finally be able to save you from my brother. From everyone who’s a threat to you and wants to keep us apart...”

#tim speedle fanfiction #tim speedle fanfic #tim speedle imagine #tim speedle fic #tim speedle imagines #my writing ; tim speedle #my fics ; tim speedle #my fanfiction ; tim speedle #stalker tw #violence and other adult themes tw

[theatregaymer]

You need to Relax~ SuzaLulu sfw tickle fic

Here is a pairing I’ve long been a fan of.  Suzaku was my first muse back when I started roleplaying on here and enjoying it.  A friend of mine @ticklish-v-93​ and I got together for a sfw tickle fic since we know a lot of us like sfw as well as nsfw.  I’ll upload one or two of those later but this one is more for everyone!

As the bugs sang to the evening sky, Suzaku Kururugi was making his way...or rather slugging his way home.  Having just finished another group cram session, he'd long since passed when he thought he would be home.  But when the groove hits ya, you just have to ride it...right?  He'd been preparing for these final exams like his life depended on them, his work taking up a lot of his time though, thus resulting in his stress levels and fatigue being higher than they were even back in midterms.

College life really was exhausting, though he did know he was luckier than most, having someone to come back to amidst all his internal exhaustion.As he opened the door to the apartment they shared, the man left his size eleven shoes at the door before calling out.  "Lelouch?  You still up?  Mmph sorry I took so long, you got my text though right?"  He'd sent word ahead as they agreed, when he would likely be home late and not to wait up for him to eat dinner, he usually got by on vending machine ramen or something depending on if the cafe on campus was still open.  He came out of the entryway and felt his shoulders relax slightly, his lover seated on the couch with the television showing some kind of film he hadn't really seen before.  He let his bag rest along the side of the couch for now, knowing he'd be hitting the books first thing in the morning while he ate breakfast to save time.  "Hey, you could have gone to bed ya know?"

Lelouch had dozed off with the tv on as he waited up for his boyfriend. It being finals he saw how Suzaku cramed for his exams and overworked himself. Lelouch himself had one more paper to turn in. Yet since he was almost done he could give his boyfriend tlc.He rubbed his eyes and perked up as he smiled at his boyfriend. "Su, welcome back." he beckoned him over, wanting to greet him properly. "I know but I felt bad and decided to wait up for you. So how did it go? Today was your last day finishing everything right?" He asked as he watched him make his way tiredly to the couch.

The brunet wavered for only a second, having his own mind somewhat sluggish at the moment.  Suzaku undid the few buttons on his top, part of his chest being revealed as he let himself relax around his best friend, roommate and partner in life.  "I hope you at least ate something...mmph yeah the big stuff is done but..."  He knew Lelouch wouldn't like it, but he couldn't rest on his laurels yet.  As one of the only Japanese students here at their university it was almost like he felt he had to excel in all his scholarly aspects in order to show any of his peers or even teachers that he was not just some lucky transfer student. "I still have some minor things to go over before next week.  Nothing that will keep me out late but, I won't be puttin the books down just yet."  He said with a smile, trying to keep their soft and loving mood going rather than get a lecture at this hour.  His rear end finally sinking into the cushions, the boy reclined somewhat instantaneously with a groan as he could have sworn he felt a pop in his back  after having been hunched over all day.

Lelouch listened, and with each word he had a concerned and disapproving expression before he finally sighed and shook his head as he settled beside him. He understood why his boyfriend worked so hard, he knew of some of the professors and students who didn't believe he earned his place in the school. So to prove them wrong he go back over his completed assignments before final submission, being meticulous as he searched for any error he missed or reworking. "Haa Suzu...I won't lecture you, because I understand why."  He shot him a soft yet loving scolding look. "So I'm gonna use a different method...you can lay on my lap and rest properly or I make you." He let his eyes narrow as he patted his lap. "If you don't at least break properly you won't be in tip top form." He wasn't upset but didn't like the way his lover would overwork himself because idiots couldn't get over the fact that he was a genius.

Suzaku smiled initially, the warm words of understanding coming from Lelouch and washing over him.  He could kiss him right now, sloppy as his tired kisses could be.  However he caught the look in those eyes right away and knew he was still in trouble, even without a lecture.  "Eehehehe...s-seriously?  I mean I'm grateful and all, I mean...I accept...thanks."  He was too tired to defend himself right now anyways, and an argument usually ended with him getting outwitted anyways.  He grunted and stretched out, a grunt eeking out of his throat as he took a second to find a comfy position with his head resting on Lelouch's thighs, his legs being long enough that his ankles rested on the arm of the couch.  "Mmm this is actually...kinda nice, heh.  If your legs get numb though you need to let me know."  He could just study tomorrow once he woke up right?  Lelouch wouldn't mind that...he hoped.

Lelouch rolled his eyes at the adorable doofus of a boyfriend flicking him teasingly on the forehead with a smirk. "Yes, and you should be." when he was comfortable he leaned down pecking his forehead. "Sure sure, I will but first." he squeezed his cheeks. "I hope you aren't thinking about studying..." he could tell when Suzaku was making plans in his head. His brow would lightly furrow in the cutest of ways and his eyes would slightly darken in thought. Completely unnoticeable if you didn't grow up with him. "Suuuzaakuu~" he drawled out his name as he smooshed his cheeks. "If you are I’m going to take matters into my own hands...literally." he smirked as his fingers started playing with his ears.

The brunet was caught red handed, how was Lelouch able to see what he was thinking so easily!?  Well then again, the two had been friends since childhood, even after so much time apart they'd gotten right back into their friendship so quickly.  And developing that relationship further into what it was now...well there were bound to be things they knew about one another after all that time. Through squished cheeks and the teasing of his ears, Suzaku attempted to explain himself...or at least lie.  "No noho hehe I pwomishheheh hehey oomph come on Lelouch Ihi'm too tired for that."  He said, not even thinking of where it might lead his boyfriend since there were certain things about him Lelouch liked to exploit to gain an advantage.  That was his style after all, exploit a weakness and turn it into your own strength.

He knew it! Well at least he can distract him from such thoughts. "Ohhh, I can't tell, you must not be that tired if you can think of plans, so you can handle this!" he chirped fingers moving to his neck. "I think this is just what you need. Proper punishment for overworking yourself." he said over him. "I bet you even planned to sleep for a certain amount of hours then waking up early to finish whatever things you had left to do." he said alternating between tickling his ears and neck.

"Pffthehehehaha oh ohoh noho come ohohonahah!"  Lelouch was nothing if not thorough, sometimes overly so.  His thought processes moved at a staggering rate leaving Suzaku little room to mentally maneuver around whatever he could say.  "HAha nah no please Ihi swearhahaha ack come ohon mercy you knohow how it tickles!"  Suzaku weakly began trying to curl up, being comfortable enough to not want to leave this spot as he turned his face into the other's stomach to laugh his heart out.

Lelouch cooed at the action trying not to laugh himself. Because it was finals the two didn't really have that much quality time together besides a kiss here and there. With how much their schedules kept them separated and busy. So now here he was, tired as they both were he couldn't wait until they were done. It was time to collect!! "Awww nope let me feed off that sweet laughter!" He snickered and moved his fingers to his ears. "Ahh mercy? Nono how bout some food, likeeee raspberries!" He chirped with out warning attached his lips to his exposed neck and blews light raspberries and nibbling at the exposed skin.

Suzaku was completely at the other's mercy now, those exploratory fingers wreaking havoc on him even with only these light attentions.  "HAha ah wahaha noho nono KYAAHAahha!"  The raspberry, dear god why was he still so vulnerable to those things at his age?  Lelouch's lips were soft, perfect to vibrate against his neck and make the poor guy buck and squirm around some more.  "MMhmhmhmhmph!  Looohouch meheanie!"  He complained, letting out a bit more of an undignified and childish side of himself while trying to curl up.

At the comment Lelouch growled playfully then delivered another loud raspberry. He giggled himself as his lover squirmed around, it was nice to hear his laughter, if anything he was addicted. So to gain more he shot his hands to his sides poking and squeezing. "Mnmnm pbbttt..mhuaahh!" He lifted his head. "Not nice to call names mister tease!" He chimed grinning down at him. "Mean would be me cuffing you to the bed and tickling you until sun up." He snickered. "Plus, I can't trust you to stay still enough before you dash out that door again!" He said finding an unprotected spot and digging his fingers in.

Suzaku moved like a man possessed.  Lelouch choosing to target his poor sides had him twitching and wriggling about in that lap, only slightly managing to not fall off the couch at this point.  "BWHAHAh ahah AH staha no no that's haha not fahahirhah!  Youhu wouldn't!"  The only time they'd actually done cuffs with tickling was one of Suzaku's birthdays, definitely a wake up call he never forgot.  "HIhihehehaha AH AHAHA I WIHIHLL Pleehehasehaha just move somewhere eleehehehse!"  The brunet pleaded, knowing and accepting that this sort of punishment was inevitable.  He didn't hate it, liked it sometimes in fact, but Lelouch knew that and always tended to keep him in suspense as to when he would strike.

"Hmmm?" Hummed playfully as he heard his words. "Completely fair love." He said over his laughter. "Ohhh think I won't when I will...hehe this time I won't buuuuttt. Next time when you least expect it." He told him thinking maybe once their exams were over he would reward him in his own special way. "Huh? Move?" His smile turned downright evil. "You said it...not me!" He changed his position a little and stretched over him and went for his hips.

The ideas for such a wild night were not completely lost on the brunet, but at the same time his entire being wasn't really in on any conversations right now.  He barely caught a glimpse of Lelouch's wickedly playful smirk before his lithe hips were seized.  "Whahat are you GYAAHAHAA aAH AHA NONONONHIOHOHHAHAIHIHI!"  One of his top three spots no doubt, the hips  had never been somewhere Suzaku thought himself to be vulnerable until Lelouch got ahold of them.  Something about his delicate fingers, his touch almost like an artist molding a masterpiece...Suzaku had no chance at preventing such embarrassing and rapid paced laughter from bursting forth.

"There we go! Wow!" He chuckled himself as he squeezed his hips, digging his thumbs into the groves then moving up to his sides then his ribs and with some struggle was trying to get to his armpits " Yes! Let me get your armpits!" He said giddy from the situation. "Let me in Suzu!" He said sweetly and he focused on his ribs since his arms were clamped down. They should be sleeping after all but did not want to pass up this chance of physical affection. "This is helping both of us! You look so refreshed!" He grinned as he continued to assault him with tickles as he became more drunk off his laughter.

High pitched cackling, soft moments of silent laughter in between louder fits of uncontrollable giggles, Lelouch had him right where he wanted him to be sure.  "HAhaha...eheh ah no nohoh please no aharmpihihitshshsheheha!"  The poor brunet was writhing, desperately trying to think of what he could do to defend himself even in the slightest as his arms stayed as closely tightened as possible.  He bent them at the elbow though, trying to lean into Lelouch and tickle with his hands where he could as payback, despite knowing that in this situation he definitely couldn't be as effective, nor get at the really good spots.

"Dont worry I'll get them eventually! Maybe I should go for your fe-eheheehet!" Lelouch jumped a laugh as he felt his hands get active below him and pulled back just to clasped both hands. "Oh you little sneak hehe!" he grinned down at him as he allowed for a brief breather keeping their hands clasped. "Maybe I should go for your neck again for that little stunt." It was no secret that he was just as ticklish as his boyfriend. Just he was better at hiding it and getting the upper hand on Suzaku.

Grinning as he at least got a bit of a breather, Suzaku knew he made the right call after hearing Lelouch's next targets.  "Heheh...mmmhmhmhm, Maybe instehead, we can work out a deal?"  He asked, not to get more studies after, but to make sure he could obtain some payback when his own torment was ended.  "I'll let you get one of the spots...heh the pits or the feet.  But in return...I'm gonna get you back, on your back."  He grinned widely, knowing the other boy had quite the sensitive spine...and he loved playing him like a piano.  Sure he was at a disadvantage, but if his own hands were in check now, that meant Lelouch couldn't keep tickling him either.

Lelouch listened to his offer with an amused smirk, usually he was the one planning and making deals that would give him the upper hand. Yet as he stared down at his boyfriend he couldn't help but shake his head with a small laugh. "Striking a deal huh? You drive a hard bargain!" he thought about it and almost wanted to decline and go back to tickling him. This was suppose to be a 'punishment'...Thaaat quickly turned into self indulgence. Plus his back was his worst spot and he hated his laughter when he was tickled their. "Haha alright, it only fair," he leaned down capturing those lips briefly. "Mmnn lets see," he thought about what he wanted and decided to target the spot he was closest too. "Give me those pits Mr.Tease." he grinned down at him.

He was glad Lelouch was so understanding and willing to deal with his bit of selfishness at least in this regard.  Of course, even though he knew one of those spots would be subjected to torture, he still struggled for a moment to lower his guard as he looked up at Lelouch while getting comfy again.  "Mmhmhmhm crap.  I swehear you better be ready for my turn."  Arms tentatively moving at a snail's pace, he jerked a little out of fear a couple times before reaching up and gripping the armrest of the couch for support, his pits wide open and practically wearing a sign that said kill me now.

"Oh dont worry I will be." he chuckled booping his nose. "Now arms up Suzu!" he said showing him his hands, snickering at the flinches and hesitation before he finally yielded. "Aww that's cute," he giggled at his expression. "Don't worry I won't be long!" He dug in before he could clamp his arms. "Tickle tickle Mr.tease!" He taunted with a grin. He was most likely gonna get it worse for the teasing but at least it was worth it just to see that gorgeous smile.

Though his arms did jerk a bit, Suzaku kept his hands holding firmly to the couch, even when his legs bucked into the air at the sudden and intense feeling of his poor pits falling under fire.  "GWAHAHah haah ahah AH AHAH LELOHOHOUCHEHEHAH Oh MY gahahadhahaha!"  The brunet's laughter continued unhindered, his vocals rising up an octave on occasion as he certainly didn't feel tired anymore, though that would probably hit him later after things calmed down.

Lelouch happily indulged himself as he continued scribbling his fingers in the spot. To futher mess with his boyfriend he gasped. "Woah Suzu I think I feel a hair trying to come in!" He pinch and clawed switching between hard and soft tickles just enjoying the sight and sound he continued for a moment more before stopping and simply rubbing his hands down his side. "See was that so bad?" He cooed moving bangs from his forehead.

