#//the OGRE got shot in the BACK

[iimmaranhu]

//just woke up- yesterday was our first warhammer sesh for the first time in a month and man it was WILD

[tibialtybalt]

Speedrunning......hard

[i-want-men-i-cant-have]

Yan!Slasher headcanons

[part.2]

Yan!Slasher who’s your high school’s resident book nerd 

Yan!Slasher who sees you in the library and doesn't think he’s able to breathe

Yan!Slasher who thinks he's about to have a heart attack when he realizes you're in the same math class. How has he never seen you before? He didn't think his vision was this bad.

Yan!Slasher who starts accidentally overhearing your conversations with your classmates.

Yan!Slasher who once heard that you like athletic guys, decides he needs a complete makeover.

Yan!Slasher who begins working out and makes sure that by the time junior year rolls around, nobody from freshman year recognizes him.

Yan!Slasher who has completely changed with a more toned body, a taller and broader frame, and even a new haircut by that one celebrity you mentioned was hot. Don’t you love him he’s so thoughtful remembering what you said in the fourth month and second week of high school sophomore year in math second period?

Yan!Slasher who never gets flustered when a girl confesses to him, but whenever you pass by, his knees go weak. You just walked by him! It's the third time this week! You must really want him, and it's definitely not because he stalked you and found your schedule to see you every chance he got!

Yan!Slasher who nearly fainted when you showed up to one of his games. You're here? That's great! Now you can witness how amazing and handsome he's become, all for you.

Yan!Slasher who builds up enough courage to try and talk to you after his game, even though he's covered in sweat. But is he stinky? Do his armpits smell? He needs to make sure he doesn't smell like an ogre's morning breath and like a fairy's farts!

Yan!Slasher who almost considers asking you to a school dance but backs out when his friend suggests another girl. She might be curvy, but she's not you. Nobody is you.

Yan!Slasher who could only watch you dance, while his date mindlessly grinded on his thigh from the dance floor.

Yan!Slasher who accidentally ran into the girls' bathroom, preoccupied with the thought that he was about to die after his date got period blood all over his uncle's suit.

Yan!Slasher who almost screamed when he saw you washing your hands in the men's bathroom but instead stood stiffly.

Yan!Slasher who started to apologize when you corrected him for being in the bathroom. He swears he's not a pervert; he was in a rush to get here on time and only has one contact in!

Yan!Slasher who let out a forced laugh and a 'thank you' when you apologized for not being able to help get the blood out of his pants after crouching down for him.

Yan!Slasher who just now noticed the little details on your face and how the buzzing bathroom illuminated your features. How are you so beautiful? Why do you always make him feel like his heart is about to pop out of his chest when he's this close to you?

Yan!Slasher who decides to take his date for some fast food after the dance. He might as well thank her for being the reason he got to be that close to you.

Yan!Slasher snaps when his date asks why they're at the local Whataburger and not a fancy restaurant.

Yan!Slasher who asks his date if she can get the pack of condoms out from the trunk while he grabs the shotgun from the glove department.

Yan!Slasher who slams the Maserati Biturbos trunk on her body letting her stumble onto the ground so he could have a clean shot of her head.

Yan!Slasher who almost felt bad when he got a clean shot in between her eyebrows. Sure she was his first-ever date but she also got in the way of you and him and his future family of seven kids so of course she needed to die! 

Yan!Slasher who you don't need to worry about. he’s nice enough to bury her in a random ditch somewhere, with a Whataburger burger and Coke. How could you not love how fatherly and caring he is?

Yan!Slasher who overhears the colleges you applied to in senior year. Really? Those? They're so easy to get into. You could do much better than that, honestly.

Yan!Slasher who is convinced that your friends are holding you back. Do you really need them? They're taking time away from your studies. Without them, you could have been accepted into every Ivy League by now.

Yan!Slasher who decides to let your friends live for your sake. He's seen how emotional you can be, and he's worried that you might spiral and let your grades drop. After all, how can you both attend the same college if you're not able to get into one?

Yan!Slasher who of course, applies to those schools. Does he really need to attend Harvard Law? Nope, you silly billy! As long as he's providing for you, he'll go anywhere!

Yan!Slasher who sees you at prom with one of your best friends. Her? You've been making the worst decisions recently. Why go with her when he's right here? He's 6'3 for crying out loud. He's worked so hard just for you to go with your best friend to prom.

Yan!Slasher who needs to remind himself that you're just being manipulated. Your whole friend group is manipulating you. As if you wanted to go to prom with them when you're just so shy and have been madly in love with him this whole time! He's seen the way you glance his way; of course, you love him and are not looking at the board!

Yan!Slasher who makes sure that once the rigged prom queen ballots are counted, you and he would be king and queen together. What? You didn't put your name on the ballot? Are you just tired, of course you did.

Yan!Slasher who finally is able to truly smile for the first time as he wraps his hand around your waist and brings you closer to his body. They take a photo of you and him in your crowns, sashes, and a bouquet of roses that perfectly complement your dress and his suit, with a matching corsage that he totally didn't set up. Why would he ever do that? That's ridiculous!

Yan!Slasher who almost faints when you both get accepted into some random school he's never heard of. Yay, you'll be together forever! He can join a frat, and you can join a sorority. As you turn a corner at a party, he'll be there to catch you, and you'll recognize him as the handsome man you won prom queen with. A high school romance, how perfect!

Yan!Slasher who makes sure he gets at least one core class with you at his new school.

Yan!Slasher who stares at you in the only class you share. Why are you struggling so much? It's so easy for him! You should totally come up to him and ask for help. I mean, yeah, he’s a jock, but he also studies hard to be at the top of his class. He’s just amazing like that!

Yan!Slasher who cries and hugs his favorite plushie with a duct-taped photo of your face on it after seeing you talk to the professor after a class you had trouble with. Why would you ask that balding man instead of the hot boy you know from high school? 

Yan!Slasher who gets frustrated when he approaches the professor after you've left, but the professor says he doesn't have enough time. Does the professor have a crush on you or something?

Yan!Slasher who makes sure that he follows the professor home and slashes tires so he’s busy getting his expensive car towed while he’s memorizing the layout of his house.

Yan!Slasher who shows up to his house the next night and takes a knife from his kitchen so you can only smell whatever’s in the trash can.

Yan!Slasher who almost spills everything when you ask if he remembers you and if he wants to help you. Aw, you can’t ask for him to pay you because of student debt and loans? Don’t worry; why would he want your money when you’ll share a bank account once you both graduate, with him being valedictorian?

Yan!Slasher who creates a whole schedule for you because you’re so stressed and need to find time for his help. You really do care about him if you still ask for help when you have no time for it!

Yan!Slasher who now sits with you in that one class you share, leaning down to whisper answers or explanations in your ear. He even makes sure to freshen up, so you know he's not just another typical jock like the rest of his teammates.

Yan!Slasher who tries to build up the courage to subtly make physical contact, perhaps gently nudging your foot under the table or offering to lend a hand when you need to erase something. He wants to make this as romantic and casual as possible!

Yan!Slasher who after a month, sputters and blushes when one of his teammates asks if you're dating out of the blue. What-? No-? He’s just a kind friend helping with your homework? Please, go on about how you look at him! What? Who said that? Not him.

Yan!Slasher who has a frat bro who decides they need a party, and you need to be one of the first to be invited. Everyone just can’t bear how lovesick he is, always talking about you and how you glance at him in class with those pretty eyes of yours.

Yan!Slasher who sees you at the party and almost passes out. Why are you here? Is that a drink in your hand? What if someone poisoned you? You really need to be more cautious around strangers!

Yan!Slasher who makes sure to drop something into your drink when bumping into you. 

Yan!Slasher who talks to you, leaning against a wall, making sure to properly show off all the muscles he's worked so hard for.

Yan!Slasher who catches you when you start to feel dizzy and picks you up in his arms, taking you to his room.

Yan!Slasher who throws the plushies and photos he has of you in his room into a box filled with half-chewed pencils and blurry photos of you walking to class.

Yan!Slasher who untucks his bed and places you on it before tucking you back in and gently brushing away anything on your face. Are you already asleep? You must really trust him!

Yan!Slasher who decides it’s okay to maybe take off a few of your clothes and take photos of you. He’s so smart crawling into bed with you and taking photos! Couple goals~ <3 !!

“Sh, sh, don’t scream. You fell asleep on a couch and I didn’t want anyone to puke on you. Let me take care of you, ok?”

[ozzgin]

Can I request a headcanon where baki has a very cute s/o and pickle just so happens to escape the arena and runs into the cute s/o and everyone scared they'll be eaten pickle is nice and cute with the s/o and the scientists says they're looking at eachother like how kids look at puppies and s/o teaches pickle tricks making yujiro mad he's no longer fighting

Let’s just hope Pickle doesn’t experience cute aggression and has the urge to bite into your face or something.

Baki Headcanons: Pickle meets Baki’s significant other

Featuring Pickle, Baki and his cute partner that builds a strange relationship with the Jurassic man.

[Baki Masterlist] [Part II]

You’re dangling your legs back and forth over the wooden bench that faces away from the large arena building. The nerve of Baki to postpone your date night! You pout to yourself, mildly annoyed that whatever currently stands in the underground ring is more important than you. Who on Earth could it be this time? Baki has already fought most of the big shots.

You don’t have the time to think too hard about it as your seat topples over and you roll on the grass, wildly confused. You quickly lift yourself up and look around, trying to figure out what the hell just happened. At the same time, Pickle scans the area for the obstacle that caused him to trip this badly. He spots the bench, now torn from its bolts, and his gaze then stops on you. Another human. Somehow, this one reminds him of a small animal, like the kind of wild pup he’d chase around when he was younger.

You can now hear the multiple footsteps approaching your location and glance over. There’s a couple of armed men, old man Tokugawa, and behind them Baki is panting in panic. “(Y/N), get the hell back! Fuck, I won’t make it in time” he grunts to himself. Aha! You return to Pickle. So this was the irresistible opponent that had you wait alone next to a parking lot. “The homewrecker!” you exclaim, amused. The large prehistoric man doesn’t register your words but seems to be pleased with your smile.

He lowers himself to your level and inspects your scent. You find his wide, curious eyes and puzzled expression rather cute. Without much consideration you extend your hand and ruffle his hair. Baki gasps at your unhinged act and is about to shove his way through before Tokugawa gently stops him. “I don’t think you need to worry”, he whispers with a finger against his lips. And, true to his word, Pickle is now kneeling before you with a wide grin. One can almost notice a wagging tail behind his giant frame.

Well, you’re certainly cheaper than tranquilizer guns. The research team can’t complain as long as you get Pickle to behave. Baki, on the other hand, isn’t as excited about having his s/o giggling around with a Jurassic man at least twice the size. Now it’s his turn to pout, sitting against the fence and occasionally barking at Pickle that you’re his mate in case he gets funny ideas.

Though the one most annoyed by the situation is probably Yuujirou. He feels like he just got robbed and left empty handed on the side of the highway. No matter how often he parades the ring with a puffed up chest, Pickle seems to be more entranced by your shitty games. Honestly, he’d just get rid of you, but fighting an enraged Pickle and Baki simultaneously could be a stretch even for the Ogre himself.

[conflictofthemind]

Fairytales and the 'Treeflayer'

While doing my investigations for Season 5, I wanted to know which book specifically was underneath this shot (actual shot from the show) of a Wrinkle in Time that Holly is probably reading in class. Thanks to everyone that told me it was the Arthur Rackham Fairy Book I was able to do some digging into it, and this definitely is not some random book they got at a garage sale and threw in the show.

Arthur Rackham was part of the Golden Age of Illustration that happened in the late 1800s to early 1900s. A lot of these illustrators drew for fairy tales, and Rackham's work is distinct for having a dark fantasy feeling and featuring very detailed twisty trees in the majority of his illustrations. In many cases the trees are animate and interacting with the protagonists.

The one that looks the most similar to the dead tree that young UD!Will is falling from in the teaser, and the one he is also looking up to in the recent pictures / also teaser is an illustration he made for Alice in Wonderland. Alice in Wonderland. If you've been following along at all you'll know that the entire Holly and Creel thing that's going on in Season 5 (and has breadcrumbs scattered through the rest of the series) is based primarily off of Alice.

His illustrations for Alice in Wonderland actually is the work he is most famous for, alongside one of the Peter Pan novels (Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, basically his origin story). And there's definitely lots of inspiration from that tale as well, referenced multiple times in the show and on the inspo board for Season Four.

