#「 DIVE INTO THE MADNESS 」 － threads

[rawliverandgoronspice]

ohhh I managed to convince my potato laptop that it was indeed capable of running clip studio paint let's fucking goooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lurxof--thxmaw]

❝ [ receiver finds sender covered in blood ] ❞ － @yxllowcoat

During the long time she spent on the Maw, the Lady had spent an extensive amount of time witnessing some of the most outlandish things one could possibly think of. She's seen worse in the outside world, admittedly, even if her memories of it are vague: what happens on the Maw is but a fragment of the depravity staining the mainland. It was like a mist, laying softly on humanity's eyes － but not her own. Never her own.

However, one of the things that seemed to stick consistently across all civilization both on and off the Maw is violence. Unbridled, unexplainable violence. It seems that a stable of the human nature was to gravitate towards it almost subconsciously. The Lady's hands are not clean themselves, that she has to recognise; one has to do what they must to survive.

The way she saw it was, by her own admission, rather simple: you can either run from violence, or engage in it. And one can only keep running for so long before getting caught.

She presumes this is what must have happened to... her.

The child standing at the end of the corridor is small and frail, much like many others. The madame can hear her breaths, no matter how soft they are. And her presence － her soul, flickers with a rather annoying insistence to it. It was hard to ignore once it was made known, really. The woman's eyes trail over her shining raincoat, stained by the bad odor of blood. Its shades mix with the yellow fabric in a rather fascinating way.

The Madame doesn't speak yet. She limits herself to studying the little intruder.

PROMPTS.

[leupagus]

You know what else pisses me off? Women's hair and how it's used as shorthand in this show in just the laziest goddamn ways possible and then IT'S NOT EVEN DONE WELL.

Like okay Brienne has short hair because she's a fighter but it's EXACTLY THE WRONG LENGTH IF YOU'RE A FIGHTER. It's Jaime Season 1, the exact length to get into your eyes while you're fighting! You're telling me that Brienne "I've been beating up idiots who thought I was unwomanly since I was tall enough to kick them in the balls" of Tarth wouldn't have a pixie cut???

And then there's Cersei, who DOES have a pixie cut but again, ALL WRONG FOR HER CHARACTER. I can't see her keeping it short, myself; this is Cersei Lannister, the most beautiful woman in Westeros and trained from birth to be beautiful. Who uses that beauty. She might cast that aside once she takes the throne (and if so you need to EXPLAIN WHY SHE DOES SO other than "when lady get power she get manly"), but before? When she's still the queen mother and trying to get Tommen out from under the influence of Margaery and wanting to keep things as they were? And even if you could convince me that she keeps it short as a reminder of what happened to her — which you could! — you have to have her keeping it the length it was during her walk of atonement and not...whatever that wig was. Show me the Cersei who gets her hair cut once a week, so that she can remember and HATE those who were responsible. (She probably kills the barber who does it every week Arabian Nights style! Let's see that!)

And if you want to talk about hair upkeep, WHAT THE FUCK WAS UP WITH DAENERYS'S WHOLE BRAID SITUATION. Like let's leave aside the fact that no scalp in any universe has the hair required to have that many braids of that thickness in it (and god that wig looked so bad, SO BAD, why was the wig department SO BAD ON THIS SHOW). The reflection of Daenerys's descent into "IDK I'm Just Evil Now IG?" by how elaborate her hairdo was doesn't make any sense for many reasons, not the least of which was WHO WAS DOING THAT HAIR FOR HER. I can guarantee you that was not a hairstyle you could do yourself, even with the magical hair follicles of the Targaryens. So who? Not Missandei, clearly. Not Grey Worm (although I would have paid so much money to see that and to see him discover his inner stylist and quit the Unsullied to open a barber shop in the Reach or something). Plus, the hairstyle we see her have in the last few seasons isn't one we see on anyone else, so... what is the point of it? Is it purely a signal for the audience, rather than an actual hairstyle that A HUMAN PERSON would want to put her scalp through every day? (Also again, that wig was so bad, why did it never move or have any whispies even when she'd just gotten off the BACK OF A DRAGON, like have you ever ridden your bike really fast down a hill YOUR HAIR GETS WINDSWEPT god I'm so mad.)

The only note I have about Sansa's hair was that the subliminal cue of having her and Arya and Brienne be the only Westerosi women not wearing wigs was actually kind of thematically interesting and then they gave her the shittiest wig of all for the last two seasons and fucked it all up.

Me before writing this GOT fic: this will mostly be about Sansa, my main squeeze, my best girl and beloved

Me while writing this GOT fic: so instead of the whole dumb shit that happens to Daenerys in seasons 5 & 6 what if instead she’s presiding over Meereen while it invents democracy so it can vote her out of the city. Along the way Meereen invents journalism and soccer.

[saturnsorbits]

Always a Groomsman

Fandom: My Hero Academia, Warning: Angst (A Touch), Smut, Exhibitionism, Reader Smokes, Kaminari isn't a Hero Anymore, Brief Mention of Addiction etc. Word Counts: 5.4k.

Summary: A wedding, what a wonderful place to reunite with the one that fucked you and ran all those years ago.

The light is already dying by the time you finally manage to slip away from the reception and make a B-line to the back of the tent. Your feet are killing. The whiskey helps the pain, but even whiskey can't numb everything.

'Oi.' Bakugo catches your elbow, stopping you just short of freedom.

'Where are you going?'

'Need some air.'

Flicking up his eyebrows, he offers you a smirk that tells you he's not buying your bullshit. 'So it's got nothing to do with that then?' He hooks a thumb towards the dance floor and the drunken silhouette of Kaminari Denki He's curled himself around a bridesmaid, hand pinching the silk over her hip, lips hovering barely an inch above her neck as she threads her hand through his hair.

You chew your lip and lie. 'No.'

'C'mon... Just talk to him, you know you want to.' Bakugo's eyes widen suggestively.

'I think he's too pre-occupied to talk.' Something bubbles in your stomach as you watch Kaminari whisper in the woman's ear and you quietly shift your gaze so you don't see what happens next.

'You know he's only over there because he thinks you're mad at him, right?'

'I am mad at him.'

'It's been years.'

'He fucked me over, Kat...'

Bakugo's gaze hits the floor. It's not like he's forgotten what happened. 'I'm not taking his side but -.'

'No.' You raise your hands, palms flat in the air to stop him. You know what he's about to say. You've heard it all before. 'You've got guests to entertain and I am literally going to explode if I don't get some air in the next minute.'

Rolling his eyes, he plants a kiss on your cheek and uses his new proximity to whisper in your ear. 'He'd make a pretty groom, that's all I'm saying.'

'Oh, fuck off.' You manage to swat his shoulder only once before he's turned on his heel and returned to the mess of wedding guests that whoop and roar when he re-emerges into the fray.

The cold hits you as soon as you duck under the edge of the tent and step out onto the small deck. Instantly, you pull at your shoes and hiss as your feet are forced to straighten against the wooden floor. Before the throbbing in your soles has settled, you stagger off, limping towards the tall rail separating the deck from the field beyond.

It's a nice night, cold, but nice. In the sky, stars burn on a back-drop of navy, their blanket only broken by the soft, red blinking of the odd satellite or plane. The music from the tent floats out and lingers in the air, leaving you with enough space to actually think for a second.

You'd been overjoyed to watch Bakugo finally get hitched to Kirishima, but almost all of that excitement had died when you saw Kaminari. It had been almost ten years since the night he'd kissed you outside of UA, since you'd stumbled up the stairs to his dorm and let him be the first to touch you. He'd pretended as if it had never happened afterwards and you'd taken the hint.

A few months later, you'd moved south and he had stayed. He hadn't even shown up to your leaving party, despite both Sero and Kirishima telling you he'd be there.

But, all of that was in the past, or at least you'd thought it was until your eyes had grazed his as he stood beside the alter as Kirishima's best man and you'd felt a forgotten affection swell in your stomach. Sighing, you fiddle with your clutch bag and remove a half-full packet of cigarettes from within. You flip open the box, pluck one from inside and pop it in-between your lips before diving back into the clutch to search for a lighter. Rummaging for a second, you come up empty.

'Shit.'

'Need a light?'

The voice makes you shriek. You jump, stumble over your shoes and just about manage to catch yourself on the rail. Hand falling to your chest, you can feel the hammering of your heart through your skin.

'Am I that scary?' He snickers.

You squint, trying to make out his edges in the low light. Your eyebrows furrow, then lift as you focus on the man in front of you. He looks good, better than the last time you'd seen him: A scrawny shadow of himself pictured in a double page spread of a gossip magazine, something about heroism, drugs and a sex scandal printed in bright ink above it.

Flicking your eyes up to his, you're glad to see the spark has returned to his eyes. An old, but familiar shiver runs the length of your spine and suddenly, your stomach fills with motion. 'You... You look good.'

'Yeah?' He holds open his blazer, allowing you to get a full look as he slowly spins on the balls of his shoes and pinches at the skin of his stomach. 'Hero weekly says I'm chubby now.'

You're tempted to lie, to tell him that he's looked better, but you don't. 'No, you look good, healthy. It suits you.'

Something in Kaminari's chest stutters and he has to swallow the spit pooling in his mouth before he speaks again. 'Light?'

You pause. 'You don't mind?'

His face breaks into a smile, perfect and shining. 'Nah, don't even crave the things any more.' He misses out the bit about having enough nicotine patches on his chest and arms to stop a bull.

You concede. There's a comfort that comes back almost too easily, like the past finally catches up with you. It dampens the fire in your stomach, leaving you clutching at the anger that had grown inside of you since that night. You lean forward, letting him cup his hands around the end of your cigarette.

His hands shake when he tries to make a spark. It takes one, two, three times of his thumb coming down on the wheel before it finally catches a light and he can step back to a safer distance.

'It's still the same one, doesn't work as well now though.' He mumbles flicking the cap of the lighter. It's silver, with a chipped yellow lightning bolt painted on the front of it.

If you looked close enough, you're sure you'd be able to find the rough scratching of your entwined initials, engraved by his shaking hands at fifteen.

You breathe in, savour the burning of smoke as it infests your lungs and exhale. Turning, you rest against the rail and look back out over the field.

'So – you're -.'

'Sero said -.'

You both start up at the same time, the constriction of the silence around you forcing you both to attempt to fill it.

'You first -.'

'No, you – go on.' You encourage, arching an eyebrow.

Kaminari swallows. His heart thrums violently, threatening to deafen him, but he's just hoping that you can't see how bad his hands are shaking, how he can feel sweat beginning to bead his forehead. He's not an idiot. He knows how he left it, what you must think. As soon as Kirishima had asked him to be best man he’d felt his guts begin to twist and turn. The idea of seeing you again set his veins on fire. You cough and pull him back from the edge of his thoughts.

'I – uh...' He can't think. You're too close, too real and suddenly, his tongue seizes in his mouth.

Another beat of silence nestles its way into the conversation and you can't take it. You switch the conversation. 'Ei said you're going to work with Aizawa.'

He takes a deep breath and prepares himself to look at you, but it still doesn't stop the air being stolen from his lungs when he finally does. There's a flourish of nostalgia in his stomach and he swallows a grin. 'Yeah. He, uh, he sought me out. After all the – the, y'know, rehab and all that, he thought I'd be a good fit.'

'Yeah?' You raise your eyebrows. Kaminari's fall from grace had been far from undocumented. There had been barely a week that he hadn't appeared in some sort of magazine, his eyes dull and another questionable entourage in toe. Another one night stand, a model spotted having cocaine snorted off her tits; wherever there was chaos, Kaminari had followed.

'Yeah... We're, uhm, we're already working with a group of kids in UA. They got caught up in that villain attack down town. We do these workshops were we like pretend to be pro-hero's...'

Smiling, you raise your eyebrows. There's light in his voice, something you've missed and something you're keen to hold onto.

He snorts. 'No, I know, I know, but we pretend to be...' He shoots you a cheeky glance. '… Current... Pro-hero's doing interviews and talking about our experiences and stuff, y'know like it's miles away. Helps to sort it all out in your head, picture a future were it isn't all still hanging over you. There's this one kid, absolute firecracker... He stopped the whole fucking building collapsing before they could get everyone out, has a pretty nasty scar to thank for it too, but he does the most flawless impression of Bakugo it's almost scary.'

You bat at his arm instinctively and freeze as your hand wraps his bicep. For a second it's all too easy to forget you're not still teenagers clinging onto youth with both hands. 'That looks good on you too.'

'Huh?' He swallows before moving his hand to cover yours on his arm. His skin prickles when you don't pull away. It's hard to forget how it all ended. How he'd been too naïve to tell you how he felt, how he'd bit his tongue for months after he'd summoned the courage to finally kiss you and how he'd tried everything he could to run from the violent storm of emotions that had been released in his stomach that night.

It hadn't worked.

Avoiding you hadn't worked, neither had sleeping with other women or pretending it had never happened.

You lean into him, tightening your grip and the warmth of your skin reminds him that he's not the scared teenager he used to be.

'Helping kids, working with Aizawa...' You giggle, relaxing into his presence at last. 'It looks good on you. You light up when you talk about it... It's nice. Haven't seen you look like that since...' You chew your lip. 'Listen...' It's impossible to read him. His jaw is set, eyes facing forward as the cold begins to chap and redden his cheeks and you have to fight to push away the thought of how beautiful he still looks. 'I know you're only out here because Bakugo told you to be.' The accusation slips off your tongue too easily as the past rears it's head.

'I'm not – it's -.'

'You don't have to lie to me.' You offer him a broken smile, a truce of sorts.

'I really screwed up, didn't I?' He chuckles, letting smoke drift from his nose and mouth before turning to you.

'You did.'

There's a lapse in the conversation and he takes his chance. You're peering up at him, your eyes filled with the embers of something he hopes is affection and he dives in. 'Do you remember that night... Outside the school when... When, we -.' He feels stupid. The words lodge in his throat and refuse to move, forcing him to stop and haul in a breath. You'd think after all the talking therapy he'd be better at it by now.

He battles through, after all – he doesn't know when he'll get the chance to see you again.

If he doesn't do it now, he never will.

'When we slept together?' You sigh then tilt your head and finally give in, resting your head against his shoulder. Part of you wonders why he's brought it up, the other part isn't sure you care. Right now, you're just happy to bask in him. You've missed it: him. Even with the history between you. 'You don't have to apologise. I get it.'

'What do you mean?' Kaminari stammers.

'Well, It was a mistake, right?' It's a question disguised as a statement, but you don't give him time to answer before you're already trying to soften the blow yourself. 'We were young and people sleep together all the time, it's not a big deal. I just -.' You puff out your cheeks, finish your cigarette and drop it to the floor, letting Kaminari crush it with his dress shoe. 'I – I guess I just expected us to... It doesn't matter, you didn't want it and I respect that, just, it was just a hard pill to swallow, I think.

He takes another lungful of cold air, hoping the shock will calm him. It does, but only until he cranes his neck to look at you again. You're looking back up at him, your eyes wide and questioning, pupils blown out through darkness and alcohol. His gaze lingers on the soft pump of your lip and he's almost knocked over by the rush of memory that reminds him you used to taste like strawberries and smoke.

He wonders if you still do.

'It's not like that...'

You swallow. 'What was it like then?'

His voice is a whisper when he finally admits what he came out her to tell you. 'I was scared...' His thumb ghosts the back of your hand. 'I'm still scared.'

'Denki...'

'Yeah?' He's vaguely aware of the fact that he's unable to tear his eyes away from your face, but he's too caught up in the feel of you pressed to his side, where you belong, to care.