"HEHEHAAAHAHA AHAHA AH NOHOHO You HEHEHAHAha!  LeLOUHUHUHUCH!"  The poor boy squealed, legs flopping about again until his love seemed to finally take some pity on him.  Suzaku was panting groaning as his arms came down and tried rubbing the feeling away.  He looked up at Lelouch, playfully pushing out his lower lip with a huff.  "Mmph...i'm so gonna get you double time."  He declared with a pout, having another spot in mind that he knew would put Lelouch in a similar state.

"Hehe I know you will!" He kissed those lips again. "But was it really that bad?" He cooed as he scratched through his scalp. "You look better too." He tapped his forehead. "And not as grimy like earlier...well you could use a shower and some shampoo." He teased just to mess with him. "Maybeee I should continue and get those cuffs." He strecthed moving to stand.

Suzaku huffed in a joking manner, sitting upright and stretching himself before blinking slightly and turning to snatch Lelouch around the waist.  Just like that, his strength was practically fully functional as he pulled the boy back onto the couch with him.  "Ooohoho no, I think you're gonna stay right here mister tickle monster."  His superior athleticism gave quite the advantage here as once he was in control it would be nigh impossible for his more intellectual partner to escape him.  And thus he playfully pushed Lelouch down face first, cackling like a playful villain before he shoved his hands up the back of his shirt and began doodling different lines, circles and swirls along his bare skin.

Lelouch shrieked with a laugh as he was pulled back down. "W-wahahait pft Suzaku!" He flailed as they wrestled and he was maneuvered on his back, he should have worked more on gaining muscles along with his intellect. "Nononono pfthehee kyaha mnff." He bit his lip and covered his mouth as he grabbed a pillow tossing it at his boyfriend. His legs kicked as one of his most ticklish areas was exposed. 

"Pffthahah hehey now I didn't use weapons!"  Suzaku complained playfully, using claw motions to crawl up his boyfriend's back and then down along his ribs and flanks, giving him squeezes all the way down.  The whole time he was shifting his weight, dodging as much as he could while feeling Lelouch writhe in agony underneath him.  He may be rather ticklish himself, but his dainty partner was for sure much more wild and unstable when you got him in a good spot.  "I wonder if your feet are worse than your back Lelouch, what do you think?"  He teased, not even really pausing as he continued to work his thumbs into the other's waist.

“Pfahahaaa!" He bucked with a pitchy laugh as he felt those fingers making him arch out of control. "Hahaha arhghahaha Suzakahahahaha!" He tried to roll onto his back to escape the feeling but his body was heavy and had all his weight on top him. Plus the tickling was taking all the fight out of him. "Nohohoohohoho! Oh my gohohohosh!" He clamped his arms down to his sides as some form of protection.

"Oh?  No you say?  Noooo?  Not here then, well we might as well try the other spot."  Suzaku happily announced before pulling his hands back and turning around.  Seated on Lelouch's butt now, the brunet reached down and, after a bit of struggling, grabbed both of Lelouch's ankles and hoisted them towards him.  He made a habit of drawing out this particular torture, starting to scratch and scribble his fingers along both soles with one hand.

"Thahahahats nohohoht what I meantehehehe!" he cackled with a squeal and groan, he tried to keep his feet hidden and out of his lover's grasp and shreiked as he was caught. "Nononoooo Suzuhuhuhu pft I hahahahate you so much!" he pounded at the couch as the worse torture began. Oh this was war! if he could reach back and get him he would.

Suzaku giggled wickedly, having an almost sinister cackling sound to his voice as he eagerly stripped the boy's socks away and went doubletime over both feet.  Heel to toe, back and forth, he didn't really let up until he was suddenly rubbing each toe instead, cooing his boyfriend to calm him down.  "Hahaha there there, gosh your feet are so ticklish Lulu~"  He teased with the nickname their friends came up with, knowing that if he wasn't blushing from his undignified response, that would get him heated in a hurry.

"Nohohoho GAHAhahahaaha!"  he laughed out as he struggled to try and get free but could only laugh and toss and turn. "Ahahaaha...ahh haa pft hehehe ahh haha..." He gave a laughing glare to his boyfriend as he all but melted and laid there blushing heavily at the nickname he groaned hiding his face in the cushion. "Thahahats not my fault you ass." came the muffled response. Though he was happy Suzaku was in better spirits. "Your just as t-ticklish there too!" he said still refusing to show his heated face.

Suzaku couldn't stop smiling at how cute Lelouch was with his guard down, his normal walls no longer preventing his real self to shine through. The muffled protests were mostly easy to make out, Suzaku gathering there was some return taunts as well as accusations. "Sorry what was that?"  He said playfully, fingers digging into the soft balls of the other's feet for a second to get a renewed reaction.  "Hehhe not my fault you didn't take advantage." The brunet couldn't help but enjoy this ticklish little time they had together, the stress almost wiped completely from his mind due to Lelouch's influence.

"Kyahaha! Hehehehe!" Lelouch bucked with a shriek flushed face coming out of hiding as he laughed. Only Suzaku could bring this side out of him, making him break through all that regal and mature persona to the wind and be as immature as he wanted. He was more than happy to be able to act like this around him.  "Ahahaha! I saihhihihid you're j-just as ticklish too youhuhuhu ass!" He giggled out covering his face as he struggled to reach back   and aimed a squeeze at his knee. If he wanted him to take advantage more he would as much as he could.

Suzaku saw this coming, the inevitable countermove by his chess loving partner.  But he was ready, quickly snatching said arm and holding it out so he could in turn reach in and reintroduce the vulnerable armpit to tickles again.  "Ooohohoho bad moove Lulu~  Oooohohoho tickle tickle tickle hehehe.  Oomph!"  Suzaku grunted as he let up and laid down on top of the other's back, making sure to hug him from behind and prevent any further tickle attacks.  "But you win, no studying, no stress....yawn aaaall relaxation...mmm starting with a nap here."

"OH SHIHIHIT! Suhuhuhuahahaha!GAhahahaha!" He tried to clasp his arm down yet all he could was lay there and take it. "Hahaha ahh hngnn." He panted and flinch as those arms wrapped around him, thinking he was going to go for his stomach yet relaxed when that wasn't the case. "Uhng Suzaku get off so we can at least cuddle in the bed! Dont crush me hereeee!" he whined playfully trying to turn in his arms. "I know you aren't asleep that fast!"

Suzaku playfully make snoring sounds, exhaling and blowing into Lelouch's ears once or twice before he giggled and got up.  "Cuddles sound good to me hehe.  You gonna make me breakfast tomorrow?"  He asked teasingly, offering his hand with that casual smile that Lelouch no doubt fell for a long time ago.

"Nyahaha Suzahahaha...hgn hahaha..ahh!" He rubbed at his ears before taking his hand with a laugh face still flushed as he stood. At the breakfast comment he pinched his sides. "Wise guy...psh it was going to be a surprise. Now im not sure." He smirked walking past him into the room. "But if you get yourself a full eight hours then maybe I'll think about... now shower and come to bed. If you start working I  swear to tickle you again until you pass out!" He beckoned him with a finger. " But if you want I'll keep you company in the shower and wash you hair~" he purred.

Suzaku nodded, feeling the alert status he'd gained from the tickles begin to wear off.  Of course as he rubbed the back of his head and stretched, he couldn't help but hear the subtle meaning behind Lelouch's words as he walked away.  "Huh?  H-hey Lelouch!  Wait a sec, together!  I want you to wash my hair!"  He quickly chased after him, knowing what that kind of tone meant for the tactical genius that never failed to put him in check.  He'd get that sleep, but the night was clearly still young...

#tickles #sfw #boyfriend tickling #suzaku kururugi #lelouch lamperouge #code geass #rp #fluff

[vgckwb]

P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 56: Rise Up

Ren was running a bit late getting to the hideout. She asked everyone there to begin investigating now that they have a name. Upon arrival, Ren was surprised to find Makoto among them, and she looked PISSED. “Ummmmmm…”

“She didn’t tell us why she was here either,” Ann explained. “She wanted to wait until we were all there.”

Ren was still stunned, but tried to proceed. “Well, the good news is we got a name…”

“And HOW did you get that name?” Makoto asked

Ren was confused. “I talked to a reporter…? Are you mad because I entered a bar? Because the lovely bartender was super adamant about not giving me anything alcoholic.”

Makoto was taken aback. “You entered a bat?”

“...No…” Ren lied.

Makoto sighed. “Well, if you’re telling the truth, then how do you explain this?” She showed Ren and everyone else a news article on her phone. The article was about the three gang members that got beaten up.

Ryuji panicked. “That wasn’t us!” He exclaimed.

Makoto was more confused now. “So if it’s not you who did it, then can you prove it?”

“...Maybe” Ren said. “We might have witnesses, depending on the time.”

“Well, as it just so happens, one of the gangster’s was wearing a watch that got broken,” Makoto explained. “Can you explain what you were doing at about 10:30?”

“Ah, what were we doing?” Ryuji wondered. “I think that was after we left.” Ren and Ryuji realized what they were doing. While Ren had a mile-wide grin on her face, Ryuji’s face contorted in horror. “We beat them up!”

Everyone but Ren looked at him, confused. “Oh, come on Ryuji. It won’t hurt to tell them.”

“What do you mean, we beat them up,” Ryuji insisted, his face turning red.

Makoto was not having it. “What’s going on?”

Ren snickered. “Lucky for us, not only do we have two witnesses, but also photographic evidence that places us somewhere else.”

Everyone looked at Ryuji. Ryuji couldn’t hold out any longer. “I want my 5000 yen back.”

“Done” Ren said, handing it to him.

Makoto turned to Ren. “So, where were you?”

“Well, after we had gotten the information…” Ren began.

It flashes back to last night. Ren and Ryuji were making their way through Shinjuku. “Alright, so, you wanna test it out? See if we got the right dirtbag?” Ryuji asked.

“Hmmmm” Ren thought. “I dunno. I kind of want to wait for the team to be there.”

Ryuji looked at her. “I mean, I guess I get it, but what if we have the wrong guy?”

“That’s part of the reason I wanna wait,” Ren said. Ryuji was confused. “I’m a little scared.”

Ryuji chuckled. “I get it. I was always scared before a big meet. But the trick is to not let it get to you.”

Ren smiled. “Maybe you and Sumire should talk.” Ryuji laughed rather loudly.

“Oh my, what an adorable laugh” a voice said. The two teens looked over to see two men. The two men walked over. “I know he already LOOKS perfect, but I think he has the energy for it too.”

“Oh, without a doubt,” the other man said.

“Um, what?” Ryuji said.

“Oh, pardon me, where are my manners?” the first man said. “My name is Julian.”

“And I’m Angel,” the other one said.

“Um, OK?” Ryuji said, still confused.

“And don’t think we don’t know what you’re doing here” Julian said. Ryuji looked at him blankly. “Why, you’re here to let yourself go.”

“What?” Ryuji said.

“Oh, don’t be so modest,” Angel said. “Or do. It’s very becoming of you.”

“I’m not sure what’s going on,” Ryuji said.

“Aww, we’re all friends here,” Julien said. “You want to let out your inner drag queen.”

“WHAT?!” Ryuji yelped.

“We saw you hanging around Crossroads,” Angel explained. “Too nervous to go in.”

“B-Bullshit!” Ryuji snapped back. “I was waiting for her!” Pointing to Ren.

“It’s true,” Ren admitted. Ryuji was relieved. “He wanted me to scout the place to make sure it had what he needed.”

Ryuji panicked again. He pulled Ren aside. “What are you doing?” he whispered.

“We can’t tell a perfect stranger that we’re out hunting for information about a gangster” Ren whispered. Ryuji looked shocked, then sheepish. “What did you do?”

“Well, uh, this guy, I was kicking rocks, you know?” Ryuji began explaining. “One hit him, I apologized, and we got to talking.” Ren glared at him. “I didn’t say anything about the Phantom Thieves, I didn’t even mention gangs. I just said we were helping the student council.” Ren was still glaring at him. “OK, fine, I’ll go along with this as an apology. We humor them for a bit, tell them we have to get home, and leave before the last train departs.”

“...’We’?” Ren said, still glaring. Ryuji was sweating bullets. “Ha!” Ren said, smiling. “Just kidding. You know I wouldn’t want to miss this.” Ryuji grumbled, but accepted it.

They broke away from their huddle. Ryuji got slightly embarrassed. “Ha ha, you got me.”

“Well don’t worry your pretty little head,” Angel said. “We’ve got the BEST stuff to make you SHINE!”

“Just like I always wanted,” Ryuji said. “But uh, could we take her along too?” Julian and Angel looked at Ren. “It’s just...she’s the only person I’ve told about this. I’d feel more confident with her there, you know?”

“Oh, of course,” Julian said. “Well now, come come.” The two kids followed the two men to a place close to Crossroads that was more specialized to the art of drag. The group spent some time picking out the right clothes for Ryuji. Ren explained that one of Ryuji’s hang ups was that he still wanted to feel tough, but it was no problem to find a tough look that was more feminine.

Ren also applied Ryuji’s make-up. Once she finished, she backed up. “There.”

Julian and Angel looked on. “Wow, I’m impressed” Angel said

“If you ever feel like making some extra cash, I’m sure some of our regulars would LOVE to have you on make-up” Julian said.

“Thanks,” Ren said, “but for now, I only work with him.”

“Aw, that's a shame,” Julian said. “Well, if you ever change your mind, the offer stands.”

“Thank you,” Ren said.

“So, what now?” Ryuji said.

“Well now we gotta get you in some of those CUTE outfits” Angel said. “And then PHOTOSHOOT!”

“Ph-Photoshoot?!” Ryuji said, surprised.

“Realx, it’ll be just for us” Angel said.

“Yeah, come on,” Ren said. “It’ll be fun.”

Ryuji looked at Ren. He relented. “PHOTOSHOOT!” he said with as much gusto as he could muster.

“Splendid!” Angel said. They capped the night off with Ryuji modeling various outfits, while everyone else took photos.

“You look gorgeous!” Ren complimented, taking another shot.

“Oh, you’re just saying that…” Ryuji answered, trying to play into the bit

“No, I mean it,” Ren said. “I’m honestly a little jealous.”

“Well, I’m sure that you’ll have your time to shine too” Julian said. “Your make-up game is SO on point!”

