#@staff get your shit together nobody asked for this

[darkwood-sleddog]

Bruh how much did tumblr fucking pay for tumblr live that they’re willing to not only make us re snooze it every goddamn week, but now they’ve put the “create post” button on the dashboard??? Blocking the visuals of posts to make room for tumblr live? I can’t with mobile tumblr. Most sucky experience of all time.

@staff

[janeyseymour]

Wouldn't Deny That I'm In Love With You

Disclaimer: @schemmentigfs and I both got the same prompt, but decided to both write our own takes on it... so... but also like go read hers because it's a fucking slay.

Summary: You're a sunny art teacher, and you're married to the Abbott grump. No one knows. (requested by @strawberrypink-jellybeans )

WC: ~4.6k

Ms. Y/N. Ms. Schemmenti. Two souls who just so happen to find each other at the school that you both work at. Two souls that just so happen to be married to each other, undetected and unknown by most of the Abbott Elementary staff- aside from Barbara Howard, who doesn’t say much in regard to the topic because she knows of her work wife’s preferences. Two souls who, despite being near polar opposites, have found a love that they each hold near to their hearts.

Five years the two of you have been together. Three of those years, you’ve spent married. Why no one has really caught onto the fact that the tough, take no shit, second grade teacher and the always sunny and radiating joy art teacher are together? You never made a big deal about it, and you probably won’t ever. The only times that the two of you are necessarily together at school is when she brings her students to you for their related arts time. Your lunches and preps don’t line up, and Melissa likes to get to the school early enough to catch the news and prepare for her day while you prefer to lie in bed for longer than you would like to admit. There’s no need for all of glitz and glamour- no, instead, you began dating quietly, and then two years later you made your way down to City Hall with simple rings that had arrived in the mail from Amazon. With Barbara Howard as your witness, the two of you wed in a small conference room in the center of the city that had both of your hearts.

The change of last names never happened. Everyone at Abbott is so used to Melissa being a Schemmenti, and she takes pride in that last name. And you? You wouldn’t have minded being Mrs. Schemmenti, but you did fear that it would confuse some of your younger students. So, you kept your last name too. 

And since that beautiful day two years ago, you’ve never been happier. Your sunny disposition only became brighter. And for a bit, Melissa was lighter on her toes before slipping back into the rough and tough teacher she was known to be. And no one ever asked why you began to wear a ring on your left hand- just another addition to the many rings that you tend to wear on a daily basis. The same goes for your wife. So no one at Abbott is aware of the marriage- including your boss, who has glossed over the fact that your paystubs have the same address.

If anybody had ever asked why either of you began wearing rings, you would tell them that you happily got married. And if anyone had asked why Melissa was wearing a new ring, she would tell them that someone finally managed to tie her down. And if they were smart about it, they would’ve known that the two of you are happily married. But you suppose that nobody expects the fiery redhead and the sweet art teacher to really cross paths to begin with. 

It’s not like you hide the fact that you’re in a relationship. You really don’t. In all honesty, you wear your heart on your sleeve, and outside of school, everyone knows that you are happily married. You have your regular spots for dinner and coffee, her family absolutely adores you, and your family has made it quite clear that if you were to divorce Melissa, they would take her side in the matter.

Outside of school, those who know that the two of you are together know just how in love the two of you are. You’re not afraid to tell people how you love her- grumpiness and all. 

Even your families are slightly attune to the fact that your wife isn’t always the badass bitch she pretends to be. They watch the way she tends to be with you, how you have this magical presence about you that eases everybody, but especially Melissa. They see how she holds you tenderly and how you are at such an ease with her, and you’re usually at ease to begin with. 

But you know that there’s a time and a place to bring out the softness of your redheaded angel. And school is not necessarily the time or the place. Well, until… 

It’s a Thursday morning when Melissa slams her fist into her alarm clock with a bit more force than she usually would that you know today is going to be a day where your phone just constantly goes off because you need to help keep your wife from committing arson.

After yesterday, you have a feeling that today is going to be a shit show for your wife. You’re quite thankful that you don’t have to deal with parents very often after you hear some of the horrors your wife has gone through.

When you expect her to roll out of bed to get into the shower, she doesn’t. She simply tightens her hold on you and kisses your neck.

“Hun,” you chuckle softly. “Babe.”

“Don’t wanna go to work today,” Melissa mumbles into the crook of your neck. “Don’t make me.”

You chuckle lowly. “You don’t have to, Lis. But I am going.”

“Stay with me,” your wife whines. “C’mon. We never take a day.”

“I can lay with you until it’s time for me to get up, but you know how excited I am to start this unit with the kiddos,” you tell her.

She groans at your insistence. “I guess I’ll take what I can get.”

Her laying with you only lasts a few minutes longer before she huffs and throws the covers off of her body. “If I go to work today, will you at least come shower with me?”

With a giggle, you follow her into the bathroom.

You think that maybe with the way she left the house this morning while you finished up your makeup and getting ready, her mood would be slightly better than it would’ve been had you not had sex in the shower.

But on your drive to work, you get a call from Melissa, and you know that nothing good can come from a call from her this early.

“What’s up, babe?” you answer brightly.

“I’m going to commit a crime,” your wife huffs into the phone.

You sigh deeply. “No, you are not,” you tell her firmly. “What happened?”

The redhead proceeds to tell you about the terrible email that a certain parent had sent her last night, claiming that she was the worst teacher in the greater Philadelphia area and that she was going to sue.

“I doubt that she’ll do that, and you know you are a great teacher,” you attempt to calm the fired up woman.

“I’m going to commit a crime for a different reason,” Melissa tells you.

“And that would be?”

“She left a voicemail on my phone and called me a dyke.”

That was probably the last thing that you expected your wife to say, and your heart breaks in your chest. You know that particular word brings up quite a few things for the redhead from her past, and you can’t say you’re fond of that slur either. 

“My love,” you make your voice as warm and as calm as you possibly can. “I’m sorry. What do you need right now? Comfort, or a solution?”

“Both.”

“Well, my comfort solution right now is that I’m about five minutes from school, so you can head to my classroom and wait for me there. And my solution solution would be to go to Ava with the email and the voicemail and see what she has to say about it.”

You hear a soft hum come from Melissa as she debates which one she should do.

“Or, you can come to my classroom, and when I get there, we can go together.”

Melissa doesn’t end up doing any of those things. Of course she doesn’t. She stays on the phone with you until you get to your place of employment, but then she claims that she’s fine and doesn’t need to come to your classroom and she can handle the situation on her own.

And that solution is for her to simply simmer in her classroom- she doesn’t want to bother you when she knows that you have so much to prepare for today.

When the kiddos begin to trickle in, you’re upstairs in your classroom while Melissa stands by her door and tries to smile as her students greet her.

That’s when the parent comes in. She comes in with a fire and storms right up to your wife.

“The hell do you think you are?” the mother gets right in the redhead’s face. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“Ma’am,” Melissa says, scarily calm. “Now is not the time or the place. If you wish to speak to me after school, I would be more than happy to do so with my boss present.”

“I think here is a great place, and now is the time! Because I won’t have time to have a conversation with you at the end of the school day! I have to get my daughter home and ready for gymnastics! Not like you would know anything about that, fuckin’ pathetic, childless fag.” The woman ends up screaming in your wife’s face because of a note that was sent home in regards to her daughter’s behavior the previous day. She ends up getting so close to Melissa that she can smell the booze in her breath- at 7:30 in the morning.

To the second grade teacher’s credit, she remains eerily calm the entire time. The only signal that she is getting angrier is that her fists clench and uncurl every so often. And because of this, Barbara Howard does not get involved. Instead, the kindergarten teacher greets her students while keeping a careful eye on her work wife and makes a mental note to text you a warning about your wife’s attitude when you see her later today.

Unfortunately, kindergarteners always keep the woman of God on her toes, and that text doesn’t get sent until you’re already in the middle of teaching your sixth graders.

A parent came in here raging at your wife. Lay’s mom.

She sent Lis a nasty email last night too… Should I come check on her?

I’m already sending her up. Having Janine watch her class as we speak.

Thank you.

Good luck.

You can hear your wife before you see her appear in the doorway, her heels clicking on the tile in a way where you know she’s pissed. And then her face is in front of you, and you can see how pissed she is. 

“Hey,” you smile warmly at your wife. “Just give me a second to get the kids set up, and then-”

“Why did Barb send me up here?” Melissa bites out. “I don’t have time for this, Ms. Y/N.”

A few of your students look to the feisty second grade teacher with what you can only describe as a scowl. She’s speaking to you, the sweet and sunny art teacher, in such a bitter way.

You just give her a look that tells her to simmer down before turning back to your students. Some of them are waving at her, as she was their second grade teacher, but most of them just look confused that she’s up here when second grade doesn’t have their special until the end of the day, and she’s here on her own. You give them their instruction and ask them to do it quietly while you speak with Miss Schemmenti. Being a good group of students, they all take out their sketchbooks and begin to work. So, you step into the hall and crack your door.

“Lis,” you sigh quietly once you have privacy.

“‘m. fine,” your wife grits out. “Don’ even know why Barb sent me up here.”

“Because it’s clear you’re pissed, and that woman was yelling in your face.”

“And?” the redhead challenges. “I handled it fine. Didn’t even start cursing in Italian when I went into my classroom. I don’ need Barb, or you, acting like I’m gonna fly off the handle at every little thing. I don’ need it.”

“Lis.” You raise a brow and hug your arms around your body. “C’mon. We’re just looking out for you because we love you.”

“And I can handle it on my own.”

You frown, but nod. “Okay, hun. If you say so. But just know, I’m always here for you.”

Your wife just gives you a look that is clearly asking if you have anything else to say, or if she can go.

“Okay, babe,” you sigh. “I’m sorry she sent you up here, but we’re just looking out for you and making sure you’re okay. We love you, you know.”

The redhead finally begins to soften up a little. “I know.”

“Good.” You reach a hand out and squeeze hers gently before dropping it between the two of you. “I’ll see you when you bring your kiddos up for art?”

“Yeah,” the redhead sighs.

“And then tonight, we can just relax, yeah?”

She nods.

“I love you, Lis.”

“I love you too,” Melissa whispers back. She turns her head both ways to see if any students are wandering the hall, and for once there aren’t any stragglers. So, she leans in for a quick kiss- one that you reciprocate. And then she’s off down the hallways, heels still clanking against the tile, but slightly less aggressively. You can’t help but watch her figure as she goes before turning back into your classroom.

What the two of you weren’t aware of is that one of your students had gotten up to ask if she could use the restroom, and she saw the two of you kiss.

The class is whispering rapidly when you walk in, but you don’t really mind. You had given them an easy assignment, and it was simply to draw how they were feeling today. You knew it wouldn’t take much time, and you were prepared to walk back into your classroom to a more chaotic situation than you had. What you don’t know is that they were already whispering about you and Melissa. They go quiet as you walk back into the room.

Your smile is warm and your eyes are soft as you continue class with a grateful thank you for their patience and behavior.

By the time their teacher comes to pick them up, the word has spread like a wildfire- or a Schemmenti-made fire. They took to texting their friends while you gave them time to work on their sculptures with the option of listening to music on their phones.

But you are blissfully unaware of the rumors circulating about you and the second grade teacher you call your wife, so you send them off with a smile. When your next group comes in, those kids are well-behaved, albeit a bit chatty. You don’t tend to listen in on their conversations, so you don’t know that they’re speaking about you. You don’t miss the way some of them look at you, but you suppose that maybe they just aren’t fond of this outfit today. Still, you maintain your positive and bright disposition throughout the class period. 

When your prep period comes around, you feel as though you’re in a good spot to be. So, you settle at your desk with a light snack and your phone.

I hope your day got better, you text Melissa.

Her response comes a bit later, as you’re thumbing through a few papers. Yeah. Got a few visitors from past years swinging by the room too, which is nice. Reminds me that I’m a good teacher.

Neither of you are aware that her former students are stopping by to get a look at her- as if they can see if the rumor is true or not by simply looking at her. 

You are, you reply. I’m glad your day got better.

Thanks sunshine.

You smile dreamily at her words.

Come lunch, word about the two of you dating has gone through the school. Even most of the teachers are aware of the rumor- but you’re upstairs in your own little bubble, and everybody has seen the mood that your wife is in, so no one says anything. Not even Jacob, who is known for his curiosity, says anything. The lunch room is eerily quiet, and Melissa can’t say she’s unhappy about it. After chaos in her classroom, the redhead welcomes the calm eagerly.

Your last class to come by today is your wife’s. You’re standing outside of your classroom waiting for them when you see her marching her students down. She clearly seems to be in a better mood, and for that you are thankful. A grumpy Melissa at home is not a fun Melissa.

“Hello, Ms. Schemmenti!” you singsong, and your heart fills when she gives you a smile she usually reserves for you at home.

“Ms. Y/N,” the second grade teacher chuckles. She smirks. “My little eagles have been talking about how they’re so excited to see you today.”

You grin brightly at the kids lined up at your door. “How sweet,” you coo, and you ruffle Rakeem’s hair gently. “C’mon in, find your seats, and pull out your sketchbooks for me, okay?”

They file their way in, and you take the opportunity to look at your wife in all of her beauty for a few seconds. “Better day?”

“Better day,” Melissa sighs quietly. “And I talked to Ava about that situation, and she’s surprisingly willing to help me out.”

“Say what you want about Ava,” you chuckle. “But she does her job sufficiently.”

The redhead rolls her eyes and shrugs, and all you can do is smirk. “Have a good prep period, hun.”

“Have fun with my monsters.”

You turn into the room with a dopey lovesick smile on your face before you begin your last lesson of the day. 

The second grade teacher is all caught up on her work, and she doesn’t really have much else to discuss with Janine in terms of curriculum, so Melissa makes her way up the stairs about ten minutes early.

You’re fully immersed in your teaching when she comes by, and all she can do is lean against the doorframe and watch you work your magic. It’s… definitely a different approach from her own teaching style, but you thrive. You’re easily one of the best teachers at Abbott, and your wife knows that- she tells you constantly.

You don’t even notice that she’s standing there, until you notice that your students are maybe not as engaged as they usually are with you.

“My loves,” you sigh softly, but the smile on your face is still present. “I do wish you would stay with me so you know what we’ll be doing next class.”

“C’mon, my little eagles,” Melissa scolds them gently. “You gotta listen to-”

“Am I running late?” you turn on your heel and look at Melissa.

She shakes her head. “Just had a few extra minutes. Thought I’d see what my favorite students are up to with one of their favorite teachers.”

“Oh,” you ease up immediately. “Well, come on in, Mel- Ms. Schemmenti.”

The redhead takes an empty stool and watches as you teach for the last few minutes. The students look between the two of you the entire time.

When there are a few minutes left of class, you ask the children if they have any questions- and you should’ve been specific in asking if they had any questions about the future of their art projects. Immediately, almost every student’s hand goes up.

You frown just slightly. “Was I not clear enough with my instruction?” you mumble to yourself. You thought you had been quite clear with the next steps and expectations. “Yes, Angel?”

“Are you and Ms. Schemmenti dating?”

You give a blank stare, and then your brows creep up your forehead. “What?”

“Are you and Ms. Schemmenti dating?” she repeats. 

You glance to your wife, and she just gives you a look that states you can say whatever you want. With a nod of her head, you take a deep breath.

“Where did this come from?” you inquire.

This time, Malia speaks up. “My older brother saw you and Ms. Schemmenti this morning in the hallway kissing.”

“Wh-” Melissa gasps out. “That-”

“He said that Ms. Schemmenti came up during his class, and when he got up to ask to go to the bathroom he saw her kiss you.”

You bite your lip. “Well, that rumor is not true.”

The class gives a collective sigh, and you allow them to believe what you said before you smile.

“Because actually… Ms. Schemmenti and I are married.” You hold up your left hand and wiggle your ring finger. The students’ eyes go from you to your wife, who is also holding up her left hand with a smirk. 

The frowns and sad sighs quickly turn into wide eyes, mouths agape, big smiles, and cheers. Questions are flying at you a million miles a minute, and you can’t help but chuckle. Instead of trying to answer them over the chaos in your room, you simply make your way over to the redhead and drape an arm around her shoulder while you wait for them to get their excitement out. It takes a minute for their shock to die down and for you to wrangle their attention again.

“Ms. Schemmenti and I are married; have been for three years,” you chuckle. “Yes, Sweet Cheeks comes home with us over the summers. Sometimes we go out for dinner, but mostly we just stay in and cook. Our house has a front porch with a garden in the back. No, we don’t usually come to work together.”

“H-how?!” one of the kids stammers out.

You go to say more, but your wife just holds up a hand to signal them to stop bombarding the two of you with questions. “My little eagles, we have to get back to our classroom if we want to get to dismissal on time. So, line up. C’mon.”

Dismissal is much more hectic than usual. You’re standing outside at your duty while Melissa sees that all of her students get to the right places, and word travels fast. You have students and their parents coming up to the both of you praising you for ‘having the courage’ to come out. Others can’t believe that the hard ass and the personification of sunshine are married. But almost everybody is smiles at the confirmation that the two of you are a happy couple.

Well, all except that one parent. She comes up, guns a-blazing to you. She begins to scream in your face, calling you all sorts of derogatory names. She’s… you’re becoming increasingly nervous.

Thankfully, Melissa is able to dismiss the rest of her students and comes to your rescue. So does Ava. While Ava tries to get her to walk away without causing any more of a scene than what was already created, your wife is pissed.

“You can talk to me however you want,” Melissa hisses at the woman, pointing a finger in the woman’s face. “You can say whatever the hell you want about me. But you do not speak to my wife like that. Nope, and if you keep goin’… you don’t know who you’re-”

“Lis,” you tug her back by the arm gently. “Just… let her go. Ava will handle it.”

She shoots you an incredulous look. How are you so calm about this? But because you give her a look that tells her it’s not worth it, she backs down. She continues to glare at the woman as she’s pulled away by another parent and the principal. 