It goes a bit deeper - one of the supernatural things that Holly notices in Season Three is the trees moving when the 'Flesh Flayer' is passing through the woods. I talked about this around a week ago but (minor spoilers/leak) Will and Holly will be spending ample time together this season. I think he takes it upon himself as the first victim to try and save another child from being lured in by Vecna, especially when that child is his love's younger sister.

But back to the point, whatever is going on with the tree is definitely important. I have little to no clue what the tree means symbolically (like - why was a tree chosen to become a monster when inanimate things have never been taken control of in this way?). Trees are a big part of fairy tale imagery though, take Into The Woods, or this could be an allusion to Jack and The Beanstalk. A poor boy Jack Will climbs a giant beanstalk tree and outsmarts the ogre demogorgon chasing after him.

Sadly, nobody has archived the specific Treeflayer Pinterest board before it was set to private and the only image remaining is this one:

[mcflymemes]

DRAGON AGE: THE VEILGUARD PROMPTS PT 2 *  assorted dialogue from the second hour of the video game

that suit of armor is moving.

where'd you come from?

i've only been gone three days!

the situation's changed - for the worse, unfortunately.

i've had a couple of days, and i'm still trying to wrap my head around it.

it does sort of explain a few things though.

there's something kind of exciting about it. and dangerous. really dangerous.

hope that means you've got an idea.

a few dozen demons shouldn't be a problem.

do you know what this place was?

it's probably something important.

well, isn't this a sight?

the artifact we're looking for must be inside.

think we can make that jump?

i plan to find out.

we're getting closer.

it's a lot trickier than that.

i've never seen this before.

it's almost like it's... breathing.

wasn't expecting to fight an ogre today.

just one of those days.

what does that crystal do?

i have questions.

it's kind of my thing. fixing magical stuff.

let me know when you're ready to head to the camp.

some of our most experienced fighters are still missing.

whatever's going on out there, it's scary.

sounds like things have gotten a lot worse since we left.

it's only a matter of time until our luck runs out.

if we could predict where they'd strike next, we might get ahead of them.

i don't know what you're going to find there. likely nothing good.

you sure you're up for this?

i've never seen fog this thick.

something happened here.

stay sharp.

it's so quiet.

where is everybody?

everything's just abandoned.

keep them inside.

everyone has to stay.

we need to search for survivors.

ever seen anything like it?

we're going to help you! we'll get you down!

i know you.

they made me do it.

i was tricked! manipulated!

i never meant for that! i swear! you must believe me!

what if the dragon comes back?

let's get him out of there.

we don't kill people. not like this.

try harder next time.

don't let me regret saving you.

what a pleasure to see you again.

so who are you exactly?

this dark turn of events shall only become worse.

what can you tell us about... all this?

how do we stop them?

how do we stand up against that?

none of us can do this alone, but we can stop them together.

these are the times in which legends are born... or slain.

i should've taken the shot.

we all did what we thought was best in the moment.

look where it got us.

we're still standing. the fight's not over.

i like that about you. you don't stop fighting. you push for answers and action.

we need someone who can put the pieces of the puzzle together.

we're fighting the unknown.

everyone has a part to play.

i think i can manage that.

i can feel lingering magic. powerful magic.

i can hear it.

i don't know how to control it!

you said something "took you over?"

i'm sorry. i wish i had answers.

talking has helped.

i guess we don't have any real answers.

we're friends, so i'm going to be honest.

it feels wrong.

i trust you have all this handled.

at least people are free because of what i did.

it must have been worse than i had thought.

so... you're going to be insufferable about it.

see, this is the reason nobody likes you.

[irisintheafterglow]

uhh uhh uhh uhh meeting enemy frat!suguru at a greek life halloween party

cw: swearing, drinking and alcohol, creepy dude at beginning

"look, i'm not interested in whatever weird shit you concocted. so, get lost," you spit at the ugly, intoxicated, ogre-looking airhead trying to give you a shot of heavens know what. he'd been trying to get into your pants since you crossed the threshold and you were having none of it. your sorority sisters, unfortunately, were nowhere to be found and you were left to glare at the stumbling goliath slowly backing you into a musty corner. "i don't want you, asshole, so stop trying to get with me."

"c'mon, lighten up a little. it's a fuckin' halloween party; why are you here if you're not getting shitfaced?" your nose wrinkles at his sheer audacity. you attempt to make a break for the door when his overworked biceps suddenly block your eyeline, trapping you against the wall. body odor and whiskey leak into your nostrils and you swallow down the bile that rises in your throat. "where the hell are you going? do you even know who i am?"

"you're gonna be six feet under if you don't leave them the fuck alone," comes a dangerously low voice somewhere behind your harasser. "get back to whatever shithole you crawled out of."

"don't be such a downer, geto," the guy drawls over his shoulder and his casual nature makes you physically recoil. "i'm just tryna get them to take a shot or two with me, that's all." before you can process it, the shot glass is snatched from the asshole's hand and downed in a blink. the man, who you assume is geto, glares even sharper daggers than you, and your heart does an unwanted little flutter. the gesture seemingly didn't get through the other bro's thick skull as he whirls around, offended. "hey, what the fuck was that?"

"lay off of 'em. don't be more trouble than you're worth." the guy hesitates for the briefest second and is just as quickly shoved to the side, landing on the floor with a satisfying thud. he groans and you inhale a deep breath of stale party atmosphere, pushing off the wall and beelining to the nearest source of fresh air. you vaguely sense someone following behind you and don't bother looking until you're shivering against the chilly october air. "you alright?"

"sure," you deadpan, "if i ignore the fact that i almost got roofied a minute ago." you cross your arms and plop into the nearest deck chair, uncomfortably eyeing a nearby couple getting a little too intimate for being in public. the guy who helped you stands next to you at a respectful distance, following your gaze to the people practically eating each other's faces.

"oi, get a fucking room," he barks and they flinch, scurrying into the house to find some empty room to bang in. "better?"

"yeah," you mutter, still uneasy about why he followed you out in the first place. "thanks for helping me, in there."

"don't mention it. it's a wonder how many frats still let him come to parties considering how easily he scares sorority girls away," he says blankly and you take a second to shamelessly analyze his appearance. long, dark hair was tied back into a loose bun and stray strands framed a mesmerizingly sharp jawline. unlike most of the guys inside, he actually was wearing a shirt, a simple sweatshirt with his frat's letters embroidered across the front. you couldn't see what the letters were, but you guessed he was probably part of a related frat by how willingly he stepped in to help you. to combat the autumn air, you figured, he also wore a flannel that had a dragon printed on the back panel. "you sure you're okay?"

"yeah, i'm good. a little cold, is all," you admit, grimacing at the goosebumps running over your arms. without another word leaving your mouth, he shrugs off the flannel and tosses it into your lap. you wrap it around your shoulders and catch him watching you, the tiniest smirk painting his pretty mouth when you pull it tighter against you. it's warm and smells like expensive cologne. "you're a real gentleman, you know that?"

"so i've been told," he replies and you huff an exasperated breath. "i swiped this for you on my way out, too. it's sealed, but i can grab you another one if you're still skeptical." he hands you a lukewarm bottle of water and, true to his word, requires a little bit of effort to break the seal around the cap. you take a few sips and your mind finally starts to process what happened. "feel a little better?"

"definitely. thank you, is it geto?"

"call me suguru." fuck, that's hot. he's hot.

"thank you, then, suguru. can i ask why you're being so nice when you don't even know me?"

"just making sure everyone's having fun and being safe so no one calls the cops." your response falls from your lips faster than you can stop it.

"nothing else?" his attention flicks to you and he chuckles in amusement at your boldness.

"and, i think you look nice in your costume," he murmurs and you'd be lying if you said it didn't make your heartrate increase. "that what you wanted to hear?"

"mhmm, thank you." the giddy excitement wears off and you check the time on your phone. "i should probably be getting back home."

"you got a ride?"

"i'll go find one of my pledge sisters that are also partied out," you shrug, praying that someone was sober enough to get you back safely.

"you mind if i call you a cab? i don't feel comfortable sending you off in some rando's car."

"technically, you're a rando," you point out, and he raises his hands in surrender. "but, sure, as long as you walk me out."

"i was already planning on it," he affirms and extends a hand, helping you out of the cold metal chair. his palm is warm, safe, and strong, nothing like the grabby ones that were begging for your body all night. suguru waits with you on the lawn until the cab arrives and opens the door for you as you slip into the second row. before you can close the door, he reaches over you and hands the driver a stack of bills that has the old man's eyes widening to the size of tennis balls. "get them home safely, please."

"what are you doing?"

"doing the next best thing besides driving you home myself. i didn't think you'd be comfortable doing that, given the progression of the evening." you're stunned into silence by his genuine chivalry and nearly forget to give him his flannel back. when you go to pull it off, however, he stops you with a gentle hand on your shoulder. "keep it, for now. i'll get it back at some point."

"alright," you concede, wrapping it around you like a safety blanket. "thank you for everything."

"of course. get home safe, yeah?"

"i will. thank you, suguru."

you wake up in the morning on the couch in the sorority house's living room, still in the same clothes from the night prior. your head pounded like it was getting repeatedly slammed with a mallet, but you were barely able to remember the events leading up to crashing at home. you look down and the flannel around your body reaffirms that suguru was, in fact, real and not just a drunk hallucination. you're in the middle of smiling giddily to yourself when one of your sisters screeches to a halt in the hallway behind you.

"good morni-"

"what the fuck are you wearing?" she asks with all the seriousness as if someone had died.

"yeah, i know i look like shit. is anyone in the shower-"

"no, stupid. that flannel, where did you get it?"

"some guy helped me get home last night and he let me borrow it; why are you being so weird?" you stumble to the kitchen and pour yourself a glass of water. your sister watches you from over the counter like you'd grown four heads. "hello? why are you looking at me like that?"

"you do realize where that flannel is from, right?"

"no...?"

"your little buddy from last night is from those assholes at theta phi fuckhead, babe." you nearly drop your glass in shock. there's no way. he couldn't have been from those dipshits, could he? "there's a reason we're not supposed to talk with them, 'cause they're dangerous and unruly."

"but this one, he-"

"doesn't matter. don't let anyone else see you with that on, or they'll have a fit." she sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose between two fingers. "shower is free, so go get dressed and change your clothes."

as you strip off the flannel, a small piece of paper drops from one of the pockets. the message written on it has you gripping the edge of the counter for support.

you look cute in my clothes. (XXX) XXX-XXX if you wanna wear 'em more often

-s. geto

if you enjoy my writing and would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee on my ko-fi! you can also check out my full masterlist here :)

[agentleem]

Another thing I love about HTP is how they develop the starting villains.

Now, we are introduced to this sabbat clan and they are all pretty one-dimensional. They are all generally just “crazy murderous vampires” and act as such in episode 1. The most personality they have can be gleaned from their fighting styles (shot beard just pummels everything, ape leaps and tackles at his enemies, Pyotr seems somewhat of a stealthy type, meanwhile Kevin takes a hostage and bends his opponent’s will).

By all means, Ogre Poppenang could’ve just left them like that, but they didn’t.

Shitbeard is a crass biker brute. He also recites many philosophical statements and viewpoints during episode 2, and seems to be jealous that the family have graduated college. He also constantly talks about how much he misses many of the mundane parts of life, such as existing in the sun and eating cream crackers. Additionally, he was turned while donating to charity.

Ape meanwhile is the newest member, not even being Blood Bonded to the others yet. He is also the most excited to be a part of the sabbat. He constantly is trying to say quotes that make him seem cool, help him fit in. He is massively cringeworthy—even in universe—but he is completely earnest. He reminds me of a young kid joining a fandom for a show or game they’re excited about.

Kevin is probably the most talked about member so ima keep it brief: his life was shit. He was raised to lead an ok but mind-numbingly uneventful life. He tried to strike it big, to give his life meaning, and failed horribly, leading him to continue his misery. And just as he’s about to swing his life around, he gets thrust into a world of darkness where he gains status but is enslaved in both body and mind. And once he gets tossed away by his new life, he joins the sabbat, because he feels like it’s the only real choice that would matter for him. That it’s the only one that he can make.

Then Pyotr. While everyone else has something hidden that makes them more endearing, Pyotr is shown to be much more VILE than we have thought. He is a coward who only comes out of hiding when he sees a weak or weakened target, and he is willing to backstab his teammates for any advantage without remorse. And when Kitten points this exact detail out, he gets absolutely PISSED that Kitten thinks he still cares about that (though with how pissed he got, I feel like there was at least some part of him that did regret, and his rant afterwards also serves to reassure himself that he’s a heartless vampire, banishing those feelings of regret and shame to the back of his mind. That’s just my headcanon though). When he diablerizes his teammates, however, he gets more careless. More risk-taking. More reckless. He uses his usual stealth approach less and less, going for more brutality. All of which leads to his death. Also, the reveal that he was a handsome man before his turn, probably turned BECAUSE of it, might factor into how he grew so wicked.