“Thank you,” Ren said. They took more pictures.

After the photoshoot, Ryuji and Ren left. “Take care you two!” Angel yelled out.

“Thank you!” Ren said.

“Yeah! Thanks!” Ryuji, smiling. Once he was far enough away, he let go of his smile. “Ugh.”

“Alright. 5000 yen, or this is going to Ann” Ren said. There was no reaction from Ryuji. “5000 yen or this DOESN’T go to Ann?”

Ryuji became more alert. “What? No! The first one! Ann cannot see these!” He took out some money and handed it over. “Ugh.”

Ren giggled. “Still, you gotta admit, tonight was fun.”

“Maybe” Ryuji admitted. “But I’m not keen on doing it again.” Ren giggled some more.

In the present, Ren was showing off the photos she had taken of Ryuji. “So, that’s what we were doing.”

“Huh,” Makoto said.

“UGH!” Ryuji groaned.

“I must say, you have a nice aesthetic presence,” Yusuke admitted.

“You really do look good here,” Jose said.

Ann looked at the pictures. “Ryuji? Have you ever thought about being a model?”

“Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope!” Ryuji said in a frenzy.

Sumire giggled. “But I will say, those guys are right.” Everyone looked at her. “Ren-senpai is REALLY good at make-up. I wouldn’t mind you applying make-up to me sometime.”

A light blush covered Ren’s face. “Th-Thanks.”

Makoto sighed, relieved. “Well, at least you aren’t going around assaulting people.”

Ryuji hung his head down. “I almost wonder if that’d be better.”

“BUT” Makoto said. “There is the matter of that person Sakamoto told stuff to.”

Everyone looked at Ryuji, while he recoiled. “Hold on. I didn’t say anything that would give anything away.”

“Are you sure?” Makoto asked. “Remember whose voice I have on recording?”

“Ugh,” Ryuji said.

“Well, I believe him,” Ren said. “I doubt Ryuji has much of a capacity to lie like this.”

“Hm, I guess that’s true,” Makoto agreed. “But it’s still something to consider.”

“Yeah,” Ren said. “It might be hard to find them, but if there’s no commotion, we might be safe.”

Makoto nodded. “So, what now?” The thieves looked at each other confused. “I’m assuming you’re going to begin your ‘work’ now that you have a name.”

“Well, yeah…” Ann said. “But that’s members only.”

“There’s a bit more finesse to it than just knowing their name,” Ren explained. “And besides, we might not have the right name to begin with.”

“I suppose that’s true…” Makoto admitted. “But I would like to see your process. You know, to make sure everything is above board and all.”

The thieves exchanged a look. Ren sighed. “It’s not that we don’t trust you, or want to keep you out exactly,” she said, deciding to be direct, “it’s just it’s a lot, and it might seem unbelievable. So, unless you’re ready to take the dive with us, it might be better to leave us be.”

Makoto stared at her. “Fine. I’ll let it go for now. But I WILL figure this out.” She walked off. With that determination, came something else: The app. Not that anyone noticed right away.

Once she was far enough away, the thieves were relieved. “Man, she’s determined!” Ryuji noted.

Morgana popped out. “Are you sure that was the right thing to do?” he asked.

“Well, I don’t know if there was any other way,” Ren answered. “You were there when I tried to dodge her inquiries about the Phantom Thieves.”

“I guess that’s true…” Morgana admitted. “Still, you’re better at letting others know just enough than Ryuji.”

“Shut up!” Ryuji shouted back. “You don’t even need to worry about shooting your mouth off, because most people just hear you meowing!”

“Are cats allowed at your school?” Yusuke asked.

“Well...he does have you there…” Ann said.

“You know what I mean…” Ryuji said, still a bit frustrated.

“I don’t think we should belabor the point any longer,” Ren said. She got out her phone and loaded up the app. “Junya Kaneshiro.”

“Match found” the phone responded.

“It IS him,” Ryuji said, amazed.

Ren looked at her phone. Just as before, Kaneshiro’s name is in black, and following that is one more line in black, then a line in white. “Yeah, and we know it’s the right guy because someone’s taking over already.”

“WHAT?!” the thieves yelled in unison.

“But didn’t Eris tell you no one was taking over yet?” Sumire asked.

“Well, something must have happened,” Ren said, giving some serious side-eye to Ryuji.

“Hold on. We can’t be SURE it’s my fault” Ryuji said.

“That’s true,” Jose said, defending Ryuji. “He did say he didn’t go into specifics.”

“Besides,” Ann interjected, “if this Kaneshiro person is doing business in all of Shibuya, that gives him a LOT of people who could be his enemy here.”

“Match found” Ren’s phone sounded off.

“What was that?” Ann asked.

Ren looked. “Well, it seems we’ve stumbled into the second thing needed to get into his palace. Apparently, it covers ‘All of Shibuya’.”

“You’re kidding,” Ann said.

“That’s massive,” Yusuke added.

“But we’re still missing the take over word,” Morgana said. “And unlike with Madarame, I doubt Kaneshiro is having a big public event.”

The thieves all thought. Something clicked in Sumire. “You don’t think that the person who beat up those guys could be it, do you?”

“Hmmmm” Yusuke said. “I cannot deny the possibility.”

“Yeah, but how are we supposed to figure this out?” Ann asked

“Well, it’s better than nothing,” Ren said. She thought some more. “Maybe we can get Makoto’s help on this?”

“Really?” Sumire wondered.

“Well, I don’t have any better ideas,” Ren admitted.

“I’ll go see if I can’t find her still” Ryuji said. “She couldn’t have gotten too far.” Ren nodded at him. He rushed off.

Meanwhile, Makoto was walking around. “I don’t think they’d do anything illegal,” she rationalized. “But why won’t they tell me what it is they do? They said it’d be unbelievable, but how much of that is just bluster on their part?” She bumped into someone. “Oh, sorry.”

“It’s alright Makoto” they said.

Makoto looked up to see Naoko. “Naoko?”

Naoko smiled. “How are ya doing, champ?”

“Oh…” Makoto said, taken by surprise. “Well, I’ve been better, but I think I'm doing alright.”

Naoke lowered to her level. “Well, if there’s anything you need, you know you can always come to me, right?”

“Of course,” Makoto said. Naoko kept looking at her. Makoto was confused. “Ummmmm.”

“Anything,” Naoko repeated.

“Right…” Makoto said. Naoko kept looking at her.

He stood up. “Ah, I’m sure you’re fine,” he laughed.

“...OK?” Makoto said. At that moment, Ryuji came up and saw those two conversing. He immediately hid, but kept watch.

Naoko laughed a little more. “Sorry. I’m just working on a case, so my mind is more focused on that at the moment.”

“Oh, you got a case?” Makoto said. “Well, with you on the job, I’m sure it’ll get solved.”

“Thanks kiddo” Naoko. “You doing well in school?”

“Yeah,” Makoto answered.

“Good” Naoko nodded. “Keep it up, and take care now.”

Naoko started walking off. “Wait!” Makoto called out. “I can ask Sae for a date if you’d like to have dinner sometime. Or maybe we could plan a picnic for...well…”

Naoko smiled. “Sorry, but I’m going to be rather busy. Plus, I think your sister has a lot on her plate as is. Still, thanks for the offer.” He finished walking off.

Makoto smiled, feeling a little more refreshed. Just then, Ryuji walked up to her. “Oh, Sakamoto-kun.”

“Um, you know that guy?” Ryuji asked.

“Yeah. He worked with my father on the police force” Makoto explained. “They were partners.”

“But he’s not an officer now?” Ryuji inquired further.

Makoto shook her head. “He’s a private investigator now. But more importantly, why are you here?”

“Oh, um, well,” Ryuji began explaining, “we might need a little more information, so we were hoping to ask for your help.”

“Well, I’m here to help. What do you need?” Makoto asked.

Ryuji was concerned about what to say, and more importantly what not to say. “We might need to investigate who beat those people up, but we might not now.”

“What do you mean?” Makoto asked.

“That guy you were talking to,” Ryuji answered, “that was the guy I talked to last night.”

Makoto was a little stunned, but she refined her composure quickly and chuckled. “OK then, so nothing to worry about.”

“What?” Ryuji responded.

“I mean, he’s not going around beating people up, if that’s what you’re thinking” Makoto kept going.

“But he COULD be,” Ryuji responded. “He MIGHT know.”

“Even if he did, I trust him not to do it,” Makoto said.

“But…” Ryuji blurted out. He was struggling to find the words without saying everything.

“But what?” Makoto asked.

Ryuji remained focused on what to say. He managed to muster “Ugh. It’s complicated.”

“Well, it sounds like you have some more talking to do with everyone else” Makoto. “Still, once you get your bearings straight, I’ll gladly help in whatever capacity is needed.” She walked off. Ryuji, frustrated, walked back to the group.

“Did you find Miss Niijima?” Yusuke asked.

“Yeah…” Ryuji answered.

“What’s wrong?” Jose asked, sensing something off about Ryuji.

“Well…” Ryuji said. “Things are a bit mixed.”

“How?” Ann asked.

“So, when I found her, she was talking to someone,” Ryuji said. “Specifically, the person I met in Shinjuku.”

“Did you go and reintroduce yourself?” Morgana asked.

“NO! I ain’t THAT stupid!” Ryuji countered. “I hid until he left and then I talked with Niijima.”

“What did she say?” Sumire asked.

“She’s very confident it’s not him, but I think it could be,” Ryuji explained. “But I couldn’t think of a way to tell her without saying everything.”

“Hmm” Ren pondered. “That IS tricky.”

“What do we do?” Ryuji asked.

They all thought about the question. Ren finally answered. “I guess we just need to be completely honest with her.”

“Are you sure?” Morgana asked.

“I don’t think we’ll get anywhere otherwise” Ren answered.

After letting the information settle for a bit, Ann spoke up and said “I think Ren’s right.” Everyone looked at her. “It’s just, she’s been fighting tooth and nail for the students of the school. I think it’s only fair that she should have all the knowledge to continue the fight, you know?”

“I do know” Yusuke chimed in. “However, I think the reveal should be a united front. A one-on-one meeting would be lacking.”

“Plus, if all of us were here, it might seem more believable,” Jose added.

“OK” Ren nodded. “I’ll ask her tomorrow.”

“Why not now?” Sumire asked.

“I think it’d be a bit awkward at this point,” Ren admitted. “So, do you want to do it here again?”

“I dunno,” Ryuji interjected. “I think it’d be a bit suspicious.”

“I think we should do it in Shibuya,” Yusuke suggested. “That way, if the person Niijima was talking to IS the person taking over, and she IS willing to believe us, we might get the third thing we need.”

“What an excellent idea Yusuke-senpai!” Sumire said. Yusuke went deep into thought. “Was that too much?”

“Oh. No. Sorry” Yusuke answered. “I just started thinking. ‘The person taking over’ is a bit of a mouthful. I think we need a better term for these people.”

Everyone got to thinking. “...Rebels?” Ryuji suggested.

“But we’re the rebels,” Morgana explained. “We’re the ones standing against corruption.”

“Yeah, but so are they in a way,” Ryuji said, defending his answer. “It’s just different from us.”

“Still, I don’t think we should put them in the same category as us, at least entirely,” Ann added. “If we were the same, we’d be no better than that Akechi kid thinks we are.”

“Well, you officially sunk my idea,” Ryuji said.

“What about ‘Conquerors’?” Sumire suggested.

“That’s not bad,” Jose said. “But I think we don’t want them to conquer. Otherwise the palace rulers would be dead.”

“Oh, right,” Sumire said.

They thought some more. “Well, this might be something we come back to later” Ren said. Everyone nodded. “In the meantime, we have a plan: we meet Makoto in Shibuya, and explain the truth.” Everyone nodded again. “Alright, then, meeting adjourned.”

Before everyone could leave, Ann shouted “WAIT!” Everyone looked at her. “Do you think you can send us those pictures of Ryuji?”

Ren smiled. “Of course.”

“Wait, don’t I get a say in this?” Ryuji asked. It was too late though, as Ren had already posted the album in the group chat. “Ugh.”

That evening, Makoto was having dinner when Sae walked in. “Sis!” Makoto stood up. “I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.” Sae wasn’t answering. “Your food is in the fridge.” Sae still said nothing. Makoto noticed she was holding something. “What’s that?”

Sae finally answered. “Huh? Oh, sorry. I found this in the mail slot.”

“What is it?” Makoto inquired further.

Sae got a bit frustrated. “I haven’t read all of it, but it appears to be a manifesto. The person writing it claims to have beaten up some gangsters last night.” Makoto was alerted. “So, you said my food was in the fridge?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah” Makoto answered. Sae set the manifest down on the table and walked into the kitchen. Makoto quickly walked over and took a picture of it with her phone. Once she did, she noticed the app. She stared at it for a bit, until the microwave dinged. Makoto returned to her seat and continued eating.

Sae came back out with her plate. She ate slowly, but aggressively, as she continued reading the letter. “Ugh. This guy.”

“What’s wrong?” Makoto asked.

“He’s just insulting us like we’re not even trying,” Sae said. She took another bite. She sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m not going to be pleasant company tonight. This on top of everything else is driving me up a wall.”

“Oh. Well, I could finish in my room if you want” Makoto said. “I still have some homework left to do.”

“I’d appreciate it,” Sae said. Makoto took her food and headed for her room. Once there, she pulled up the picture of the manifesto and began reading it herself. After she finished, she had a stunned look of horror on her face.

The next day, during lunch, Ren got out her phone and messaged Makoto.

Ren: Hey.

Ren: We need to talk.

Makoto: Funny. I was about to say the same thing.

Ren: Oh.

Ren: I guess that works then.

Ren: Can you meet us in Shibuya?

Makoto: Sure, but why?

Ren: That’s one of the things that needs explaining.

Makoto: I see.

Makoto: Well, It might be easier if I just come with you.

Ren: Yeah.

Makoto: Well, see you after school then.

Ren: Seeya.

Ren put her phone away.

After school, Ren met up with Ann, Ryuji, and Sumire. Once gathered, they waited for Makoto. She showed up a few minutes later. “Sorry, just had to take care of some business. Well, shall we get going?” The other thieves were uneasy, but Ren nodded. She and Makoto started walking off. The other thieves followed behind them.

