#(just in case anyone's still using that one)

[gf2bellamy]

lipgloss — spencer reid

pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader ( no use of y/n ) summary: you leave a lipgloss mark on spencer's cheek content warnings: nothing a/n: i malfunction when i see glasses spencer

You let out an exaggerated sigh, slumping forward as you rested your chin on your hand. Across from you, Spencer sat at his desk, completely engrossed in his work, the soft scratch of his pencil against paper filling the otherwise quiet bullpen. His brows furrowed in concentration as he made notes in the margins of his case files. 

“Spencer,” you whined, drawing out his name. “Do you think Hotch would say anything if I just went home?” 

Spencer glanced up at you, his honey-brown eyes softening the way they always did whenever he looked at you.

“I think he might,” he admitted, tilting his head slightly. “But you could always say you weren’t feeling well. Technically, boredom is a form of mental fatigue.” 

You let out another sigh, this one even more dramatic. “I’m just so bored,” you groaned, dragging out the last word. 

Spencer’s lips twitched in amusement before he returned to his notes. You stared at him for a moment, then perked up as an idea struck you. 

“I’m gonna make myself a coffee,” you announced, standing up and stretching. “Do you want one?” 

Spencer shook his head with a small smile. “No, that’s okay. But thanks.” 

He picked up his pen, going right back to his work. You lingered for a second before stepping closer to his desk, your lips curling into a small, mischievous smile. With no one else in the bullpen, you leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. 

Spencer froze. His pencil slipped from his fingers, rolling across the desk. His head snapped up, his face already turning an unmistakable shade of pink. 

Your smile widened. “What?” you teased, tilting your head. 

“You—” He blinked rapidly, his blush deepening. “We’re at work.” 

“And?” You arched a brow, feigning innocence. 

Spencer opened his mouth, then shut it, clearly searching for a response. Finally, he huffed out a quiet laugh, shaking his head before picking up his pencil again. 

“You’re impossible,” he muttered, but the small, fond smile on his lips gave him away. 

You grinned. Mission accomplished. 

You made your way to the break room, yawning as you prepared yourself a much-needed cup of coffee. The scent of freshly brewed caffeine filled the air, and just as you reached for a mug, you heard loud voices echoing from down the hall. 

Garcia and Derek. 

As you poured your coffee, you caught snippets of their conversation—mostly Derek chuckling about something Garcia had said, followed by her dramatic gasp. They had obviously just come back from their little break.

By “little break,” they meant sneaking off to grab food somewhere without telling anyone. Classic. 

Once your cup was full, you wrapped your hands around the warm ceramic, only to immediately flinch and mutter a curse under your breath. Too hot. You blew on it a few times before deciding to just endure the heat, making your way back to the bullpen. 

The second you stepped inside, you were met with two pairs of wide, mischievous eyes locked onto you. 

“Oh my god, it is hers,” Garcia said, practically vibrating with excitement. 

You froze mid-step, raising an eyebrow. “Uh… what?” 

Your gaze flickered between them and Spencer, who was now sitting at his desk, very clearly avoiding eye contact. His ears were turning a suspicious shade of pink. 

Slowly, you walked over to your desk, setting your coffee down as you eyed them warily. Garcia and Derek were standing on either side of Spencer’s desk, arms crossed, looking like they had just cracked some kind of case. 

“Okay,” you said cautiously, dragging the word out. “Why are you all looking at me like that?” 

Silence. 

Spencer, still blushing, pretended to be very, very interested in his paperwork. Garcia and Derek, on the other hand, exchanged a knowing glance before Derek let out a low chuckle. 

“You sneaky little thing,” he teased, shaking his head. 

“What are you talking about?” You sat down slowly, still staring at them like they’d lost their minds. 

Garcia gasped dramatically. “Don’t play innocent! We know what you did.” 

Your heart skipped a beat. “What—?” 

Derek smirked, arms crossed over his chest like he’d just won the lottery. “Your lip gloss.” 

You blinked. “What about my lip gloss?” 

As if on cue, your lips instinctively pressed together, feeling the slight tackiness of the gloss you’d applied earlier. Garcia let out an exaggerated sigh, shaking her head. 

“You left a mark,” she said dramatically. “A very clear mark, right on Dr. Reid’s cheek.” 

Panic surged through you. 

Your eyes darted to Spencer, then to Garcia and Derek, then back to Spencer again. He was already looking at you, and now it all made sense—the blushing, the way he had been avoiding your gaze, and the way Garcia and Derek were practically bouncing with glee. 

Oh. Oh god. 

You leaned in slightly, taking a closer look. And there it was. A faint but unmistakable pink smudge on his cheek. 

Spencer huffed, finally speaking up. “She’s not letting me wipe it off,” he accused, nodding toward Garcia. 

Garcia gasped, placing a hand over her heart in mock offense. “Excuse you, Doctor! It’s called preserving evidence.” 

Derek chuckled. “Yeah, man. We gotta document this. It’s not every day you get physical proof that you two are—” 

“Shh!” you hissed, eyes widening as you quickly glanced around the bullpen. 

Your relationship with Spencer was still a secret, and the last thing you needed was someone overhearing this conversation. You shot both Garcia and Derek a glare, but they were absolutely thriving off of your reaction. 

“Relax, sweetheart,” Derek teased. “It’s just us.” 

You turned back to Spencer, who was looking at you expectantly, silently pleading for help. With a sigh, you grabbed a napkin from your desk, stepping closer to him. His eyes flickered to yours as you hesitated for just a second before reaching out, gently swiping at the mark on his cheek. 

His skin was warm beneath your touch. 

You tried to focus, but you could feel Garcia and Derek’s eyes burning into you. 

“There,” you murmured, inspecting his face. The lip gloss was gone, but his blush? Very much still there. 

Garcia clapped her hands together. “Awww, that was adorable.” 

Derek grinned. “Man, if y’all think you’re still fooling anyone—” 

Spencer groaned, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Can we please move on?” 

Garcia waved him off. “Fine, fine. But just know—this isn’t over.” 

She and Derek finally turned away, giggling to themselves as they walked off, no doubt already plotting their next round of teasing. 

You sighed, rubbing your temples before glancing at Spencer. He still looked flustered, but there was a small, barely-there smile on his lips. 

“You okay, genius?” you asked softly. 

He nodded, exhaling as he glanced at you. “You know they’re never gonna let this go, right?” 

You sighed dramatically, shaking your head. “Yeah. We’re doomed.” 

Spencer chuckled, and despite everything, you couldn’t help but smile too. 

Even if Garcia and Derek were onto you, at least work wasn’t boring anymore. 

[battlestarbones]

tl;dr: the original post is pure fearmongering. there is no evidence that the Ohio TB case is in any way connected to the year-long TB outbreak in Kansas that has resulted in a total of 146 TB cases.

Y'ALL TUBERCULOSIS IS STILL AN ENDEMIC DISEASE IN THE UNITED STATES. as far as I am aware, there is no evidence that these TB cases are related. as anyone who works in healthcare (or many other fields) can tell you, people in the United States can and do get TB all the time. we have very low rates of TB compared to many developing nations, and the people at highest risk of active TB are immigrants from areas with higher rates, but unlike malaria we do still have some constantly circulating TB in the US. it is much more likely that these cases are just coincidentally in the news at the same time.

the actual epidemiologic characteristics of TB make it even less likely that these cases are related. TB is airborne and transmitted from person to person, but it is much less contagious than respiratory viruses like COVID-19 or influenza. it typically requires prolonged close contact in an enclosed space for transmission. additionally, most people who are exposed to TB either clear the infection or develop latent TB infection. in latent TB (now typically called "TB infection"), the person IS NOT CONTAGIOUS because their immune system has contained the pathogen. TB blood and skin tests can detect both latent TB infection and active contagious TB disease (which is what is being discussed in the news articles).

only ACTIVE TB disease is contagious!! these patients have a positive TB test AND a chest X-ray with evidence of TB disease. the MAJORITY of people who have latent TB infection will never have reactivation to active, contagious TB disease.

the time between someone being exposed to TB and developing active contagious TB disease is generally measured in weeks to months (the risk of active disease is highest in the first 2 years after infection). even patients who have close contact (>4hr/wk) with an active TB case are typically only retested at 8-10 WEEKS after exposure if their immediate screening is negative. TB is just a slow-moving disease. this means that TB does not typically spread in fast-moving epidemics or pandemics as is implied in the post above.

the TB outbreak in Kansas is real, but the important context is that there are a total of 146 documented cases (67 active, 79 latent) in A FULL CALENDAR YEAR (since January 2024). this is a major outbreak on the scale of TB in the modern-day US, but it's important to understand that it's still a very small number of people total. TB is a serious infection and should be taken seriously, but panic and conspiracy thinking does not benefit us.

(additionally, there is no evidence that any TB cases in Montana are related to cases in Kansas and Ohio)

as a final reminder: tuberculosis remains an endemic disease in the United States and a low background level of TB transmission is always present. simultaneous TB cases in different states is therefore a normal and expected outcome and does not imply that such cases are related to one another.

"In case anyone missed it, the tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas has now spread to Ohio.

[The Republican Administration] has ordered the CDC to not report on this"

[moonstruckme]

Hey Mae <3 if you’re open to it, would you write Spencer reassuring shy reader or reader who is still in grad school and is feeling insecure about her intelligence compared to him/the rest of the team. anyway I love how you write Spencer tytyty <3

Thanks for requesting gorgeous <3

cw: vague discussion of homicide crime scene, reader is a bit intellectually insecure, written with a fem reader in mind

Spencer Reid x intern!reader ♡ 754 words

You’re talking to yourself. You do this, sometimes, Spencer doesn’t think you even really mean to. It’ll just be a word here or there, a murmured maybe as you ponder a case or shit when you fill out a form wrong and have to get another. You’d done it in front of Derek once, and even he’d had the good sense not to tease you about it; you’re too green, still, too nervous for good-natured joking. 

The police station is mostly empty, the rest of the team having called it a night except for you and Spencer. In the past twenty minutes, as you’ve swivel in your chair and peered at the board with hawk-like intensity, it’s been no, but if…, and unless? Spencer tries not to let it distract him, but it is cute, the way you seem to be talking yourself in and out of theories, using yourself as your own sounding board. He’s never met an intern—a student, nonetheless—less eager to get to their FBI-bankrolled hotel room. 

It’s when you shake your head at yourself, seemingly dismissing an idea, and mutter stupid, that’s when Spencer steps in. 

“What is it?” he asks. 

You jolt and turn your head like you’d forgotten he was there. “Huh?” 

“You seem like you have an idea.” 

“Oh, I was…it wasn’t anything.” You have one foot on the ground, the other pulled up onto your chair with you, and you’re using it to swivel your seat back and forth restlessly. It’s almost funny; Spencer doesn’t understand how anyone could ever be nervous around him, but you are. You are around the whole team. You’re quiet most of the time, looking at them all with wide eyes and palpable awe while they analyze and ideate. It’s sweet, but also baffling, considering you’re fiercely intelligent yourself. 

Spencer smiles at you. Your lips curve in kind, like they’re not entirely sure why but are relieved to do it. 

“I’d still like to hear it,” he says. 

You visibly shrink, leg pulling closer to you in your seat. “I was just, um, starting to think that maybe the way he laid out the second victim could be a sign of remorse, but then I realized it couldn’t be, because of—”

“The dump site,” Spencer finishes with you. 

You nod, looking abashed. “Right. So, obviously not.” 

“That’s not obvious,” Spencer says. He looks at the board, tapping his thumb on his jaw. “We haven’t been looking at the way the second victim was positioned, there could be something to that.” 

You blink. “Really?”

“Yeah. Why didn’t you say anything?” 

“I—well, sorry. I just didn’t think there was anything to say. I didn’t want to sound dumb.” 

You cringe like you hadn’t meant to say it. Spencer feels his brows twitch together, though it’s not like the explicit admission surprises him when you’ve effectively been saying it in a thousand implicit ways since he met you. He has the strange urge to reach over and put a hand on your shoulder. It's not like him, so he doesn’t. 

“We all have theories that don’t pan out,” he says, “all the time. We just bounce them off the team anyway in case it leads to another idea.” 

Your smile is almost rueful. “You don’t.” 

Spencer actually laughs. “I do. It’s possible you just haven’t been around long enough to notice.” 

Your head tilts sideways as though contemplating this. It makes your body list slightly in the chair, your leg resting against the cushioned arm. You look more at ease than you did a minute before, softer, the furrow of concentration easing from between your brows. Spencer’s chest feels light and airy without reason.

“It’s not dumb, to have an idea that doesn’t turn into anything,” he tells you gently. “No one in our team would think that.” 

“I know,” you say, sheepish now. “You guys just know so much, I don’t know how to contribute.”

“It comes with experience,” Spencer assures you. “You’ll pick it up quickly, I can tell. You already are.” 

You smile again. It’s more relaxed than before, a bashful pride shining in your eyes. Spencer props his cheek on his fist, mirroring it thoughtlessly. You look tired, though no less pretty for it, the beckoning of sleep gentle in your features. If Spencer was less selfish he’d probably tell you to go back to the hotel, but normally he’s the only one who never manages to use his room during these trips. He finds he really enjoys the company.

[phantomrose96]

(Only at the early episodes of season 2, no spoilers) but I have a vision and it is one where Jinwoo surrounds himself with a party of high-rank but fucking-useless hunters who he treats as absolute Pillow Princesses while using them as cover for himself.

Like it's established that your rank is a natural and immutable feature of yourself, but that says nothing for your mental state or physical health, right? Like they call out that Joohee is a B-rank technically, but she only does low-level raids because her nerves are fried.

So like. There's GOTTA be a wealth of A-rank--MAYBE even some S-rank--people who are absolute basket cases, or couch potatoes, or do nooooootttt fucking care.

Jinwoo should just assemble them, be like "you get a 7% cut for showing up", enter the gate, park them there with like a whole campsite of care items from his hammer-space bullshit, while he just goes to take care of the dungeon himself.