'Don't start saying things like that.'

'Why -.'

You lick at your back teeth, fighting annoyance. 'Not now. Especially not when there's a bridesmaid wondering where you've got to in there.' You hook a thumb back towards the tent.

'I'm not – we're not, we're not together or anything...' He's stumbling, making a mess as usual.

You roll your eyes. 'You don't have to lie.'

'I'm not lying.'

'I saw you all over her.'

'Dancing – we were -.'

Chewing at your lip, you sigh. 'It doesn't matter.'

'No.' He takes hold of your hand, squashes his own on top of yours and pins you as best as he can without forcing your fingers to entwine. 'It does.'

You swallow. 'Why now?'

'I – uh -.'

'Why not then?'

'I was scared.'

'You know...' You slip your hand from under his and fold your arms across your chest. 'It hurt when I realised that I was just another fuck for you, but it wasn't as bad as loosing a friend Denki – We were friends and you just fucking ghosted me. No explanation, no apology, you could have just fucking ignored it and I would have let things go back to normal, I would have just -.' You're crying, kind of. Tears well in your eyes, but you're refusing to let them fall. You've spent too many tears on him already and your make-up took almost an hour to do.

'I was a fucking idiot, I was scared and – and -.'

'I think I'm going to go...' You nod, swatting away his hand when he reaches for you. 'It was nice seeing you.' Turning, you're ready to make a short dash through the tent, ready to be as far away from the constricting air of the deck.

'No. Please. Please, don't go – not again, I just. Fuck.'

A hand wraps your wrist, pulling you back just enough that he can slip in front of you blocking your escape. 'Den - Kaminari.'

'Just let me, let me get this out. Okay.' He's pleading when he looks up at you, but he can't let you leave, not without at least trying. 'I was a fucking idiot. I was so scared that you'd hate me, that, that I'd be a bad boyfriend, or you'd move away and I wouldn't be enough, that I'd be too busy with work, or it'd be too much and I – I let that get the better of me. I was already falling apart, even back then and I didn't – I didn't want you to have to see it, to put up with it. You, fuck, you deserve so much and... That night...' He hauls in a breath. 'That night was one of the best nights of my life, not, not just the sex – just being with you and I – Well I did fuck it all up, didn't I... Look at the state of me - I couldn't, I couldn't have dragged you through all that.'

'Oi.' You fix him with a stare. 'Don't go blaming yourself, not for what you've been through - or how you've dealt with it. Never, okay... And for what it's worth, I would have gone to Hell and back if you'd asked.'

His jaw ticks, but when he turns to face you there's something almost thankful in the shine of his eyes. 'I'd never ask.'

You chuckle. 'I know. You wouldn't have had to. I've have done it anyway.'

He swallows.

You roll your lip between your teeth and bite down. 'So you liked me... Back then, I mean. When we – I wasn't just, just another girl that you...

'We both know I did.' He licks his lips. 'I was a fucking idiot, I -.' His eyes widen as he struggles to find a word to summarise the years that have elapsed between you and leaves him out on a limb.

'Do you still...'

He nods.

'And if, if it were to happen again, you'd want that?'

'More than anything.'

'And you wouldn't run away?'

'Only if I was chasing you.'

You smile, straighten and curl your body into his. 'Then...' You whisper. 'Kiss me.'

He does. Wrapping a hand around your neck, he lets his thumb rub at the softness behind your ear as your lips meet again for the first time in years.

Things go quickly from there...

It's overdue. A coming together that both of your bodies have longed for, for far too long. He kisses the same, with lips that are a touch too dry and a hunger no-one else has ever been able to match.

You have a mind to stop him, have a mind to stall his hands as they press to your chest and seek out the stiff peaks of your nipples, but you don't. Instead, you let yourself be overcome. Your hands find his belt. It's almost too easy to do, to unclasp the buckle and yank it clear of his suit pants. You cast it aside and are surprised when he doesn't seem to care where it lands.

He pushes you back, urging you further and further away from the wedding still raging inside and towards the scant privacy the deck can offer.

Although, it's more than obvious that neither of you care.

Each touch is electric. A build of emotion that had crystallised, now dissolving into your hands and dripping through your fingers. It's rough and needy, desperate, but more than that, it feels right.

'Here, quick.' You pull at the lapel of his suit jacket, yanking him impossibly closer.

He misreads the signs, twisting and turning as he attempts to wriggle from his jacket and slip it from his shoulders.

Tugging it back into place, you shake your head. 'No time, just...' You let your hand slide down his chest, feeling your way across the expanse of him before slipping your fingers into the waist of his suit pants. '… Come here.'

Kaminari moans as you make quick work of his pants, shoving them eagerly half way to his thigh. 'Don't need to tell me twice.' He chuckles, using what little air remains in his lungs to whine as your fingers graze over his hardening cock.

You tease for barely a second longer before taking hold of him and squeezing.

'Fuck.' His head rocks back on his shoulders, eyes rolling to the skies as he sinks into the feeling of having you again. 'I've missed you. Shit.'

You chuckle and lean in close, pressing your chest to his as you lick at the shell of his ear. 'Have you missed me or just my hand?'

Immediately, he pulls back. His hands wrap around your elbows as he holds you at arms length. He looks comical, with his pants clinging to the thin at the end of his thighs and his grey boxers almost dyed black, stained with pre-cum as his cock pulses in its confines, spilling more desperation onto the fabric. 'I really have missed you...'

Stooping to catch your eye, he raises his eyebrows and offers you a smile. 'You. Not the sex, not anything else. Yo -.'

You barely let him finish his sentence before you're breaking from his constriction and pressing back into him. 'I've missed you too...' Biting his lip, you ease the sting with a kiss. 'But, we really don't have a lot of time and I'm so fucking wet I -.'

He whines against your mouth. 'Can – Fuck, let me taste.'

'Maybe later.'

The idea of later makes his blood sing, but the sound of the party still raging inside quickly refocuses him on the task at hand. 'Think I can make you cum in five minutes?'

'Oh.' You squeak when his hand pinches at your ass. 'I fucking hope so.'

'Challenge accepted.' Grinning from ear to ear, Kaminari presses back until you bump against the wooden railing of the deck. His hands roam across your body, squeezing and nipping at everything he can reach. Reaching up, he takes hold of the strap before pausing. 'Can I?' Or will this rip?'

'It'll be fine... Just -' You push your chest out, helping as best you can as Kaminari pulls down the front of your dress to expose you to the air.

The cold air forces your nipples to pebble immediately, the lip of your dress forcing your breasts to sit high and pretty and in perfect reach of Kaminari's wondering hands.

He cups your chest, thumbs brushing over your nipples until you squirm. If he had time, he'd savour this. He'd crane his neck, bow to your beauty and take one of those hardened rose buds into his mouth. He'd taste your skin, savour the salt and lick effortlessly over you until your cries became the background noise to his dreams. Licking his teeth, he looses himself to the feeling of you filling his hand. The fat of your tit spills through his fingers as he squeezes, earning another breathy gasp from you before turning his attention to other areas.

'Denki...' You're breathing heavy already, your chest heaving as Kaminari takes his pleasures feeling every inch of you. His hands sink, exploring. He pinches at your ribs, skates over your ribs and grips your hips before landing a firm smack against your ass. 'Denki, please... Fuck, c'mon, I need -.'

'Yeah?' His pupils have blown when he looks at you. Rings of gold struggle to keep them in check as hunger threatens to swallow them whole.

You nod, helping him yank up your dress until it's bunched up around your hips. Shivering against the cold, your knees knock together as a wave of vulnerability suddenly washes over you. You're freezing. The arousal trapped in your underwear cooling by the second, even as your cunt burns to be touched.

'Fuck...' Kaminari's hand sinks into your underwear the second it can. His fingers brush across trimmed pubic hair before petting, gently, at your clit.

You moan, bucking into his hand as he slips further and brushes his fingertips across your entrance. Bringing his hand back up, he presents his hand to you in the air. Your arousal shines on his skin, the glittering light from tent making it shimmer as he widens his fingers, leaving sticky strings to hang between index and forefinger.

He admires the shine. 'You're so fucking wet.'

Nodding, you reach for his wrist to pull it to your mouth – tasting yourself and cleaning his skin, but before you can, his tongue darts out of his mouth. He collects your slick like a delicacy and moans as your sweetness hits the back of his throat.

'Denki, I can't wait anymore... Please -.'

Kaminari wastes no time. In a moment, he has himself freed from his boxers, his cock hard and twitching against your stomach and your leg hooked lazily over his arm.

You tug aside your underwear yourself, exposing your cunt to him fully. There's no time to waste. Something primal eats away at your insides, something you're sure will only subside once he's seated inside of you. Your fingers itch, one hand playing with the strays hairs at the base of his neck as you look down and watch as he guides himself into you.

The initial push makes him hiss. You're tight. Tighter than he remembers as your walls wrap around him and clench. Locking his jaw, he hauls in a breath through his teeth and wills himself away from embarrassment.

Feeling him twitch helplessly inside of you, you grasp him by the lapel and pull him close until your nose touches his. 'Don't you dare. Not...' He gives you another inch, making you gasp and roll your hips. 'Not yet, don't fucking -.'

'Don't worry, baby. 'm not, not gonna.' Holding onto his sanity with his fingernails, Kaminari pulls back his hips and grinds back into you. The rhythm he sets up is uneven at best, but still, each thrust causes his cock to rub directly across the sponge roof of your cunt making you whine and cling.

Lips finding his neck, you litter him with lust. Your teeth find purchase, biting down to stifle the moans bubbling in your chest as he continues to fuck you, bottoming out each time in an effort to give you everything he has.

'You're gonna leave a mark.' He speaks through gasps, his pace stuttering as he continues to try and please you. The muscle in his thighs shake, his hands struggling not to clamp down on your waist as he pushes through the pulsing of his balls that threatens an early end.

You chuckle, revelling in the goose-flesh your breath leaves in its wake. It's intimate, setting a fire in your stomach as you pull back enough to catch his eye once more. You smile. 'What? Don't want your cheeky bridesmaid side piece to see?'

His pace falters. 'I don't.'

'Denki, baby... I'm joking.'

The pet name hatches butterflies in his sternum. They bump against the bone, tickling his organs and making him feel like he could float six feet from the floor. Not for the first time, he curses his own previous cowardice for stealing away all the pet names the past could have gifted him.

Bringing your foreheads together, you pant, breathing in each others air for a moment.

It's always felt like a cop out to call him 'The one that got away'. The title had never fit, no matter how much you'd wanted it to – or wished at one point and yet, right here, now, you wonder how you'd ever even brought yourself to think of him like that. 'Denki... Denks.' He hums, transfixed by a look he'd only been able to imagine in your eyes. 'What – what do you need. Tell me.'

You chew your lip, muttering. 'I'm never going to cum like this.'

'Ah.' His eyes light up, a shock of understanding zipping through him.

It might have been years, but he remembers every second of that night you spent together. He remembers you quaking, remembers how you'd looked on your hands and knees, thighs shaking as your spine curved deliciously, your ass bouncing as you rocked yourself back on his cock desperately. How could he forget?

Slipping out of you, he pulls back only enough to lay his hands on your waist and spin you.

You twist, dizzy and grab hold of the railing to steady yourself. Instantly, you're up on your tip-toes, back curved as you wait, pretty and presented. Anticipation lances through your legs making holding yourself up difficult, but it's all worth it when you feel him stretch you open and slide home.

Not giving you a second to adjust, he sets a blinding pace, spurred on by the memory of what it had felt like to have you fall apart around him. The fingers of his right hand dig into the flesh of your hip as the other slides up your back and takes hold of your neck. He grips, leaning over you to whisper, hoarse, in your ear. 'Touch yourself... Touch yourself for me, show me how good you feel, baby.'

You obey. Slipping a hand between your legs, you spread your fingers to feel him rutting into you for a moment. The skin of his cock is silk soft and slippery with your arousal, grazing the sides of your fingers as you shift and finally, begin to rub at your clit.

'Fuck...' Kaminari's grip on your hip stutters, growing light as he feels you tighten up around him. 'Go – Good girl. Shit. I'm not – not gonna last, I -.'

You don't need him too. In a few moments, you feel the telltale rush. Your cunt aches, clit pulsing as your orgasm threatens to reduce you to your knees. With your eyes rolling back into your head, you struggle to keep circling your clit, but Kaminari's fingers replace yours without you asking.

His movement is clumsy, but he manages to fuck you through your high either way. 'Holy, holy fuck... You feel, feels so – fucking Hell.' Stuttering, he struggles through, pouring his focus into you as you milk him relentlessly, bringing him closer and closer to his own end. With a tight chest, you reel back, glancing over your shoulder.

Kaminari's face is flushed, his cheek bones brushed with a pink that makes him look boyish and young. The edge of his mouth is twisted, a cause of his teeth gnawing at the inside of his cheek and his jaw is clenched, bringing out the cut line of his jaw.

He's close. You can tell. The thought thrills you, your cunt tightening on impulse as you await your prize.

'Where, fuck, fuck... I can't cum on your dress, you're – you're gonna have to move, or, or -.'

Reaching back, you grab at the edge of his suit jacket and pull at him, forcing his hips against your ass. 'Inside.'

He doesn't get a chance to think, his body makes the decision for him. His balls tighten, pulsing as he cums, emptying himself inside of you. Curling over, he presses a kiss to your shoulder, teeth scraping against the exposed skin as he pours himself into you, pumping you full.

With your stomach full and his lips grazing the base of your neck, you relax into a bone-deep kind of satiation you'd not felt since that night. It's surreal. Absurd as you come crashing back to reality as realise that the party has begun to quieten inside of the tent.

He's still dripping out of you when you hear the high pitched whistle cut through the air.

Kamiari turns. Tearing his suit jacket from his shoulders, he drapes it over your hips, covering his own mess.

'You two made up then?' Sero's smile is blinding. His hands are dug into his pockets, thumbs poking out over the material as he shrugs himself into his shoulders. He's plastered, his hair mattered and a mess as it falls from its bun, but even the alcohol making him stagger doesn't put a stop to his mischief.

Kaminari panics. His voice is still breathless, shaking slightly from the force of the orgasm that had almost had him seeing static. He should have made you cum quicker, shouldn't have slowed down the way he did. Fuck, he should have asked you to come back to his hotel. You deserve better than a quick, forgive me fuck outside of a tent in almost freezing temperature. He curses himself and cringes. 'How long have you been stood there?'

'Long enough to be pitching a tent, you guys don't fuck around huh...' He chuckles to himself. 'Well, I guess you do but -.'

Struggling with your dress, you can't help the smile that breaks your lips when Kaminari shields you and helps get your tits situated and hidden once more. Stepping from behind him, you slide a hand down his arm and twist your fingers in his. Hoping this time he won't run away. 'What do you want Hanta? We're just about to get out of here.'

Even if you had been trying to miss the smile that brightens Kaminari's face, you wouldn't have been able to. He re-adjusts his jacket, now slung over your shoulders and squeezes your hand tight.

Sero chuffs. Still too drunk to know better. 'When I first came out here I just wanted to smoke, but now I'm thinking of asking to watch.'

Reaching down, you pluck one of your heels from the floor before turning and throwing it headlong at Sero's head.

He ducks, laughing as the shoe goes wide. 'That a maybe then?'

'Hanta...' Kaminari whines, but Sero is already backing away holding his hands up in a mock surrender.

'Woah, woah...' A cheeky smile tugs at his lip, bringing his left dimple out in a way that only happens when there's real mischief up his sleeve. 'I guess now would be a bad time to tell you that the lights out here cause a pretty solid shadow to be cast on the side of that tent then, huh?'