[nonagesimus]

OC Kiss Week Day 1 - Desperate

Starting off OC Kiss Week with my De Riva, Ayden, and @marvelous-goose's OC Jasper Thorne

-

The aftermath of a fight was always the worst part.

Ayden was shaking with the adrenaline of it but there was nowhere to put it anymore. Fighting darkspawn always made their skin crawl, it felt like the more time they spent around the blight the more sensitive they were to it. Like they could taste it around the boils massed on the ground, around the bigger ogres. And they’d all known, going in, that is was going to be a bad night. The horde encroaching Lavendel, the ragged group of villagers in the middle of the perimeter the Wardens had kept. Ayden was used to fighting, but not in a battle like this. Multiple fronts, swords and shields, it was nothing like any of the contracts they’d ever been on.

Even the occupation wasn’t anything like it.

Everything had been in extremes since the Antaam.

Magic, and Blight, and the Fade, and dragons, and darkspawn, and cleaning mud off their boots from a dozen places they never thought they’d ever visit.

A week beforehand, desperate for some kind of break, they’d dragged Jasper to the rooftop roads in Treviso. Stolen a bottle of wine from the stash Viago kept for his visits to the Diamond, gone up to their favourite spot to look over the canals from. Ayden had mostly been in Treviso when Viago and Teia were at their most involved, but they’d learned to love it along the way. And Jasper was always so generous with the things he loved; Ayden might not be used to sharing, but they’d wanted to try all the same.

Besides there was something kind of wonderful in the way Jasper’s eyes got bright when they used the ziplines, the way he seemed to relax when they talked him into doing something risky.

And it was high above the canals when Jasper, pink-cheeked and smiling, had taken a swig from the bottle they were sharing and said, “Anyone would think you’re trying to romance me.”

And they’d shot back, “If it’s romantic does that mean you’ll let me kiss you?”

But the thought of that only had them whirling around, scanning the battlefield. The two of them had started off fighting near each other, but things never went like they planned. Mages needed to spread out, cover more bases. Too many horns going off at once; Jasper had gone to cover the caves, Ayden had headed out to the battlements. But the fighting was over, people were checking bodies, dragging darkspawn corpses into piles to burn them, drifting towards medics to get their wounds treated, or towards the buildings to get new orders. All of Ayden’s nerves were jangling and they couldn’t see him.

“Where’s Jasper?” they asked, though after all the shouting in the fight it came out as a croak. They got a couple of glances from Wardens walking past but no answer. Had the look on their faces been pitying or just exhausted? The jangling nerves were starting to seem more like alarm bells. They swallowed, frantically trying to soothe the sandpaper-feeling in their throat, and tried again, “Anyone seen Jasper?”

There was a more desperate scream building in their throat before they heard a familiar voice call, “Over here.”

They turned so fast they nearly slipped in the mud, saw Jasper and Emmy leaning on each other as they walked back from the caves. Ayden ignored the way their legs were screaming, pushed themselves into a jog to meet them.

“You’re both ok?” they asked, feeling like they were vibrating with the effort of holding back, not sure if the twins were hurt or just exhausted, they didn’t want to make anything worse.

Jasper said, “We’re both fine,” in a soft voice, at the same time as Emmy snorted and said, “Calm down, sparky, he’s all yours,” and stepped aside.

Ayden burst into motion, genuinely might’ve lost control and fade-stepped into the space right in front of Jasper, reached up to cup his face and yanked it down to their own. Jasper’s hands grasped at their elbows, then one shifted to the side of their face and his other arm wrapped around their waist. His thumb slid along their cheekbone, and his mouth was gentle, and despite everything, Ayden felt themselves slowly start to relax.

[letters-from-himring-hill]

Your first shot hits near one of its eyes, causing a vicious roar. The Capcaun pulls back, and the ground starts rumbling around, knocking you off balance. An arm shoots out of the ground, then another, intent on crawling its way from the ground to get to its prey instead of catching you close enough to wrap its tongue around. You make your second shot as you fall, more on instinct than intention, and you shoot through a tree branch above, which creaks and groans. The ogre-thing looks up as it falls, and the tree branch slides straight into its gullet, killing it dead there and then. “Well. Okay.” I pick myself up. “Not what I was going for but I guess it worked.” Gavrel, who was struggling to balance himself, looks over at you and declares, "I think you're insane." I open my mouth to refute him and then close it. “I’m in good company?” I suggest instead, with a slight shrug. He chortles at that. "Fair assessment, but I had years to get this way," he says.

@sweetcardamom here's one of the many quotes where someone tells Morwen she's nuts. I think Gavrel considers himself a bit bonkers too, but he's not only been in Terrafell a lot longer than she has, he's at a game level where he can get away with doing insane things because he's well beyond normal human capabilities. (I have pegged him as somewhere between Captain America and Wolverine on the scale of superhuman healing and strength, with a bit of Quicksilver thrown in because he's got super-speed as well.) Morwen, on the other hand, is stronger and faster than she was at home, but still well within human limits. And she keeps fighting things that are thirty levels above her (like the Capcaun in this snippet) anyway. (In her defence. They do keep attacking her.)

Terrafell tag list: @exploding-the-wine-cellar @scleroticstatue @kanerallels @sunflowergardens-world

[leighsartworks216]

I Come With Knives Pt2

Astarion x gn!Tav/Reader

Part 1

I am posting this at almost 1am AND I have to get up early tomorrow to do work for class before the actual class haha I plan my time accordingly

I was going to make this chapter longer. I had an idea and I started to write it, but it just wasn't coming out like I wanted it to (bc I'm writing at 12am duh) so I'm gonna put that in another chapter

Warnings: mentions of torture, trauma, hints of paranoia, hints of self-deprecation

Word Count: 1,390

Main Masterlist

First Baldur's Gate 3 Masterlist - Second Baldur's Gate 3 Masterlist

I Come With Knives Masterlist

AO3

Tag List Form

After a grueling battle yesterday, you chose to give everyone a day off. It gave them time to rest aching muscles, repair and sharpen weapons, relax. It gave you a chance to bathe.

You didn't neglect your hygiene, but most of the time, once camp was set up, the sun would be dipping below the horizon. On those days, you'd run into the water, scrub the gunk out of your hair and get out, back to the safety of company before the first stars faded in. Now that you had the chance, you weren't going to squander it.

Once you were certain you were alone - an uncomfortable thought soothed only by the sun filtering in through the canopy above - you stripped down and waded into the water. It was cool, but not unpleasantly so. You wasted no time scraping the dirt and blood off your skin.

Once you cleaned your body within an inch of its life, you ducked your head under the water and scrubbed at your hair and scalp. It was disgusting - you could only imagine the smell your companions had put up with this last week. You were just so happy you were clean. Your hair was smooth as water soaked it through, no knots or clumps of blood to be found. As you squeezed out the excess water, you caught your reflection between the ripples. In moments where it stilled enough, you could see the scar on your neck. It was still deep and prominent, but it was beginning to heal. It'd never healed before.

"Enjoying yourself?"

You nearly shrieked when you turned, sinking into the water up to your neck for protection. Astarion chuckled at your reaction.

"Would it kill you to stop sneaking up on me?"

"I was practically stomping like an ogre, dear, it's hardly my fault you weren't paying attention." You shot him a glare, but it was half-hearted. It was your fault you let your guard down. In the day, you were safe from (most) vampires, but there were any number of things ready to attack at any moment. "Mind if I join you?"

You shake your head, but you're already wading to shore to grab your clothes. "No, go ahead. I'm done."

"Leaving already?" You nod, not making eye contact. "I won't look, darling, if that's what's got you so flustered."

You pause mid reach for your shirt as he removes his, placing it haphazardly on a rock by the water's edge. His pants came next and you looked away until you heard the water sloshing around him.

"Though, I don't mind if you look," he teased, sparing one last glance over his shoulder before he got to work cleaning himself.

Gods, if he could hear the way your heart raced... You peek over, just a glance, before you look back at your clothes. But then you're looking again.

An intricate scar of circles, lines, and curved symbols marred his back. You feel your throat close just looking at it. You'd been forced to watch spawn and slaves alike punished by the cracking of a whip. Forced to keep your eyes forward by a hand on your jaw as the leather snapped and tore into their skin. This was worse. This was deliberate.

"Did..." You swallow, forcing your voice not to crack with the sorrow you felt for him. "Did your master do this?"

He hummed, continuing to wash his arms as though you'd asked him about the weather. The only hint it bothered him at all was the way his muscles tensed and the disdain in his voice. "Cazador," he spat. "He considered himself quite the artist and used his slaves as a canvas." His movements slowed to a stop. "He composed and carved that one over the course of a night. He made... a lot of revisions as he went."

You couldn't stop staring. Your mind kept replaying the torture you witnessed, but it replaced their cries with Astarion's voice. You hated to be so lucky. To be so fortunate that your master wanted you to look absolutely perfect and unmarked. You never received physical punishment. You were too precious.

"I'm sorry," you whisper, shakily. "If I could, I'd..." What? Remove the markings forever? Take away his pain and suffering? Go back and change everything so he never had to be a puppet? You couldn't do anything. You can't help. You can't remove that pain. All you can do is witness the aftermath.

He sighed and ducked his head so he could wash his hair. Drops of water slid down his back, only drawing your eyes in further. “It won’t matter when we get to Baldur’s Gate. I’m going to kill that bastard for everything he did to me.”

You know you should leave. Put on your clothes and slink away. But… being around Astarion isn’t entirely unpleasant. You’re still a little scared of him - of what he could do, but you trust him enough to believe he wouldn’t do those things. He probably understood your plight better than anyone else.

So, you slide down into the water until you’re resting on your knees in the silt. It doesn’t quite cover your neck unless you duck deeper in. You want to hide the scar, the damn mark showing everyone else who - or rather, what you belonged to. But it felt wrong to try hiding it when Astarion was fully showing you his.

“I never asked who your master was.” He turns his head slightly, eyes just barely catching sight of you. He did promise he wouldn’t look, after all. “Where she…” He waved a hand noncommittally and scowled. “Rules.”

Her eyes flash in your mind, wicked and burning. You almost flinch just thinking about them. When you speak her name, your voice trembles. “Kir Parthene. I… don’t remember where she lives. It’s been years since I’ve even been outside - I must have forgotten.”

He slowly turns, giving you time to tell him to turn back again, but you don’t. You watch him through a fog of memories. “How long were you enslaved?”

It’s harder to answer than you thought it would be. Time begins to blur when you can’t tell if it’s night or day, when everything is fuzzy and incoherent because you never had enough blood to think straight. Sometimes she’d feed and then leave you for days. Others, she never wanted to stop feeding - drinking from you morning and night before you ever got a chance to recover. You were a slave to her hunger - time never mattered.

“I was… 16 when I was taken.” You wrap your arms around yourself. Safe. “I don’t even remember home. My parents… I’m all alone.”

He’d never heard your voice so small before. You weren’t the most demanding leader, but you could still bark commands when things were getting rough. You even held yourself well in conversation, shutting down lopsided deals or uncomfortable topics with all the authority of a royal guard. It was easier, seeing you like this, to imagine your life in servitude. Meek and quiet.

“That’s not entirely true.” He kneeled in the silt a few feet from you, smirking. “You have us for as long as this adventure lasts, as long as we don’t transform into tentacled Mind Flayers.”

“And then after that?” He shifts uncomfortably at the question. “Everyone will go their separate ways, and when you do I’m a sitting duck. I’ll be captured again. Used again.”

You trail off, but the weight of your words sit heavy. You’ll never be free. You could help everyone else with their quests, help them free themselves from what ties them down, help them get stronger - but the same couldn’t be done for you. Without knowing where your master lives, there’s no way to seek her out and kill her, too.

The water is too cold now. The cool summer breeze only freezes you more. Astarion watches as you get up and slink back over to your clothes. He looks away before he can see anything you wouldn’t want him to. In no time at all, your clothes are back on and you’ve pulled on your boots. But before you walk away, you turn to him. Your eyes are so sad.

“Thank you. For… showing me.” He says nothing. So you head back to camp. Alone.