Like the whole raid team walks out and the Hunters Guild is like, "Ah, once again this up-and-coming A-rank-stacked team has defeated a dungeon, with their token E-rank mascot still not dead. How nice of them."

Meanwhile, anyone paying close attention on the news is watching while a camera crew interviews some A-rank stay-at-home mom who clearly does NOT know how to hold that knife she's holding, describing a dungeon boss who is almost definitely King Kong.

While E-rank Jinwoo just like, renders in the background

And the next interview is with the S-rank NEET who has not left his room in 12 years except, right now, to go kill this dungeon boss I guess. Which he also cannot describe.

While E-rank Jinwoo continues to. like. render.

And the online boards are like "wasn't that the E-rank who was one of the sole survivors of that catastrophe dungeon incident?" "You're totally right but also I was thinking of a DIFFERENT catastrophe dungeon. Did that happen twice?" "What do you mean it happened 3 times?"

One of these interviews Jinwoo is in the background doing perfect shadow-boxing using some knife that is resonating an aura so potent it's mucking up the camera equipment, while the A-rank on camera describes the plot of Godzilla.

[great-septimus]

Hey, so I don't want to be that guy, but when are we going to acknowledge that Akechi was right?

No, I obviously don't mean about the things he was very clearly wrong about. I'm referring to the things he says in interviews about the Phantom Thieves. I hate how many people switch up after playing through his betrayal who previously agreed with his views, because nothing he said is wrong and nothing he did changes that fact. He speaks in the TV Station on the objective facts that he should know about, and with or without the context of his form of justice those facts stay true. It's a fallacy to claim that his form of justice being universally less approved of makes the Phantom Thieves better by comparison, or discredits anything he said. I don't think the Phantom Thieves are evil, or that they should necessarily be imprisoned, but I do think that they are not morally sound. They're kids. Prior to his betrayal I think he served his purpose well, but it's easy to disregard the validity of his words when you find out that he's a murderer. With the knowledge he SHOULD have had (and that many DID have), everything he says is true. And honestly? It still can be true for basically the entire plot of the game. Mishima's confidant tests the thieves in that way. They could have changed the hearts of anyone who's not a persona user, for any personal reason. It's a slippery slope.

I'll use these three options as an example for why he's right:

"They're justice itself" is just subjective and incorrect, because justice as a concept is individualized and given how each Phantom Thief has different reasons for being one it's ridiculous for even them to say. Their first target was before they even formed a group, and Ann was ready to kill Kamoshida. The others were not even going to step in, and they were going to respect her choice either way. All the members are so different, so this is an insane claim to make.

"They're necessary" is wrong because to say they are necessary is pretty disingenuous to all "justice" that has ever happened BEFORE they existed. I don't believe that the Thieves were a necessity per say, and personally I think their actions can only be judged on a case by case basis. Some Mementos targets for example have issues that stem beyond what they have done. Now they have their desires stolen but still have the issue that pushed them to immortality in the first place, plus a shitton of guilty baggage. The Thieves only help with the atonement, but not the push. How many of those people didn't just go right back to their past behaviors? How many of them got worse in other ways? Think about Futaba, she felt so guilty for something she thought she did, she formed a palace to condemn herself to die alone. To claim the Thieves are necessary to reform society implies that their method is the most effective, and I think that's a lot to claim for something they don't understand.

"They do more than the cops" I almost agree with. Legally the police in Japan in this game anyway (yes I'm aware it extends to reality in many ways, but I'm referring to just the game right now) are corrupt and flawed for the most part, but the thing I don't agree with is that this makes the Thieves a better alternative. They're not. For the same reason Yoshizawa says later, the Thieves can only do so much as vigilantes, and to imply that society should rely on these faceless nameless flawed people to fix society is not any better than what they have now. Especially with the method being unknown, potentially unsafe, and easily exploitable. I cannot be the only one who if the Phantom Thieves were real, would be extremely alarmed by the prospect of a group of vigilantes "changing hearts" right? It's so vague, and the pattern is dystopian. At least police methods are familiar

What I'm saying is that they're kids, and it's kind of insane that this game places Akechi as the narrative foil for the Thieves in their message and then makes it so easy to disregard because "he's an assassin so how could he know anything about justice". The Thieves don't either, and Ann was nearly a murderer. If the bar is "don't commit murder when you're infiltrating someone's mind" then it's far too low. I wouldn't trust a group of adults with this power to reform society, even less a group of teenage vigilantes. I'm 19, and I find this odd. And Strikers frames them as even more righteous, and it bugs me even more in that game. At least Royal has the third semester to give a bit more nuance to how big of a responsibility Ren was given, but that's also very frequently misinterpreted.

I love this game, and I love this fandom, and I have thoughts that get weird and ranty. I apologize, but I hope you all found this as interesting as I did.

[absolutedestinyapocalypsse]

Okay I think we need to get on the same page. By "perfect lyctorhood" I did NOT mean a version of lyctorhood that I, the reader, think is perfect in that it's ethical and good and everyone is happy and gonna ride off into the sunset. I meant a version of lyctorhood where both the necromancer and cavalier are intact, in seperate bodies, and alive.

FOR THE RECORD, I was pointing out similarities between characters who have come close/achieved it with Harrow and Gideon, and pointing out a pattern of John saying something is impossible, only for Harrow to do it with Gideon anyway. I just think when its established that everyone in history is trying to do X thing and many have come close but none have succeeded, the natural conclusion is that someone's gonna figure it out before the series is over.

HOWEVER!!! I don't think this is necessarily going to be a happy ending. For one, the series tells us at every moment possible that Immortality SUCKS. For all of HTN we are brain blasted with the worst most foul found family known to man because they are simply too old and unkillable to be normal to each other. We watch a man who was once so hellbent on not leaving any humans behind that he became an enemy of the state become a shell of himself, at best neutral to the billions of senseless deaths he causes and, at worst, happy about it.

In contrast, the most content, loving, and fulfilled character in the series is alive for all of six months. Nona knows she's gonna die, and she loves anyway! It's this beautiful interrogation of eternal life as a religious reward for good behavior. Yeah, maybe sounds good on paper, but what would you do that would make you happy for forever? Especially if your religion taught you to sacrifice your own self worth or ignore the personhood of others in order to achieve eternity. How are you gonna spend your time? Doing the same shit you did just to get there, probably. And chances are, it'll make you miserable.

We KNOW normal lyctorhood sucks in that it's necessarily exploitative. Culture in the nine houses has justified and draped pretty lace around what is essentially raising people to be so subservient that they let themselves become human batteries. Because of how ghoulish this is, it's easy to assume that perfect lyctorhood would be a good, ethical alternative. But just because both people are alive doesn't mean there can't still be abuse and exploitation! In fact, in the ONLY example of someone actually becoming a perfect lyctor, John does it to Alecto against her will! And THEN because he can't kill her, he imprisons her in the tomb. Doesn't sound like a very fun religious tier reward to me but idk!!!

So basically, there is no ethical lyctorhood under capitalism. In the best case scenario where the necromancer doesn't subjugate the cavalier, they're still alive FOREVER, every year getting farther and farther away from what made them human. Maybe they end up like Augustine and Mercymorn, with all their conflicts over the years congealing into a weird toxic occasional hate sex misogyny-fuelled situationship. Maybe they never speak again and have to spend the rest of forever completely alone.

Point is, as much of a relief as it would be to see Gideon and Harrow in the same room again, I don't think perfect lyctorhood is a happy ending for anyone. I have no doubt in my mind that they're gonna do it, but i have a LOT of doubts about what fresh hell it's gonna wreak when they do.

if the locked tomb doesnt end with gideon and harrow both alive and whole having achieved perfect lyctorhood i will eat my own hat.

alecto and john are the only perfect lyctors right? alecto, who is made of several million dead people, and john who is god. youre telling me that harrow "made of 300 dead babies" nonagesimus and gideon, whose dad is god, aren't gonna do it? youre telling me harrow's biological ancestor is the only saint to never become a lyctor because she came so close to figuring it out that her cavalier was killed to prevent it. you're talking about harrow, who opened the tomb at ten with nothing but sheer determination and accidentally getting a little bit of god blood under her nails and gideon, who we keep being told cannot and will not die, won't end up alive? is that what you're saying? bc john says two things are impossible; opening the tomb and perfect lyctorhood. but those are only two things and Harrow already did one of em. does she seem like a quitter to you?

[for-a-longlongtime]

Pedro’s latest IG post about Cecilia Gentili: “They know that it is really powerful to be ourselves.” ✊ 🏳‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

(OLD picture of Pedro at the 2019 Outfest LA LGBTQ+ Film festival)

“Do not allow anyone to tell you that this is not a big deal, or that this is just a culture war, or that trans people are overstating the seriousness of what is going on. While we feel the fear and anger I also want you to know that trans people have always been here and will always be here. Many of us are still alive who have lived through very difficult times.

I was a trans child in Argentina in the 70s and I have been a trans person for nearly 50 years. Knowing your identity, who you are and where you come from is powerful. It's a very, very powerful thing. There is a reason why so many of these laws are targeting education. They know it's really powerful to be ourselves. That is why they are trying to keep teachers from telling children about gender identity, or sexualities that are not straight or cis. That is why they're trying to prevent teachers from sharing Black History Month and the reality of American history that is very fucking complicated. I think one of the most important things we can do for young people is to share those stories.

Once we know who we are, we cannot be stopped.

I believe firmly that while we might be living through some challenging times, progress is inevitable. The people who are opposed to our existence will do everything they can to make our lives as difficult as possible. They can do nothing to erase us or to make us disappear. As long as we are rooted in ourselves, in our identities, in our histories, and in our communities, there is nothing they can do to stop us.

I hope that you all take this fear, this frustration, this anger that you are feeling in this moment and that it inspires you to do even more for our community. Rather than give in to the people who wish for us to just disappear, we must meet this moment by caring for one another and strengthening our communities.

As I said, it is so deeply exciting to see so many young queer and trans folks graduating. And it makes me hopeful that all that you will do to take care of each other and our community will flourish in an amazing future for all of us.”

⬆️ I’ve transcribed the video that Pedro shared to his Instagram of activist Cecilia Gentili speaking at last year’s CUNY LGBTQI+ Student Conference - just in case it’s easier for people to read the full text instead of watching the video. Picture included of Pedro is an old one of him at the 2019 Outfest (LA LGBTQ+ Film Festival) because it seemed a good fit for the theme. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Original video below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pedro Pascal he/him (@pascalispunk)

[genderqueerdykes]

This “do transmascs experience misogyny” discourse makes my blood fucking boil bcuz these ppl are not ready to hear the truth:

That CIS MEN also experience misogyny. What the hell do they think homophobia is? What do they think the strict policing of masculine identity and expression is? What do they think “you look/dress/act/throw like a girl” is?

Everyone experiences misogyny on some level. And yes of course women are systemically oppressed in a way cis men are not but that doesn’t change that everyone experiences misogyny in some way shape or form. And the fact that ppl think that we start transitioning and automatically stop experiencing misogyny or automatically start benefiting from male privilege is completely uninformed and asinine.

We experience misogyny in a different way than cis women or trans women do but we still experience it. And we still are systemically oppressed both because of our ASAB and because of being trans and/or queer. Cis ppl don’t automatically stop seeing and treating us like women because we say we aren’t one. And even when we pass any privilege is conditional on keeping a part of our identity totally hidden and erased and that is not a benefit.

I just am so tired of the oppression olympics. We’re all oppressed differently, not to different degrees. And the fact that the queer community treats us like men- like cis men, like dangerous predators, like we’re automatically sex offenders- only makes things worse. I’m a man, but I am not a man the same way a cis man is a man. I’m not treated like a cis man in the wider world. And no man is automatically a danger to anyone, and treating us like we are is why men’s mental health is at an ATL.

We need to judge ppl on a case by case basis as is anyone’s human right. Not just judge an entire group of people as dangerous predators based on their gender or sex.

it is confusing to me that people don't seem to understand that misogyny can and does affect everyone. it's not just aimed towards women, it is also weaponized against people of other genders. oppression effects more than just the initially intended target, it grows to encompass as many people as it can.

thanks for taking the time to share, i appreciate you.

[nugatorysheep]

What your favorite SU character says about you but it's just mean as fuck

Steven — How is being a mentally ill, people-pleasing queer going for you? Did your mommy issues and anxiety resolve themselves yet or are you still avoiding therapy?

You either disliked or were neutral about him until he got a neck. You think Future is peak cinema (correct) and can't understand why everyone else hates it. You have a better grasp on this show's characters and themes than most of the people who watched it.

Connie — You were likely the gifted kid in school but a total burn-out now. You either see a lot of yourself in this character (How are those helicopter parents of yours doing? Have you gone no-contact yet?) or you're a normie and boring to sandbox with. Probably both.

You've got a lot of Feelings™️about her and if people don't agree it causes Problems™️. In case no one has told you yet, stop caring what other people think. Your constant virtue signaling to appeal to other normies is a crutch that's just holding you back. It's okay to have fun!!

Stevonnie — You want to fuck this character, though you'd never say that out loud. You like Steven and Connie; maybe you like one more than the other, but you like both at least a little. If you're using them for shipping you're the only person in the entire fandom doing whatever hyper-specific ship you've latched onto.

Rose and or Pink — You really suck as a person! Or you used to suck but you've gotten a lot better and we stan! If you're the former you almost certainly have terrible takes on this show (but not in the way people might think), sorry, I don’t make the rules. Either way, you gotta stop finding ways to bring her back, dawg. She's gone.

Greg — You're a man (positive) and gay as hell. Gentleman on the streets and a fucking freak in the sheets. We stan. Pop off king <3

Garnet — If you headcanon her as acespec she is not actually your favorite, Ruby and Sapphire are your favorite, but you like them both equally so you just say you like Garnet. If you headcanon her as anything else you're definitely shipping her with one of the other gems, probably Pearl or Jasper.

