#*with half an inch in between them* I thought that guy was cool

[watchyourbuck]

New 7x04 drinking game: take a shot every time Buck invades Tommy’s personal space before he even knows he’s attracted to him

[billthedrake]

CAMP DADDY

"You got this, Carter," I heard from behind me. It was Dave, the guy at the camp I'd bonded with the most.

I wasn't sure I had it. Over the last week we'd done a lot of challenging stuff... long hikes, swimming races, rock climbing, you name it. But the spelunking was freaking me out a little, between the darkness and the tight spaces. I didn't realize I had claustrophobia, but I guess I did. I was hyperventilating.

"Come on, relax, bro," my buddy said. "One inch at a time. I'm right behind ya, man."

I pushed through. And once I cleared into a bigger part of the cave, I saw more headlamps ahead. I unclenched my held breath.

***

I'd been a real fuck up of a teenager. That's why I was here at this Outward Bound camp. Strike one was shoplifting and getting caught for it. Strike two was yelling at my dad and calling him a piece of shit, on his birthday no less. Strike three was the ketamine use. The next weekend Dad was shipping me off to this godforsaken place in the woods upstate. He wasn't going to pay for baseball, college, or my car if I didn't go. So I did.

The first couple of days I gave a bunch of lip to the counselors. I couldn't stand their fake-cheery demeanor or their 12-step BS. "Stay strong," we had to say at the end of each "huddle" meeting. Like it was fucking church.

But I was smart, smart enough how to play this. I knew I should just lay low, go along with it enough. It was just three weeks.

It helped that I bonded with Dave the first day. He was another baseball jock and cynical too. We made fun of the Sunday School teacher vibe of the lead counselor Mr. Connell. Only at Outward bound we were supposed to call the counselors by first name.

Dave had been there a week. "At least all the physical stuff is good exercise," he said. "I'm actually getting in really great shape for next season."

It was true. There was a gym, too, in the common room of the main cabin basement. Kind of a basic barbells and benches kind of gym but a lot of us jocks would work out together, until I got annoyed by them too. Other than Dave, they all bought into the 12 step crap.

I started talking to Pete, a punk guy with a shaved head and a permanent snarl on his face. He was cool. He wasn't just cynical, he'd talk back to the counselors. But one day he was just gone. No Pete.

***

Maybe unconsciously I was trying to get Pete's fate. Get out of this fucking place. I thought three weeks would go fast, but a week and a half had drained me. I mouthed off to Mr. Connell. Sorry, to "Mike." He smiled in that fakey way and tried to be zen about it. But I was getting to him. After dinner I sulked on my own. I'd started to realize Dave was in on it. Playing normal to get my confidence and win me over to the Program.

I was wallowing in self-pity sure, because I knew I was crushed out on Dave. I'd hidden the gay thing pretty well my last few years, but now I didn't have booze or pot or drugs to push my feelings down. Maybe that's why I was acting out, I don't know. My body was just a mess of hormones and my brain a bunch of conflicted thoughts.

***

I woke up in a room that was identical to the two-bed cabin I'd been sleeping in with another guy Zach. Only it wasn't the same room and there was no Zach. On the other full bed a man sat reading a book, kind of a big beefy-but trim older man, dressed in joggers and a zip-up athletic top that clung to his thick muscle. I thought it was a sex dream, but the second I realized it was real I jolted awake, sitting up straight in my small bed.

"Wait, who are you?" I blurted out. This man wasn't one of the counselors. He was older, with salt-and-pepper hair trimmed short. Probably in his early 50s.

Patiently the man set down his book. He didn't have that fakey-nice look but was on the sterner side of normal. "You can call me Daddy," he said. He had a smooth tenor voice.

This was weirder than a dream. "What the fuck?!" I yelled. "I'm not fucking calling you Daddy. Where's Zach? Where are the other guys?"

He shrugged. "You didn't like the other guys," Daddy explained. "We had to change plans."

I was freaking out now. More than in that dark cave. I jolted up and ran to the door. This cabin wasn't in a big compound but was attached to a single small room with a window overlooking the mountains. I looked back on the bed. The man was surprisingly calm, like he expected my reaction, or worse. That was one thing that made me try to check my emotion, to use my head. I knew how these fuckers worked.

"This is kidnapping," I said. I was realizing I must have been drugged to be moved entirely to this new place.