The colour drains from both of your faces. 'No...'

Sero's eyes shine as he reaches into his pocket and removes his phone. 'I've got a video of it if you don't believe me...'

-> Masterlist

[atrirose]

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐊𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐄𝐍𝐇𝐘𝐏𝐄𝐍

ft. enhypen members x f!reader

synopsis: perks of dating your fav ! members

before you dive in : hcs , sfw , enjoy and don’t get too delusional.

HEESEUNG : sings / makes songs for you , heeseung giving you private concerts for free , likes to sing songs about how much he is infatuated with you or to express his love , favorite time to sing for is probably when he takes outside to watch the stars at night “i want to be remembered by your name , as the mad man deeply was in love with you”

JAY : using his card jk having the privilege of him cooking all your meals for you , loves packing meals for you if you have classes that day , roams with apron on the whole day (the pink one of course) , will never let you go hungry , will spoon feed you if disagree to eat. his ears will always perk up and turn red when you compliment his cooking , his sole goal is to leave you flabbergasted with his skill , loves biting your cheeks when you stuff it with food “sorry you just looked so cute i had to”

JAKE : dating jake has many benefits, free tutoring / layla / cuddles , as you can see jake comes with a lot of perks but his favorite time probably is seeing you struggle with the physics question he insisted that you do yourself ‘to understand the topic better’ but you can clearly see him giggling and enjoying your distress “you look so cute” jake said as he kissed your pout and took over the pen and book to solve the question for you “you are so mean” you hit his shoulders as he worked on the question but he makes sure that you understand the question. “yn , on every right answer you get a kiss , work hard” he winked as he handed you a worksheet.

SUNGHOON : free head massages , he loves your hair especially when you apply shampoo and your hair is in the lil wet kinda state , he loves to thread his hands through your hair , lightly scratching your scalp to make you relax after a long day , makes sure your head is always in his lap as he looks at you lovingly as if he has never seen anything more beautiful than you , tries to learn new hairstyles to try on your hair , loves to be a big spoon so he can bury his face in your hair “i love your new shampoo”

SUNOO : using his skin care , i swear after you started dating him your skin is blinding , it’s smooth and glowing. sunoo loves applying his products on you after he is done with the step on his , you get lazy sometimes but he his too stubborn to get you go to sleep without cleansing your face , texts you a hundred times a day to apply your lip balm, it’s like he has a sixth sense to sense your chapped lips. “yn stop moving , you are going get the foam in your eyes”

JUNGWON : eating pizza crust , he is the ‘give it to me’ kind of guy when you don’t like to eating something. oh you don’t like pickles , tomato’s , crusts , just give it to him he will eat it gladly , if you don’t like anything in your food he would 100% remove it before you eat , it’s like he knows you better than you know yourself “stop making that face , i know give it to me , i will eat it”

NIKI : borrowing his cool clothes , niki has an amazing collection of hoodies you love to steal , i mean come on it’s not your fault they are soft , comfy , oversized and cool. he rolls his eyes every time he sees you in his clothes but he is secretly super proud of his fashion sense because you like it , he do gets cocky on that fact but we love our boy 😫🫶🏻 , will always show the clothes he brought to you , like a little fashion show “yn is that my tie you are wearing as your belt”

an.! the way jake scenario i dreamed about and it always gives me butterflies 😭🫶🏻🫶🏻

[house-of-lovin]

legally binded - 4

Jenna Ortega x F!Reader

masterlist | series mast. | prev part | next part

Chapter 4: Family Bonding, Festivals and Feelings?

Summary: After getting caught in some hot waters with the press, you are forced into an unexpected agreement with America's sweetheart, Jenna Ortega to save your career.

Warnings/Tags: dual!pov, famous!reader, mentions of hard substances, intoxication, mature language, real people (do not read if any of these makes you uncomfortable)

(this is all fiction!)

Note: Things are gearing up 😮‍💨 (ik i said i was gonna take a break, but i couldn’t help myself, now ill take a break lol, happy readin!)

Word Count: 6k+

“No one’s going to get cancelled — it’ll be fun.” Colin Jost smiles curtly on your flat screen TV.

You sit on the bed with a spoon hanging from your lips, an eye on the bright screen having just finished watching a rerun of Jenna’s SNL episode. You made sure to buy it as soon as it was available; locking yourself away in your room.

Currently, you are watching this week’s episode of SNL and Colin and Che are giving their weekly news update.

“Las Vegas is opening up a pop-up vaccine site in a strip club and don’t worry the strippers say the vaccine comes with singer and actress Y/N L/N. This time she’ll be the designated driver – I heard she’s on a tight leash.”

Your smile instantly drops.

“Speaking of Y/N,” Colin bounces off, reading off the cue cards. “Did you see her last week sitting in the audience during Jenna Ortega’s episode… hey, I wonder if they’re a real thing.”

Colin and Che share a knowing glance, “Nah.” They say in unison then move on to their next bit.

Scowling, you turn the TV off, practically throwing your bowl of cereal on the side table. 

You supposed you can’t be too mad – all too familiar with the snide jabs and harmless jokes from others in the industry. This is what you signed up for, right?

Whatever, you’re sure people are loving it.

It’s been a whole week since you left New York and you haven’t spoken to Jenna. It seems how you two acted back in the Big Apple was a success because it got your managers to back off, for now. You didn’t see a reason to contact the actress so you let the silence pass — you see when she posts on social media. 

You don’t have time to think about it because Coachella weekend is coming up soon. For the first time since Vegas, you will be working and you have been itching – wanting nothing more than to dive head-first into work mode. 

It’s what you do best.

You are invited to do a guest performance on a big producer’s set for the festival. It would be your first ever time performing at Coachella but you were privy to the culture of the festival, having gone as an audience member to support your musician friends.

“Hey, you got a minute?” Link pops his head in your door, holding a phone up.

–

“Please don’t do this.” Your pleas go underheard.

“I don’t know why you keep trying, the answer is the same Y/N.” Link rolled his eyes, pointing to a house.

“I think this is the one.”

You scan the two-story typical American home tucked away in the boroughs of suburbia up in the desert, otherwise known as Coachella Valley.

Or well, Jenna’s parent’s house at least. 

After Link had dropped the most terrible news; you had to be seen with Jenna in Coachella. Liv and Jake had instructed your team to drive you to stay with Jenna as you prepare for the festival – it was convenient they said.

Convenient my ass.

“Relax... Marcus will be back to pick you up, he’s gonna drop off your bags at the rental house.”

“Why can’t I just go with you then?” You ask.

“Liv said to drive you to this address. Jenna gave explicit directions to drive you here.”

You frown pulling on a loose thread on your sweater.

What could Jenna possibly want that she’d want you here? She looked pretty upset at you, the last time you talked.

You really don’t have it in you to fight with her, again, especially after the long drive from L.A. up to the desert where you thought — you’d be staying in your villa for Coachella weekend.

“Now go see the girl, please.” Link reaches over to open the door.

When you step out, the car is already driving speedily down the street not even giving you a chance to change your mind. You hear a flurry of voices from the side of the house but it sounds far away. Toy cars and trollies litter the grass yard. 

Slowly, you walked up her porch, your shoes scraped as you ascend the concrete steps. Hesitating for a brief moment, you realize: Jenna is inside. Well duh.  But the thought of her on the other side of the door has your heart dropping out of nowhere. You see flashes in your memory of her frown as you explain why you have to leave New York so soon.

Unspoken words as she says ‘well I thought–’

What did she think?

You would probably never know.

The door opens with a creak breaking you out of your thoughts.

“We have to stop meeting like this.” Aliyah leans against the doorframe, smiling.

You laughed, “Yeah, we do.”

She doesn’t say anything else and just yells over her shoulder, “Jenna, she’s here.”

Then walked off. 

“Hi…” Jenna appears, leaning on the doorframe with a hand.

She scans you for a brief moment; not having seen you since New York, a week ago. She had to make sure you’re still alive because she hasn’t heard from you since then.

You also practically ghosted her.

After feeling guilty about how she left things with you, Jenna sent you a text the next day, asking if you made it back to Los Angeles safely.

You liked her message with a thumbs up.

A thumbs up! Not responding would have been better, the actress bitterly thought.

“Hey.” You greet. “How are you?”

“Fine. You?” She answered quickly, smile sealed tight like an envelope.

“I’m… good. Yeah. Just working.” You answer honestly.

“Oh really?” Jenna asked.

“Yeah, something for Coachella actually.”

Jenna raised her brows in surprise. “Like what?”

You send a tight-lipped smile, “It’s a surprise. People don’t know I’m here yet.”

Jenna can’t fight her excitement; giddy about being in on a secret. But then she remembers that she’s supposed to be annoyed at you and not fascinated.

“Why haven’t you texted me?” Jenna sighed, her voice dropping to a lowly whisper, in case someone was walking by.

You raised your brows, surprised by her question. “Oh… um. I’ve been busy like I said, just working, trying to keep my head down and all that.”

“Are you sure that’s it?” She asked accusingly.

You missed her tone and shrugged, reassuring her, “Yeah. Of course.”

“But, I heard you were busy this week too, filming another movie with Barry Keoghan and The Weeknd?” You changed the subject, hoping to talk about something else. She takes the bait after scanning your eyes for a second.

“Yeah, it was just a short role. But it was a lot of fun. Abel actually talked about you.”

“That’s great, I’m happy for you Jen… and yeah he’s an old friend.”

“Sung your praises pretty high, I had to make sure he was talking about the right person.”

You chuckle, “Oh okay, I see how it is.”

Your laugh caused a sudden warmness to manifest in Jenna and she couldn't help but join along. “Come on, my family has been dying to see you again.”

“Really?” You asked, stepping inside her childhood home. “So you think I made a good impression?”

She turned to look back at you, surprised that you care. “Maybe… don’t let it get to your head, though.”

You laughed as you followed her through the house. “Is that jealousy I hear Ortega? Scared you won't be the only movie star around?”

She snorted, rolling her eyes. “Shut up. You’re an idiot.”

“An idiot that may have impressed your family?” You cocked your head and grinned wide.

“Yeah, yeah. Like, I said. Don’t let it get to your head. They could care less about celebrities and Hollywood. They’re pretty grounded.”

You shrugged, looking at the various family pictures hanging on the wall. “It’s fine. There’s only one Ortega I want to impress anyway.”

You’re not sure where that came from and it seemed Jenna shared the same thought because she raised her brows at you – but didn’t comment.

Jenna blocks you from walking when you reached the sliding glass door. “What?”

Jenna chewed her lip anxiously, “My family can be a lot. In numbers and in the other sense too. There’s a lot of us.”

“Oh… that’s okay.” You answered. A bit confused as to why she is telling you this. When you see her genuine concern your gaze softens. “Jenna, relax. I can handle the family… and I can charm anyone’s socks off.”

She relented, rolling her eyes at your joke. “Okay, okay.”

"Wait..."

Jenna turns around.

"Why am I here exactly? At your parents, that is. Link told me that you gave my driver instructions to bring me here."

Jenna bites her lip in contemplation. "Um—like I said my family wanted to see you again and I heard you were going to Coachella anyway so you know, two birds one stone."

You nod, accepting her answer.

Jenna opens the door for you two to step out.

–

Sounds of laughter rang around as you and Jenna sat in lawn chairs in her parent’s backyard.

“What are Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya like in real life?” Markus – Jenna’s brother leaned forward to ask. 

“Markus!” Jenna scolded and threw her brother a glare.

The actress blushed as she sat beside you but all she felt was the vibrations of your laughter, indulging her brother’s question. 

Jenna can’t help but wonder if you have other family members that spend time with you like this. You look so carefree and genuinely happy; comfortable around her family — after knowing you for a couple months now; she guesses it’s a no.

“They’re cool. Just like everyone else to be honest. Especially, Timothee, sweet guy but he’s a bit of a typical frat bro.” You joked, “And Zendaya, well. She’s just as amazing as everyone says she is. Great work ethic, it’s inspiring when you work with someone passionate like that – makes you want to be better and work harder.”

Jenna’s sisters are eating your story up. Secretly she knew they enjoyed the tales of celebrities and pop culture. It’s nearly impossible to live your life without seeing a public figure pop up on an ad on your phone or on the side of a bus stop on your drive home. 

Jenna is barely home enough to be able to have moments like this where she can humour her sister's questions. But they all had their own lives to live. She's has been looking forward to this break for a while, knowing it was coming up after her long week in New York.

She still can’t describe New York.

Something seems to have shifted between you two by the end of the week. But she didn’t know if it was for the better. The two of you have this constant push and pull; where everything is fine one moment, then one of you says something and it turns tense and weird as you both stay silent or you just completely blow up on each other.

Jenna didn’t know if she had it in her to try to decipher what these restrained responses she gets from you could possibly mean.

You are an enigma; a defensive, hot-headed asshole that grinded every gear the actress had.

“Do you like Zendaya, buddy?” You bounced her niece in your lap, enjoying how the baby grabbed at your fingers. 

But then Jenna turns around and you act like this. Sweet, protective, charming. 

How are you the same person?

She can’t fight her smile as she watched the adorable sight.

Jenna didn’t know you were good with babies. 

“I think Z would think you’re just the most adorable thing. Oh my god, Jen, can I send her a picture of us?” You turned to her, with a bright smile.

Jenna didn’t know when you started calling her by her nickname but she certainly won’t say how she enjoys how it sounds when you say it. “Uh–sure, if it’s okay with my sister.”

“Zendaya’s gonna have a picture of my baby on her phone? Uh yes!”

Jenna laughed, nodding. “I’ll take the picture.” She took your phone, opening the camera.

“What are you doing? Get in here with us." You asked with an adorable scrunch in the nose, surprising Jenna.

“Oh, I just thought— okay.” She swallows her growing grin, sliding in beside you.

Her sisters share knowing glances.

You happily scooted in, pressing your chest to her back.

Jenna is suddenly reminded of her you and her, alone in her dressing room.

She presses back into you. 

“Say, cheese guys!” Jenna clears her throat.

With big bright smiles, you placed your head above her shoulder to get in the frame, repeating, “Cheese!”

Even her niece seemed to be enjoying the attention as she smiled brightly and toothless while standing on your lap with her chubby legs. Jenna snapped a couple for good measure, checking over the pictures. The three of you are squished together as she held it in portrait; you all looked cute Jenna can admit. 

Like a little family.

What?

“Oh Jenna, send me that, please. I want to post it on my Instagram.” Her mom spoke up already reaching for her phone. 

“Okay, okay.” Jenna rolled her eyes but sent herself the pictures first before airdropping them to – everyone – who begged for it. 

“This is adorable, I think I’m gonna make this my lock screen.” You grinned, staring at the photo. She sees you typing a message, indeed sending it to the actress like you said you would. “Just for your niece.”

Jenna felt her heart skip a beat. “Are you saying you’re gonna crop me out the photo?”

“No… but now that’s a good idea, thanks.” You mocked with a smile.

“Mom, how did you already post that picture so fast?” Mia asked.

–

“Don’t be mad.” Jenna begged.

“Mad? Jenna. This isn’t what I signed up for.” You pinched the bridge of your nose.

The two of you were standing in her driveway, in a discord of course. Jenna just forced you into another situation that you wanted no part of.

“You just told Link to call off my driver and now you’re saying don’t be mad. Of course, I’m mad! Why did you say yes to your Mom, Jenna.” You sighed, dropping your hand limply.

“I didn’t know she’d insist.” She groaned walking closer, “She said that you shouldn’t stay in that big house by yourself for the weekend when there is room here, next thing I know she’s forcing me to ask you in front of everybody.”