Amethyst — Super chill person. Would be in most people's dream blunt rotation. You're a live and let live kinda guy and I respect that, but you also have no hills you'd die on so you're not the first person anyone goes to if they need serious support. You can get away with misinterpreting this character (on purpose or accidentally) because it's hard to say things about her that most people won't just shrug at and go "yeah that sounds right I guess"

Pearl — You're annoying as hell. You see yourself in this character and that's not a good thing. Your social media presence gives off the same energy as every white woman's Instagram profile. If being a victim was a contest you'd take home the gold.

You think everyone is out to get you. They're not.

You think you're being persecuted. You're not.

Most people who see you from a distance and don't know better think you're alright, so you're probably pretty well-liked in public. The only people you will get along with in close quarters are all walking mean lesbian stereotypes.

Peridot — You're annoying as hell for a different reason. You see yourself in this character too and that is a terrible, terrible thing.

She's your pfp on every website and app that will allow it. Your lifeblood is this fucking character and e v e r y o n e will know it. You're weirdly possessive of her and the hyper specific headcanons you made for her (even if you don't say that) despite every grass-fearing autistic person on the internet projecting onto her, so ironically you don't like other Peridot fans, which always ends up with you sitting alone even on websites with millions of people on them.

90% chance you're a furry, otherkin, therian or think you have DID. You think you're misunderstood, and in some ways you are, but the reality is most people don't speak dog and don't have the time or energy to learn. You need to go outside and learn to speak cat whether you want to or not

Lapis — You don't like Peridot fans or kinnies, which is weirdly in-character. You're the biggest hater but you don't hide it and I can respect that. You think Lapis is a victim, but you're only half right. You would probably fall for propaganda if it was dressed up fancy enough.

Jasper — You want to fuck this character, full stop. There's a 50/50 chance you're chill af or the most insufferable person on the planet. If you're the former you're friends with a lot of people. You float easily from one group to another, but a jack of all trades is a master of none, and you're no one's first pick if they're looking for someone close. You probably hate Lapis and her fans but you should really just let that shit go ngl

Spinel — You need therapy (derogatory) and you're making that everyone else's problem. Despite the clown aesthetic you're not very funny to be around and you should get a better sense of humor. You project onto this character way too hard and it shows in your fandom habits and headcanons, but most of the time that's fine

Like Spinel, you're a little two-faced. Some people pick up on that right away and some don't. The people who do hold you at arms length until you make it clear which clown you'd rather be. You hate it when people ship Spinel with any character besides your favorite pairing, but you'll never say that out loud unless it's a ship the people you're talking to don't like.

Blue Diamond — You're a man (derogatory) or a minor who doesn't actually understand anything about this character yet, and would immediately fall for any and all forms of propaganda

Yellow Diamond — If you think she is wearing a helmet you're a man (derogatory) and you expected things out of SU that were never gonna happen. If you think it's just hair you have a much better grasp on this character than 90% percent of SU's fandom and I'm platonically kissing you on the mouth.

White Diamond — You're a man (derogatory) or an incredibly based and sexy queer.

The Zircons — You like Ace Attorney, or would like it if you haven't played it yet. You're making them kiss sloppy style. UwU

Lars — You probably didn't like him until after he died. You will defend this boy with your fucking life. Also you should just…. go watch Star Trek if you haven't. Seriously what are you doing—

Sadie — You're an oddball. Very lax though. You have complicated feelings about Shep

Peedee — You're a little quirky, a little freaky, but you're too scared to just say that. You desperately need some fun in your life, but the people around you make that difficult. Eventually you'll find the folks that are worth hanging around. See you on the flip side :)

Ronaldo — You're the type of person this character is based on and you take it in stride. If you're shipping him with Lars, you're the only person who's opinion on this character matters.

Kevin — I dunno who hurt you but you have a terrible taste in men. You only have fun in bed if it involves a damn near human rights violation

Mayor Dewey — You're normalbirb

Any other townie — This is a trick question! No one has these as their favorite lmao

[incorrect-green-lantern-quotes]

Wally being jealous of Kyle, not realizing that he was the one that walked so all legacy heroes who came after him could run 😔

Actually tho, wasn’t Wally West the first superhero in-universe to take on the mantle of a deceased predecessor? The only other contender for that title I can think of is maybe Ted Kord, but he never bonded with the Blue Beetle scarab like Dan Garrett and used his own gadgets instead, so there was more of a disconnect than there was with Barry and Wally as Flashes

And yeah, legacy heroes were a thing before- hell, Barry Allen himself was one to Jay Garrick. But in most cases I can recall the successor either wasn’t trained by their predecessor (most Silver Age heroes with their Golden Age counterparts) or were significantly different from their mentors (Nightwing, Blue Beetle II).

Wally was historic in that he was the first protege of a hero to take up their mentor’s name and explicitly try to live up to his image and legacy. And considering how Barry went out, those were extremely large boots that the former Kid Flash was trying to fill. He deserved more support from the rest of the hero community than he got, but it’s also understandable why they did doubt him.

On the flip side, the bar was way lower for Kyle as the inheritor of a legacy. Not just because Hal went off the deep end, but because of Guy and John. They, as well as the rest of the Corps, were a testament to the idea that anyone could be a Green Lantern. So it makes sense that other heroes were more receptive to a new ringbearer.

GLs are a dime a dozen while Flashes are much harder to replace

But yeah Hal turning evil and still acknowledging Kyle as his true successor must’ve really made it difficult for Wally when he never got that same acknowledgement from Barry before he died

Kind of thinking about how Wally resented Kyle taking over Hal's place and seeing it from the pov that Hal and other heroes doubted Wally's ability to fill Barry's shoes as did Wally himself. But here comes this brand new kid who didn't even grow up a superhero like Wally did and everyone suddenly trusts him to fill his Uncle Hal's shoes. And that was so evidently Wally and Ollie's problem someone else was wearing the ring and Hal wasn't there. But for Wally that level of reassurance he needed was given to Kyle in the form of acceptance everyone nodded and said okay cool new GL when they didn't do that for Wally as the Flash. And to dig the knife deeper Wally begged Hal said it's me your nephew listen to me and Hal tossed him aside. But Kyle who didn't know Hal at all managed to get through to him and talk him down. So I think Kyle was just a list of bad reminders for Wally and Ollie and they couldn't handle seeing him around. To add even more insult to injury Hal adored Kyle and clearly was never going to share a sentiment of bitterness about his replacement

[artzval]

Tales of Featherbug and

Catastrophe

— Stolitz Miraculous Ladybug AU —

•|| Link Art and comics ||• ~ •|| link One shots ||•

Welcome to my AU!

Brace yourself, this AU is basically the perfect lovechild of Miraculous and Helluva Boss but with extra chaos, extra gay panic, and extra Blitzø being a little shit.

Of course, misunderstandings and secrets are going to make y'all mad from exasperation, but stay with me, it's going to be worth it I promise!

First things first: it wouldn't be a miraculous au without a good old and nervewracking—

Love Square™:

Blitzø (Civilian) → Stolas (Civilian): Blitzø sees Stolas as this insufferable, spoiled rich kid with too much money and not enough spine. He assumes Stolas awkward stammering is just snobbish arrogance (spoiler: it's not, he's just really bad at dealing with his massive crush)

Blitzø (Civilian) → Featherbug (Hero Stolas): Blitzø is OBSESSED with Featherbug. He thinks Featherbug is the epitome of grace, charm, and pure perfection. The fact that he's secretly Stolas? Yeah, Blitzø has no idea. He would have a heart attack.

Stolas (Civilian) → Blitzø (Civilian): Poor Stolas is head over heels for Blitzø. He's charmed by and envies his fiery personality and the way he seems to defy the world. But he can't figure out why Blitzø always gives him the cold shoulder. (Stolas, sweetie, the can incident didn't help.)

Stolas (Civilian) → Catastrophe (Hero Blitzø): Stolas finds Blitzø's hero form exciting and reckless, but it's bittersweet because no one could ever compare to his Blitzy. He's happy to have him as his Best Friend and partner tho, he never had a friend before! (Also, Blitzø as a hero is 100% a flirty mess, and Stolas cannot compute, he's getting tired of rejecting him)

The rest of the Chaos:

Aka all the lore I came up with for this AU.

There are probably going to be some changes, but at the moment this feels like a good enough base.

1) Marinette was the One that left the Miraculous in Stolas and Blitzø’s world through a multiversal portal. In her universe, the fearsome The Supreme was nearly defeated but managed to escape, too weakened to be an immediate threat. Fearing he might still be working in the shadows, Marinette temporarily hid the Miraculous in a faraway place, out of reach from anyone who could use them for evil. She instructed Tikki and Plagg to reveal themselves in case of necessity.

2) The Supreme followed the Miraculous into the new universe. Although he is too weak to wield them himself, he managed to slip into the shadows and manipulate Barbie, preying on her pain and her longing to have her mother back. This makes him a silent but constant threat, waiting for the right moment to seize the most important miraculous and make a wish himself.

3) Barbie is the one misusing the miraculous of the butterfly, akumatizing people to bring her mom back. She’s just as desperate and unhinged as Gabriel, but with chaotic edgy teen vibes. (Not so different from org Gabi)

But how did she acquire such a powerful artifact??

THE SUPREME. The supreme found her at her worst, after running away from home and pried on her grief and incapability of forgiving her twin.

4) Blitzø works with his family in the circus section of the city zoo, they try to scrape by day by day. They're new in town, a year and half after the accidental fire that killed his mom and disabled him.

Blitzø had bad days where he needs to use a cane to walk ( like Adrien in the first script). Considering he's now not capable of amazing tricks, he's forced to sell nuts and cotton candy all night.

5) Andrehalphus as Chloé: Andrehalphus is here to bring ALL the petty, privileged AND RACIST drama. And speaking of drama, must be fun being homophobic and having a crush on Stolas. Good luck 🤨

Stella is also Chloé.

6) Millie and Moxxie as Alya and Nino. Also I.M.P is a band.

7) Loona is an illegitimate daughter of Blitzø's father. Her mother just passed away and CPS left her at their "doorstep". Blitzø will start taking care of her as if she were his own daughter, Cash Buckzo is incapable of taking care of anyone outside himself.

8) The Gum Incident™ from the Origin episode is now called "The Can incident"™ : Canonically happens, canonically NEVER explained. Blitzø is salty about it forever.

Honestly?

Who wouldn't be ? Imagine get to class after a piss and the rich kid had messed up your can making you fall in front of the whole class.

#Tales of Featherbug and Catastrophe AU

[gf2bellamy]

Hello!

Can you do a spencer x reader where there was a hard case and in the way back on the jet spencer takes care of reader? maybe they fall asleep together in the couch. Derek and Prentiss gossiping about them. Hotchner happy for them.

Thanks love 🩵

doubt — spencer reid

pairing: spencer reid x reader ( no use of y/n ) content warnings: mention of victims, feelings of guilt, a/n: thank you for your request !! <3 hope you like this also derek and emily r so me i'd gossip too

The jet hummed as it cut through the night sky, a constant, rhythmic drone filling the quiet cabin. It was a sound you had grown used to, one that usually wrapped around you like a cocoon of familiarity after long, grueling cases. But tonight, it didn't help. 

Your mind was elsewhere.The faces of the victims haunted you, their unfinished stories clawing at you. You had done everything you could. You knew that. But the ghosts of "what if" still lingered. 

You stood near the small coffee machine, fingers loosely curled around a cooling mug. You hadn't taken a sip. You weren’t sure how long you’d been standing there, staring blankly at the darkness outside the window, your mind replaying every decision, every clue, every missed sign. Searching for something—anything—you could have done differently. 

"Hi." 

The quiet voice pulled you from the fog of your thoughts, and you turned slightly, blinking as Spencer stood beside you. He wasn’t looking at you, not directly, but instead at the untouched coffee in your hands. His own fingers fidgeted at his sides—an unconscious habit of his, one you’d come to recognize over time. 

"You haven’t had a sip." His voice was soft, careful.

You exhaled a small, humorless breath. "Didn’t really feel like it." 

Spencer nodded, his eyes flicking up to meet yours for just a moment before settling on the floor. "It was a hard case." 

You swallowed against the lump forming in your throat and nodded. "They’re all hard." 

"Yeah," he agreed, his voice quieter now. "But some of them stay with you longer than others." 

A heavy silence stretched between you, thick with unspoken thoughts. You knew Spencer understood.

Maybe better than anyone.

"I keep thinking about what we missed," you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. "If we had just caught something sooner, maybe they—" 

"You can’t do that to yourself," Spencer interrupted gently. "We did everything we could. You did everything you could." 

You wanted to believe that. Needed to. But the doubt still clung to you, stubborn and unrelenting. 

Spencer hesitated for a second before shifting closer, his fingers brushing lightly against yours where they gripped the mug. It was the smallest touch, barely there, but enough to comfort you for a second. Enough to remind you that you weren’t alone in this. 

"Come sit with me?" he asked, his voice almost hesitant.

For a moment, you considered saying no, retreating back into the safety of your solitude. But the exhaustion in Spencer’s eyes mirrored your own, and you realized—maybe you weren’t the only one who needed this. 

You sat down next to each other on the couch, your body sinking into the plush seat with a quiet sigh. Spencer sat beside you, close enough that you could feel his warmth, but not quite touching.

Your arm rested along the back of the couch, fingers absentmindedly tracing the fabric as you stared ahead. Spencer remained silent for a moment, as if carefully considering his words. 

"You know," he started, his voice barely above a murmur, "statistically, most law enforcement professionals experience some level of post-case guilt, even when they’ve done everything right. It’s—" he hesitated, then continued more softly, "it’s normal to feel like this." 

You huffed a quiet breath. "That doesn’t make it any easier." 

"No," he admitted. "It doesn’t." 

There was another pause, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

"But…" Spencer shifted slightly, his knee brushing against yours. "It helps to remember that what we do matters. Even when it doesn’t feel like enough. Even when it hurts." He glanced at you then, his brown eyes searching yours. "Because if we weren’t there—if you weren’t there—it would be worse. And that has to mean something." 