Daddy shook his head. "Fraid not. And we suggested to your father that we extend your stay here to two months. He agreed it's needed. We'll add more if takes all summer.

I broke down. Tears welled up in my eyes. I wasn't going to let this asshole see me cry, and yet I already was. Defeated, I sat on the bed facing away from him.

"It's OK," he said, with terse reassurance. "It's tough here. I'll make breakfast for when you're ready."

***

I gave him the silent treatment. Unlike the Outward Bound counselors he didn't try to make me talk. Maybe he was giving me the silent treatment too, maybe he realized a one-way conversation was useless.

I got dressed and while Daddy was showering up, I stepped out of the small cabin. There was a trail, and it had to lead somewhere. I took one look back into the cabin, then took off.

Fortunately the trail split a few times so if Daddy followed me he'd have a hard time catching up. I don't know why I hadn't thought of escaping before.

I got lost. Real fucking lost. The deeper into the woods I got, the less sense I had of where to go. The day went on. I got hungry. I kept walking. I expected to hear a highway or cars or people or some sign of civilization. Nothing.

I was freaking out. I stopped and sat on a tree trunk. Crying. There was no Dave urging me on. No "stay strong" mantra. No other guys. It was just me, fucking up again. My stomach rumbled, and I felt thirsty. It was getting dusk. I couldn't believe I'd have to sleep out here, but my big fear was wondering if I'd ever get back.

I heard rustling on the trail. Then saw a flashlight and the dark imposing figure of a 6'4" man coming my way. It was Daddy.

"Here," he said, offering me a sandwich and water. "Have this, then we'll head back."

I was too grateful and relieved to mouth off. But on our walk back I had a realization. "You knew I was here," I said.

"Yes," Daddy replied. They probably had a tracking chip in my clothes somehow.

"And you made me wait here alone."

"Yes," he admitted. "You had to learn the hard way, Carter." There was an undercurrent of empathy to his voice.

***

It took me a couple of days, but I opened up. And once I started talking, you couldn't shut me up, it felt like. I talked about my problems, and Daddy listened. It was like a therapy session and a buddy conversation, from breakfast till night.

Daddy was the first man I told I was gay. We were sitting on the Adirondack chairs outside, enjoying the view of the mountains and the sunset and I just went there. I confessed my problems dating girls and the times I got erection problems during sex.

"I told them I was drunk, but I wasn't," I said.

"I'd have done the same," Daddy said in his mellow voice.

That caught me off guard. I tried to read him, but he was still an enigma to me. A flash of me wondered if he was into men. The dude was jacked for his age, and I got a flash of excitement imagining him having sex.

Daddy was counselor, captor, friend, and father figure rolled into one. "What's your deal, man?" I asked. Not hostile like before, but probing. "Here I am spilling my guts out and I don't even know your name."

He smiled but just kept his even manner. "You don't need to know name, just Da..."

"I know," I interrupted. "You're 'Daddy.'"

Something about my exasperated tone made him smile. And maybe relent. "I did Outward Bound when I was your age. I acted out, got into trouble," he explained. "The Program set me straight."

"Was the program as unconventional when you did it?" I gestured around to the isolated cabin where I was more or less hostage.

That got a grin. "More so."

I was curious. "Did you have a Daddy?"

He nodded. "I did." He took a sip from the can of soda. "Later he taught me how to be a Daddy."

I still didn't get whatever psychoanalytic babble the Program was tapping into, but Daddy's words did make me think.

"You know what makes me, mad?" I asked.

"What?"

"This shit's probably working."

That got a chuckle. "You'll be glad when it's over Carter."

It was dark now and it felt darker out here in the middle of nowhere. "You ready for bed, kiddo?"

It was the first time Daddy used that nickname. But I replied I was.

We'd talked so much we were pretty quiet now as we went inside and got ready for bed. Normally Daddy slept in a T-shirt and shorts but that evening he peeled off his shirt. In the lamplight I could admire the powerful chest muscle and ripped abs. Best of all that DILF body was covered in a trimmed coat of salt-and-pepper fur. Before Daddy I didn't realize I was into older men. Now, I had to check my gaze.

"It's ok to look, buddy," the man said. His voice was as soft and encouraging as I'd ever heard it.

"What?" I replied in a checked grunt.