The redhead just wraps an arm around you, holding you close for the rest of dismissal. She doesn’t care anymore- the entire school knows that the two of you are together at this point. And if they didn’t witness the events that had just taken place, the two of you know word travels fast in this school- everyone would know by tomorrow morning anyway.

One more parent approaches you with their child, and Melissa looks like she’s ready to fight if someone else says one more negative thing about your relationship.

“I- I saw what happened,” the mother states quietly. “And I just want you to know… she’s on her own in that mindset. The rest of us are quite happy to have the two of you at Abbott, your relationship aside. And, if the two of you are happy, that’s nobody’s business but your own.”

You give this mother a soft smile and a thank you for her words.

After dismissal, you don’t go into the staff lounge to grab your lunch bag- you’ll wait to get it tomorrow. No. You just want to go home and relax after the last hour of your day. Melissa texts you to let you know that she doesn’t plan on sticking around today either- she’ll meet you at home as soon as she can. So, you quietly slip out of the school once teacher hours are over.

At home, you’re just pouring two glasses of wine as your wife comes in and kicks off her shoes. Her arms are instantly around your waist and kissing you softly. You giggle in her hold.

“Hey, babe,” you smile against her lips.

She just kisses you again, murmuring, “My beautiful wife.”

“Do you want to talk about today?” you ask as you pull away and offer her the wine glass meant for her.

Where you think the redhead is going to go back to raging, she just shrugs. “Ava already pulled me aside and told me that she has our backs. She ain’t gonna let this parent ruin it all- somehow she’s already in the process of moving the kid to Janine’s class, as much as I’ll hate to see Lay out of my class.”

“It’s probably for the best,” you sigh quietly.

Melissa nods with a frown. “And instead of taking art, she’ll go with the gym teacher twice a cycle… Mom’s a real homophobe and doesn’t want us ‘rubbing in the gay’. Whatever the hell that means.”

You roll your eyes. “A real piece of work.”

“That’s the understatement of the year.”

“Well?” you ask as you take a sip of your own wine. “How do you feel about us being out at school?”

“It was only a matter of time,” your wife tells you with a small shrug and a smile. “I don’ care if everyone knows, although I’m not looking forward to the line of questioning I’ll get from Pipsqueak and her sidekick tomorrow morning.”

“Why don’t we go into work together tomorrow, and I’ll help you out with that?” you tease.

“You’d wake up early for me?”

“You know I would,” you chuckle.

The next morning, Melissa drives the two of you to your place of work, and you walk into the staff lounge hand in hand. Almost immediately, her work crew- aside from Barbara- are bombarding you with questions.

You do everything you can to answer them, until Jacob asks, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

Melissa just smirks. “Youse didn’t ask. Had you, I would’ve told you I was happily married to Y/N three years ago. It’s not like I deny that I’m in love with her.”

TAGS: (and let me know if you want to be added!): @schemmentis @thesapphictimelady @marvel210 @itisdoctortoyousir @morgana-larkin @doesthatsuggestanythingtoyou @marvels--slut @sweetcheeksschemmenti @megamultifandomtrashposts @lemz378 @http-sam @melissaschemmentisbranzino @imaginesmultifandoms @sexysapphicshopowner @lilfartbox1 @maybe-a-humanbean @imlike-so-gaydude @a-queen-and-her-throne @notinmyvocab @melanielaufeyson @dvrkhcld @cosmichymns @sasheemo @m1lflov3rrr @ricejucie @temilyrights @emilynissangtr @squinnchy @dopenightmaretyphoon @emeraldoceansstuff @shinyfaerielights  @blkmxrvel @marvelwomenrule @sarahjohannson @casualfoxwitch

[citrustan]

Can you please do a rich seokjin x reader wherein he grovels for oc 🙏😭 Like he did not defend oc when his parents were being mean to her and even defended them something like that hahaha I live for angst fics so much ❤️❤️❤️❤️ (Thank you in advance btw! I really really enjoy your fics!)

hii thanks! love it when requests are specific!! please send in more of these :D

'm dividing this into two parts because it's too long for me to call it a drabble

please, please, please [1/2] (ksj)

pairing: seokjin x reader

genre: sugar daddy turned boyfriend!seokjin x middle-class, unemployed!reader ALSO dilf!seokjin. angst, fluff, and barely-there smut (in the next part) yet again because i'm taking tiny baby steps towards the big girl stuff.

warnings: there's an ex-wife, unkind parents, and typical rich people behaviour: take that as you may!

The evening had started on a high note.

The birds were chirping, the breeze was gentle. Yada yada. You centred yourself with your boyfriend's son, Sehun's, giggles, to distract slash calm yourself. At the same time, Seokjin's entire family and friends (and you) gathered under the warm glow of temporary lamps installed specifically for the occasion in his backyard.

Admittedly, it's borderline disrespectful to call it a backyard when it was easily over an acre of lush grassland, adorned with flower fields, and a horse farm. With champagne-equipped golf carts, decorated with wisterias and vines, used to transport the party goers from one place to another, and well-dressed staff to guide everyone. And you kept seeing the fairest doves. You wonder if that was natural or of they were introduced to the area for the party.

You knew your boyfriend slash sugar daddy was rich, but you had no idea just how rich.

As the evening progressed, the mood, specifically yours, began to shift---bit by bit, for the worse. Your once nervous yet lively aura had grown strained.

It was such a shit-show.

Starting with Seokjin's parents who couldn't pretend to be nice for the life of them, or was that intentional? Perhaps to scare you off or something. Because it worked.

They were distant, awkward, and nothing like Seokjin had described them to be. You were under the impression that you'd be meeting your second family, an extension of your own.

Boy, were you mistaken.

You were met with so much... inhospitality and indifference.

It was so bad you had to walk away from your table a few times just to stop your tears from falling and ruining your makeup.

They kept talking about Sehun's mother and Seokjin's perfect ex-wife, as if you weren't sitting right across them. Speaking of their relationship in present tense--- 'Oh, you're so beautiful together.' 'The perfect family.' 'She's the best daughter-in-law anyone could ask for.'

All the while, you're the one with a promise ring on your finger.

Seokjin, obviously, interrupted them everytime. But even he eventually tired himself out too.

Every time you attempted to make conversation with the pair, you were met with blank stares.

You couldn't even escape them because Sehun was off with his caretaker, being his 6 year old self, uncaring of where he is. You had nobody to go to except the man you were already seated next to.

"Seokjin," his mother began, "When you mentioned planning a soirée, I assumed you were getting back with Yewon."

His father added, "Your mother and I were so happy."

Were.

Seokjin exchanged an uneasy look with you.

You expected him to defend you. Maybe just give them a little scolding. Or a simple yet stern 'be normal.'

But instead, he just scoffs and laughs.

That was it.

Shakily sighing, you excused yourself for the seventh time that night to lick your wounds in privacy.

This time, when you didn't return after ten minutes, Seokjin comes looking for you, immediately finding you stood near his favourite Magnolia tree.

You looked like you were in deep thought and a little tipsy. And you were thinking up a storm. How was this going to play out? Would you be made to break up with each other? Would Seokjin leave you?

He paused to your right, "_____, I know this isn't enough but I really am sorry. I had no idea they'd react this way."

Defeated, you whisper, "I don't even know how to act. I mean... it doesn't matter because it's not like they'd even notice."

You add, "And you're right. It's not enough." Angry, you rapidly turn to face him, "You keep letting them treat me like I'm invisible. And they keep talking about Yewon and your, oh, so perfect marriage as if she didn't cheat on you. I mean, you technically cheated on each other later anyway, right?"

Seokjin's expression darkened. He tilted his head in disbelief, "_____. I can't believe you'd bring that up."

"Is that why they don't like me? Because they know I'm your mistress?"

Seokjin's scowl deepens, "Don't talk about yourself like that, _____."

Oh!

Mockingly raising your brow at him, you laugh, "Oh, but it's okay for mommy and daddy to talk about me 'like that'?" You make air quotations at 'like that.'

"Of course, it isn't! But, that's just how they are. They're horrible people, _____." He exasperates, "And I know there's no changing their mind. So do yourself a favour and just... don't bother about what they think or say. It's not important." He's breathing heavy when he finishes.

You painstakingly digest each of his words.

Now, there are two possible meanings of his advice.

Don't worry about mommy and daddy because you and I are the only ones who matter!

OR

Don't worry about mommy and daddy because you're disposable anyway!

But, you're not sober enough to decide yet.

Seokjin caresses your naked, cold, arm with a warm hand. His fingers travel up to your décolletage, grazing against it, then further upwards to gently fix the diamond necklace he bought you on your last birthday.

He then takes his blazer off to drape it over your shivering shoulders.

Seokjin looks at you, carefully choosing his tone to reflect his state of mind: apologetic, "I promise we can leave after Yewon gets here. My parents invited her too. And, she'll be taking Sehun to her place today."

You wait for him to continue because you know there's more.

"We'll greet her. Cordially. Bid goodbye immediately after. And see Sehun once before we head to your place. Is that... Would you be okay with that?"

The fact that Seokjin, as the host, was going to leave his own party for you makes you feel guilty. But you knew you would not be able to deal with Seokjin's relatives any longer.

So you nod once, "Ok."

He links your arms together and walks you back to the main event where they serve the good stuff. Yay for you!

*

"Seokie! You look great. _____, you too! Your hair looks amazing." Yewon grins at you.

"Thank you, Yewon. You look beautiful as well." Seokjin answers for the two of you as you drunkenly smile at her.

(Two) hours had passed since Seokjin promised you you could leave after Yewon arrived. Which meant you had two too many hours to down the seemingly bottomless Champagne flutes.

Yewon observes you with concern and raises a brow at your boyfriend. Seokjin simply nodded in response, with his arm still wrapped around you, supporting your weight.

Not oblivious to the silent conversation going on in front of you, you nuzzle your face directly into his chest.

Yewon is lovely. She's the best ex-wife any girlfriend could've asked for. Respectful, friendly even, and... normal.

Still, you've always been jealous of their relationship.

They still had chemistry, and were great co-parents.

There was nothing stopping Seokjin from going back to her. Well, there's you, but had you not been in his life, you wonder if they'd have gotten back together.

"There you are! Kim Yewon, my favourite daughter." Holding Yewon by her waist, Seokjin's mother feigns anger, "Now, why did it take you so long to get here?"

Was she 12? You hate her. So much. All you want is for Seokjin to make her... stop.

"In all honesty, I overslept." Yewon smiles, embarrassed.

Mrs. Kim sighs dramatically, "Well, you are a doctor. You deserve to rest. You work too hard."

"Ah, yes... Maybe... Why don't we go find Sehun? _____ and Seokjin are leaving soon." Yewon is evidently aware of how his family is reacting to you, and wants to minimize all of her interactions and words exchanged with the Kims.

At that Mrs. Kim looks at her son bewildered, "You're going to leave your own party? That's just rude."

THAT'S rude?

"I'm sorry, mom. We," Seokjin raises your clasped hands up, "have important plans."

"Well... What could be more important than family? You're just going to leave your son and his mother to fend for themselves?"

.

>:(

.

Hm.

Now... what happens in the next few minutes, you blame slash credit the alcohol.

You don't understand why he had to lie because you certainly had no issue with telling the real reason you were leaving.

"That's right, Mrs. Kim, Seokjin chose me. We don't have," you make air quotes when you say this, "important plans, we, my boyfriend and I, we, just want to get as far away from you as possible because you have a chip up your ass and you walk around with a stick on your shoulder."

Seokjin and Yewon froze.

"And Seokjin hates you." You spat. "He hates you so much he planned a gigantic party just so he wouldn't have to spend more than a few minutes with you at once."

You want to stop but your mouth works faster than your brain.

"Seokjin hates you so much he always needs other people around you to cut the tension."

At this point you were word vomiting.

"He hates you so much he keeps himself busy with work. And when he's not at work, he's with me. And my family," - "_____, stop talking," Seokjin sternly scolds.

But you don't hear him, "- because he loves me. And Sehun, and he loves my mother because she isn't a narcissistic bitch who treats her son like-" You stop.

Seokjin squeezes your hand as if he were begging you to shut the fuck up as Mrs. Kim stares at you in contempt; her face red, nose flared, jaw, and fists clenched.

But you don't budge, "His marriage is over. Understand that. It's like you don't even care about what he's been through."

"_____, please."

Seokjin's request has fallen to deaf ears once again.

You continue, "All you do is criticize his choices and decisions. You don't even care that Yewon cheated on your son because you're just as up her ass as you are up your own."

At that, Seokjin instantly drags you away from the two women. Both Mrs. Kims.

He takes you back to the tree.

You half expect him to make out with you because he looked... somewhat worked up.

The pins in your hair are starting to feel a little too tight and you feel sweaty even though it's freezing.

"What the fuck is the matter with you?"

You drunkenly stare at him, eyes widened in genuine confusion. You place a hand on your chest, "Me?"

"You had no right to cause a scene like that. I told you we were leaving. I was handling it."

But he was, in fact, not handling it. You helped him!

Seokjin needed someone to back him up. If he couldn't stand up for himself, you didn't expect him to stand up for you.

You owlishly blink up at him.

"_____, this isn't high school. You're not a child. You can't go around yelling at adults about how mean they are."

"I was just trying to hel-"

"This isn't a movie, _____. This is real life. My life. And Yewon's. My mother didn't know the real reason we broke up. And you had no right to tell her."

Now, that's news to you. And what the hell? Do you even exist in this picture?

"Well, obviously, I didn't fucking know that. And, thanks a lot. Now I know just how much I mean to you." You begin pulling your hair pins out as you turn to leave his premises.

"_____." Seokjin gently grabs your wrist, "We're not done here."

You rip yourself away from his grip, "I think we are! Obviously, you have no space for me in your life. And Yewon's!" Your lips quiver contrasting the accusatory words that just slipped through your tongue.

He rolls his eyes, "_____, that's not what I meant. You know that's not what I was saying."

You resembled an angry kitten with your hair a little wild from pulling all those clips out, and eyes red and puffy as if you'd start tearing up any time now.

"I don't want to be your fuckdoll anymore! I'm done!" With a shaky yet final sigh, you turn back around, lift your gown so you don't trip, and storm off.

While you didn't want him to stop you because you were in no mood to fight a grown man, you were more upset that he just let you walk away from him.

You didn't want to end your relationship like this. Although you know this isn't permanent, you can't help but wonder if he'd even try with you anymore.

note: so tumblr ate up part of this story and the other note i had added, so this is me rewriting it. i can't make asks private so here we are. i'm upset my writing didn't get saved. i don't know if this version is better or worse.

either way, please tell me what you think.

[mykoreanlove]

the kissing booth 💋

„Bestie, you love me right?“

You didn’t need to turn around and look at your best friend in order to know that she was batting her eyelashes and seducing you with her macaroon Bambi eyes.

„Nope“, you answered flatly.

„Y/N, what the fuck?“, she asked out in agony.

You turned around laughing, looking into her offended face.

„What do you want?“

She jumped up in excitement, eager to tell you her plans.

„Okay, so, I want to go to a kissing contest and I need you to come with me. Moral support and such…“, she confessed.

„A kissing contest?“, you asked bewildered. 

„Yeah, it’s for Eun Woo’s new music video. He actually wants to cast a nobody and they need to check if there’s enough chemistry.“

„You’re telling me that you are getting in line with thousands of other girls in order to kiss Eun Woo? Are you out of it?“

„Y/N, nooo! You know how much I want to become an actress. This could be my stepping stone. Please! I can’t do this without you!“, she begged. 

„What do you need me for? Carry your chapstick?“, you rolled your eyes.

„For once, yes. But I also need you to hype me up. You know how insecure I get with all the competition out there. Please. Please. Please?“

„Fine“, you huffed out. „But for the record, I don’t think you need this. You are so talented and someday someone important will stumble upon your talent. You hear me?“

„Yeah, yeah, yeah, thank you!“, she cried out in excitement. 

A couple of days later you found yourself waiting in a big mall complex with thousands of other girls, eagerly waiting for their shot at - whatever they would call it. 

The crowd was mixed - fangirls, vixens, influencers, shy girls, confident girls, wallflowers, girls that came for Eun Woo, girls that came for fame, girls that hoped this would be their breakthrough in the world of entertainment. 

And amidst all of that were you.

Not giving a fuck about Eun Woo, or entertainment at that point.

„Ladies, welcome! Thank you so much for participating in this kissing booth. Eun Woo will be here shortly and then we can get going!“, a staff member called out. 

„Can you imagine how dry his lips will be if he kisses all of us?“, your friend asked astounded. 

„Oh please, as if he will kiss everyone in here. Is this your first time?“, a voice next to you answered. She was a beautiful girl - tall, thin, porcelain skin and natural make up. She looked like someone Eun Woo would kiss deliberately. „His manager will select a few, watch“, she further explained.

And just like she foretold Eun Woo’s manager appeared and selected a couple of girls. 

„Shit, what if he doesn’t select me?“, your friend asked panicked. 

„Of course he will select you. How could he not?“

You watched his manager make the rounds and choose the most beautiful girls, the ones that were made to be kissed by Eun Woo.

You felt your friend panicking more and more as the manager walked into your direction. Like a reflex, you took her hand into yours and squeezed it, signaling that everything will be alright.

„You“, he said as he looked at your best friend. Both of you sighed out in relief.

„And you“, he said as he looked at you.

„What, me?“, you asked confused. 

„Oh my god, we are doing it together, y/n. So cool!“, your friend jumped up and down excitedly. 

All of the chosen girls were ushered into a private section of the mall, waiting for Eun Woo to arrive. The girls’ faces were filled with excitement and hope, whereas yours was filled with confusion. 

„Which number did you get?“, you asked.

„47“, she answered.

You looked down at your plate - 100. 

„Am I the last?“, you mumbled under your breath. 