Something in your chest tightened at his words. Spencer wasn’t one for empty reassurances. He never said things just to say them. So you knew, without a doubt, that he meant every word. 

You let out a slow breath, your body finally allowing itself to release some of the tension you’d been holding. Without thinking too much about it, you shifted closer, resting your head against his shoulder. 

For a moment, he tensed, just slightly, like he wasn’t expecting it. But then, just as quickly, he relaxed. You felt him tilt his head, the warmth of his cheek resting lightly against your hair. 

Neither of you spoke. There was nothing more that needed to be said. 

The hum of the jet and the rhythm of his breathing all of it lulled you into a drowsy calm. And as your eyelids fluttered closed, the last thing you felt was Spencer’s fingers ghosting over your arm in the lightest touch.

Across the cabin, Derek and Emily sat across from each other, a deck of playing cards scattered between them on the table. The game had lost its appeal somewhere around the third round, both of them too drained from the case to focus, but neither ready to sleep just yet. 

It was Emily who noticed first. She had been mid-sip of her coffee when her gaze drifted toward the couch, and her eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise. Nudging Derek’s foot under the table, she tilted her head in their direction. 

Derek followed her gaze, and a slow grin spread across his face. 

"Well, well," he murmured, leaning back in his seat. "Would you look at that?" 

Emily smirked, setting her mug down. "About time, don’t you think?" 

Spencer and you were curled together on the small jet couch, your head tucked against his shoulder, his resting gently against yours. His arm had shifted somewhere during the flight, now draped lightly along the back of the seat, fingers barely brushing against your shoulder in sleep.

And for the first time all night, you both looked… peaceful. 

Derek shook his head, amusement flickering in his eyes. "I knew Pretty Boy had it in him. Took him long enough, though." 

Emily chuckled, crossing her arms. "We should let them sleep. I think they both needed it." 

"Yeah, yeah," Derek said, waving a hand. But the teasing glint in his eye remained. "Doesn’t mean I won’t bring this up later." 

Just then, a shadow shifted in the doorway. 

Aaron Hotchner stood near the back of the cabin, watching the two of you with something almost unnoticeable softening his usually serious expression. 

Emily and Derek exchanged a glance before Derek leaned forward, keeping his voice low. "So, what do you think, Hotch? Should we start taking bets?" 

Hotch exhaled a quiet breath, shaking his head. His gaze flickered back toward you and Spencer, and for a moment, something warm crossed his expression. A quiet kind of approval. 

Without another word, Hotch turned, making his way toward his seat. 

Emily smirked, leaning toward Derek. "That’s a yes on the betting pool, by the way." 

Derek let out a low chuckle, shaking his head as they settled back into their seats.

And on the couch, nestled against Spencer, you slept on—blissfully unaware of the knowing smiles around you. 

[vxtanne31]

As the Night Crawls

Takes place during the seven years of Silco’s control of the Undercity.

Wrote this because I wanted to see more of Sevika with someone who matched her energy.

First time writing so be nice please : One shot Sevika/Reader

Sevika/you (OC nickname is Cannon)

(Muscle mommy/ Dom fem energy reader)

Warnings: 18+, Oral (r!receiving,Sev receiving), fingering, tribbing, (switches) F/F men and minors DNI

*two years prior*

Zaun, what a shit show, but a shit show which was your home. With most of your family dead or hooked on the latest drug, you weren’t about to sink in that hole with them. A bag slung over your shoulder, you entered the noisy halls of a club you knew Silco owned.

You had an appointment with him. He saw you take down a man twice your size outside the Last Drop and gave you his card.

“Tomorrow, 9pm sharp.”’

You took it without delay, knowing that to work for him might be a dangerous game, but it would pay well.

And now you were here, this place used to be a more cozy bar until Silco started running these streets. Shimmer, the purple powerful drug found everywhere, was his biggest source of income.

You walked into the loud club and headed up the stairs Silco directed you to do yesterday. He was looking for some extra muscle and you weren’t gonna leave without that job.

You walked up, knocking at the door.

“Come in,” you heard a voice say.

You opened it and looked around Silco’s office, neatly done but not ornate.

He swiveled in his chair to face you, “right on time. Good.”

You stepped in, shutting the door behind you. You said nothing, knowing your smart mouth could get you into trouble. Best to let Silco do the talking. Men like him preferred it anyway.

“I saw your work yesterday. You seem to know your way around a fight. Could use someone like you. Have any other skills I would find…useful?” Silco gave you a once over before looking back at the papers on his desk.

You set your bag on the floor. “I am a pretty good negotiator. Used to bargain some good deals for my father who was a mechanic. I am pretty handy as well.”

Silco thrummed his long fingers against his wooden desk. “How old are you girl?”

You wanted to quip back at him for calling you ‘girl’, but decided against it. “Twenty-Nine Sir.”

“You work well with others?” Silco picked up a piece of paper on his desk and looked over it.

“Depends who the ‘others’ are I suppose. I usually get along with almost anyone. Not here to make any waves. Just do my job.” You folded your hands behind your back, hoping you didn’t say too much.

“Family? They living?” Silco still didn’t bother to look at you.

“Either dead or disappeared. Just me to rely on, no one else.”

“Where do you live?” Silco’s eyes continued to scan the paper.

“My dad’s old shop. But it’s kind of rundown. One of the men who you were with yesterday told me to pack a bag.”

Silco finally met your eyes. “I own a few apartment buildings. I like those who work with me to live close, in case there are any late night… disturbances that need handling.”

There was another knock on the door. “Enter,” Silco flicked the paper back on the desk.

In walked a woman who you hadn’t seen before. Tall as hell, imposing, with piercing silver eyes and a tightly packed muscled frame that you knew could cause some real damage.

“You wanted to speak with me?” Sevika’s gaze drifted over to you, brow raised in a quizzical nature. She had seen you around before, tough little thing you were. Maybe not so little but at least three to four inches shorter than Sevika.

“Sevika, meet your new partner.” Silco motioned his hand to you.

You could tell by the long drawn out silence that Sevika did not like this news.

“Why do I need a partner? I’m doing fine on my own.” Sevika’s eyes narrowed, taking a swig of whatever bottle was in her hand.

“Because I have money out on the streets and I need more muscle to collect. Show her the ropes, it’s not up for discussion Sevika.”

Sevika’s lip curled as she strode up to you, finally getting a good look. You’re dressed mostly in black, your tight leather pants that showed off your thick thighs, you didn’t have much of an hour glass but had some strong abdominals and well muscled arms.

“Name, doll face?” Sevika licked the top row of her teeth as she bent to look down at you. She smelled of cigar smoke. By the way she stood over you, you could tell she was trying to intimidate.

“Y/N…but my actual nickname is Cannon” you matched her energy, your eyes studying her from head to toe. She wore a red cloak over her left side, a cropped vest that showed off her impressive lower abdomen, and metaltoe boots.

Sevika smirked, slightly impressed that you didn’t waver under her scrutiny. “Doll face suits you better.”

You matched her smirk and took a step closer, getting into Sevika’s personal space. “And what nickname should I give you? Sweet cheeks, pretty eyes, big mama? Take your pick.”

This made Sevika’s lips part in surprise. No one ever had the gall to speak to her so casually.

Before she could respond, Silco cleared his throat. “I expect you two to get along. Sevika, she will be living in the west building a floor below you. Show her to her place.”

Silco threw Sevika a set of keys which she caught easily in the air. “Come with me, don’t fall behind.” Sevika turned on her heals and walked out Silco’s office.

Sevika led you a few narrow streets down and up the stairs to a small apartment on the third floor. You stood behind her as she fumbled with the keys in the door and pushed it open. 345, your apartment number. “This is yours, already furnished.”

You stepped in as Sevika held the door open for you, studying the place. Not too bad, furniture definitely old but manageable. Everything you could need and hopefully with a decent salary you could make some improvements.

While you meandered around your new place, Sevika stewed in her thoughts. How dare Silco suggest she need help. She was doing just fine on her own. Wasn’t she? Hadn’t she given Silco everything? Sleepless nights on missions, broken bones, friends lost, what more could she do?

Sevika was too lost in her darkness to notice you had turned your attention back to her. “Ya know, it’s not my intention to step on any toes. I just need a job, gotta be able to feed myself and all.”

Sevika blinked to jog herself of her own thoughts and your set of keys on the kitchen counter. “Silco better be right about you. Can’t have someone slowing me down out there.” Sevika then moved her exposed hand to the doorknob and looked at the clock on the wall. “It’s late, I’ll be at your door at 8am. Be fucking ready.”

Without letting you get a word in, she slams the door behind her, the walls shaking at the force. “Well you’re gonna be an absolute fucking dream to work with,” You grumble and walked over to the bedroom.

You grumbled at the size of the full bed. First thing you were going to do with a paycheck was buy a queen sized bed and mattress. You hated small beds and liked stretching out. Couldn’t imagine someone as big as Sevika even having this bed.

That woman was going to be a handful to work with.

You threw yourself on the mattress and stared up at the ceiling. You smiled to yourself, thinking about how Sevika would be a hard one to crack. You enjoyed the difficult ones. You wanted to peel back her layers. Living in Zaun made you hard, and molded you into a jaded, tough person. You knew that better than anyone.

“This will be fun”

*two years later*

You leaned back a chair, your relaxed demeanor now common in the Last Drop as you watched Sevika play cards with her regulars. An arm was bent over the back of the chair as the other held the glass of brown liquor you nursed.

“Rotten luck boys,” Sevika smirked and threw down her cards. The smoke curled from her mouth as she took a drag of her cigarillo and exhaled.

Damn that bitch was good at gambling. You smirked at the men’s groans as Sevika gathered the chips on the table.

After years of chipping away at Sevika’s resolve, she seemed to have least grown to respect you. You’ve proved to be a smart, cunning and strong partner, ensuring you have her back when it comes to the hard jobs Silco puts you two in.

You still haven’t figured out what to do with your attraction to her. Call it narcissism but you admire the qualities you two had in common. You valued someone who handled her own, and whose presence brought fear and respect.

Sure, you and her discussed your flavors of the month, conquests of women. Most of them were feminine and pliant, easily submitting to you. There was always something missing for you. You knew deep down Sevika was that missing piece. The worst thought though was to ruin the friendship you had formed.

(Sevika’s POV)

Damn you were hot. The way you confidently leaned back in your chair, your impressively toned arms on display. Your hair was half up like hers, a little longer past your shoulders, short pieces of your curtain bangs falling in your face. You only had taken two sips of the drink she bought you.

You weren’t much of a drinker but you did sometimes steal a puff or two of her cigarillo. Sevika’s stomach would flip when you took it from her mouth to inhale the slightly sweet tasting Tobacco. No one in their right mind would ever dare to do such a thing, but you, you constantly pushed your boundaries with her, tested her.

Sevika felt a magnetic pull, she could spot you in a crowd, knew where you were at all times. It had taken years for you to chip away at her walls, to peel back her layers and earn her trust. She wasn’t one to divulge her secrets, or share her thoughts, but you forced her to talk. You knew every slight shift in her demeanor. She sometimes hated that you knew her so well, but it was oddly comforting.

You were a loyal friend to her, keeping a watchful eye around the room while Sevika played cards. You could have been flirting with the woman who was eyeing you from her place at the bar, but there you were, sitting next to her.

“You ever think about playing?” Sevika shuffled the cards before her, mechanical hand quite dexterous as she sent some of them flying to each player.

Your emerald eyes shifted from your glass to meet her’s, the devilish smirk plastered on your pretty lips. “Nah I like watching you win though, you’re usually so generous with me when it comes to drinks.”

“Don’t think you’ve paid for a drink in almost two years.” Sevika scoffed as she took her cigarette case out of her pocket to put another one in her metal mouthpiece.

Before she could find her lighter, you picked it up and flicked it open, leaning forward with your forearm resting on the table. “I’m just here to give you a light.”

Sevika leaned forward and inhaled, the end of the cigarillo catching light. “I can do it myself smart ass. Besides I see a pretty patron over there eyeing you.” Sevika motioned her head over to the bar.

You lazily rolled your head to where Sevika’s attention was. Sevika didn’t necessarily like you turning your attention to other women, but knew it was only ever just sex with them. You had mentioned time and time again how the job prevented you from making real connections. It would be too dangerous for your partner to have you as a girlfriend. You didn’t want the weakness.

If only you knew that you were Sevika’s weakness.

(Your POV)

You looked over to the pretty little thing in the tight purple dress. “Oh Veronica? She’s always a good time.”

She was up for anything, downright in love with the way your tongue moved across the soft flesh of her core. Most of the women you went after had enjoyed your skill, the way you could make their limbs turn to jello. You were a giving lover and they always came back for more.

Sevika’s pale grey eyes studied you. You never knew what she was thinking when she looked at you like that. Was it judgement? Jealousy? Was she jealous of you for having Veronica or was she jealous of Veronica for having you? You were not sure. You dared not hope for the latter. You wouldn’t speak of your attraction until she spoke first, lest you ruin your friendship.

“How long are you gonna string her along Cannon?” Sevika took a drag of her cigarillo and handed it to you.

You shrugged and took the cigarillo from Sevika, inhaling, letting the smoke exhale from your nose. “She knows I’m not looking for anything serious. She just wants a bit of fun, like me.”

“Yeah well, never works out well for you. They always get attached. Then I have to hear them whaling and throwing shit around when you tell them to leave.” Sevika watched the smoke billow from your mouth. Your apartment was directly under her’s and the walls were thin.

You chuckled, “yeah guess they can’t resist falling for me when I put my tongue to good use,” you hand the cigarillo back, resting both elbows on the table.

Sevika rolled her eyes and shook her head, “I’m sure you tell them what they want to hear.”

You pursed your lips, and nodded. “I guess I’m not entirely…innocent.”

Sevika was silent for a moment, studying your pretty face. She threw her cards on the table and yawned. “Alright I’m bored, everyone fuck off.”