---

Tag List:

@satelliteapotheosis

@hypopxia

@flsalazar

@beverlybeav

@angelofthorr

@emiemiemiii

@marina-and-the-memes

@lynnlovesloki

@aurasyn

[quietlyimplode]

ignite your bones

After the fall of General Dreykov, and the remnants of the Red Room still at large, Natasha first year at SHIELD is anything but healing. Labeled a traitor and a turncoat, Natasha tries to find her footing in a strange new world.

Whumptober 2024: Day 26 - Nightmares

Warnings: nightmares/child abuse

Word Count: 1k (gif not mine)

Summary: Clint gets home to rest, but it doesn’t come easy.. or at all.

Masterlist

Whumptober Masterlist.

.

Clint’s car hums to life.

He switches on the music and zones out to the slow beats of music, letting go of the day.

He feels exhausted.

His body on autopilot, he drives home to his apartment, parking in the basement and walking up the eight flights of stairs, hoping it’s enough exercise for the day.

He should ask Natasha if she wants to spar.

The last time they did felt so long ago, before all this shit with Hydra.

His body is still so sore. Ribs burning, but healing, and he supposed it was something that he could move at all.

It wasn’t just the biting of broken bones, nor the pain that left him, at times, breathless; it was the fatigue that came with it. Always needling and making him think about his posture and movement.

Alongside everything, he just wanted to crawl into bed.

He eyes his bed, alongside the mess that is his apartment.

He hates when it’s like this, but he doesn’t have the energy to do anything about it.

Clint kicks his shoes off, annoyed at a hole in his sock that allows his toe to poke through.

He should shower.

He should clean.

He should do a lot of things.

Instead he sits on the couch, turns on the tv and pulls a blanket over himself; paralysed by all the things he should be doing.

.

Natasha smiles and waves, walking towards him.

He feels the gun in his hand, raising it up towards her.

Her smile falters.

He feels himself warn her.

His body feels hot.

“Don’t move!”

She stops walking.

“I warned you!”

She looks worried.

There are handcuffs on her wrists.

Thompson appears, his gun larger than Clint’s.

“She’s not worth the trouble,” he tells Clint.

“Kill her.”

Clint stares.

His finger touches the trigger.

A shot rings out.

Natasha is on the floor.

Rushing to her, she tries to push him away.

“I tried,” she tells him, tears leaking out her eyes.

“I tried.”

.

Clint wakes up his heart beating hard in his chest and head. He feels hot and sticky, sweat on his back.

Just a dream, he assures himself, catching his breath.

His blanket on the floor and infomercials flashing on the television.

“Just a dream,” he whispers.

He stands on shaky legs, wanting a drink; something to alleviate his dry mouth.

He stubs his toe on the side of the table and swears loudly, the pain waking him up further.

Annoyed, he opens the cupboard and finds a mug, filling it with the gross tasting water from his tap.

It does nothing for his mood.

Trudging back to the couch, he bends and rubs at his toe, almost grateful for the distraction away from his dream.

He needs sleep.

Gathering the blanket, he dumps it on his bed, heads to the toilet and then washes his face.

He avoids looking in the mirror and leaves the lights off as he heads back, groaning.

He’ll never get used to the nightmares, but the reset back to bed has got easier as the years got on.

Sighing softly to himself, Clint pulls the blanket over himself and lays flat in a stretch.

He lists out the things he needs to do the next day, things he told Maria he would get done, and slowly feels the drift back to sleep.

.

“Clint!”

“Run!”

His mother waves him off, his father’s looming figure ten times his usual height.

Clint gets up off the floor, looking around for any place to hide.

His mother’s voice becomes muffled, disappearing in the ogre-like footsteps of his father moving towards him.

Fear envelops him; his limbs are moving slow, too slow to get away.

The cupboard is close and he scrambles inside.

He feels his own hands clamp over his mouth.

Barney!

He wants to get out and make sure his brother is okay, but there’s no time.

Stomping footfalls reign down.

Banging; hard. Against the cupboard.

He can feel the fear envelop him.

Saying nothing, he tries to remember to breathe.

“Get out!”

One more bang of the cupboard and Clint falls, backward, landing in the middle of an abyss.

.

Jerking awake, Clint takes a moment to orient himself.

His apartment.

His space.

His bed.

Not the cupboard or the hard wood.

No abyss to envelop him.

Sitting upright, he looks out the window, the streetlights still on and the light pollution from the city belaying that it was still night.

Grabbing his blanket, he moves back to the couch.

He wants to go and get some water or wash his face, do something to override the feelings.

Fear holds him on the couch, as he wakes further, wondering if he should try for sleep again, knowing that likely it would turn into another nightmare.

He hugs himself with his blanket, wrapping it around himself harder.

The television is still on, still playing. He flips through channels trying to forget his nightmare.

.

The morning is long.

Clint feels like he’s wading through mud, the fatigue of no sleep making his movements slow and he must work harder at the morning routine.

He despairs at the state of his apartment.

By seven am he’s downed a pot of coffee, hoping that it cures his fatigue.

It won’t.

It doesn’t.

But it does help to get ready for the day. Natasha wanted to go back to the library, and if he was lucky, maybe she would want to do some sparring.

Maybe Maria would join them.

Arrow practice, he thinks idly. That would be nice.

That might just be the thing to cure him.

Grabbing his keys, he walks slowly to his car, taking a deep breath as the day starts again.

.

[imonthemoonitsmadeofcheese]

Destinytober24: Day 2 - Tower

In the Destinypedia article on the Tower of Woe (from the Scarlet Keep strike) there's a quote at the top:

After much investigation, this has been determined to not be an actual quote from anywhere within Destiny that anyone has been able to find.

Link to Ao3 if you prefer to read it there

"Tower of Woah? …It's not that impressive."

"What?"

"You said it was the Tower of Woah. It don't make me go woah."

"There are times when you are completely incomprehensible."

"Pot. Kettle."

"Hmmm…"

"Don't guardians normally have to fight their way in here?"

"Yes."

"But we just walked in right through the Scarlet Keep and no one bothered us."

"Yes."

"And there ain't nothin' shooting us as we go up this elevator right now."

"Correct."

"But when I looked this place up in the Hidden archives there was footage of-"

"You have been infiltrating the Hidden archives? Again?"

"Well you said we were goin' here. I wanted to research it."

"You could have simply asked me and I would have shared the relevant files."

"But then I wouldn't possibly come across any irrelevant files. The amount of times I've stumbled across the most profitable-"

"Do. Not."

"Right. Sorry. Point bein'… the footage I saw had Hive Acolytes shootin' Guardians in this elevator from those holes in the sides."

"Alcoves."

"Sure, whatever. They were in there in those Al-Coves shooting guardians as they came up the tower like they was fish in a barrel. No cover. Shoot before ya get shot. But there ain't no one shooting us here. Last Guardians through can't have got rid of all the Hive in this tower. Those fuckers move back in hours after you clean 'em out. Sometimes five minutes if you time it right."

"Yes. But they are not here now."

"That's my point. Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why ain't they here tryin' to kill us?"

"Because I sent them away."

"You what? You can… command them?"

"The lesser Hive are easily compelled with sufficient magic and force of will, yes. The spell will last for the next four hours, which is more than enough time for us to make a full circuit of the tower and take care of anything we might find."

"Holy shit. I didn't know you could do that. That's… hot."

"Hmmm…"

"Wait… You said the lesser ones. What about the greater ones?"

"This is why I requested your assistance."

"You can't take on the greater Hive?"

"I can, and frequently do. However this is one of those situations you have mentioned before… where it 'makes sense to bring a friend'… just in case."

"Buddy system. I get ya. Surprised you didn't just bring one of the Guardians."

"I usually do. I will in future, if you prefer."

"No. I do not prefer. I like this. You know I like this."

"I do. Hence your invitation."

"Just not used to you… bringin' me along for… Moon shit… that's all. I like it. I hope we do it more. I'm happy to come with ya for anything, you know that."

"I do."

"Hey… wait a sec… is this… a date? This is a date, isn't it?"

"What? No. Why would it be a date? How does that even make any sense?"

"Creepy Hive tower… you scared 'em all off so we can be alone… maybe we fight something nasty together… murder is a form of love for Hive so us killin' something big together is kinda-"

"No. We are here to set wards and confirm the tower's energy is not being put to even more nefarious uses than it is routinely. It is not a… date."

"Not with that attitude."

"Ugh."

.

"Hoo-ee! Four Ogres, six Wizards and nine Hive Knights… It may not be the Tower of Whoa but it sure is the Tower of Ass-kicking today."

"Tsch."

"That was fun. You should take me out on dates like this more often, Moondust. You really do know how to get someone's blood flowing."

"Hmmm… Yes. You should use your ghost for that."

"Nope. Not gonna."

"Do not be ridiculous. You are likely to lose consciousness from blood loss before we even get back to Sanctuary."

"Nah. Brought a first aid kit. Gimme a bit and I'll have myself patched up. It'll be fine."

"A first aid kit? Why would you bring a first aid kit? You have a ghost."

"Because you don't."

"What?"

"Rule number one about hangin' around Lightless, is you bring a first aid kit in case they need it. My ghost can't do shit if you get hurt."

"Do you… always bring a first aid kit when you are… with me?"

"Uh… yup."

"Really."

"Well… yeah, Moondust."

"That is… extremely thoughtful and… kind."

"Really? Wild. It's almost like I like you or something."

"Or something."

"Hey… you sure this ain't a date, Moondust? Cuz when you're up close touchin' my face all gentle like this, it really is very nice… and it almost looks like you might wanna kiss me right about now."

"Do you never stop talking? Even now… with our lips so close together… you are still… talking."

"Yeah well, if you want me to shut my mouth so bad, maybe you should shut it for me."

.

"Ok I take it back. It is the Tower of Whoa."

"Tsch."

Link to the entire month's worth of prompts on Ao3, posted daily.

[liviavanrouge]

Twst

Name: Jelena

Nickname(s):

-Puffin(Floyd) -Mademoiselle Tech-Lady(Rook) -Topaz, Toto, Jel, Lena, Lele, Jelly, Jelfish(Livia, Lilia, Silver, Sebek, Malleus) -Tech Potato(Vil) -Money grabber(Azul, Leona, Fellow, Rollo)

Twisted from: Topaz(HSR)

Birthday: Ocotber 23rd

Age: 16(???)

Species: Human

Homeland: Valley of Thorns(Original Home is Unknown)

---------

Family:

-Unnamed Mentor -Lilia(Battle Instructor) -Livia(Best Friend/Sister figure) -Silver(Best friend/Brother figure)

---------

Hobbies: Studying animals

Pet Peeves: Being a human calculator

Favorite Food: Meat stick with cheese

Least Favorite Food: Livia's fruit stuffed food

~~~~

Dominant Hand: Left

Height: 5'8

Dorm: Octavinelle

Grade: Freshman

Class: 1-D

Club: Board Games Club

Best Subject: Mathematics

---------

Appearance:

~

Personality: Jelena is mysterious to those who don't know her and can be quite stubborn with giving out a name. Those she is close towards, she can be nicer to but that doesn't exempt them from her sarcastic or witty comments every now and then. She can be quite sweet if you're not on her bad side. She is also actively seen with Sneeze, who Livia gifted to her as a new friend so she wouldn't be lonely whenever the others weren't around.

Can be quite energetic when the time calls for it and is a very fast runner when she's determined to make a grand escape or get away from people who got on her last nerves. A very smart student, as shown in Ch 3 where she immediately pieced together that Livia and Ogre were the same people due to Livia using magic to make another version of herself temporarily. Has no tolerance for bullies and will fire warning shots from a special blaster Lilia had made specially for her.

She was close with her mentor who when missing and tries hard to hide the other part of her life from the people who found her, feeling bad for lying to them at times. She is quite sassy at times and others have stated that despite being best friends, she and Livia seemed more like they were enemies but in reality it's not and she's explained with much patience that's just how the two of them are.

~~~~

Unique Magic

Jelena's Unique Magic is called "Technical Advantage", where she displays a screen in front of her, which feeds her information of the area she's in and allows her to gather information others cannot. Jelena also says that she won't even need the screen at times and her feet will send magnet waves across the area, scanning everything and bringing back what the waves have found.