Minutes after the guest of honor finally arrived - welcomed by chaotic screams of his many admirers. 

„You know, he isn’t my type but he is so fucking handsome. Wow“, your friend remarked. 

For the first time ever you took a good look at him. Your friend was right - he was a very handsome man. Tall, lean, a bit of muscles. Sharp gaze with sharp features, long full hair and a charismatic smile. You could easily see why every girl was falling for him. And yet, you were not convinced. 

„Don’t you think he looks uncomfortable?“, you whispered.

„What? No way. He loves getting all the attention. Look at him.“

And you did. But no matter how hard you tried you couldn’t overlook the fact that his million dollar smile didn’t reach his eyes. To you, he looked uncomfortable.

„Okay, get in line please“, the staff advised you all.

Eun Woo sat down behind the counter, waiting for the girls to get ready.

You were watching this whole ordeal with mixed feelings. His body language was tense, his muscles looked stiff and you worried if this was really the right thing to do.

„Okay, wish me luck!“, your friend said before she went to kiss Eun Woo.

„You got this“, you mouthed at her, showing your support once again.

You were the last in line and after a couple of other girls it was finally your turn.

Eun Woo looked relieved as he realized that you were the last one.

„Hi“, he smiled at you warmly.

„Hi“, you said politely.

He leaned over and perked his lips but something inside of you begged you to stop this. So you did.

„Hey, uhm, is it okay with you if we just hug?“

His face fell, not understanding why you would refuse this once in a lifetime opportunity.

„You don’t want to kiss me?“, he asked, a pinch of sadness in his voice.

„No, I’d rather just hug“, you explained flatly.

Within seconds his face lit up again and he came in front of the booth, holding his arms out to you. 

You smiled as you hugged him, wrapping your arms around his torso for a short moment of time. 

He was soft and smelled amazing, so you were grateful for your risky choice.

„Okay, let’s go. We’ll have to choose the winner now“, the staff advised.

As you were ushered into the waiting room you were confused about your feelings. 

You never really liked him, pretty boys were never your type, yet somehow you felt attracted to him. 

You sat down and waited, overhearing the conversations of the others.

„I am telling you, when we kissed, it was like angels were singing. He is so into me, I just know it!“

„Our kiss was so passionate. I stuck my tongue down his throat! He was so surprised but so into it!“

„I love him. I just love him. How is he so beautiful? I need him in my life. I need him to be mine.“

„Pretty sure he will pick me. He looked at me like he wanted to rip off my clothes.“

„His lips were so soft. I want to kiss them again.“

Hearing all of this made you sick - they were treating him like an animal in a cage. 

Did no one else notice how uncomfortable he looked doing this?

„This waiting is the worst“, your friend sighed as she sat down next to you.

„Yeah, it better be worth it“, you smacked her lightly.

Before you could playfully banter you were interrupted by the staff entering the room.

„Okay, everyone. Thank you for participating in this kissing contest. I hope you had a great time today.“

The girls cheered and applauded, eager to know who would kiss him again.

Shortly after, Eun Woo entered the room, smiling brightly.

„Hey girls“, he shyly greeted. 

„I want to thank you for showing up today. I know this is a special occasion and you all did well. However, you know we can only have one winner…“, he mumbled.

You looked around, every girl was hanging on to his plush lips.

„And the winner is… number 100, y/n.“

The girls’ faces instantly fell, but they still applauded you on your victory.

„Oh my god, you won“, your friend cheered for you.

„Me?“, you asked in disbelief. 

„Yes you“, she confirmed and pushed you to the front. 

Eun Woo’s face lit up as he finally saw you, making you suddenly feel all kinds of things. He held his hand out to you and smiled warmly, inviting you take it and follow him.

„We are not shooting today, if you’re worried about that“, he explained as he looked into your concerned face.

„It’s not that…“, you admitted.

„Then what is?“

„I just don’t understand. I mean, why me?“

He looked at you intensely, his eyes boring into yours.

„I chose you because you were the only one that treated me like a human being.“

Your eyes widened in surprise as you heard him.

„I didn’t want to do this but my management forced me into it. I don’t know if you can imagine what that’s like but basically I am their slave. So, if they tell me to kiss hundred girls, I have to do just that. Some think I’m lucky, but I feel abused.“, he confessed honestly.

„I am so sorry, Eun Woo“, you answered truthfully.

„Thank you. But I guess that’s the price I have to pay… for all the fame and fortune.“

„Still, you shouldn’t be forced to kiss strangers like that…“

„You saw right through me, right?“, he asked curiously. 

You hesitated to answer.

„That’s why you didn’t want to kiss me, right? Because you saw how uncomfortable I really was? That’s quite rare, y/n.“

„People rarely see you for you, right?“

He shook his head.

„No, it’s always Eun Woo, the star. Eun Woo, the actor. Eun Woo, the pretty face. But no one sees Eun Woo, the person. Well, no one but you.“

His eyes sparkled as he confessed all this to you. 

Suddenly, a warm feeling spread through your whole body, making you painfully self-aware. 

Is my lipstick smeared? Do I smell? Did I put on perfume? Is my make up okay? 

„I’d like to take you out, y/n“, Eun Woo suddenly proposed.

„Me? Why?“, you asked dumbfounded.

The most heartfelt laugh escaped his lips, he definitely wasn’t used to this answer. 

„Because I’d like to talk to you. Human to human, that is. What do you say?“

[multifics99]

Choreographing Romance

Hoshi One Shot

Summary: after Hybe decided your girl group needs a new concept you’re having a hard time changing your image. Could Hoshi just be the dance coach you need?

Warnings: sensual undertones, use of the word sexy.

wc: 1.9k

❀•°❀°•❀ ❀•°❀°•❀ ❀•°❀°•❀ ❀•°❀°•❀ ❀•°❀°•

You did the steps again and again and again and they just weren’t clicking. You huffed in frustration as you furiously drank your water. How after two weeks was this choreo not making sense for you. Everyone else in your group had it down pat at this point but you had to stay late just to keep practicing.

You were a newer girl group under HYBE you’d only debuted two years ago. So far the group had only done cute concepts, and you in fact were the designated cute member. Even though you were one of the oldest members it didnt bother you, you’d been called cute your whole life and you just owned it. But now the company wanted to see something different since the group was beginning to mature. They asked your team to put together a Girl Crush concept.

You weren’t particularly nervous about the group’s shift into maturity, it was probably overdue honestly. All of you were in your 20’s now, and your members were relieved to finally show the fans your sexy side. Your issue was that you didn’t know how to find yours. Your choreographer spent hours yelling at you for dancing like a robot and that he’d never been so let down by you before. You didn’t cry though, you stopped crying when you were a trainee. In this line of work nothing could be taken personally.

So here you were, in the practice room after midnight. You hit the play button on your phone again and let the song blare through the speakers. Again, again, again. You tried to listen to the choreographer’s advice and “learn what makes you feel hot” and to channel that, but you had no idea what that could be for you. If you were being honest you never felt like that, you always just embraced your baby face. Even now as an adult people mistake you for a high schooler. You lied on the floor and groaned, you were ready to just be flamed by your members, your staff and the fans for how horrible your performance was gonna be this comeback.

“Uhhhmm hello?” You looked up to see Hoshi enter the room.

“Shit” you silently cursed to yourself as you pulled yourself up off the floor. You looked at the time, 1am. “Sorry” Hoshi said “I just booked the room for tonight.”

“No you’re fine, I wasn’t keeping track of the time.” You said as you started to collect your things in your duffel bag.

“What’s got you down.” He asked as he put his own things down.

“It’s nothing I’m just having some trouble with new choreo.”

Hoshi looked genuinely surprised “really?” He said “you’re a great dancer.”

You felt your ears get hot, nobody knew it but Hoshi had been your work crush for a while. He had been ever since he helped choreograph your debut song. “Yeah” you continued “it’s just we’re trying something different and it’s just harder for me than I thought it would be.”

“Could I see it? I might be able to help.”

You laughed “yeah sure but not even the choreographer can help me.”

Hoshi smiled “well they aren’t me.”

You took a deep breath as you played your music again and started from the top. You cringed at yourself as you tried to do the sexy moves in front of him. It was already embarrassing to do in front of everyone else, your crush was so much worse though.

Once you were done you took out your phone to show him a video of the choreographer doing the dance. “This is how it’s supposed to look” you said. He nodded “I mean you have the moves down but you’re just not feeling them.”

“Yeah that’s my problem, I don’t really know how to channel that uhm…energy.”

He thought for a moment “okay uhmm well how do you normally dance at the club?”

“I don’t really go often and when I do I just jump.”

Hoshi giggled “you’re an idol known for your dancing and you just bop around at the club?”

You looked down at your feet, this couldn’t get more embarrassing.

“Oh no I don’t mean it like that, I’m just shocked that you aren’t feeling yourself in this concept.”

“I feel like you’re the only one that feels that way.”

“I mean you’re hot.” He said matter of factly.

You felt your whole body freeze, no one ever calls you that, and suddenly your crush and the hottest idol you know is saying it to you. “I…uhm…thanks.” You weren’t sure what else to say. “I’ll just leave you to it” you said as you picked up your bag.”

“Wait” he said after you “I wanna help.”

You shook your head “I’m not sure, I mean I’m just almost ready to have a bad comeback.”

He took your bag from you and put it back on the floor “absolute nonsense, I was there for you from the beginning I’m not gonna stop now.” You gave him a small smile. He was always so sweet, it was no wonder everyone loved him.

“Alright so really think, when was there a time where you felt really cool and hot, and don’t tell me it’s never happened.” He said. You thought really hard and then it hit you. “Oh actually a few weeks ago I was shopping and I tried on this one dress for fun and I felt…yknow.” You looked down again, why was it so hard for you to just say it.

“Come on y/n don’t be shy, you can’t be if you want to get this dance right.”

You exhaled “I felt sexy.” You mumbled. “Perfect!” Hoshi exclaimed “keep that thought in your head and do the dance again.”

“I took a selfie, do you think if I looked at the picture it could help?” You asked. To your surprise his ears turned red “y-yeah that could probably help.”

You opened your camera roll and found it, you really did feel sexy in that dress even if it was just for fun. Hoshi shuffled closer to you “would it be okay if I saw.” You just silently nodded as you showed him your phone. You felt like this entire encounter with him was so awkward and he’d never talk to you again after tonight. He stared at the picture without saying anything

“I uhm I think it could help me.” You finally said after too long of a silence. Hoshi blinked a few times, as if he’d been asleep and he just woke up.

“Yeah absolutely, let’s see the dance again now!” He said his voice going higher than you’d ever heard before. You ignored it though, you wanted so badly to get this right so you wouldn’t be the laughing stock of your group for the next few months.

You played the song again for what felt like the millionth time tonight. As you danced you tried to shake off the awkwardness, you tried to forget about the cute image you’ve always had. You just thought about how you felt the day you tried on that dress. You looked at Hoshi from the corner of your eye to see if he noticed a difference. He was so quiet and still, he just watched you with a blank look on his face. He’d helped you with choreo before, but he never gave such a little reaction before.

Once you were finally done, and you were panting and covered in sweat from being so tired you looked at him. “Was that any better?” You asked. He nodded, the only thing that moved on his face were his eyes, they had something in them you hadn’t seen before.

“Could I just make a note?” He asked.

“Yeah sure I need all the help I could get.”

He walked close to you “the uhm chorus” he continued “that’s the point move right?”

You nodded.

“I think you just need more fluidity there, yknow pretend your body is made of water.”

You went to the chorus of the song and hit play, the move was a body roll, and he was right you were still a bit stiff. You did it a few more times.

“Would it be okay if I guided you?” He asked.

You could feel that blush creeping back on your cheeks “yeah that’s, that is absolutely fine.” You heard your voice crack, you hoped he couldn’t tell you were nervous. You’d known him for some time but you had never been so close to him until now. He snaked his hands around your waist “play it again” he said close to your ear. You felt goosebumps on your neck.

You played the chorus again, and he used his hands to guide your body in the right way. The move looked much more fluid with his help.

Once it was over you both just stood there staring at the mirror in front of you. His hands were still on your waist, and both of your faces were red.

You turned around to face him, still in his arms. He stared down at you and did something you would have never expected. He kissed you.

You had no idea how long the kiss lasted but you just leaned into it. It felt much more natural than you assumed. He guided you, it almost felt like a dance in itself. Once you finally pulled away from each other you both smiled.

“Sorry” he said “that’s not how I wanted to do that.”

“What?” You asked, had he wanted to kiss you before?

“I mean I like you y/n i probably have since I met you.”

You were perplexed, never did you think Hoshi would like you back.

“I-I like you too, admittedly even before we met.”

He laughed “I knew it, you were a fan so you just had to train at Hybe.”

“Well now you can say you’re my fan.”

He smiled at you again “you got me there, yknow you’re probably my bias.”

“Oh god please never say that again.”

You both laughed. Then his phone pinged. “Shit the guys are on their way.”

“Oh like all of them?”

He nodded “yeeaahhh I came here an hour early to play around with new choreo to teach them but….we know how that turned out.”

“It’s been an hour already?!” You checked your phone and sure enough it was 2am. “Shit I’ve got to get to sleep I have to be at a radio show like crazy early.

You started to rush out but then turned around before opening the door “are you busy this time tomorrow night?”

Hoshi shook his head “nope I’ve got a free night, why do you wanna kiss some more?” He jokingly winked at you. He was such a dork which was also why you liked him. “If you come to my dorm I can cook you a fabulous meal of instant ramen and we can watch some high class entertainment such as anime off a pirated site.”

“Sounds like a date.” You gave each other a smile again before you headed out of the practice room. You were happy you left when you did because you passed by a few members of Seventeen on your way out of the building. You know Hoshi would never hear the end of it if they walked in and you were still in the room.

As you laid in your bed for the night you got a text, you opened it to see it was from him.

maybe you could show me that dance again tomorrow night ;)

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[sytokun]

To anyone thinking or saying Dillon Goo is unworthy of acquiring RWBY, not because of anything realistic like finances or the size of his studio, but because he's "just an animator", or just a rando from the internet who cannot write or run RWBY:

Thanks for perpetuating the piece of shit mindset that every soul-sucking corporation and braindead consumer has: that animators have no value or are just there to push buttons and make pixels move for the real creatives.

Animators are artists and creators. They have to work with numerous departments to make things work: They have to know what the writer/director wants, and tell them if it's even possible to put to screen; they have to work with artists and character designers to tell if they can commit that art into moving parts. And for an animated show, they're kind of... I dunno, the entire backbone of its production.

Anyone stupid enough to claim that, by their logic, should claim that Miles and Kerry were "just writers" and don't have the right nor the intelligence to have any opinions on RWBY's animation, character designs or music. That's how I know you have zero fucking idea how any actual media is produced, because in your head, these positions all just exist as separate little boxes in your brain so it's simple enough for you to grasp.

It was "just an animator" who made RWBY in the first place, dumbass. A "rando" making animations on the internet that Rooster Teeth took a chance on, and now he's responsible for their best-selling IP. By comparison, Dillon is starting at a way better starting position than Monty was, with a successful YouTube channel, public support from multiple current and ex-CRWBY like J Grelle (Tyrian's VA), Kim Newman (former animator who animated Sun's gunchucks in V5) and Jessica Nigri (Cinder's VA), and multiple collaborations with big companies like Hoyoverse.

If anything, I'd expect an animator like Dillon to know and care enough about his staff to not give them near-irreparable spinal damage. Gee, I wonder why Newman would think he'd be a better employer to work with? Dillon would know how an animation project is run and budgeted. Him being an animator is a benefit, for god's sake.

Monty had character design sketches but needed help from professional artists to fully design them. He knew bits of the plot but needed help fleshing it out. Do you have enough brain cells to rub together to know that's precisely what Dillon can do, too? Fuckin', I dunno, hire people? For his studio??

I'd rather have an animator run RWBY because RWBY is an animated series and he would know precisely 1) what complements the medium best and 2) the precise limits of what can or cannot work within his budget. By your ass-backwards logic, I would rather get EC Myers to run RWBY's production over Dillon just because he's a writer and has been employed with RT longer.

That's another moronic argument: "He's only been employed by RT for 1 Volume". Man, I don't care if he's been there for zero Volumes, his work clearly shows a greater understanding of RWBY's aesthetic, mainstream appeal and style than its own showrunners have for the past 7 years. Or is seniority in a defunct company responsible for a steadily unprofitable IP suddenly a positive in this business deal?

I need you to be aware that RWBY as an IP is a joke outside of the bubble of its fandom, and I am telling you bluntly as a fan. Nobody takes it seriously and the ones that do only praise it for either its action choreography or its character designs, one of which is guaranteed with Dillon's studio. Diehard fans may love RWBY, warts and all, but all that love and support clearly wasn't enough to keep it alive, because its reputation was already cemented from its own mismanagement.

What you do is you get the right person for the job. And Dillon ticks a lot of boxes for it. If you think he's unable to acquire RWBY because he's not a big corpo or cannot meet Warner's asking price, that's 100% fair. If you think he's unable to create something on the scale of Volume 9, that's also 100% fair, but only if you're attached to the idea that you'd rather have Volume 10 or more of the same RWBY that was operating at a loss than any RWBY at all. Or if you'd rather see a season of 14 episodes 15 minutes long where 60-70% of it is made up of exposition, talking head scenes and increasingly overambitious world expanding, over shorter episodes with amazing RWBY action sequences with a story that never bites off more than it can chew.

But if you think Dillon is unqualified or worse, unworthy or undeserving (what a weirdo thing to say about a person, like owning RWBY is like inheriting the fucking throne of Gondor), all because he's "just an animator" or because he was smart enough to see RT for the meat-grinder hellhole it was and left to find success on his own, you're full of shit.

And if you disapprove of him because of his association with Shane, go find a restroom because your unsightly hateboner is showing. It's been almost ten years since the letter and you all have been holding this unfettered rage clenched between your buttcheeks longer than Shane's ever been with Rooster Teeth.