"I'm sorry." She grabs your arm. “Link said you might be mad.”

You stare at her for a couple of moments. Their hearts are in the right place, you guessed. Eventually, you rolled your eyes and sighed. “Thank you I guess… I appreciate that the sentiment.”

Jenna smiled in relief, “Yeah, of course.” Then scrunched her nose in thought.  “We actually really don’t have the room so I don’t know where she’ll put you.”

She should have known. This is so typical and cliche; sharing a bed trope? Please, can the universe be any more unoriginal? 

“Mom, are you sure?” Jenna whispered as she peaked her head out the small awning of the door – making sure you can’t hear. 

“Jen, go to sleep. We have a packed day tomorrow. Everyone’s coming over for the game.”

Tomorrow is sports night and her uncles, aunts, cousins and grandparents are set to come over. It was a weekly tradition for the extended family to host a gathering to watch the game every Friday; with Jenna’s busy schedule, she hasn’t been to one in months. She’s grateful this one is hosted at her house but then inwardly sighed because she should probably warn you about that too.

“Mom…” She pleaded in a whisper.

“Goodnight and be responsible. I trust you two.”

“Mom!”

Jenna dropped her head in defeat as she listened to her Mom’s footsteps dwindle further away. 

“Hey, you should probably get in there before all the hot water runs out..”

She turns, seeing your freshly showered figure. For a moment, Jenna finds herself stuck. You’re rubbing a towel on your wet hair as grey sweats hung lowly on your hips and she was desperately trying to avert her eyes from the small patch of you skin exposed.

“I already showered.”

“Oh okay.” You shrugged walking over to grab your phone. 

“Which side do you prefer?” You asked absentmindedly,

“What?” Jenna blinks away.

“Of the bed. Which side do you prefer?” 

“Oh. The left.”

“Thank god. Every bed I’ve had to share I’ve had to fight for the right side. You’re perfect.” 

Jenna watched as you jump into your preferred side, getting comfortable under her covers.

She doesn’t know why she feels a mismatched thump fall out of rhythm with her heartbeat at seeing you in her bed. 

“Alright, are you gonna be weird about sharing a bed? ‘Cause I can just take the couch or call my driver to pick me up. I can get a hotel room or something.” You sighed sitting up. 

Jenna furrowed her brows, “What no. Can you please stop jumping to conclusions?”

“I’m not.” You mumbled but don’t argue further. Jenna gets in beside you. 

“You satisfied now?” She throws out but it sounds just shy of playful and maybe even flirtatious – definitely not how she meant for it to sound.

“Uh– sure.” You replied sliding the blanket up to your chin as you tried to get comfortable again.

There’s that weird tension again, Jenna thinks and she thinks it’s starting to annoy her.

“Okay, what’s your deal?” Jenna crossed her arms, turning to you.

You blinked, confused. “What?”

“Why are you being so weird?”

“I’m not.” You sat up to face the other actress.

Jenna frowned, “Yes you are. You have been since New York. Did I do something? Because you still haven’t told me why you just left town like that.”

“I told you. Jake wanted me back for Coachella. Why else would I have just left all of a sudden?” You explained.

“I just– I just feel like you’re not telling me something.” She admits, a bit insecure. “I, at least, thought we’re friends now and when I didn’t see you in the crowd or the dressing room after SNL I was a bit… disappointed? I don't know if it’s dumb but you really did calm me down before my monologue and I wanted to thank you over dinner. But, yeah–” 

Jenna looks away, missing your guilty frown. “Jenna… it’s not dumb. God, I feel like an asshole.”

“Well, sometimes you can be.”

You laugh but it’s dry. “I’m so sorry. I–I should have been there.”

You grab her hands. “Look at me, please.” It gets her to look up, the light from the lamp is bouncing off your eyes making them look softer in the dim light. “I promise, I’ll always be there for the important moments from now on. Before, during and after – we are stuck together until the foreseeable future, so.”

Jenna snorts, looking down at your hands. You begin to rub lines with your fingers on her open palm making her shiver. “Yeah, I guess we are.” She whispers.

She doesn’t know when she makes the bold move to intertwine your fingers. But for the first time since SNL, you two hold hands and this time you don’t pull away. But she doesn’t miss the questioning glint in your eyes as you look down. Jenna ignores the attention and squeezes your hand to make you look at her again.

“You mean it though?”

Your eyes soften. “I mean it.”

–

“Where’s Y/N?” Mia asked over the breakfast table.

“Rehearsals,” Jenna mumbled sleepily shoving spoonfuls of food in her dry mouth – still trying to wake up.

When the actress had awakened, the sun was high above the horizon and the desert heat was already inching inside her cracked window. But she woke up, alone.

Differing from how she went to sleep the previous night with you barely pressed up beside her as you laid with your backs to each other. Jenna only found herself un-tensing after hearing your breathing fall into short even exhales.

When she turned over to grab her phone this morning, you had sent a text:

Sorry for not waking you up. You sleep like a rock but I had to go to rehearsals. I’ll be back by 3 :)

She couldn’t be too annoyed at the smiley face you leave with your occasional messages.

“She’s performing?” Mia asks shocked.

Jenna nods, too tired for words.

“The crowd is gonna lose their minds.” Aliyah laughs. “With who?”

“Won’t say.” Jenna muttered bitterly, thinking back to her incessant begging; you never caved.

“Okay… can we talk about it, now then?”

“Talk about what Mia,” Jenna sighs dropping her fork on her plate.

“You and Y/N.” She says like it’s obvious.

“There is no me and Y/N, it’s all for the cameras. Remember the NDA I had to beg you guys to sign?” The actress rolls her eyes. 

“Then why were you so upset after New York?” She challenges; tired of her sister’s silence over this whole situation. There’s no way she’s just unaffected by this.

“Mia drop it.” Her mom says.

“No. I’m serious, she’s literally staying under our roof, sharing a room with Jenna. And no one is still saying anything? Am I the only one who thinks there’s something going on?”

“Yes.” Jenna says quickly.

Mia rolls her eyes, “You still haven’t answered my question, Jen.”

Jenna crosses her arms, sitting up. “Of course I was upset. She just left town without a warning, if we didn’t catch her in the lobby she was just gonna a send a text. A text! Anyone would be upset at that — but it doesn’t mean what you think it means.”

But her sister doesn’t buy it. She opens her mouth to refute but their Dad swoops in saving the day. “Leave your sister alone, Mia. I’m sure whatever is going on with Y/N and Jenna – they can figure it out themselves.”

Jenna groans, “Dad, not helping.”

He shrugs, sitting at the head of the table with his own plate of breakfast.

Eventually, her family scatters to their own corners of the house to get ready for the day. Her other family members would be arriving soon and the actress had to start getting ready. Crap, she forgot to warn you about game night because you left so early. Jenna decides she’ll send you a text after she gets out of the shower.

With the raucous of the day, Jenna forgets to send the text. Her cousins arrived much earlier than anticipated and she was already getting pulled out to living room to talk about her upcoming projects. She gets so lost catching up with her cousins that she doesn’t realize when you arrive.

"Jenna, your novia is here." One of her aunts shouts making her head snap up to you as the front door opens. "Oh wow, and she's brought the whole store!"

Jenna's jaw drops as you walk in, holding multiple large bouquets of different arrangements of flowers. "Y/N?"

"Hey!" You peek your head out from the large flowers. "These are for your family... but I may have overestimated how big these were and Link refused to help me."

"Oh god, these are beautiful Y/N." Jenna's mom gets up from her seat, grabbing as many flowers as she can. "You didn't have to..."

"Oh, it's nothing, really. You guys are letting me stay here, I just wanted to express a little gratitude." You duck your head, all timid now.

Jenna knows it's not nothing. Those flowers cost a fuck ton, she would know she gets gifted those whenever she has an event.

"Well, gratitude expressed. I don't even know where to put these. Mia, Aliyah help the girl, please!"

The two sisters grab all but one smaller bouquet from your hands, walking away with smug smiles.

"Jen, get up," Aliyah whispers in passing as all the women and Jenna's dad filter over to the kitchen to view the gorgeous flowers.

She still hasn't moved from the couch and briefly, she thinks she can feel her cousin's smirking at her reaction.

"You got my family flowers?" Jenna asks dumbly, walking over slowly; ignoring everyone's eyes on them.

"Uh—yeah. Sorry if it's a bit much. I wasn't sure what everyone liked so... I got them all." You scratch your head with a bouquet in hand, catching Jenna's eye.

"These are for you..." You smile, holding out a smaller albeit more personal? flower arrangement. It felt like Jenna, somehow.

“I picked it out myself.” Your smile turns shy.

Like, if she were to walk into a flower shop and see this bouquet, she would instantly grasp it and never let go.

We still talking flowers?

"Thanks..." Jenna mumbles, grabbing the flowers; your fingertips touching sends sparks down her arm.

"Um—you're back early..." Is all she manages to say.

“Yeah… they didn’t need me for a long time so I decided to come back.” You explained, glancing at the new faces in the room. “Uh– what’s all this?”

The actress sends you a sheepish smile, “Family game night, we watch the game every Friday and cook some barbeque, it’s a whole thing. I forgot to text you, I’m sorry. You can call your driver back if this is too much.”

You laugh, squeezing her shoulder. “And miss out on great food? No, thank you.”

Jenna scans your eyes for the truth, “Are you sure? I know this isn’t exactly your scene so I understand.”

“Jen.” Your hand slides down, softly grabbing her hand. “I can’t even remember how long it’s been since the last time I had a home-cooked meal. I’m so in.”

You squeeze her hand for good measure. “Guys close the door.” Someone shouts.

Jenna doesn’t let you drop your hands this time because she’s already gripping them, pulling you to sit with her cousins – introducing you.

She ignores the giddy feeling in her chest that you want to stay.

You don’t say anything even when you’re both sitting and she’s still holding your hand.

–

“Who are you performing with?” Jenna tugs on your arm.

You squint to see her through your sunglasses. The Californian sun was making its presence known today and there are crowds of people everywhere as you tried to find some shade. It’s just past 6 PM and people are already starting to get rowdy – before all the good sets are even on. 

Fish nets, sparkles and bedazzles are all you see in the sea of people and you just know you’re at Coachella.

“I can’t say…” You fight the smile on your face, finding her begging adorable. “It’s supposed to be a surprise.”

“But Aliyah knows! I heard you whisper it to her.” She glares back at her sister standing a fair distance away from you two – who was talking to Mia and her boyfriend.

“I didn’t tell her anything, Jen. We were just fucking with you.” You laugh, sliding your hand in hers. 

An unspoken comfortableness has formed between you two. Light touches are a new development in this… situation Jenna had with you.

Whether it was knees touching under the dinner table, walking shoulder to shoulder on your daily walks around the neighbourhood (there wasn’t much to do as Coachella weekend approached) or leaning her head on your shoulder as she slept when you two watched TV before bed.

And now, it seems like things have escalated to a new level of comfort where you two willingly linked fingers whenever you walked anywhere. Neither of you make a peep when someone eventually reaches for the other’s hand. 

“Rude…” She pinches your side making you flinch away from her.

Jenna’s immediately tugging you back closer.

“Hey… I can’t get an injury before my performance. I’m legally binded to a contract.” You state.

Jenna snorts, “I thought you were friends with the performer? Are you really not gonna tell me who it is?”

“Nope and sure we’re friends but, I’m still contractually obligated to the festival and all that.”

“Come on Y/N!” She groaned unconsciously stepping closer to you. “I’ve been so nice to you, I haven’t called you an idiot all day!”

You laugh, “Is that supposed to win me over?”

“You tell me? Is it working?” The laugh dies in your lips when she tits her head in question.

Jenna misses the gulp you take because she was leaning closer, trying to find your eyes behind the dark-tinted glasses you had on. 

“No…” You replied with a vacant tone.

Jenna steps back when the sun blinds her eye. “You’re no fun.”

“I don’t know what to tell you… you’re gonna have to wait like everyone else.”

“Speaking of everyone else, I’m surprised we’re not surrounded by your groupies.” Jenna eyes the group of people hovering not too far away. 

You snicker, “They are not my groupies. I barely know those people but it happens at every music event. They flock over like geese. I let Link handle them.”

Jenna frowns, “Doesn’t it bother you?”

“What?” You look down.

“That you can’t even enjoy yourself at a festival without someone hovering over your shoulder.”

Since Jenna’s started this PR relationship with you her fame’s only increased overnight. She hates to say it but Sarah was right, being associated with you has only made her more famous and well-known. She felt like a Kardashian or Tom Holland who couldn’t even step out of their own homes without a camera being shoved in their faces. 

It’s getting so bad that Jenna has security with her everywhere she goes. She stopped driving herself to places. A headline even dropped that you two are official and serious now and that you have met her family; paparazzi tried to camp at her parent’s house until they called the police.

“Sometimes.” You answer honestly, shrugging. “But it’s part of the job.”

Jenna’s frown deepens, looking around. “This is not part of the job. At least not what I’ve seen.”

“Yeah, but we learn to deal with it, right?” You nudge her shoulder. Seemingly unbothered that made Jenna bothered for you.

“How?” Jenna couldn’t help her curiosity.

“Surround yourself with people that genuinely care about you. That still picks you even after all your fuck ups. Only got me about three of those, so I try to keep them close.” Then you let out a sad laugh, “I make it very hard for them sometimes, though.”

Jenna looks at Link as he holds a bored hand up when a girl tries to walk up to you. Then he’s shooing her away and whispering to both of your security guards.

She wants to fight the urge to say that you have a fourth person in your corner with her.

Instead, she says:

“I think you got a good one with him.” She nods to Link.

You follow her sight, “Yeah, I do... He’s usually right about most things too.”

“What do you mean?” She looks up in questioning.

Maybe Jenna’s not so bad? Flashes in your memory but you don’t tell Jenna. “Nothing.”

Jenna squints her eyes. “Fine… keep your secrets.” Tone a playfully bitter.

Eventually, you, Jenna and her sisters walk around aimlessly from set to set, taking pictures and enjoying the atmosphere. Jenna would be lying if she said she wasn’t enjoying herself right now. Somehow you all managed to find an empty corner by the Artist section of the performances which meant you had loosened up a bit. 

Jenna decided she liked it when you’re smiling, carefree and happy.

It suits you better than your permanent scowl. 

You’ve been so stressed this last week, taking phone calls and Zoom meetings. She tried not to express her concern at seeing how you obsessively fretted over some project, consuming you some nights. 

Jenna knows obsessive. She knows anxiety. This was different.

She finds herself with more questions than answers when it comes to you.

Why are you so closed off all the time? Is this how you work all the time? Where did this recent streak of bad behaviour start? Is there more to it than what you’re saying?

Are you okay?

But Jenna can’t find the right words to ask, so she doesn’t.

Only offering her warm pressure on top of you to hopefully lull you to sleep when you both drift off in her childhood bed.

Somewhere along the evening, she finds herself close to you.

You've loosened up as the days progressed and somehow, you and Jenna have found yourselves wrapped up in each other's arms as you danced.

Jenna had her back pressed firmly against your chest; her head tucked under your chin as your arms wrap around her waist from behind; hands linked as you jammed along to the music.

“The Met Gala’s coming up.” Jenna speaks up after a few moments of silence. “I’m invited.”

“Me too.” You reveal. She perks up, looking back at you.

“Yeah?” She smiles, pleased with your answer.

“Mhmm. I’m actually a co-chair this year.” You send an embarrassed smile.

She turns in your hold, jaw-dropping. “You are?”

