#^_^ asks are always welcome but not forced

[gloomwitchwrites]

141 What If....

You ask him to leave the uniform on? 🥵🥵🥵🥵

I am feral over this. FERAL. Literally chewing on my own arm because I need to calm down. Your prompts always get me going. I totally blame you for this. Now, I went with a little variety here. We've got Kyle in formal military dress, John coming home from deployment, Johnny returning on break for a quickie, and Simon playing out a pre discussed fantasy. Enjoy!!!

For the masterlist and how to submit your own request, click HERE

Task Force 141 x Female Reader

Content & Warnings: established relationship, CNC, breeding, restraints, welcome home sex, quickies, formal events, semi-public sex, unprotected piv (wrap it up irl), sex in a car, dirty talk, brief knifeplay, light degradation

Word Count: 3.3k

ao3 // main masterlist // imagines & what if masterlist

John Price

John’s return is delayed.

He was supposed to come home to you a month ago. But it wasn’t him that notified you about his postponed reunion. Someone from SAS contacted you via the post. The envelope held a singular piece of paper. No apology. Just black ink on a white sheet with an official letterhead. John has always been good about making sure you know when he’ll return. It's something you constantly worry about.

While on a mission, you won't hear from him—this you know. But whenever he is able, John makes an effort to let you know when to expect him or if he's okay.

To not hear from him is odd, and it stirs up all sorts of emotions, pushing your brain toward any number of possibilities. Each scenario appears briefly before sliding into another. They worsen—and then you’re sick, stomach twisted into a tight knot.

That piece of paper is on the kitchen counter. Untouched—but not forgotten. It said yesterday. And yesterday, John did not return.

You’re chewing on your fingernails. Pacing. Stressing.

It's the familiar squeak of the doorknob from the front door that finally stalls your racing thoughts. All that mental energy becomes physical. You're sprinting, throwing yourself at John the moment he enters.

He chuckles—the sound is pleasant and soothing to your heart.

“Didn’t think you’d be home,” he says, drawing you close.

Your answer is to wrap your arms around the back of his neck, and seize a kiss from him that says so much. You need John to know how much you’ve missed him—how worried you’ve been.

His hands on your hips tighten, squeezing slightly as he melts under your kisses. Each one is desperate. Needy. You savor him like you’ll never know this again. John's grip on you is firm, and much stronger than you can resist. He draws you away from him—not enough to create a separation—but enough to talk.

“Slow down, love. Let me look at you.” His hands move to your face, cradling your cheeks. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," you reply. You pull him close again. "Need you." Just a murmur, hardly audible, but John hears it.

He does not resist. He gives in, accepting your love, answering every kiss and touch with one of his own. Hands roam, fingers cling, and yet you're not nearly close enough. You need him on his back with you atop him.

John breaks away, breathing heavy, lips slightly puffy from kissing you. "Bedroom."

You shake your head. "Right here,” you reply, going in for another kiss. “Uniform stays on.”

The middle of John's brow scrunches slightly in confusion, but your fingers are already looping in his belt buckles, guiding him into the living room. That brief moment of confusion morphs into a sultry smirk.

John allows you to guide, allows you to push him onto his back on the sofa. His hands never leave your body, they roam constantly even as you undo the front of his pants and shimmy them down to mid-thigh.

You have him in hand instantly, coaxing him to hardness quickly. The need for him is a driving force, positioning yourself above him, ready to impale yourself.

John's hand slips between your legs, fingers finding your center. "Your—fuck." The sound of your slickness greets him and John groans.

Placing your hands on his chest, John palms the base of his cock, lining it up. You don't slowly ease down. You drop, accepting every inch of him in one go. There is a brief flare of pain from the rapid intrusion, and then it's gone, replaced with the fullness of him inside you.

With your palms splayed wide, you're able to rock your hips, moving up and down his length in a steady movement that has both of you groaning.

"I missed you," he murmurs as you come back down on him. "Fuck—I missed you."

Your thighs start to burn with every bounce. John's fingers dig into your hips, dragging downward before ascending again. With the next roll of your hips, John meets you, thrusting up. It cuts a sharp gasp from your lips.

He grips harder, taking control. You cling to the front of his uniform, fisting the fabric as John brings you down just as he thrusts upward. It is not sweet. It is brutal and desperate. Each connection drags more pleasure out of you until your head falls back and you clench around him.

With a deep groan, John sits up, and effortlessly flips you over onto your back. Pinned beneath him, there is nowhere to go. All you can do is take what he gives.

John buries his face against your neck. "Love you so much."

You hook your heels behind his legs, urging him on. "Love you," you manage to gasp.

It is all sweat and heat. John's lips graze the line of your throat and then your chin. You turn toward him, the two of you meeting as he holds his body against yours, his release flooding your pussy.

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

Kyle drapes his arm over your shoulder, tugging you against him, the noise of the function receding with every step. Usually when the two of you attend a formal function together, Kyle is in a suit, but this attendance was requested by Kyle's superior officer, Captain John Price.

Instead of a suit, Kyle wears his formal military dress. The uniform is freshly steamed and free of wrinkles. His shoes are polished to perfection. Like this, he's incredibly handsome. You've been admiring him all night, resisting the urge to touch him too much around people he works with on a regular basis.

"Can't wait to take this bloody thing off," sighs Kyle, lightly tugging on the neckline of his uniform.

You rest your head against his shoulder, savoring his warmth. "I think you look rather dashing."

"Dashing?" he laughs.

As the two of you enter the parking garage, you snag his hat, placing it on your head. Kyle's smile widens. He leans in for a kiss, greedily accepting what you offer him. Removing the car keys from his pocket, Kyle hits the button to unlock the vehicle. The SUV beeps, headlights coming on.

Kyle takes his hat back, holding it with one hand instead of putting it back on his head. He offers his mouth again and you close the distance.

"Can't wait to get that dress off you, love," he murmurs against your lips. “Been thinking about it all evening.”

You place your hand against his chest. "I think I'd like it if you leave the uniform on."

Kyle nearly chokes. "What?" he draws back slightly.

With a mischievous grin, you tug Kyle around the side of the SUV. The vehicle is in a corner spot, leaving the two of you tucked between it and a cement wall. There is no camera and no light. Both of you are hidden in shadow.

No one will notice the two of you unless they come looking.

You lean in slowly, offering your mouth. Kyle places his hand on the side of your throat, thumb slowly rubbing against the front of your neck. The kiss is honey-sweet, and tinted with seductive need. You seek another, and yet another until the two of you are gasping for air.

"Not here," murmurs Kyle, drawing back slightly.

Your hand slides downward, pausing at his belt. Kyle whispers your name, but there is no fight in it. If anything, it is lustful. Fingers toying with the belt, you kiss him again, loosening the buckle and then the front of his pants.

Reaching your hand inside, you find him hard and wanting.

"Someone will see," he groans, grabbing your wrist.

"Who will see us?" you reply softly. Kyle's gaze shifts outward to the parking garage.

"No one is around." You start to descend, opening his pants further.

Kyle's attention returns to you. His pupils expand as you take him in hand, painting your bottom lip with a pearly bead of cum. You present your glossy mouth to him, and Kyle brushes the pad of his thumb across it.

You lightly nip at that thumb, and then take him into your mouth. Kyle stifles his groan, but it comes out as a muted whimper. He gently cups the back of your head as you suck him down, hollowing your cheeks when you come back up.

This is just a tease. You want his resolve to slip.

Kyle doesn't break eye contact. He is completely focused on watching you. His dick twitches in your mouth, and Kyle grunts.

"Fuck, love. Come here."

With gentle tenderness, Kyle grasps the back of your neck, easing you off him. You extended your legs, leaning into him.

His voice is slightly husky. "I can't wait until we're home."

Kyle opens the rear passenger door and helps you up into the seat. You slide backward to the other end, Kyle following. With a hand on your throat, he pushes you onto your back. These next kisses are rough and possessive. Hungry. Claiming. You open for him, wanting to consume.

His free hand is gripping your dress, shoving it upward where it collects at your hips. Your tongue meets his the moment his fingers slip between skin and underwear. It is brief, and then he's drawing back only to bury his face between your legs.

Digging your heels into Kyle's back to stabilize yourself, you give in, moaning loudly as his tongue swirls a path up and down your sex. He teases just like you teased him. But it is short-lived.

Kyle is desperate for you. He finds your clit and stays put, tongue working quickly to send you over the edge. Your body shudders, a breathy groan escaping you as the orgasm hits. Still on your back, Kyle ascends, one hand pressed to the inside of your thigh while the other finds leverage against the car door just above your head. You lift your hips slightly, presenting your pussy to him.

He takes the hint, thrusting deep.

He does not go slowly. It is skin slapping against skin. It is all low groans and desperate fingers. His body weight keeps you pinned, and if anyone were to open door they'd have a clear view of his bare ass.

"Don't stop," you beg. "Please."

Kyle's answer is to seize your mouth, to force his air into your lungs, to firmly press his body to yours and swivel his hips, pelvis grinding against clit. Your hands fall on his ass, and then he's transformed. An animal. Rutting.

Surely, the car is shaking, but you hardly care. You only want him to finish. To give you every drop of his release.

You feel his muscles tighten under your hands, and then your bodies are sealed.

There is a small pause between then and the moment he kisses you, this time tenderly.

"So much for waiting," you tease.

Kyle’s exhalation is a pleased one. "Just wait until we get home."

John "Soap" MacTavish

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"

Johnny's smile is devilish. "Came to see you."

"Me?" you laugh. "You just saw me this morning."

"And it wasn't nearly enough," coos Johnny, grabbing hip and waist, tugging you against him. "Missed you the whole time. Couldn't stay away."

Before you can form a reply, Johnny is lifting you up and onto the kitchen counter. He pushes everything up and out of the way, revealing your pussy to him.

"Johnny!" you exclaim.

With one hand on your thigh, Johnny uses his other hand to remove his belt and undo the front of his pants.

"I came home to fuck my wife." You instantly feel your cheeks grow hot. With a sultry smile, Johnny leans in but doesn't close the distance. "Would you like that?"

You nod. "Yes," you reply, voice nearly a whisper. "But—"

"But what?" he asks. You gesture at him. "The uniform? That stays on, love."

Guiding you wider, Johnny circles your clit with the pad of his thumb. The touch is electric, making you shiver as he toys with your sensitivity.

"Look at that," he purrs. "Look how wet and ready you are for me."

You whimper as Johnny tests your pussy with a finger.

"I think this deserves something bigger. What do you think, love?" He inserts a second and you whimper again. "Use your words."

"I want you inside me."

"I am inside you," he teases, pumping both fingers.

You shake your head, gasping as his thumb toys with your clit. "Your dick, Johnny."

"That I can do." His fingers are gone instantly, replaced with the head of his cock. He holds himself just inside, inching slowly until you've taken him to the base. "We'll have to make this quick. Can't be late and disappoint Price."

Johnny lightly swivels his hips, and then he's holding you in place, thrusting steadily. He kisses your lips, then your cheek. Resting his forehead against your temple, Johnny boxes you in, using your pussy for himself.

"You take me so well," he says softly. "Watch. Want you to watch."

Your gaze shifts downward, locking on to where your bodies meet. Keeping one hand on the countertop to stabilize yourself, you bring the other between your legs, fingers lightly playing with your clit.

"That's it," purrs Johnny. "Come for me."

A brief swirl and you're gone, squeezing hard around Johnny. He fucks you through it, grunting as he increases his pace. With a moan that claws up his throat, Johnny seals your bodies together, and his warmth floods your pussy. He thrusts lightly and stills.

A beat of silence, and then you both burst out into laughter.

"Fucking hell," he mutters, shaking his head.

"You came all this way on a break just to have sex with me?" you laugh.

Johnny leans back, grinning sheepishly. He glances down at his watch, smile fading. "Shit."

He pulls out and steps back, fumbling with his pants.

"Are you going to be late?" you ask teasingly.

Johnny tightens his belt and then helps you off the counter. With a quick kiss to the cheek, he heads out the door.

Simon "Ghost" Riley

Every light in the house is off. The blinds are closed and it's completely dark except in one particular room.

The deep red glow calls out to you like a siren song. You stride toward it, moving through the hall silently like a shadow. The bedroom door stands open, revealing the blood-tinged space. From your point of view, nothing is out of place. All is calm and as it should be.

But Simon is here somewhere. Lurking. Watching.

This is what you wanted after all. An idea you passed off to Simon with the hope that he'd indulge your fantasy. Clearly, he took it to heart.

Adrenaline spikes in your blood as your gaze focuses on the bed. Attached to each corner are wrist and ankle cuffs. To be immobile and bred at Simon's pleasure is all you asked for, and here it is.

As you step forward, a large gloved hand slides over the front of your throat, squeezing. Simon is right behind you, and you feel every inch of him. Without even having to look, you know Simon is in full tactical gear. Parts of it dig into your back.