You knew by ‘everyone,’ she didn’t mean you. Her men grumbled and collected whatever money Sevika didn’t take from them.

When everyone had vacated you and Sevika sat in silence. You knew she wanted to talk about something she didn’t want her men to hear. You waited for Sevika to speak first.

(Sevika pov)

Sevika’s heart thundered in her chest, making her feel like she was about to vomit. She wanted to tell you how she felt. She promised herself she’d do it tonight, before she had to watch you take another woman to your bed.

But how could she? You were the only one who ever stood toe to toe with her, who challenged her and wasn’t afraid. Sevika was also not accustomed to these feelings. You had broken down the emotional walls she spent her whole life building.

It was a good five minutes of just sitting there in silence. You preoccupied yourself with looking around the bar for a while until the silence got weird.

“You gonna say what you need to say or is this awkward silence just foreplay?” You quipped.

Your voice startled Sevika, the sarcastic tone irritating her already frazzled nerves. It was more than enough of a reason for her to swallow her feelings back down.

“You’re an annoying pain in the ass, you know that? I’m going home.” Sevika stood up hastily, the chair almost falling to the floor from the force.

You scoffed at her abrasiveness and folded your arms, leaning back. “What did I do?!”

Sevika opened her cigarette case and threw a cigarillo on your lap. “Since I know you’d ask me. Maybe one day you can buy some of your own. See you tomorrow.” With that Sevika stormed off, shoving those who didn’t get out of her way.

Sevika stewed as she made her way home. Why couldn’t you just shut up for once and let her talk? Why couldn’t you just read her mind? Why did she have to spell it out for you?

Sevika knew she wasn’t being fair but she wouldn’t apologize for what she said. You pissed her off with your cavalier attitude when she was trying to be serious.

(Your pov)

“What the fuck was that…” you seethed in your chair. Why did Sevika have to be such a fucking bitch?

One second she was your closest friend and the next she was cruel and spiteful. But what was she going to say to you?

You took the cigarillo from your lap and lit it, realizing Sevika had forgotten her lighter. You took a second to calm down and think about what had just occurred. As you were deep in thought, Veronica sauntered over and leaned over the table, her ample breasts on display in her dress.

“Haven’t heard from you in a while Cannon.” She cooed, sliding a fruity drink towards you.

You clench your jaw in annoyance at the interruption, then realization hit you. Sevika was trying to tell you something, probably serious or personal and you interrupted her. You made a stupid joke when she was trying to be real with you.

“Fuck,” you said out loud and got up, taking an inhale of the cigarillo before snuffing it out. “Gotta go,” you didn’t bother to look up at Veronica as you made your way out the door.

You knew that trying to talk to Sevika right now would be a poor choice. It was best to let her calm down.

You walked over to a little market and purchased a big box of cigarillos, enough to last at least a month and more fuel for the lighter.

You filled Sevika’s lighter and then asked the man at the counter for a pen and paper.

A few minutes later you walked up to Sevika’s door and placed the things on front of it. You pounded on the door three times and left back to your place.

The note read “sorry for being a dick-Cannon”

The next day Sevika didn’t acknowledge the things you left at her door, she doesn’t mention what happened, she only continues acting cold.

…………………….

Two weeks had gone by and Sevika acted like you were just her coworker. She didn’t even bother gambling after work as soon as she was done for the day. It was hurtful, you missed your friend, you didn’t know what you did wrong.

You both stood in Silco’s office, waiting for him to give the task for the day.

“I’m sending you both to the far side of Zaun to negotiate this deal for me. Get there tonight and check into the hotel. You’ll meet with the men tomorrow. I need this to go well. We need these supplies to be at a reasonable cost. Cannon, do what I pay you for, Sevika I need you to back her up.”

Sevika glanced over to you briefly and nodded, showing herself out. You followed her, walking quickly to catch up.

“Sev can you talk to me? I don’t get why you’re actin’ like this.”

Sevika’s jaw shifted in annoyance. “Don’t know what you’re talkin about. Go grab a bag and meet me at the front of the bar.

You narrowed your eyes, and without a second thought of the repercussions, grabbed Sevika’s shoulder. Sevika stopped walking immediately, almost frozen. Her sudden stillness would have had anyone preparing for a blow to their extremities. You knew Sevika wouldn’t hit you.

You decided to drop your cocky attitude for a second and let her know how much her coldness was effecting you.

“Sev, you’ve been my friend for years now. Just tell me how to fix it.” Your voice was filled with the sincere pleading and sorrow you wanted to convey.

Sevika didn’t turn around but looked at where your hand touched her. “It’s not you, I just gotta figure some shit out. Just drop it.”

You let Sevika walk out of your grasp and watch her disappear into the crowded streets of Zaun.

(Sevika’s pov)

Sevika cursed herself as she walked away from you, refusing to look back at your crushed expression.

She was trying to distance herself from you to avoid her feelings. If she ignored you enough, perhaps she could trick herself into thinking she no longer wanted you.

It was getting harder and harder for her to do so. She missed you, missed your laugh, missed your friendship. She was alone again, alone with her sadness, alone with her anger and frustration. But what was the alternative? To watch you eventually connect with another woman and fall in love? For you to give someone else the affection she so desperately craved? Maybe at some point she could return as your friend. She had to rid herself of the feelings first.

(Hours later. Your POV)

You and Sevika checked into the hotel room Silco’s assistant booked for you. Not a separate room but a room with two full beds which you managed with a little smooth talking to upgraded to two queens. No way in hell were you sleeping on a tiny little bed.

You knew Sevika wanted to argue about sharing a room. You didn’t give her time to argue, nor were you going to let her avoid your presence like that. It was childish and frankly, you didn’t deserve the silent treatment shit she was putting you through. All the years you have been working with Sevika, you knew that you were the more emotionally mature one. Maybe you were more reckless, sure, but you knew how to express how you were feeling without resorting to ignoring people.

When you got to the room, you were surprised that it wasn’t a complete shithole. It was near a port outside the seediest part of the under city, almost towards topside.

You threw your bag on the bed closest to the door, letting Sevika take the window bed. You felt gross from the travel, sticky from the sweat of the summer heat. You took off your half cloak, similar to Sevika’s, and hung it up on the closet.

Sevika threw herself on her own bed, the mattress squeaking in protest at the sudden weight. She let one leg hang off the bed as she lit a cigarillo.

“Wanna go and grab a drink?” You suggested, trying to break the awkward silence.

“I’m good here,” Sevika quipped, not even looking at you.

‘Fine be a child.’ You thought to yourself. You started removing the buckles of your vest, revealing a cropped tank underneath. “I’m gonna take a shower.”

You threw the tank over your head and walked onto the bathroom, your naked back to Sevika. You shut the door and turned the water on, the nice shower steaming up the room.

(Sevika POV)

Sevika felt as though she might crack a molar with how hard she clench her jaw. Fuck, how did ignoring you only make her want you more? This was not her. She was Silco’s right hand, the most feared woman in Zaun. Cocky, arrogant, sure of herself, not some simpering woman who fell apart from the mere sight of your naked back.

Sevika took a long drag of her cigarillo, the smoke on an empty stomach churning her insides. She snuffed it out on the ashtray and sat up on the edge of the bed, gripping the mattress with her flesh hand till her knuckles turned white.

She was losing her cool, she wanted the upper hand. She imagined herself undressing, opening the bathroom door and pinning you against the shower wall. She could have you falling apart with her skilled fingers in just a few minutes. Sevika could wipe that cocky look off your face with one swipe of her tongue.

“No,fuck..” she shook her head of those salacious thoughts, her heart thundering as though she had decided to act on her impulse. Sevika stood up, walking to the mini fridge and swung it open, glass clinking. There were tiny bottle of liquor lined up on the inner door.

Fuck it, Silco was rich and he owed her for all the years she’d saved his ass from danger.

Sevika took two of the tiny bottles of the same liquor, snapped the seal and poured it into one of the complementary glasses. She stared at the glass before swigging the amber liquid down in one go.@

Gods she was acting like such an idiot. All for some woman who finally made her feel something, finally took the time to break down the many walls she had put up.

But what if you didn’t feel the same? Or what if you both started this and it ended horribly? You would have to work together after that. What if she didn’t know how to actually be with someone? What if you didn’t know either?

Her anxiety won out again as she dove back into the fridge to retrieve more tiny liquor bottles.

“Not gonna save any for me?”

Sevika froze, she was too preoccupied with self loathing to notice you had opened the door, steam billowing from the bathroom, heating up the room.

She turned to look at you. white towel you had folded at your waist, the other smaller towel you were using to dry your hair. Her grey eyes wandered up to see your bare chest. Though not big, your breasts stood upright, a metal bar piercing each nipple.

You noticed her gaze and looked down at your own chest. “Oh yeah, got them done a couple months ago. Saw them on another girl and thought they looked hot.”

Sevika blinked, her face stoic once more. She needed to get the fuck out of the room before she did something stupid.

“Help yourself to what’s left in the fridge. I’m heading out, don’t wait up.” Sevika moved past you, deliberately moving her body away to not touch you as she got to the door.

(Your POV)

You turned to watch her practically run for the exit, the door slamming behind her making you flinch and the room shake.

You blinked, your mouth agape and in utter shock at Sevika’s attitude. It’s not like she hasn’t seen your chest before. You weren’t shy when it came to partial nudity, often changing in front of her in the locker room of the small gym or using a steam room.

You started putting the pieces together. There was something up with Sevika, and had something to do with you. The only change in her behavior was her demeanor towards you.

But what could you have possibly done to warrant such coldness? You tried and tried to apologize but she never wanted to discuss it.

You looked up to Sevika in so many ways, to the point where you may have forgotten she was just a woman too. Maybe she was going through something. Something she was embarrassed to speak about.

Instead of laying there with your mind racing, you got up and got dressed, heading down to the small hotel bar. You knew Sevika wouldn’t have gone far.

You saw Sevika, sitting in a corner shuffling her cards to play a solitary game, her dexterous metal hand throwing the cards before her.

“Do you ever take a hint?” Sevika grumbled, not looking from her cards and taking a swig of her drink.

You pulled out a seat in front of her and sat down. “Enough of this crap Sev. What is up your ass?”

Sevika let out what was between a scoff and a laugh, picking up a cigarillo and lighting it. “You’ve got some fuckin nerve.” She inhaled and let out a long breath of smoke from her nose “can never fucking drop it, can you?”

“Not when someone who I called a friend, just starts ignoring me out of the blue. Like what could I have possibly done to make you so upset?”

Sevika went back to playing with her cards. “Told you, it isn’t about you.”

“Bullshit,” you folded your arms and leaned back in the chair.

Sevika’s grey eyes finally locked on yours. “You think the only problems I have involve you? Don’t be full of yourself.” She knocked some ash from her cigarillo and pushed the box to offer you one. You take one, not because you particularly want one right now, but because it’s the kindest gesture she’s given you in two weeks.

“No I don’t think your world revolves around me. But I know for a fuckin fact that this,” you motion to her and her pouty demeanor, “very much has to do with me. So out with it. What are you hiding?”

Sevika’s eyebrow rose, “what exactly are you looking for? For me to tell you I’m in a shitty mood and need some time away from your big mouth?”

It was your turn to scoff. “I know you’re always kind of bitch Sevika, but this is pretty bitchy, even for you.”

Sevika stared at her glass, gripping it so tight she thought she might break it. You could see her eyes searching the table, as if she was trying to come up with a response.

You decided it was time to take a dive. Something that could end well or with you getting punched.

You looked under the table from your relaxed position and saw Sevika sitting in her usual stance, legs open.

“You seem… tightly wound.” You lifted your leg and put the pad of your boot on the edge chair between her legs.

(Sevika POV)

Sevika felt her face burn, as though someone spiked the heat in the room. You were hitting on her. This was it, she could either dive in or continue on her path leading to nowhere.

Fuck it

Sevika leaned back and looked down at your foot, the sheer boldness making her pussy clench.

“Are you offering to…unwind me?” Sevika took her flesh hand and placed it on top of your metal toe boot.

You shrug nonchalantly, “if it will stop you from biting my head off.” You ran your tongue over your bottom lip and flicked your darkened eyes back down to her grip on your foot. “To be honest, I’ve always had a thing for you. You’re hot, even when you’re being an asshole.”

Sevika felt emboldened by your words. She responded by scooting closer to your boot, the sole pressing into apex of her thighs. “You like to talk.”

“You can always sit on my face and shut me up?” You suggested, pressing your sole harder against her.

Sevika sucked in a sharp breath at the pressure. She could feel herself growing wet.

“Upstairs, now,” Sevika said through gritted teeth.

(Your POV)

The stair climb to the hotel room was agonizing. You walked behind her, feeling yourself get more end more excited. You had been waiting two years for this. Ever since your eyes locked on hers.

When you got to the room, Sevika turned the key and opened the door for you. As soon as you were both inside, she shoved you against the wall.

Sevika hovered over your lips, the anticipation killing you.

You finally had enough and gripped her by the back of the head, hand on her half ponytail, pulling her in for a deep kiss.

You both groaned in satisfaction, bodies melting, the kiss was something you had both been dreaming about for so long. Sevika slipped her knee between your legs, pressing against the heat of your core.

Both of your hands flew to one another’s clothes, almost ripping fabric to shed each other of the barriers to bare skin.

You pushed Sevika’s vest off her body, the clothes falling to the floor with a heavy thud. Sevika was less patient. She took her metal finger and sliced the front of your cropped tank. Your eyes narrowed.

“You owe me another one,” you hissed as a cold metal hand moved under your breast. “If you rip a nipple ring off with your bionic-ah” Sevika moved her flesh hand to kneed the other breast.

“I’ll be careful.” Sevika murmured, her lips pressing against the sensitive parts of your neck.

Your hands wandered over to Sevika’s belt, unbuttoning the fly. Before you could finish, Sevika took both your hands and pinned them over your head. She then continued to kiss and bite at your neck, leaving marks.