He tossed the shirt aside and turned to face me directly. He was a masculine god, even more alluring for his quiet nature. "It's OK to look," he repeated. "That's what Daddies are for."

The words were fucked up but they gave me a boner, instantly. I couldn't help it.

Daddy saw and was unfazed, peeling down his joggers to show off his soft genitals. That cock was meaty and matched the low-hanging full nuts in their shaved-smooth sac. It wasn't the first cock I'd seen of course, but it was the first live one I'd seen in a sort of sexual situation.

He walked over and pulled down the bed sheets. Daddy's backside was just as magnificent as his front. Strong back and a meaty round ass, the kind I didn't know 50-something men had. But Daddy had one.

My body was shaking, nervously, but the man was acting normal, getting into bed and pulling up the sheet to his abdomen. He gave one more look over.

"If you want to join me Carter, that's your move."

I didn't know if this was some Outward Bound trap or mindgame. A part of me didn't care, I was so horny. It's as if my brain couldn't stop my body from slipping out of my bed and crossing over. The one thing that gave me courage was seeing Daddy scoot his bed to the side to give me room to get in as he lifted the sheet a little. I could see a flash of his erection, even, thick and meaty like him.

"Stay strong, kiddo," he said softly and I nodded, getting into the bed to join him, my body shaking.

"There," he grinned as I finally settled into a lying position next to him. I could feel the heat of his body even if I was afraid to touch him still.

"You're first time with a man?" Daddy asked.

"Yes, Daddy." It was the first time I called him that. It made him smile, which made me glad.

His fingers touched my flank. I was still wearing my shorts but was shirtless and the skin contact felt incredible. This wasn't faking it with a girl.

"You're a very handsome young man, Carter," Daddy said in that soft tenor voice of his. "I'm honored to be your Daddy."

With that the mean leaned in and placed his lips against mine. It was my first kiss with a man, and nothing prepared me for it. A tingle went up my body and my prick surged even harder in my shorts. Particularly when Daddy's tongue pressed forward between my lips and into my mouth.

I was following his lead. Daddy was my coach at that moment. Coach in life and Coach in sex. I couldn't have dreamed of a better one. It was intense and sexual and passionate, but we also took our time.

As we got into it, I got the courage to feel him. His hairy, muscular, warm body. I reached down and touched his cock, hard and alive in my grip. My first dick, and one I'd never forget.

The way I moaned made Daddy pull back from the kiss.

"You like that, buddy?" he grinned.

"Yes, sir," I hissed.

"You like dick," he said with assured ease. "Don't let anyone make you think you're a lesser man because of it."

"No, Daddy," I replied, gripping his boner one last time before relinquishing it. I had to feel up the rest of him, too. More.

He slipped my shorts down, at least from one side till I decided to help him out. My dick was sap-wet and as rigid as I had ever remembered it being.

"You're not the only one," he said. "Not the only young man into dick. Your buddy Dave..." he started.

That jolted me in surprise. "For real?"

Daddy nodded. His hand now circled around my crotch before his fingers grazed my boner. "For real."

I don't know if it was jealousy or something else I was feeling. "You do stuff with him?" I asked.

The man shook his head. "No. He has a different Daddy," he explained, pausing before deciding his could share the information. "Connell."

Well, fuck me, I thought. The last thing I would expect.

Now Daddy's lips were on my neck, kissing me as his hand alternated between massaging my smoother body and stroking my cock. "You up for the full ride tonight, Carter?" he asked.

If he'd asked me that even an hour before, I would have chickened out. But the body contact and the sexual intimacy made me want it all.

"Yeah, Daddy, I do," I answered. "Stay strong, right?"

That got a laugh. He leaned up. I'd never seen him look so hot, so handsome. "Yeah, kiddo... that's right. Stay strong." He leaned in for another kiss, softer this time. It felt right. Righter than right.

Then he started working his way down, kissing my chest and abs, feeling me up some, telling me he was going to take his time.

I got my dick sucked for the first time. I got my balls licked. Then Daddy urged me to pull back my legs and proceeded to give me my first rim job.

I decided then and there that two months here wasn't going to be enough. I hoped my Dad would keep me here the whole damn summer.

"Oh fuck!" I hissed. It was stimulating and naughty and tickling at the same time. I loved getting eaten out. I didn't have anyone to compare it to, but Daddy was a pro. Eager, intense yet also working in some finesse to keep it intersting.