It took a bit, but they met up with Yusuke and Jose around Shibuya Crossing. The thieves all banded together, looked at Makoto, who was looking at them, feeling unsure of what was going to come next. “What’s on your mind?” Makoto asked, nervously.

Ren sighed. “You want the truth?” she asked. Makoto nodded. “Alright. But please note, what I am going to say is the truth, no matter how ludicrous it seems.” She took a deep breath. “So, here’s just a basic overview. There’s a parallel world that’s shaped by people’s congitions. We can tap into it using an app that was given to us by a powerful entity to save the world.

People with really distorted desires form these things called ‘Palaces’ and at the center is their desire, which is their treasure. We sneak in to steal that to make them confess. But there’s another bit of complication.

This figure, Eris, corrupts people in order to take over the palace and kill the palace ruler. We not only go in to stop the palace ruler, but this person as well. BUT in order to get into the palace, we need three keyword: the name of the ruler, where the distortion is centered, and what the distortion is. When someone takes over, that last one becomes their’s, and not the palace ruler’s.

So, we need help figuring out who the person taking over might be. We have almost everything we need, but we can’t go until we figure this out. If you’re willing to help us, we’d like that.”

Makoto watched as Ren explained this, unblinking. The thieves were worried that Makoto would laugh this off, or get angry with them. Instead, she said “Huh. I guess that explains a few things.”

The thieves were confused. “Like what?” Ren asked.

“Why you’re never seen, first of all,” Makoto explained. “But I’m guessing it would also explain this.” She held up her phone to them. They were all stunned to see the Metaverse app. “I found it on my phone last night. I tried deleting it a few times, but it always came back.”

“Oh. I see” Ren said, awkwardly.

Makoto grew a little more serious. “And you need something from the person taking over? Well, I think I can provide that too.”

“What do you mean?” Ren asked, confused again.

“Last night, someone left a note in our mailbox claiming to be the person who beat up those gangsters,” Makoto said.

“Um, why?” Ryuji asked.

“My sister works for the prosecutor’s office,” Makoto said.

“Ooooooooohhhhhhhh” Ryuji said, remembering that the man he talked to mentioned a Niijima working at the prosecutor’s office.

“I heard from her this morning that it was sent to some of her coworkers, an assortment of police stations, and some news outlets as well,” Makoto continued. She glared at Ryuji. “And after reading it, I think you’re right.”

“Oh, about that guy?” Ryuji asked, his heart beating a mile a minute.

Makoto nodded. “I think he, Naoko, is the one who is taking over.”

“But, Ryuji told us that you denied that accusation,” Ann explained.

“And I did,” Makoto said. “But reading this, I knew. And with you explaining that this Eris person manipulates people into doing things, I understand now.”

“So what does it say?” Jose asked. “Is there anything that could be helpful to figuring out how to get into the palace?”

“Yeah, so far, we only have the guy’s name, Junya Kaneshiro, and we accidentally figured out the place, which is all of Shibuya,” Ann explained.

Makoto nodded. “His name appears in the note” she said. “I did a little research, and it appears he’s a big time gangster who you don’t want to mess around with. Ugh. Well, he knows I’m involved, but at least he doesn’t know about Kisa.”

“Wait, he knows Hagiwara too?” Ryuji said.

Makoto looked at him, glaring daggers. “Yeah. She’s his niece. Did you tell him she was involved too?” Ryuji looked pale as a ghost, and as much as he wanted to say something, he felt like anything he would say would not be well received. Makoto sighed. “Well, at least this whole thing makes more sense now.”

“So, the letter?” Ren said, awkwardly shifting the subject back.

“Oh right,” Makoto said. “I think it could be useful.” She pulled up the photo she took. “It goes as follows: ‘Greetings Tokyo, It has been a long time since I’ve graced your presence.’”

“It has?” Ryuji said. “How?”

“I’m getting to that,” Makoto said. “‘In case you were wondering, I am the one who beat up those criminals recently. That was only the beginning. I have decided to fight for Tokyo once again. However, it appears that things have gotten too out of control for The Night Raider to handle.’”

“The...Night Raider?” Ryuji asked.

“Ah, I remember,” Yusuke said. “Night Raider is a superhero from a comic from a long time ago. Madarame had the full collection.”

Makoto nodded. “It was my father’s favorite when he was a kid. Naoko’s too. They bonded over that when they first became partners.”

“If I remember correctly, The Night Raider would also put out messages for Tokyo to assure them they were safe” Yusuke said. Makoto nodded.

“Oh, so it that when you figured it out?” Ryuji asked.

“No” Makoto responded bluntly. She continued. “‘A prosecutor’s office that goes after the innocent while the police do nothing to get the truly heinous. Hence, I am making my return as The Dark Raider. The Night Raider vowed never to kill, but with things so terrible, there is no other choice but to kill. And I’m going to start with a man rotten to the core: Junya Kaneshiro. His tyrannical rule over Shibuya will come to an end upon his execution July 11th. In the meantime Tokyo, stay safe. From, The Dark Raider.’”

Ryuji seemed a little confused. “So, when did you figure it out?”

Before Makoto could answer, Sumire interjected. “It was the date, wasn’t it?”

Makoto nodded. “That was the day my father died. I knew then it HAD to be Naoko.”

“WHAT?!” Ryuji screeched. “So, let me get this straight: this Naoko guy is pretending to be a superhero to kill criminals, and he’s going to start by killing Kaneshiro on the anniversary of your father’s death? That’s one messed up personal crusade.”

“That’s it!” Yusuke exclaimed. They all looked at him. “The name for the people taking over: Crusaders!”

“Um, I guess?” Ryuji said. “But I don’t know if now’s the time for this.”

“Well I like it, Yusuke-senpai,” Sumire said.

“Thank you,” Yusuke said. “Although it was Ryuji who inspired me.” Ryuji didn’t say anything, but this time he was too dumbfounded to do so.

“OK, now with that out of the way, let’s see if we can’t figure out something from this,” Ren said.

“Um, I think it’s kind of clear,” Ryuji said. “He’s imitating his favorite comic book.”

“Navigating,” the phone said.

“What the?!” Ryuji said before the world warped around them.

The thieves and Makoto found themselves in a Shibuya with a green skyline, and everything around them looked like it was hand-drawn from a comic. “Woah!” Makoto said, freaking out. “This...This is insane.”

“Please,” said Morgana. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Makoto looked down. “Is that a talking cat?”

“I am NOT a cat,” Morgana explained.

“I don’t think this is a good time to explain that,” Ren said.

Makoto looked up to see everyone in their thief outfits. “Who are you?”

“Um, it’s us,” Ann explained. “This is just what we look like in the other world.”

Makoto was still shocked. “Oh. Wait, when did we get over here?”

Ren checked her phone. “Probably when Skull here said the words ‘comic book’.” Everyone else checked their phone. They saw Junya Kaneshiro, All of Shibuya,” and in white, Comic Book.

“Ugh. I need to learn to shut my mouth” Ryuji said.

“Wait, Skull?” Makoto said.

“Oh yeah,” Ryuji said. “Over here, we use codenames.”

“I’m Joker, this one’s Mona, she’s Panther, he’s Sunshine, she’s Violet, and he’s Fox.”

“I see,” Makoto replied, intrigued. She peered over them. “Is that normal too?”

The thieves looked at what Makoto was pointing at. They looked like walking, talking ATMs. “Well, it’s not entirely unusual,” Ren explained, “but this is odd. Let’s investigate.” The thieves walked up to the ATM while Makoto followed behind cautiously. “Excuse me.”

“GAH!” The ATM said. “I’m making the payments! I just need more time.”

“Wha?” Ren said.

“Oh, Mr. Kaneshiro won’t give me the time though” the ATM said. “Please, help!”

Ren was still bemused by this, but said. “We will.”

“Thank you,” the ATM said. “I don’t want to end up like them.” They pointed to another ATM, this one broken and on its side. The ATM hurried off to try and save itself.

“Um, what’s going on?” Makoto asked.

“Well, this is just a guess,” Ren said, “but I think these ATMs represent people in the real world.”

“So Kaneshiro thinks of these people as nothing but ATMs?!” Ryuji exclaimed. “That’s effed up!”

“Well, if he’s extorting money from people, it makes sense,” Sumire lamented.

“Well, yeah, but we gotta put a stop to this!” Ryuji said. Suddenly, a beam went off. Everyone looked to see a giant lime green beam blasting through the sky. They followed it and saw that a floating bank was being pulled by it.

“FOLLOW THAT BANK!” Ren shouted. They all chased the falling bank to its new destination. They arrived just as the bank was setting into the space around it. Once it stopped moving completely, two shadow guards walked out, and in the middle of them was a very angry purple man in a white suit. Ren halted everyone. “I think that might be Kaneshiro” she whispered.

The man furiously looked around. He saw the thieves and Makoto. “You!’ he said, walking up closer to them. “Are YOU the ones who took my bank out of the sky?” Ren shook her head.

“Um, pardon me?” Makoto said, stepping forward. “Are you by chance, Junya Kaneshiro?”

“That’s right,” he said, cautious.

“Why was your bank in the sky?” Makoto continued.

Kaneshiro’s shadow laughed. “Because that made me untouchable. That allowed me to act with impunity. I can control all of Shibuya without lifting a finger, because when I do, everyone but me gets PUNISHED.

But now I’m brought down to your level. And so, I need to punish whoever’s responsible.” He took a better look at Makoto. “Say, your uniform looks like the one of the girl who tried to get evidence on me.”

Makoto was afraid, but stood her ground. “That’s right. She’s a student at my school. And I’m the student council president. And you’ve made a grave mistake crossing me.”

“Oh ho” Kaneshiro said. “Feisty, aren’t we? But I think it’s the other way around. I have those photos of her, and I have the police under my thumb.So tell me, what are you going to do?”

Makoto took a step forward. “I’ll stop you!”

Kaneshiro laughed. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard a joke THAT good. Guards, take care of her. And her little friends too.” The shadows started to inch forward, but before they could touch Makoto, one of them got kicked out of the way.

The person responsible for the kick was a superhero with a black suit, black cape and cowl that was torn and tattered, white gloves, white boots, and white trunks. Across his chest was a stylized “DR” to symbolize that this person was the Dark Raider. This person was Naoko.

The other shadow turned their attention to him, but he pulled out some boomerangs and threw them at the shadow. He then walked up to Kaneshiro. “I’m the one you’re after,” he said. “I dragged you down here so we can fight like men. Leave them out of this.”

“Heh,” Kaneshiro chortled. “You think someone playing dress-up scares me?” Naoko grabbed Kaneshiro’s arm and twisted it. “GAH!”

“I’m not playing,” Naoko explained. “You saw what I did to some of your goons, right? Well that’s only a sample of what I’m going to do to you. You will pay for your sins with your LIFE!”

He twisted Kaneshiro’s arm harder. “AH!” Kaneshiro yelped in pain.

“NAOKO!” Makoto called out. Naoko looked at her. “STOP!”

Naoko let go, while Kaneshiro fell to the ground. “This isn’t your fight Makoto. Run while you still have the chance.”

“No,” Makoto said.

“What?” Naoko replied.

“This IS my fight” Makoto said, filled with determination “This man has been harassing my fellow students.”

“This man is DANGEROUS!” Naoko argued.

“Don’t you think I know that?” Makoto retorted. “But I have to try. Otherwise, what am I?”

Naoko walked over. “You’re a student. Your job is to get good grades, get into a good college, and have a good life. Not take on some mobster with a known body count of 22!”

“STOP!” Makoto shouted, surprising everyone. “Quit telling me what to do! If I’m supposed to be in charge of what I do, why is everyone else telling me what it should be, or what I am?! I’m the student council president, and I’m supposed to protect my own! But no one trusts me because of what other people have placed upon me, and I’m SICK of it! I want to earn that trust back by doing whatever it takes! So you either help me, or GET OUT OF MY WAY!”

Kaneshiro stood up in this moment where everyone else was distracted. “GUARDS!” He called out. More shadows appeared as Kaneshiro retreated into the bank. The thieves rushed to protect Makoto, while Naoko had already begun.

Meanwhile, a voice was ringing out inside Makoto’s head. “Have you decided to tread the path of strife?”

Makoto was struggling. She fell to her knees. “Yes,” she answered.

“Very well,” the voice continued. “Let us proceed with our contract at once. I am thou, thou art I... You have finally found your own justice. Please..Never lose sight of it again.” A mask appeared on Makoto’s face. “This memorable day marks your graduation from your false self.”

Makoto ripped it off, shouting “JOHANNA!” Blood sprayed out of her face. A blinding light surrounded her. Once the dust settled, Makoto was dressed as a biker, and her Persona had manifested as a motorcycle she was riding.

“Woah!” Ryuji said.

“I’m impressed!” Morgana exclaimed.

“Hm” Ren smiled.

Makoto revved up Johanna. “JAH!” she belted out, as she began attacking the shadows. Between her, the other thieves, and Naoko, the shadows were dealt with. Afterwards, Makoto was out of breath. “Woah…”

Naoko looked at them. “Tell me: Are these the rumored Phantom Thieves?”

Makoto looked up. “Yeah... I asked them to help me... And now... I’m joining them...”

“I see,” Naoko said. He reached his hand out. “We can work together, you know. Taking down criminals left and right.”

Makoto was still out of breath. “Sorry” Ren said, stepping in. “But so long as your plans involve murder, we can’t accept.”

Naoko retracted his hand. “Very well. I will allow you to try your way. But make no mistake, I don’t intend to lose. Kaneshiro will stop at nothing to get his way. You have to be willing to do the same in order to take him on.”

“I’ll stop where I want!” Makoto yelled. Naoko stared, nodded, and then leapt away.

The thieves looked around. “Let’s call it here for today” Yusuke suggested. Everyone nodded and they all went back to the real world.

Once they were back, Makoto was again stunned. “Woah. That just happened.”

“Yeah,” Jose said. “But it was pretty cool.”

“Boy, I’ll say,” Morgana said. “I’ve never seen a motorcycle persona before!”

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “Wait, the cat talks here too?”

“I am NOT a cat!” Morgana said, holding his position.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Makoto said. “Then what are you?”

“Well…” Morgana said.

“This is Morgana. He’s a creature from the same person who gave us the app,” Ren explained. “He just has the form of a cat.”

“OK” Makoto said, taking this alright. “Why is he here?”

“He was always here,” Ren explained. “I usually carry him around in my bag. But you couldn’t hear him speak unless you go to that other world.”