Spell: "Give me the Knowledge I need! Technical Advantage!"

~~~~

Trivia:

-Jelena tried Livias fruit stuffed meat when she was found and puked for the next ten minutes -Jelena states whenever she sees or smells Livias special food, she has to run away to the nearest bathroom to throw up -Sneeze is closer to Jelena than she is with Livia, which is why she was gifted to her -Jelena is unaware of the one-sided beef Azul has with her when it comes to her money-making skills without using a contract -She and Livia spooked Malleus together on Halloween -Jelena almost transferred to Diasomnia were it not for Lilia convincing her to stay in her current dorm to make new friends -Jelena said that she fell into a river that washed her up in the Valley of Thorns then Lilia found her alongside Silver -She absolutely despises Leona's lazy attitude but respects him at the same time -She over bought Christmas gifts one time and got scolded by Malleus and Lilia -Her original age is currently unknown and Lilia gave her a birthday based on the day he found her -She taught herself how to fire the special blaster Lilia gave her when she was only eight years old -She has a Magicam Account that gives advice on how to make money without scamming others or resorting to other bad means -She has a close relationship with Ruggie, finding him cool with how hard he works -Lilia states that he had to force Jelena to learn how to swim due to her nearly drowning -She and Livia always run through the halls of school and other places, liking to race and has kept score of who won each time -Jelena gave Lilia a small heart attack when she went missing for three days straight and was found in a foxes den, covered nearly from head to toe in mud and having stuff in her hair

[cevansbrat0007]

The Lonely Hearts Club: Part Two

Summary: Full Story! Breaking up with Andrew Barber is hard to do. You of all people should know, considering you just tried. Now what? Read Part One.

Warnings: Mature Themes, Angst, Discussions of Break-ups, Fun with Exes, Jealousy, Andy Being a Menace, Confident Reader, Eventual Smut, Cursing, Expect Additional Future Warnings, Minors DNI

A/N: Dedicated to @atkissoflife, @that-one-anxious-mango, and @piscesmermaidprincess. This multi-part fic features a combination of requests from the likes of @writer84, @lexivass, @moejdaw, and several others. It is also, part of my ongoing Growing Pains Series. All mistakes are my own. Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated.

___

February 15th - 12:25am - Los Angeles, CA

Wow. Just...wow.

You stare down at your phone as you wait for the bartender to bring you your check. While you had initially been prepared for Andy to be upset over your note, as well as your pretty abrupt departure, you certainly hadn't expected this.

If anything, he seemed almost...unbothered. By all of it. Granted, it was sometimes hard to gauge a person's tone via text. But you'd also been in a relationship with the man for the better part of six freaking months! At this point, one could argue that you were practically fluent in Andrew Barber and all of his fucking moods.

The guy was up to something, without a doubt. Which meant that you were now officially on high alert. Because your man - your ex - had never been the type to play fair.

Especially where you were concerned. You should've known that it was gonna take a hell of a lot more than a handwritten letter and a box of artisanal muffins to knock some sense into his stubborn ass.

"Argh! You are such a fucking ogre, Andrew!" You groan, burying your face in your hands. "Why can't you ever make things easy?"

The next time you look up it's to see the bartender returning with your credit card. She goes to hand it over, only for you to interrupt her mid-sentence.

What was her name again? You could've sworn it started with a "D".

"Sorry, I know I said I was ready to close out. But since men are stupid, I think I'm gonna need another margarita. Quite possibly two."

Delta gives you a sympathetic nod before pocketing your card once more. "You got it, sweetie. Still want sugar instead of salt?"

"Yes, please." You mumble, reminding yourself that it was okay to feel annoyed. Because you were. This was supposed to be your time, damn it. You deserved to take some space for yourself!

Even if it meant sitting alone at a hotel bar, missing the one person you loved more than anything, the day after motherfucking Valentine's Day. Cheers, bitches.

___

Two Weeks Later – Somewhere in Downtown Boston

Andrew Barber stares blankly at his computer screen, mindlessly tapping his index finger against his temple as a fresh wave of anger courses through his veins. 

He’d been so good the last two weeks. So patient and understanding. He’d given you your space, just like you’d asked. Never intruding with the exception of the text he shot off that night.

Even when he’d come across your latest Instagram post from a few days ago showing off your apparent date with another man. Some pretentious looking fucker who went by Russell Cromwell. You two had looked real cozy while sharing a plate full of Birria tacos. And then you’d posed outside of the restaurant with your arms wrapped around his waist. 

But the real kicker had been the last photo in the carousel. The one where you’d kissed him on the cheek – when you’d done the “knee thing” that actresses used to do in those old black and white movies you loved to watch so much.

Oh yeah. The two of you would be having a discussion about that one real soon. His wayward Baby Girl could count on that shit. 

Honestly, you had no idea how hard falling back had been for him. It had been a real struggle. Because at his core, Andrew Barber was a man of action. He was well-known for his cunning and mental prowess. This was a man who had graduated at the top of his class, who had then gone on to become the youngest District Attorney in the city of Boston’s history. 

And in times of crisis, he was someone you could count on to remain calm and collected while you worked towards a solution. Nothing could shake him, save for the trial and media circus that had briefly surrounded his late son. 

After that particular tragedy, Andy had resigned himself to being alone. Forever. He often tried to convince himself that he preferred it that way. Andrew Barber didn’t do love. Not after what happened with his ex-wife, Laurie. He was better off living a life of no commitment. 

Even if it meant a lot of lonely nights filled with a seemingly endless revolving door of meaningless one-night stands. 

And then he’d met you. 

Yes, you.

The woman who had somehow, against all odds, brought magic back into his life. Your laugh, your smile, your very presence – it colored his whole goddamn world. He told you that all of the time, and yet it was almost as if you didn’t believe him.

At first, he was convinced that you were too good to be true. Although he’d been quickly dispelled of that notion when you’d had the balls to walk out on him during your very first date. It’s quite possible that he’d fallen for you right then – because you were the type of woman who knew her worth.

By then, Andy had become convinced that you were a gift from the universe. The way he saw it, after everything he’d been through, he was owed you. You were the woman of his dreams – his very salvation – all wrapped up in a curvy little package. And when you ran that night, it called to the primal part of him that felt compelled to give chase. 

Just like now.

But what you had yet to understand was that, once a man like Andrew Barber had deemed you his forever, there was no going back. There was no letting you go. No means of escape.

At most, he’d been granted you a temporary reprieve. You both needed time to assess the situation, survey the damage, and then calculate your next move. 

And sweetness, you’d already played your hand when you’d left that little note skipped town under the pretense of taking a fucking business trip.

Fine. Now it was on him. And while you still held most of the cards, that certainly didn’t mean that Andrew Barber was walking around without an ace or two in his back pocket. And you had better believe that he was more than ready to play his own. 

But first…he needed some fucking coffee. And lucky for him, he knew just where he could find the perfect cup – shot of chocolate, dash of cinnamon, hold the whip. 

___

Forty Minutes Later – Monarch Media Group (20 Minutes Outside Downtown Boston)

You lean back in your chair and rub your tired eyes. For the life of you, you simply couldn’t seem to focus today. Or any other day for the matter.

Even though it had been almost a week since you’d returned from your trip to L.A., you still felt just as conflicted about things with Andrew Barber as you did before you’d left. And not only that, but you also found yourself feeling on edge about the entire situation.

Because after your brief text exchange the morning of February 15th, he’d left you alone. The most impatient man you’d ever encountered this side of Boston had actually found it within himself to respect your wishes. 

No calls. No texts. No emails. Not even so much as a fucking smoke signal.

And while part of you was pleased with that particular development, there was no denying the fact that you missed your Big Man. 

You could be woman enough to admit it. You missed the hell out the handsome, grumpy-faced district attorney who, up until recently, had been a major mainstay in your life. But after some serious soul searching and a generous amount of tequila, you’d come to the conclusion that it was important for you to get your mind right before moving forward with anything.

You owed it to yourself to figure out who you were outside of your relationship with Andy – needed it even. Because that man was a force to be reckoned with. He could be so dominant sometimes, his personality so completely all-consuming that it was easy to lose yourself in him. 

To allow yourself to become so entirely eclipsed by his brilliant shadow. Which is something that could absolutely happen the moment you stopped paying attention to your own wants, and needs, and desires.

And if that ever were to happen, part of you wondered whether or not you would be able to find your way back. Honestly, you had no idea.

Because after all of this, if you chose to be with him…it would mean that you were all-in. There was no other option with him.

That beautifully stubborn man didn’t have a lower setting.   

However, the last thing you’d ever expected was for Mr. Andrew “My Way or the Highway” Barber to go quietly into that good night. Well, suppose you shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Because if anything he could very well be planning–

Your inner musings are interrupted by Anya, your favorite receptionist at Monarch Media Group. Granted, she was also the only receptionist at the company you’d worked for over the last several years, but that was neither here nor there.

Anya gives you a knowing look before taking a seat on the edge of your desk. “Hi, friend.” She lightly pokes your shoulder. “How ya doin?”

“I’m okay.” You blow out a breath and then decide to exit out of your Outlook. “What’s up?”

“Oh…nothing much.” You watch as your friend and coworker helps herself to a piece of chocolate sitting in a nearby dish. 

“Okay.”

“I just stopped by to tell you that your coffee has arrived.” She dutifully unwraps it before popping it in her mouth.

“What?”

You hadn’t ordered any coffee. You didn’t usually even drink the stuff this late in the day. Unless…

“Yep. And just so happens, it was hand-delivered by the handsomest door-dasher I ever did see.” Anya pokes your shoulder again. “I would’ve accepted it on your behalf, but the guy insists on giving it to you himself. Probably angling for a tip if you ask me.” She throws you a conspiratorial wink for good measure.

Speak of the devil. Hello, Mr. Andrew “Check Out My Shit Timing” Barber.

“Ugh.” You bury your head in your hands to muffle your cry of frustration. “Can you please just tell him I’m not here?”

“I’m afraid I already let that cat out of the bag. But by the look on your face and the way you’re rocking back and forth like a human pinball, I take it I shouldn’t have done that.”

“No!” 

“Did you and Andy like…break up…or something?” Anya pauses as she reaches for another piece of candy, her hand hovering in mid-air.

No, Anya. I always feel like jumping out the nearest window. I’m fucking squirrley like that.

“Yes. No. I don’t know.” You wail. “It’s just…it’s just really fucking complicated, okay?” 

“Gotcha. So…about the coffee…” 

“I’m going. I’m going.” You stand up in a huff, wishing you knew where you put the ponytail holder that had been on your wrist just this morning. “But if he pisses me off, I’m dumping that shit on his shoes. Hot or not. I do not care.”

“Okay, but if it comes to that can you please try to do it off company property? I’m all for you handling your business, but I’m also thinking about all the paperwork I’m gonna have to do if you accidentally injure one of the city’s hottest attorneys.”

“Fuck you.” You grumble as you stalk towards the front of the office to confront the annoying asshole who also happened to be the love of your life. 

“What can I say? I’m a selfish bitch.” She chirps, blowing you a kiss.

“Your words not mine. And stay the hell out of my chocolate, you mooch!” You call out as you turn the corner, fully intending to give the Boston D.A. a piece of your mind before you politely, and very firmly, shoved him out the door. 

Because if that man thought that he could just waltz right into your place of business and act like he owned everything and everyone, then he was sorely mistaken. You were going to prove to him, and whoever the hell’s job it was to oversee this whole godforsaken cosmos, that you knew how to stand your ground.  

The sight of him standing right there in the lobby is easily enough to temporarily rob you of all reasonable thought. His back is to you, giving you the brief opportunity to give him a thorough once-over. His tailored white dress shirt is rolled up at the sleeves, exposing his brawny forearms. But what really draws your attention are his slate gray slacks, which only serves to highlight his perfectly sculpted backside. 

He looked good. Nobody deserved to look that damned good, least of all your ex-boyfriend. 

Wait. Is that – is that what he was now? Is…is that how all of this worked? Fuck! 

You note the lack of tension in his broad shoulders. All things considered, he seemed pretty relaxed. But the real question was…how long could it be expected to last?

Andy picks that moment to turn around, his bright blue eyes locking with your own as an eager grin slowly spreads its way across his handsome features. You take a steadying breath and choose to ignore it. 

“Andrew.” You exhale, trying your best to appear unaffected by his presence. It was a lie, of course. But if you managed to keep this unexpected interaction short and sweet, you just might be able to pull it off. “Wh–what are you doing here?”

“Hi.” He cocks his head to the side as he drinks you in, almost as if he’s amused by your disgruntled demeanor.

“Hello.” You cross your arms over your chest, wishing that you had chosen to wear a different sweater today. Andy loved you in this color, especially because of how it paired with your particular skin tone. 

“Happy Wednesday, baby.” 

God, he really needed to lose that stupid smile. Otherwise, how on earth were you supposed to maintain your composure? 

“Sure.”

“Brought you something.” Andy holds out one of the cups of coffee he’s carrying. “Figured you might be able to use a little pick-me-up.” 

“Thanks, but I’m good.” You tell him with a shake of your head. 

“What? Since when?” He rears back before offering up a playful pout. “We always get coffee together on Wednesdays. It’s our thing…our little afternoon delight.” This time you’re treated to a wink.