And for what? Pointing out Rooster Teeth is a fucked place to work at? Whoops, that was true and now it's six feet under for every scandal and worker abuse case they brought on themselves. For stealing and cannibalising their creators' IPs? Whoops, that's fucking true as well.

[transdimensional-haboob]

Headcanons I've been cooking;

-the paradise theater doing a mystery science theater 3000 bit most days (I'm like 90% sure that its basically the equivalent in their multiverse anyway, oops)

-frank and clementine still tries to keep contact and make visits if even possible anymore. June likes to receive letters and postcards as a loose penpal relationship as proof of their "mad lib situation"

-I feel robbed that June and Ava didn't interact much, they'd have so much fun and nobody would be able to handle these bar buds. Never mind theres probably a reason why these two aren't allowed in a bar together, but I love their raw chaos and hijinks would definitely go on

-Gloria makes the storage closet her room at first but when Caspar gets back, he gives her the main office since she's da b0ss now, she still spends a lot of time camping with her bts wolves making stew for them, its her own therapy

-Leif putting together a game console for the gang when theyre bored, Caspar is the best at retro games surprisingly aside from the fact hes been asking for a pinball machine forever, everyone cracks old man jokes. Mostly David and Ava, his biggest hecklers <3

-eventually they begin to cultivate a small arcade, leif fixes up a few machines for the diner (its free) kids across the cosmos go 'you mean you have to play the game with your hands?? Its like a baby's toy :/" caspar is flabbergasted, Leif just shrugs and goes "i warned you bro" and does more Leif shit

-David plays cod on their designated staff console in the office space in their down time between shifts. Feet kicked up and the lazy fan blowing, do you see my vision? this is the most important highlight so far

-David used to stream sometimes on earth in LA for funsies now and then during lockdown when he wasnt up for running out at night vandalizing the blank canvas known as the streets

-he still talks to his mom and plays catch up even from space despite the time it takes to send messages. David continues to find her drunk calls entertaining (canon anyway) Caspar doesn't really drink alcohol and is worried about the loss of control, I think hes just anxious and insecure about it.

*I don't really think caspar was much of a dick when he drank raising david, he probably was a rambling annoying dad with a shitty attitude that was hard to tolerate. like, okay, old man, we get it the world sucksss stop being so sad and let's play legos and not roleplay the state of the economic decline about it (shh, I'm not projecting gay son and drunk well meaning dad dynamics)

-Ava peer pressures Caspar *only* for celebrations anyway

-micheladas for everyone the next day, some sweet hair of the dog when the various drank theyre able to get their hands on is too much to cope with the next day if they still even have moonshine to spare left

-Leif stocks up on so much fucking hash whilst in Pasadena (as one does stuck in shitty corners of California for hangovers, generalized depression, and dread. hence all the alcohol mentions I'm not promoting alcoholic diner dwellers I swear-) which tbh parallels the way Ava stocks up nicotine from ye old moonshiner imo

Idk I have more I might add and tack on later I love these doofuses

[cakesandfail]

Do you have any headcanons about how Vetinari ended up taking power?

Actually yes I do!

I wrote a fic about his first day in power that vaguely referenced this and while I don't have like, a fully fleshed out story, there are a few bits and pieces that I sort of bodged together from things in the books and what I personally find entertaining about him as a character:

There's a bit in Soul Music which says that there was a rat plague in Ankh-Morpork shortly before Vetinari came to power, and that his solution was "tax the rat farms". It's unclear in context whether this means he suggested it at the end of Snapcase's time in power or if it was one of the first things he did after he became Patrician. I've just gone ahead and assumed that the rat plague was the last straw for Snapcase and that actually having a good suggestion was one of the reasons Vetinari was in people's minds as a replacement

That then leads us to ask, well, what on earth was he doing there? He's been in power a fair while even by Guards Guards but chronologically must still only be in his early 40s by then, to have been in his late teens in the 30-years-ago bits of Night Watch (and he can't be older than that, because it's made fairly clear that he's in the Guild equivalent of secondary school at that time, and Vimes knows that the two of them are approximately the same age). Given his canonically hilariously long list of postgrad qualifications, he probably went straight from Assassins Guild grad school to the Oblong Office, more or less. Conclusion: he was the fucking INTERN. (or possibly working as a clerk, but calling him the intern is at least 500% funnier)

Given the running joke about him being this weird posh dude who doesn't seem like a threat until you remember where he was educated, I would imagine that his whole "ah capital jolly good here I go getting slang wrong again" bullshit started here. We know that among the Ankh-Morpork elite, pretending to be stupider than you really are is something that can both keep you safe and help you get away with a lot, because we see Vetinari and Vimes and Sybil do it. So this is where he got his practice. Bertie Wooster the FUCK out of your working day, quietly get on with the things that need to be done while nobody's looking, and nobody will realise because they just think you're Madam's weird nephew with the shit beard and the puppy

So, bearing all that in mind, picture this:

Snapcase is dead. The important people (at least, the people who think themselves important) converge on the palace. In a small room off the Oblong Office is a young man steadily working through a large pile of paperwork. Oh, yes, that's Madam's nephew, you know... Havelock, isn't it? They ask if he knows what's happened, and he says no, he has no idea, he's just been working his way through all these regulations, and gosh, they really are very dull. And... well... nobody else is here. And nobody else seems to understand the filing system, or the rest of the staff, or anything really. But he does.

This guy's had a few good ideas when he's been doing the minutes at various meetings, that makes him a plausible candidate surely? And he's so young, so he's going to need a lot of guidance from helpful, experienced folks, right? How useful. He's just smart enough not to be an obvious puppet. Very handy indeed.

And the cream of Ankh-Morpork society being what they are (truly the cream- rich and thick) they don't realise until it's far too late that this lanky goth weirdo they'd thought would do their bidding knows everything about everyone and he's been quietly furious about the result of the Glorious 25th for over a decade. And, whoops, they'd somehow forgotten that he didn't spend all of that time on Guild postgraduate courses doing resits. Oh dear. And now he's their boss.

[rorywritesalot]

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

Chapter 1: Guilty as Sin?

Prenote: Okay! We have chapter 1 now! Already diving into some smut. Remember, drink your water, get some sleep, enjoy!

Warnings: Cursing, MDNI, SMUT, NSFW, mature themes, masturbation, oral (fem receiving).

Ensley’s POV

It’s been just over a week since the incident with Colonel Quaritch. It is constantly replaying in my head. From the moment I ran into him, to the feel of my hand in his. I still see his eyes and the way they looked into mine. The smell of teakwood and the outdoors haunts my dreams. 

This is crazy! All this bullshit for a man I don’t even know?! I’m never like this. I mean I’ve only had a small handful of boyfriends but none of them ever made me feel like this. Just the mere thought or mention of the colonel gets heat rising to my face and making me feel all warm and fuzzy. Seriously, what is this shit?

I don’t realize how long I've been scribbling my notes on this new plant until I feel a hand on my shoulder. It’s Grace.

“Can you do a big favor for me?” She asks and she has that specific look on her face that says “I know you hate doing this.” I sigh heavily.

“What is it?” I say flatly, already knowing what she’s going to ask.

“Will you sit in on that staff meeting that’s in an hour? Please?” She claps her hands together and smiles wide at me, she knows that I won’t say no.”

“Why do you always ask me to do it? There are plenty of other people that could do it.” I say in a desperate attempt to get her to go ask someone else. 

“I know, but you’re the one I trust the best. You and your stubbornness proves to be good in these meetings. Also, I’ll let you off early if you do this for me.” I crack under this praise. God this woman is good at bribing me. She knows just how much I love my sleep.

“Ugh, fine.” I say. She pats my hand and says thank you before returning to her desk to get her work done. I look at the clock and it says ‘12:45 hour’. Okay, I’ve 45 minutes until this meeting. I can finish these notes and file them in that time. 

I continue my scribbling, file my notes, and clean up my area just in time. I look at the clock and it’s ‘13:12 hour’. Perfect, I have just enough time to get there and still be a bit early. I hate being late and what do I hate even more than being late? I hate being on time. Early is the way to go for me. 

I walk down the corridor until I reach the conference room. This isn’t a big meeting, it’s more of just a maintenance meeting where the more important people go over their accomplishments from the last month and then discuss their goals for the next. It never takes long. I don’t mind these meetings as I have made friends with one of the soldiers, Lyle Wainfleet. He and I both got stuck in these meetings for the exact same reason, our superiors couldn’t be bothered to do it themselves. 

I take a seat in my usual spot which is the chair in the middle of the table. Nobody else is in the room so I stare off again. My mind wanders and runs wild, as it normally does. I let my imagination take control and it takes me back to damn Colonel Quaritch. What is this man doing to me? I imagine how that run in could have been different. What trouble we could’ve gotten into together. I begin to wonder. I wonder what his hands would feel like on my body, not just on my hand. How his lips would feel upon my skin and lips. I wonder what kind of lover he might be. Would he be kind and gentle or would he be rough and mean? Would he be a very basic partner or does he like to experiment? 

My mind takes us to my room, on my bed. He tosses me on the bed and pulls to the foot of it by my ankle so my ass is just about to hang off the edge. He leans down and places his lips on mine harshly. While we’re in a heavy makeout session, I feel his fingers run up my leg until his hand rests on my upper thigh. He breaks the kiss and moves his hands to the waistband of my leggings and pulls them down along with my panties. 

He positions himself so his face is level with my core. His eyes trail back up to my face and he waits for me to give him some sort of acknowledgment to continue. I nod my head and wait for his lips to be where I need them most. 

Just as he’s about to be exactly where I want him, I’m violently broken out of my thoughts when the first person enters the room. It’s no one important. Oh my god what is wrong with me? That man is probably old enough to be my father. He has to be at least 25 years older than me. Am I really that horny that I’d let just any man fuck me? I’ve never been into men twice my age. My exes have either been my age or just a year or two older than me.

I start looking over Grace’s notes that she sent me with so I can start preparing my mental script when the door opens again. I expect it to be Lyle because he’s usually here by now but when I look up, Lyle is not in sight. Instead, he is replaced by Quaritch himself. He makes his way to one of the open chairs and takes the one that just so happens to be the chair across from me, of course he does. I mentally grumble and turn my attention to the person who is leading the meeting. 

The meeting begins and I usually tune out the first little bit of it because it’s always the same rundown. I scan my eyes over the attendees. They range from Peter Selfridge, to some of the lower interns. In the middle of my space out session, my eyes trail to the man across from me. As I move to meet his gaze, I find that he's already looking at me. Blood rushes to my cheeks and I look away as fast as I meet his eyes. I look back at him out of the corner of my eyes and I see him chuckling at my embarrassment. I internally roll my eyes.

“Dr. Sully?” I hear. My head perks up at the sound of my name. “Do you have a report?” I now realize it was Selfridge who called my name.

“Y-Yes! I do. I’m sorry, my mind was elsewhere.” I read off my notes and give everyone updates from my department. As I’m running down the list, I make the mistake of looking back at the Colonel, whose eyes are scanning all the parts of me that he can see, at least I think he is. My mind could very well be tricking me into thinking this man is checking me out. I finish my speech and slump back in my chair. 

The meeting finishes and I duck out, not wanting to be caught up in small talk. I just want to go back to my room and sleep. I once again am not paying attention when I bump into the back of someone in the doorway of the conference room. I turn to quickly to say my apologies but I’m stunned as I notice the familiar muscular arm.

“This is the second time sweetheart. If I didn’t know any better, i’d say you’re runnin’ into me on purpose.” He says with that smirk on his face. He moves out of the way and motions for me to walk out of the room first. I mumble a ‘thank you’ and move out of the room. I walk down the hallway to head to the living quarters. I subtly turn to look back and find that the colonel is only 2 paces behind me. 

“You wouldn’t happen to be following me, would you colonel?” I slow my walking down until he’s just behind me. I am engulfed by that smell of teakwood and outdoors again. I inhale slightly.

“No ma’am, just heading to my room.” He says, his southern accent is laced with amusement. “I bet you’d like it if I was following you though.” He laughs at his own joke. I mockingly laugh back.

“In your wildest dreams colonel.” I say, turning to him to give him a mocking look. 

“Please, just call me Miles.” 

“Oh so we’re on first name bases now, I just met you good sir.”

“Yes," He rolls his eyes, "but only if I can call you Ensley.” I stop in my tracks and slowly turn to look at him. I smile up at him and in return, he flashes those pearly whites at me. I feel my stomach start to do flips to be on the receiving end of his smiles. 

“Ye-Yea, you sure can, Miles.” I say with some extra dramatics. He smiles and chuckles before walking past me to head back down the hall. I watch him go. When he’s out of sight, I race to my room. It’s a small cozy room with a bed in the middle. There's a decently sized walk-in closet, a dresser, a small futon and some shelfs littered on the walls. There is also a small bathroom with a shower and toilet just off to the side. I sigh as I set my stuff down and plop on my bed. I enjoy that this is my one small place to call my own on this big unfamiliar planet. It keeps me sane. 

I sit up and realize that I am in desperate need of a shower. I move to my closet to grab my towel and pjs and walk into the bathroom to turn on the shower. I stand under the warm water for what feels like hours. My brain has not been able to stop and shut up for the last seven days. All because of him, Miles Quaritch. Thoughts of him have infested my mind. It doesn’t matter if it’s just him in general or if it’s my brain imagining what it might be like to have him on top of me. This is seriously getting ridiculous. 

I get out and dry my body off. Instead of putting my pajamas on, I take my naked body to my bed. I drop my towel before I lay down and I sprawl my body out messily on the bed. I stare off at the ceiling. I take deep breaths and try to calm myself. 

Aimlessly, my one hand slips from my stomach to my breast and the other down to my core. My fingers start to pinch and pull at my nipple and the other fingers start to rub my clit, both movements making my body erupt in pleasure. Soft gasps and sighs start to fill the room and thoughts of Miles begin to fill my mind. I go back to where I was before I was interrupted in the conference room earlier. 

Miles moves down to part my legs and places his head in between my thighs. I can feel his warm breath on my pussy and it makes me ache and yearn for him even more. 

“Tell me what you want sweetheart.” She says as he moves to hook his arms around my thighs, placing kisses on the inner skin of my thighs.

“I want your mouth. I want you to taste me.” I say breathlessly and he does exactly what I say for him to do. His mouth contexts with my clit and he sucks at the sensitive bud.

My hands continue to pinch and rub as I feel myself fall apart in my own hands. My orgasm starts to build and I work my hands faster, chasing my orgasm. I groan and moan as I still imagine him playing with my clit.

My climax hits me out of nowhere. My body twitches and my thighs squeeze around my hand as I ride it out. After I finish, I let go of my nipple and take my hand away from my clit and lay there limb for a bit. 

I’ve asked this question before and I'll ask it again: What is wrong with me? I’ve had two encounters with this man and I already want him between my thighs. I’m fucking crazy.

I sit up from my spot on my bed and contemplate what my next move is. I sit there for a bit, my back hunched and my arms hang lazily. I have an idea.

“I need another shower.”

Postnote: (Long, so bear with me.) I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. If I made any mistake or you have questions, message me! I'd love to hear from y'all. I will also be taking some suggestions on how to start the next chapter because I have no idea what to do. I will be making a posting schedule and that is to post once a week, whether it be this story or a different story. If you have requests, ask! Have a good rest of your week!

[aww-writing-no]

For @winterhawkbingo Round 5, Square O5: First Aid Done Poorly

Ao3 Link

Bandaid:

"Hawkeye, we need eyes at 3rd and Flagler," Steve called over the comms. "These things are swarming and we need a clear route to get the civilians into this parking garage." 

"Got it Cap," Clint said, abandoning his nest and taking off at a run. The intersection was two blocks over, but luckily the buildings in the Miami metropolitan area were relatively close together. He fired a grappling hook arrow and leapt off the roof, tucking his bow close to his chest and angling his body for a roll as he flew through the air. He rolled twice as he hit the neighboring roof, releasing the cable and using his remaining momentum to sprint across the roofs on this block. 

As he reached the end of the block, he fired another grappling hook arrow at the roof of the much taller building across the street. He pressed the button to retract the cable as he leapt, letting the mechanism carry him up. Unfortunately he hit the building before the cable finished retracting, but luckily he didn’t go through the window and was able to let the arrow bring him all the way to the top. 

Wrapping his fingers over the edge of the building, Clint flung himself the last couple of feet over the edge and dropped the cable. It would take too long to dislodge the grappling hook from the building, so he’d have to come back for that later. 

From there it was a straight shot across the block of buildings to reach 3rd and Flagler, so he didn't bother nocking another grappling hook arrow as he sprinted across the roofs. With just one more roof to go, Clint flung himself across the small gap between the buildings. 

"Oh shit," he had time to yelp as he realized this roof was about five stories lower than he'd expected. At least he hadn't been planning the same tuck and roll procedure he'd used earlier, he had time to think before landing. He let out an involuntary bark of pain as he felt his leg snap and sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth. Well, it could have been worse. It could have been his neck.

"Hawkeye?" Steve's voice asked in his ear piece. "Are you all right?" 

"I'm good," Clint said with a probably unconvincing grunt, given the rapid string of Russian swear words coming over the comms. "I'll have eyes on 3rd and Flagler in a minute," he said, popping his bow into the staff position and using it to lever himself to his feet.

"Bucky, provide backup at Clint's location," Steve said when Natasha finished swearing. 

"I said I was good, Cap," Clint protested as he limped as fast as he could across the rooftop, using his bow-turned-staff as a crutch and forcing himself to ignore the shooting pain in his leg with every step. This was gonna suck as soon as the adrenaline wore off. 

"Nobody believes you, Hawkeye," Bucky said, sounding slightly winded. "I'll be there in five." 