The leather of his gloves squeak as his fingers adjust against your throat. With a little pressure, he tilts your head back and you meet his whiskey-brown eyes. It's all you can see of his face. The rest is shrouded behind a balaclava.

"Do as I say," he growls. "Or you'll make this harder on yourself."

His command sends a bolt of need straight to your clit. Already, you feel a growing slickness between your thighs.

"Answer me if you understand."

"I understand," you murmur.

Simon makes a pleased sound deep in his throat. His thumb rubs a gentle line back and forth over the same spot.

His head tilts, lips pressing against your ear through the balaclava. "Then be a good little slut and get on your back."

Using his leverage on your throat, Simon lightly shoves you toward the bed. This time you turn around, facing him completely for the first time. He's dressed in all black tactical gear. Every inch of him is covered except his eyes, and his large frame fills the doorway.

When you take a step back, he takes a step forward. The backs of your thighs hit the bed, and you push yourself up and on, reclining until you're nearly horizontal. Simon saunters, gaze predatory and observing. His gloved hands hover just above your legs, pausing there before he bends slightly, reaching for an ankle cuff.

Simon glances between it and you languidly. You're not sure what his intentions are, not until he grabs your ankle with his other hand and tugs hard. You yelp, surprised, and then you kick out, attempting but failing to free yourself as Simon attaches the cuff into place.

"You said you understood," he growls, as you sit up to swing on him.

Simon snatches your wrist right out of the air. He hops onto the bed, kneeling as he grabs one of the cuffs for your wrists. Still, you fight and still you fail as he latches it in place.

You're not immobile but you're more restrained than before, movement restricted enough that you can't fight back like you want to. Not that you want to escape.

With a fluidity that surprises, Simon removes a knife from his boot and hooks it under the hem of your shirt. A sharp tug and the fabric surrenders to the blade. Simon tears it further, removing the garment completely.

As you use your one free arm to lash out, Simon is already prepared, blocking the blow and forcing it back to the bed. He attaches the cuff and returns the knife to your clothes, splitting your pants and tossing the remains aside.

You're on your back, completely naked and cuffed to the bed.

Simon's hand wraps around your throat, the knife tip dangerously close to your face. "I was going to worship your pretty pussy," he murmurs. "But I think I'll just take what I want."

It's all a game—a scene. You want Simon to use you, to fuck you ceaselessly, to do whatever the fuck he wants because he can.

Simon flips the knife and imbeds it into the bed above your head. Slowly, he removes his belt, tossing it aside. When he opens the front of his pants and eases them down a fraction, you nearly groan at the sight of his hardness. Simon palms the base of his cock.

"I won't be gentle," he says, gloved fingers pressing against your pussy.

He rubs back and forth, easing a little more from your body before grabbing your hips and slamming home. There is a brief flare of pain from the intrusion and then nothing at all except excitement.

"Your body is mine," he growls as he fucks you. "And for the next twenty-four hours, I'm going to breed this pussy until I'm satisfied."

You are unable to move, unable to do much but take it. Simon is situated between your spread legs, and you have a clear view of his cock sliding in and out of you. If you want an orgasm, Simon will have to grant it. Begging for it won't get you anywhere. You need to be good, and then he'll reward you.

Simon grunts as he thrusts, pace increasing as he nears his end. Watching him is lovely. His groan is lust-drenched, his orgasm sending a little shudder through him that you feel in your core.

Simon's gaze shifts to between your legs where he slowly pulls out. "What a fucking sweet sight," he murmurs, more to himself than to you.

His cum pools at your entrance, threatening to drip out. Soon you'll be overly full, a mess between your legs and on the bed.

Already Simon is stroking himself back to hardness. "Think that cunt of yours needs a bit more.

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[aahsokaatano]

"Humans," I had been told, "will pack-bond with anything."

This seemed patently ridiculous to me at the time. What benefit is there to forming emotional attachments to dissimilar things than oneself?

I had been forced to reconsider upon my first landing, which had drawn the attention of the local humans. I had chosen the large, open area for ease of travel, but this gave me no cover when the humans approached on some of the large quadrupeds known as "horses," with smaller quadrupeds known as "dogs" running alongside them. The dogs were loud and had possession of teeth and claws, and possessed heightened senses that made hiding nearly impossible, as they would alert the humans of my whereabouts almost instantly. The horses were very fast, and very large, with strong metal attached to their hardened feet that made any strike by them incredibly dangerous.

I returned to the leadership, shaken and furious, and asked for better equipment, as mine had been severely damaged in my escape from that wretched place. We updated our information to make landing in the place known as "Texas" strictly forbidden.

More landing attempts were made. Every scouting mission was met with disaster; the climate of Earth is so terribly variable that certain locations are too hot or too cold at all times, and others will be too extreme during some times but bearable during others, and there is so much water across the whole thing that it's nearly impossible to avoid. The entire planet is a deathtrap; perhaps that's why humans are the way they are.

Regardless, after the fourth landing, the humans seemed to put together a group of individuals that were present at all subsequent landing attempts. Not always immediately, but they usually showed up within the first day of a landing. They were all very different, not like our soldier drones, but they worked well together. A little too well for my tastes.

However, while preparing for another landing attempt, I received a communication from them. They asked for my help - humans are very odd, indeed - in preventing the planet's destruction by those warmongers, the Zkkfz (though the humans called them Zekes, for some reason. I suppose their soft mouthparts are unsuited to proper speech).

We do not want the planet destroyed - for all of its dangers, and the horrid incivility of the humans, it is rich in many resources - so the leadership gave me permission to attend to the humans.

I thought it would be all business. Take care of the Zkkfz forces, learn more about the human defenses from within, and then use that knowledge to further the plans of the leadership.

But now... now it is. Odd. We are almost done with the Zkkfz, but the humans are becoming more welcoming towards me, rather than keeping sensitive information away. One of them has even started calling me by a human name, even though I have explained several times that individual names are irrelevant for us. They bring me food outside of scheduled feeding times, and invite me to sit with them when we are not discussing strategy. Yesterday, one of the humans even gave me a strange item made of the soft fibers that they so enjoy knotting together in their free time, and told me it is a "hat" that they modified to fit my head.

It's all very odd. And I... I find myself not disliking it.

Leadership will surely be displeased when they find out about this. But for now, while the threat of the Zkkfz is still ahead, perhaps I can, as one human said "enjoy myself" a little longer.

The villain decides to do the classic "team up to defeat a common foe" trope but it's been taking a lot longer than they had expected,the heroes are getting emotionally attached and it's starting to get weird.

[ruewrote]

𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑.

PAIRING: evan buckley x fem!reader WARNINGS: no use of y/n GENRE: fluff, meet cute SONG INSPIRATION: tadow by masego WORD COUNT: 938

navigation | ask | evan buckley masterlist

you were new to the 118.

from the moment you stepped into the station, they had welcomed you with open arms. chimney took you under his wing, showing you the ropes with his humour that helped keep the nerves at bay.

hen had this way of grounding you, offering advice that made you feel like you weren’t just learning the job, but learning to trust yourself.

sure, you’d had a couple of minor slip-ups during your first rescues. nothing too dangerous, but enough to sting your pride. you’d quickly learned from your mistakes, and the team had noticed. they always made it clear you weren’t alone, encouraging you as you found your footing.

as your first month passed, you began to feel like you were truly part of the family. but there was one name that kept coming up, like a shadow you couldn’t quite pin down, evan buckley.

whether it was on the ride back to the station or during meals around the table, his name was always on someone’s lips.

“remember when buck–” “oh my god, and then buck said–” “i still can’t believe buck actually–”

from the stories, he sounded like their long lost annoying younger brother, ruthlessly teased but fiercely loved. he was the kind of person who could drive them up the wall one minute and have them laughing until they cried the next.

with each story, you found yourself forming a mental image of him. this larger-than-life, chaotic force of nature who somehow managed to be their glue. without even meeting him, you felt like you already knew him.

and then, one day, you did.

you were cleaning and restocking one of the ambulances, focused on the methodical rhythm of your work. the sound of cheers outside pulled your attention, distant at first but growing louder, accompanied by bursts of laughter.

curiosity got the better of you. you closed the ambulance doors with a firm slam and started toward the commotion, your steps quickening with each cheer.

as you rounded the corner, you stopped in your tracks. the entire team had gathered in a loose circle, their voices raised in excitement, their faces lit up with the kind of joy reserved for reunions.

in the middle of it all stood a mountain of a man.

chim was the first to spot you lingering at the back of the group. “hey!” he called out, his grin widening as he reached for you, tugging you forward. “c’mon, don’t be shy! you’ve got to meet him!”

you stumbled slightly as you were pulled to the front, your breath hitching the moment your eyes landed on him.

he was everything the stories hadn’t prepared you for.

tall and broad shouldered, his uniform stretched taut over muscles that seemed almost unfairly large. his hair was slightly tousled, the golden strands catching the sunlight, but it was his smile that truly knocked the air out of your lungs. warm and open, it softened his chiselled features and sent a rush of heat straight up your neck.

then his eyes met yours.

blue. so blue they seemed to pull you in, almost as if the world had narrowed to just the two of you in that moment.

chim’s voice broke through your daze. “and this,” he said with a teasing grin, gesturing toward you, “is your new replacement!”

you rolled your eyes playfully, trying to ignore the way your heart raced as buck’s gaze lingered on you.

“replacement, huh?” buck chuckled, “i’ve heard i left them in good hands.”

he extended a hand toward you, and for a split second, you just stared at it, your brain short circuiting. then, as if on autopilot, you took it.

the moment his hand closed around yours, you felt it. a warmth spread through you, starting at your palm and radiating outward. his hand was large and strong, but his grip was gentle, as though he didn’t wanna hurt you.

“yeah…” you managed, your voice softer than you intended. “you could say that.”

You give him your name, his lips curve into a gentle smile. He nods, his eyes never leaving yours. "pretty."

your hand stayed in his for a beat too long, neither of you seeming eager to let go. his thumb brushed against your skin, an unconscious movement that sent shivers down your spine.

the world around you blurred. all you could see was him. the way his uniform hugged his frame, the way the corners of his mouth quirked up as he smiled at you, the way his eyes softened.

then, as if realising himself, buck gave your hand one final squeeze before letting go, his own hesitation mirrored in the slight reluctance of your fingers.

the moment broke before you could process what had just happened, someone called his name from across the station, and he was ushered away, leaving with the crowd and disappearing through one of the doors. his laughter echoed faintly as he went, but not before his eyes flicked back to you, lingering for a moment longer than they should have.

you turned quickly, your face burning. you took a step back and mouthed silently to yourself, “oh. my. god.”

“catch your breath yet?” bobby’s voice startled you, low and amused.

your head snapped toward him, but the knowing look in his eyes said it all. he’d seen the whole thing.

you tried to play it cool, clearing your throat and turning back to the ambulance as if you had work to do. but your heart was still racing, your hand tingling from where his touch had lingered.

little did you know, buck was feeling the same thing, standing in the middle of his family with his thoughts entirely consumed by you.

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© ruewrote 2024.

[yellowjestertfs]

Altered State: Part 1

IDK if anyone on here will be interested in this story, its kind of a long and slower but thought I would post it anyways. More parts coming next week!

Most great adventures start with a call to arms, a quest from on high, a declaration of purpose to serve the greater good. Edward’s and Leon’s started with a question asked through a mouthful of chips.

“Wanna play this new game dude?” Leon asked words barely intelligible. He stood in the doorway of their living room, his fat frame blocking most of the light. In one hand he held a bag of chips and in the other, he held up an unfamiliar battered keep case, the type that held video game disks inside. The thing had a red and blue design that Edward didn't recognize. 

“I guess. What is that thing, will it work on my Wii?” Edward asked. He lay on the couch, long thin body taking up the whole thing but sat up and moved over to make room for his roommate. 

Leon shook his head “I don’t think so dude, it's like super retro.” He walked over to the TV and started fiddling with the row of older consoles that belonged to their third roommate Alvis trying to see if any could accommodate the game. "It was free though." He said as he found the right one, an extremely retro blocky thing Edward was surprised even accepted disks. Leon booted up the system, the familiar hum of the machine filling the space. “I got it from that comic shop down the street. This buff dude at the counter just handed it to me. Said he thought I would put it to good use.”

“Alvis would kill you if he knew you were touching that,” Edward warned, always the one to show more caution. 

“Fuck Alvis. If he didn't want it to be used he shouldn’t have bought it” Leon countered. Neither of the two were particularly big fans of their other roommate, but Leon especially hated his guts. He only let the guy live with them because it made the rent cheaper and because Alvis’ weird retro tech fit in with their decor of half-finished Lego sets, empty pizza boxes, and superhero posters, and because for the most part, Alvis left the two friends alone, spending all his time in the engineering building or fiddling with tech in his room.