“Shh!” You hiss, bridging the distance between your bodies to slap a hand across his mouth. “Don’t say that!” 

The last thing you needed was someone to overhear that and think you two used to sneak away sometimes in the afternoon to…to well…you know. Some of the people you worked with possessed very vivid imaginations.

And besides, that whole afternoon delight business had only happened once or twice. Okay, quite possibly four and a half times – and then one more after that. 

Amusement sparkles in his gaze as he stares you down. And then you feel the faint flick of his tongue brush across your palm. When you don’t react he does it again, this time following it up with an exaggerated groan. 

You immediately jerk your hand away as if you’ve just been burned. Knowing that things were only bound to get worse, you snatch one of the coffees before grabbing his arm and dragging him outside and into the unseasonably warm weather. 

Thank goodness for small favors.

The smell of spring was definitely in the air these days, but all you can focus on is the sound of Andy’s laughter trailing behind you. Frankly, it’s enough to set your teeth on edge. Even still, he allows you to lead him down the street. At some point there’s a slight shift that results in your relinquishing his arm so that he can lace his fingers through yours.   

But you'll allow it if it means that he’ll behave for as long as it takes to make it to your destination. Which just so happens to be an empty bench located at the edge of a nearby park.

To his credit, the attractive buttface at your side doesn’t say anything during your impromptu power walk, but he also doesn’t need to. Because after two long weeks without you, the man was probably venturing into serious touch-starved territory. 

You knew it. And so did he. So part of you didn’t see the harm in giving him this one, small thing.  

Relief fills you when you finally reach the bench. Of course Andy sits first before pulling you down with him – but thankfully not onto his lap. Although you’re positive that the thought was there.

Eventually he lets go of your hand. Unsure of what else to do, you finally take a sip of your coffee. The rich, slightly bitter flavor of chocolate and mocha bursts onto your tongue, followed immediately by a quick hint of cinnamon.

Mm. A perfect cup.

“I’ve missed you, baby girl.” Andy’s large, lightly calloused hand cups your face – the roughened pad of his thumb caressing the curve of your cheek. “It hasn’t been a very fun couple of weeks.”

“I know.” You whisper as you lean into his touch and your eyes flutter closed. Perhaps you were just as starved for affection as he was. “I’m sorry.”

“Did you miss me?” His tone is gruff, but there’s no mistaking the emotion behind his words. Or the pain in his eyes for that matter. 

“I did, Andy.” So much.

“But you still left. Tried to break up with me before hopping on a plane and running off all the way to L.A. to share some chips and queso with good ol’ Rusty.” Your eyes fly open as Andy’s hand drops away. “Or did I read that wrong?” 

How the fuck had he known where you where? You hadn’t included anything about your intended destination in your letter…

“I saw it on your Instagram, in case you were wondering. Was actually able to use that stupid account you set up for me after all.” His teeth sink into his bottom lip as he narrows his gaze, trying to read your expression. “Couldn’t really get much else, although I enjoyed those pics of you at the beach.”

“It was a work trip.” You remind him, suddenly feeling defensive. “And Russell is an old friend, nothing more.”

“Hm.” Andy quirks an annoyed brow. “Are we talking about the kind of friend who also  accompanies you to the beach so you can show off your brand new bikini? Not that I’m complaining any about that gorgeous, sunkissed glow you’ve got going on, princess.” 

His big body is certainly tense, but there’s no ignoring the feral gleam in his eyes. Almost as if he’s dying to undress you and spend the next several hours checking you for tan lines. 

And he would, too. It’s not like it would be the first time. 

“I went alone. Russell stayed behind for that one.” You roll your eyes at the sight of his nostrils flaring. “Jesus Christ, dude! I know you may not believe that I’m a big girl, but I am. And if I wanna go hang out at the beach by myself, then that’s exactly what I’m gonna do!”

Which was exactly what the fuck you’d done. And it had been positively marvelous. 

“Fine.” He grunts, raising his palm towards the heavens. “God forgive me for having the sense to worry about my girl, especially since the last time I checked, she still couldn’t swim for shit.”

“Whatever, Andrew. This girl does whatever the hell she wants now, so you had better get used to it.” Your mouth is set in a thin, firm line while you silently dare him to disagree.

“I’m not quite sure how that’s different from any other day with you, but alright.” Andy tries to calm himself by playing with a stray curl that’s fallen free from your bun. “You’re still mine, sweetness. Even when you insist on being a brat. Or did you somehow forget that part?”

You swat at his hand instead of responding, hating that steady feeling of warmth that was currently pooling in your belly. 

“Did you?”

You make a show of ignoring him in favor of enjoying what was left of your coffee.

“You know, they say that sometimes silence speaks louder than words, baby girl.” You find yourself resisting the urge to clench your thighs together at the sound of the dark chuckle that rumbles through his chest. “It’s alright, though. Guess I’ll just have to remind you again once we get past this little wall you’re trying to put up between us.”

He gifts you with a flash of his pearly white teeth. Andrew Barber was the type of man who would only let you get away with so much before he put his foot down. And you would do well to remember that. 

“Pretty sure you meant to say “actions”, jackass.” Apparently he finds your acerbic wit funny as well.

“Eh, I’ve heard it both ways.” Andy shrugs before going back to toying with your curls. “But I think you should know that I’m not very happy with you, baby. And I’m trying to be patient here, but it’s kinda difficult when I can’t even get you to talk to me.”

“I was going to call you…” That wasn’t a lie. You had just been trying to drum up the mental fortitude you knew it would take to pick up the phone and actually dial his number. Sometimes, dealing with Andrew Barber could require some serious patience. 

“Were you now?” He doesn’t believe you. You can hear it in his voice.

“I was.”

“Okay, then have dinner with me tonight.” He releases your curl, watching the way it bounces as it springs free.

“Andy.” You let out an exhausted sigh.

“Meet me at my place. I’ll swing by Imperial Wok and pick up a few of your favorites so we can eat. And then we can talk in a quiet, private setting without any interruptions. How does that sound, princess?”

“Wonderful.” The word slips out before you can catch it. “But I–I can’t.”

Andrew Barber’s excited smile dies on his lips the moment that phrase reaches his ears and registers in his brain. As much as you hated to admit it, being alone with this man wasn’t a very good idea right now – especially behind closed doors.

Because while you’d never seen the man in court, you’d definitely heard plenty of stories about his ruthlessness. And you knew firsthand just how persistent he could be when he was determined to get his way. 

When Andy wanted something, he didn’t stop until he got it. Not only was he relentless, but he also wasn’t above using every tool at his disposal – including sex – if it meant having you back in his life. It wouldn’t matter all that much to him how it came about.

The same way he wouldn’t care if whether or not your desired reconciliation only happened because he’d lured you into his bed before fucking you back into submission. 

“The fu–why the hell not?” He growls, his hand grips the arm of the wooden bench so hard his knuckles go white.

“Because I can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t?” The pronounced tick in his jaw makes it clear that he’s beyond frustrated by your refusal. 

Unfortunately, that was too damned bad! By the time this was all said and done, your handsome ogre was going to have mastered the art of having some goddamned patience. At least you hoped that would be the case…

“Both.” You offer your Big Man a small apologetic smile as you rise from your seat. “Let’s plan for sometime next week. Maybe we can shoot for Monday. I’ll, uh, send you a text or something and we can find a place to meet. But I really need to get back to work now.”

Andy stares at you for what feels like a full minute as his impressive brain works overtime to figure out his next move. And then he stands up before taking your empty cup and discarding them both in a nearby trash bin.

“Alright.” He mutters with a nod in your direction. “I guess I’ll just have to wait for your message then. Now, let’s get you back to your office.” A lump forms in your throat when he wraps a muscled arm around your shoulders as you two begin walking back the way you came. 

Fuck, you really hated this shit. But if this relationship was ever going to have a chance of working, you had to continue standing your ground. Even though it hurt like hell.

“I, um...I know you said that we probably won’t be able to sit down and talk until next week. And I suppose I can understand where you’re coming from with that, but while I have you now…” He lightly coughs into his elbow.

You glance up at your hotshot attorney, trying to figure out where he was going with this so that you could potentially cut him off at the pass.

“I at least wanted to say “thank you” in person for still agreeing to help Lydia with the charity gala this Saturday. I’m sure that it wasn’t an easy decision for you, especially given how things have been between us lately. But I really do appreciate it. And, frankly, I’m sure the kids at St. Augustine’s do too.” 

You feel the blood drain from your face as the reminder of this weekend’s event all-but smacks in the face. “Shit!” You hiss, pulling away from Andy as you reach your building. “It’s this Saturday? Are you sure?”

 “I am.” He confirms, his eyes filled with surprise. “I just spoke with Lydia yesterday when I–”

“Fuck!” You exclaim as your hands fly to your hips, uncaring that you just interrupted whatever it was he was about to say. 

In all of the chaos, you’d completely forgotten that you had agreed to help the wife of one of Andy’s colleagues with her annual charity ball. Starting by arriving at the hotel early Saturday morning to aid in the event setup, before heading up to your room to get ready for the evening's festivities.

A room that had been booked during a time when you and Andy were on much better terms.     

“She did mention that she sent all of the volunteers an email a couple days ago with a list of instructions. Maybe it got buried in your inbox, baby.” He rests his hands on your biceps, giving you a reassuring squeeze. “But she is definitely expecting you and I’m afraid it’s probably too late for you to back out at this point.”

Deep down you knew he was right. And quite honestly, you wouldn’t even dream of doing something like this close to the actual date of the gala. But there was still the issue of having to share a hotel room with your ex.

Closing your eyes, you force yourself to take a deep breath. “I–I wouldn’t do that. I’m not that big of an asshole. I just don’t think it’s a good idea for us to share a room…” You trail off, hoping that he would at least be somewhat understanding of your current plight.

“Ahh.” You can see the moment when realization finally dawns. “Right. Almost forgot about that.”

No, he actually hadn’t. But since Andy didn’t feel as though there was any real need for you to know that, he was going to keep that particular tidbit to himself. Even he was capable of showing some restraint every now and again.   

“Like I said…” You find yourself anxiously bouncing on your toes. “I don’t think –”

“I get it, sweetheart.” 

Wait. He did? Just like that?

“You do?”

“I do.” His words are accompanied by a lopsided grin. 

He didn’t. But then again, you didn’t need to know that either.

Andy’s hands leave your arms so that he can tenderly cup the sides of your face instead. “You just leave it all to me, baby girl. I’ll call the hotel and change the reservations.”

“You will?” You place your smaller hands overtop of his own. “You…you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.” Andy leans down to press a sweet kiss to your forehead. “And I promise to be on my best behavior Saturday night.” He gives you another kiss, which you allow. “If you want, I’ll even send over the updated confirmation info.” 

“Thank you.” You murmur, wishing that you could give-in just a little more and offer up your lips for a kiss. A real one this time. 

But you couldn’t afford to do that. Not even when Mr. Andrew “Give Me A Gold Star For Being Helpful” Barber was acting sweet. That would only throw everything off balance all over again. 

Andy’s heated gaze drops to your mouth before he slowly pulls away. “Don’t work too hard, okay?” His husky voice sends one last tiny flutter through your belly. 

“Same goes for you.” You tell him as you begin to head into the building.

“Goodbye, baby girl.” 

“Goodbye, Andrew. See you Saturday.” 

He waits until you’re safely inside and out of sight before turning on his heel and proceeding in the direction of his car. Oh, you’d be seeing him on Saturday alright. And he would be on his best behavior – depending on just how much patience he could muster. 

You two would be sorting this shit out then, whether you liked it or not. When it was over, you’d both spend the rest of the weekend making up for lost time. And Andrew was going to do everything in his power to ensure you enjoyed every fucking second of it. Just like he planned to enjoy getting reacquainted with that delicate sweetness between those luscious thighs. But first…

He needed to go make a call.

END

*Part Three Coming Soon...*

___

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[aurora567]

When Sparks Fly

Warnings: graphic smut, cream pie, NSFW, minors do not interact.

Summary: Just a completely filthy Laxus Dreyar one-shot with an OC. NSFW so minors beware this story contains heavy 18 content. If you do not like OC or third person stories then you may not like this one.

Word count: 6,477

Seven years, that was how long it had been since they got the dreaded news, the news that Tenrou Island and all that had gone there were gone. The guild had nearly fallen apart, with the master gone and all the s-class wizards with it jobs became rare, new members stopped coming and many even left unable to survive in the dying guild. But still it was hanging on by the slightest slivers of effort by those who remained. Twilight Ogre came in and took over being the top guild. Yet those who remained never gave up a slight sliver of hope that their missing guild mates would one day return.

The brunette was standing among the old guild hall helping Romeo and Kinana along with a few others who remained while others went looking for something that Blue Pegasus had mentioned. It was a slim hope, one that left a heavy weight on the shoulders of the guild members who stayed behind and waited. Romeo was reading some story, while the few others laundered around the small hall. Kinana was walking a plate of food over for the brunette when the door of the guild burst open and the small group of Twilight Ogre thugs walked in, only having been over the day before to trash the place and demand payment on the interest the guild owed them. It really should not have surprised anyone when the thugs showed back up but still Macao was quick to tell them that they had promised the guild another month to come up with the money.