“Don’t have to act all dominant.” You moved with her as Sevika rutted her hips against your knee, craving the friction against her pulsing clit.

Sevika relented and loosened the hold of your arms, letting them go so you can travel back down to her pants. You slowly unzipped her fly, opening up the front to reach your hand down into the waistband of her black underwear.

Your fingers found Sevika’s pussy, eliciting a groan from both of you. She was soaked. Your index and middle finger slipped inside her with no resistance. You pumped your fingers in and out. Sevika braced both hands on the wall on either side of your head. “Fuck,” was all Sevika could grit out, her head bowing down from the pleasure.

You backed her away from the wall, removing your hand from her. Sevika wanted to whine at the loss of contact. She didn’t have much time to process before you placed a hand on her chest and pushed her onto your bed. Sevika landed backwards on the soft mattress. She propped herself on her elbows to gaze up at you.

You stood before Sevika, not breaking eye contact as you toed your boots off and leaned down to take care of her boots as well.

Sevika helped you pull her foot out of each shoe, hating how slow you were moving.

You finally crawled on top of Sevika, like a predator over prey. You molded your body to her’s, a knee between her legs and leaned down to kiss her uneven lips. You didn’t want to just fuck Sevika, you wanted to show her intimacy, something you knew she wasn’t comfortable taking from anyone else.

Your instincts seemed to be spot on as she responded in kind, her flesh hand threading fingers through your soft hair. Her metal hand moved to your hip, encouraging you to grind against her. Sevika mimicked your move and bend her knee to supply you with the same friction.

The position was intimate, not rushed, finally enjoying the moment you both didn’t know would have ever been a reality.

You pulled her under tank up over her ample chest, squeezing her larger breasts and testing their weight. They were much bigger than yours. Your lips traveled down past her neck to take one nipple into your mouth.

Sevika rolled her hips, your mouth making her core ache. This felt good to her but it wasn’t enough.She gripped you by the back of your hair and pulled making you release her nipple with a ‘pop.’

Sevika wanted, no, needed, to taste you. She easily flipped you on the bed and sat up to peel your tight black pants and underwear off in one motion. You sat up to grab Sevika but she placed a large hand on the center of your chest and pushed back down.

“Stop fucking moving and let me do what I want,” Sevika rolled her eyes and got off the bed, kneeling by the edge.

“So bossy as usual,” you scoffed, sitting up and resting your weight against your elbows.

Sevika shook her head in annoyance and grabbed you by your calves, pulling your hips to the edge of the bed. She stared at your sex, neatly trimmed and wet for her. You were beautiful, sexy, strong-

“You just gonna stare at it orrrrr?”

…and absolute a pain in her ass. Sevika gave you the stare that always meant ‘shut up’ and leaned down to throw your legs over her shoulders. Her large right hand splayed your lower abdomen kept your hips down as she swiped a tongue over your folds. Her eyes almost rolled to the back of her skull at your taste.

You licked your lips and gripped the sheets at the first swipe over your swollen clit. You inhaled a sharp breath as she dipped her tongue into your center. “Fucking hell,” you murmured.

Sevika feasted upon you as if she was starved, her mouth trailing up to suck expertly at your clit. Sevika was experienced, she knew just how to use her mouth to make you arch and writhe. She moved her flesh hand holding you down and used it to insert to large fingers into you, pumping in time with her tongue.

You sat up and looked down at her on her knees, she had to adjust her large body, her knees farther back so she could get her head positioning right. Luckily her mechanical hand was able to take all her weight leaning on the bed. This position left you to admire her chiseled back, moving and flexing as she pumped her fingers.

“Fuck that’s it’s Sev,” you gripped her by the half ponytail on the back of her head, keeping her mouth locked on you.

Sevika, encouraged by your words, moved faster, the noises coming from her mouth on you were absolutely pornographic. Her fingers sped in and out of you, fucking you with the sucking of your clit.

Your body then tensed up, muscles tightening around her fingers, as you came with a groan of her name. There was no sweeter sound to her ears.

She continued moving her tongue, making you squirm and pull away from her face. “Holy shit woman give me a second,” you panted as you backed your hips off the edge of the bed.

Sevika sat up, wiping her face with her forearm to glower at you. “Who said I was done?”

“My clit for one thing, give me a second to breathe.” You flopped down on the bed.

Sevika ignored your snark and ran her hands over the softness of your thighs, her eyes hungrily drinking in your naked form.

She wanted to devour you all night.

You sat back up and pulled Sevika in for a kiss, your tongue running over her bottom lip. Sevika eagerly responded, both mechanical and flesh hand cradling your face.

When you parted, a string of saliva connected you both. “Stand up Sev,” you whispered.

Sevika wanted to refuse you. She wanted to spend all night with her mouth on your sex. She reluctantly stood from her kneeling position, coming to full height before you.

You stood along with Sevika and gently pushed her against the far wall. She looked down at you, her face almost unreadable. She was fighting for any amount of control over her emotions.

You kept your eyes locked on her’s as you knelt before her, gripping her already opened pants and pulling them down. Sevika lifted one foot at a time to help you.

You broke eye contact to trail down to Sevika’s exposed sex. You were met with a dark patch of curly hair, her slit glistening with arousal. “You’re fucking perfect,” you admired as you reached back up and gripped her hips, moving your knees closer to find a good angle.

Sevika moved her flesh hand over to your mouth, running her thumb over your bottom lip. “Let’s see why those other bitches fight over you.”

Was that jealousy? You would have to unpack that later, right now you had a job to do. You had rarely been able to take a woman in this position since most women you were with were shorter.

When Sevika removed her thumb you wasted no time latching your mouth to her. Sevika bowed forward from the onslaught of your tongue. “Shit,” she gritted and stood to full height again, gripping the back of your head.

Sevika tasted amazing. The scent of her arousal flooded your senses as you moved your tongue from her entrance to suck her swelled clit.

“Ah, ah!” Sevika couldn’t form words. She looked down at you, your beautiful eyes staring up to watch her face contort in pleasure. She didn’t want to admit it out loud but fuck you were good at this.

You took two of your fingers and inserted them into her, curling them up. Sevika’s grip tightened on your hair, the pull on your scalp painful. You continued to suck at her clit, realizing it’s what Sevika responded to the most.

Sevika threw her head back, colliding against the drywall with a ‘thunk.’ Her knees threatened to buckle as her climax built. “Don’t stop,” she commanded, trying best to keep her voice from shaking.

You pressed your tongue to her clit and aggressively shook your head. Sevika’s mouth was agape, moving her head back down so she could look at you. “I’m gonna-oh fuck!”

You felt Sevika’s climax as her walls tightened around your fingers, she pinned

your head to her, her hips thrusting to your mouth as you sucked .

Sevika’s whole body shuddered, vision going blurry from the wave of pleasure. She let her hand fall from your hair as she panted against the wall.

You released your mouth from her sex, sitting back on your haunches to look up at her. Your mouth and chin glistened as you studied Sevika’s face. “Now you see why they fight over me?”

The corner of Sevika’s lip twitched in a sneer, she gripped you by the back of the neck and tugged on your hair, making you stand to avoid further pain. “They will have to fight over someone else from now on,” she hissed.

Before you could respond, Sevika crashed her mouth to yours, tasting herself as her tongue ran over your bottom lip.

Sevika backed you up back to the bed, both of you falling onto it. She hovered over you, eyes wandering over your pert breasts. “I love these by the way. Suit you.” She dipped down and flattened her tongue over your pierced nipple.

You sucked in a sharp breath. “Good, because getting them done hurt like shit.”

This made Sevika smirk and flash her eyes up to yours. “Too bad I didn’t bring my strap.”

You narrowed your eyes and shook your head. “Not really my thing.”

Sevika quirked her head and teased your nipple between her thumb and forefinger. “Ever try it? You might like it.”

You propped up on your elbows. “Can I fuck you with it then?”

Sevika pursed her lips in thought, not the response she was hoping for. “I’ll think about it.”

You shrugged, “only fair Sev. You ever try it? You might like it.” You threw her words back at her.

Sevika sighed and rolled her eyes. “You’re lucky you’re hot. Such a pain in my ass.” She then sat up, settling herself into a position where she was in between your legs, holding on one of your thighs as she met her pussy with yours. Sevika started to set a pace, rotating her hips back and forth.

You relaxed on the bed and moved your hips in time with hers. “You think I’m hot Sev? How long have you thought so?”

Pieces of hair fell in front of Sevika’s face as she enjoyed the feeling of her clit meeting yours. “Ever since I saw you in Silco’s office two years ago. I thought you were fuckin’ beautiful.” Sevika’s jaw clenched as a swivel of your hips gave her clit the angle she needed.

“Oh really? Seemed like you wanted to throw me out the window first time you met me. Thought you hated me-ah!” You threw your head back as a wave of pleasure hit you.

“I kinda did, you have a mouth on you. You don’t know when to back off. Stubborn bitch.” Sevika moved her hips faster.

“Seems liked my mouth just fine few minutes ago.” you reached up and gripped Sevika’s left breast. She slapped your hand away and leaned forward to cover your mouth with her palm.

“No more talking,” Sevika growled and rutted her hips faster, her movements getting sloppy as she got closer to the edge.

You glared at her, you were done being told to shut up. You pushed her hand away from your face and gripped the back of her head, using your strength to flip Sevika onto her back, switching places.

You wanted to laugh at the shocked look plastering Sevika’s face. “You,” reaching out to harshly grab her breast, “don’t get to tell me to shut up.” You moved your hips at the same speed Sevika began at.

(Sevika POV)

Sevika stared up at you, enjoying the view. Watching you take control was incredibly hot, your hair now undone, cascading over your lovely face. Your eyes held a mischievous glint as you gripped her thick thigh for support.

“Fucking hell girl,” Sevika rasped as she held your hand to her breast, mechanical hand at your hip.

Sevika was trying to hold her orgasm for you but was losing the battle. It felt too good, too safe, uninhibited.

(Your POV)

The feeling of her metal hand on your skin was sexy. One wrong move and it could pierce you. “You close Sev? You gonna cum? You like being handled don’t you?”

Sevika whined, her eyes glued to where your pussies met, watching as they rubbed and ground against each other.

You loved the noises coming from the big tough woman below you. She was giving you the control so held so dear. You were close but you refused to finish before her.

“I wanna see you cum Sev. Cum for me baby,” you moved your hips faster, trying to push Sevika to the finish line.

Your dirty words worked, her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she cried out your name, both hands gripping your hips now to keep you in the desired place.

Your beginnings of an orgasm died when she made you stop, but you let Sevika take her pleasure out on you. You watched her come undone underneath you.

It took a minute or two for Sevika to come to. The orgasm was just as intense as the first. Her legs went slack as she caught her breath.

You looked down at Sevika, peaceful, serene and eyes closed. The room smelled of sex, clothes everywhere, the bed tilted from the box spring. You were too busy looking around you did not notice she had opened her eyes.

Sevika pulled you, as if you weighed nothing, to hover over her face. She wasted no time and latched her full lips over your clit, both human and mechanical hand holding your hips to prevent you from moving.

You had no intention of moving, bringing a hand down to grip Sevika’s hair. “So fucking good at this.” You moaned and gasped, hips rocking against her tongue.

Sevika moved her hands from your hips to your ass and flipped you to your back, her mouth still locked on you. She inserted to of her fingers into you, thrusting up to meet with her tongue.

You orgasm hit you like a train, your cries loud enough to be heard in the hallways. Sevika held you down, her mouth riding you through. When your body started to twitch away from her, she moved her mouth from your puss and rested her cheek on your inner thigh.

Both of you stayed silent for a second, your minds clearing from the passion you just shared.

Sevika sat up, placing a last kiss upon your sex before she moved to lay down next to you on the crumpled sheets.

You both said nothing, waiting for the other to speak.

You finally opened your mouth to say something but Sevika beat you to it. “I don’t want you seeing Veronica anymore.”

“Who?”

[ladykailitha]

Share With Me One Love, One Life Time Part 3

Hey, guys! We are moving right along with this story, and I think we're gonna hit 8 chapters if everything goes to plan. Fingers crossed!

So much happens in this chapter, like sooo so much it would take as long listing it as it would for you to just read it.

Enjoy!

Part 1 Part 2

~

Steve was on the walkie talkies as much as he could spare when they weren’t looking into the issue of Vecna, he didn’t want Eddie to feel like they’d forgotten him.

Nancy had gone to Wayne first thing in the morning.

“Mr. Munson?” she asked timidly. “I’m Nancy Wheeler.”

“Ah,” Wayne said dryly, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back. “I don’t have my shot gun or you’d be facing its double barrel, I’m afraid. I know what you did to Steve, you and I aren’t gonna get cozy anytime soon.”

Nancy winced. “Yeah, I know. But I’m here about Eddie.” She inched forward, nervously picking at her fingernails.

Wayne glared at her and took a step back. “Dr. Owens has already been in touch and I’ve been forcibly removed from my home. They think this another Upside Down fuckery.”

“Yeah,” she said, looking at the ground. “Steve and Eddie sent me because if the police or anyone else are watching you, then it won’t link back to them. They’ll just see some nosy Parker hoping to get her first big scoop.”

Wayne licked his lips nice and slow. “I can see sense in that, I suppose. So my boy is safe?”

“Yes,” Nancy said quickly. “But with the cops thinking he did it, I don’t know how long that’s going to be true.”

“My boy didn’t do that,” Wayne growled. “He wouldn’t. He’s not in league with whatever is doing this and you best remember that.”

“I don’t think he had anything to do with it either,” she hastened to reply. “We know what people look and act like when they’re being controlled and he doesn’t display any of the symptoms.”

Wayne eyed her suspiciously and then nodded curtly. “What are you next moves?”

~

“No.”

Robin and Nancy looked at each other in shocked anger.

“Are you suggesting that we would need a big tough guy to go to a psychiatric hospital?” Robin sneered.

Wayne crossed his arms over his chest. “Yes, that is exactly what I’m saying. Because what happens if he attacks one of you before the orderly can get to him? Say oops, when he snaps one of your necks?”