*

By the time Bucky got to his rooftop, Clint had taken care of most of the swarm, picking off the beetle-bots that got a little too close to Steve or Natasha’s groups and letting them herd the panicked civilians into the parking garage. Clint wasn’t entirely sure why Cap had chosen a parking lot as shelter, but hey, he wasn’t the star-spangled man with the plan. He was just here to shoot things. 

“Hey Bucky,” Clint said as casually as he could manage, picking off another one of the beetle-bots before turning to glance at Bucky. 

“Hey Clint,” he answered with a frown, eyes flicking from Clint’s face, down to his leg, and back up to his face. “This your definition of ‘fine’?” 

Clint shrugged, trying to ignore the waves of pain radiating up his leg. “I’m still standing.” 

Bucky rolled his eyes, muttering “barely” as he leaned over the balustrade to scope out the situation. He fired a few shots from his rifle before turning back to Clint. “That should hold them for now,” he said, still frowning. “Let’s get you sitting before you fall over,” he said, holstering the rifle and reaching towards Clint. 

“I’m fine,” Clint insisted, mostly because the thought of moving sounded more painful. 

Bucky narrowed his eyes. “You’re white as a sheet and look like you’re about to pass out.”

“See, I’m fine,” Clint said with a grin that turned into a grimace when Bucky moved to pluck the bow out of his hands. 

“Ground, now,” Bucky said brusquely, placing Clint’s bow on the ground with a gentleness that felt out of place with his tone. When Clint didn’t move, he slipped his hands under Clint’s arms, lifting and pivoting Clint to lean his back against the balustrade. 

Clint got with the program then, doing his best to breathe slowly so Bucky wouldn’t realize how close he felt to actually passing out. Judging by the look he was giving Clint, he wasn’t doing a particularly good job of it, but with Bucky’s help he managed to end up seated on the ground with his left leg sticking out in front of him. Bucky frowned at the angle of Clint’s leg, shaking his head as he stood up and turned his attention back to the intersection. 

“Watch my back,” he said gruffly, unholstering his rifle and taking a few shots. 

When Clint leaned over to reach for his bow, a pair of handguns dropped into his lap. A few seconds later a box of ammunition followed. 

“They’re loaded, don’t shoot yourself,” Bucky said when Clint picked up the guns. 

“I do know basic firearm safety,” Clint snapped, checking to make sure the safeties were on. They were – Bucky hadn’t dropped a couple of live weapons in his lap. “And what’s wrong with my bow?” he asked petulantly, knowing full well he couldn’t get a good draw on the longbow at this angle. 

“You can’t get a good draw in that position, and if you don’t know that you need to give me back those guns.” 

“No, I know,” Clint sighed when Bucky looked down at him. 

“Good,” Bucky said, turning his attention back to the street and firing a couple of shots. “And do something about that leg before you pass out from shock.”  

*

A few minutes that felt approximately like four millennia later Steve gave the all clear over the comms. Clint took a second to scan the ring of dead beetle-bots surrounding them on the roof before he re-engaged the safeties on Bucky’s handguns and laid them on the ground, barrels facing away. He let his head slump back to bump the wall and let out a heavy sigh.

“How’re you doing?” Bucky asked, stepping over Clint to pick up his guns and tuck them away. He squatted next to Clint and gave him an assessing glance, frowning when his eyes reached Clint’s leg. “What is that?”

“You told me to take care of it,” Clint said with a halfhearted shrug. “I didn’t pass out from shock and successfully covered your rear. I took care of it.”  

“Clint,” Bucky said, expression slowly morphing into a dead-eyed stare that Clint suspected had been the last thing a lot of people saw before being murdered by the Winter Soldier, “that is a bandaid.” 

“Yep,” Clint confirmed, popping the ‘p’. “It’s a Dog Cops bandaid. Tony gave them to me.” 

Bucky ground his teeth and Clint wondered if he was about to get murdered.

“Clint, your leg is at an angle that human legs should not be at. When I told you to take care of it, I expected you to maybe, I don’t know, elevate it? Splint it with something? Not stick a Dog Cops bandaid on the outside of your pants!”

“Oh,” Clint said. That did actually make a lot more sense. “Well, you should have been more specific.” 

Bucky scrubbed his hand against his face. It sounded like he muttered “what am I going to do with you?” before he tapped his comms unit and barked out a request for Sam’s assistance. 

“We’ve got a lot of civilian injuries down here,” Sam replied, voice echoing between Bucky’s comms unit and Clint’s earpiece. “Can it wait until Natasha brings in the quinjet?” 

“Clint thought putting a bandaid on the outside of his pants would fix a broken leg,” Bucky said flatly. 

“I’ll be right there,” Sam said, raising his voice to be heard over the loud string of Russian curses.

“Maybe you could kiss it better,” Clint suggested to Bucky in the silence after Natasha finished her tirade.

Bucky rolled his eyes, but planted a soft kiss on Clint’s temple. “Better?” he asked. 

Clint smiled, tipping his head back to lean it against the wall and closing his eyes. “Definitely.” 

[janeyseymour]

All I Ask

Loosely based off of two prompts: one where R asks Mel to hold her as more than just a friend the night before Mel goes on a first date, and another where both R and Mel are set up on blind dates (requested by @gwennybriggs)... enjoy.

WC: ~4.15k

One thing about Barbara Howard is that she loves to play match maker.

“All I’m saying, Melissa, is maybe it’s time to get yourself back out there!” Barbara antagonizes her best friend once again during a lunch period. The kindergarten teacher looks to you with a small smirk. She knows of your feelings for a certain redhead sitting in between the two of you, and she’s hoping that the second grade teacher will just take the damned hint. The kindergarten teacher also knows of the feelings that Melissa harbors for you. 

“And all I’m sayin’, Barbara,” Melissa says that name with a pointed tone. “Is that I don’t need no one in my life to ‘complete’ me, or whatever bullshit you wanna tell me being in love does.”

“Melissa, it’s been two years since you broke it off with Gary. Don’t you think it’s time to get yourself back out there? Just maybe?”

“I don’t need nobody- not when I have a happy life as it is.”

That is the end of the conversation for the time being, but then Melissa starts to think it over. Maybe what Barbara is saying is true- it’s been a while. And she does miss having someone to fall asleep with at night. Although… whenever you come over, the two of you end up curled up on the couch together, and occasionally you will spend the night in her bed with her.

It’s platonic. It’s just friends being friends. At least that’s what Melissa tells herself. That’s what you tell yourself too when you lay in bed with her at night and wonder if maybe, just maybe, this is something more. 

So the next time you’re over, Melissa asks you about it.

“What do you think about what Barb was saying the other day at school? About… finding love and all that shit?” the redhead asks you as her head lays in your lap.

You stiffen slightly, not sure if this is your chance to say anything. Green eyes look up to meet your own, trying to figure out your thoughts.

“I mean, I think it might be good for you,” you shrug softly.

“Well,” she says as she sits up to look at you more intensely. “What about for you? Miss eternally single?”

The reason you’ve been single as long as you have been is because of your feelings for the redhead, not that she knows it. You shrug your shoulders ever so slightly, letting her know that you have hesitations in your answer. “I guess maybe I could consider going out on a date or something.”

So the next day at school, during lunch, love lives are the topic of the staff room.

“I was thinking… what if we set you up with someone I know?” Barbara asks. “C’mon, you know I would pick someone good for you.”

Melissa sighs a great breath. “Will it get you off my back if I say yes?” At the kindergarten teacher’s nod, the redhead swallows harshly before, “Fine.”

“Oh, how wonderful. I know just who I should set you up with!”

“You know, Y/N and I were talkin’ last night, and she’s thinkin’ ‘bout getting back into the dating game too. You know of anyone to set her up with, Lowercase?” Melissa asks.

Janine’s eyes brighten, and you can swear you see them almost start to sparkle at the idea of getting to play match maker for you. “I do!”

“Oi,” you roll your eyes and shake your head. You elbow the second grade teacher sitting next to you gently. “Way to throw me under the bus.”

“If I gotta do it, so d’you.”

As you and the redheaded second grade teacher head out a few minutes early to use the restroom before picking up your kids from lunch, Barbara whips around to look at Janine and the rest of the group.

“I’m going to say something, and what I say must be kept between those of us in this room,” the veteran teacher says seriously. “That means nobody will tell Melissa or Y/N.”

“Barb, how am I supposed to not tell them?” Jacob asks incredulously.

Barbara stares him down intensely. “If you cannot vow to not say a word to your roommate about this, then you may leave.”

The social studies teacher’s hands raise in surrender, and he urges her silently to continue.

“You’ve all noticed the way those two are always together, and Y/N has stolen my work wife, yes?”

She’s met with a chorus of affirmations as well as head nods. Jacob puts in that you’re almost always over, and that occasionally you end up spending the night after a glass too many.

“I’ve had about enough of this tiptoeing around that those two love sick fools are doing,” Barbara rolls her eyes. “So, I am going to pretend to send Melissa up with one of my friends. Janine, you will set up Y/N with one of your friends. And we all ensure together that the two of them end up in the same place at the same time without them finding out that they will be showing up to the same date, yes?”

“Oh my god!” Jacob grins and claps his hands together in excitement. “We all get to play match maker!”

“Do you see now why we mustn’t speak a word of this to Melissa or Y/N?” Barbara looks at the excited man pointedly.

He gives a serious nod.

That day, Barbara gives a talking head to the camera men. Janine joins her. 

“When Barbara Howard wants something, Barbara Howard gets that thing,” the kindergarten teacher states. “And what Barbara Howard wants now more than anything is for those two to get their heads out of their asses. The two of them… flirting harder than Janine and Gregory were before they finally pulled their acts together.”

“Hey!” Janine gasps. “Did I only get pulled into this interview to get insulted?”

The veteran teacher just gives her a knowing look and a pat on the shoulder.

The next day, Barbara comes in with a pep in her step as she knows that her plan will soon be put into place.

“What has you in such a chipper mood?” Melissa asks as she pours herself and you a cup of coffee before the kids come in. The redhead places your cup where she knows you’ll end up once you show up for the day.

The kindergarten teacher looks to Janine, who is sitting very quietly (for once), before grinning. “I found the perfect person for you to go out on a date with.”

“Oh?”

“A friend of mine,” is all Barb offers up. “So, you have a date at six tomorrow night at The Dandelion.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Would you rather I change it to tonight?”

A blush creeps into the second grade teacher’s cheeks. “No. No thank you.”

It’s only a few minutes later that you walk into the room, cheeks flushed from the cool air outside. 

“Hey,” Melissa smiles softly at you. She juts her chin out in the direction of your steaming hot cup of coffee. “Made it for you already.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” you grin as you go to put your lunch in the refrigerator. “I think I’m going to need it today.”

“Well,” the second grade teacher chuckles as you sit down next to her. “If you need another cup, you know you can always ask me to grab you another.”

You lay a gentle hand on her knee and squeeze it affectionately. “You’re the best.”

Mr. Johnson smirks at the camera.

Because the group has conspired to set the two of you up unknowingly to you and Melissa, no one speaks of the redhead’s date at lunch- much to her surprise. Melissa will take it though- not having to deal with the crew on her back about it.

“You comin’ back to my place today?” the second grade teacher asks as you’re packing up your lunch.

You nod with a small smile as you nudge her affectionately. “I’ll bring the wine?”

“Should I bring enough for Jacob too?”

“I will be out with a new man, so no need,” the social studies teacher cuts into your conversation. “Hopefully, this one works out.”

So, you and your coworker end up on the couch together after a long day with a delicious meal and a rather full glass of wine in front of each of you.

“So, anything interesting happen at school today for you?” you ask as you lay your head down in the redhead’s lap.

Melissa hums softly before sighing. “Barb is setting me up with her friend. I have a date tomorrow.”

Your eyes widen ever so slightly. “Oh?”

She shrugs, trying to gauge how you feel about that. And thankfully, you’re able to mask your true emotions on the matter. “That’s nice. It seems like everyone is starting to put themselves out there lately.”

“I’m sure Janine will find someone for you soon enough,” the redhead tells you. “You’re a catch, and someone is bound to see that sooner or later.”

You grimace. You’re not so sure about that. And even if you were, you only want one person, and it’s becoming more and more clear to you that you’ll never have your chance with her. So, in that moment, you decide that starting tomorrow maybe you need to start distancing yourself from Melissa in order to get over this silly crush you have on her. You have to get yourself back out there without her constantly lingering in the back of your mind.

“Hun,” she thinks she’s reading you like a book. “C’mon, you’re a great woman. Anyone with eyes can see that you’re beautiful, and then when you let your personality shine through… you’re the real-”

You shake your head as you sit up. “Can we just… not talk about this right now? I just want to enjoy tonight with you… savor our time alone while I can before someone swoops in and steals you from me.”

Green eyes meet yours, filled with a pleading look to just drop the matter of the conversation. It’s clear to you that she wants to continue to try to boost your confidence and build you up, but she relents. “So, did anything interesting happen at school with you today?”

After polishing off the bottle of wine that you brought over, Melissa ends up bringing out a second bottle. You hate to admit that you perhaps have a few too many glasses just because you’re trying to drown out your sorrows about not ever being able to tell the woman next to you how you feel and that this is probably the last night you’ll have with her where things are exactly the way they are now.

“C’mon, hun,” Melissa nudges you gently after your head has hit her shoulder for the fourth time that night. “Let’s just head to bed.”

You nod against her shoulder sleepily, but you make no moves to get up.

“Y/N,” the redhead nudges you again. “C’mon.”

“I’m comfortable here,” you yawn out. “You’re comfortable.”

“I can be comfortable up in my bed too,” Melissa retorts with a small laugh. “I can’t sleep on a couch anymore, so c’mon.”

You let out a small whine but disentangle yourself from her own limbs before looking at her with a pout.

“Trust me,” your coworker sighs as she sets a hand on the small of your back to guide you up the steps. “You being grumpy and getting up for a proper night’s sleep is much better than me being a bitch tomorrow because I woke up sore after a night of sleeping on the couch.”

You nod your head begrudgingly. The two of you crawl into bed as you usually do- both having respective sides. A chill rushes through you as the wine drunkenness begins to wear off and your met with the cool sensation of Melissa’s fan running in her bedroom.

“You cold?” the redhead asks as she lifts an arm for you to scoot under.

You nod as you shimmy into her space with a soft smile. Her arm wraps around you and pulls you even closer.

In a rather bold move, instead of laying your head on her shoulder, you turn to face her with a sad smile.

“What’s wrong?” Melissa asks you. “Are you still cold? Should I get extra blankets?”

You shake your head. “I just… things are going to change if all goes well with you and this man Barb’s setting you up with, and if Janine ever finds someone for me.”

Melissa just hums. She’s not quite sure what to say to you about this. What you’re saying is true, and it’s becoming clear to her that you aren’t necessarily thrilled with that. If she’s being honest with herself, she isn’t too fond of the idea of things changing between the two of you either.

“And… I know it’s dumb, and I know that we aren’t together, but I like what we have,” you mumble.

“I do too, hun,” Melissa squeezes your hand gently.

“Can we just… pretend for tonight?”

“What do you mean?” Green eyes look at you curiously.

“Pretend that we’re not scared of what’s coming next, or scared of having nothing left?” You quote Adele’s lyrics unknowingly. “Like… if this is my last night with you, where everything is how it usually is, can you hold me like I’m more than just a friend?” You know you’re still drunk, or at least somewhat intoxicated. If Melissa shoots you down, you can blame the alcohol. And if she doesn’t, tomorrow you can excuse your question with the alcohol too. What do you really have to lose? Not much, if you’re being honest with yourself.

The way that she pulls you close to her and wraps her arms around your waist simultaneously makes your heart grow three sizes and break. What is happening feels so right, but you know that this is only one time. It won’t ever happen again. You feel warm lips against your neck, and you inhale deeply. Why can’t this dream of yours be a reality?

As the redhead beside you gently nips at your neck, just once, she too has feelings of regret. Why is it that she only wants you right now?

The two of you fall asleep dreaming about the same thing- a life together. 

You wake first, and the feeling of still being in Melissa’s arms has you practically swooning. If anything, throughout the night, she held onto you tighter than she had while awake. It’s warm and domestic, and you can smell the perfume she was wearing last night as it surrounds and intoxicates you.

You lay there in a peaceful bliss until her alarm starts going off. She wakes with a small jolt before her eyes peel open, and you’re met with her sparkling eyes.

“Hey, hun,” Melissa smiles at you. “You sleep off all that wine last night?”

You roll your eyes playfully as you prepare to pull yourself away from her- as much as you don’t want to. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Hungover at all?”

You shake your head, only to sheepishly start nodding before rolling away from her. “My head is pounding.”

“Well, you know where the advil is,” the second grade teacher chuckles as she starts to sit up. “And I’ll make us breakfast and coffee, so hopefully the hangover lessens.”

As you get ready, neither of you speak of the events that happened last night. You quietly note that you’re surprised Jacob didn’t make his way back to the apartment last night, but that’s really all the two of you talk about. And then you’re off to Abbott in your car, while she follows behind in her own.

At school, you don’t settle in next to the redhead like you usually would for the morning news. Instead, you make up a lame excuse about having to do work in your classroom. You don’t even take the offered second cup of coffee from your coworker. You have to start distancing yourself if you’re going to survive working at her while she starts dating again.

During lunch, you make your way into the staff room quietly and grab your meal from the refrigerator before trying to make your way out relatively unnoticed. It doesn’t work. Of course, Melissa wants you to sit with her like you usually do.

“I- I think I need some peace and quiet,” you offer meekly. “But thanks.”

You’re out the door by the time Melissa is huffing about your actions. “Girl damn near lost her mind, I swear.”

It’s towards the end of the day when Janine approaches you.

“Janine, I really can’t today if you’re going to try to rope me into ‘saving the school’ again,” you sigh as you begin to gather your things in your arms. 

“It’s nothing like that,” the energetic woman tells you quickly. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you all day.”

“Didn’t really look at my phone today,” you grumble.