Bullies the lot of them, that's all they were. And Romeo seemed in an extra sour mood as the young boy stood his ground appearing ready to try and take on the thugs. But the kid was still learning his magic untrained and against an adult stood no chance. And apparently the leader of the group saw no issues with beating up a kid. The man was raising the large spiked club in his hands prepared to bring it down on the boy before anyone could intervene.

Before he could swing it down, the man's body was suddenly being propelled up into the air, a strong kick from behind him sending him flying forwards into the guild hall where he hit the wall.

And in the blink of an eye the rest of the little gang were laid out on the floor, as the dust settled a large group of all too familiar faces was revealed. It was a sight no one would have truly believed even as an all too familiar voice range out.

"Look who's back," It was like hearing the voice of a ghost.

"Sorry to keep you waiting for so long," Happy called out standing beside the guild's fire dragon slayer.

To say the current guild members were shocked was probably an understatement. While seven years had passed every face that had been gone for that long had remained unchanged, everyone seemed the exact same as the day they parted from the guild to go hold the s-class trials. The same could not be said for those who had not been stuck on Tenrou Island.

Riza stood back staring wide eyed at the group, people who were once older than her still held their youthful looks. Natsu still looked like a teen rather than a man who should have been pushing his mid twenties. The same could be said for most of the younger members of Fairy Tail who had left. It almost felt odd looking at Erza and Mirajane who had once been a good few years older than her now looked younger. It was odd to remember that the last time she saw the group the young woman had only been fifteen was now at twenty two making her older than some of her friends. It was an odd concept to wrap one's head around. And she was not the only one surprised as she could hear her guild mates all questioning one another about what had happened before the story of Acnologia and how the guild had been able to use one of the three Fairy Law spells to keep themselves safe but the spell took seven years to wear off.

As people recalled the story of what happened, some branched out friends quickly got back together, Jet and Troy were all over poor Levy. Friends rejoiced to see each other and were quick to fall to tears before food and drink was quickly being passed around. And before long the guild felt like it had before. Noise filled the quiet hall, and once again life seemed to flow within the building's old walls.

The brunette's honey coloured eyes moved over the large filled room taking in all the warm faces. Though she was surprised to spot a face she did not expect to see among the group. Laxus had stood back a little watching the guild, one he had been kicked out of for his bad behavior all those years ago. It was hard to forget how he had nearly blown up Foire in an attempt to hold a coup d'etat and for Makarov to hand over his guild master title to Laxus. She had been a part of the Battle of Fairy Tale while trying to find Laxus. But the woman had never been the biggest fighter, she had always been too passive or she had been as a kid. But life has gotten hard over the last few years. She still was not exactly as brash as Erza and she did not go looking for a fight like Natsu always did, but she still stood back unable to help that shy past of herself. Even now as everyone mingled and chatted catching up she sat at a table along the edge of the rowdy crowd content to listen rather than engage. Natsu and Romeo were happily chatting off to one side with Panther Lily and Gajeel. It was easy to hear that loud mouth from across the small guild hall.

At some point a few of Lamia Scale members had stopped in to visit, seeing how the gossip about the return of the missing Fairy Tail members seemed to have quickly spread. It was nice to see the old comrades come to pay a visit but it held no interest to the young woman. Having ditched her seat she was standing up originally planning to go say hello to the members of Lamia Scale before a lanky arm draped over her shoulders.

"Well what do we have here? Is this little Riza?" The voice in her ear was one she knew well and hated.

"Bixlow. Can't say I have missed your tormenting," She growled as she looked over to glare at the man who was bending over her a little, his tall frame still towering over her even though she was taller since the last time he saw her.

"Awe don't say that. I was not that bad," The man said, that oddly long tongue of his rolling out of his mouth as he gave her a sheepish grin before his attention turned to his friends. "Freed, Laxus, look who's all grown up now?"

Oh great the last thing she wanted was the man who was now the same age as her to be calling attention to her. But the arm around her shoulders made it hard to just walk away from him. Even as she tried to pull away from him she could feel the arm locking her in place. So instead she was glaring at the man who prevented her from being allowed to run off.

"Bixlow I think you are making her uncomfortable," Freed said softly which earned him a thankful look from the woman. But still that did not let her get away from Bixlow.

"Awe I'm sure she's okay. Our little Riza is all grown up now. I am sure she can handle herself," It was hard to tell if Bixlow was teasing or taunting her.

"I see you're the same pain in my ass as always Bixlow," She growled at the man.

"Awe come on baby," The man said pouting as his puppets floating around him repeated the words baby. She could feel an eye twitch at the man's use of the nickname he always seemed to call woman.

"Don't call me that. Sounds weird from a guy that should be almost thirty," she said, batting his arm off of her shoulder finally. Though a seven year age gap was large it wasn't like it was exactly horrible. Still it felt odd somehow looking at a man who she knew was older than he looked but then again did those seven years truly count? For those on Tenrou Island life had paused. So in a sense she was roughly the same age as Bixlow, Freed, Laxus and Evergreen were. That also now made her older than Natus, Lucy, Grey and Erza. People who used to be older than her.

"To be fair nothing about us has aged. We are still physically the same age as the day we left for Tenrou," Freed was the one to remind her of that.

"And mentally," she mumbled, adding it on to Freed's comment. Though what may have surprised her the most was the fact that Laxus was being rather quiet during the entire ordeal just standing back watching and listening. Golden honey-colored eyes could not help but glance over at him and it felt like that was a great mistake as her eyes met his. He was staring at her with his lips firmly pressed together. He was not down right glaring or scowling but still with his arms pressed over his broad chest it still made him look intimidating. Yet she could not just force her eyes away. It wasn't till she noticed Bixlow laughing at her comment that she had finally forced her eyes away from the lightning dragon slayer.

"It's not that funny Bixlow," she mumbled simply as she watched the man laughing as Freed glared at him softly.

"I think that sharp tongue of yours is entertaining. You used to be such a meek kid. It's hard to believe you're that same kid," the taller man said once his laughter had died down some.

"A lot has changed in seven years. I am no longer a child so stop treating me like one," She scolded the taller man who quickly tossed his hands up into the air as if surrendering as he mumbled a simple half hearted apology.

"Whatever. I'm out of here. Some of us still have work to do tomorrow," Really it was just an excuse for her to run off. She wished to return to her dorm room and hide from the group. She had more than enough of people, and the need to get some fresh air drove her to quickly walk away from the men who had felt the need to torment her. The second she was out the front doors of the guild she could not help but take a deep breath. She always did struggle with crowds and that had not changed.

"I see you're still only a hair away from a panic attack," the voice that filled her ears had her suddenly jump physically into the air and turn on the man who had followed her out of the guild.

"Fuck Laxus," she hissed at the man as she tried to calm her racing heart. She watched the corner of his lips twitch before he simply crossed his arms over his chest and just stood there looking at her.

"What the hell do you want?" She asked him with as hard of a glare as she could master under his hard gaze.

"Chasing after you to make sure you were okay gave me a good reason to get away myself," the blonde said with a shrug of his shoulders as if he did not have any real cares.

Honestly she wasn't even sure why the man was sticking around. He had been kicked from the guild, there was nothing stopping him from leaving if he wanted to.

"Well I am fine so you can leave now," she snapped at him, not entirely sure where that bravery to speak to him like that came from. She watched his lips curl up slowly into a grin as he unfolded his arms and proceeded to take a few steps towards her. Which in turn had her backing away from him trying to maintain the distance between them. She backed away till she hit a tree trunk stopping her from being able to put any more distance between them.

"Well aren't we getting brave," he hummed teasingly as he loomed over her barely a foot of space between them. She was pretty sure she noticed his nostrils flare when he took a deep breath now that there was little space between them. She still had to tilt her head up to meet his eyes even after having the last seven years to grow more. But she had not really gained much more height since she was a young teen.

She may not have grown much in height but she had gained some new curves in the years he had been gone. She no longer had the body of a child. Sure she was not as lucky as say Lucy or Cana. But still her breasts were not tiny, her stomach flat as her hips seemed wider than he remembered. A fair bit of her had changed from what Laxus could remember of the shy and quiet girl. Then again she used to hide behind overly large and baggy clothes. Maybe she always had such a nice body. But still the last few years seemed to do her good.

She felt the bark of the tree digging into her arms as she pressed back against it. She did not like the way those grey eyes of his were roaming over her. Why did it suddenly feel like he could see through her clothes? She could not help as her left arm moved up to try and cover her chest as if she was standing there naked in front of him. That action seemed to entertain him as she watched the corner of his mouth twitch up.

"Yeah well you are not all that scary. Even if you're the lightning dragon slayer. I will not stand back and let you throw your weight around," she said, trying to keep her knees from growing weak under his hard gaze.

"Oh? So are you saying you're not scared of me?" He asked with an arch of a blonde eyebrow at her. If she said no she would be lying. But fear alone was not the only feeling coursing through her making her heart race in her chest. She did not recall the blonde being as attractive as he was now as he stood over her.

"No," she tried to make her voice sound strong but really it had barely been more than a squeak as she looked up at him looking more like a deer stuck in headlights. It was all she could do just to force the single word from her lips as she stood there pinned between the tree and him.

With that she felt his body lean in towards her. She could feel the heat from his body against hers. She tried desperately to glare at the man but the lump in her throat and the shaking of her knees made it hard to stand her ground. The sound of her racing heartbeat was filling her ears, nearly washing out all other noise. She did not even have to guess that he could hear her heart racing just as easily as she could. Dragon slayers all seemed to share heightened senses, she could remember Natsu being able to identify people based on their scent. It would not be hard to imagine that Laxus could hold similar abilities even if he was not a first generation dragon slayer.

"Do you want to try and say that again?" He asked, his voice dropping an octave as he looked down at her. She could not even bring herself to say a word scared about what other noise may be made as she looked up at the blonde man who was leaning into her body. Laxus had always been a good looking guy, hard not to be when he was tall, strong and well she always had a soft spot for blondes. The age gap before had always been enough for her to keep such thoughts mild and subdued. But now that they appeared the same age those thoughts reared its head and were very quick to have her cheeks growing warm.

All she could do was shake her head simply at the man's question. Unable to force herself to try and say anything. Her hands were digging into the bark of the tree as if she could somehow hold herself up with just the strength in her hands. Whether it was the setting sun or something else in his eyes but he almost looked entertained as he loomed over her. It was in a way exciting and terrifying knowing she did not have the power to compete with the man if he so much as wanted to harm her in some way. All she could do was stand as tall as her shaking legs would allow as she looked up at him even as a large hand raised up and she could do nothing more but watch as some of her long brown hair was pushed back behind her ear. The feeling of his skin against her cheek sent a shock through her body.

Was that his doing with his magic or just her body's own sudden reaction to the strange touch. Either way she could not help but jerk away and take a sharp inhale through her teeth as she watched him softly start to chuckle to himself. Whether it was his laughter or the little shock he gave her but she was finally able to snap out of her little shocked panic stricken pose. She moved to smack his hand away from her face only for his hand to grip her wrist with ease.

"Don't you have someone else you can go and torment?" She hissed softly at him as he smirked down at her as she glared up at him.

"Oh but you're so fun to torment," He said, smirking down at her as she glared up at him. She struggled not to shiver under his gaze. Her lips parted but she could not force her brain to work properly and so instead of looking like a fish out of water she quickly darted her tongue out to run it over her bottom lip before sticking the plump lip between her teeth. That quickly drew Laxus' gaze down to watch her chew at her own bottom lip.

The action seemed to almost hypnotize the blonde as she felt his eyes seem to be locked on her lips. Even once she had quickly let go of her lip his eyes still seemed enticed not to leave her lips. She felt like a bunny staring up at the mouth of a hungry dragon, his gaze seemed almost hungry. She contemplated running, her body struggling between the basic survival instincts on if she should run or fight, but she was not stupid enough to fight. No, she was stuck between being frozen in place and wanting to flee. Her body was tense, she was a bunny tense and ready to run for it. She felt wound up tighter than a spring and yet her body refused to move.