Leon opened the case and took out a dusty disk, growing on it to reveal the title “Altered State” and the manufacturer HunkTech, neither of which either Leon or Edward had ever heard of. Leon put the game back into Alvis’s video game console and pressed play. The TV flickered for a moment, then exploded with color so bright it forced both of them to squint. Flashes of neon light, strange symbols, and spinning images seared into their eyes, leaving dancing after images. Neither of the friends could look away, their senses overwhelmed by the pulsating lights that burned into the back of their brains. And just as suddenly as it started, the TV went black and both friends came back to themselves.

“Oh shit" Edward muttered, blinking rapidly to clear his vision. "Your game just fried the TV!Alvis is going to kill you.”

Leon opened his mouth to defend himself but before he could a green holographic display blinked into existence, floating in the air right in front of him. Growing text marched across the living room floor reading:

"Welcome to Altered State.”

Leon’s jaw dropped. "Uh, Ed? You seeing this?”

Edward stood motionless for a moment too shocked to speak. “What the fuck” he breathed “What's going on?”

Both of their holograms shifted to display naked, pixelated 3D models of the two friends, hanging awkwardly in midair. 

“Eww, what the hell,” Leon said. He tried to avert his gaze but the images followed the motion of his head and stayed even when he shut his eyes. 

Neither of the projections was a particularly flattering sight to behold.  Leon’s short, heavy frame was rendered in painful detail—his soft belly, narrow shoulders, pudgy limbs, and average penis were all fully extenuated under the brutally detailed holographic projection. Edward’s model didn’t fare any better. Tall and spindly, his twig-like arms and knobby knees, paired with a notoriously ugly face, gave him the appearance of a scarecrow. Edward was not helped much in its attractiveness by the acne on his face, the greasy thin hair on his head, and the pitifully small penis between his legs fully visible in the naked light of the hologram. 

“Your the one with your dick in my face.” Edward shot back, cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the display.  

The hologram flickered again, and new text appeared below both their models:

Analyzing subjects…

The text began to blink as new displays blinked into existence on the peripheral of both their vision, only really notable if focused on. Various menus that displayed statistics quests and a list perks were all there, though all were currently blank. The words level one along with an empty an empty progress bar beneath appeared at the top of their filed of view, though only visible to themselves and not the other. 

Neither of the two friends had time to examine the new features in detail as the words under their models shifted again.

“Analyzing Purpose: Class Selection”

"Class selected: Juggernaut.” Appeared under Leon’s character. 

Leon blinked. "Juggernaut?" he repeated, unsure what to make of the development.

Edward snickered, “I think that's the fantasy term for fatty.”

But before Leon could respond, Edward’s display changed too:

"Class selected: Snake Charmer.”

“What like I’m going to play the flute?” Edward asked.

It was Leon's turn to laugh. “No bro, the game just called you a homo.” 

It took Edward a second to understand. “Not funny,” he said swatting his best friend on the arm, blushing somehow harder. “This is seriously messed up. We need to go to the hospital or something.”

“Relax charmochondriac, don't you see what’s happening?” 

“Group psychosis?” Edward guessed.

“No dude, we are in a video game, and we fucking rule at video games.”

“Leon” Edward said warningly. Before he could say more though quests populated onto both their displays.

“Dude chill this is awesome. My first quest is easy too. I bet I can get level ten before you.”

Edward wasn’t as ready to accept this rapid series of unexplainable events but he also wasn’t ready to let his best friend think he was a chicken. “Fine. I’ll meet you back at the house when I kick your ass.”

Leon laughed and with that both boys raced out the door, shoving each other playfully to get out first. From there both took off to opposite sides of campus, towards their various objectives and their differing yet intimately intertwined destinies. 

-

Leon raced, or his version which was something between a fast walk and an awkward jog, across campus to his first quest. It seemed easy enough: “Go to the gym” it read. Leon wasn’t exactly one for physical fitness but he at least knew where the health center was from campus orientation tour.

Despite his slow pace by the time he reached it he was out of breath. For a moment he stood in front of automatic double doors, panting and intimidated. He stuck out like a sore thumb on this part of campus, dressed in the ratty strained Superman shirt and baggy shorts his protruding belly and wild unkempt hair stood in stark contrast to the muscular adonis in low tank tops and tall fit women in matching sports sets who brushed by him without a second thought. Mustering his courage Leon walked through the doors and into the gym. His ears were greeted by the sound of slamming weights, rhythmic grunts, and a small ding as he completed his first quest and leveled up. He watched as the experience bar filled fully, bumping his level up to two and filling his vision with notifications. The bar continued to fill until it had reached halfway to the next level. A notification appeared in a gray box with plain white blocky text.

You have reached level two. You receive attribute points based on your class: +3 Strength, +1 Charisma +0.3 Intelligence.

Leon grinned as he felt himself change. He couldn’t actually feel himself getting smarter or more charismatic. He wasn't sure if that was because those were more cognitive stats or if it was because the increase was marginal compared to his strength. Either way, it was a strength that Leon felt himself receive. It wasn't much. Leon didn’t suddenly become a hulk or a bodybuilder but he felt something shift. His shoulders widened slightly, his chest inflated a bit and his butt became less saggy. A single vein buried deep in the layers of fat in his arm engorged itself with blood and snaked its way to the surface, pushed upwards by growing muscle and diminishing fat. He felt physically stronger, faster, like he might be able to actually run a bit without throwing up. He didn't actually look all that different, a quarter of an inch taller, a few pounds shifted from fat to muscle, but inside he felt amazing, electric, like this is what he was made for. Leon suspected that feeling had to do with the other notification waiting for him just below the first.

“You have gained a class perk.”

“Gym Rat: as a juggernaut, you feel comfortable in all athletic spaces.”

Leon felt all his worries and insecurities about being in the gym fade away. He scanned his student ID and strode past the muscled jock at the front counter confidently, flashing him a smile and a slight wave. Leon felt just as comfortable in the gym as if he was at the comic book shop, no more, he felt like he was at home chilling with Edward, like he could do anything and give a damn about who judged him. Leon knew he should be concerned about how this game had physically changed his body and mind so easily but he was too invigorated, too electrified, and he had another quest to do. 

“Do a push-up.” It read simply. 

Leon hadn’t tried to do a push-up since 8th grade gym class but he felt confident he was capable of it with the boost to strength he had received. Leon weaved through the various machines and stations manned by the university’s resident hunks and athletes, some gave him dirty looks but most looked right through him. Leon found he couldn’t care less. He found a corner of the free mat and assumed the push-up position. Despite the recent slight boost to his athleticism, it was a task easier said than done. Leon went down as far as he could until he felt his arms begin to shake, about an inch, then pushed himself up with substantial effort.

To his disappointment, the quest still read as incomplete. He reasoned it must be due to his, form. He tried to go lower but ended up face-first on the mat, unable to push himself up. He went to his knees and did a push-up but that didn’t count either. Nor did a push-up with his butt out in the air, or one in which he rested on the ground for a few seconds in the middle. Leon was about to give up when he saw a guy around his age approach. 

He didn't have the same gorilla bulk as some of the huge men in the gym but his body was visibly lean and defined through his tee-shirt, maybe a runner. “Need any help there” he asked. Leon couldn’t tell if he was being genuine or mocking but his new total comfort in the gym provided by his “Gym Rat” perk made him not care. 

“I’m trying to do a push-up.”

“Just one?” The guy asked with a grin. 

“Gotta start somewhere,” Leon said humbly. 

“Your problem is your stance.” He said. He instructed Leon to assume the plank position and then went about correcting Leon’s form. His arms were too close together, his core was not properly engaged, back not fully straight. The man introduced himself as Cal and then instructed Leon to try again. Leon tried another pushup lowering his body slowly “Lower, lower” Cal called Leon and complied though his face turned red and he wanted to die. Cal didn't let him stop till the tip of his dick was practically touching the mat. Then he went back up, slowly and with more exertion than he had ever used in his whole life. 

He was rewarded with a ding and a slew of notifications. 

“You have reached level three. You receive attribute points based on your class: +3 Strength, +1 Charisma +0.3 Intelligence.” 

“You have gained a class perk.”

“Perfect Form: as a juggernaut, you instinctually know the proper form to maximize the performance of any athletic endeavor.”

Leon felt his body shift again from where it lay crumpled on the mat. His stomach deflated slightly, and under his man boobs pecs started to form. His legs lengthened a bit causing his shorts to only reach his knees instead of past them. The changes were as small as the first but Leon couldn’t help but feel amazed. He tried to do another push-up and found that his body now naturally assumed the perfect position without him having to think about it. With his new points in strength, he was able to push out another perfect military-style push-up, and two more before he flopped down onto the mat, fully spent.

“You're getting the hang of it,” Cal said smiling. If he had seen Leon's body change he made no indication. “good luck on your workout,” he called out as he left.

“Yeah see you around man” Leon called after him. He felt on cloud nine. At this rate, Leon would reach level 10 by the hour. On cue, two more quests appeared for him to complete. He wondered how Edward was doing, if he had even gained one level by now. Maybe once Leon had power gamed his way into OP status he could help his friend with a quest or two. 

-

Edward walked across the quad at a brisk pace. He would have run if his bony arms and legs didn't make him look like a chicken when he did. Edward wasn’t quite as sold on this whole bizarre real life video game thing as Leon was but he also wasn’t about to let Leon leave him in the dust. Edward's first quest was pretty simple if non-specific, “be within 50 feet of 30 or more people”. 

Edwards tendency to avoid large crowds gave him the advantage of knowing exactly where they often were. The coffee shop by the quad came right to his mind. At this time of the day, the place was packed with students either leaving or going to their mid-day classes. The place terrified Edward, the thought of so many eyes on him, judging him, mocking him, and yet Edward reasoned there was no harm in at least checking the place out, it not as if the quest required him to talk to anyone. 

As he walked Edward wondered at the game. Leon, true to self had accepted the game right away without question. If his friend was muscular instead of fat he might be called a himbo. It wasn’t that he was dumb, he was getting a degree in public health, but he also didn't have a habit of thinking things through particularly throughly. Their freshmen year Leon had built a glider out of the shower curtain and broke his arm jumping off the second floor of their dorm with it. And last year Leon had thought it was a good idea to subscribe to some shady porn website that had given his computer a virus so corruptive even tech wizard Alvis couldn’t remove it. 

Though they were inseparable best friend Edward was the opposite. He was much more cautious about everything, sometimes to irrational extremes. Last semester Edward had almost dropped out because he was too nervous to get approval for his classes from his sociology advisor. If he was scared of his sixty-five year old sweet as candy professor talking to guys he liked was surly out of the question, not that he would have any hope of success with his appearance. 

As Edward walked across the quad he avoided eye contact with students crowded onto the open green sitting and chatting or throwing frisbees. Edward felt drowned in the sea of people, though the lawn wasn’t nearly dense enough to fulfill the quest. 

The line for the coffee shop was out the door which made him want to throw up. He walked slowly forward waiting for the quest to complete. Finally, when he was only a few feet away, practically in line the quest was fulfilled and his experience bar to level two filled fully.

Edward heard a “ding” in his head and several notifications filled his vision startling him.  

“You have reached level two. You receive attribute points based on your class: +3 Charisma, +1 Intelligence +0.3 Strength.”

“You have gained a class perk.”

“People Person: Those around you feel your natural charm and are more likely to accept you in a neutral or positive way, potentially even striking up a conversation.”

Edward felt a strange itch on his brow and a pressure on his jaw but ignored it. He didn't know what to make of the messages. The stats seemed somewhat consistent with role-playing video games, and he supposed the break down made sense with his class. Still, he wasn’t sure how something like charisma would be incorporated into real life, nor his new People Person perk. As a sociology major Edward knew all too well how complex human interaction was. The perk seemed to imply that not only would the game be changing him but also the people around him and their perceptions. He wasn’t sure if that was even possible not to mention ethical.

“Introduce yourself to a stranger,” the next quest said popping up on the side of Edward's vision. That more than any ethical quandary made Edward scared. It was all well and good for the game to claim that people would react positively to Edward but he knew firsthand that wasn’t true. 

“Hey, are you in line” two girls who had walked up behind him asked. Edward froze, realizing he had positioned himself at an awkward spot half in line half not. The girls didn't seem disgusted by his presence but they also didn't seem particularly enthralled, they just wanted to get their coffee. 

Edward nodded his head, the best he could do with his crippling social anxiety. He moved more obviously in line and the girl went back to chatting. As the line crept closer Edward tried and failed several times to work up the courage to introduce himself to the girls. He came up with various scenarios in his head of how he could make an introduction, all of which ended with the girl calling him a creep. 

Finally, after ten minutes, Edward reached the front of the line. He realized in his attempts to complete the quest he hadn’t so much as glanced at the menu. 

“What will you be having today” a tall tan worker asked, his tattooed arms pleasantly stretching out the sleeves of his shirt. Edward just opened and closed his mouth like a fish, mind suddenly blank of every coffee drink ever, including coffee. 

The worker, whose name tag ironically read “Tag” saw his confusion and smiled. “It's a big menu I know. It's fall, so you can never go wrong with a PSL.” He saw Edwards look confused and he sheepishly clarified “Pumpkin spice latte.”