Nancy started stammering and um’ing and ah’ing while Robin stared at him wide eyed and in shock. Steve pursed his lips and waved at Wayne, indicating he had a point.

“If you’re not going to listen to me,” he huffed, “maybe you’ll listen to him. Because honestly that’s only the worst case scenario, but the others aren’t much better. What happens if you get caught?”

“Well,” Nancy huffed as she scrambled for an answer, “I mean...it’s worked for us in the past.”

“You’re not going and that’s final,” Wayne growled. “I don’t care if that’s how you always do things before, you’re not doing them now. I get your lot is all that is standing between the end of the world, but we’re going to do things the smart way and not blunder into the right thing by accident.”

Steve smiled and relaxed. He still cared about Nancy and Robin was his best friend, the thought of them talking to that man without help sent shivers down his spine.

“So what’s going to happen is this,” Wayne continued, “Robin and Steve will keep an eye on Max and the other kids, while Nancy and I head to Pennhurst. Is that clear?”

Robin nodded, feeling relieved. She would have gone with Nancy if she was asked to, because someone needed to keep an eye on her. But with Wayne going with her, that was a load off everyone’s shoulders.

Nancy chewed on her lip, she didn’t want anyone to get in her way, and she had deliberately picked Robin because she knew the other girl would do as she said. But judging from the way Wayne was glaring at her, he had figured her out.

“Fine.”

~

“You can’t keep me here,” Max huffed, “in this basement that smells of sweaty boys and old socks.”

“Yes I can,” Steve snapped back. “I don’t want you running off where we can’t see you and have you up and die on us!”

“I’ll call my lawyer!” Max hissed. “So either you drive me or I start walking!”

Steve closed his eyes and then buried his head in hands. He didn’t want to do this. Billy didn’t deserve the letter she was going to read to him. He still had his in his back pocket and he had no intention of reading the thing because they were going to save her. They had to.

He yanked open the car door. “Everyone in!”

Lucas got in first and scooted to the middle as Robin and Max flanked him, Dustin having beaten them to the front seat.

~

They drove out to the cemetery and parked as close as he could to Billy’s grave. He rubbed his chin as he waited.

“If you don’t shut up,” he finally growled at Dustin, who was being a little shit, “I’ll knock out those brand new pearly whites of yours.”

“Whoa, whoa!” Dustin huffed, turning to face Steve with furrowed brows. “Too far!”

“Then you knock it off,” Steve snapped back. “I don’t know what has gotten into you lately, but holy hell the lack of respect coming from that side of the car is immense right now.”

Dustin rolled his eyes as Steve turned his attention back to Max. “That’s it, I’m calling.” He shoved the car door open and slammed it shut.

Lucas was out of the car in a flash. “She said to give her time.”

“I don’t care,” Steve huffed. “It’s been long enough.” He stalked across the cemetery lawn, passed the other tombstones.

He reached her and whirled her around, but gasped when he saw her eyes had gone milky white. “Shit!” He shook her shoulder. “Max! Max!”

Dustin, Lucas, and Robin all came dashing over.

“No, no, no, no, no!” Lucas screamed as Max started to rise into the air. He jumped on her to try and keep her on the ground, but she rose with him attached to her legs.

Steve pushed Dustin toward the car. “Get Wayne and Nancy on the walkie-talkie! We need to know what they found out now!”

Dustin scrambled to do as he was told. Lucas tumbled to the ground and let out a pained cried, Robin rushed to his side.

“Hey, you okay?” she murmured. He nodded, hold his arm. He rubbed it a moment and then stood back on his feet.

“Music!” Dustin screamed. “She needs music!”

Then it was Lucas scrambling for the car, he came back with headphones and a Walkman. He turned the music up as loud as he could. Steve and Robin both grabbed Max’s ankles and dragged her down. Lucas slapped the headphones on her head and turned it down so that they couldn’t hear the music anymore, but that it was still loud enough for Max to hear.

As soon the headphones where on she dropped the rest of the way into Lucas’s waiting arms.

A beat. Then another as they waited.

Max opened her eyes and everyone was sobbing in relief. Dustin immediately replied back to the waiting members of their Party. “She’s safe, she’s safe.”

~

“Steve,” Eddie breathed into the walkie-talkie, panic rising from the pit of his stomach. “Please come in. I’m in trouble.”

“This is Steve,” Steve murmured into his device. “What’s wrong?” The recombined Party stood outside the Creel house, looking for a way in.

“Jason and his goons are outside,” Eddie hissed back. “And they don’t look friendly.”

“Shit!” Steve replied. He turned to the rest of them. “We need someone who can drive to go and get Eddie, Jason is there at the boathouse and he’s trapped.”

“I’m on it!” Wayne said digging out his keys.

“Wait!” Nancy shouted, throwing up her hand to stop him. “Take my car! Your truck will be too recognizable!”

Wayne stared at her for a moment and then tossed her his keys. She tossed him hers. He yanked open the door to her station wagon and sped off.

They all kind of stood there for a moment taking in the absolute terror of Jason coming after Eddie, before Robin broke the silence. “So are we breaking into this joint or what?”

~

Eddie made it out onto the boat in the middle of the lake when Patrick, Jason, and Andy came after him. They were about three feet from shore when Wayne pulled up in Nancy’s station wagon. He popped open the glove box and rolled his eyes. Inside was a revolver, with a sigh he pulled out and checked the rounds.

Fully loaded.

“I might like her a little bit,” he muttered as he hopped out of the car and ran up to the water.

“You boys best not be doing what I think you’re doing,” he growled and cocked the gun, the sound loud and clear on the open water. “I’mma gonna give you to the count of five to turn around, nice and slow.”

Jason and Andy turned around as they were told, but Patrick had kept going and had gotten about halfway to Eddie when he started rising in the air.

“Shit!” Wayne hissed as the boys turned around and saw their friend plunge into the water as if by some unseen force. Which considering this Vecna son of a bitch, was more than accurate.

Andy and Jason ran back into the water and Wayne dived into the open door of Nancy’s station wagon and turned up the radio as loud as it could go.

But it was too late. Patrick shot out of the water again and his limbs twisted unnaturally; the sound of them snapping would haunt Wayne for the rest of his days. Eddie started screaming and he scrambled back in the boat in terror, but he went too far and fell into the water.

“God damn it!” Wayne cursed and ran out to the water, but before he could even get to the shore, Patrick dropped like a stone.

“Shit!’ he cursed again.

Jason started screaming about the devil and how he had come to Hawkins, while Andy actually dove into the water to get their slain friend.

“Cal’s gonna kick my ass for this,” he groused, then hauled off and smacked Jason hard across his face.

Jason stopped screaming , staring at Wayne in wide-eyed shock, holding his cheek.

“Do something useful and go into the house and call the cops,” he snarled, “while I help your friend here bring the body to shore.”

Jason hurried to do what he was told and Wayne waded out to the water to help Andy bring Patrick’s body in.

~

“Wayne...” Calvin Powell growled when he saw him sitting on the hood of Nancy’s car, picking at his nails.

“I’m gonna protect my boy,” Wayne said without looking up from his hands. “And those other boys were gonna kill him.”

Powell turned slowly to Jason and Andy who refused to look at him.

“Was that what you were going to do, boys?” he asked raising an eyebrow. “Or is Mr. Munson overreacting?”

Wayne snorted. “If they were planning on bringing him to justice then why didn’t they call police when there was talk of activity up here? Because that’s why I’m here. I heard the same god damn thing.”

Powell pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily.

“You boys are coming with me,” he said, resigned. “To give your statements about Patrick McKinney’s death to start and then we’ll see about the other thing.”

“I’ll give you my statement,” Wayne said dryly, “but you try to stop from trying to find my boy, you and I are gonna tangle, Cal.”

Powell opened his mouth to argue, but knew it was futile. “Fine.”

He looked over at Wayne and then frowned. “Where’s your truck, Wayne?”

Wayne hopped off the station wagon’s hood and patted it fondly. “Nancy Wheeler was wanting to write about the murder and my boy when I heard some of the neighbors talking about lights on up at the Lipton place. So I wanted to go see if it was Eddie and wouldn’t you know it the damn truck wouldn’t start so Nancy let me take her car.”

Powell nodded, but wisely said nothing. He let Wayne get into the car and drive off, before he turned to the other boys.

“We’re going to stay put until the coroner arrives,” he said pointing back and forth between Jason and Andy, “and then you are going to follow me to the station where you are going to tell me everything!”

~

Tag List: EIGHT SLOTS REMAINING

1- @itsall-taken @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @sadisticaltarts @dolphincliffs

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @irregular-child @cryptid-system @kultiras

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @beelze-the-bubkiss @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji @dreamercec @blondie1006

5- @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @genderless-spoon @fearieshadow @thesecondfate

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

7- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @themoonagainstmers

9- @steddieislife @chaotic-waffle

[onlyjjong]

hello everyone, lili here ! ^^ i would appreciate it if you took the time to read this properly and spread it!

after reading thoroughly through several posts and hearing stories of several people, I want to take a moment to share my thoughts on the ongoing situation. I understand that this is a sensitive topic, and I want to make it clear that I am speaking purely from my own perspective, and I am making this post, not influenced by any parties. My intention is not to provoke or mock anyone, and I acknowledge that both sides have their own rights and wrongs.

Because of this, I do not want to take sides, and I am NOT picking any sides, but I will stand by what I truly believe is right. One of those beliefs is that hiding behind the image of religion does not justify or excuse wrongdoings. I also recognize that I am still learning, and there are many people far more educated on this matter (this whole situation circulating right now & the palestine situation + their history) than I am. However, from what I do know, religion should never be used as a defense for harmful actions.

Additionally, I feel that the concept of “supporting the art but not the artist” does not entirely fit this situation. When an artist actively supports zionism and genocide (or similar actions), engaging with their art—especially through streaming their songs and content or purchasing their work—directly benefits them. While creating content inspired by a song may not be entirely wrong, actively promoting and financially supporting such an artist is wrong. I want to be very clear about this: this applies not just to this particular case but to any artist or brand with harmful affiliations.

For one side of this discussion, I understand that being called a Zionist is deeply upsetting, and no one should be labeled as such unless they openly identify as one. as my friend soph (mwah ! love u babes) put it well, this [zionism] is a very strong term, and I believe this situation could have been handled in a much calmer, less aggressive way—on both sides. I also acknowledge that it is hurtful when others assume things about you based on a single action or post, especially online. no one on tumblr truly knows you, and they do not have the right to judge you so harshly.

At the same time, I do believe that if you choose to boycott something, you need to do it properly—otherwise, it loses its impact. In my personal life, I have been actively trying to implement this by reminding myself and those around me about the brands and artists we should avoid, especially those that have publicly taken a harmful stance regarding palestine. However, I admit that when it comes to neutral or uncertain cases (such as artists like enhypen or other hybe/sm artists [take note that jake has apologised for using starbucks!] or other artists that are under companies that require them by contract to stay silent; or brands that have not publicly stated that they are pro or anti palestine 𑁋 and i believe that @boyfhee worded this better here), I sometimes struggle and make mistakes too. The lines can be blurry, and if anyone is more knowledgeable about this, I genuinely welcome corrections and guidance.

I also want to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize if I have ever hurt anyone—whether knowingly or unknowingly, intentionally or unintentionally—throughout my time on tumblr. I have never and will never accuse someone of being a Zionist without concrete evidence, and I deeply regret if I have ever made anyone feel that I have. If you feel I have wronged you, please feel free to reach out to me. I truly believe that misunderstandings can be resolved through civil and open conversations.

some of you may feel that I am being nosy or speaking on something that does not directly involve me. However, I believe that global issues—especially those involving human rights—are not just the responsibility of those directly affected. Staying informed, speaking up, and holding ourselves accountable for the impact of our choices are important, regardless of where we come from. Silence in the face of injustice only enables suffering of many innocent lives to continue. That said, I am not claiming to be an expert or forcing my views on anyone. I am simply sharing my thoughts based on what I have learned so far, and I remain open to corrections and new perspectives.

At the end of the day, I believe people make mistakes, and every party involved in a conflict should reflect and apologize when necessary. I am committed to learning and growing, and I encourage open discussions with kindness and respect. If I have made any mistakes in my understanding or statements, please do not hesitate to reach out—I am always open to learning and correcting myself.

thank you for reading, and have a great day/night!

tagging to boost ! (sorry for any unwanted tags + i’m posting on this blog because i have more followers here) @miumura , @coqhee , @orimuraa , @legomaster333 , @weoris , @amouriu , @antoncyng , @geutori , @juyeoz , @macapunoz , @mujeans

[r4fe-cam3ron]

𓍯 ִֶָ FEBRUARY FOURTH; side a — about you - the 1975 | d. lizewski x reader

w; dave & r is aged up (both in their twenties!), ‘old flames’ (really just best friends - who have lost touch but still remember everything about one another - to lovers) reunite, i sort of change the story about his dad (he’s still kick a—!) an; i had to change up his dad’s story about getting beaten </3 for the plot to work. i hope no one minds and everyone enjoys at least!!!!

mixtape here!

Your chin rests in the palm of your hands as your eyes glance around the restaurant, fingers slowly tapping against the table as you let out a small sigh. Leaning back, your eyes look down at your phone to check the time and to see if any messages have suddenly appeared. 

Nothing. And an hour late. 

Rubbing your forehead in embarrassment, you stand from your chair and ignore the looks from the many people who sit together with a stupid little red rose and stupid little candles. 

Slipping on your jacket, you quickly grab your clutch and make your way out of the restaurant without a single word to anyone. It’s eight now, and you’d gotten dressed up for nothing. 

You’re aimlessly walking around now — not quite ready to go home, yet not quite sure where to go either. 

Until you’re met with the sight of the familiar comic shop that you used to go to regularly with friends. You don’t go as much anymore — if you do, it’s strictly for a family member’s birthday or to stop by and get coffee, and maybe look to see what all has changed. 