“Yeah… why do you think I’ve been taking those calls all week? I was getting ready for the Met.”

“I thought that was for Coachella?” She snorts but can't help but ask, "Do you ever stop working?"

“Says you. Miss Scream Queen.” You tease making her roll her eyes.

“Be my date.” She says all of a sudden. “and walk the carpet with me this time.”

You raise your brows at her bluntness. This time?

You remember the last time she said those words and a tiny part of you prayed she meant it differently this time. But you can't fight your smile because you couldn't even say no if you wanted to — overwhelmed with the sudden want, to show off the girl in your arms. “I would love to be your date.”

Jenna's eyes sparkled with delight, beaming at you widely.

"Great! I'll talk to Enrique and Thom Browne about it."

"But I'm a Prada Ambassador?"

"I'll handle it." She nods with finality.

But before you can say anything, Link slides in with a whisper in your ear and a knowing smirk in Jenna’s direction.

“Hey, I have to go.” You whisper into her ear, pulling away but Jenna tightens her grip.

“Wait.” She steps forward – much closer than she means to.

“Yeah?” You asked softly and suddenly Jenna can’t hear the loud thumping of the bass anymore.

“Good luck and break a leg.” She says in a whisper.

Her hand reaches up to brush your neck still looking into your eyes. Jenna feels the same overwhelming pressure in her chest that she’s recently felt around you and gives into her sudden impulse; leaning in, parting her lips; meaning for them to connect to your cheek but instead swerve and slot in between your lips instead, in a moment’s haste.

She feels you tense for a moment before giving in, cupping her cheeks too. Kissing her back. Jenna loses it a bit, not expecting your lips to feel so soft and smooth and perfect against hers. Jenna can't help but tilt her head to the side, allowing your lips to press harder.

She feels the same electricity from your first meeting – when you shook her hand. The same electricity she tries to fight off every time she's near you. Except this time, it's by tenfold.

Jenna is so lost in you that she can’t even hear her heart beating loudly in her ears anymore — only feeling your thumb softly stroking her jaw.

The sound of coughing breaks you two apart.

“Sorry but Y/N we need to go.” Link sends a sheepish smile but he's trying to fight his grin at having a front-row seat to the show.

When Jenna pulls away she looks deeply into your eyes searching for some kind of indication of your feelings.

You smile shyly, squeezing her waist and rubbing her back. “I’ll find you after the show?”  

“Yeah…” Jenna whispers, still staring into your eyes.

“I’ll find you!” You yell over her shoulder as Link drags you away.

“Holy shit, finally!” Mia slides in beside her. 

Jenna doesn’t have the energy to shrug off the arm Aliyah throws over her shoulder as she brings her fingers up to her burning lips. “I don't know why I did that...”

“Oh my god, you’re an idiot. The both of you.” Mia rolls her eyes walking back to her boyfriend.

Jenna looks around, blinking, immediately catching the phones held in the air capturing her moment with you.

She walks off, following her sisters.

Unbeknownst to you and Jenna, a headline is about to drop:

New developments in Y/N L/N's Vegas case. Caught with cocaine! Las Vegas PD makes no official comments on possible charges or arrests. But is this the end for the bright star?

-

:)

The strip club and vaccine bit with Colin and Che is from a real line in one of their segments LOL.

yall happy now?

-

@alexkolax @ladey @jjsmaybank20 @werewoofrobinbuckley @chealsib @fanboy7794 @la-douleur-ne-finit-jamais @zelload @natashadeservedmoree @orang3-ish @friedryes @canyonyodeler @nahnahnahwhatt @be-missed @jjuncidio @fearstreetsoloyouandurmom @oksana-moods @theirishmanronan @r-ude @wokethefuxkup @bandaidss @skate-to-breathee @user173781 @frasersgf @natblidaclexa @justafoolinlove @bring-mecoffee @slu7her @haughtsauce21 @wheesunsangel @cyberexpertalienspy-blog @jennaortegasfootrest @zaza11sblog @omega-horus @heroofdeath11 @selluequestrian @justalittledissociation @imaloserbby @catswag22 @sorexhera @smjmgko @acutenobody @raven-ss @canceldevvi @sweetaimu @rockwyn @rwndsana @cheesybacon1 @cvluswnt @secretbackrooms @vixen1006 @zhasmindoesntknow @namesduntmatter @ulicebld @rozmrazaradelfinow @icarly23 @cartierdreamx @thenextdawn @annalestern

[fantasyinallforms]

Let's talk about this scene. It's one of the most popular, and the writers and actors knew exactly what they were doing when they filmed it. This is going to be a LONG, long post because I will be breaking down and analyzing looks as well as dialog. Don't worry, I will add in a cut! Let's start with the look on Bilbo's face. Specifically, I've slowed the GIF down so you can get a good look at his face.

Bilbo stated quite clearly to Gandalf the night before this that he was not afraid of Thorin, but he is not so naive as to think that he will stay in Thorin's good graces after this. Hitched breath, sluggish movement, rapid blinking, and a look of dread on his face. This is a funeral march for whatever future might have been brewing over the course of the journey.

Thorin, by comparison, is almost slow to comprehend. There is doubt about what he is hearing written all over his features. He shakes his head and says "you" like he expected to turn around and see someone else standing there using Bilbo's voice. What I really want to get at is the conversation right after. Because it's always struck me that Thorin and Bilbo are not having the same conversation with each other.

"I took it as my fourteenth share," followed immediately by "You would steal from me?"

Now, it's, of course, important to note that Thorin is at peak dragon sickness at the moment and not in his right mind. That said, Bilbo stealing something from him was truly the last thing he could have possibly imagined happening. He suspected his kin less than a day ago but never Bilbo. I've said this in a previous deep dive, but the way that the dragon sickness reconciled Thorin's love for Bilbo and the gold was to place them in the same category. You don't expect what is entirely yours to be capable of theft. We're going to skip ahead slightly in the next GIF.

Ok, so this is where we start to see the conversation diverge. Bilbo says, "Steal from you? No, no. I'm a burglar, but I like to think I'm an honest one." Clearly trying to articulate to Thorin and the entire company that he didn't do this as a betrayal or out of greed. Thorin's response is chilling and very telling.

In the first GIF, I have no subtitles because I want you to look at his face, not what he's saying. This is the laughter and smile of a madman who just had the last thread tethering him from true madness cut. He descends very quickly from here.

Now, "You have no claim over me" is a very strong statement. In his mind, the gold is his and bound to him in every way. Bilbo, after this, is desperate. His words are desperate, and his expression is desperate. But what's more heartbreaking is the look in Thorn's eyes. Like the real Thorin is trapped behind those pretty blues, helpless to do anything.

Then, finally, after all of this, we have the full snap. The final break.

"Throw him from the ramparts."

This single line gives us probably the most heartbreaking look in the entire movie. To me, even more so than Thorin's death. This is the true "end" the final break. Bilbo's head was bent low. He was willing to take the vitriol the hate. He understood where it was coming from and was prepared for it. But those 5 words ended everything. Thorin is gone, and Bilbo knows that now.

We haven't seen true fear in Bilbo. Not once. The closest we got was when he was about to charge an orc but even that was not fear alone. There was determination and resolve that colored his expression.

That last hollow look in Bilbo's eyes is properly terrified yet if I had to name this GIF I wouldn't name it terror I would name it

Loss.

[venture4treasure]

"Footnote"

Words: 1065

Premise: Venture and Ex-Talon!Reader talk about history to-be.

Warnings: Scars, Description of violence 

Sprawled out across Venture’s lap with the afternoon sun warming your back is one of the most pleasant ways to spend your down time. You shove your face into the pillow between you and Venture, mind begging for a nap. They rest their hand on your back, tracing down the shape of your spine, you melt into the feeling. Their hand sneaks under your shirt and trails back up your back. You can feel their calluses against your skin, scratching an itch you didn’t realize you had. 

You hear their breath hitch and you lift your head to see what’s caught their attention. Their hand is stopped at the edge of a large scar that tore across your back. The scar tissue is smooth and pale, dipped slightly lower than the rest of your skin. It's also violently jagged and marred, few things could leave a scar like that.

“You can touch it, not like I can feel anything there anymore,” you laugh, trying to bring up the mood. You drop your head back onto the pillow.  

“I did this to you,” Venture frowns, ignoring your comment.

You roll over, turning your back against the couch. Venture’s hand finds its place on your stomach instead. You're a bit annoyed that your afternoon took a turn like this — you could be napping right now. And recalling the story of the scar isn’t nice either, the reminder is enough to make the area tingle with a phantom pain you shouldn’t even be able to feel. 

Nobody forgets how it feels to be on the receiving end of a proper fight with Venture, the tremors and rumble from their drill. The feeling of plates and threads meant for cutting stone against flesh. It’s unforgettable. 

—

You’d genuinely believed you were going to die that day. 

You had been with Talon back then, out in the field to find whatever it was that your commander sent your team out to find. ‘You’ll know when you find it’ was all the details you were given – you’d nearly rolled your eyes at him when you’d been given the order.

The search crossed paths with Overwatch and the Wayfinder Society. It was unlucky that both groups would be at the same site your team was assigned to. You were all ill-prepared to handle Overwatch, much less both organizations at once. You had call the shots, you told your crew to retreat and that whatever consequences Talon had for your cowardice would be easier to handle than if Overwatch had gotten ahold of you guys – despite being Talon-affiliated, your team weren’t bad people and definitely didn’t deserve to be doomed to whatever fate ‘good guys’ wrote for them.

You would’ve gotten away too if Venture hadn’t caught you – your first meeting. They had been mad, screamed and shouted about artifacts and history. You didn’t really register anything about what they were saying, the sound of rushing blood deafened you. You had every intention to put a bullet in their head and book it before any backup arrived. Unfortunately, ever stubborn and skilled, Venture didn’t withdraw at the notion of a gunfight. They fought well with such an unconventional weapon. Impressive in retrospect, but horrifying in the moment. There was no way for you to land a good shot with the way they were moving and defending. No matter how much you backed up, they closed the space between you two faster. 

Too close, you had managed to keep Venture from slamming their excavator into your front point-blank by swinging your rifle at it. The drill sent painful tremors through your arms when your gun made contact – if you had a spare moment, you’d wonder how Venture was even holding it. Having traded your weapon to save your life, you couldn’t do anything when Venture swung again except dive out of the way. 

You weren’t fast enough, the drill ripped through the clothes and flesh of your back and sent you face first into the ground. You had screamed, raw and fear-filled. It seemed to snap some sense into Venture, who shut off their excavator, the silence without the engine was suffocating. They approached you and you could see your own blood drip off the ridges of their weapon. They had a scowl on their face as they radioed their location and reluctantly threw their jacket on your wound and pressed to keep you from bleeding out. They mumbled about how it was the ‘right thing to do’. 

—

“I was on the wrong side of history then,” you shrug, your feigned nonchalance breaking Venture out of their remorseful thoughts. They chuckle a bit. 

“There’s no real wrong side of history,” Venture smiles down at you, their mind now on a different train of thought, “history is written by the winners, and everyone wants to win in the present”. 

You swat at the air, “technicalities and whatever. You think you’re the good guys, no? So, therefore, you should think that I was on the wrong side of history. Simple”.

“Uh-huh,” they say, amused at your logic. 

They watch you with a soft expression, wearing the golden hour sunlight so prettily. Your heart stutters at the sight. 

“Look,” you swallow, “it’s my eternal joy to be able to spend my life as yours”.

“Aww, that’s sweet,” Venture coos, unsure where the unprompted affection is coming from, but happy to hear it nonetheless, “I love you t-”

You pull at their shirt, tugging them down to meet them halfway for a kiss. They give into you easily. 

“Sloan- No,” you correct yourself, “Venture”.

Your voice saying their call sign catches their complete attention.

“Venture,” you reiterate, your hand tangling in theirs, “your story was meant for the history books. Venture will be remembered for years and years after we’re all long gone. Venture of the Wayfinder Society, Venture of Overwatch, you’re destined for the spotlight in history. Maybe you’ll even get your own chapter,” you laugh.

“Right or wrong side of history, I’m happy to be just a footnote in your story”, you add softer, “as your lover”.

Venture hisses something in Spanish – you’re certain it’s a swear. 

They squeeze your hand, “Amor, I’ll make sure my story is a good one so you can be proud to be a part of it,” they promise with unwavering conviction. 

“I know,” you breathe, “I know you will, Sloan Cameron”.

Author’s Note: Reader’s fight with Venture was when Overwatch was first building relations with the Wayfinder Society. So, new and inexperienced, Venture mostly fought on instinct and emotion. They aren’t as violent anymore in fights. 

If you made me write out the entire story in my mind, it’s enemies to lovers. Slow burn, but picks up pretty fast once Reader and Venture’s relationship shifts from negative to friendly. During Reader’s time as a captive, Venture is constantly dropping by to share information about artifacts, at first to guilt-trip Reader and later it evolves into a daily routine to share about their day to Reader. Eventually, this relationship convinces Reader to spill what they know about Talon. Venture convinces Overwatch to let Reader go. Now they both live together and fall in love and all that good fun. Cheers! 

Hope it’s not too out of character… I haven’t been able to consume much Venture content lately :( It got harder and harder to get the confidence to write again, so I sat down (reminded myself that I am supposed to be less critical of my writing here) and just wrote whatever I wanted :)

[pinkmirth]

I want to dom richter so badly 🥺 just imagine how cute he'd look, gorgeous baby blue eyes blown wide with lust and gazing up at you dazedly while a pretty pink blush dusts his cheeks as you ride him. His face, lips, neck, and chest completely covered in kiss marks in your favorite shade of lipstick. All the while, his wrists are snugly tied together with his white headband giving you full rein to his pleasure.

⸻ 𝒮𝒰𝒞𝒞𝒰ℳℬ!

𝑀𝒴 𝐿𝒪𝒱ℰ-𝒩𝒪𝒯ℰ! 𝜗𝜚 ₊ ⊹ oh nonnie, how i love your gorgeous mind! subby richie is now everything to me. and using the headband?! oh my fucking god . . . now that’s just icing on the cake >.< m’gonna faint and i need richter to catch me. thanks so much for sending in your thoughts! now, please enjoy this teensy tiny drabble for my favorite belmont boy ❤︎

𝒞𝒪𝒩𝒯𝒜ℐ𝒩𝒮 𝜗𝜚 ₊ ⊹ ( 1k+ words of . . . ) richter belmont x fem!reader (black coded), dom!reader, sub!richter, cowgirl position, bondage (via headband ooh!), edging, use of petnames (e.g. love, baby, rich, etc.) reader tells rich to ‘shut up,’ explicit language, lowercase intended, minors shoo!

richter finds himself quite stuck.

the purest shade of angel-white is what binds him, in the form of a thin strip of ribbon-like fabric. you’d slipped his headband clean off, smiling naughtily as you did so, and created makeshift ‘cuffs’ out of the cloth. it’s drawn together securely around his wrists like a tidy little bow, keeping him right where he ought to be— underneath you. 

your lover looks so good this way, so pliant; laid to the mattress, basking in the way you ride him. those glittering eyes of his, a bright ocean blue, have a thick wave of lust clouded over them. his cheeks are blooming the prettiest shade of blush-pink, and it runs across the bridge of his nose to tint the ends of his ears. richter’s chocolate brown hair has gone completely astray, even more so when you thread your fingers through the curls to pull, tug, yank. the best part of all, he's got his plush lips open wide with the pleading call of your name falling past it. 

you’re sat atop richter’s spent body, thighs enclosing him on either side. then, your hips begin to swivel; back, forth, back, and forth all over again. your ass, fleshy and round, jiggles with every movement after another, clapping down on the swell of his balls. you shift in the slightest, and he shudders. oh, do you love the thrill of utter control. it’s fun, watching him crumble and whine whenever you go a little faster. that’s what you do best, after all— driving him absolutely mad. 

richter isn’t the type to surrender. but for you, he gives it all up; just lies back and allows you to do as you wish. he likes having you above him. he likes your hungry stare and purposeful touches. he likes that for once, he’s allowed to be delicate and helpless. 