Then again it looked like it may be a good thing her body would not move as Laxus looked ready to strike if she was to move at all. Still she felt her left hand twitch her fingers digging harder into the bark of the tree behind her and that seemed to be more than enough to snap the blonde from his own stupor. He moved quickly almost like a striking snake. A large hand entangled among the hair at the nape of her neck as another grabbed a hip. She was pinned between the large body and the tree. His lips crashed against hers as he swallowed the squeak of surprise by the sudden action from her. Her hands shot out from their grip at the tree to grab at the shirt he was wearing, unsure if she wanted to try and push him away from her or pull him in closer towards her. Her hands held at his shirt as if she may crash to the ground if she were to let go.

Her brain seemed to just short circuit as she found herself returning the kiss. She knew better or should have. Kissing him was a bad idea, she should have pushed him away. But instead she found herself pulling him towards her as she melted into his wide chest. His tongue ran across her bottom lip and she did not even hesitate to let him in as her lips parted and his tongue wasted no time in exploring her mouth.

It felt far too fast that her body was screaming for more air than she was taking in thanks to her brain not working and her completely forgetting that she could have been breathing in through her nose. She gasped for air as their lips parted ever so slightly though that did not stop the blonde man from taking her bottom lip between his teeth tugging at her lip slightly before letting go.

She should have taken that moment to push him back, to tell him to stop, to do something other than allow this to continue. But she did not want to stop, she did not even care if they were simply just outside the guild hall where anyone could see them. She did not care one bit. No instead she was reaching up stretching up onto the tips of her toes to make herself tall enough so she could be the one to start the kiss this time.

This drew a low growl from deep within Laxus' chest. It was an almost animalistic sound and damn did it do things to her. Instantly her body reacted as her thighs clenched together as if that would suddenly help the near ache of her body. She had never felt so needy all of a sudden. She was ready to start stripping them both down when suddenly it was Laxus that pulled away, breaking the kiss this time. And she did not even try to stop or hide her whine and protest.

"So impatient. But not here," he said, taking a step back from her, putting a small bit of space between them.

"You're still in the dorms right?" He asked, waiting for her to nod before he suddenly scooped her up as if she weighed nothing and tossed her over his shoulders like some cave man taking his conquest back to his cave.

"Laxus," she cried out in surprise at the sudden movement that she had not been prepared for as she laid over his wide shoulder as he wasted no time in walking around the guild hall to head towards the dorm building where members could choose to live. His wide and fast stride made it quick for him to reach the dorms as she just let herself hang off of his shoulder with a slight pout and a little grumbling to himself about being handled like a bag of potatoes.

Which in term had earned her a sudden hand against her ass. The sudden assault on one of her clothed ass cheeks was a surprise. She could not help the strangled yelp that escaped her as she jerked on his shoulder.

"Laxus!" She hissed at him which just earned her a low chuckle from the man.

"Oh don't get your panties in a twist. You like it just admit it princess," he said as he walked through the dorm building before reaching the room number she had told him to head to. Though he didn't really need her to tell him the number if he had just followed his nose. It was easy to tell which room was giving off her scent of fresh air after a spring shower.

He did not even hesitate to just open the door and stroll on into the small single room barely even pausing in his step to kick his shoes off as his long legs carried him across the room before he was rather literally throwing her onto her bed. She had cried out in protest at the rough treatment but before she could say anything about his treatment she found his large body quickly crawling up her bed and across her.

"Laxus," she had cried out when tossed onto the bed as she started her protest. She was quickly pinned between the large blonde and her bed as her protest died quickly in her throat. His pupils were blown wide, nearly taking over the grey of his eyes. He looked almost more like a predator looming over his prey as he crawled across her pinning her to the bed. She watched the corner of his lips curling up as he looked down at her watching as she was stuck wordless as she looked up at him with her big wide eyes before his lips were on hers.

The kiss was a bit sloppy this time as there were a bit too many teeth and tongue but it seemed never cared enough to slow down and steady out the kiss more. Hands were now roaming one another. She could feel his large hands on her hips but they did not stay there long. Her own hands had started on his shoulders and had run down his chest to find the edge of his shirt and she was quick to start tugging the shirt up his chest. Not wasting any time in attempting to get the shirt off of him. Once his shirt was hitting her bedroom floor his own hands were now pulling at her own t-shirt as she lifted her hands up and let him pull the shirt up and over her head.

His lips found the edge of her jaw before leaving light kisses over her skin as he started to kiss along her neck. Feeling his lips against her neck had her moaning softly as her head rolled back as if to give him more skin to kiss. She could feel his teeth nibble playfully at the skin from time to time which only pulled louder moans from her. His fingers effortlessly unclipped her bra with what she could only assume was a practiced ease. But she did not think about that as she felt the material on her chest falling away from her to join their shirts on the floor.

Laxus had let go of her neck to lean back just far enough to take in the sight of her upper half exposed. Laxus had not recalled the woman beneath him being so well endowed when she was younger. But seven years had given her lots of time to mature and mature she had. Sure she may not have been as shapely as Lucy or Mirajane but the woman's body still had a lovely shape to it. His hands were already working to remove the jeans she had been wearing wanting to feel her soft thighs under his hands.

In a matter of seconds she was down to just her basic black panties. She watched his eyes rack over her body taking in the sight as her chest heaved trying to take the moment to catch her breath as if she had just run through Fiore. She had watched his eyes linger for a moment on her chest before they quickly started to take in the rest of her. The look in his eyes hungry as he seemed to almost be eating up the sight of her beneath him.

Feeling oddly brave, her right hand reached out and she smirked softly as she lightly slipped her hand between them to run her hand along the tent in his pants. She watched his eyes dart up to look into hers as she ran her hand along his hardened cock. She tried to keep the surprise hidden as she realized he felt bigger than she expected. Though it seemed she had not kept her surprise to herself as well as she thought as she heard him chuckle.

"Surprised are you?" He had nearly purred at her which just had her melting into her bed. A blush sprinkled her cheeks as she looked away not meeting his gaze even though her hand had not stopped palming him through his pants.

"Not at all," she said, simply struggling to not squeak out the words. But that only seemed to please him more. She watched him lean in towards her, his lips brushing her ear before he spoke again.

"You're a horrible liar," he said, giving his hips a buck into her hand as his teeth nipped at her ear gently.

She could not even help the little whimper that escaped her lips. She didn't even know what to say to that. It was true for one, and for two she did not want to argue with him about it. Though she was not going to admit it either. Her fingers moved as she pulled her palm off of him and started to work at undoing his pants, wanting the blonde man as naked as she was. Though surely the view could not get much better than that wide, broad chest of his bare for her to admire. Gods she wanted to run her tongue along every muscle and ridge. But maybe another time. She was growing too impatient as she started to push his pants down.

Though she was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with the sight of the man going commando. Seemed someone did not enjoy wearing boxers or anything. Watching him push his pants off of the bed like every other article of clothing it was now her turn to hungrily take in the view before her. And she could not even help it as her eyes lingered and paused on the sight of his cock sitting hard and tall. Well she never would have imagined that Laxus was hung like a horse. It was a very pleasant surprise.

But the moment did not last long as Laxus leaned down to engulf her body with his as his lips latched onto her left nipple. This brought a number of moans from her lips as her back arched off of the bed in pleasure as her fingers started to slip through his quickly growing wild blonde hair. His lips attacked one nipple, while his fingers of one hand started to tease the other. His spare hand had wasted no time in traveling down her stomach to slip under her pants.

She squirmed and wiggled her hips as she felt a rough finger run along her damp folds. He was teasing her and it had an audible whine escape her as her hips tried to move against the finger to get it where she wanted it. But all that earned her was a deep chuckle from the man above her.

"So impatient," was the hum that accompanied the chuckle from the blonde. Which just had her whine again as he teased her with both his body and words.

"Ass," She growled at him but still he only looked entertained as he smirked down at her as he slipped a finger into her body. The action had her back arch off of the bed as her head rolled back into the bed and she let out a loud moan. That was what she had wanted, though still his finger was not nearly as good as what she knew she could have. But voicing her desire at that exact moment was not possible as her mind seemed to just focus on the feeling of his finger slipping in and out of her. Her hips moved in time with his fingers as her hands gripped at the bedsheets that were beneath her. But just as the knot in her stomach started to form her pleasure was ripped from her as the finger pulled out of her. She did not even try to stop the audible whine that escaped her.

She felt her panties being nearly ripped off of her. She could hear the material stretching and protesting the rough treatment. But this time she did not complain. She had felt about ready to rip them off herself. She quickly moved her legs once the panties were off her angles as she wrapped her legs around Laxus' waist pulling their bodies closer together. Her hands had let go of the bed sheets she had not even noticed she had grabbed to grab a large bicep in her left hand and grip at the back of his neck with her right as she dragged him down to meet her as she smashed her lips against him. Laxus let her do as she pleased, allowing him to be pulled down as he just as happy met her eager and impatient kiss. Seemed he was not the only one feeling a little pent up and impatient.

His hands had moved to grab at the flesh of her hips as he teasingly shifted to run the length of his cock against her damp folds as he swallowed the mixture of whines and moans that came from the woman at his teasing action. She was already whining into the kiss almost inaudible words though he was pretty sure she was now begging him for more. Although he wanted to drag out this fun a little longer she was not the only one growing desperate as he felt her hips try to struggle against his grip so they could move.

Shifting his own hips ever so slightly was all it took to allow himself to slip past her folds as he slowly entered her. Her head ripped away from the sloppy kiss so that she could throw her head back and let out a completely sinful sounding cry of pleasure. Her nails digging into his skin as she felt Laxus slowly working his hips till finally his hips met hers as he was fully buried within her. Pausing for a second they both took the moment to try and catch their breaths. By the time Riza moved to look up at the blonde he was already moving again. His hips were fast to find their pace and rhythm as his hands held her hips exactly where he wanted them. She could do nothing but moan happily as her back arched off the bed and she clung to him.

The ball of her feet digging into the back of his wide upper thighs as if she could somehow force him closer to her with the action. They both knew he was by far much stronger than she was but still that did not stop her body from moving on its own as it clung to him. She tried to move her hips in time with his but his large hands seemed reluctant to allow her to move her own body. He had complete control over her body that laid beneath him. And a part of her loved it as she let him not even going to complain that she could not move her hips on her own.

In that moment nothing mattered any more other than the complete pleasure she felt with each thrust. She felt so pleasantly full and stretched as his cock worked along her tight walls. She could hear him hiss any time she tightened around him. His lips had started trailing kisses along her neck but she almost did not notice them. Not till the sudden feeling of his teeth digging into the flesh of one breast did she yelp softly more so out of surprise than pain. She tried to glare at him but she was pretty sure her face was too busy to show off the pleasure she felt rather than the mild annoyance.

The teeth did not last long before his lips were wrapped around a perky nipple instead. His tongue flicked at the little bud in his mouth and she could do nothing but cry out as the sensation. It was all so much. She could quickly feel that growing sensation, a knot starting to form in her stomach. Her body was quickly growing tense beneath him and Laxus did not need to be told why. His own pace was becoming quicker, chasing his own pleasure as she did hers.

She could not last much longer as she could not contain the loud moans, she was almost happy everyone was out in the guild hall and could not hear the noises that were coming from her at that moment. She could feel the vibration against her skin as Laxus groaned and moaned against her skin as he trailed kisses from one breast to the other trying to show them both some love before his brain no longer found the ability to be able to focus on anything but his own pleasure.

It felt like she had suddenly fallen off a cliff. Her body shook softly, her eyes seemed to roll into the back of her head. Her body felt weightless and numb as her pleasure pulsed through her as she cried out. Laxus let go of the skin of her breast he had been softly sucking on to lean back and watch Riza's reaction as her climax washed over her. His pace had never slowed, if anything it became more erratic as Laxus was now free to chase his own finish. A few more thrusts was all the blonde needed before his own body tenses and stilled and he let out a deep low moan of his before he nearly collapsed on top of her. His right arm moved to rest beside Riza as the two bodies tried to catch their breath before Laxus slowly rolled off of her to take up the rest of her small bed. Which in turn earned him a slap to the chest with the back of her hand.

"Move over you big lug you're pushing me off of the bed," She growled at him which just earned her a chuckle from the man as he told her to just deal with it.