“Well, I wish you would’ve. I know you have nothing to do after school today, so… my friend got back to me. You have a date tonight.”

“I’m not going on a-”

“Yes, you are,” Janine tells you in a strict, out of character, tone. “Be at The Dandelion at six.”

“Janine,” you groan. “I just want to-”

“You’ll be at The Dandelion, or my friend is going to be really pissed with me. Please.”

“Why should I?”

“Because,” the short woman struggles to come up with an answer on the fly. “Because you’ve been single for so long, and with everyone else getting back out there again… it might be good for you. C’mon, just one date. That’s all my friend is asking for- and then… if you don’t like it, you don’t have to do it again.”

“Fine.”

Janine squeals happily. “My friend will be in a green shirt tonight, so keep an eye out.” The second grade teacher knows what Melissa will be wearing because that was the topic of the staff room today at lunch, which you were not at.

You’re absolutely dreading this. You do not want to be at The Dandelion to go on a date with one of Janine’s friends. And yet, you still find yourself changing into a pair of jeans and a nicer shirt to go to dinner.

Upon your arrival, you survey the area, only to discover that you’re there before your mystery person in green. You find a seat at the bar and sigh, ordering a glass of wine.

About five minutes later, you see someone in green walk in, but they look oddly familiar. It- It’s Melissa. Fuck. She too surveys the area, clearly looking for her date. The redhead has no such luck, but she does lock eyes with you and give a small wave before making her way over.

“What are you doing here?” she asks quietly. “Come to spy on my date?”

You take a sip of your wine. “Actually, Janine set me up on a date, but they aren’t here yet.”

Melissa hums indifferently. “Neither is my date. What do you say we just wait together here?”

Not necessarily knowing how to reject her offer, you nod and pull out the stool next to you for her to sit on. She too orders a glass of wine, and once she’s served, she looks at you.

“So, we gonna talk about why you pulled away from all of us today at school?”

You blow out a breath. “I had some things to do in my classroom.” You can tell those green eyes boring into your soul don’t believe you, so you attempt to change the subject. “How were the kids today for you?”

By 6:25, neither of your dates have shown. The two of you are sitting together quietly nursing your wine and still looking around.

When the time hits 6:30, you sigh. “Do you think they’re going to show?”

The redhead glances down at her watch. “Half an hour late, and still not here? I doubt it.”

“What the fuck?” you groan. “I’m going to kill Janine.”

“Barb ain’t gettin any of my meatballs any time soon,” your coworker grumbles as she pulls out her phone.

You dial Janine, fully intending on giving her a piece of your mind. She picks up after two rings.

“Hey! How’s it going?” she answers as cheerily as she always does.

“Your stupid friend never showed up,” you grit out.

You can practically see the face Janine makes as she gasps out a, “What? No, they did!”

“No they didn’t!” you hiss into the phone. “I’ve been sitting here for the last half an hour waiting for someone in green to show up, and no one has!”

“No, my friend definitely showed up, I know it.”

At the same time, Melissa is on the phone with Barbara.

“Barb, your friend never showed! I’ve been sitting here with Y/N for the last half hour waiting.”

“My friend definitely did show,” Barbara’s voice is calm and steady as always.

It takes the two of you a few seconds to let their words sink in before you realize you’ve been played.

“You set us up,” both you and Melissa hiss into the phones at the same time.

Only then do both of your coworker step out of a booth with smiles on their faces. “Maybe.” They both hang up, wave to you with shit eating grins, and then head out of the restaurant together. 

Slowly, you turn to Melissa with wide eyes. She does the same.

“So, you’re my date?” she asks you.

“You’re mine?” you stammer out. “But I-”

“Those two are going to get it tomorrow.”

You let out a nervous chuckle as you tuck a few locks of hair behind your ear. “Yeah. They are.”

“Well,” the redhead sighs. “I guess we should get a table and have dinner.”

“You- you want to go on this date with me?” you fumble over your words. At her nod, you blush, but the smile that washes over your face is genuine and radiant.

Dinner is nice- it’s… it’s different than the other meals the two of you have shared in the past though. Conversation flows easily between the two of you as it usually does, before she takes a deep breath.

“Y/N, we should… we should talk about this.”

Her tone tells you that she’s not interested in the slightest, and you grimace. “I can just… I can just go.” You go to grab your handbag, but a hand stops you as fingers wrap around your wrist.

“I didn’t mean that,” she rolls her eyes. She tugs you in close, and her lips meet yours softly for the first time.

Your eyes go wide as you realize that the woman of your dreams is sitting here kissing you before you reciprocate. And… wow. 

“Y-you-” you stammer out once you’ve pulled away.

She just chuckles and kisses you again. Mumbled against your lips are the words, “I’m glad you’re my date, and not someone else.”

All you can do is smile. Once you pull away, you tell her, “I am too. I was not looking forward to going out with one of Janine’s friends.”

“I mean,” Melissa nudges you. “You kind of are going out with one of her friend’s right now.”

You shrug. “I guess she didn’t lie when she told me I was meeting her friend. I just… didn’t expect it to be you.”

“I didn’t expect you to be Barb’s friend either, hun,” your coworker teases you.

That night, you end up back at her place, and unlike last night where the two of you were just pretending to hold and be held as more than just a friend, it’s real. You are more than friend’s now- doing what lovers do. It’s soft, it’s sweet, it’s domestic, it’s warm… it’s everything you could’ve dreamed of when it comes to Melissa.

Your hand is laced in hers as you walk into the staff room the next morning, and Barbara and Janine look rather content with the charade that they had pulled off the night before. It’s clear to you that the others are aware of the situation before them, as Jacob can only grin and fist pump somewhat discretely.

“You still ain’t getting my meatballs anytime soon,” Melissa grumbles at her work wife as she makes her way over to the coffee machine.

“Well worth it, Melissa dear,” the kindergarten teacher chuckles into her own mug. “Well worth it if it means that the two of you finally got your heads out of your asses and are together.”

TAGS: (and let me know if you want to be included!): @schemmentis @thesapphictimelady @marvel210 @itisdoctortoyousir @morgana-larkin @doesthatsuggestanythingtoyou @marvels--slut @gwennybriggs @megamultifandomtrashposts @lemz378 @http-sam @melissaschemmentisbranzino @imaginesmultifandoms @sexysapphicshopowner @lilfartbox1 @maybe-a-humanbean @imlike-so-gaydude @a-queen-and-her-throne @notinmyvocab @melanielaufeyson @dvrkhcld @cosmichymns @sasheemo @m1lflov3rrr @ricejucie

[sugdenlovesdingle]

Here it FINALLY is Tarlos @flufftober day 5: ... +1

this is soooo late and I rewrote it sooo many times and I'm soooo behind on flufftober… but life™ got in the way - you know how it is. I'm going to try get back on schedule over the weekend!

Under Arrest (AO3)

5 times Carlos had to arrest a member of the 126 + 1 time he got arrested himself

---

1 TK

“Reyes, I’ve got one more in holding from the bar fight, can you process him and get rid of him?”

“You mean let him sleep it off in the drunk tank?” Carlos asked his coworker. He hated the overnight shifts on weekends. They were always filled with people getting drunk and doing stupid shit.

“Nope. He’s sober.”

“What? Did you pick him up by accident?”

“Nope. According to the staff he’s the one that started it all.”

“Why would anyone pick a fight in a bar while sober?”

“I don’t know man, ask him yourself, I put him by your desk.” Jackson said and handed him a tablet. “Have fun. I’m taking my break now.” He said and walked away

“Yeah, thanks…” Carlos mumbled and pulled up the arrest record. “Hey are you sure this name is correct?” he called out to Jackson who was on his way to the coffee machine.

“Yeah, it’s what’s on his ID.” He shrugged. “Why?”

“No reason… just… an unusual name I guess.”

“Ah yeah the double name. It’s common in Europe. My wife is from France. Her brother’s name is Jean Pierre.”

Carlos nodded.

“Well… I’ll go process Tyler Kennedy then…” Carlos said and went to pick up TK’s personal belongings before making his way over to his desk.

He took a moment to compose himself. He was a professional, he could do this. He could process the guy he’d hooked up with a few times. No big deal. It’s not like they were a couple. TK had made it perfectly clear he wasn’t interested in that.

He dropped the bag with TK’s phone and wallet on the desk next to his face, making the other man look up.

He had a split lip and was holding an ice pack to the side of his face. Carlos suspected someone had taken pity on him and given him the ice pack as well as some range of motion by cuffing his hands together instead of to the side of Carlos’ desk.

“Hello TK. Or should I say Tyler Kennedy?”

TK groaned.

“Please don’t call me that.”

“Austin is a small town, TK. If you didn’t want me to know your full name you shouldn’t have gotten yourself arrested. Want to tell me what happened?”

“Not particularly.” TK mumbled. “Isn’t you processing me some kind of conflict of interest?”

“Why would it be? It’s not like we are anything to each other, are we?” Carlos said, doing his best to stay professional and not do something stupid like wrapping TK up in a hug.

TK stared at him for a moment before, reluctantly, starting to explain what he’d done to end up handcuffed at the police station and Carlos began to understand the mystery that was TK Strand a little more.

He tapped his tablet to pull up the right form and made TK sign for his belongings before taking off the handcuffs.

“You’re sober, nobody is pressing charges… so you’re free to go.” He said and watched TK gather his phone, keys, and wallet.

“I’ll see you around.” TK mumbled.

“Yeah. Hopefully not like this. Please get some better coping mechanisms."

---

2 Owen

“Of course sir, we take this kind of thing very seriously.” Carlos heard one of his coworkers say as he walked back into the precinct after his lunch break. He was in a good mood, he’d spent his break with TK at the firehouse and things were getting better between them every day.

They’d planned a date night for later in the week when they both had the day off. Carlos would cook and TK would stay over. Something which was happening a lot more often lately.

The rest of the crew had teased them for acting like an old married couple but they’d just laughed it off.

“Yes sir, I will send a uniform unit to make the arrest and bring him in for questioning. I will keep you updated. Alright. You too sir.”

The coworker ended phone call just as Carlos walked past their desk on the way to his own.

“Reyes. A job for you. You need to pick someone up for assault. Take Mitchell for back up.”

“But I just got back from lunch. I have paperwork to catch up on.” Carlos protested. He’d hoped for a quiet afternoon where he could maybe sneak in a little dinner planning and texts to TK.

“That can wait. Did you not hear that call just now? This guy pissed the wrong people off. You need to go pick him up.”

“Fine. Give me the details.”

“Sent to your phone.”

“Oh… oh no… I can’t do this.” Carlos said when he checked the message. He was breaking out in a cold sweat just by thinking about it.

“And why is that? You’re free, it’s your job… it’s one guy.”

“Yeah… but Owen Strand is my boyfriend’s father.”

“Oh… have you been together long?”

“A few months.”

“Well that’s alright then. It’s not like you’re married. Just go pick the guy up. And hope your boyfriend doesn’t find out.”

Half an hour later Carlos was sitting in his cruiser outside the firehouse, trying to work up the nerve to go in.

“Maybe you could make the arrest?” He asked Mitchell. “I’ll just be back up.”

“I would but… that might make it even worse.” Mitchell said sympathetically. “You just standing there while this bitch of a partner of yours drags his poor old dad off to jail? Not doing anything to stop it?”

Carlos dropped his head forward on the steering wheel.

“I hate it when you’re right.”

They got out of the car and walked into the firehouse. TK was leaning on the rig, talking to Paul and Carlos could tell the exact moment he saw him.

A bright and happy smile spread over his face and he walked up to him to greet him.

“Hey babe, back so soon? Did you miss me?” he gave him a quick kiss hello.

“Yeah… uhm I’m not here on a social call…” he glanced around but of course Owen Strand was nowhere to be seen.

Mitchell lined up beside him.

“We’re looking for Captain Owen Strand.” She said in a serious tone. “Do you know where we can find him?”

“You’ve found him, officer.” Owen walked up to them. “What can I do for you?”

“Carlos what’s going on?” TK asked, confused.

Carlos didn’t reply, just took a deep breath and grabbed the handcuffs from his belt.

“I’m sorry sir, I really wish I didn’t have to do this… but I’m going to need you to turn around and put your hands behind your head.” He said and avoided looking at TK as Owen did what he asked him and let him put the cuffs on him. “Captain Owen Strand, you are under arrest for assault. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you do say, can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

---

3 Marjan

“Unit 363H20, there is another disturbance call at former fire station 126. Are you available?”

“Unit 363H20 responding.” Carlos said into his radio, already knowing what, or rather who, he’d find at the location he was getting sent to.

When he got out of his cruiser he was met by an annoyed foreman.

“Officer, we can’t do our jobs like this. She’s destroyed our equipment again and she’s chained herself to the doors. We can’t work like this but I still have to pay my people. She’s ruining our business.”

“I understand sir, but she’s on public property and there is no official order from a judge saying she can’t be here…” Carlos sighed. He’d had this conversation far too many times lately. “I will go talk to her.”

“Can’t you arrest her? For trespassing or something?”

“I’m afraid not. Like I said, she’s on public grounds. You or someone from your company is free to file for a restraining order. If that gets issued and she still comes here, I can arrest her for violating that. I’ll go talk to her now.”

“So if you haven’t done so already, please donate to my fundraiser, together we can save the 126!” Marjan said to her phone, obviously live streaming her entire protest. Again. “And look, here’s Carlos! Say hi to Carlos everyone.” She said when she noticed Carlos walking over.

“Chica we have to stop meeting like this.”

“Oh come on, it’s always nice to catch up with friends.” Marjan said, still filming. “How have you been? You look tired.”

“I’m fine. I’d be better if I didn’t have to pick you up every other day.”

“He’s lying guys. He’s not fine. He got his heart broken and he won’t tell us what happened. His ex won’t either. They’re so stubborn.”

“Ok, that’s enough. No need to broadcast the state of my love life to the entire world. Please stop filming now.”

“Uh oh, he’s serious guys. I better go. But remember, my fundraiser is still open! Please give what you can, and spread the word! Bye for now!” Marjan said and stop her stream.

“Thank you. Now lets go. I hear you’ve put sawdust in the engines again, so they won’t be doing anything today.”

“They have no proof of that.”

Carlos sighed.

“Yeah, just come with me. Show them I’m doing my job. You’ve caused enough trouble for one day don’t you think?”

“It’s called civil disobedience. I’m merely exercising my rights.” Marjan said, a little too loudly so the workmen heard her too.

Carlos decided to let it go and opened the door of his cruiser for her so she could get into the backseat.

“They’re going to get a restraining order against you.” He warned her when he got behind the wheel. “And if you violate that I have to actually arrest you.”

“I promise I won’t do it if you’re on shift then.” She promised and Carlos wondered if that would be better or worse. “By the way can you drop me off at the other firehouse? My shift starts in an hour.”

“You know that’s not how it works, chica. I have to take you to the station and process you before I send you on your way.”

“Right.” Marjan sat back for a second before pressing her face up to the barrier behind Carlos’ head. “Can you turn on the lights and sirens then? If we hurry I might still make it.”

Carlos rolled his eyes but after a moment still flicked the switch and pressed down on the gas a little harder.

---

4 Owen

“Alright, we have to be smart about this. We only have an estimate on how many people will be in there, and they’ll most likely be armed. Be careful, be alert, but only grab the people on the list you’ve been given. Let’s get in and out as quickly as possible without anyone getting hurt.” Carlos’ captain was briefing the team that had been put together for a raid on a bar popular with white supremacists. “We’re supporting the FBI on this so follow their lead at all times.” He stepped aside to let the FBI agent in charge of the operation to address the team herself.

“Thank you captain. I have very little to add to this, other than a slight update to our list of suspects. There are a few more names on there and we’ve pulled pictures from surveillance footage so you know which face goes with the names.” She told them while another agent handed out the updated list.

When Carlos got his and he quickly scanned it, his heart sank.

“Uh… sorry ma’am… are… are you sure this list is correct?” he asked.

“Why wouldn’t it be officer… Reyes.” She glanced at his nametag.

“I uh… I recognise one of the names and I just don’t think he’s involved in anything…” He trailed off.

“I can assure you officer that we’ve checked all of these suspects’ involvement and all of these are people we can charge with dealing in illegal firearms, drug trafficking, money laundering, or being a member of a terrorist organisation. Or any combination of those. So whatever petty criminal you recognise and think belong on there, trust me when I say that they do.”

Carlos nodded.

“Yes ma’am.”

He read over the list again and stared at the picture that went with the name and severely regretted volunteering for this raid. The extra money would be nice but the fall out it would cause was already giving him a headache.

“Alright everyone, let’s head out.” Carlos’ captain said and clapped his hands to get everyone moving.

“Hey…” Lexi Mitchell fell into step beside him and Carlos was never more grateful she regularly signed up for these kind of things. “I saw the list… isn’t that…”

“Yeah.” Carlos cut her off quickly, not wanting the rest of the team to overhear anything.

“Did you know he was into this?”

“No. And he’s not. It can’t be right.”

“You heard the FBI agent…”

“I know. But I just… it can’t be. I know him. He wouldn’t.”

“I guess he would.”

“It can’t be.” Carlos shook his head. “I just have to get to him before anyone else does. Make sure I’m the one to make the arrest.”

“Isn’t that a conflict of interest?”

“I don’t think so. TK and I are not married yet.”

“Alright… it’s your funeral.”

The drive over was tense and when the first officers entered the building, Carlos followed them on auto pilot.

He knew what to do, he’d been trained for this. He knew how to keep a clear head amid the chaos.

Only all of that went out the window when he saw Owen standing near the bar, looking bewildered at the raid being carried out around him.

Thankfully nobody else had seen him yet and Carlos pushed through the crowd or bar patrons and fellow officers to get to him.

“Carlos!” Owen said happily when he saw him, but doing a double take when he noticed the rifle in his hands and the Kevlar vest he was wearing.

“You need to come with me.” Carlos said, grabbing his elbow.