“you’re so sensitive tonight,” you coo, sounding airy but assured. as for richter, he grows restless beneath you. full of fervor and no pace, his hips desperately buck upwards, driving his cock deeper into your contracting walls. the man grinds, and he whimpers, eyes pricked with watery tears unfallen. you peer down at him, fingers drifting low to swipe at your clit, “you must really want to cum, hm?” 

he’s quick to nod, fluffy hair swaying with the motion. “please,” he, a belmont, begs. “if i can’t touch you, at least let me—”

“i’ll allow you to when i see it fit, not when you ask me to.” you dive down to his level, with your hand coming to grasp at his jaw. he feels the soft, familiar warmth of your breasts cushioning against his chest, your peaked nipples grazing his own in a way that pries a light moan from him.

you like this proximity; being close enough to press your lips, smoothly coated with waxy lipstick, upon the warm canvas of his skin. and so you do— one at the height of his rosy cheek, another against the pulse of his bobbing throat, and two more planted near his trembling pelvis. your favorite shade is what he’s now scattered in. richer’s a prettily painted picture. your masterpiece. 

“now shut up and be patient,” you smear the lipstick-print on his cheek with the drag of your thumb against it. he takes the digit into his mouth, wraps his tongue around it before you pop loose of his wet lips, “you can do that, i bet.” 

“yes, yes, i can,” a hasty reply he gives you, voice coated in desperation. it’s only when you top richter that he complies so well. and with that, you sit yourself up, planting your hands on his chest for leverage. you’re back to working him, angling the drop of your body to make his smooth cockhead collide with your spot. 

“ngh, f—fuck,” so many profanities spill from him that you’re sure he can hardly control it anymore. his mouth parts at how nicely your cunt sucks him in, and he can’t even bring himself to tear his eyes away from you sliding down the length of him, leaving creamy rings of arousal gathering at the base of him. 

“watch your mouth. you promised to be a good boy, did you not?” you give a sly warning. he’d listen, but the sway of your breasts with every bounce is too entrancing. if only he could just squeeze them, bite and lick and do anything that’d pull beautiful noise from you; flip you on your side, pound into you just the way you like and actually be fucking useful, but he can’t even manage to touch you in a position such as this . . . how cruel. 

from where his hands are tied against one another, he digs his fingernails into the supple flesh of his palm. “please, don’t fucking stop! oh, god— keep going, keep going,” with intrigue, you watch him stumble over his very own words. had his hands been free, he would be using them to slam you down harder. 

he’s throbbing now; rapid pulses at the underside of him, a sure sign of his nearing orgasm. “you’re close, rich. i can feel it,” is your sweet whisper, feathery against his ear. you’ve decided to give in. “go ahead. cum for me, love.” he does, without question. then comes a round of thick spurts, warm and pearly, tainting your womb once richter finally comes. 

his eyes seal shut, and it feels like his groans are reverberating through you. a little more is what you need, just that last bit of stimulation to push you over the edge. so again, you’re fucking yourself down on his twitching cock, getting off on the mess you’ve made out of him; spit-stricken lips and ceaseless moans. he’s a pretty little wreck of your very own doing. 

it’s the friction of his pelvis to your needy clit that finally satiates you. with a shameless cry, you spasm around him, reveling in the fullness before slowly lifting yourself off. thighs aching and body worn, you melt into richter, face pressed to his heaving chest. 

“i love this thing,” you pull the cloth loose and free richter of its confines, softly smooching his wrists, “keep it forever.”

“and why’s that?” he breathes out, touching where you just kissed him at his arm’s pulse. the headband’s constraint faintly lingers there.

“because it’s the only thing that makes you behave . . . you’re pretty when you behave.” he says nothing, silent with flattery. instead, richter gives the wordless response of his hands coming to fondle you from either side of your hips. he’s been deprived of your embrace for far too long. 

it’s quiet now, and the power play’s been set aside. he’s curling himself into your soft body, arms draped over your waist with his face nestled between your tits, and the white fabric’s been strewn over to the edge of the bed. all is still, though your hearts beat wildly together.

one day, he might dare to admit just how much he enjoys being used for the sake of your pleasure.

©𝑃ℐ𝒩𝒦ℳℐℛ𝒯ℋ! ⸻ all rights reserved! do not steal, plagiarize or repost any of my works. please and thank you! ౨ৎ

[helpimstuckposting]

I’m a ghost and you are a shadow

Part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | part six | part seven | part eight | part nine | part ten | part eleven | part twelve

—

Robin’s eyes darted between Steve’s own as she assessed his mental state or whatever it was she was looking for. She seemed to find an answer though as she stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

She sank into it, using all of her weight to blanket him within her arms. Even though she was smaller than him, lankier in her awkwardness, she was so warm. Again, he felt that settling feeling, like pieces he’d been missing were clicking back into place, making him whole again.

She sighed against his neck, rubbing her cold nose into him, sending a short chill into his spine. He jerked his shoulder in response, squeezing her head into the crook before pulling away enough to look her in the eye again

“Jesus!” he startled, pinching her side. “How is your nose so cold?”

“My feet are colder,” she said, sticking a foot into the air and trying to slide it into the cuff of his sweatpants. He yelped, stepping backward onto a different stair as she wobbled forward. She still had a grip on his arms and tried wrestling him toward her, one foot precariously in the air as she balanced on the steps, one wrong move from disaster.

“No wrestling on the stairs!” Eddie’s voice called from the living room.

They both froze, sharing a look. ‘Don’t say anything’ and ‘don’t worry, I won’t’.

It was easier said than done, though, when he stepped off the staircase and rounded the corner to the living room. Eddie’s eyes caught his sweatshirt just like Robin’s had and Steve watched as he took a deep breath before looking Steve in the eye.

He tried to give a reassuring smile — tried to show he wasn’t mad they’d been keeping a secret from him — but he thinks it probably fell flat. He couldn’t quite get the corners of his mouth to relax the way a smile should fall; he was too stiff, too awkward. He felt like he was trying to play pickup sticks, gently guiding the twigs to freedom without touching the rest of the pile. It wasn’t working.

Eddie pulled his eyes away, focusing back on his conversation with El. Luckily, Steve didn’t have time to open his mouth and say something stupid before the front door swung open and the rest of the party stormed the castle.

Dustin came barreling in, a thousand questions on his tongue, and Steve tried insisting they didn’t have all the answers. He was glad for the distraction though, didn’t really want to be diving into the abyss of questions his own mind was providing.

He couldn’t help but avoid eye contact with Eddie, though he could practically feel his eyes burrowing into the back of Steve’s head. He just didn’t know how to look at him without dragging him away to talk, without the pile of sticks crashing down on top of him before he could wiggle the one thread of conversation he needed out.

For now, he sat down on the couch as everyone filed into the living room, scattering around the room once the couches were filled. Steve had Robin squished in on one side, El burrowed into the other, and the three remaining adults were on the second couch. Will and Mike leaned against the wall as Max and Lucas sat down on the coffee table and Dustin paced the length of the living room. His sneakers were scuffed and dragging faint lines of dirt across the beige carpet.

A thought briefly flashed through Steve’s mind; his mother yelling about the stains, complaining that Steve doesn’t care for his possessions, that he’s ungrateful and should leave the house spotless next time.

He wonders again where this Linda wandered off to.

“So what do you mean you ‘think’ you found it?” Dustin settled on his first question.

The group of four looked back and forth between each other, no one immediately volunteering their information.

“Well,” El started, “it’s like it’s… closed?”

“That’s good, right? That it’s closed?” Mike asked, eyes darting from El to Dustin and back again.

El glanced back toward Steve and shrugged. “It’s only… kind of closed. It opened when Steve touched it.”

Steve felt all their eyes on him, and he squirmed under their weight. This felt like another reminder that he wasn’t meant to be here, that he was different from the rest of the party. Eddie’s words drifting through those thoughts was the only thing easing his immediate anxiety. Do you want to stay here, Steve?

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on with the gate but I don’t plan on going anywhere,” he assured them, liked how the words sounded out loud.

He glanced toward Eddie, saw his approval in the reassuring smile and the relaxed set to his shoulders. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you do.

“If it’s closed when Steve’s not around it, maybe the issue is already solved,” Eddie cut in, the eyes in the room slinking off of Steve and over to the man on the other couch.

“Maybe I can see why it reacted to him,” El said, standing from Steve’s side and addressing the room. “Maybe if I try and… and… talk to it, or at least locate it myself, I can find out what it means. It should not be too hard, now that I know where it is.”

“Now there’s a plan, Supergirl,” Eddie said, snapping his fingers in her direction.

The rest of the teens shared their own looks, weighing the option in their heads. If Steve didn’t know any better he’d think they somehow gained a hive mind through all the Upside Down shit… Though, Steve didn’t actually know better so who could say?

“Okay,” Mike finally relented, breaking the silence, “Fine, El can check out the gate with her mind, but what about Steve being a key? What if we have to shove him into the lock in order to really close the door?”

“Hey!” Eddie, and Robin shouted at once — Robin practically half out of her seat.

“I don’t want him gone either, assholes!” Mike yelled back. His eyes darted back and forth between the two adults, pointedly avoiding Steve’s. He stepped away from the wall he’d been leaning against, arms held tightly across his chest.

“I know I wasn’t close to him like Dustin or you guys, but he was still our babysitter. He was still like a brother to me.”

Steve’s heart didn’t skip at Mike’s declaration. It sort of… wobbled, like it was so shocked it contemplated stopping all together before thudding into action again. He looked at Robin, gaping like a fish still on the hook, and he looked at Eddie, not much different than Robin. Then he glanced at Nancy, compelled by the Wheeler bloodline or maybe because he always used to look at Nancy when he didn’t know what to do, and she looked… proud. She smiled at Mike like they’d never fought a day in their lives, like the Norman Rockwell Christmas paintings that Steve used to stare at as a child, wishing his parents cast their happy smiles onto him just like the pictures. She smiled in a way that Steve had almost thought didn’t exist until he saw it on Mrs. Byers and Jonathan when they looked at Will. Like how family was supposed to look at each other, but Steve hadn’t learned that until 1983.

Mike himself was resolutely staring at the floor, avoiding eye contact as Will pat his shoulder and Dustin started rambling again to peel everyone’s eyes away. Everyone except Steve, who kept watching as Mike glanced up and caught his eye. He mouthed a soft ‘thank you’ to the teen before diverting his attention onto Dustin once more.

He was helping El to the floor as Max and Lucas started shoving the coffee table out of the way. Someone clicked on the TV to a vacant channel, screen buzzing away with static. Eddie pulled a bandana out of his back pocket and wrapped it gently around El’s head, whispering softly to check if it was too tight or if she could still see. Once she nodded and gave him a blind thumbs-up, he stepped away again, and the room turned their attention to the girl with superpowers.

Everyone was silent as she sat there, doing god knows what in that little head of hers. Her fingertips twitched as they rested against her knees, and she moved her head around as if seeing straight through the bandana. Steve didn’t know why, but for some reason he got the impression that she was confused — like she was looking too hard at a map and struggling to find her destination. She raised her hand toward him, curling her fingers twice to beckon him forward.

She gasped as he grabbed her hand, fingers clenching tightly around his. She squeezed them tighter and tighter, sitting ram-rod straight now as his fingertips went fuzzy like the TV screen. She gasped again, this time much deeper like she was coming up for air after a swim and she dropped his hand all together, pulling the bandana from her eyes.

El looked around the room at everyone, and Steve was transported back to his own world for just a moment — watching a little girl come back to herself as she sorted through things only she could see. This El before him — nearing her 20s, no longer 14 years old — looked up at him with a question she hadn’t quite answered yet. He nodded, trying to encourage her with his eyes, nudge her to sort it out aloud.

“I saw,” she started, looking once again from person to person, “I saw gates. Lots of gates, every gate that was ever opened in Hawkins.”

“Like… open now? Again?” Max asked.

El shook her head, still a bit confused herself. “No. Not open. More like… whispers? Like memories. Except, when I touched Steve’s hand I saw even more.”

“Also not open?” Dustin clarified.

El nodded, then tilted her head and squinted before shaking it. “Kind of? They were all scattered, different than the ones I saw by myself. It was like they were whispers of whispers, like I was seeing them through a dirty window. Except one.” She looked at Steve again.

“It was like… two gates, on top of each other. It was the tree gate, but… it looked layered? Does that make sense?”

The group mumbled their confusion, varying degrees of ‘not really’ and ‘no’. But Steve thought about what Robin said, about scars and the body constantly keeping old wounds closed. He thought about what Dustin said about parallel worlds living side by side, and El saying it was like looking through a dirty window, he thought of locks and keys and doors.

“What if the foggy gates are from my world, and the tree gate was an overlap from both? Like, a doorway works both ways, right? What if the other gates are just… opening to brick walls?” Steve looked up from the floor, catching everyone’s eyes on him. El was nodding, accepting, but the rest were on a spectrum from confused to contemplative.

“Did I… did I say something wrong?” he asked, trying to parse if Dustin’s look was leaning more toward denial or agreement.

They all looked between each other, going around the room and locking eyes, muttering to themselves, locking different eyes, nodding, muttering some more. Steve felt something creeping up his spine that he hadn’t felt for a long time, not since Dustin had asked “Do you need to be told everything? You’re not a child,” and his father telling him he needed a job for the summer or he wasn’t welcome at home anymore. He felt it when Nancy looked over his college paper and tried letting him down gently, and when Billy knocked him down during gym and everyone just watched.

But then Dustin nodded again, a more certain look in his eyes as he snapped his fingers and pointed at Steve.

“That’s gotta be it,” he said, and Steve felt the creeping thing slip away, falling from his shoulders like a cloak. “It makes sense, right? A scar on top of a scar, opening the wound again. That’s gotta be why Steve can open it but El can’t, she’s got the wrong key, she’s not from Steve’s universe.”

He didn’t flinch that time. Maybe it was exhaustion from the day’s adventure, maybe it was what Eddie said, still floating through his head. Maybe he was just getting used to it, his otherness. Whatever it was, he didn’t flinch when Dustin said Steve’s universe.

Eddie did though. He looked from Dustin, to Steve, to the sweatshirt Steve was wearing, and then he shot a desperate look to Robin before mumbling about the bathroom and slinking from the room (very obviously walking in the complete opposite direction of any bathrooms, though no one else seemed to be paying attention). Steve hoped they could end this soon, because his feet were itching to follow Eddie, to talk about whatever the other Steve was to him. Though, he knew what they were. The Polaroids in the closet were burned into his brain.

But then Mike asked again about the key and the door and what they would do if Steve had to be put back, if the gate couldn’t close without him, and Steve knew it would be a while yet until he could talk to the man who put such a warm smile on OtherSteve’s face.

—

Sorry for the delay! I was focussing all my time on my steddie bang for a good chunk of the year so this update was slow going. I'm so excited to jump back into this one!