I slowly relaxed my hole. My whole body was relaxed, in fact, lying back into the bed, looking up at the ceiling as I kept my legs pulled back for Daddy.

The first finger entry caught me by surprise. I looked down to see Daddy's brown eyes fixed on me, as he worked his finger in and out.

"Stay strong, buddy," he urged softly.

"Fuck yeah, Daddy," I replied. Trying to be his good soldier. Daddy was gonna make me a man that night, and I wanted to be all man for him.

He finally pulled back and reached over. I didn't even notice the little jar there before, but Daddy unscrewed the lid and dug in. There was some liquidy grease that coated his fingers.

And now my asshole. Damn, it made his two fingers feel incredible going in. And out. And in again.

"Yeah, you're hungry, kiddo."

I grunted. Those fingers were feeling intense in a great way, but short circuiting my thought. I flashed to think of Dave, imagining Mike Connell doing this to him.

A third finger now breached my relaxed ring. It gave a few gentle prods then pulled out.

"You're ready."

The man scooted in place, his hard dick standing straight up from his hairy crotch that was still darker brown than his chest hair. I had felt but not gotten a real good look at his cock, but Daddy was real thick and maybe 6.5 inches in length. The guy was horned up, too, judging by how rigid his meat was. He slathered some of that grease on his boner and pushed it down to line himself up.

"The entry might be tough," he warned. "Or not."

"You better not say, 'Stay strong,'" I joked.

That got a laugh out of the man. "You're all man, Carter," he said.

And like that his cock was breaching my hole.

"Unnfg!" I let out, before I caught myself. The sting surprised me. It didn't hurt too bad, but the unfamiliarity of it freaked me out some.

Daddy's hands rand along my abs, gently, coaxing me silently to relax. I tried, until I was successful. More dick slid into me. The man was patient, but I could tell he was really turned on.

I was getting my cherry taken away, and I was thrilled, particularly when Daddy's cock bored deeper. Weirdly, the deeper the man went the better it felt. Daddy felt bigger than 6.5 inches. Maybe I'd underestimated his size, maybe it was just the psychological effect of having him buried inside me.

"Fuck yeah, kiddo," Daddy growled. "Take it."

I looked up at him. The man was a stud who knew what he was doing. "You done this before?" I asked. "Taken a guy's virginity?"

The question caught him off guard. It was almost like he didn't want to answer me. But he looked down with those soulful brown eyes and replied, "I have, Carter. Many times." He pulled his hips back and thrust in. THAT felt fricking amazing and I held onto his meaty arms. Then again. "But I care about each and every one," he added. His thrusts got faster, as Daddy intuited I was receptive. "I care about you, kiddo."

Daddy was taking me there. Physically and psychologically, he was showing me how amazing getting fucked could be. The man wasn't rough, but he pumped faster and harder. He was teaching me I loved it that way. I held on and looked up at him and felt my prick quiver.

"Fuck me, Daddy!" I hissed.

"Yeah, kiddo. Daddy's got ya." His body seemed in control but his breath was ragged and heavy. The man was turned on like hell.

That thick cock seemed a blur inside me now, its way in my tunnel greased up and the heavy hard rod punching some spot inside me.

I dind't realize I was so close to cumming until Daddy's greased fist wrapped around my bone. Not even needing to stroke it, just touching me made me fire off. I saw white, and my body felt hot and tense, then it all got released with a series of cum shots firing out of my young jock body.

I tried to keep my vision, to look up at Daddy in gratitude. To watch his own O face take over form the calm, collected surety of his experience. That got tossed out the window when Daddy came. He was as lost in pleasure as me. That made me happy.

We crashed together. Holding onto one another's hot sweaty bodies, them our lips meeting to kiss again.

"Oh buddy," he hissed finally. Like I was the one who'd done him a favor. Maybe I had.

We didn't talk after, we didn't need to. Instead, Daddy held me in a spoon position and we drifted off to sleep. At least for a few hours before we had sex again.

***

The next week, Daddy had me pack my backpack, and he led me back to main compound. I would have been sad our alone time was over, but I knew it wasn't going to be our last. Daddy didn't have to tell me. I just knew he'd be in my life from now on and me in his.

Punk dude Pete was back. His hair had grown out and was in a military buzz and his snarl was gone. Dave though was the one who welcomed me first with a bro hug. The other guys followed suit.