“I’ll do that,” Edward said, voice quiet but clear. He took a deep breath then before he could think about it blurted out “I’m Edward by the way”. 

Tag gave a handsome grin and wrote the name on a cup. “Thanks, Edward, I’ll that get you out for you right away.”

Edward heard a “ding” but ignored it and the notifications that popped up as he paid on the tablet Tag turned towards him. His hands shook as he selected the largest tip options and stumbled over to the designated area to stand while waiting for a drink and looked at the notifications. 

“You have reached level three. You receive attribute points based on your class: +3 Charisma, +1 Intelligence, +0.3 Strength.”

“You have gained a class perk.”

“Social Sync: You are naturally attuned to the tone and rhythm of conversation making awkward pauses and interruptions a thing of the past.”

New quests popped up as well, two this time. “Make someone laugh” and “Offer someone advice.”

As the messages appeared Edward felt the same strange pain in his face, like the soreness he sometimes got after smiling all day with Leon. He lifted a hand to his face and felt skin much smoother than his normal rough, dry, pockmarked complexion. His weak chin, which had always been a source of insecurity no longer felt totally concave but pushed out somewhat lending a strange sharpness to his jaw. Edward was about to take out his phone to examine his reflection when he heard a voice beside him. 

“He’s so dreamy, isn’t he,” a man said in his right ear. All his life Edward had been painfully scrawny, wrists the size of cucumber and ribs showing through his pale skin. This man was even more slender like he could break with a strong gust of wind. He held a coffee cup that had the name Trent on the side. The guy didn't seem to mind Edwards's silence and continued staring at Tag longingly. “The coffee here is so bitter but the eye candy is so sweet” he mused. 

“Yeah that guy is what I would call a full-sized candy bar” the comment came out before Edward had time to think. It was a mediocre joke, wordy and unoriginal to a fault, but to painfully shy and unfunny Edward he felt like he was a standup comedian. Trent smiled and gave a slight chuckle, though his quest remained incomplete, probably because the laugh was fake.

“He’s a Snickers, and let's just say I’m not allergic to nuts.” Edward tried again, this time eliciting a better reaction from Trent. A slight giggle was all it took for the quest to complete and Edwards' experience bar to increase half the way to level four. 

“Well both of us are going to go hungry. He’s straight.”

“Really” Edward asked. As a closeted gay until he was 19, when he had finally worked up the courage to tell Leon, Edward thought he had pretty good gaydar, and that Tag guy was anything but straight. “How do you know?” He asked Social Sync perk causing him to put the perfect pause between his declaration of doubt and his question without him even noticing.

“He used to date some girl” Trent responded with a touch of disgust.

“Maybe he’s bi,” Edward said and Trent’s face lit up as if he had never considered the thought.

“Oh wow, do you really think so” He asked excitedly. “Now that you say it he is kind of flirty when he gives me my drink.”

“You should just go up and talk to him” Edward advised sagely. “I mean what is the worst that could happen.” The advice was hollow seeing as how Edward had never even breathed in the direction of any of his crushes. Trent seemed to sense this and looked at Edward dubiously. The game system however didn't seem to care. It marked his “give advice” quest as complete and alerted him he had reached level four with a ding. At this rate, Leon didn't stand a chance of reaching level ten before him. 

“You have reached level four. You receive attribute points based on your class: +3 Charisma, +1 Intelligence, +0.3 Strength.”

“Sage: Your charisma gives you an innate knowledge of people's desires, both conscious and unconscious. Note: The higher your charisma the more attuned this sense becomes. Note: this effect is 92.22% more effective on people with a penis.”

Edward felt a shift both in his physiology and in his brain, like before he felt his face move, bones like continental plates drifting every so slightly apart into a more attractive configuration. 

Inside his head, he felt something shift far more drastically. The three +1 boosts to his intelligence had been so slight he barely noticed them, just a slight speeding up of his thoughts and a boost to his reasoning ability. This new change in his mind was drastic, impossible not to notice. A sixth sense emerged, filling his head with a source of knowledge he wasn’t quite sure what to do with. It was almost as if he had gained the ability to read minds only not so strong and without any words, only feelings. Suddenly Edward felt Trent’s desire, a sexual one, not just for the barista, but also for the group of frat boys in the corner of the shop and strangely enough for Edward. He felt others' desires too, though much less clearly. 

Two guys standing to his left both hoped the other would buy the alcohol for tonight's party. The other men in the shop only gave wisps of desire. Edward suspected that had something to do with proximity and his still relatively low charisma.

The women on the other hand Edward could barely sense, only receiving a small tingle like TV static instead of anything readable. Edward wondered at that strange 92.22% bonus towards men. Edward took a moment to reflect on the class he had been assigned. Could Leon be right? Could the name of his class be a gay joke, that he was meant to charm not venomous creatures in baskets but instead the snake in men's pants? It seemed somehow too vulgar for a video game though Edward knew that was illogical. If it was true it begged some concerning questions, like how the game had known he was gay and what exactly it was setting him up to do. 

“Would you go talk to him?” Trent asked suddenly snapping Edward back to the present. His sixth sense faded to the back of his mind, though he could still sense Trent’s desire. “Sorry I know that's a lot to ask but I think you would have more luck than me.” He looked at Edward with puppy dog eyes filled with earnest hope. “Be my wingman?”

A notification appeared obscuring a part of Edward’s vision. 

“Quest offered! Set up Trent and Tag romantically. Reward: XP”

A box under the quest notification had two boxes with “yes” and “no” options. Edward had no idea how to select either option. Out loud he said “I’ll do my best,” the notification disappeared and reappeared small in the quest part of his interface. 

Trent smiled “Really? I can’t thank you enough.” He felt Trent’s desire shift from lust to hope. “Just like using a pickup line or something. Don’t make it too awkward” he said suddenly nervous.

“Don’t worry I got this,” Edward said with about 1000% times more confidence than he felt. He had absolutely no business getting other people's tail when he was still a virgin himself. Edward just knew he was going to make an absolute fool of himself.

-

It turned out that the quests to advance to level four were not as easy as Leon had imagined. The first quest “run a lap” proved exhausting but doable. Leon made his way to the elevated track that encircled the gym and with perfect form, if less perfect endurance, ran the loop. Before the game, Leon would have had to walk most of it, but the two levels and six points he had gained in strength allowed him to push through with a slow jog. The quest's completion bumped him 3/4 of the way to level four. He had no doubt the other quest would get him all the way there if only it was possible. 

“Do a pull-up.” How hard could one pull up be? Extremely difficult it turned out. Dangling from the elevated bar Leon tried with all his might to heft his flabby body up. He only managed to lift his head halfway before the effort became too much and he was forced to give up. 

Leon knew it wasn’t his form keeping him from completing the exercise like it had been with the push-up. Instead, it came down to a plain and simple lack of strength. Leon didn't know what to do. He felt frustrated that he had hit a roadblock so soon. He looked at the experience progress bar, so tantalizingly close to the next level. Maybe he would have to do it the old-fashioned way. Train his back and his biceps extensively until he could do a pull-up on his own. Leon knew something like that would take weeks if not months but he was nothing if not stubborn.

Determined not to give up Leon found a set of dumbbells and began to lift with perfect form. The activity didn't provide the same instant gratification as leveling up did, but Leon was starting to understand how people could get addicted to this. As he worked his eyes wandered to the graphical display imprinted on either side of his vision. He found he could unfocus on the information and the display would blur unobscuring his vision. He focused again and the quest and progress bar came back into his field of vision. Leon couldn’t tell if he was imagining it but it seemed as if the bar was more full. He did a few more curls and watched the progress bar tick up the tiniest amount. He lifted the other arm and it moved again. He grabbed the largest weight he could conceivably lift and using all this strength curled it with both arms, the progress bar moved, still not much but more than before. Leon grinned. He was pretty sure he had just found an exploit.

Thirty minutes later a tired Leon prepared for his last set of leg presses to get him to level four. The “exploit” he had found wasn’t as much of a hack as he had originally hoped. Working out gave him experience to fill the bar but not nearly as efficiently as quests. He had to go from machine to machine loading up the maximum amount of weight he could lift, not much, and completing various exercises until that part of his body was completely exhausted. His “perfect form” perk ensured that he was able to complete each exercise to its fullest despite not knowing how to do any of the exercises. All he had to do was approach a machine or a set of weights and his body would suddenly assume the position.

Even with his perfect form protecting him from injury Leon was exhausted. The day's gym session was more exercise than he had ever done in his life. His hair was matted to his forehead and dark sweat spots had appeared around the collar and pits of his Superman shirt. His body felt like a sack of bricks like he could fall asleep and not wake up till his next birthday. Leon persisted and as he performed his tenth leg press he heard a ding. His legs slammed back to their resting position and he breathed heavily, feeling his body begin to change and notifications pop up. 

“You have reached level four. You receive attribute points based on your class: +3 Strength, +1 Charisma +0.3 Intelligence.” 

“You have gained a class perk.”

“Animal Endurance: The rate at which athletic activities tire you is decreased significantly while the rate of recovery is greatly improved. Note: the potency of this effect scales off of strength.”

Leon felt his muscles harden, his arms bulge, his legs bulk up and shift. His core burned as his abs shredded themselves and strengthened. The layer of fat on Leon’s body, though still present thinned. Underneath it his muscles went from average to distinctly fit, no great titan yet but also not a slouch either. His weariness from all the exercise it took to reach level four drained away thanks to his perk and Leon once again felt reinvigorated. 

He marched over to the nearest pull-up bar and with only a small amount of effort hoisted himself up with the power of his upper body. The completed quest brought him a third of the way up to level five. Two more quests appeared. “Bench press a third of your body weight.” And “exchange workout tips”. Neither seemed especially difficult. 

Leon looked around to see if he could find Cal to knock out the more social of the quests but the helpful runner was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Leon found a benchpress machine and went to load it up. Leon was shocked to realize he had no idea what his body weight was. Before Altered Reality, Leon had weighed 230 pounds, now though he could be anything. Leon squinted at the holographic display in the sides of his vision and found with effort he was able to bring up a stats page. 

Leon: 

210 Pounds

5’10’’ Feet

Strength: 11

Charisma: 7

Intelligence: 8.9

When he played video games with his roommates Alvis was the one who focused on the numbers, min-maxing his character to be the strongest possible. Edward liked to talk to the NPCs, to understand the story, and Leon, well Leon liked to punch things and not worry too much about the boring stuff. Still, with his 8.9 in intelligence, Leon couldn't help but notice some changes to his body composition. There was the inch in height his body had gained from those three levels and the twenty pounds of weight he had lost. Leon suspected the total loss was more like 30 or 40 pounds of fat but that the added muscle made up the difference. His stats were interesting too. Leon hadn’t much thought about it but based on the quests and perks he had received the Juggernaut class seemed to be one that focused on athleticism. Despite that, he still received a marginal boost to charisma and intelligence at each level which he supposed were meant to keep him well rounded. Leon did the math, the current numbers would mean that his intelligence before the game had been eight, which seemed right, and his strength a two, also unfortunately right. The four in charisma seemed rude, but Leon supposed he had never had much luck with women for a reason.

Doing math once again Leon loaded up the bench press, factoring in the weight of the bar to reach seventy pounds one-third of his weight. He assumed the position under it, with perfect form thanks to his perk; then with substantial effort, Leon lifted the bar over his chest and with as much control as he could manage lowered it. That was the easy part, the hard part was pushing it back up. Leon clenched his toes, bugged his eyes, and pushed with all his eleven strength upward. His mind suddenly flashed to the bar crushing him, rolling down onto his neck and ending this game. Panic more than determination got the bar up and back to its starting position. The quest was completed and the progress bar to level five was filled in another third. 

Only once the bar was fully returned to its resting position could Leon see the girl standing over him, upside down from his prone view. 

“I was ready to pull that thing off you.” The girl said in something between a mix of condescension and admiration. Leon sat up.

“Umm, thanks.” He said nervously. He recognized this girl from his advanced biology seminar, although she didn't seem to know him. She looked very pretty with her high ponytail and tight yoga pants, which only made his voice stutter more. “I’m Leon.”

“Cassy,” she said.

An idea came to his mind. “Got any tips for this one?” Leon asked, hoping to knock out his remaining quest. 

Before Cassy could answer though a tall man in a low-cut tank top that showed off his ripped torso and cannonball shoulders approached and wrapped his mammoth vascular arms around her. “Cassy, why the fuck are you talking to this fatty?” He asked as if Leon were some flaming garbage outside his window, offensive to his sight. Leon recognized him as a member of Alpha Sigma, one of the best and most dickish fraternities on campus.  

“Fuck off Hunter” Cassy said rolling her eyes.

“Yeah fuck off Hunter” Leon repeated. He instantly regretted it.

Hunter's eyes went wide, and a vein on his neck began to pulse. Leon stared back at him with a level of defiance he knew defied both the social order and logic. Leon had always been brash, a trait now manifested in full force by the extreme comfort he felt in the gym due to his Gym Rat perk.