@devondespresso @machete-inventory-manager @sirsnacksalot @space-invading-pigeon @aliea82

@goodolefashionedloverboi @anti-ozzie @13catastrophic-blues @estrellami-1 @cinnamon-mushroomabomination

@likelylad @aellafreya @wxrmland @shunna @howincrediblysapphicofyou

@1-8oo-wtfbro @grimmfitzz @queenie-ofthe-void @redheadchimechild

[pricegouge]

Fatted Rabbit, Part Fifteen on AO3

Content

Bearshifter!Price x reader | explicit

It's strange how different the drive north is from what the mad dash south had been. In John's anger, he'd felt stubborn and unyielding - a boulder in a stream, able to watch as little flickers of sensibility passed him by, yet unable to do anything to keep them. Even as the road had wound its way down the mountains, he had felt fixed. As if a rope had stretched straight and taut between him and his destination, and he'd had to work for every inch gained through sweat and blistered hands.

It's strange how different the drive north is from what the mad dash south had been. In John's anger, he'd felt stubborn and unyielding - a boulder in a stream, able to watch as little flickers of sensibility passed him by, yet unable to do anything to keep them. Even as the road had wound its way down the mountains, he had felt fixed. As if a rope had stretched straight and taut between him and his destination, and he'd had to work for every inch gained through sweat and blistered hands.

Despite the low anxiety that boils in his belly regarding the unknown quality that is Shepherd, the return trip breezes past in a slow crawl of rolling peaks, distance measurable in the changing of the range characteristics. They pull over to sleep somewhere in southern Montana and John finally gets to test the limits of the Jeep's suspension. It would be a pleasant little road trip, if his bear would stop grumbling in the back of his mind.

There are some things his human form simply won't suffice for, evidently. And he needs to sniff her out properly, get her soft body under him and just keep her still for a whole night, pressed under the immense weight of himself. 

(He won't crush her. Not really. But he at least needs to see his big ol' mit splayed across her belly possessively.)

If she notices him driving straight past Columbia Falls and into Glacier, she doesn't say anything, keeps quiet until he parks far up a ranger path and goes to climb out.

"The one time I dared to presume I'd be invited over for the evening, and you leave me to sleep on my own on a cold fire trail in the dead of night." She's teasing when she shakes her head at him, but John is not amused.

"Not leaving you anywhere, bunny."

He gets her little mattress pad set up in a pre-existing bear bed under a canopy of maple boughs and tells her to settle in. She seems to know what he's got planned when she asks him to stay where she can see him while he changes. He shakes his head at her though and hides away behind a copse of pines, shakes the viscera off thoroughly before snuffling back to her. She may have seen a video of it already, but there was no need to keep subjecting her to it.

She grins like a fool when she spots him and John can't help the happy chuffing it incites. She giggles when he snuffles her hair, her neck. He dives into her belly with a series of frankly embarrassing grunts, but he can't bring himself to care when her giggles turn to outright laughter. He stops when she starts kicking, worried about her poor leg. It takes her a minute to catch her breath but when she does, she holds her arms out wide in clear invitation and John carefully lowers himself so he can duck his big head onto her chest. She sighs contentedly and threads her fingers into the fringe of his collar, which prompts a happy groan from him.

"You gonna stop pretending you don't know what I'm talking about when I ask you to make that noise again?"

John chuffs, heavy breath displacing some of her hair. When he lowers this time, her returning smile is brighter than the stars overhead.

"That fuckin' moo. I think it's my favorite noise you make." He grumbles, indignant about being told he moos , but she ignores him. "You know you make that weird huffy noise when you're human sometimes too, right?"

He chuffs at her again illustratively and she wipes off some of the slobber it blows at her.

"Nasty," she gripes, but she wiggles underneath him until she's on her side and John shifts himself up so she can tuck in under his arm. She wastes no time trying to wrap her arms around his body (can't, of course, but it's cute that she tries) and buries her face in the shaggy fur of his chest. John returns the favor, sinking his nose into her scalp and breathing deeply, sorting through all the scents to be sure any trace of the other man is gone.

When he's appeased, he ducks down even further to headbutt at her and she kisses him on the snout, pressing her face against his own as she reaches up to scratch behind his ear.

"I probably shouldn't find you so cute, considering everything, huh?"

He'd laugh if he were human. Settles for a soft nod instead which sets her own head lolling. 

"Well, too bad 'cause I don't. Though maybe my danger radar's busted. Would explain the ex, I suppose," she trails off. He growls and she's quick to change the subject, leaning back enough to look at him in feigned seriousness. "And crocodiles. I think those are cute too, and that can't be wise."

This time when he chuffs at her, he wraps a heavy arm around her and pulls her to his chest. Her laughter gets caught in his pelt, warm against his skin. When she tells him she loves him, it's muffled there too.

He ducks down enough to sniff at her, hopes it communicates his returning affections. He throws a leg over her own for good measure, careful of her cast.

In the morning he's happy to sit with her for a while, ignoring all the responsibilities they're sure to return to once they head toward the bar. He sits on his rear, gets her propped up between his spread legs so he can paw at her thighs and sniff at her while she plays on her little game. She pauses occasionally to inspect his paws. He expects her to grow pale at the sight of his claws, but she just tells him he has cute little toe beans and kisses at them.

He's a little indignant that she'd call anything about him 'little,' but he's also well aware he's being ridiculous so he just huffs at her and mouths gently at her ear.

***

They don't make it to the apartment unaccosted because that would just be too much good luck all at once. He's not even sure where they come from, making no noise as they creep up behind him while he helps bunny out of the boot. She doesn't seem to have noticed them either, if the way she squeaks when he closes the hatch to reveal them is any indication. 

John jumps, nearly decks the closest one. Gaz side steps easily with a sly smirk while Soap practically rips the rabbit out of his arms. 

"Bonnie!" He crows, twirling her around like a buffoon and then apologizing profusely when her plaster knocks Gaz's knee and she winces in pain. 

"Watch it," John growls, setting bunny back up with her crutches and checking her over as if he's suddenly developed X-ray vision to assess her fracture. 

"Sorry hen, but ah'm so excited! Ye had us all worried." 

"Yeah, sorry." She looks endlessly embarrassed as the three of them just revel in her very presence for a moment. "Um, who are you?" 

"Oh, Kyle. Was the bartender here before this clown." 

"Oi!"

Kyle sticks his hand out to her but just holds hers between his once he gets it, smooth bastard.

"Right, good to put a name to a face." 

"Likewise," he winks, and bunny's ears practically twitch. 

"When'd you get in?" John interrupts, unable to completely ignore the growing ball of totally unearned jealousy in his stomach. Not his fault, it's been a rough few days. Soap uses the distraction as an opportunity to guide bunny inside. Through the bar door, not his own, he notes with annoyance.

"Last night. No one told me how the little mission went so I figured I'd come see for myself." 

"Bullshit, Simon was keeping you in the loop."

"Yeah. Still thought I'd stop in." He looks Price up and down pointedly, as if checking there's not still blood on him or something.

John grunts, brings him into a one armed hug. "It's good to see you, mate." 

"You too, cap. You've not gone off and signed your own arrest warrant though, I hope? From the look of things, Soap'll be only too happy to take care of your girl while you're away." 

"Have a feeling I don't need to worry about either thing, really." 

"Oh?" 

"You seen Simon around?" 

"Yeah, he's just inside, actually." 

"So not at the brewery, tinkering with his precious ale?"

Gaz pauses, hand on the door but not opening it. "Oh," he says quite simply, and then they shrug in unison and follow the sound of Soap's incessant brogue out to the bar.

It's blessedly empty out front. John never figured he'd be happy to hear his staff had unexpectedly closed for the day while he was out, but then he'd never been faced with the daunting task of sharing his mate with half the town after the week he's - they've - had. It's bad enough sharing her with this lot, although he does because she looks adorably flustered when Soap lifts her up onto a barstool ("Seriously, you too?") and because he supposes they owe Gaz some explanation for all the last minute favors he so discreetly handled. 

"No', wha ' happened tae yer gam, Bonnie? And would ye like ol' Soap ta kiss it better, hm?"

"Oh shucks. Thanks, but too late now. Locked away like a tomb, no kisses." She gives Soap a faux regretful smile, but he just grins all the harder, steps into her space. 

"Could always kiss a wee bit higher."

"Careful, Johnny. Anymore of that and cap might eat you alive," Simon threatens, completely deadpan. 

"That's right," so hands to yourself, Price doubles down. Soap sticks his hands up in dramatic surrender and scurries back behind the bar to get everyone comfortable, easy enough to distract; but Gaz is far too sly, watches bunny pale at their words with a shrewd eye that lets John know he won't be able to evade nearly as much as he'd hoped.

"Gaz, what'll it be?" Soap asks, setting up the standard orders for John and Simon. He gets a cider going for bunny which she thanks him prettily for.

"Just a water, mate, thanks."

Soap scoffs, affronted. "You dinnae wannae enjoy someone else doin' the work fer once?"

"Havin' too much fun watching someone else serve these picky bastards," he motions at his former bosses. "Don't wanna cloud the memory."

"Picky is it? They've no' complained abou' me yet." He places bunny's drink in front of her with a wink. "Mus' be ah'm better then, eh bonnie?"

"That's a good way to get that streak broken," John warns, motioning to Soap's lingering fingers on bunny's rim. He leans across the bar and grabs his own drink, claims the chair next to his girl and drags it pointedly closer to her.

"Ah, cap, ah'm jus' messin'. No harm."

But John was grumbling the second he heard the term of authority. "Christ, not you too?"

Soap cackles but bunny places a hand on his reassuringly. "Would it be better if I started calling you cap, too?"

"Hm, now there's a thought," John grins at her, leaning in for a kiss which is foiled when Soap turns the stream from the fountain hose on him. 

"See how ye like it," the Scot snarks, and John probably would've gone over the counter if not for Simon's rare, earnest laughter spilling through the room like thunder.

"Gotta say, cap. Wasn't expecting to like my replacement so much." Gaz has seated himself on the other side of bunny, while Simon stands at the very end of the bar, towering unapologetically. 

Soap tips his glass to the man, winks. "Had big shoes tae fill, I heard. Had tae step up."

John turns to catch the vanishingly scarce experience of watching Simon bite back a frown, finds the large man staring back at him already as if in challenge instead. John just huffs and goes back to smiling dopily at the back of bunny's head. 

"Well you certainly did that, bruv. Look at that brooding bastard. Never seen him go so long without swearing."

"Fuck off, Garrick." Simon deadpans.

"There it is. Anyway," Kyle turns to the soft girl beside him and smiles warmly. "You never did tell us what happened to your leg, luv."

"Oh yea!" Soap crows, a dog that's remembered it has a bone out in the yard. "You awrigh', bonnie?"

"Oh, uh. Yeah…" she flounders, looks to John for guidance, but for all their plotting, they had not expected Gaz, who knows far too much, to be in the same room with Soap, who knows the exact right amount - next to zero -, when they had to have this conversation.

John eyes Soap, eager and bright, and remembers how the man had been beside himself when Simon had said they were leaving to go retrieve her after being chased out of town by the nasty ex he himself had served. He doesn't trust the man with the whole truth, of course, but this bit…

"It's your leg, bunny. Up to you how much you wanna share," John shrugs.

She blinks, as if surprised to find that's an option, and then gives him a soft, private smile before turning back to Soap and rather bluntly sharing that her ex broke it.

If any of them were expecting a sober reaction, the speed at which Soap's complexion turns cherry red ruins any chance of a civil conversation. "Tha' fockin' cunt!" he hollers, waving his hands wildly enough he doesn't notice how bunny flinches a bit.

"Easy," John warns, but it's Simon holding his palm out to the Scot that gets his attention.

"Down, boy. Indoor voices." He cuts a subtle glance at the rabbit and Soap deflates just as quickly as he was set off.

"Ach, sorry las. I jus' don' deal well wi' tha' shite ," he hisses.

"That's okay," she shrugs, doesn't elaborate. John places a hand on her thigh and she threads her fingers through his, the contact hidden under the counter.

Gaz pats the rabbit's back soothingly, turns to Soap. "Don't worry, mate. From what I gather, cap here doesn't handle it too well, either."

Soap's eyes are bright as a Zippo's flame when he turns back to his boss. "Did ye take care o' him, cap?"

Four sets of eyes on him, John can't really lie like he thought he could. "Yes."

A beat. Soap frowns, wound up and put away wanting. "Well, how so? Bust his nose? Break his leg?"

John turns to Simon who stares back, apparently just as cowed by the notion of actually admitting what he'd taken part in. Kyle just keeps boring holes into the side of John's head. 

"A bear got him first."

To her credit, bunny doesn't flinch under the weight of everyone's gaze like John had. She takes a sip of her cider, casual as can be, smacks her lips.

"Huh?" Soap asks, eloquently.

"Bear. Got him first. Phil abducted me from my motel room four nights ago -."

"What?"

"John and Simon - or rather Kyle, I gather; thanks," the man nods, tilting his water at her. "- tracked me down to the cabin where he'd been stowing me. God knows what John had planned for Phil, but that doesn't matter because in the funniest possible twist of fate imaginable, Phil was already dead by the time they got there."

A beat of silence follows. Two. John resolutely does not look at Simon, or even Kyle, but he allows himself a glance at Soap when the Scot scrunches up his face in confusion. "You said a bear?"

"Yep. Big, aggressive black bear."

"Did you call it in?" Gaz asks and bunny shakes her head, curling her lip.

"Honestly? Wanted to let the crows pick him apart." It's just enough honesty - enough admission - that Gaz nods once and frowns down at the counter in thought.

"Well, cannae blame ya there, bonnie." Soap grabs her another cider and assesses John openly. "What were you plannin' for the little shite when ye go' there?"

John shrugs, leans into how hard it is to meet the eyes of the men around them and plays it off for shame. "Didn't have one. Guess it depended on how hard he would've fought back."

"So you would've killed him?" Gaz accuses and John sighs, leans forward so he can see around bunny. 

"That fucker unloaded two cans of mace in my face, threatened to kill me, schemed his way into bunny's quarters by giving an old man a black eye, broke her fucking leg, and abducted her. And that's just what I've known about, since I personally met him. That's not counting all the -," he waves vaguely and bunny stiffens, proving his point. "So yeah, I might've. And I don't feel bad about leaving him there, either."

Gaz continues to squint, but Simon nods once and it's strange how it's that - after everything the big man had already done to help him along the way - is what finally lets John breathe a little easier, secure in the knowledge he may not have done the right thing, but he at least did the effective thing. Simon has always been a pillar of efficiency.

"Ah'm honestly a bit flapped that bear go' him first," Soap scoffs and John can feel the tension in the room melt around the edges a bit. Gaz continues to frown in a way that lets John know he's not heard the last of Kyle's opinion, but he loosens up a bit when Soap carries on about the particulars of how he would've chosen to dispose of Graves. He's funny about it, gets bunny laughing with increasingly more outlandish deaths. By the time it escalates to Acme products, even Simon is hiding a chuckle behind his mask.

And even Gaz forgets to be stuffy when Soap notes Simon's laughter with a smile, leans up to kiss his cheek with an obnoxious smack of his lips. Simon grumbles, but doesn't break his glass over the smaller man's stupid mohawk and John chokes on a peel of vindication.

He exchanges a wide-eyed glance with Kyle, nearly throws himself over the bar to wrap the two in a congratulatory hug. Bunny's firm grip on his thigh stops him, however, when she pushes him back into his seat and not-so-subtly nods back at Simon. The big lad is flushed pink up to his ears, clearly embarrassed enough. Any other time, John would take that as carte blanche to make the stoic man squirm, but he supposes after all the help he's been, Riley might deserve a little bit of grace.