“Oh” Makoto said. “How peculiar.”

“Yeah, that’s one way to describe him,” Ryuji remarked.

“Can it!” Morgana said. “At least I’m not a loud mouth.”

“Those two argue from time to time,” Ren said. “Don’t worry about it.” She reached her hand out. “For now, welcome to the team.” Makoto smiled. She gathered what strength she had left to accept Ren’s handshake, and accept the title of Phantom Thief.

#persona fanfiction #persona 5 #persona 5 royal #p5 femc #p5 rework #p5r rework #p5r #p5 #FeMC #female ren #ren amamiya #makoto niijima #Ryuji Sakamoto #ann takamaki #Sumire #morgana #jose #yusuke kitagawa #sae #kaneshiro #Julian and Angel

[chaoticspacefam]

2020 In Review: Wordcount Tag

I was tagged for this by @actualanxiousswampwitch​ , thank you! I’m not sure who’s already done or been tagged for this cause I am, once again, late to the party LOL but I shall (no pressure and sorry if you’ve already done it!) tag: @rainofaugustsith​ , @darth-bagel​ , @thatmmolesbian​ , @thelastenvoyyy​ and anybody else who wants to do this. Yes, I promise I mean you!

Words: 45,314

Published: 0 (I’m not counting the couple of Six Sentence tags I’ve gotten, they’re snippets of an unfinished piece & are included below instead :), or roleplay replies, cause that feels like cheating lol.) I actually wrote a lot more than I thought I had, this is a rough guesstimate as well, as my oneshot WIPs tend to be all over the place across something like 6 different documents, some of which have existed since 2018, so I had to guess at how far up to count from the end for some of them, but I think it’s a fair guesstimate XD I also have included lore/worldbuilding docs in this because that was a 3-month long Lockdown 1.0 Boredom/”Canon is a trash fire so I’m ignoring that and making up my own lore” passion project and I’m goddamn proud of how much I wrote for that. It’s the most I’ve written in one stretch (think I finished it over a span of 3 nights or so, once I’d done all the research and made all the notes ofc ^^)

Not Published: 45,314

The Breakdown:

swtor - 45,314

for creeping shadows (my main longfic/part one of the subterfugeverse series) - 1,553  - Aria, stop being difficult! *shakes fists* XD

oneshots - 16,223

lore/worldbuilding (for subterfugeverse naturally) - 23,001 (is this ALL tomato alien lore? pretty much, yes, yes it is :’D ~400 words is “the WIP reworked timeline to correlate my worldbuilding with the canon timeline that was released”, but 98% is just...me thinking way too much about Purebloods and how they deserved way better goddamn lore. I blame @fluffynexu ‘s amazing tomato worldbuilding posts,  reading them when I went looking for “canon” lore one day for the rp is what got me started down that rabbithole (it’s awesome and if you haven’t already you should totally go check hers out too :DD), I had a “fuck you then canon I’ll do it myself too >:L” moment and once I started I couldn’t stop until I’d crapped out literally over 20k words on the subject *whispering* thank you LOL)

zephyrverse au bonus oneshots - 4,537 (stuff I wrote to fill in time gaps or “just cause I had a plot bunny”, relating to mine and k-christine’s zephyrverse au rp. None of these will likely be posted publicly, but they still deserve to be counted as words I wrote this year :’D

As you can see, most of my “muse” this year came from sporadic oneshots :’D The Ahaszaai twins also properly plot-bunnied their way into my brain in late 2019 and haven’t stopped making a nuisance of themselves the whole fucking year. Every time I tried to carry on with a chapter, one of the two of them would pop up like “Nooo write about ME! pay attention to ME!” - Yes, Ni’kasi, I will get to you this year, I promise XD

New Things I Tried:

Just Writing. Not worrying about whether “it wasn’t part of the next chapter” or “it comes from a part in the story that I’m nowhere near close to posting yet”. If I felt like writing something, or for a specific pairing/feeling/scene, whatever. I wrote until I ran outta muse juice. Yeah, it meant I didn’t technically “finish” anything this year BUT - the important thing is I wrote stuff. and that’s all that really matters, eh? :’D

Polyam ships! May not seem like a big deal but I spent a long time talking myself out of them because of internalised toxic monogamy and finally saying “you know what, fuck it! I can ship three or more people together and it can still be a perfectly wholesome, healthy and loving relationship and that’s okay” was a BIG thing for me this year.

Dialogue Scripts: which I didn’t count as wordcount because really it’s just word vomit of general tone/inflection and dialogue that I came up with right before falling asleep which I didn’t want to lose. Basically, if an exchange or a particularly punchy or moving line of dialogue popped into my brain but I wasn’t ready to write the whole scene that it fit into out, but didn’t want to forget the line(s). I wrote it out in movie script/script-style roleplay fashion e.g. Character’s Name: (emotion, hand gestures etc.) [Dialogue here] and so on. I know this is probably a well known trick of the trade, but I never took it seriously until this year. Seriously, do it. It’s great.

Favorite Thing I Wrote:

Hmmm, a snippet for Andronikos/Ni’kasi that I started this week which isn’t posted yet (saving it for this week’s Six Sentence Sunday so look out for it! :D) was pretty fun to work on, I love their dynamic and Kas is suprisingly fun to write for.

Also the Aria/Vano proposal scene that I posted a snippet for the week before last. I’m having great fun with that scene, and I really enjoy putting a non-serious spin on the classic “proposal scene” tropes. Can’t wait to finish it, though it may be a while before the full one goes up on AO3, as it depends whether it ends up fitting in as part of the mainfic or as an additional oneshot

And I have a D’leah/Kissai oneshot that I need to give another once-over before I finally yeet it onto AO3 and Tumblr for you guys to see :’D

Favorite Fic I Read:

@sleepswithvillains Eleanora/Quinn fic, Helplessly Hoping. I’m horribly behind on chapters and I gotta catch up and read the finale this week, but it’s been a helluva great ride and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the story! <3

Also The Invitation collab with @tishinada featuring Zas and Fiona had me squealing, I can’t wait to catch up on HH and see more of these two, they’re adorable ;-; @a-muirehen​ ‘s Relu/Merkara series of course! I’m a complete sucker for (friends to lovers to in Ariano’s case but yea pfpfpf) enemies to lovers ships and these two are just so good, I am on the edge of my seat every time we get a new snippet for them, ngl (grimace emoji) @darth-bagel ‘s Sylvas/Graz’zt and Sylvas/Liz/Rilfaen snippets which they’ve been spoiling me with on Discord @mercurypilgrim ‘s Ven’fir/Quinn AU oneshots, Cloudbank (Western was a particular favourite, but all are very good!) and of course @rainofaugustsith ‘s Lana/Viri updates are always fantastic, some personal favourites from this year were Almost There & Memory of Healing :3 (I totally still go back to read Commander & Advisor too sometimes, getting to see Viri be a little diabolical and messing with “MiNiSTeR LoRMaN!” was and still is my favourite thing XD)

If I’ve left you out I’m sorry!! These were the ones that stuck out in my memory, but I’ve loved everyone’s writing this year, it’s been great :3

Writing Goals:

to actually finish and post chapter 8 & 9 of Creeping Shadows. Then we’ll get to the meat and potatoes of the story and maybe Aria will stop being a brat and fighting me every time I try to stick to a semi-regular update schedule Get off my butt, finalise the name and get started on Ni’kasi’s part of the Subterfugeverse story. Maybe run the updates in-tandem with Creeping Shadows but idk if I want to wait till after CS is done before I start posting Kas’s side, or do them side-by-side yet, we’ll see ;) Keep writing! I know better than to pressure myself by setting a specific word count goal, that’s never worked well in the past

At least 2 chapters of each of the works mentioned above would be great though, more would be better! We’ll see how I go

Words of Thanks:

honestly, to everybody in the fandom I’ve met this year. Anybody that I follow, thank you for being there and engaging with me and/or posting amazing content for me to look at! I came over from deviantART where the SWTOR fandom is incredibly small and generally quite inactive and the contrast since moving over here has been incredibly uplifting. I very nearly cancelled Creeping Shadows and stopped posting fic for my SWTORverse altogether because I got next to no engagement on dA and it was very disheartening to the point where I felt I could enjoy the game and the rp partners I had, but the solo projects I’d put so much thought, time and love into already weren’t worth continuing. You guys took that spark and kept it going and I really don’t have enough words to say how grateful I am for that. Even if I haven’t published much this year, making posts on this tumblr, interacting with everyone and working on lore, plot points and so on for Subterfugeverse has kept me going through the Hellish Year of Nightmares that was 2020 <3

to the amazing new friends I’ve made in this past year, who have listened to me ramble about headcanons, character backstories, writing snippets (and rambled/sent some back), keep being awesome: @walk-ng-d-saster , @darth-bagel , @kyber-heart , @deepseacritter , @thedinalixlegacy to further friends and meme tag buddies, I get so excited every time I see a mention for a new meme or ask game in my inbox, so thank you!! : @mimabeann , @palepinkycat , @a-master-procrastinator , @raven-of-domain-kwaad , @actualanxiousswampwitch , @thatmmolesbian , @a-muirehen to my regular commentors/rebloggers/likers/askbox lurkers, I see every one of you and every time your users pop up I grin like a kid in a toy shop: @starlightjedi , @sparkles-and-rust , @wilvarin-chan , @sunsetofdoom , @ask-an-andalite , @thelastenvoyyy . @lyrishadow and more because Tumblr only goes so far back and I have the memory of Swiss Cheese. If you regularly comment, like, reblog, or anything, from me, know that I see you, and I love and appreciate you for it! <3

I couldn’t possibly remember to tag everyone and I promise if I missed you out it’s not because I hate you! Anxiety just sometimes be a bitch and I don’t wanna look like a clown calling someone a “friend” if I’m not explicitly sure we are, in fact, friends. I think you’re all awesome and I’m so glad to have moved over here and met you all <3

#long post #wordcount year review tag #elven's writing: stats #repost bc i goofed some links woops sorry everyone #^^; #will i eventually post any of this stuff? yes! #i will. i just...don't know *when* the time will be right for most of it hahaha #the only bits i won't post are the zephyrverse-specific oneshots cause i just don't feel like i want to #but everything else will (eventually) in some capacity be thrown into the void for all of you to read #shameless friend appreciation post #shameless mutual and follower appreciation post #<3 #swtor sort of

[unicyclehippo]

If you're still taking prompts, then... verklempt with a touch of marcid, as a found family comfort fic for poor Beau after that last episode (she needs it).

verklempt - completely and utterly overcome with emotion // marcid - incredibly exhausted

//

Caleb

//

The woman who walks out of that house is not his Beauregard. If not for his familiarity with transmutation, he might suspect that someone else had been put in her place; the imposter has copied her flawlessly—wears her face, her skin—but she does not know how to be their Beauregard.

Their Beauregard has eyes like needles, sharp and shining, that pin people open to examine their insides, cobalt eyes. These blank eyes, these clouded-over eyes, are wrong.

Their Beauregard moves like a cat. Not like Frumpkin, whose form sometimes shifts and moves to fit the world—he is real and unreal and his smoking steps reflect it. Beauregard moves like one of the great striped cats, the kings of the southern forests; Caleb had seen one, once, in his days at the Academy and it is the only way he knows how to conceptualise of Beauregard’s distinctive physicality. She is forceful and graceful all at once; she slinks and steps and climbs with power in her movements. There is a confidence to her that is all physical—all of her power, all of her presence, contained. Concrete. The imposter cannot begin to understand this. Her hands are wrong. They hang heavy at her sides like an inept simulacrum, like gloves filled with some unsuitable material— with ice, with lead. They lurch in pendulum swings from the shoulders, out of time. She does not stride or strut. She stumbles over a hunk of raised rock. When she braces against Caleb, who steps quickly to her side, her fingers claw at the proffered arm so she doesn’t meet mud.

Her skin is cold and wet from the misting downpour.

Enough, Caleb thinks. Tugs her to stop, halt.

She doesn’t argue with him and it’s all wrong, wrong, wrong.

Blue eyes drift to his face, unseeing, glazed. He sees the faintest stir behind them of recognition and she looks down to their joined hands.

‘Your hands are cold,’ he says softly.

There is no hiding that they have stopped from the watchful others, but he doesn’t have to let them hear. Beau is a private person and they have learned more of her history in the last two days, last hour, than ever; he will not let anyone take more from her, not even the knowledge that her hands are cold.

‘No,’ she denies. ‘’m all—hot.’ Rubs her other hand over the back of her neck as she has been doing all day. The skin is red, raw with scratching, but from what he can see it is hot from friction alone.

He makes a sound of disagreement. Pulls his gloves from the pocket of his coat and works the first onto the hand he still holds. It is hard because she is not being helpful, like pulling a glove onto a statue, but finally it is more or less on and he rubs the hand between both of his own in that rough way that calls heat back into extremities.

She shivers. Blinks, surprised by the way another shiver shakes through her.

He coaxes her second hand into the other glove. ‘There. Wunderbar.’

Beau curls her fingers into fists, slightly cushioned by the gloves that are only a little threadbare. ‘You don’t need ‘em?’ she asks, the thought making her reach off and fiddle with the cuffs.

Caleb lays his hands over hers. Squeezes. ‘Nein, it is fine, I can summon flames. Keep them.’

He cannot help but wonder—as she struggles past the exhaustion to think, to figure if he needs them more, eyes narrowing into an approximation of shrewd, prying—how many things Beau has been given. A slap across the face, is the first he knows of. A jade necklace with no apparent defences, supposedly to keep her safe. Anything else? Fire boils in his belly, threatens to burn through his veins, his entire self—threatens to send the rain that hits him steaming, hissing away from his too-warm skin—as her tear-stained cheeks crinkle into a very small smile.

‘Thanks, Caleb.’

He lets his hand settle on her shoulder when they set out again, fond, letting her feel the weight of his presence at her side.

//

Nott

//

She waits until they’ve purchased beds for the night in the inn, waits until Beau and Jester have gone upstairs to their room, before she follows. Waits until Beau has excused herself, stepped into the washroom, before letting herself in and setting the little jade rabbit on Beau’s bedside.

‘You steal that?’

Nott screams and spins, crossbow drawn. Beau doesn’t even flinch; her eyes are focused on the statuette, over Nott’s shoulder.