Cassy shot him a look asking if he was trying to get himself killed then turned to Hunter to defuse the situation. “Come on babe let's go.” 

Hunter heard none of it. He got right up in Leon's face so close Leon could smell the sweat on his body and the ZYN in his breath. “Listen here tubby, this is a gym. The McDonalds is down the street. Now fuck off or I’ll turn your happy meal into chicken tenders. Ya hear?” He stood up and started to walk away Cassy unhappily following after him. “And don’t ever talk to my girl again homo.”

Leon knew he should be scared but instead, he found the whole interaction funny, his “Gym Rat” perk really might be working too well. “Got any gym tips for me” he called after Hunter, wanting to still get something out of the interaction. He couldn’t wait till he was bigger than that arrogant prick and no one could talk to him that way.

The frat bro turned around “Eat a fucking salad” he called. Leon’s last quest remained incomplete. He wondered why for a second then realized it said “exchange workout tips.” 

“You should really get off the roids, it's killing the last two of your brain cells,” Leon called after him. Hunter moved to turn around, probably to beat the shit out of Leon but Cassy grabbed his hand and dragged him away. The quest completed and Leon reached level five. Not too bad for seven charisma he thought proudly. The now familiar ding sounded along with a wall of notifications. Leon began to feel strange. A biting ache began to thrum in the pit of his stomach. Doubled over Leon rushed to the bathroom, careful to head in in the opposite direction of Hunter and Cassy. 

He burst into the empty men's room and then into the nearest stall he could find. As he sat on the toilet the pain intensified. Something was happening and it hurt like all hell.

-

Edward had no idea why Trent had even started talking to him. That wasn’t something people ever did to ugly Edward, maybe point and whisper, but never strike up a conversation and surly never ask him for help. It must be his stupid charisma and perks scrambling everyone's brain he concluded. Edward was about to turn back to Trent and tell him he had made a mistake and that he actually couldn’t help him when he heard “Edward” yell from behind the bar. He saw Tag the sexy fit barista holding a steaming to-go cup and looking around the coffee shop for Edward. Trent gave him an encouraging smile and a thumbs up.

Edward felt as if he was moving in slow motion like he was making his way to the gallows. Tag saw him coming and smiled, extending the drink towards him. Edward reached out to take the drink, his finger ever so slightly brushing up against Tag’s hand in the process. He wasn’t sure if it was the touch or just the proximity but he felt his new “Sage” perk activate in vivid detail.

A picture suddenly flashed in Edward’s mind. A subterranean location full of flashing lights and loud rhythmic music, a rave Edward realized. He saw Tag standing alone in an open button-down shirt showing off sexy tattooed muscles. Edward flashed back to reality. His sudden vision had caused him to linger a bit too long grabbing his drink and he jerked his hand away awkwardly. 

Edward retracted his hand and gave a smile hoping to save the moment. “Hey, are you going to the rave tonight?” Edward asked as casually as he could “I think I have seen you at a few before. I heard the one tonight is supposed to be especially hype.”

Tag seemed surprised for a moment then reassessed Edward his demeanor shifting from customer service friendly, to peer in-group easygoing. “You mean sewer fest? I want to man, but all my friends are busy tonight and I don’t want to go alone.”

“Oh damn that sucks,” Edward said. He was mindful of the stares he was getting from the other students around him but couldn’t bring himself to care, this was going too well. “I wish I could go but I have a paper I have to write tonight. My friend Trent was actually just saying he was thinking about going though.” Edward pointed back at Trent who gave a little wave. 

“Oh, I know him.” Tag said when he saw Trent. “That would be sick man. I really don’t want to miss Sewer Fest. How about this,” he took a cup sleeve and started to write on it, “Give your friend my number and tell him to text me” he handed it to Edward. 

“Will do. You two have fun” Edward said as he walked away. Trent looked at him wide-eyed and was about to say something but Edward made a signal that they shouldn’t talk about it inside.

“This is for you,” Edward said as he handed Trent Tag’s number once they were outside. 

“No way. You're actually a god. How did you do that?” Trent asked amazed.

“Don’t get too excited,” Edward said sheepishly. “You're going to a rave, and it’s in the sewer.” 

“A rave? You know what, I’ll take it. I really can’t thank you enough.” 

“Oh, it was nothing. Honestly, you helped me just as much as I helped you.”

Trent ignored the cryptic comment. “Well I should go, I guess I have to find an outfit to wear to a sewer. Would all white be a bad idea?” He handed Edward his phone. “Will you put your number in my phone? I’ll text you how tonight goes.” 

The two exchanged information then Trent left. Edward stood there sipping his latte, which really was too bitter. He saw Trent typing out a message on his phone as he walked away.

Moments later Edward heard a “ding” as the quest was completed and he reached level five. Notifications sprung up in his vision, more than usual. Edward couldn’t read them, he couldn’t focus on anything. His mostly full coffee slipped out of his hand and spilled onto the ground as a golden nebula sprung up around him and his face and body were wracked with pain. He started to scream.

[linopilled]

⟡ cw: BACKSHOTSSSSS!!! (daddy) chris is very degrade-y, he squishes the reader's face in his big sexy hand, 2 lil cheek slaps, dumbification, crying, drooling, no gendered pronouns but he calls the reader his good girl and i know all of you desire to be chris's good girl... freaks! /j oh yeah and he says slut once sorry!

⟡ a/n: reposting this one first because its a personal fav <3. as always, mdni, and thank you for reading! any & all feedback is welcome. :*

husband!chris, ever so soft, attentive, and doting.

when describing him outside of an intimate setting the only thing you can ever talk about with your girls is how pure and consuming his love is for you. it's a relationship akin to one that feels like sunbathing in a beautiful, massive garden and being hand-fed grapes. but when he's got you in a position so vulnerable, like now, with your wrists clasped together behind your back in his hold, and he's so deep in your guts you feel like you're going to die in his arms, his hot and heavy cock abusing that sweet spot in your messy cunt with no restraint — gentleness is far from his demeanor.

you've been at it for hours. so much so your knees have indented it's place in the mattress, and his brutal pace is making it no better. you're sure you've got carpet burn at this point. your weak sobbing and incoherent wails begin sounding winded, and you struggle to gather air into your chest but he knocks the breath right out of your lungs almost immediately after every gasp you take. “fucking slut.” he sneers. he's in his zone. a usually hidden place chris only goes on special occasions you're in bed with him.

then he utters something. it's so muffled you can only feel the vibration of what he says and you barely make out any syllables.

“ — be the good girl you know you are and moan my name.” you miss the first half of his sentence again, completely zoned out and held prisoner to his thick cock in your cunt. struggling to speak, stammering over weak little whimpers, you manage to get out a small “ch — chris —,” but that's not what he's looking for you to call him.

he grips your cheeks in his palm, squishing them together and suddenly he's tilting your head back to force you to make eye contact. well, if you could even call it that; you can hardly see him through your blurry wet eyes. his thrusts slow and he's pressing all the way inside with a harsh jerk of his hips, balls pressed tightly against your throbbing clit, and you cant help but whine again, body trembling like a leaf. his gaze is pointed and you feel pinned to him, chris’s expression mimicking a scowl he's so focused on getting a response from you. “y’fucking stupid? that's not my name.”

your head is swimming, drool slipping down your chin and you babble wordlessly like some brain-dead toy, hips gyrating pathetically as you're trying your damnedest to get him to just move again.

“stop fucking squirming and listen.” he hisses, using that same palm that's currently holding your face in place, and tapping your cheek twice. enough to get you to focus, but not enough to hurt. he gives you a second sharp thrust as punishment, grip returning to your face. his hold on your cheeks are so tight, it's puckering your cute little lips. “i won't ask you again.”

“d-daddy!” you squeal, and a cocky grin takes it's place on his flushed face, his hips picking up speed.

atta-girl.

[rose24207]

More dark Mafia lando!!!! Please, or even just Mafia lando 🙏🙏😪😪

Shadows

Summary: Lando’s ruthless mafia life is shaken when his vulnerability, Y/N, becomes a target, forcing him to protect her at all costs.

Genre: Mafia!Lando, dark, fluff at the end

TW: Mafia, guns, threats

A/N: Thank you for the request! English is not my first language. I hope you enjoy it though! Requests are open and welcome!

Masterlist

The rain lashed against the tall, arched windows of Lando Norris’s sprawling estate, each drop echoing in the oppressive silence of the grand hall. You stood at the edge of the room, your arms wrapped tightly around yourself. The faint hum of voices filtered in from a distant room, but you were too consumed by the weight of tonight’s events to notice.

Your life had taken an unrecognizable turn since you’d met Lando. What started as a charming stranger walking into your café had spiraled into a dangerous reality you were still learning to navigate. Lando wasn’t just the man who made your heart race—he was the heir to one of the most powerful mafia empires in Europe. And now, because of him, you had a target on your back.

You met Lando eight months ago during a quiet Friday evening at your café. He’d strolled in with an effortless confidence that turned heads, his dark curls slightly damp from the drizzle outside.

“Just a coffee, please,” he’d said, offering a smile that had disarmed you instantly.

Over time, his visits became routine. He was kind but reserved, always asking about your day, occasionally teasing you about your taste in music. You hadn’t thought much of it—until the day he invited you out for dinner.

What followed were months of quiet dates, stolen moments, and the growing realization that Lando was far more complicated than he let on. He was protective, secretive, and occasionally disappeared for days without explanation. When you finally confronted him, he didn’t lie.

“I’m not who you think I am,” he’d said, his voice heavy with regret.

That night, he told you everything. And instead of running, you stayed.

Tonight was different.

It started with a package left on the steps of your apartment. A black box, tied with a crimson ribbon. Inside was a single bullet and a note:

Stay away from him, or this has your name on it.

You hadn’t called Lando right away. You’d paced your apartment for hours, trying to convince yourself it was a prank. But when you finally showed him the note, the change in his demeanor was immediate.

He didn’t yell. He didn’t panic. He simply pulled out his phone, made a single call, and within minutes, his men were escorting you to his estate.

“Stay here,” Lando’s voice pulled you from your thoughts. He was standing in the doorway of his office, his expression unreadable.

“What’s going on?” you asked, your voice trembling.

“They’re trying to get to me through you,” he said simply, stepping into the room. His presence filled the space, making the grand office feel smaller. “And I won’t allow it.”

Your stomach twisted. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” he said, his tone dark, “that they’ve made a mistake.”

You stepped closer, placing a hand on his arm. “Lando, don’t—”

He covered your hand with his, his touch surprisingly gentle. “You don’t need to worry about this. Let me handle it.”

“I’m not worried about me,” you said, your voice breaking slightly. “I’m worried about you.”

His gaze softened for a brief moment before hardening again. “They won’t touch you. I’ll make sure of it.”

Hours later, you sat in the study, your mind racing. Lando’s men were stationed throughout the estate, their presence a constant reminder of the danger you were in.

The distant sound of shouting pulled you from your thoughts. You froze, your breath catching as the noise grew louder. Then came the unmistakable crack of gunfire.

Panic surged through you. You wanted to move, to run, but Lando’s words echoed in your mind: Stay here. Don’t open the door for anyone but me.

The door burst open moments later, and your heart leapt into your throat. But it wasn’t a stranger—it was Lando.

He stepped inside, his chest rising and falling rapidly, a streak of blood on his cheek. His shirt was untucked, the top buttons undone, revealing the faint hint of a tattoo peeking out from his collarbone.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice low but steady.

You nodded, unable to find your voice.

He crossed the room in a few quick strides, pulling you into his arms. “It’s over,” he said softly, his hand resting on the back of your head.

“What happened?” you whispered, your voice muffled against his chest.

“They won’t come near you again,” he said, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

You pulled back slightly, searching his face. “Lando, did you—”

“They had a choice,” he interrupted, his expression unreadable. “They made the wrong one.”

You wanted to press further, but the weight of the night caught up with you. Instead, you leaned into him, letting his steady heartbeat calm you.

Later that night, as you sat together in the quiet of his bedroom, you finally spoke.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper.

Lando turned to you, his eyes soft. “You don’t have to do anything. Just let me keep you safe.”

“But at what cost?” you asked, your voice breaking. “How many more people have to get hurt because of me?”

His jaw tightened. “None. Because I’ll end this before it gets that far.”

You shook your head, tears welling in your eyes. “I didn’t ask for this, Lando. I didn’t ask to be a part of your world.”

“I know,” he said, his voice heavy with guilt. “But you are. And I can’t change that. I can’t change how much I—”

He stopped himself, his gaze dropping to the floor.

“How much you what?” you pressed, your heart pounding.

He looked up, his eyes locking onto yours. “How much I need you,” he said finally. “You’re my weakness, Y/N. And that terrifies me more than anything.”

You stared at him, your chest tightening at the raw vulnerability in his voice. Despite everything—the danger, the chaos, the bloodshed—you couldn’t deny what you felt for him.

“I don’t want to be your weakness,” you said softly.