Besides, the smitten, shit eating grin on Soap's face tells him he'll have plenty of opportunities in the future.

"Oh!' Bunny suddenly proclaims, patting herself all over as if in search of something. She blinks, rolls her eyes at herself and then turns pleading eyes on John. "Could you check to see how the muppets are doing? I lost track with everything going on."

John doesn't even have time to respond before Soap is thumping the counter with a heavy fist. "Elimination game six tonight! Nearly forgo'."

"How'd you know?" John asks as the other man sets up the TV.

"Always remember what my regulars want to watch." The wink he sends bunny is not diminished in quality at all by the kiss he'd just laid on Simon's cheek.

John waits until the muppets have a decent lead before sneaking out for a smoke. Gaz follows, much as John had expected he would. John debates busying himself with unpacking the cars just to stay out of Kyle's way, but he knows it will only delay the inevitable.

He doesn't even wait for John to properly light his cigar.

"You would've made me an accessory."

John nods contemplatively, spins his cigar over the open flame until it smolders. The man's right, is the hardest part. John had been selfish and hasty. Beyond reason. He'd prided himself for many years about his ability to control his bear, but here he'd gone and handed the reins off to the beast after just one altercation with his mate's. Happily. Unthinkingly.

"You didn't have to help." The furrow of Gaz's brow is ominous as he huffs, dropping eye contact. "Look, should I -."

"Not going to the cops," Kyle spits, as if even the taste of the words is bitter on his tongue.

"You know I wouldn't blame you if you did."

"I'm not -." Gaz cuts himself off with a sigh, rolls his head back to study the dead spiders under the awning. "I know it's not up to me to decide if Graves deserved what he got. I just -. I didn't think you were capable of something like that."

John grunts, smoke spilling from his lips. "Neither did I."

It takes a moment but Gaz eventually sighs, nods exactly once and then meets John's eye with a concentrated frown. "So now what?"

Cigar between his teeth, John can't help the overwhelmed sort of smile that stretches his lips. "Couldn't fuckin' tell ya." At Kyle's continued silence, John sighs. "Simon's kept you up to date?"

"Yeah. Most I've heard from him in years, probably."

"Love suits him, doesn't it?" John laughs.

"Don't change the subject."

"Right. Well. It depends on Shepherd, mostly. It's hard to know what he knew, so it's hard to know what to expect. If he knew the girl was there, it's possible he'll have some questions about why Grave's wasn't reported. But if he knew she was there, it's also likely he knew why she would just run for the hills the first chance she got." He shrugs. "Suppose it depends on how much he cares to waste his time and resources."

"Slimy bastards tend to stick together."

"Slimy bastards tend to care only about themselves," John counters. "A man was mauled to death by a big fucking bear in the middle of a tourist town. On his property. It's entirely possible he'll just want to bury this whole thing."

"And Graves was mauled by a bear, was he?"

John scoffs. "Graves was certainly mauled by a bear. No doubt in my mind. But let's say he wasn't. You don't think Shepherd would follow the same logic for murder on his property?"

Gaz looks like he has plenty more to say, but he just sighs, nods again. "Okay. Cross that bridge when we get there, I guess?"

"You won't be part of that, Gaz. Promise. The only crime that was committed was a failure to report a death. And it would be hard to prove any of us actually saw him."

"Should've at least reported the bear," Gaz grumbles and John suppresses a laugh.

"Yeah. Hindsight. Think we were all pretty shaken, though."

"Yeah."

They sit in silence another moment while John studies the cherry of his cigar. "How's uni going?"

"Mm. Good. Learning a lot."

"Clearly," John chuckles, thinking of all the backdoor cyber gobbledegook nonsense the younger man must've pulled to help them out the way he had. "Sincerely can't thank you enough, Kyle."

"You can thank me by never asking me again."

"Fair. How long you in town?"

"Just the weekend. I'll be back for break, though."

"Gonna need a summer job, kid?"

"You offerin' one, old man?"

"Always got a spot for you."

Gaz laughs, sticks his hands in his pockets. "Suppose it depends if I'm still mad at you."

John laughs as he stubs out his cigar. "Fair again. Well I better head in. The woman says I must be a good luck charm for those muppets so she'll be mad they get behind in my absence. You coming in?"

"Whipped already?" Garrick teases and John just nods with a grin. "Nah, don't like fifth wheeling. I'm headed out for the night. Tell everyone I said goodnight. See you tomorrow?"

"'Fraid not. Busy all day."

"Gross," Kyle gripes, and John just laughs.

"Have a good night, Gaz," he says, clapping the man on the shoulder.

"I'd say the same to you but I'm scared you'll make an inappropriate joke about it."

"Reasonable fear."

Gaz turns back as he's climbing into his car. "She's cute, by the way. I'd say she's nice but, well."

"She is nice. Just don't break her leg. Or kidnap her."

"Right," Kyle grins. "'Night, cap."

***

The muppets end up winning by the skin of their teeth. Simon makes a comment about the next game and you huff something about one game at a time. 

It's late when you make your way up John's steps. Well, John does, rather. You just hold tight and marvel at his ability to climb stairs with you thrown over his shoulder.  He sets you up in bed while he putters about a little while longer, getting the place settled after being away so long. You think you see a touch of obsession in his meticulousness and you wonder if it has more to do with his human preferences, or his bear's need to keep a cozy den. You wonder how many other idiosyncrasies you've yet to discover.

You call him out on it when his fiddling brings him back to the bedroom but he just smiles and kisses your forehead, says he's nearly done.

"Keeping me awake!" you holler after him goodnaturedly when he heads back out the door. 

"Good, I need your opinion!"

When he returns, he's fussing with the fern he'd insisted on getting that day at the market, holding it out for inspection as he runs a finger over the coarse hairs of the aerial roots. "This look too dried out to you?"

You can't help but smile as your finger joins his, stroking over the knobby, dehydrated joints. The leaves look a little wilted, but they're still a good dark color. And John's nothing if not nurturing.

"Nothing you can't fix, I'm sure"

Aaaaand fin (?) Shoutout to @/400badrequest for the idea to cap this part off here. I rushed the last few chapters because I'm ready to move onto some other projects, and I didn't want to treat the last leg the same way. As of right now, the plan is to eventually add a second part to deal with Shepherd, but in case I don't, or if you don't return for the second half, just pretend that selfish asshole was just like, "Well that sucks. Feel better, Graves!" That being said, I still owe two anons a double date and a mating season scene which I didn't write up cause I thought I'd squeeze them in here somehow. So if you don't see them pop up in the drabbles, it's because I'm cooking with them for the next part >:) Please lmk what you think!

That's all but you can find some non-canonical drabbles of these two here

[lurxof--thxmaw]

@devouraes liked for a starter 。

Overseeing the group of Guests climing into the Maw had become a yearly practice for the Lady. Not one she is particularly enthusiastic about － she'd rather the Maw return under the surface as soon as possible － yet absolutely necessary.

Normally it would go by rather slowly: uneventful was the right term to describe it. Rightfully so, even if it comes as a detriment to the spending of her precious time.

Until a faraway golden twinkle catches her eye.

[crowleys-bentley-and-plants]

Blueprints To Ruin

I’m a control freak, master of order, architect of precision, mapping the uncharted with perfection, constructing a world where the edges are clear, where the shadows fall exactly as I intend. I thrive in the grip of structure, where every thread weaves through my hands, and every outcome bends to my will.

I love chaos, but only the kind I can contain, a storm I command to rage and calm, a dance I choreograph, each step calculated, every wild turn plotted, the thrill of disorder held firmly in my grasp. I pull the strings of unpredictability, knowing just how far to let them go, where to tighten, when to release, an orchestrator of carefully curated madness.

But you— you make me want to shatter my own rules, to let the strings slip, to dive headfirst into the abyss of the unknown, where nothing is certain, and everything is raw, alive, out of reach.

You are the wild wind that whips through my meticulous plans, scattering the pieces I once held so close, leaving me breathless, lost in a sea of emotions I never intended to feel. And now, I long to let go, to let the waves pull me under, and see what I become when the order I’ve clung to finally breaks.

I’m a control freak, but you make me want to be more, or maybe less— to strip away the layers of control until all that’s left is the core of who I am, untethered, unbound, free.

You are the catalyst to my undoing, the spark that sets fire to my well-ordered world, and though I fear the flames, I find myself drawn to the heat, craving the burn of a life lived without restraint. With you, control slips through my fingers, And for once, I don't mind the fall

So take me, take my carefully constructed world, and let it crumble in your hands, show me what it means to live without the need for control, to embrace the chaos, not as something to be feared, but as something to be loved, and in that love, perhaps, I will finally find what it means to be free

-

hmmmm i dont know about this one

Reblogs and comments are always appreciated💙

ao3 link if you wanna leave a comment there? :)

hii @crowleys-hips @bearthewhipsandscornsoftime @fearandhatred @ghostsparrow @eybefioro @seven-stars-in-his-palm @ficreader500 @foolishlovers @sabotage-on-mercury @crowleys-curl @crowleybrekkers @goodomensafterdark @notagoodlad @lickthecowhappy @goodoldfashionednightingale @spookyllamatree @wanderer-main @ineffabildaddy @marika-misc @captainblou @weasleywrinkles @chaoticgayomens @amagnificentobsession @thebookshoparoundthecorner @quintessentiallychemical @naturallyteal

let me know if you want to be added or removed

[luckybyler]

Here’s yet another Reddit thread about who was to blame for Mike and Will’s Rink-o-Mania fight:

Nevermind the fact that they ship Mileven and are convinced Mike would never have feelings for Will. We already knew that. But they seem to forget many things about friendships, the shows, and the 80s:

1. If you tell someone to back off, you don’t get to be mad when they do. Their fight in the garage was never resolved for whatever reason. That means Will was under the impression that he had to be less clingy, and that the ball was in Mike’s court to keep in touch.

2. Mike was the one who brought up their decaying friendship at an inappropriate moment. Will was in the wrong for keeping it going, but he didn’t start it.

3. Mike had no problem hugging many people, male and female, in season 4. There’s no reason why Will wouldn’t expect a hug at the airport, Mike was the one who made it weird.

4. Phone calls - especially long-distance phone calls - were EXPENSIVE AF. The Byers are low income, the Wheelers are comfortable middle class. It would have required extra effort on Will’s part to call Mike.

5. Also, this means that NO, LETTERS WEREN’T INHERENTLY ROMANTIC IN THE 80s. If you wanted to stay in touch with someone far away and what you had to say wasn’t urgent, you sent a letter. It wasn’t gay for two guy friends to send each other letters, it was the equivalent of a WhatsApp chat.

6. The relevance of El “having a book of letters from Mike” while Will barely got a couple of phone calls is that *El lives in the same house as Will*. Meaning that *Mike didn’t have to make much extra effort to write a couple of times to Will as well*. It’s not that Will expected to get the girlfriend treatment.

7. Mike couldn’t talk to El on the phone. That’s why they communicated by letters and walky-talkies. If he was trying to call someone in California, it was Will. Unless he really, really missed the sound of Joyce’s or Jonathan’s voices.

8. If the line was busy for Mike, it was busy for Will too.

[lurxof--thxmaw]

Why? Well, isn't that a surprisingly acute question.

The madame would roll her eyes, but she supposes she will have to understand his hesitance. She had been little as well, a long time ago. Had he not been who he was, he would have been right in his suspicion － but this little one emits a particular aura, one she wishes to witness up close.

The Lady rarely gets to study magic outside of her own in practice, let alone witnessing it from someone else. It is not an opportunity she will let slip past without grabbing it. Leave it to the scholar in her to be endlessly curious... or the remains of someone who was just as curious swirling in her soul.

"If you wish to remain in the company of the other Guests, you are more than welcomed to," she comments nonchalantly, "But I cannot assure you they will be as accepting of you as I am."

The illusion of a choice, really. The Lady is well spoken enough to know that a desperate alternative will always lead to the wanted result. Unless the pest wishes to surprise her. The Lady is not fond of surprises.

So she offers the sleeve of her kimono to him, gesturing at him to climb inside.

"The choice is yours."

"If they know you're with me, they'll leave you alone." (For Mono!!!) － @lurxof--thxmaw

dramatic & protective prompts.

it’s a very unexpected thing for an adult to speak to him, even more unexpected for an adult to be offering some form of protection. he still knows nothing about this lady, therefore is incredibly hesitant to even so much as move a muscle for fear of being snuffed out like a candle.

the boy stares up at death draped in glamour, wondering why the reaper lowers her scythe. blank bag meets blank mask and after a minute, he finally speaks.

a singular word from the city rat, but a question nonetheless.

“wh… why?”

[flilisskywalker]

I guess what keeps me up at night is asking what's the point of Sabine's search for Ezra, like... as an emotional arc.

(This text is an adaptation of the thread I wrote on Twitter)

Because when I rewatch the fourth season of Rebels, I get the impression that they are paired together in many episodes as a way to prepare us for a hurtful goodbye between the two at the end of the show, which is to me the same reason why they decided to go heavy on confirming Kanan and Hera's romance because they knew he was going to die.

I don't really know if the parallels between Sabezra and Kanera are intentional considering how Filoni talks about the former, but Ezra does become Kanan (even has a whole stretch arms sacrifice) and Sabine does become Hera (Deep grief for losing him) and not in a "The kid got this from his/her parent." sense, but in the sense of that the situation is really similar, which is interesting because it wasn't like this originally.

Ahsoka made Sabine's grief towards Ezra not being by her side all the time a thing.

Instead of simply letting Sabine's mission be about bringing Ezra home like in the original animated epilogue, Filoni complicates things a little bit by implying that Sabine is not doing this for Ezra, but for herself. Beyond that, almost every character notices how devoted she is to him and it even confuses some of them.

Thrawn, for example, has studied Sabine. He is well aware that Ezra is her compatriot and friend and yet... he is confused by her choice. Sabine states "You wouldn't understand." and then accepts to be stranded on Peridea just to see Ezra again. Once she found him and even after hearing he wants to get home, she did not say a word about Thrawn being his only ticket home. Instead, she simply enjoys time with him.

If you know Sabine Wren, you know that she would never ignore a huge Imperial threat and put in danger people like Hera, who is definitely an older sister type of role model to her, or feel that Ezra is the only family she has, so I do understand why people think she is very distant from the original show.

There might be a reason for all of this. A reason that I'm not sure Filoni wants to dive into, but the way he's been writing Sabine, the vagueness every time Ezra is the conversation's topic, feels like she has fallen in love with him during his absence and honestly? This makes far more sense than any other explanation.

We've seen in Star Wars before, fiction in general, that love is blind. Sabine's focus on finding Ezra is described by Baylan as something that blinds her. Not only this would justify her out of character attitude, but also the parallels with Kanan and Hera.

Star Wars live-action TV shows this year have been interesting to decode. In both The Mandalorian season 3 and Ahsoka season 1, there's a lot of subtle implications that characters want to build a life with somebody.

Mando does this in Chapter 22 - Guns For Hire, an episode surrounded by romantic love, where a droid bartender tells Din and Bo that human life is so short and then they look at each other. They want to be together, but that has not been verbalized yet. It is still very much in the subconscious.

Ahsoka does it in Part 7 - Dreams and Madness, by showing Sabine's lack of urgency regarding Thrawn and simply enjoying Ezra's company. It really implies that this was what her mission was all about: Be with Ezra. Her real desire is build a life with him, but that desire is still in the subconscious.

I believe Favreau knows all of that when it comes to Din and Bo.

BUT DOES FILONI KNOW THAT WHEN IT COMES TO SABINE AND EZRA?