‘Beau! Steal? Little old me?’ she hedges awkwardly until she realises she isn’t seeing upset on Beau’s face, or annoyance. Strange, given that is Beau’s go-to expression, but... ‘Ah—yes. I didn’t like the way he spoke to you, so,’ Nott flutters her fingers in a There you go sort of motion. Her eyes narrow, gleaming with interest at the way Beau’s expression shifts.

‘He’s—complicated,’ she says finally.

Nott isn’t sure if what she has, what this goblin body has, are hackles, but if they were they’d be raised by Beau’s tone: quiet, borderline defeated. Worse—understanding.

‘He’s an asshole.’

Beau smiles crookedly. ‘So am I. So was I.’

‘You were a kid,’ Nott snarls. Holds her hands up in surrender when Beau’s eyes snap sideways, staring at her finally instead of that damn statuette. ‘Sorry, sorry, not my place, sorry.’

‘No. It’s not.’

‘Right. Well.’ Nott whistles faintly through her crooked teeth.

‘I nearly broke that,’ Beau tells her, eyes sliding back to the statue. ‘When I was - I dunno. Ten? Ten, I think. I was running in the house and slipped. Slammed into the table,’ she says, and doesn’t seem to notice the way her hand lifts to rub at the long-healed scar above her eyebrow. ‘It fell off. Hit the carpet. There’s - ah - a little chip missing on the back,’ she tells Nott, who doesn’t bother checking. The corner of Beau’s lips twitch up into an expression Nott wouldn’t in a hundred years call a smile. ‘He picked that up first.’

‘Beau...’ The girl sighs. Nott puts her crossbow away. She hadn’t realised it was still out, the weight so comforting in her hands. Now they’re empty, they itch with the need to take something, work with something. She threads her long, bad fingers together. ‘Thank you for coming here. I know you did it for me and—thank you.’

Beau jerks her head in a nod. Nott has nothing more to say, knows it isn’t the right time to mention how much she thinks Beau’s dad is a dickhead, knows very little of what she says will be taken seriously by Beau. So instead, she says to her friend,

‘It sounded cool. Your plan for the wine. I’m sorry he didn’t listen to you.’ Nott eases forward, toward Beau standing interposed between the bed and the door. She stops beside her, pats the girl fondly on the hip. Leaves her hand there as she looks up into Beau’s suddenly blank face. ‘For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re with us.’

‘Okay,’ Beau rasps, not meeting her eyes.

Nott pats her side again. ‘Sleep well, Beau. You need your rest if we’re off to fuck up a hag in the morning.’

//

Fjord and Yasha

//

‘At least we know now,’ he says low to Yasha as they follow Beau out from the inn. ‘If we ever want her to be less sneaky, just...’

‘Confront her with her past?’

‘Yeah.’ Fjord grimaces. ‘Not really funny, huh?’

Yasha eyes the slow figure ahead of them, her meandering path. She would think Beau were drunk, if she hadn’t been watching her carefully since they left that place. A half cup of wine would have no effect like this on the well-practised monk.

‘No.’

The pair follow Beau through the mud-slopped streets. For a short while, she stands at the base of the switch-back roads up to the Rainbow Vineyards and Yasha is prepared to return to the inn and fetch everyone, in case Beau has it in her mind to revisit the house—what they would do, she isn’t sure. Stop her? Perhaps. Help her? Definitely. But Beau doesn’t head up; she turns away and wanders back up the path. Fjord and Yasha step aside to get out of her way and she walks right past them, unseeing.

‘Still raining,’ Fjord says to Yasha.

Her chest tightens around mixed pain and love. For Beau, who is hurting. And for Fjord, who will muster a bad lie to protect his best friend.

‘Ah. Yes,’ she agrees, lying too. ‘I think I feel it.’ She holds her hand out, palm up to the sky. Wipes imaginary droplets off against her cloak.

They follow Beau to the other end of the town, to the southern gates. She walks out of them, staggers to a stop by a low cliff where she sits. Throws her legs over the edge and grasps at small rocks, tosses them down the embankment into the burning pools there.

Fjord sits to one side of her.

Yasha sits on the other.

Neither of them speak, until eventually Beau swears. Scrubs at her cheeks.

‘Fuck—when—hey guys,’ she says, voice thick. She reworks it into something sharper. ‘Are you following me?’

Yasha looks to Fjord over her head, nervous. Perhaps she shouldn’t be here, she has caused enough hurt,

‘A-yup,’ Fjord tells Beau, a hint of his old swaggering accent in the word.

‘How long?’

‘Good long while.’

Beau stares at him, mouth working but no sound coming out. She jerks her head to Yasha, who smiles. Jerks her head to the pools, which burble and burn away.

‘Didn’t notice.’

‘No, we know.’ Fjord leans heavy against her shoulder. ‘It’s alright.’

‘Should’ve noticed.’

‘You don’t have to be —‘ Yasha hesitates, suddenly nervous under the way Beau looks at her. Like a piece of flint waiting to spark. Like a woman who is hurting. ‘We wanted to...make sure you are safe. We didn’t...wish to intrude.’

‘Did you at least hide?’

‘Nope.’ Fjord pops the sound of the p with relish. ‘You walked right past us.’ Holds a hand up to his face, exaggerating—though not by much—how close they had been and Beau had not seen them.

‘Fuck.’

The word punches out of her along with e last of her energy. Yasha catches her as she sags, leans her fully against Fjord who wraps an arm around her shoulders.

‘He’s a cute fuckin’ kid, huh?’ she mumbles.

‘Sure is. Looks like you.’

‘I was a little monster.’ Beau knocks her head on his shoulder. Drops a hand to the side, fingers hooking onto Yasha’s bracer.

‘Naw,’ Fjord says, so so softly. ‘I reckon you were just fine.’

They sit with her as her facade breaks again, no energy to maintain it, and she cries. There’s little left in her to cry out so when she’s empty of tears, she almost crumples in on herself and bit by bit she slips from this state into unconsciousness.

‘Yasha? Little help?’ Fjord asks, holding Beau awkwardly back from the edge of the low cliff.

Yasha stands. Scoops the smaller woman into her arms. Adjusts her with Fjord’s help so her head leans peacefully on Yasha’s shoulder, Fjord’s cloak a cushion. They head back to the inn, Beau lulled by the rolling step, cradled safely in her friend’s arms.

The inn is dark, the stairways barely lit by lantern light. Yasha carries her up the stairs—laughs softly at Fjord’s low whistle.

‘You’re not tired at all? You carried her all the way across town—she’s small but she’s not exactly light!’

‘She’s fine,’ Yasha shrugs. Her muscles are warm from exertion but it isn’t something that strains or hurts. ‘Would you—the door?’

‘Huh? Oh, sure, yes.’

He cracks the bedroom door. They creep in, not wanting to wake Jester. Jester, who sleeps turned toward Beau’s bed, who looks as though she had drifted off in the middle of staring at the empty sheets.

Yasha holds Beau as Fjord pulls down the sheets; lowers her onto the mattress and helps Fjord work at the laces of muddied boots. Easing them off, Fjord takes them, holds them in his hand. Watches Yasha’s hands carefully—not from any suspicion but from a deep, worried care—as she draws the blanket up to around Beau’s shoulders.

‘Sleep well, Beau,’ Fjord says with all the reverence of a prayer.

Yasha wonders if he is aware of the faint green glow around his free hand as he rests it on Beau’s shoulder. The frown that grips her brows tight loosens a fraction. Eases.

//

Caduceus

//

Caduceus trusts Fjord and Yasha to track her down in the night.

His job is not like theirs. Their duty is to protect her, to keep her from going too far, to bring her home. His is — he’s reluctant to say harder, he has no doubt there was some careful work to bringing her home, but it is one thing to catch the wild horse and another to tame it. So he’s heard. He’s never tamed a horse himself, nor does the analogy sit well with regards to Beauregard. Except, that is, a wild horse is skittish to the reaching hand and he cannot stop thinking about a younger Beauregard, already young, who has been struck by her father. Caduceus doesn’t consider himself an educated man but there are some things he knows to the core of himself, and this is one of those things: Beauregard has been starved of those necessary things, like the withered and pitiful garden within the estate. If she is not healthy, if she does not bloom brightly and prettily as expected, it is not the plants fault but the gardeners.

That is to say, he thinks, and rolls a mouthful of floral tea over his tongue, she deserves more. Better.

Which brings him to his duty, and his eyes lift from the handsome grain work in this simple tables to the stairs where a barefooted girl, hair half-fallen from its topknot, hurries down.

‘Morning, Beau.’

She looks marginally better. Reflexes far improved from the night before. He had been tempted to check for signs of undeath, with her moving like the animated dead, skin as cold.

‘Cad,’ she grunts.

The skin beneath her eyes is puffy and dark, from crying and from a lack of sleep. He had heard Fjord and Yasha return late last night, perhaps even early into morning, so she can’t have slept for more than—three? Four hours at most.

‘You haven’t slept enough.’

She grunts. ‘Seen my boots?’

‘Yes.’ He drinks from his cup. Flares his nostrils to take in the scent as the movement stirs, hits the notes of the drop of honey he had added. After last night, he needs the boost, the sweetness.

‘Where?’

He just smiles, no intent whatsoever to say. ‘Tea?’ He has rarely seen anyone who needs a cup more than she does now; she desperately needs it, needs a moment to relax from holding herself so tense, gingerly, like she has been turned inside out and back again and she’s scared it’ll happen again.

Beau doesn’t seem to agree. Squints are him, a not unfamiliar squint, the one she gets when she’s reading books in unfamiliar script. Like she is figuring him out. Lips pressed flat, not quite a scowl.

Caduceus thinks about telling her that he isn’t a book, can’t be read like one, when she nods, frown clearing.

‘Fjord’s got ‘em. Great. Thanks.’

‘What?’

Beau salutes. Backs up the stairs.

‘How did you—‘ he begins to ask, brows crawling higher in his forehead like fat, confused pink caterpillars, but she has already disappeared, taking the steps two at a time.

He listens as the door to the room he was sharing with Fjord creaks open. A moment, and then it creaks closed again. The loose floorboard at the top of the steps squeals and Beau returns, boots in hand, and takes a seat at the table with him turned in the seat so she can pull the boots on. Wipes a rough palm over the sole of her foot, brushing off dust and dirt.

‘He polished them,’ she grunts. Shakes her head. ‘Sap.’

‘He cares for you.’

There—a small shift, like a contraption winched tight, Beau’s shoulders creaking closer together, tighter, tense.

‘He just hates mess. Seen him at the Xhorhaus? Washes his room out. Scrubs the kitchen top to bottom.’

‘Mm.’

‘You must like that.’

‘He reorganises the cupboards,’ Cad tells her, watches as the comment surprises a smile out of her.

‘Caduceus,’ she says, teases, ‘is that a complaint?’

‘Everyone has flaws. Neatness isn’t too bad of one.’

Boots on, obviously feeling a little more put together, more herself, Beau leans back in her chair with an arm slung over the back of it. Her smile is crooked, a half-summoned thing. ‘Yeah, he’s alright,’ she allows.

‘He’s marvellous.’ There—an easy shift into what he needs to talk to her about. ‘As are you.’

She rolls her eyes hard.

‘We’re all looking after you in our own ways.’

‘Found a way to help me, have you? Am I easy like the rest of them?’

‘No. I don’t think you have ever been easy.’ He watches her flinch truly this time and hums, realises his misstep. ‘That—was not meant to be an insult.’

‘’s fine, dude. Whatever. You’re not wrong.’

Caduceus’s duty is care; his duty is helping people to move on, to grieve and leave their grief, to transfer it into something that can be borne more easily. It was easier when he had no interest in the grief himself, but he loves this woman and somehow it has made him clumsy.

‘There are great works that are done,’ Caduceus says to her. ‘Art and other acts of creation, great gardens. They aren’t easy.’ Beau frowns. ‘But they are marvellous.’

Beau clicks her tongue, shakes her head. She isn’t ready to talk, or hear more of the regard he has for her, that they all have for her, so he stops.

‘Tea?’

Beau sighs. ‘Sure. Why not.’

He smiles as warmly as he can manage. ‘I have two options.’ He pulls them from his pack, smells them to make sure. Sets them before her. ‘This one,’ he shows her, puts it to one side, ‘will clear your mind. Help wake you up. And this,’ he sets it to the other side and if it is much closer to her, well, it isn’t as though he is trying to be subtle, ‘will help you go back to sleep.’

‘I don’t think—I’m not going back to sleep, dude.’

She doesn’t push the offering away. Stares down at it with tired, tired eyes.

He waits. Won’t make this decision for her. Figures, from what he can gather, she’s had enough of people trying to make decisions for a whole lifetime.

‘Would—will you make me a cup of this?’ she asks, quietly, looking a little shameful as she points to the clear-head tea. ‘I’m sorry—I know you think I should—but I can’t. Not right now.’

He hums. ‘Perhaps tonight. You’ll sleep very well after it,’ he offers. Is rewarded with a look of relief, of thanks.

‘Sounds good. Yeah.’ Then, after a moment, ‘’preciate it, man.’

He keeps to that promise. Drinks a pot of tea with her that morning that, he thinks, has a lot to do with the good decisions they make that morning. Tea helps with that. Sitting quietly with a friend helps with that. And that evening, after a very very long day, he finds her before she can offer to take first watch and sits her at the end of his bedroll and sets up his tea station right there. Pours enough of the leaves into the water to make a single cup. He takes care to prepare it the way he always does, when he has the time—it isn’t prayer, isn’t a ritual of the kind he makes to worship the Mother, but a ritual of another kind, as old and as profound in some ways. The ritual of care, of providing, of effort. The ritual of making something especially for the one person who will appreciate it, need it the most. Not the exclusion of others, but attention to one person alone.

‘Here,’ he says, words buzzing like beetles in his chest. It always feels a little foreign, a little strange, to speak. He hadn’t spoken for a long, long time before his friends had collected him from the Grove and sometimes the words are hard. The gestures—the making, the healing—are harder for people to misconstrue. He picks up the cup by the brim, sets it in her cupped palms.

Sits beside her as she sips.

‘Long day.’ Beau grimaces. The tea is bitter, but that isn’t why she grimaces. ‘Don’t worry,’ he assures. ‘Jester will forgive you.’

‘She wants me to—slow down. Relax. I can’t relax, Cad, even on a good fucking day.’