“You’re not,” he replied, reaching for your hand. “You’re my strength. And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. No matter what.”

In that moment, you realized there was no turning back. Lando’s world was dark and dangerous, but as long as you were with him, you knew you’d face it together.

Thank you for reading!

[signedaiko]

Hiiii! May I request some platonic headcanons for MTMTE? I was thinking about a g/n human reader pulling some pranks on some bots on the LL (Ratchet, Rodimus, Rewind) and what their reactions would be.

Ratchet | Rewind | Rodimus [MTMTE]

In which you try pulling a prank on some of your friends aboard the Lost Light.

Reader is: Gender Neutral | Human | Autobot. Platonic.

Ratchet

Your friendship started with you making teasing comments, which eventually led to jokes and seemed to be verging towards pranks

Ratchet was a grumpy one, so while your jokes are welcome, there is a time and place for them

One of those times is not the first thing in the morning, especially when he's preparing to get into a surgery

And yet, as he went to enter his office, he was surprised to run into some kind of thin, transparent film that forced him back onto his aft

You'd spent the whole night lining the door of the medbay with several rolls of plastic wrap, knowing his optics would still be woken up

It came to bite you in the ass; he wakes you up from your sleep after the all-nighter by yelling your name and banging at your door

He's pissy, and now he's making you sit on his desk all day, watching the surgery, and banging his fist on the table every time you start to doze off

You can sleep when he's done and when he feels you've learned your lesson for startling him so early

Rewind

You were the life of the party, in many ways

A lot of Rewind's best recordings come from you

Were all humans this fun? Or were you some rarity?

Either way, he's a big fan, and he's always got his camera rolling if you're there

You also make him feel special because none of your jokes or pranks are aimed at him

In fact, you usually request his help with pranks, be it as small as catching it on tape or something like replaying someone's voice to lure another of the crew

That's what made your plan against him so effective; he never expected himself to be a target of your genius

Until one late evening, he enters the habsuite to get some rest and-

Wait

Why is everything on the wrong side?

Chromedome is there resting, and Rewind wakes him up to ask what's going on

"What are you talking about? Are you feeling okay?"

Chromedome fully convinces Rewind he may have something wrong until he pulls up a clip of the room

"Fuck." He hears your small voice come from somewhere behind Chromedome, and he's running at you

"Both of you! Traitors!"

Rodimus

Rodimus knew you better than most others, and while he pretended to scold you in front of Ultra Magnus all the time, he liked the energy you brought

Besides, he was always pulling small pranks of his own, usually on Ultra Magnus, which was cheap and easy, but pranks nonetheless

That meant he presented a challenge, though

Rodimus was very good at telling you were up to something and had caught many of your pranks before

Unfortunately for him, most is not all, and he'd once again been fooled by your trickery

You'd mixed powdered sugar into his paint polish, which made it look shiny at first, but once dried, it left him very sticky and matte and made his paint look uneven

Oh, he knew who'd done it the moment someone pointed it out, and he wasn't going to let you get away with it so easily

Next thing you know, Siren is over the ship's comms claiming there's an emergency and that Rodimus is severely injured in the med bay

Of course you go racing to see him, unaware the announcement was only to your hab suite

He sat there, Rewind by his side, recording as you burst in with emotions evident on your face, only to realize what he'd done

Asshole

Authors Note - I am actually, secretly, the least funny person in the universe so I hope these parnks were realistic in some shape or form! Thank you for requiesting 🩵

[captain039]

Heal your hurt

Viktor x reader

Warnings: Hurt/comfort, angst, health issues, mental health issues, light swearing, chubby reader, intimacy, smut, friends to lovers, reader has chronic pain

I just need to take care of Viktor and for him to take care of me xD

It’s a quiet day, rain gently pattering on the window of your shared apartment. Viktor’s been your roommate for three years now, but you’ve known him since you were little. You’ve always loved Viktor, lately though it just seems different, you catch yourself staring at him, watching the way his eyes scan over journals, notes and blueprints, watch the way his jaw sometimes clench’s a little to harshly, or his high cheek bones. Watching him slowly grow tired while you read on the bed making sure he doesn’t fall asleep at the desk, or how he makes his tea in the morning, his hair a mess his eyes barely open. It makes your cheek heat and your thighs clench. You want to throw yourself out the window some days at how bad it gets, you can’t help but wonder, let your mind wander to thoughts you shouldn’t be thinking about him, you imagine straddling him, making sure he’s comfortable before slowing sinking-

The door opening makes you startle, your book falls to the floor and you stare blankly before you register.

“Welcome home” you call to Viktor who just hums and heads to his desk lying his things down. He looks tired today more so than usual, his limp is worse than normal and you can see the tense lines in his jaw and brow.

“How was your day?” You ask. You know better than to ask if he’s ok, always being brushed off.

“Good” he answers simply sitting down resting his cane against the table, it wouldn’t be a talking day then. You sigh softly picking up your book and lying it on the table head in hand, elbow resting on the table as you look out the window, watching the rain fall.

“Did you have a good day?” Viktor’s voice comes and you look to him, he’s looking to you to which surprised you.

“It was boring” you shrug and he nods.

“Jayce says hello” he says and turns back to his desk.

“Tell him I say hi back” you say and he nods. You stand up deciding to take a shower instead of sitting, your hips protest and you swear you feel like someone just stabbed you in the tail bone. You want to curse but keep it in and awkwardly go to the bathroom. You run a bath, put in a few drops of oil and a scoop of bath salts, it’s your own damn fault for sitting in that chair too long. You want to slap yourself but don’t as you strip and struggle with your pants and socks. You sit on the toilet seat jaw clenching. Times like these you missed your mother, her helpful hand her warm words and caring touch, she made you feel less useless. You force your legs up and take off your socks one by one it takes you too long and you’re rushing to turn the taps off before you even get your pants off. You sigh shimmying your pants off before you settle in the bath with a small sigh of satisfaction. A temporary subdue of pain, you figured by now they’d invent something to stop this kind of thing, but no, we’re just inventing blimps and hextech. You sit in the bath eyes closed head resting on the small bath pillow that Viktor bought you. It’s… nice the small things he does, he’ll buy you a small gift you use every day like a new bookmark, a blanket or something you need, he’ll leave one of your jackets hanging by the door if it’s cold, he always knows how to make the best tea.

“Are you alive in there?” A gentle knock echos from the door and you open your eyes realising you were lost in thought.

“Yeah I’m alive” you call out hearing a soft rare chuckle from Viktor.

“Would you like a tea?” He asks and the thought of hot tea makes you smile.

“Yes please” you answer. Getting out the bath seems to harder than getting in, you feel ten times more heavy and drying your body feels like running a marathon. You struggle to your room, listen to the kettle boil as you take some pain meds and get dressed carefully. You leave your room and collapse on the couch ungracefully and sigh. You’ve never outright told Viktor of your problems, you figure he can see them even though you try to hide, sometimes it’s too much to hide, but you don’t want your burdens on him when he already has his own.

“Tea” Viktor says and hands you the cup. You thank him and sit up properly sipping the herbal drink with a small sigh.

“Viktor?” You ask as he sits at his desk and he hums back. You pause for a moment sighing and shaking your head.

“Sorry, don’t worry” you brush off picking up a book instead. You don’t see him falter and stop what he’s doing till you hear his voice.

“How is your book?” He asks.

“S, good” you hum.

“What’s it about?” He adds and you flick your eyes up seeing him writing something down.

“You don’t like my silly romance novels” you snort softly.

“Indulge me” he answers and something in your stomach flutters.

“I- ok. It’s about opposing kingdoms the Prince and the Princess must marry to form an alliance between each kingdom, they hate each other though and she’s been planning to murder him to get revenge for mother’s death. They’re forced to be together for appearance and she slowly finds out that it wasn’t in fact the prince that killed her mother but someone else, I think it was one of the kings assassins and the prince had no idea about it, anyway, she realised that the prince is not the evil master mind he appears to be, he’s a soft hearted gentlemen who cares for the people in secret and tries to save the kingdom from collapsing” you explain only half way through the book.

“Has either one confessed?” He asks.

“No, she’s still learning about her feelings but he’s head over heels just doesn’t want to push her” you shrug sipping your tea again and reading the page you were on.

“An enemies to lovers? Is that what you called it?” He comments and you smile to yourself.

“Yeah that’s what it’s called” you answer.

“With a slow…burn?” He tilts his head and your smile widens even if he can’t see it.

“Also correct” you let out a small giggle.

“I am slowly learning your… book language” you feel your stomach do a flip with butterflies at his words and you force yourself to stop smiling. You clear your throat and nod.

“Yeah, you’re doing good” you mumble focusing on finishing your tea and page.

[sailorvenusxoxo]

Full Celebration

Fandom: Rivals

Pairing: Tony Baddingham x Reader

Summary: The second part of "Half-Celebration". You threatened Tony with a good time, and a hint of a dominance streak. But now, in the intimacy of your place, the rest of the celebration for Corinium's success can take place...

Warnings: Smut, fem!reader (but no she/her pronouns), cunnilingus, fellatio, vaginal sex, grinding, mirror sex, slight femdom, switching

Word count: 2.7k

a/n: hey everyone! Due to some people asking it, I published a part 2, which is also on Ao3! If you have any requests, I'm willing to try, and obviously, any constructive criticism is welcomed! <3 Also, I apologise in advance, English is NOT my first language. Lots of love 🫶🏻

Were you excited? Antsy? Apprehensive? 

Hehe, of course you were.

Giving blue balls to Lord Tony Baddingham, your own boss, and also coincidentally your lover, was an enormous thrill, and a massive ego boost. You still remembered the way his face scrunched in pure frustration, as he had realised the intent of your visit to his office, and the sound of his growl, almost ready to pounce on you, and prolong the celebration on the carpet of his office.

As you looked at yourself in your fancy golden lined mirror, checking your appearance for the last time, you nodded your head in approval at your reflection.

You knew what was coming tonight. Perhaps a shitstorm, due to the little dominant streak that had taken over you earlier that day. Would there be a reverse, where he’d take back his usual dominant role, and… perhaps… punish you, for today’s boldness? Or maybe he simply loved your confidence and sudden dominance, and he’d reluctantly ask for more?

Either way, both scenarios seemed equally as enticing. You felt yourself already slightly flush at the idea, and you scrunch your face, trying to make it go away. You added some more blush to make it seem like you had just forced on it. It was simply horrendous, when Tony mocked you and infantilised you for your blush.

As you dusted your lounge outfit once more, the door opened. Tony never rang. “Why would I? My bloody name’s on it, and I pay the rent.”, he’d always retort, whenever you scoffed at him for it. Which you always did, because no matter the fact he payed it, or the fact his name was on the papers, you were the one living there. You loved your privacy, and your precious alone time in this fancy flat, after a long day of working and asserting yourself at Corinium. And, Tony almost felt like a jumpscare, when he barged at 10pm, grumbling about work and his home life, while you were all wrapped up for bed, with your homemade mask, hair rolled up, and nestled in your favourite jumper.

Though… Something that you tried not to acknowledge, to not give your affair too much of an emotional importance, but Tony usually never mentioned your attire. He’d just sit next to you on the couch, loosen his tie, and rant to you about everything that annoyed him, while he’d steal some of your snacks.

A part of you was annoyed by it, but another part could not help but find it… endearingly domestic.

Still, he came in, and saw you facing your reflection. Your eyes met in the mirror, and you tilted your head at him, face playfully stoic, as your hands went on your hips. He smirked to himself, rolling his eyes, as he snickered.

“Yes, yes, I know. ‘Knock before coming in’... You need to stop saying it like that, you make me sound like a nosy mum…”

You rolled your eyes, still facing the mirror, as he slowly walked to you, his expensive shoes echoing on the wooden floor. As you were about to open your mouth again, to notify him that, unlike him, you did not have a cleaning lady, and did the moping yourself (which translated to: ‘take off your shoes.’), he stood behind you, putting his large skinny hands on your hips, his eyes going from your actual face, to your eyes in the reflection of the mirror.

He smirked again, and whispered to your ear, meeting your eyes in the mirror.

“Admiring yourself, starlet? Hosting your own little show?”

You huffed softly, before pinching your lips, as his chapped lips started to pepper some kisses on your neck. Alright, you had gotten the vibe. You had your dominant streak earlier, but he was taking control back again. A part of you felt a bit disappointed, but not too much. You still enjoyed yourself very much, when he dominated you. Though… that spark you felt, with your heel on his forehead, his face stuck between your thighs, putty in your hands… That was something. But, oh well. It was nice enough while it lasted-

“You know… I have to admit, your little bit earlier was interesting.”

He suddenly murmured into your ear, his teeth nibbling on your lobe. Your pulse accelerated, and not just because of the sensual nibbling. He had enjoyed it? Because, that was basically what he meant. Clearing your throat, you decided to test the waters.

“...If you actually enjoyed it, you can just say it like that, instead of playing the cryptic card…”

You muttered, your voice a bit lower than usual. You heard him chuckle, before his grip on your hips tightened.