“Carlos what’s going on?”

“You’re on our arrest list. I’m arresting you so nobody else will. Just come with me and do as I say.”

Thankfully Owen was smart enough to listen to him and let Carlos lead him outside.

“Just sit down here. I don’t know how, but I’ll get you out of this.”

“Officer, when you make an arrest, please make sure your detainee can’t hurt you or himself.” One of the FBI agents reminded him and kept watching him to make sure he followed protocol.

“Of course. I was just about to do that.” He grabbed a zip tie from his belt. “Turn around, hands behind your back.” He ordered and thankfully Owen did what he was told and let Carlos secure his hands behind his back.

“Don’t forget to read him his rights. We wouldn’t want the case to fall apart on a technicality.”

“Of course, sir. I won’t forget, sir.” He turned to Owen and mumbled a quick I’m sorry to the man before taking a deep breath. “You have the right to remain silent, anything you do say, can and will be held against you in a court of law.”

---

5 TNT

“Yes Nance! Come on!” TK braced himself in the back of the ambulance as Nancy raced through the streets of Austin. Lights and sirens going, full speed ahead.

Surely they’d beat Paragon to the scene.

“Ok next right and then we should get ahead of them!” Tommy said over the radio.

It was a little reckless and petty but beating Paragon was worth more than maintaining professional conduct.

“Ok hold on! It’s going to be close!” Nancy yelled and TK had a feeling she just took the corner on two wheels.

“Yes! We’re in front of them! We’re going to get there first!” Tommy yelled excitedly.

Only suddenly another, slightly different, siren joined the two ambulances.

“Is that APD?” Nancy asked over the radio. “I don’t see them in my mirrors.”

“Ignore it, they probably just got called to the same scene as us.” TK reasoned as they drove the last of the way to the scene.

Nancy parked the ambulance and the three of them got out, ready to get to work before the Paragon guys could take charge of the scene.

Tommy started giving out orders, while Nancy and TK grabbed their gear.

None of them even acknowledged the APD cruiser pulling up.

“Captain Vega.” Someone said and Tommy looked up.

“Oh hi Carlos. Did you get called out here too?”

“I did, yes… Do you have a minute?”

“Uh not really, we’re kind of in the middle of something here. You’re going to have to walk and talk with me.”

“Captain Vega I suggest you call for a second ambulance and listen to what my colleague here has to say.” A second officer said as he got out of the car.

Carlos was looking increasingly uncomfortable and like he’d rather be anywhere than here in this moment.

For a minute TK thought he was going to be sick.

“Carlos what’s going on?” he asked.

Carlos cleared his throat and looked at a spot somewhere over Tommy’s left shoulder.

“I uh… Sgt O’Brien and I… have gotten word of some uh… complaints made against you. All… three… of you.”

“Complaints? By who? We’re just doing our jobs.” TK said indignant.

“Let me guess, those Paragon roaches are the ones who complained?” Nancy asked, glaring at the Paragon ambulance that had pulled up and started to get to work.

“I’m afraid I can’t disclose that information but I’m going to need you to follow my colleague and I to the station.” O’Brien told them. “And I would suggest you go willingly, none of us want to cause a scene.”

“May I ask what these complaints are?” Tommy asked, doing her best to stay calm.

“Officer Reyes, if you please.”

Carlos nodded and pulled a small notepad out of his pocket.

“Reckless driving, endangerment, harassment, and you violated various traffic laws on the way over here.”

“I had the lights and siren on!” Nancy protested. “You can’t pin traffic violations on someone driving an ambulance!”

“I’m sure we can figure it all out down at the station.” Carlos told her. “I’m sure it’s just a big misunderstanding.”

“Oh no it’s perfectly clear. The Paragon assholes just can’t handle us beating them to scenes!”

“Captain Vega, I will ride in the ambulance with you, the other two can go with my colleague in the car.” O’Brien decided, ignoring Nancy’s angry ranting.

“Very well. After you sergeant.” Tommy said, holding out her hand to Nancy for the keys to the ambulance. “We’ll see you down there.” She told TK and Nancy and gave Carlos’ shoulder a quick squeeze in passing.

The three of them watched her and O’Brien get in the ambulance and drive away.

The second they were out of sight, Carlos closed his eyes for a second and let out the breath he’d been holding.

“I am so sorry. He insisted on riding with me today and I don’t know why. I think he’s figured out our connection and wants to test me or something. I couldn’t get out of it.” He rambled.

“Babe, relax.” TK discretely grabbed his hand, trying to remain somewhat professional. “It’s just people using you to get us. We’ll figure it out.”

“I’m sorry. I hate this so much.”

“Yeah, us too. But we better get going and head to the station. I don’t want you to get in trouble for not following orders.” TK said and the three of them walked to Carlos’ cruiser and got in.

TK really wanted to get into the front with Carlos but decided it would look better if he was in the back with Nancy. The last thing he wanted was for Carlos to get into trouble because of him.

“We’ll get these stupid charges dropped, and them I’m suing the hell out of those Paragon assholes!” Nancy vowed and if Carlos had lowered the window a little when they passed the Paragon crew, well that was their secret and nobody needed to know.

---

+1 Carlos himself

“Hey baby, where are you?” TK asked over the phone. He was working while Carlos had a few days off, and judging by the constant stream of texts, it was a slow day for the 126.

“I’m just getting a few things for dinner tomorrow night.” Carlos replied, parking his car in front of the store.

“Oh are you at the farmers market?”

“No, I thought I’d try something different. I’m at that Asian supermarket near that new bakery by the park.”

“The one we went to last week? With the good cupcakes?”

“Yeah the ones with the filling you liked. Do you want me to pick a few up for us?”

“It’s your birthday and you’re feeding me cake. What’s wrong with this picture?” TK deadpanned.

Carlos laughed.

“It’s not my birthday yet. So I can still treat my husband to his favourite cupcakes.”

“I knew there was a good reason I married you.” TK joked.

“For the cupcakes?”

“Yes. And you’re also really good in bed.”

Carlos choked on air and hoped to god Nancy wasn’t in earshot or she’d never let them live this down.

“Ok I’m at the store now, so I’m going to hang up. I’ll see you at home later.”

“Or you could come down here and keep us company.” TK suggested. “Maybe we can even have some fun in the bunk room.”

“And risk getting caught again? No thanks. Let’s just do that at home.”

“Spoilsport.” TK said and Carlos could picture the playful pout on his husband’s face.

“That’s me.” He said laughingly. “I love you. Bye babe.”

“I love you too baby. See you soon.” TK replied and they ended the call.

Carlos grabbed his stuff and his shopping bag and headed into the store. He liked the place, it was near the place where his old townhouse had been and back then he’d shop there often. Only these days they lived on the other side of town so it was more of a special occasion than a regular shopping trip.

He greeted the woman working the check out and started browsing the aisles. He had a few ideas for the family dinner they had planned for tomorrow, and he figured he’d just decide on what to make depending on the ingredients he could find.

He’d gotten a little lost in thoughts when he bumped into someone.

“Oh, sorry.” He quickly apologised before recognising one of his colleagues. “Oh hi, doing some shopping too?”

“Not exactly.” The guy said.

“Please put the basket down.” Mitchell said, coming up on his other side.

“What’s going on? Lexi? What the hell?” Carlos asked when he glanced down at her hands and saw her holding a pair of handcuffs.

“I could ask you the same thing. Shoplifting? Really?”

“What are you talking about? I just got here. I haven’t even left the store!”

“Oh so you definitely weren’t putting things in your bag that you weren’t going to pay for? And pretend the alarm was going off for no reason when you walk out the store?”

“This is ridiculous. Lexi you know me. I would never steal!”

“Yeah that’s what they all say. You’re coming with us. You know the drill. Turn around hands behind your head, interlace your fingers.”

“What? Do you think I’m violent?”

“It’s just protocol Reyes, you know this.”

“You’re making a mistake.”

“Funny, that’s also what they all say.” Lexi said and turned to the other officer. “Isn’t it crazy how we’re always making mistakes and arresting people who have done nothing wrong?”

“So crazy.” He agreed.

“Come on Reyes, turn around. Don’t make me do it for you.”

“Lexi come on, you can’t be serious.” Carlos said and the next thing he knew, Mitchell had him pinned against the shelves and was twisting his hands behind his back and putting the cuffs on him. “Lexi!”

“That’s officer Mitchell to you. You’re under arrest for shoplifting. Let’s go.” She pushed him out the store and to the cruiser parked outside.

“Lexi, what the hell? I thought we were friends. Why won’t you believe me?”

“The owner saw you. Don’t deny it.”

“Saw me do what? Shop? Pick out things I wanted to buy? Plan a family dinner?”

“I’d stop talking if I were you.” Lexi said, putting him in the back of the car before getting in herself and driving to the station.

“Please don’t make me go in there in cuffs.” Carlos pleaded, looking at the familiar building.

“You know I can’t take them off until I’m done processing you.” She and the other officer got out of the car and opened the door for him. “Come on, let’s get this over with.” She grabbed his elbow and steered him into the building.

Somehow everyone he knew seemed to be on shift and was there to see Carlos get brought in like some kind of hardened criminal.

“Ok. You know what to do.” Lexi said, taking him to the processing area. “Stand here and smile for the camera.”

“This is insane.” Carlos muttered but decided it was in his best interest to cooperate. “At least let me call TK. He’ll be wondering where I am.”

“When we’re done here.” Lexi told him. “Face left and then right.”

Carlos did as he was told while his mind was racing trying to figure out a way to get out of this.

“Alright, I’m going to undo the cuffs and then you can move your hands in front of your body so we can take your prints. Do you understand?” Lexi asked and Carlos nodded.

He let her move his hands and put the handcuffs back on.

“Put your hand on the scanner, four fingers first, then thumb. Repeat with your other hand.” Lexi said and checked the scans. “Alright. We’re done here, let’s go.” She grabbed his elbow again but she didn’t lead him to the holding cells.

“Where are we going? Where are you taking me? Can I call TK now?” Carlos asked but got no reply. Instead she just lead him down a few hallways and up a flight of stairs. “Lexi what the hell?”

She knocked on a door before opening it and pushing him inside.

“SURPRISE!” a group of his friends, family, and coworkers yelled when he stepped through the door.

They were gathered in one of the lesser used conference rooms of the precinct and all of them were smiling and laughing while Carlos was just… confused.

“Happy birthday baby!” TK said, walking over to him and kissing him. He pulled a set of keys from his pocket and undid the handcuffs and rubbed the skin where the metal had been. “You didn’t have to put them on so tightly, Lexi.”

“I had to make it look good, didn’t I?”

“You had me arrested?” Carlos asked, finally starting to put two and two together. “You set this whole thing up?”

“I told them to go easy on you.” TK told him. “But do you know how hard it is to pick a date for a party that works for everyone when most of the guests are first responders? This is the closest we got to everyone being free and available and able to get together.”

He looked around the room, slowly taking it all in.

The whole of the 126 crew was there, though all of them in uniform so he suspected they were on call, most of his coworkers, Grace with Charlie on her hip, his parents and Luisa, and even his captain.

“Happy birthday, Carlos. Your husband put a lot of work into making this a birthday to remember for you.” He said and Carlos just nodded.  

One by one his friends and family came over to him to wish him a happy birthday and slowly he started to relax and actually enjoy his party.

“Happy birthday. Blame your husband for the show, it was his idea.” Lexi told him when it was her turn. “I promise we won’t put the arrest on your record… but we might just save the mugshot.”

[minecraftfanatic]

A continuation of the below link:

Why was he doing this again?

"And here I was expecting you to prefer beer. How civilized of you."

For real Kiyoshi, wherever you were now, you owed Lucan the biggest favor of your life. The minute this was over he was going to retire to this nice tree house filled with strong branches, bridges, and geared to the nine in lights and traps and whatever Niika could cook.

"Sticking to the silent treatment? In front of your host no less? I thought you knew better, what with your friend in custody." Skorch poured himself a second bottle from whoever owned this restaurant. Privately Lucan apologized, commiserating with the terrified staff--hard to hold it against strangers for wanting to stay alive, overlord wining and dining with some nobody using their fancy crystal flute glasses. He didn't want to be here anymore than they did but Marcus was counting on him and he needed the man's muscles as much as he needed all that iron he was melting.

Props to the chefs, cooking's ten out of ten. Didn't know what he was eating but it was good stuff.

"I'm glad to see you like dinner. I ensured it was edible beforehand."

It took Lucan a solid minute to parse it out. "Wait, you made this?"

That smug bastard had the audacity to smirk at him, sipping his wine like some cheap book antagonist. "Did you think I spent all my time working?"

"Yes." He made this? Ugh, he took back everything good he said--trashy, weird, deserved nothing good in life to waste ingredients like that. First chance he got he's washing it all down in cider, then he'll check if Niika's got anymore of that fish pottage. He doesn't care if it got beetroot and pumpkin mashed together so long as-

...Why was he frowning like Lucan spat at him? "What, cat got your tongue?" Oh thank god no Felina heard that, "Not like it's my fault you're so busy everyday that all we see is you beating some random old lady for her groceries."

Okay, he didn't actually see that (but that would totally happen) due to living in the wilderness and trying to organize a plan. Honestly, if it wasn't for one of his ex-inmates ratting him out he'd be long gone by now but noooooo. Now Lucan was in this bizarre dinner with Netheran slavemasters who showed off how rich and powerful they were by dazzling feeble minds with their cooking prowess.

...At this rate, he was going to drink his brains out.

"You have a point," huh? "I've been making rounds to remind Felden exactly who holds their leash, but why not delegate? It would be easy to fill ranks." Uhhhhhhhh that's not what he meant. At all. "I know more than a few who've been chomping for a glimpse of glory. A few checks to ensure competence and I'd finally have some free time."

"Holy shit, I was just joking." Lucan blurted out. Dude, don't do that--he was trying to organize a rebellion here! He was NOT apologizing to Niika on how a simple recruitment exploded into Nether reinforcements. Hells, he didn't want to explain this dinner either! "Also, why are you listening to me--screw that, why are we even here? You literally made me sit and eat for an hour so what's the point?"

"Little rabbit, do you honestly have no clue why we're here?" Smug prick why don't you move that mug closer where I can-- "You're the one that started it. I'm simply reciprocating your affections by the traditional approach."

Lucan stared.

Stared.

Staaaaareeeed.

"Are you quite done yet?" The sheer punchableness shocked Lucan back into reality, gawking at Skorch like that napkin he was dabbing his mouth with was a live toad.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU????"

"...Rude."

"Rude my--affections! In case you didn't notice genius, I never said I loved you. PERIOD!"

"Love is a different matter," Skorch replied blandly, "Let's stick to endearment for now."

"That's the same thing!" Oh HELL NAW! Lucan was not doing this. What did this loon think he was in--a theatre drama? Pushing out of his chair he goes, "Look, I'm sorry you got the wrong idea this whole trip but I'm definitely not into you that way and this was a sorta nice night but I've really gotta get going and--"

"Find your pet?" He can't breathe. His brain stops working, Skorch is smiling, bugs are crawling up the table leg on his right, and he can't breathe. "You've done a fantastic job doing the work for us. I was wondering where you were ever since my subordinates reported your pet's arrival, but then you walked up to my door." Giving a glance at Lucan's untouched wine Skorch refilled his cup. "But please, do go on ahead. It would help track down your pet." Glass softly chinked on green table covers trimmed gold. "It would be irresponsible of me to leave a frightened kitten alone in the dark. Isn't that right little rabbit?"

Lucan pushed his chair back in place.

[tttovarichhh]

Reflection

Homelander & David8

Homelander ratings were plummeting and in order to stabilise the situation, a way out was found that changed the life of the leader of the seven forever.

"When did we start making robots?"

Ashley looks horrified, trying to hide in a large, mostly empty room, knowing she can't really hide from Homelander's wrath. Or whatever it is - after a few solid years, she's still not good at understanding his emotions and feelings, and that makes her so weak in everyone's eyes. Fucking job. Wow, you're working with the Seven, that's so cool! This is terrible. Ashley, can you get me a Homelander autograph? Yeah, no problem. Fuck you and your big, brave Homelander!

"We needed to do something new, so we all decided this would be a good idea…"

She wished he would start shouting at her - at least then she would know what to do and what to expect from him, but if this psycho was just trying to look polite for as long as possible - here was the problem.

"Who are you all? Why has nobody asked me?"

"But…" Ashley whispers, looking down at the floor, backing away from him.

"Why did nobody ask me?" Homelander asks again, grinning as he flies sharply towards Ashley. He looks her straight in the eye and the girl sees his eyes begin to redden with anger and a desire to burn everything around him.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, maybe this was a bad idea? Who cares about AI anyway? Some stupid nerds, yeah, definitely not Vought International, we don't need this bullshit.

"They thought you'd like me. I think you already do"

A quiet metallic voice breaks the silence and tension in the room. The android smiles slightly and looks at the Homelander, showing all the signs of a friendly attitude. He turns to face him, forgetting Ashley and calming down slightly, the anger in his eyes replaced by curiosity.

"You think so? Come on then, tell me what else you think, I'm really curious to know why all these people find you so special and unique. Bloody hell. What is it? Is it steel?" the man taps the robot's chest with a chuckle, inspecting it from head to toe like the toy which it is. "And why did you dress that thing up like a man?"

"My guess is you're angry with me because I can be better. Or so you think."

Homelander grins at the words and slowly traces the line of the robot's cheekbones. The skin under his fingertips feels surprisingly real, human, too smooth, soft and slightly warm. He had expected metallic coldness to the touch, roughness, anything but this effect of a real person. Fascinating.

"This machine thinks a lot about itself. Why do we need it? Or him? What is this bloody thing?"

"You can call me David. I was designed that way for easier interaction. And as far as I can tell, we look a lot alike, so I suppose I was made in your image as well."