‘Hmm.’

Beau snorts. ‘Helpful.’

She drinks a little more.

The air is clean and clear within the dome, pleasant after the hours of walking in this strange place that smells so heavily of metals and gases. Caleb tells them all that it is minerals and sulphur, the waters like pools of acid from the chemicals. To Caduceus, it is as if the earth itself here is dying and decomposing, petrifying even as she bloats. It’s strange and as fascinating as it is upsetting, and from moment to moment Caduceus shifts on whether this is natural or not.

Beau sits there on his bedroll and there she stays, cup beginning to tip out of numb fingers, head lolling.

‘Oop,’ Caduceus says, reaches over to catch Beau at the small of her back, spread his hand wide there as she sags and drops into sleep like a fish tossed onto land—that is, surprising to the fish, who struggles briefly, eyes wide, before landing with the dull sound of flesh on stone. ‘Whoops.’

‘Gods, Cad, what the hell—did you brain her?’ Fjord asks, alerting Caleb too, who looks up from his place in the centre of the dome where he has chosen to read.

‘No, no, she’ll be just fine. Sleep through the night, hopefully.’

Fjord grunts. Looks fondly at Beau. Then laughs. ‘She’s already snoring. Dibs on the other side of the dome.’

Caleb looks amused, obediently shifts his things from where Fjord points. He looks tired too, Caduceus notes and briefly regrets that he had only made the one cup. And that he had done so in front of Caleb. He’ll never get the wizard to drink this brew now.

//

Jester

//

It is a long day punctuated by the strange, sudden greys that colour the flora here—flowers and vines and trees shrivelled and withered and turned to living stone, the thrum of life present but dulled to the point where Caduceus is hard put to feel it. Jester leaves him to tend to the plants and figure them out. She doesn’t know an awful lot about plants and her time is better spent, she figures, at Beau’s side.

They’re miles from the Lionett estate and everyone within it but still Beau walks like she’s expecting an attack at any moment, snaps at useless discussion, and walks too fast for any of them to keep up until Jester snags her. Holds her hand hard enough that the girl can’t shrug her off. It makes Beau more restless, Jester can see that, the way she’s straining to get ahead, to get to whatever awaits them, to figure this out and find answers finally, and Jester understands, really, she does!

‘It’s just that it’s dangerous if we can’t keep up with you, Beau, and what if you get into some kind of trouble and we’re too far to hear you, or don’t pick the same path, or just can’t get there in time?’

‘I can look after myself, Jes,’

‘Obviously, obviously,’ Jester agrees hurriedly. ‘You’re really strong and smart, Beau, we know that, but you don’t have to look out for yourself when you have all of us, and—‘ Jester hesitates, not sure Beau can take hearing about how very, very tired she looks.

‘I am feeling very tired, myself,’ Caleb says, not to Beau because the others are all pretending not to see the way Jester has more or less grappled Beau into standing still for just a second so she can talk her into making camp and staying with them. Jester shoots him a glare; she knows he can lie more convincingly than that, and they are supposed to be convincing Beau. But he must know some way of talking to her to get her attention because Jester feels the lightning thrum of tension running through Beau’s cord-tight muscles fade the smallest bit. Feels shoulders drop an inch. Hears her reluctant scoff, almost a laugh.

‘Fine. Fine.’ Beau brings her hand up finally to return the hug—grapple—and pat Jester’s back. ‘You can let me go now, I’m not gonna bolt,’ she tells Jester, who wishes very much she could see Beau’s face and what that amount of fondness would look like. Hearing it is enough—sweet like caramel, warm and featherlight like smoke around her.

Jester pulls back slowly. Affects a suspicious squint and doesn’t let go. Not just yet. ‘Promise?’ she teases.

It’s doubly sweet to see how reluctantly the smile comes, how Beau has to rearrange her whole face to accommodate it.

‘Promise.’

Jester squeezes her. Releases her, hugging hands gliding down to Beau’s, squeezing those too. She leaves a trail of healing behind her, because Beau’s dad might have said run from the things in the woods but Beau had decided not to.

Beau hooks her pinkie around Jester’s. Holds it for a moment, says again—‘Promise’—before she begins to pace the campsite, bothering Fjord and distracting Caleb who just wants to set up the dome. He sends raven-Frumpkin to busy Beau, leads her on a chase around the clearing and up to the branches of a nearly spruce—the low branches, when Caleb sees the way Jester glares at him.

‘Hey Caleb. Caleb.’

‘Ja, Beaure—Beau.’

‘Ha! Beau-Beau,’ Nott repeats. ‘Cute.’

‘Call me that again and I’ll happily help with the first part of your resurrection,’ Beau promises. Nott hisses in through her teeth; after a moment, Beau clears her throat. ‘Sorry.’

‘No, no, say how you really feel.’

‘I said I’m sorry!’

‘Alright, I think everyone could do with a minute apart. Beau—‘ Cad says, bends over her, hand on her shoulder. ‘You promised I could make you tea.’

Jester can see the way she wants to snap at him too, send him away. Sees the moment Beau gives in and lets Cad lead her to his bedroll on the edge of the dome, talk quietly with him as he brews a bitter smelling tea that makes Jester’s nose itch when she passes by later. She misses the exact moment when Beau passes out but turns when she hears her crumple, cries out when she sees Beau sprawled there and hurries back into the dome.

‘Caduceus!’

‘She’s fine,’ he tells her. Fjord nods like he’s just asked the exact same thing. ‘She’s fine, just sleeping.’

‘You knocked her out?’

A hint of nerves crawls over Caduceus’s face. ‘I—helped her sleep.’

‘Ooh, she’s going to be so mad when she wakes up,’ Jester whispers, not sure if she should be mad on Beau’s behalf or relieved.

‘Ah.’ Caduceus scratches at his hair, the point where one lock of hair is turning white. ‘Well.’

‘Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.’

‘Aw, I really appreciate that. Thank you, Jester.’

Jester pats his arm. Moves Caleb’s things—who clicks his tongue and sighs—so she can lay out hers next to Cad’s bed, taken over by the fully snoring Beau.

Curled up beside her, Jester smells the faint scent of Cad’s sleeping mat—sweat and earth and growing things like sweet grass, and the bitter tang of crushed beetles. And below it, shuffling closer, she smells what she knows now is the smell of Kamordah, though she knew it first as Beau—the tang of metal and the bite of something ever so faintly sour, even as it balances against the flowery smell of jasmine. She wonders as she drifts off whether it is something that sunk into Beau and refused to shift, or if the other girl just happened to gravitate toward soaps that smelled similar. She’ll have to ask.

//

Beau wakes later, when the fire has burned down to embers and the last watch—Yasha and Nott—have slunk off to patrol just beyond the treeline. Jester wakes to the sensation of gentle, careful fingers on her tail, unwrapping it from where it is snuggly curled around Beau’s ankle. Beau’s pant leg had lifted an inch or two, bunching higher around her calf, and Jester’s tail had taken advantage, seeking out the warmth of the human’s skin and double wrapping there where the cloth has moved to reveal skin.

‘Jes, geez,’ Beau mutters to herself, struggling to get free. ‘Help a girl out,’ she hisses though not loud enough to wake Jester, if she had not been already well on her way to waking. With a sigh, and a grumble, Beau tickles Jester’s tail with blunt nails, enough to make the muscles twitch and jump and slacken. Quicker than anything else, Beau slips her foot free with a quiet sound of victory.

She staggers to her feet, hand going to her head, smacks dry lips. ‘God, Caduceus, what was in that fucking tea,’ she mutters, picking her way over curled sleeping forms.

Jester eases up onto her elbows; most of her believes Beau isn’t silly enough to make a break for it—she has left everything, including her goggles. A small part of Jester that has zero sense and only concerns itself with keeping her friend right at her side where she can see her and soothe her and protect her worries. Pushes her to sit upright.

Across the dome, Jester sees Caleb rouse as Beau crosses the threshold of the hut.

‘Hmm,’ he says.

‘I think she’s going to pee,’ Jester whispers. Brings his eyes suddenly to Jester, searching in the dark. He settles on what he thinks is Jester—pretty close for being in near complete dark, the canopy thick overhead—and nods slowly.

‘I can’t leave,’ he tells her. ‘The hut will drop.’

Jester stands. Pats his shoulder as she passes to follow Beau out. She waits just beyond the boundary of the hut, seeing how Beau has only gone a short way from them, and waves a little when Beau returns, picking her careful path across the stone-and-grass clearing.

Beau’s steps falter and then pick up. When she gets closer, Jester can see a crooked, easy smile on her face and silently thanks Caduceus for knocking Beau out.

‘I’m fine,’ Beau insists when she’s close enough to be heard. ‘You—everyone doesn’t have to worry about me.’

Jester tilts her head up to return the smile, twice as sweet. ‘I’d like to see you try and stop us.’

Beau snorts.

‘Sleeping okay?’

‘Yeah. Whatever Cad gave me was a helluva knock out.’

‘Oh, you knew?’

‘Sort of. He told me it’d help,’ Beau explains, and seems mindlessly to accept the hand Jester holds out for her as they make their way back inside. ‘I didn’t think he meant it’d knock me on my ass in two seconds flat but,’ she shrugs.

‘And everything...else?’ Jester winces, hearing the obvious sidestep in the question. Beau’s eyes cut sideways to her; somehow, they still hold nothing in them but sleepy fondness.

‘You mean with my dad.’

‘Yeah.’

‘It’s—‘ Beau shrugs. Tilts her head hard to the side in an effort to crack her neck, release a little of the tension that has built up so much in her shoulders, spine.

‘Here, let me,’ Jester offers. Pats Beau down onto the bedroll once more and sits behind her, knees pressing into the soft of Beau’s hips. It’s nice with how incredibly cut Beau is that she still has that padding on her hips, the soft layer. Jester knows it’s to protect those vital organs but she also knows that things can be more than one thing at a time, so the softness can be protective and incredibly sweet all at once.

Jester moves closer, knees pressing dimples into it, thumbs brushing and then pressing into it as well. She is rewarded with a low grunt of pleasure as Beau realises what she intends, and the other girl lets her head fall forward on her neck, opening up her back for Jester to work. She rubs and massages until some of the knots at least feel looser, less incredibly tense, and finally as she reaches the top of Beau’s back she rubs her fingers soothingly over the jade tattoo where Beau has been pressing and rubbing and pinching the skin all day.

Beau hums, the sound vibrating into Jester’s knees and hand.

‘Better?’

‘Mm. Much.’

‘Good.’

Jester drags her hands down Beau’s back, rubbing gently now with none of the pressure of a massage. She leans forward to rest her forehead against Beau’s shoulder blade. Sighs.

‘Tired?’ Beau asks.

‘Yeah.’

Beau reaches back. Scritches blunt nails lightly on Jester’s scalp, around those itchy parts of her horns. ‘Go on, go back to sleep,’ she urges.

‘Are you?’ Beau is silent for a long moment. ‘Beau?’

‘Yeah. Yeah, I’ll sleep,’

‘Beau.’

‘I promise. I just—want to go over that weird ass prophecy thing again. God, he’s such a schmuck, having a fucking prophecy from a witch.’

Jester grunts unhappily. Wraps her arms around Beau from behind so she can’t reach out for her notebook. ‘In the morning, Beau.’

‘We’ll wanna head out straight away—‘

‘In the morning,’ she says again, no room for disobedience in her tone.

Beau tries anyway. ‘Just a minute—‘

‘I’m staying up for as long as you do,’ Jester tells her, changing tracks. Her accent thickens with a yawn. ‘I’m really sleepy, Beau,’ she wheedles. ‘I promise we can look at it in the morning—Cad will make us breakfast and Fjord won’t be really awake until the sun comes up, you know that. Please?’ She yawns a second time for good measure, doesn’t realise until she’s halfway through it that it’s real. She rubs her head sleepily over the sharp bone of Beau’s shoulder. Knocks her forehead against it.

The girl sighs for a long moment, all the breath pushing out of her lungs. ‘Fine. Fine.’ She can’t help but laugh when Jester nuzzles against her shoulder, giggles at Beau’s reluctant acquiescence. ‘You’re lucky you’re cute.’

She lets Jester bear her down to the ground just as they are, Jester still hugging her, and collapses with a little huff. Wriggles around until she’s comfortable, enough to make Jester release her. Beau turns on her side to face her, hand pillowed under her cheek.

‘Beau?’ Jester’s eyes trace her profile, illuminated by the faint glow of the dome.

‘Mm.’

‘Are you scared?’

Beau’s breath slows, the only sign that she had heard. Finally, she says, ‘A bit. Yeah.’ And when Jester’s cool fingers sneak under her blanket to find Beau’s, Beau holds her hand. And they sleep.

#cr tag #tagging my stories #prompt fill

[xxisxxisxxis]

Deleted Scenes: Gateway Drug

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"More Than One Way to Get to Hell" -- 1986

"Tansy, come on, now we don't have all damn day to get this finished." Diane calls from the other side of the door while I'm grasping Tansy's shaking hand while she adds finishing sprays of hairspray to her curls. 

"Tansy," I start. 

"C-Can you hand me my purse?" She asks me softly and I nod, handing the little black purse to her. 

She pulls an unlabeled bottle out, opening the lid and pouring two pills into her palm. 

"Tansy--"

"--I overdid it on coke earlier, Viv, if I don't calm my shit I'm gonna embarrass myself on national television." 

"Tansy!" Her mom barks. 

She takes the pills and swallows them down with her juice, standing up and walking to her dressing room door. 

"Thank fuck, come on." Her mom tugs at her arm to take her to the sound tech and he hooks her up to her mic. 

"Mama, I'm nervous." She takes harbored breaths. 

"No need to be nervous, Tansy. You're just interacting with a man in front of a camera. Let's not pretend you don't do the same thing every night." She mumbles to her and I glare at her mother, horrified. 

"I feel like I'm gonna puke." Tansy says next. 

"No, no, look at me." Diane looks her in the eyes. "You are not going to screw this up. You are going to go out there and get more exposure to get more people talking about you, to get more offers, to get more money. We do what has to be done to get what we want, and what we have to do isn't always what we want to do, but--" 

"--But it has to be done." Tansy finishes for her, defeated. 

"Exactly." She says to Tansy, fixing her smudged lipstick. "You already embarrass me on a daily basis, Tansalyn, and you will not embarrass me today. Not over this." She demands.