Which, nothing has. It’s a bit brighter inside with new paint and new lights, but other than that, nothing else has changed. Stepping towards the counter, you smile at the teenager behind it. “One iced caramel latte, please.” 

She nods, putting in the order. “Anything else?” 

Glancing over at the case of pastries, you point at a muffin. “A blueberry muffin as well, please.” The girl nods once again, entering it before telling you the price. Handing over the cash, plus a tip for her being so nice — and for working on the suckiest holiday of the year — you step away after telling her your name. 

You walk slowly around the collection of comics, a small smile pulling at the corner of your lips. You wished you could go back to being a teenage girl — who had been constantly considered ‘weird’ — even if that meant figuring everything out once again. 

Part of you thinks that, maybe, if you would have the chance to go back, there’s a lot more you would’ve changed. Maybe admitted to others. 

The wave of nostalgia almost knocks you off your feet from the nausea it gives you suddenly. Shaking your head, you pick a superhero that you always gravitate towards — Spider-man. 

You pick up your treats from the counter and make your way towards a table, slipping into a booth and laying everything out before opening the comic book. 

You forget how much the silly little things can pull you in — you hadn’t realized the numbness in your legs, or that the ice in your drink had now melted, watering down the coffee and droplets had left a ring around it. 

Or that someone was in front of you. 

“I see you still get pulled into the pages.” 

Startled, you blink a couple of times and quickly look up at the man who stands in front of the table. Lips parting, your heart drops. “Dave?” 

He grins and nods. “The one and only.” 

Laughing slightly, you slip out of the booth and quickly pull him into a hug. “Oh, my god. Look at you!” You pull away, your hands gripping onto his biceps. “Your…hair! It’s gone!” 

He lets out a small chuckle. “And I hit puberty, finally. So you can’t laugh at me anymore about my squeaky voice.” 

You make a face at that. “Sorry about that.” 

“It was all done in fun,” His brow lifts slightly. “Wasn’t it?” 

“What? Of course it was,” You nod quickly, flushing under his gaze. “I’d never intentionally make fun of you.” 

His demeanor slightly falls before he lets out a soft chuckle. “I know that. I was only teasing,” His eyes fell into the red dress that you’d picked out specifically for today. “Hot date?” 

Looking down at the dress, you tug at the material. “No. Stood me up so I just left,” You shrug a bit. “It was embarrassing walking out to say the least.” 

“He stood you up? There’s no way,” He lets out a scoff, crossing his arms over his chest. “Whoever it is, is clearly missing out.” 

“You’re just saying that.” You roll your eyes, collecting your trash so he wouldn’t catch onto the redness that caught your cheeks aflame. 

“I’m being serious!” He watches as you toss the items, picking up the comic book. He follows behind you, lips pursing a bit before clearing his throat. “Let me take you out.” 

You stop abruptly, causing him to stumble into your back, his hands quickly shooting out to stabilize himself on your arms. “What?” 

“Would it be so weird?” He shrugs as you turn to face him. “You’re already dressed up. Plus, we were best friends,” Your eyes drop down to the ground at that. 

“You can let me take you out on one date. Then you can pretend I never exist again.” 

You frown and quickly look at him. “Dave, I could never forget you,” You shake your head, pinching your brows together. “You were…” Trailing off, your heart skips a beat in your chest as your eyes linger on his blue ones. 

“You were special to me. We just…fell out of contact, is all.” 

Dave nods and glances at the comic in your hand. He reaches out and slowly pulls it from your hand, slipping it back into its designated spot before holding his hand. “Then let me take you out. Just this once.” 

Glancing down at his hand, you place yours into his. He smiles and grips your hand softly, pulling you towards the door without a second thought. 

“Where are we going?” You ask, curiously. If he were to lead you blindly into a burning building, you don’t think you would’ve cared. 

He glances over at you, a small smile pulling at his lips as he shrugs. “For me to know.” 

“And for me to find out.” You sigh playfully, shaking your head. He chuckles and comes to a stop. 

“Wait here,” You watch as he jogs back, confused but you do as he had said, looking around at the busy street and sidewalk, smiling a bit at the loud laughter and singing coming from all around. 

Dave comes back five minutes later, hands behind his back. You turn and lift your brows, tilting your head. “Alright…you’re worrying me now.” That has him chuckling. 

He pulls his arm from behind his back, your smile dropping slightly as you stare at the flowers in his hand — that just so happens to be your favorite. 

He clears his throat a bit. “I remember you saying something about liking these. And I needed to start the date off right.” 

“I said those were my favorite in middle school, Dave—”

“Do you…not like these anymore? I can go and—”

You quickly cut him off. “No. I mean, yes. I still love them. I’m just…” You let out a small laugh, truly in awe about how he even remembered such a small detail about you. “I don’t know how you remembered those were my favorite.” 

He scratches at the side of his neck, shrugging. “I just remember.” 

You smile and gently pull them from his grip, the brown paper crinkling in your hands. “Thank you,” You stare at the petals before your eyes lift and meet his. “I can’t remember when the last time I got flowers was.” 

Never. 

The answer was simply never. No boy — or man, now — has stopped to get you flowers as a simple gift. Not that it’s a necessity to bring flowers to a date, but taking the time and showing you care… 

It’s something that, now you can admit, can make a heart skip a beat. 

He smiles softly and nods. “Yeah…” He clears his throat as he pushes his hands into the pockets of his coat. “Of course. Yeah. I just…I thought it’d be nice.” 

“This was very nice,” Your teeth sink into your bottom lip slightly, the action having his blue eyes drop for a second before looking back up. “Well, Lizewski, lead the way.” 

He smiles a bit and nods, beginning to walk down the sidewalk, your feet following beside him. 

After a couple of moments, he stops abruptly and turns towards you, causing your brows to pinch together in confusion as you look over at him. “Are you—”

“Close your eyes,” He nudges his chin towards you. A small playful smile spreads over his lips when he notices how confused you look at the request. “Just do it.” 

“You aren’t going to—”

“No,” He laughs softly, knowing what you were going to ask. Taking a step over to stand in behind you, his hand grazes your arm as he turns you a bit. Sighing, you give in and allow your eyes to slip shut. You suddenly feel his hands covering your eyes as well. 

“Is this really necessary?” 

“Yes,” His voice is soft and your breath hitches from how close he truly is. “Trust me.” 

You’re rendered speechless only for a moment before you quickly nod. “I do.” 

He smiles softly, allowing you to lead the way as you follow his instructions blindly. “…Okay, stop,”

Your movements cease and you feel the warmth of him disappear — slightly disappointed. “Open.” His voice is now coming from your left side. 

Your eyes slowly open, adjusting a bit to the change of lighting. Your lips part in surprise before a smile tugs at your lips. “It’s still here?” You look away from the treehouse, instead looking at Dave. 

He smiles and nods. “Of course,” He motions towards the house he grew up in. “Dad left the house to me in the will.” 

Your smile slowly fades, shoulders dropping slightly. “James died?” 

He nods a bit. “Sadly, that’s the only reason I’m back,” He clears his throat. “But after cleaning everything out and putting the house on the market—”

“You’re not staying?” 

He stares at you for a moment before shaking his head hesitantly. “No. I’m going back home.” 

I’m going back home. 

It’s not much of anything, but the words have your heart twisting in a painful way and your eyes drop towards the flowers as you nod slightly. He would be leaving you — again. 

But you will not be selfish. Even if you want to. 

“Alright, let’s climb up and see what we used to hide away, shall we?” 

Your eyes lift and a small smile pulls at the corner of your mouth but never fully expands to anything more. You nod and walk towards the tree, placing your flowers onto the chair next to it before crawling up the ladder. 

Pushing the door open, you push yourself up and crawl inside before standing and dusting off your legs. Looking around, the wave of nostalgia is suddenly hitting you once again, almost knocking you back onto the ground. 

Stepping closer to the carving you’d once done, your fingers trace over the initials, a small laugh leaving your lips as your head tilts. 

“Oh, god,” You quickly look over your shoulder, noticing the box Dave was holding. “The green and yellow suit.” You let out a laugh when he holds it up, shaking it a bit. 

You cover your mouth when you notice the look he gives you. “Sorry.” You quickly apologize. 

“You laughing at the super suit?” 

“Uh,” You glance at the suit that he holds in his hands once again, before nodding. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.” You let out another laugh. He smiles and rolls his eyes, grabbing the mask from the bottom and tosses the box onto the wooden ground. 

He steps over and tugs it down on your head, grinning. “Mhm,” He nods. “You do look like a dork in this.” 

“Ha-ha. Funny,” You roll your eyes, despite the smile that remains glued onto your face. You tug the mask from your head. He lifts his hands and quickly fixes the strands of hair that had covered your face. 

You gulp quietly, feeling the pad of his thumb brush over your cheek as he does so. “Thanks.” 

He nods and pulls his hands away, now turning and sitting down on the small dusty blanket in the corner. Your face scrunches a bit when he does. 

He pats the spot beside him wordlessly. You make your way over and sit next to him, the mask still in your hands. Thumbing the material, you lean your head back on the wood. 

“Are you still…?” 

He bites his cheek slightly before nodding a bit. “I’ll always be,” His eyes linger on the mask in your hands. “Even if I’m not actively out and saving people like I used to when I was a…teenager — God, a teenager,” 

He lets out a small sound of disbelief as he shakes his head. “A part of that is still with me. No matter how much I kind of wish it wasn’t.” 

You nod in understanding. “You got hurt. A lot.” 

“That I did.” He smirks a bit — though, it’s not an amused one. 

You debate on what you're about to say. Tell him now and regret it later. 

Or never say anything and still regret it. 

Inhaling deeply, you will yourself to calm down before speaking. “I thought that first time — when you went into the hospital and your dad called me — that I had…” You pause. You can feel his eyes on you now, rather than the mask in your hands. 

“But, when I came to visit you, you were okay,” You smiled a bit with a nod. “That calmed me. Then, long story short, I found out why you’d ended up in the hospital,” 

You look over at him. “I remember asking you to stop because I didn’t want you to get hurt or worse,” He nods a bit. “You told me I didn’t understand and I never would. Then, Katie and you became a thing and suddenly…you’d listened to her,”

He frowns and looks away quickly. “I’m not mad about it. I mean, at first I was — because I had been your best friend and I thought maybe you’d listen to me, yet you just kind of shrugged me off. But when Katie asked you, you had no problem with the idea,” You shrug a bit. “I was also just a teenager trying to…navigate my feelings. I got angry at you, more than I probably should have.” 

“You never…told me. Or even showed it.” 

“That’s because I loved you, Dave,” He quickly looks back at you. You give him a weak smile and quickly look away when you feel the upcoming tears suddenly tingle and prick at your eyes. You laugh at yourself airly, shaking your head. “And that was a hard thing to feel because I was so…confused. I had never felt that way towards anyone before,” 

“And I was trying to figure out why I would keep letting you in when you’d get hurt and…” You’re now regretting dredging up the past. Because that’s exactly where it’s supposed to stay — in the past. “And I finally figured out when you had left without even really saying anything to me. Not that you had to, because I understand why you wanted to leave, but it still hurt all the same.” 

Dave blinks a couple of times at your words but remains staring at you as he does so. He clears his throat, mouth opening and shutting a few times before only saying; “You loved me?” 

You nod your head. “Yeah. Of course,” You tuck your hair behind your ear and finally place the mask down on the blanket next to you. “It wasn’t just because I grew up with you, it was just because it was…easy,” You shrug. 

“It was easy to love you and I always thought…” You trail off, eyes cutting towards the side to glance out the small window. 

“Thought what?” He asks softly. 

“I had always thought you and I both would’ve…ended up together,” You lean your head back. “It’s a bit silly now to say, especially when I know you had never viewed me that way back then. It was just the typical white fence, big wedding, two kids, type of dream I had.” 

“Why do you think I never thought of you in the same way?” He shakes his head. 

“Oh, come on,” You let out a small scoff, looking over at him. He genuinely looks confused and you lift your head from the wall. “You had gotten Katie. Katie, Dave. You would’ve never gone after someone like me.” 

“That’s not true,” He sits up, pointing towards you. Your brows lift slightly. “That is so not true. I used to try to get you to go on dates with me all the time.” 

“Asking if I wanted to go to the movies — like we always did, might I add — was not asking me on a date,” You let out a small laugh. “Especially if Todd and Marty were joining,” 

He frowns and looks down. You sigh and drop your hand on top of his. “Dave, it’s okay. Really. It’s over now and—”

“Do you still feel the same?” He cuts you off quickly. You stare at him as if you had imagined him saying it. 

After a moment of silence and a slight, silent urge of lifted brows, you speak. “I-I mean…” You purse your lips, your heart beating in your throat now instead of it staying where it needed to stay. 

“I don’t think loving someone ever comes to an end,” You shake your head. “Especially after loving them for so long.” 

Dave stares at you silently for a moment before surging forward and catching your lips with his, his hands cradling your jaw. The initial shock wears off quickly and your fingers are finally wrapping around his wrist gently. 

He slowly pulls away, still staying close where you could feel his breath brush over your lips and the top of his lip graze your own. 

“Did that just—”

“Yeah.” He cuts you off with a whisper. 

You let out a small laugh, shaking your head. “Teenage me is screaming,” You whisper. He snorts, pressing another soft kiss against your lips before the corner of your mouth. “But you didn’t have to do that.” 

He pulls his forehead away from yours, tilting his head a bit. “I wanted to,” He nods. “I’ve always wanted to. I was just too scared to put myself out on the line for you. But I should’ve.” 

“You should’ve,” You nod, leaning into his hand the remains on your cheek. “Are you still going to leave?” You whisper. His eyes remain on yours, a small smile on his face. 

“I think I found a reason to stay.” 

𓍯 ִֶָ tags; @ali-r3n — @marchsfreakshow — @sstar-ggirl — @pretty-little-mind33 — @love-quinn

𓍯 ִֶָ thank you for reading! comments, reblogs, & feedback are welcome & greatly appreciated!