“...Maybe I did. Maybe it stirred something.”

He whispered back, pressing a kiss to the skin of your neck, below your ear.

“Seeing you like this… All dominant, confident… you looked gorgeous, starlet. Like a bloody goddess, sculpted out of my bare hands…”

He praised, his left hand slowly going from your hip to your chest, and cupping your left breast. You let out a soft gasp, leaning your head back against his shoulder.

“...You know Tony… You paid for my flat, got me this job, believed in me… And I’m very grateful.”

You started, your voice a hushed murmur.

“But… No matter what, don’t forget that my bloody talent got me there. Got us there. You wouldn’t have believed in me, and lavished in such expenses, if I hadn’t been that fucking good back then, on the NBC. Corinium wouldn’t have such high rates, if it weren’t for me and all the work I pour into your company.”

His eyes looked to yours in the mirror, slightly taken aback, as you continued, your right hand reaching behind you, to take a hold of his crotch.

“The praise is nice to hear, Tony. But don’t forget who you also owe some of your success to.”

You murmur, staring right into his eyes, through the reflection. His eyes widened slightly. For a second, you got slightly apprehensive. Would he be turned off by this dirty talk turned quite personal? Would he ignore it, and get back to his dominant persona, or even worse, and just walk away? 

But to your surprise and relief, he kept on looking into your eyes, lust clouding his dark brown eyes. The hand that rested on your left breast suddenly twitched, as he rolled your nipple between his fingers, through your shirt. Your eyes widened, as you let out a soft moan, still looking at his reflection.

“Is that right? I should be more grateful, more thankful? Get on my knees, perhaps, to praise and thank the almighty producer?”

Tony growled, his voice betraying pure arousal. Gosh, this was your shot. Your chance.

“As a matter of fact, yes.”

You retorted, your face slightly more stoic, your back still pressed against his chest.

“Get on your knees. Thank me dutifully, and make me feel appreciated.”

You ordered, your voice low, pressing your hand harder on his crotch, as he let out a groan. You put both your hands on the furniture before you, still looking at the mirror, as you felt Tony slipping your pants down, getting on his knees.

He peppered harsh kisses on your backside, almost nibbling at the flesh his teeth could access, while playing with your underwear.

Tony’s enthusiasm was almost feverish, as his long fingers harshly slipped your underwear off you, and you gripped the furniture.

Tony Baddingham. On his knees. For you.

You had to see that.

You turned around, slightly startling him, before hooking a leg around his neck, colliding his face to your core. His dark eyes looked up to yours, as you simply murmured.

“Shut it. Eat me out, that’s it. Last time wasn’t long enough.”

His eyes squinted again, as he gripped the flesh of your thighs with his hands, completely devouring you.

His tongue, like it did earlier that day, lapped all around your sensitive area, before he decided to ignore your instruction to make it last, as he suckled on your clit, his tongue flicking on it, as he messily rubbed his mouth and chin all over.

He was ravenous, like a starved man, discovering his first drop of water.

Your back arched, and this time, you could gasp and cry out of pleasure as much as you wanted, with no fear of being heard. You looked back at him, flushed, panting, chest heaving.

“That’s right… keep going, you better not stop…”

You growled softly, hooking your right leg tighter, to nestle his face further into your most intimate place. In the corner of your eye, as he was busy working on you, you noticed the red kitten heels you had worn today.

As you looked to the powerful Corinium CEO on his knees for you, an idea came to your mind. You shifted slightly, to sit for support on the furniture, before slipping your left foot in your heel.

Discreetly, you sneaked your left foot along Tony’s thigh, caressing his inner thigh with the point of your heel. He gripped your skin harder, his mouth now almost suckling harder, as you groaned.

“Easy…”

You mumbled to him, before your left heel harshly pressed into his groin. He let out a startled gasp, as you pressed your heel even more. His eyes looked to yours, as he started to moan, his lips parting, as he licked them in a hurry, trying to talk.

“You fucking little-”

He started, before you interrupted.

“Shut your fucking mouth. Take what I give you, and get back to work.”

You snapped, gripping his hair with a hand, shoving his face back between your thighs, as he moaned loudly at your dominance, his hips now bucking into your foot, shamelessly mumbling words against your soaking core.

“So fucking gorgeous, look at you… All wet, for me to devour…”

He groaned, almost humping your foot, as you felt yourself slowly coming undone. The pressure was building up, and you just loved to see him like this.

Just like it happened earlier, you came against his mouth, as he shamelessly slurped everything.

Still shaking, you unhooked your right leg, and pulled your left foot away from his groin.

He looked up to you, still on his knees, as he weakly chuckled, licking his lips.

“...Are you gonna leave me all blue balls again?”

He murmured, as you shook your head, slowly.

“...No. You took good care of me. You deserve a….little reward.”

You murmured, before joining him on the floor.

There, you unbuckled his belt, looking into his eyes, who looked as eager and dark as earlier that day.

His erection sprung out, you made a gesture with your chin.

“Up on your feet.”

You ordered him, to which he executed himself. He stood up, taking the same furniture you did as support.

Then, with his crotch facing you, you decided it wasn't just going to be any blowjob. But simply a way to have him surrender even more.

You licked his leaking tip, teasingly, before pressing a chaste kiss on his tip.

He shivered, gripping the furniture harder.

“F-Fuck…”

He grumbled, as you peppered chaste kisses all over his hard length.

“Feels good, huh?”

You murmured.

“Torturous, almost… my lips on you, but not exactly like usual…”

He groaned again, looking down at you.

“For fucks sake, just hurry…”

You snicker, shaking your head, before your kisses moved to his sack.

“Oof… so full… Were you really that excited, earlier?”

You mocked him, before licking a stripe on it, as he let out a sharp gasp.

The stripe soon turned into a suckle, before it turned into a full blown slow sucking of his balls, as your hand worked on his length.

You pulled away for a bit, as he panted, already moaning and shaking his head, before you lubed your hand with your spit.

You got back to stroking his length, before wrapping your lips around his tip, fully putting it in your mouth. You softly sucked on it, before you tried to take more and more of him in your throat, trying your best to mix all the elements that made a blowjob acceptable.

Breath through your nose, press your thumb into your palm to not gag, and bobbing your head softly, deciding to continue in this teasing trajectory, to drive him insane.

And god, was it working.

He was moving his hips, thrusting into your mouth, loudly moaning.

“F-Fuck, starlet! Just like that, I swear t-to god… Fuck yeah, that’s right…”

He groaned. You kept on sucking him for a while, slowly, teasingly slow, as tears of pleasure and eagerness pooled in his eyes.

Seeing this, you pulled away, smirking, satisfied. You had brought Tony Baddingham to tears. Tears.

As you stood up, smug and proud, he grabbed your hips, to your surprise, and turned you back to the mirror.

Your eyes widened, before he looked to your reflection, looking like a mess, and murmured into your ear.

“That’s what I wanted… see you in all your glory, before making you come undone like a proper little mess, clenching around my cock…”

You blinked, and suddenly, his plan and intentions became clearer.

He wanted for you to dominate him again, a bit more, to rile him up to no end, so he could dominate you in return. An endless fight for dominance, that sounded simply divine.

“...Yeah? Think you can do that?”

You managed to say to his reflection, as he wrapped an arm around your waist, hoisting one of your knees on the furniture below the mirror.

Tony looked to your eyes in the reflection, and murmured.

“...Y’know I can. Don’t act coy.”

He grumbled, as he bit softly on his neck, leaving a soft mark. He continued by saying something that unfortunately always made your stomach churn in desire.

“You’re gonna look at that bloody mirror, while I wreck you, Starlet. You’re gonna make the hottest movie ever for me, aren't ya? Be my pretty little star for the night, while I thrust into you with no mercy? I want to see you… all putty in my hands, moaning, shaking, flushing… that clear, starlet?”

You shivered at his crude, harsh, but so exciting words. You nodded, pinching your lips.

“...Okay.”

You murmured.

Tony gripped your hips, before lining himself up with you, the tip of his cock finding your entrance. Finally doing so, he slowly entered you, letting your warmth wrap him and suck him into yourself, as your moans both echoed.

“Fuck…”

You murmured, enjoying the sensations of your two bodies connecting. Soon enough, after a minute of slow thrusting, to linger around and enjoy the feeling, his thrusts grew harsher, faster, as his grip on your hips grew harder.

“F-Fuck… that’s it, starlet… take it, do your pretty little moans for me, princess…”

Tony groaned, his mouth attacking your neck, as you looked at your messy reflection in the mirror.

Your breasts were out of the shirt, as Tony’s hand went to cup one, your eyes were pooling with tears, and your lips were parted, letting out the precious sounds Tony craved.

“A-Argh… just like that, damn it… just like that…”

You groaned, praising him, as you moved his hips too, one of your hand going to your clit, to play with it, and heighten the sensations.

“So fucking gorgeous… look at you, starlet, shining like a pretty little star…”

Tony murmured, with an amused smile, as you slightly chuckled as well. Indeed, you were shining, but due to sweat. Not for some other romantic or poetic reasons.

Minutes passed, with Tony’s endless thrustings, his lips on your neck, a hand cupping your breast, squeezing it, pinching the nipple… and all of those stimulation, added to the visual stimulation of seeing the whole spectacle as a front row spectator, was just euphoric.

Without any warning, you clenched around Tony, your back arching, your toes curling, as you let out a hoarse cry.

“A-Ah, Fuck!”

You cried out, as Tony joined you shortly after. In a post orgasmic bliss, his hips kept on slowly thrusting, to ride the waves of both your orgasms.

He peppered kisses on your neck, soft ones this time.

“...You were amazing.”

He mumbled, looking at your reflection.

“...You always were, and always will be, starlet.”

He added.

And as you looked at your reflection, wrecked but happy, and thought back of your professional and sexual accomplishments, you concluded that….

Yes, indeed. You were amazing, and always will be.

[the-bad-guys-2-reportage]

🟢 Director Pierre Perifel explains the connection between The Bad Guys 2 & the first movie, the books, and more!

The characters are based on the popular books by Aaron Blabey. Is this new story also based on a book or is it an original story?

Pierre Perifel: "It's an original story. We borrow elements from the book, we borrow situations, we borrow names, we borrow characters."

Damon Ross:"The bad girls are elements from the books. They're not called the bad girls, but their names are pretty similar. We just changed one of the names. However, the situation in which they meet is completely different. And even their dynamics are different. But the characters themselves are pretty similar."

How difficult was it for you to find a story for a second film?

Pierre Perifel:"I always liked the ambiguity of the last scene in the first film, when you see Diane Foxington picking them up from prison. When she says, "All right, guys, ready to work?", that could mean being ready to take on more, bigger missions. But it could also mean just working. Our characters have just gotten out of prison and they're out of work and in a lot of debt. They go from interview to interview and can't get a job. And then they get sucked back into the life of crime by this trio of bad girls who want them to pull off one last heist. I think that was just our way of pushing ourselves to do super cool action stuff."

Damon Ross: "Here's a new crime syndicate that will test Wolf's decision to become good in the first film. It's one thing to become good, but another to stay good."

Pierre Perifel: "Things have changed though. Nobody runs away from them anymore because they're afraid of being eaten by the wolf. It's more of a distrust. People don't trust these people yet. Wolf believed that people would welcome them with open arms since they had served their time and saved the town from a crazy guinea pig. But that's not how it works. I think that makes the film quite realistic in a way. They have to pay bills but don't have the money because nobody will give them a job."

Have you ever thought about making a prequel?

Pierre Perifel: "I don't think we ever thought about it. We open the new film with a prologue. It's a scene that takes place years before the first film. We also have flashbacks to refer to the first film and explain what our characters went through. But we never thought about making a complete prequel."

Damon Ross: "Right now we're focused on moving the story forward."

What can you tell us about these new characters?

Pierre Perifel: "They kidnap our bad guys to force them to do one last job. They're also great thieves and really badass. The criminals are led by Kitty Kat, a snow leopard voiced by Danielle Brooks. She's super smart, super charismatic and super strong. And then we have Pigtail the wild boar, who's kind of like a MacGyver engineer. She's a crime nerd with a big brain but very shy and always wants to hang out with them. Her voice is by Maria Bakalova. And then we have Doom, a raven, and she's very dry and quick-witted and sort of the femme fatale of the group. She's voiced by Natasha Lyonne. These three are planning a big heist and need help. So they kidnap the gangster gang. And when they say that they are good now, the girls reply: "We don't really ask." And during this work, the two groups grow closer and Wolf begins to wonder if he should return to the criminal life."

You felt like you had to prove yourself to the audience of the books, the fans, and of course you wanted to please them. After proving yourself to them, you now feel pressure to please the fans of the film. Which pressure was greater for you?

Pierre Perifel: "The second film, definitely. Because now we have the entire fan base that we have to serve and that we cannot disappoint."