"Our first guest is a well-known model to men, and some women, here in America. In a span of just four years she has appeared in 56 issues of Playboy and counting, declared the magazine's most consistent model, was very recently announced as 'Playmate of the Year: Miss 1985,' and was the muse for the 1983 Def Leppard hit, 'Photograph.' With no sign of slowing down anytime soon--not that any of us want her to--please, give a very warm welcome to the very beautiful, Tansy Lyn." 

Tansy takes a heavy breath inward, and I give her a smile. 

"You got this, go." I assure her and she nods, holding back tears, seemingly programming her mind into autopilot, a scarily convincing, beaming smile on her face as she steps out, waving at the audience. 

I watch her on the monitor, and my heart breaks. 

She deserves an Oscar. 

Diane watches, too, evaluating her in her mind. 

"How are you?" David asks Tansy, kissing her cheek before the two sit down. 

"I'm good." Tansy replies, crossing one leg over the other. "Hi, everyone." She waves again to the crowd and they whistle and cheer. 

"Now, when they told me you'd be on, um, I did some fact checking, as one does for an interview," he starts. 

"Okay." She replies. 

"And I want to get the record straight on your name, because I've heard Tansy Lyn, and I've heard Tansalyn, which the second option is just a mouthful so…"

"Well, my nickname is Tansy and originally my name was supposed to be Tansy and my middle name was supposed to be Lyn."

"Don't you dare." Her mother sneers quietly to the monitor. 

"But my dad had been drinking a little bit when my mom's water broke and so when it came to naming me, they had decided on Tansy Lyn Reilen, but my mom was in recovery, resting, and my dad couldn't write very well because he was drunk and so he asked a nurse for help and she asked him what my name was going to be so she could write it in herself, and he said 'Tansy Lyn,' little did he realizing he was slurring. So my legal name is Tansalyn." 

"Oh, my God." Diane squeezes her eyes shut. 

"And you reworked it to Tansy Lyn." 

"Yes." 

He tries not to laugh, but the audience doesn't hold back, not that she minds at all. 

"Wow, well, Tansalyn, I know you're busy and so the fact you were able to be here really means a lot, so thank you, again, for being here. Although I'm not so sure it was too far out of the way for you." 

"No, no, not at all." She assures him. 

"Because you live here, don't you?" He asks. "Or are you back in L.A.?" 

"I mainly live here, and then I go back home often to visit and stuff if I don't have work." She explains. 

"And you work a lot." He states. 

"Not that much but--" 

She quits talking when he raises his brows, making the audience laugh. 

"You don't work that much? Are you kidding me?" He leans down and grabs a magazine, holding it up on the desk for the camera and crowd to see. "This is you in your first issue of Playboy." He tells her, flipping through it to find her picture.

"Oh, Lord." She groans before he shows the audience. "Can you do that?!" She asks next, as her naked body is on display, but the monitor shows her bare chest blurred out. 

"Now, this was October of '83, and how old were you when this was taken?" 

"Just turned 18." She explains, her face turning slightly red under her makeup. 

"18, and since then," he starts piling on more and more magazines and men throughout the crowd yell and clap and whistle, Tansy tightly closing her eyes and chuckling nervously, "you've gotten Miss July of '85." He puts that issue aside, before grabbing a final one from the top of the tower of Playboys. "And this is the more recent one, your shoot for 'Miss 1985'." He says next, grabbing several magazines at once and putting them back behind his desk before sitting down and holding it up to show her on the cover. "Absolutely beautiful." He comments. 

"They edit and airbrush and everything but thank you anyways." She exhales, rubbing her lips together. 

"Well, we don't have editing and airbrush and everything in person and I'm telling you, you are a very pretty woman." He assures her and she smiles. 

"Thank you." She replies. 

"So, you started only four and half-ish years ago, and you've been in every issue since then?" He asks and she nods. 

"Yes. Some form or fashion I've been in every one." 

"But you don't work a lot." He reminds her what she said earlier, sarcastically.

"I meant no model works a regular 9 to 5." She clarifies. 

"Got it, got it." He puts the magazine down. "It couldn't be like a 9 to 5 because when else would you all  find the time to go out and party with rockstars?"

"Not all of us party with rockstars." I assure him. 

"So this isn't you?" He holds up a picture with Tansy, Robin Crosby, Nikki, and Jon Bon Jovi. 

"I didn't say I didn't party with them, I said not all models do." She explains while he and the audience chuckles. 

"Now, I know, I think, this fella is Jovi." David points to Jon and she nods. "The rest my mind blanks on." 

"Jon, who's obviously sings for Bon Jovi, and then Robbin Crosby, he plays guitar for Ratt, and then Nikki Sixx, who plays bass for--"

"--The Church of Satan's worship team." David cuts her short and she laughs, along with the audience. 

"No, no. No." She states. "Mötley Crüe." 

"Ah, tomato, tomoto." He shrugs and she shakes her head a little. 

"What was happening here?" He asks, referring to the photo and the camera zooms in on it. 

"I think, honestly, Nikki paid rent on time for once and just invited a bunch of people over to celebrate it." She explains. 

"So, there doesn't need to be a reason to drink and party and 'what not' when you're a rockstar." 

"Not really, no."

"When do these guys have time to write songs, then?" 

"I've seen them buckle down and get to work when they need to."

"Really?" 

"Yeah." 

"And you buckle down, too, obviously."

"Well, I--"

"--I want to know what your boyfriend thinks of all of this." He says next and she raises her brows. 

"Oh, he loves it." She tells him. 

"I bet he does." 

"No, really, he does, he's very proud." She continues.

"He isn't jealous or anything like that?" 

"To an extent but he understands that this is my job and I've always wanted to do it since I was a little girl and so he supports me completely." She nervously scratches at the back of her neck with her freshly done nails. 

"You've always wanted to model nude since you were little?" Letterman asks for clarification and she looks slightly stumped by the question, opening her mouth to speak, but nothing coming out. 

"Speak, Tansy, damnit." Her mom whispers to herself. 

Tansy starts laughing off her shock. 

"Modeling in general." She tells him. 

"Oh, oh, good." He grins. "So, your mother is here with you, Diane."

"Yes." 

"She's so lovely." He says and she smiles. 

"Thank you, she is. I love her to death." 

"She seems very...um…focused." He adds. 

"Very much. She keeps me in check, she always has."

"Oh, I bet. Were you ever in sports or anything like that?" 

"I cheered in high school, and did competitive cheer-nastics, and competed in beauty pageants--not that that's a sport but just to give you an idea of where she learned to keep her thumb on me to keep me in line." 

"That's where I was getting at because she very much seems like the type to keep your eyes on the prize." 

"Oh, yes." 

"What does she think of your career as of now?" 

"She's my manager so I don't think she has any qualms with what I do because if she did she wouldn't be as involved." She shifts her legs. 

That was an understatement. 

I realized over years of witnessing her mother contribute to the toxic shitshow starring Tansy as the lead, that I didn't quite know Tansy's mom as well as I had thought. 

I'd later find out things such as this…

"Competition is in two weeks and you call that a front tuck? Tansy, I've seen drag queens do better than that." 

...And this…

"You being first runner up in a pageant full of sand lizards and beached whales is the reason your father drowned in his own vomit."

"I was five when he died, mom." 

"And eleven years later you're still proving you aren't worth the money I spend to make you a winner." 

…Also…

"He knocked that slut Tami up, didn't he?" 

"I don't want to talk about it, Mama." 

"Just say 'yes' or 'no' so I can know whether I won my bet on it or not." 

...And...

"I slept with your ex-boyfriend, Tansy, big deal." 

"He was the love of my life, Mama, what the hell were you thinking?!" 

"Oh, Jesus, he was with you for two years, Tansy, get over yourself. It's not like it would have lasted to begin with."

"Seriously?!"

"You would've eventually found out I was giving him blowjobs when he'd come over to see you, anyway, because if I didn't do it, it wouldn't have gotten done right. Now wipe those damn crocodile tears." 

…Last but not least…

"I wouldn't stay with a man who let his friends abuse me, you know. I don't know why you're too weak to just leave him."

"Because he said it's not gonna happen again, mom. Just drop i--ow! What the hell?!" 

"I told you last time I slapped the piss out of you it wouldn't happen again. Just because he says it doesn't mean a thing…ugh, and quit wearing so much goddamn makeup. I'm tired of my palm being covered in gunk every time. And quit crying. You can pose with your pussy out but God forbid you handle a little corporal punishment." 

Tansy's rehab therapist had her work cut out for her...for sure. 

"And your dad?" David questions next.

"He passed when I was five, so…"

"...I'm sorry to hear that." 

"No, don't be. I'm sure he's proud of me. I know that might be hard to believe for some dads, like, your daughter being in Playboy, but he'd always told me I could always do whatever it was I wanted to do with my dreams and even if he's not proud of what I'm doing, he's definitely proud of me going after and achieving what it was that I wanted." 

#gateway drug

[painterofhorizons]

Floating Day WIP

not really the official version, just the super rough ideas we just talked about, dear @sheeplessthings​.

Not really meant for the general audience, because I can give you better stuff, guys. xD Just ignore this. Simply the most convenient way to throw loads of text at my dear @sheeplessthings​ tonight.

Okay so the Dave-as-the-audience-thing, which indeed was written last night after we talked about that article. It needs to be reworked, of course, but I do think Dave serves well as a mirror for the audience here, because he indeed doesn’t know shit.

Alex? Hum? I have never considered how different we are. Dave’s words came out of the blue and #versetzen Alex a deeply felt shock for a moment. Her face mirrored that overwhelming fear that suddenly #überfallen her. For a moment she was so buffled, torn between several different reaction (all of them were to some extent shocked or anxious) that she didnt manage to say anything in return. Dave could read her nonverbal response, though, and apologetically #hob seine Hände. No! No I didn’t mean to - what the heck are you thinking rn? I dont know, that the next sentence is that youre breaking up with me? Alex responded in a slightly higher tone than usual. It’s usually my job to worry about that we are very different, okay? When you start doing that, that makes me anxious as fuck. Dont do that. No! Oh my god, no, I didnt mean to - I - that is the last thing that was on my mind. Dont scare me like that. I scare you?? How about you just scared the shit out of me? Alex took a deep breath, trying to calm her little heart down. Okay so why are you saying that then? If not to break up with us? Holy shit alex, dont scare jump me like that. I would never consider breaking up. No matter how different we are. So how come? On the flight back last week I was recommended a documentary about the end of leningrad and life in post soviet russia. Felsbrocken fielen von alex herzen ab. So you just realized that I’m not the pretty new yorker girl I never pretended to be? Dave laughed. No. No that isnt it. I just… I never thought much about how different life must have been for you. Alex shrugged. Yah. You mean with all the different economic, social and political stuff of a freshly broken down system? Like, communism and stuff? I… yeah. Well. Thats on you then, I guess. Youve never talked with me about it. Youve never asked. Was it that simple? Was it only that because he never asked - and he did never ask because she never seemed alien. When they met in london, alex had been living in london for quite some years, so maybe that was why she had never seemed… communist really wasnt the word he was looking for after watching that two hour documentary. I mean, you can just ask, right? Alex shrugged again. She was a bit #überfahren by daves sudden realization, and wasnt sure what to do with it immediately. Of course he could just ask. Alex had always been aware of just HOW different they were, and especially in their upbringing. But in the end she herself had never done research about how new york in daves time had been. She just always had been aware it was most likely very different than what she had lived in in her times. Something specific on your mind? Or like - do you want me to write you an essay? Dave was probably as perplex as alex in this very moment. It was a very strange situation between them, so for the time being, they just pretended none of this had happened and went on doing their everyday stuff.

And the other spicey thing. ;-) Set in the time when Alex is on rehab after the Anderson drama.

Know what I really miss? What? You. Us. Sex, damnit. Dave laughed. Same here. I’m pretty sure though we will survive it. Easy for you to say, old man, Alex teased him, making Dave chuckle. I’m pretty sure you’ll get the job done without me in the meantime. Nah. I tried, but… Guess I’m mind blocked a bit here. Well… You don’t have to abstein from me completely. Have you ever had phone Sex? It's not like I've been in this kind of situation before, Dave. Alex said with a Hauch of sarcasm. When she heard a quiet chuckle at the other end, the corners of her mouth zuckten Verräterisch. No I have not, she answered his question more firmly and with more patience. Would you wanna try it? Would she? Alex was up for all kinds of stuff when it was two warm bodies involved and in the same location. Alone at the other end of the country with a phone lying next to her? Yah, she said. Why not. I'll probably suck at it, but yah. We can try that. Like rn or what? No, v she heard Dave say in a deeper voice. Like a date. What do you do tomorrow night? Probably the same as every night. The sarcastic response crossed her lips faster than she could stop herself. But Dave knew her and knew what he got himself into and contrary to Alex he was a patient man. Good. I assume you got time then. I assume the same, she mimicked his Wortwahl, but had to smirk. This would probably completely change the usual roles they had. Alex didn't think she would or even could be the driving force in it without making it super awkward and abtörnend. Well, if anything, at least it would be interesting. + What do I do? Nothing as you are sitting on your bed holding your phone, Alex said dryly. Okay what would I do if we had real Sex now? He korrigierte himself, knowing that making this even remotely work would cost a lot of patience. But he was more than willing to be patient. Isn't it more of what would I do? Or is this role change how it works? Dave couldn't help but giggle. There's no rulebook for phone Sex, Alex. We can do what we want. And I figured you could be more inclined# if you're thinking about it as a two people involved rather than trying to get yourself going all alone. Uhum, Alex replied as dryly. Your into that, be honest. The smile on Dave's face stayed. That kind of sarcastically teasing suited her - and she wasn't wrong about it either. Have you made yourself comfortable? A few seconds of silence followed. Do you want the sexy answer or the honest one? Where are you? Kitchen. Made myself a tea when you called. But if you give me a minute I'll be ready over in the bedroom.

Maybe that was the starting point they had needed. Not directly jumping into action but instead having a casual conversation about the day and the weather and work. dave hadnt done this often either, but definitely had more experience in it than alex. and he was going to make sure she enjoyed this, or they wouldnt do it. end of story. Twenty minutes later, after finishing the tea and some cookies and all everyday topics talked through, Alex felt comfortable enough to try things out.

#fic talk: Spiegelbilder