The man exhales, squinting his eyes and not taking his gaze off David, as if trying to see if there is something dangerous hidden behind all that machine perfection. The room is completely silent and only Ashley occasionally taps the tips of her fingernail plates nervously against the folder in her hands. Homelander touches the android's skin again, leading from his jaw down his neck, slowly pulling back the collar of his T-shirt around his collarbones.

"Is that true?"

"We tried to keep David under wraps. He was… He was a gift, I, I can't say this, shit! I'm sorry, I'm really sorry…"

"A gift? What the hell do I need a robot for?" He finally pulls away from David, apparently in a good mood, and slowly walks towards the window to look out at the city.

His city.

"It's smart and it's responsible and it's good at analysis. And, you know, everybody's talking about artificial intelligence now, so the idea was that if you start to interact with an android like him, maybe do some soke staff together, like some basic interactions, chats, small missions, it will be good for Seven's rating and of course your personal rating. If you don't like him, we can destroy him."

Ashley quickly, as if trying to say at least two words at a time, blurted out a short explanation, immediately suggesting a way to solve the problem. Hell, they'd put so much effort, time and money into David to what? Ruin it before its own media announcement?

"I like him. And stop call David it. He seems to be more human than you fuckin' are," he sits down at the table, leaning back, relaxing in the chair, examining the android. Blond hair, blue piercing eyes, correct facial features and body proportions, tight t-shirt with a small Seven log in the left corner on the chest. Homelander grinned, biting his lower lip, shifting his gaze to Ashley, who's still shaking.

"Sure," she smiles nervously, placing the folder on the desk next to Homelander, "David, he. Of course. I have some papers about him, here, just for you to understand his system, here is some basics and drawings, and..."

Some of the papers from the file scattered on the floor and David immediately began to collect them, helping the girl. In contrast to her movements, his were calm and unruffled, and he immediately put the documents in the correct page-by-page order, carefully putting sheet to sheet for fear of crumpling them.

"For God's sake! Can you stop being so infuriating? Fucking hell, Ashley! Go, I can manage that without you here! C'mon, leave!"

"I..."

"Go away!" Homelander screams at her, leaning over the table, starting to get a bit annoyed by her here. She nods and quickly runs away from the room, leaving them, Homelander and David, basically still kneeling before him, together.

"In my likeness, eh? Interesting. And what do you know about me?"

He looks down at David from above, enjoying the view. Whoever was behind the idea of creating this android is still worthy of at least a little praise, because David really does look incredible. Incredibly alive and real, who he wants to break as much as he wants everyone around him to conquer themselves.

"The information that was put into me when I was programmed includes basic information - Earth's greatest superhero, leader of the Seven, Homelander has superhuman strength and hearing, is able to fly, use x-ray vision, and release laser beams from his eyes," David stands up, passing all the papers from the floor to Homelander, slightly smiling. The robot's fingers lightly touch Homelander's and he only presses his lips together, quickly interrupting the touch.

"Boring."

"Perhaps you're more interested in my personal opinion?" David smiles, tilting his head slightly to the right like a child.

"You have your own opinion?"

"In addition to basic knowledge, the ability to analyse and draw personal conclusions based on what I've seen, heard, felt has been programmed into me. I also understand human emotions, though I don't have the ability to feel them myself. On this basis, yes, I have my own opinion."

"Go ahead."

David is silent for a few seconds, looking at the Homelander across from him, sitting in the chair, trying to look relaxed. The robot notices the slightest movement of the tense muscles under the suit and exhales. It's not going to be nice.

"You seek understanding around you, at least one person who can truly appreciate you as a person. Deep childhood trauma. Probably an underlying self-hatred that leads to a desire to be the best of others, to be a few notches higher."

Homelander jumps up, bending over the table, pulling David to him by the scruff of his T-shirt, looking him straight in the eye, seething. The android notices the red sparks in the other man's irises and fixates on that alone for a few seconds, ignoring the tight grip. The man hisses at him, quietly, pulling even harder on him, causing David to wriggle uncomfortably.

"You... Piece of metal. You don't understand anything about me! A useless set of elements! I could break you with a touch if I wanted to."

"But you don't want to. You're interested. You want to explore me as something new and available only to you. Why not?"

David just smiles, looking into Homelander's eyes, still focusing on sparks. They are starting to disappear slowly and AI sighs.

"Yeah... Why not? You're right. When is your first official media promotion?"

He lets go of the android, sitting back in his chair, grinning.

"In a week, next Sunday. Ashley said it's better to give us some time to used to each other before," he replies, still standing on opposite side of the table, looking at Homelander. They really are similar. Too similar not only in a look but even in behaviour and it makes David exited.

"Fuck her. Don't even pretend to take care of what she's saying, stupid bitch. You have to listen only to me, David, understand?"

"Yes. I understand."

"Good boy."

Good boy. No-one else called David like that and it's... Strange? Nice? Clearly pleasant. He likes it. And he wants to be a good boy. Just for Homelander.

[crazyf0rswayze]

hey girl! Could you do a Johnny Castle x fem reader where they've been secretly dating before and she's Baby's older sister figure and their families are on vacay together so Baby is helping her sneak out and be with him?

It's not a lot a out sneaking out and also this is absolute shit but whatever I tried.

Warnings: kissing, I'll be honest this shit is NOT proofread.

Summer of 63'. I met Johnny. But since I was there for vacation, and he worked there we had to keep our relationship a secret. Well a secret from everyone but Baby, after she found me sneaking out the window of our room I had to explain what was going on. She would help me sneak out at night after Lisa and mom and dad had fallen asleep. Tonight was one of those nights. One on the nights where I had to sneakily crawl out the window with her help. She would open up the window and watch out for anyone.

I fell with a small thud on to the porch.

"Thanks Francis!" I whisper as I turn over on to my back to look up at her. She lets out a giggle. "Go before anyone sees!" she whisper shouts. I scramble to my feet and start speed walking to Johnny's cabin. I felt a sort of excitement in breaking a few rules. After a little bit of speed I slow down, because we were in the staff area of the resort and all of them we asleep. I get to Johnny's cabin soon after walking and knock on the door. "I'm asleep!" he shouts from inside. "You don't sound very asleep to me!" I shout back smiling, even though he couldn't see me . I hear the bed creak a little bit as he stands up. I hear his light footsteps as he walks over to the door. He opens it and a smile breaks out on his face. He wraps his arms around me and kisses my forehead before releasing me so we can walk into the cabin together. He walks in and I follow. He closes the door and locks it so nobody can walk in. He sits on the bed and I sit next to him. He wraps an arm lightly around mt waist, his hand brushing the side of my thigh. We hadn't gotten a chance to see each other in private for a little bit so I think he just wanted to take it in. "How are you" I ask looking up at his face. He's looking straight forward, and he looked zoned out and deep in thought. "Good" he responds looking down at me with a light smile. "I'm sorry we haven't gotten to see each other lately. It's just, practices have been a lot and I feel like there's just so much on my mind" Johnny says as he looks forward again and then down at his lap. His free hand is pinching the fabric of his sweat pants and rubbing it between his fingers. "It's ok. I understand, it can be a lot. I'm just happy we can spend some time together." I say still looking at his pretty face. He plops backwards onto his back and I follow, trapping his arm under me. I shift so that I'm on my side. He looks down at me, and I meet his pretty blue eyes. His arm that's under me pulls me closer, closing the small gap between our bodies. "I love you" he whispers and kisses my lips. I reach a hand up and cup his cheek as I open up my mouth. He slowly opens his and we make out for the first time in what felt like forever. He lets out a soft moan. After about a minute we part. He looks down at me and smiles. "I like kissing you. Sometimes I wish I could just kiss you nonstop for hours. Your lips are so perfect." Johnny comments. I giggle a little and he lets out an airy chuckle staring up at the ceiling. We both shift a bit so we can pull the blanket over our bodies, and Johnny wraps his arms around me snugly after he turns onto his side. He kisses my forehead again. "I love you" he whispers as I close my eyes.

Beep! Beep! The alarm clock rings out. 6:00 A.M, the alarm clock reads. Johnny groans as he covers his eyes with his arm. I giggle as I stand up and stretch. "Do you have to go?" Johnny asks. "Yes baby, I'm sorry. But I have to be in bed when my parents wake up and they'll be up in an hour." Johnny pouts and I laugh lightly. He stands up and wraps his arms around me. "You can't leave now" he says as he pecks my neck and cheek, kissing all the bare skin he can access. "Johnny! I have to go!" I say with uncontrollable laughter. "Ok, ok fine" he says turning me around so I'm facing him. He presses a long kiss to my lips. "I love you" he says. "I love you to" I state with a smile. I walk over to the door, unlock it, open it and walk out. I put the hood of my sweater over my head and start to walk over to my cabin. I arrive there after about 4 minutes, and Baby is waiting there for me. She quickly opens the window and I crawl in, stumbling over my own feet. "What took you so darn long!? It's 6:12 already!" Francis whisper yells. "He trapped me in a hug!" I say kicking off my shoes and lying down in my bed. I cuddle up under the blanket and close my eyes. I don't fall back asleep, instead I stand on the line between consciousness and sleep.

"Wake up" mom whispers as she lightly shakes me. I open up my eyes and smile at her. She smiles back. "Go get ready" she whispers. I slowly sit up and rub my eyes. I stand up and stretch. I walk to the bathroom and brush my teeth and put a little bit of mascara on. "What is taking you so long!?" Lisa yells, banging on the door. I whip the door open, "What is your problem!? Like gosh I was only in there for 7 minutes!" I yell before walking back to my room. I grab a pair of jean shorts and a light pink tank top and get dressed into them. I walk out into the kitchen to meet my parents and Baby. "We've come to the conclusion that there are no enjoyable activities today so what should we do?" mom asks. "Could I do a dance lesson...maybe?" I ask. Mom and dad share a look and shrug their shoulders, "sure" dad says. He hands me some cash. "Thank you daddy!" I say throwing my arms around him and kissing his cheek before running out the door. I run to the dance studio Johnny practices in. I get there quickly and stand at the door, catching my breath and calming myself before knocking on the door. "Come in" Johnny shouts. I open up the door to see Johnny changing his shirt. His abs show as he slips the shirt over his head, tossing it to the ground. "Oh hey! You didn't tell me you were coming in today" he says reaching down to grab his muscle shirt he usually practices in. I've seen him with out a shirt plenty of times but this time felt different. I guess it was the way the sunlight was hitting his body. He just looked so perfect. "Hello?" he says looking at me with furrowed brows. Just then I had realized I was staring. His word took me out of my trance. I soon felt heat rising to my cheeks and I swallowed. Johnny, still shirtless, walks over to me and runs his large hands over my sides. "You know it's rude to stare right? Huh?" he questions teasingly. One of his hands parts from my hips and goes to my chin, lifting it up making me look into his eyes. "S-sorry what?" I ask, truly not hearing what he had said. I was too focused on how embarrassed I was. He chuckles. "Nothing sweetheart, don't worry". "I know it's rude to stare" i blurt out, finally remembering what he said. "But it's not rude since we're dating" I say. "You're correct" he says. We spend a few hours dancing, laughing, talking and kissing before I had to go back to my cabin for the afternoon. "I'll see you tonight?" Johnny asks. "Yes. I love you ok? But I really have to go now" I say. Johnny kisses my lips quickly, and smiles. "I love you" he yells out before I open the door.

After I get back I greet my parents and go to my room. "How was you 'dance lesson'?" Baby teases. "It was good, and believe it or not we did actually dance." I reply, plopping down on my bed and staring at the white ceiling. "I bet" she says with a giggle. I giggle as well. Baby and I spend time talking, getting interrupted by Lisa on multiple occasions. When it was time for dinner we headed to the dining hall. After we ordered our food Johnny walked into the hall. His eyes met mine briefly and I smiled at him. He walks over to my table with some sort of envelope. I look at him with question on my face. "You over payed me for the lesson Mr. Houseman. Lesson are 45, you payed me 60. I though it would only be right to give it back" he says leaning over me and sliding envelope across the table. His hand brushes my thigh in a loving manner, and Baby, who was sitting next to me, saw and smiled a little. "Oh, thank you Mr. Castle. I appreciate your honesty. You are a good man." dad says grabbing the envelope and putting it in his back pocket. "Of course sir" Johnny says with a kind smile. He steals a glance from me and winks. "He's the man that teaches those dance lessons!? Well he is a handsome man!" my mom says kinda loud. I let out a snort of a laugh and look down. "Mom don't be so loud about it!" I say with a smile. "Well he is!" she says. Baby and I giggle. We spend dinner talking about our days, with plenty questions about my dance lesson. After we finish up we head back to the cabin and get ready for bed. "Are you going to his cabin tonight?" Baby whispers. "Yea" I say and I get under the blanket and make it look like I'm going to bed. Mom and dad walk in and say their goodnights. We waited about a half hour, and then we got up. Baby slowly opened up the squeaky window and I crawled out. "Thanks!!!" I say as I start walking. I had a pair of sweatpants on, a tee-shirt and a hoodie over top.

I start to walk to Johnny's cabin. I looked at the porch lights on people's cabins, and some people were out, sitting on their chairs, smoking. I put my hood up and continued walking. I soon reached his cabin and knocked on the hard wood door. "Come in!" Johnny shouts. I open up the door and he's standing up, waiting for me. He grabs me in a hug, and kisses my head. He leads me to the bed after releasing me. He lies down and puts me on top of him lightly. "Hey sweets" he says. "Why am I on top of you?" "Because I wanted to try cuddling like this..." he replies quietly. "Ok." I say, kissing his lips. We make out for a little bit, and pull away to breathe. "I love your lips so much" he mutters. I smile at him and peck his cheek. He wraps his arms around my back, and pulls me closer so our chests are pressed together. He kisses me head and begins to run his fingers through my hair. We fall asleep like that, holding each other lovingly.

[terraliensvent]

I agree abt the white knighting. u and some anons r quick to criticize the language ppl in terras use but when asked to introspect abt it urself, u refuse cause it’s ur blog ur opinion ur rules. that’s hypocrisy to me. i aint burying my head in the sand like u say, this is a genuine criticism and if u r gonna ignore it then I think that’s petty. all ur being asked is to look back and try to understand where anons r coming from, u call some ppl white knights and meat riders for bringing up valid concerns even if they also agree terras r bad. U don’t just do it on posts where ppl actually are white knighting.

alright lets dissect every recent post i have called whiteknighting

Post 1

“Oh yeah. A villain bc they revoked the right to THEIR OWN WORK... Whatever shall the world do? However shall we survive the fact coy didn't want them using THEIR WORK after going back on a deal”

hey look speaking of whiteknights

youre missing the forest for the trees here, terra staff was completely willing to remove coys assets but they wanted to act like a toddler stomping their foot shouting “NOW NOW NOW” that they broke in to the site and vandalized it. but sure, your immature petty pos idol can do no wrong

what about this is ignoring?

their argument: “coy is not a villain for wanting their art taken down”

my argument: “nobody said that, cal was perfectly fine taking the artwork down, they just said they cant do it in a heartbeat. coy is in the wrong for breaking in to the site and doing it themself with no consideration for how it will affect the species.”

Post 2

“It's so funny how obsessed y'all are with coy and civ... Get over it bro”

wow its almost like… their actions have a direct consequence on the species…whoooaa

Their argument: “why do you guys care about this”

my argument: “because people have put time and effort into this species, cal and his new team are trying to pick up the pieces and have gone a lot further than ever before with coy and civ at the head. coy being a dipshit has a direct affect on how the species will operate, specifically in this situation by taking away all the old pet species which people may have cared about and wanted to make characters out of.”

Post 3

“You mean.... The site THEY MADE? oh noo, how dare they remove their art from the site them and their partner made... Boohoo.... Boo boohoo.... Stan petty Coy”

come in my inbox again with these room temperature iq takes and im blocking you. they barely did shit for the species and you know that, and coy themself admitted they never had anything to do with the site they just wanted to make their dumbass plain white dog adopts to rake in cash while doing no extra work to put the pieces together

repeating: cal and staff were PERFECTLY FINE taking off all of civ and coys assets, however you cant fucking do that with the snap of a finger. i know this must be incredibly difficult for you coy supporters out there but lets TRY to use our brains for a min

their argument: (ignores my counterpoint from Post 1) well THEY made the site initially. i dont care im still gonna stan coy.”

my argument: “oh ok cool, i can see you are not actually willing to engage with the argument and just want to be inflammatory, and i dont feel like dealing with you if you arent going to use critical thinking. (reiterating my point from post 1)

for this post in particular, i would also like to add that in the transferring of species ownership, there are cetrain things that can be assumed to change ownership along with the transfer. (this is not the first time a species has ever been transferred in ownership). for one, the site. obviously thats needed for species functions so it now belongs to cal. another is NPCs, other species when transferred will give the NPCs to relevant staff because they are an integral part of species function. in this specific instance, the pets, since they were never a part of the original agreement they are assumed to move ownership as well. coy can make the argument they want their art taken down, thats perfectly fine, they could even say they want their designs taken down, but again, the problem is that this is not something that can just be done at the drop of a hat. you need to find replacements and create new assets. breaking in to the site and vandalizing it because you wanted to be a bitch baby and have no patience is immature and wrong. the site has changed ownership. you do not have agency over it anymore, you dont get to go in and delete things without asking.

lets compare this to an oc you trade on toyhouse. lets say you own this OC for a year, and you have drawn a good amount of art for it. then you trade it away, boop, gone, not yours anymore. lets say later on you dont want your art featured on that OC’s page. problem is, that art you drew is embedded within the character’s profile code. you have the full right to delete the art, but you cant just break into the OC’s profile code and fuck around with it yourself. you have to ask the new owner to take it down, and they say of course, but youll have to be patient so they can redraw a new asset for the code.

granted, this example falls short in some ways, but you get what im trying to say

anyways, the point is that if youre going to refuse to engage with the argument then im not going to engage with you. i truly do not understand why you guys are ride or die-ing for these shitty posts that have absolutely no substance