Damon Ross: "We now have the fan base of the books and also the fan base of the first film. So it's just expanded and gotten exponentially bigger. The books are much bigger now too. But I will say, we work closely with the writer Aaron Blabey. We talk to him all the time and we've shared early cuts of the film. And the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. So I feel like the fans of the books are going to be super excited because he's excited. And I think that will translate to the general audience as well."

Interview from Rezensionen

[pepperspottice]

🌶️ : " Burnt my food AGAIN! Gosh, I need to learn how to cook someday . . "

[krirebr]

Hi Kris 😍 can you tell me anything about If It Breaks Don’t Force It 👀

Hi Suz! I absolutely can! @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory also asked about this one.

Ohhhh ho ho, It Breaks If You Don't Force It is my basement husband!Curtis fic. 😈😈😈 It's got a completely deranged short!reader and features lots of size kink, lots of power plays, a lot of bondage. Poor Curtis is going to have a very hard time. 😭

@bigtreefest When I said the other day that I'd never been mean to Curtis in a posted fic, this is what I was referring to. 🫣

Here's a little excerpt:

I really gotta get back to this one!

Ask me about my wips

[orchideae]

A little unpopular opinion on something I've seen happen more commonly throughout November/December and wanted to address quickly for my own blog: Please never hesitate to reblog anything from me. You see me reblogging a sentence starter list that you like? Go for it and reblog it from me directly without any pressure on you whatsoever to send anything into me before doing so. You like a GIF-set or musing that I reblogged? Nab it from me, it'll brighten my day to see that we share an interest in something. I like to see interaction between me and anyone who follows me. I like to see that little activity notification light up.

Honestly, it simply reminds me that we're all part of a community, and more specifically, a fandom that consists of characters and nations that we all came to love and then share that amongst ourselves. And honestly, seeing a reblog happen shortly after me but it's from the source, creates (in my opinion) an odd sense of chosen disconnect between people that can feel awkward, it's as if we're walking on eggshells as to not rub each other the wrong way. But what's wrong about going 'Hey, I see what you reblogged, I like it too!', it even gives you potential common ground to start a conversation. We're a community, and I don't know about you, but I like seeing people interact with each other beyond merely threads and notes. It's the little things that matter, after all.

[crossbackpoke-check]

tagged by ko @tofumilanesa for wip wednesday! big shout out to writevember for making me feel like i can actually call any of these works in progress… your guide to my emoji code under the cut

wip!

🪻🐈‍⬛ - the doc title is still just. YOWLING but i am like 7/8 of the way done with omega yamo fic and hopefully salem isn’t reading this so i can just drop it over a year later with no warning <3

🫃2️⃣ - DEWEY^2 P2!!!! she is almost done (i am lying) but she is so close i can almost taste it. sorry to my pwp that grew its own feelings baby

😇🤭 (🕒 -> 🕜) - rip i’m not telling you about this one until it’s posted but it IS complete aside from being ao3 formatted and the eight billion edits i inevitably do right before full-sending it

☁️💧 - cloud petey fic, which exists mostly as an embarrassingly large tag on a different blog and is condensing into a narrative about as well as water at 30° N/S. the time loop fic also falls under this description

eternally in progress (short list)

🌑🐕 - tyler borzoituzzi exists… there is an index of scenes/plot points… it plays like a movie in my head…

💯❕- fantastic! ‘verse

👁️👻 - stevie brandon seeing ghosts au, which has eight different (now nine i guess but you haven't seen the mustache adam post yet) plots. sorry

just. rotating like a microwave

🍎 - because they didn’t have a pomegranate emoji, this is what i used for the fic that feels like it should be a 50k connor bedard character study hanif abdurraqib/cathal kelly thesis about legends and mythmaking in sports and eating your young. yes i know pomegranates aren’t actually pomes and apples are but it’s fine

🦈 - the one cat da fuck they doing over there meme but about the sharks just like. in general. more on this at five

tagging @colap1nto, @songsandswords, @whitenikes, @gordiemeow, @acheronist, and anybody else who wants to share!!

[rose24207]

Fourth time’s the charm

Summary: In which Lando tries to confess to you but gets interrupted every single time.

Genre: Fluff

TW: None!

A/N: English is not my first language. I hope you enjoy it though! Requests are open and welcome!

Masterlist

Lando Norris had always been confident in most areas of his life. When it came to racing, he was a force to be reckoned with.

But when it came to matters of the heart, especially when it involved you, his confidence wavered like a leaf in the wind.

You had this way of making him feel as if he had never once had a solid thought in his head.

Everything about you was magnetic. The way you laughed at his jokes, even when they were terrible, the way you listened so intently when he rambled about his day.

You’d spent weeks teasing him gently, making him feel like you could read his mind—and it only made him fall harder.

It was impossible not to notice how effortlessly beautiful you were.

You were self-assured, sharp, and witty—traits that made him admire you from the sidelines. Every time you caught his eye, a fluttering sensation took over his chest.

He had to make a move.

It was just... well, asking you out seemed like such a monumental step.

The problem was that Lando had been trying to ask you out for weeks. And for some bizarre cosmic reason, every time he gathered the courage, something always seemed to interrupt him.

Today, he was determined.

Today would be different.

He would ask you out, and he wouldn’t let anyone get in his way.

Attempt One: The McLaren Hospitality Suite

It was early in the day.

Lando was sitting in the McLaren hospitality suite, sipping on a cup of coffee while trying to distract himself from the million thoughts racing through his mind.

He’d seen you earlier, sitting at a table, engrossed in your laptop. Your usual relaxed air and the way you made everything look so effortless only made him admire you more.

He watched you for a few moments, silently working up the nerve. He’d spent the last hour trying to figure out how to phrase it perfectly, but nothing sounded right. It didn’t matter how much time he spent perfecting the words; all that mattered was asking you.

“Hey, Y/N,” he said, making his move, trying to keep his voice casual.

You looked up from your screen, eyebrows lifting. “Oh, hey! What’s up?”

He cleared his throat, doing his best to sound confident. “I was wondering if—”

“Lando, mate!”

A loud voice cut through the moment like a knife. It was Carlos Sainz, entering the room with his usual jovial energy.

He clapped a hand on Lando’s shoulder, his enthusiasm evident.

“Have you seen the new lap data? It’s insane.”

Lando’s mouth snapped shut as Carlos carried on, excitedly talking about telemetry and tire wear.

He shot you an apologetic glance, but the moment was gone.

Carlos continued on, oblivious to the tension he’d just interrupted, leaving Lando feeling helpless.

As the conversation continued, Lando’s thoughts drifted back to you, only to be pulled away again and again by the sound of Carlos babbling.

The universe, it seemed, was against him.

Attempt Two: The Paddock

Later that afternoon, Lando found himself in the paddock area, looking for an opportunity to talk to you.

You were standing near the barriers, deep in conversation with a reporter.

Lando’s gaze immediately fixed on you.

The way you smiled and laughed, and the ease with which you made even the most mundane conversation feel important, was irresistible.

Now was his chance.

He walked over, trying to calm the nervous flutter in his chest. As he reached you, his heart pounded in his ears. “Y/N,” he called, smiling slightly.

”Can I steal you for a second?”

You looked up from your conversation, your expression turning curious.

“Of course,” you said, politely excusing yourself from the reporter.

But as he opened his mouth to speak, a firm hand landed on his shoulder.

“Lando, media’s waiting. We need you now.” It was his PR manager, pointing at him with a sense of urgency.

Lando exhaled sharply, frustrated. He shot you an apologetic look.

“I’ll catch you later,” he said quickly, before being whisked away.

You gave him a soft, understanding smile.

”No worries, Lando. Go on.”

And just like that, another chance slipped through his fingers.

Attempt Three: The Team Dinner

By evening, Lando had almost resigned himself to the idea that today was just not going to be the day.

The entire McLaren crew had gathered at a restaurant to celebrate the end of a successful race weekend.

Lando had been looking forward to the dinner all day, but now all he could think about was how he’d barely spoken to you.

As dessert was being served, Lando noticed you leaning in, chatting with a couple of teammates. His heart skipped as he found the courage to finally act.

“Y/N,” he said, voice a little quieter than usual as he leaned forward to catch your attention.

You looked up, that familiar warm smile spreading across your face as your eyes met his. “Hmm?”

Lando swallowed hard. This was it. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

But before he could continue, the entire restaurant seemed to erupt into chaos.

“Toast time!” someone shouted from across the table, causing everyone to rise and cheer. Glasses clinked, laughter filled the air, and suddenly all eyes were on the celebration, drowning out Lando’s attempt.

He groaned inwardly, sinking back into his seat, helpless as the conversation moved on.

He was starting to feel like the universe was intentionally torturing him.

Final Attempt: Under the Stars

It was well past dinner, and the team was slowly filtering out of the restaurant. Lando, however, found himself lingering outside, hoping for one last chance to speak with you.

The night air was cool, and the city lights cast a soft glow over everything.

You were standing near the curb, talking to a few friends, laughing in that carefree way of yours.

Lando watched you for a few moments, once again finding himself paralyzed by your presence.

He took a deep breath and walked over.

“Y/N,” he said softly, cutting through the noise of the city.

You turned to face him, your smile instantly appearing, a sense of calm washing over him as he looked into your eyes.

“What’s up?” you asked.

Lando opened his mouth, finally prepared to say the words he’d been rehearsing all day.

“I... I’ve been trying to talk to you all day,” he admitted, laughing nervously. “But every time I’ve tried, something’s happened. Carlos, the media, the team, even toast time—”

You laughed, the sound sweet and genuine, like music to his ears. “I noticed,” you teased, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve been acting a little off.”

He chuckled nervously, his heart beating wildly. “I guess I’m just... I’m just nervous,” he admitted.

“About what?”

“About asking you out,” he said in a rush, finally pushing past the nerves.

“I like you. A lot. And I’ve been trying to ask you for weeks, but I didn’t know how.”

You stared at him, the soft night breeze swirling around the both of you. For a moment, everything felt still.

“I... I don’t know why I’m so nervous,” he continued, his voice barely above a whisper. “It’s just that every time I’m around you, I feel... I feel like I don’t know how to act.”

You took a step forward, closing the distance between you.

“Lando,” you said softly, “you could’ve just asked.”

And just like that, the floodgates opened. The tension, the hesitation—it all melted away in the warmth of your gaze.

Lando could only smile, feeling the weight of his fears lift as he finally said the words that had been bottled up inside him.

“Will you go out with me?” he asked, his voice genuine.

You smiled, your eyes sparkling under the soft glow of the streetlights. “Yes, Lando. I will.”

And for the first time that day, there were no interruptions.

Thank you for reading!

[quinloki]

Hey @alexa-fika I'm answering this this way because I chewed on it a little and didn't want to share the link. It's not the possible spoilers of it, just so much that the caption IS mean, and I didn't want anyone to gives views and clicks to such a mean-spirited thing.

And Kid is... hm, he's not easily digestible that's for sure. I don't think he's dislikeable at all, I just think the kind of person he is isn't for everyone. Built up from his past and his upbringing and such though, Kid is Kid. He makes sense - something I do have to give Oda credit for in terms of a lot of his characters.

Doflamingo made sense - I use him as an example because we got a detailed rundown of his past. We know where he came from, what he went through, and have a basic idea of how he ended up as he was. It's not meant to make us dismiss his actions, but there's enough there for us as the audience to say "Okay, I can see how he got here."

We don't have all of Kid's details, but enough to be able to say "Okay, I can see how he got here."

And if this was Kid's Story™ and not Luffy's Story™ then I think how his personality and bravado are perceived would be very different. But I also think you could make One Piece as a story with Kid at the center of it because there's a lot of overlap between him and Luffy in regards to their actions, sorrows, motivations, and strengths.

We don't get as much detail with Shanks, but as a literary device Shanks is meant to be mostly an enigma. We have no idea who his parents were, don't know what Roger said to him at the end, why he made the decisions he did (i.e. not going for the one piece right after Roger's execution). This allows Oda to have plenty of room to utilize this character as he wants and needs to.

Which is I think Shanks being/becoming a villain is just as plausible as him being a "good" guy throughout. And I don't really like the idea of "good" and "bad" in One Piece, because there's already so much from the show itself that bucks those perceptions.

Pirates are supposed to be bad Marines are supposed to be good

But canonically we've learned that your chances of finding help are fairly equivalent whether you run up to a Marine or a Pirate.

More correctly Pirates are Free Marines are Bound

Pirates are free to act as they please, and Marines are bound to a system that dictates when and how they can act.

It's brilliant story telling, honestly, and one of the reasons I love the series so much.

As for the latest episode, I did answer a couple asks on my Kid Pirate Sideblog @punks-never-die205 that go into more detail about how I felt about the episode and how I think it could resolve.

I'm dying to see the outcome in the manga, and I hope it's something like I expect, but honestly. This is Oda's story. Just like with anything I'd write, while he does have certain parameters and limitations he has to abide for commercial reasons, it's still HIS story.

He's entertained me and millions for years and more, so I think he deserves to end it as he pleases. I just hope he pleases to end it in the ways I think he will xD