I wondered how many of them had a Daddy.

***

I was part of the Program now. Welcoming the newcomers. Bonding with the cynical ones. I'd been where they were and knew what they were going through. I'd been a fuck up, too.

Two months went by quickly. My Dad was there to pick me up. He had an apprehensive look on his face. Connell told me that Dad had been updated on my progress, but after what my father had been through maybe he was nervous I'd not been truly changed.

I had my mobile phone back, and I'd already looked at the last messages multiple times. "Stay strong, kiddo - Daddy." Then "You better stay in touch. Love ya, Carter."

I took one last look and tucked my phone into my pocket before running over to give my Dad a big hug.

"Damn, Sport."

Dad hadn't called me Sport in ages.

"Thank you, Dad," I said. There would be more to say later. But the look on his face was a huge reward. His fingers grazed behind my ear as he held my head steady and looked into my eyes. Like he was reunited with a son he'd lost for real.

"OK if we break up the journey home?" he asked, snapping out of his spell and grabbing my bag from me. "It's a long drive."

"Of course," I said.

We got settled into the front seat and Dad started the car. We made some small talk, and Dad caught me up on life back home. Though I didn't miss much, other than maybe Dad re-treating the wood on the back deck.

We were winding down the mountain and re-entering civilization. At least if these small, one-traffic-light towns counted as civilization.

Dad shifted from the small talk. "So... you survived OK, Son?"

I nodded. "More than survived, Dad. Thrived." I had bought into the whole Program now.

He seemed pleased. "I, um... heard from an old Army buddy of mine," he said. Something in his tone seemed laden with meaning. "He said he got to know you real well."

I blushed. I knew damn well my father was talking about Daddy.

"Yes, sir. We got real tight."

Dad had a good idea of what I meant. He gave a gentle nod and glanced over at me. "I'm glad to hear."

I was chubbing up in my jeans now thinking about Daddy. "OK if I go visit him sometime, Dad?" I asked.

Dad's voice got quiet. "That can probably be arranged."

I thought maybe I freaked my dad out. But we were quiet for a lot of that drive. It had been around 3PM when I'd checked out of the Compound, and it was getting dinner time.

I loved diner food and after two months of Outward Bound meals, I was ready for a real restaurant meal. I scarfed down my food, which amused Dad. "Looks like they haven't been feeding you, Sport," he said.

"They definitely don't believe in creature comforts," I said. I pulled out my phone. "This might have been the hardest thing to live without." I mostly was checking to see if Daddy sent me another message.

Dad laughed. Then he got serious. "So... no hard feelings, Carter?"

I sighed. "God, Dad. After what I did to you? What I put your through? I don't know how to make it up to you."

"You don't have to make anything up to me, Son. Just stay on the straight and narrow. At least till you find yourself."

I took that in. "I'm finding myself, Dad. For real."

"That's all a father can ask," he said.

Dad was normally not great at expressing emotion, and already he was itching to get the check and pay for the meal.

We drove a little bit more. Dad had me find an available hotel that wasn't too expensive. I don't think I realized until we checked in how long of a day it had been. Emotionally as much as anything.

I decided not to check my phone again. Daddy and I would find a groove to correspond and to meet again. I trusted him.

After I brushed my teeth, Dad was in one of the beds, watching TV on low volume. He wasn't build quite as strong as Daddy but his upper body was solid, and he had the same soft furry chest. As I stripped down to my briefs, Dad's eyes watched me furtively. Probing me with soft expectation.

I took the initiative this time. Just feeling Dad's eyes on my half-naked body was all the signal I needed. Pausing at my own bed, I turned back to him. "Ok if I join you instead?" I asked.

Dad was too scared to reply. But he nodded and slid over.

Only when I got into bed with him did I realize that Dad's bod was more solid than I initially thought. His clothes always hid the hard tone of his muscle and he had some love handles that stopped shy of a beer belly.

Our kiss was soft and taboo as fuck. Dad's hands clung to my body, like eagle talons. I pushed my tongue into my father's mouth and felt him plunge his back. Dad didn't kiss like Daddy did. It was hard and needy.

Just as impetuously he and I stripped down our underwear. Our dicks were a lot alike. Longer, regular thickness, with a gentle curve to the right, heaving leaking. Like twins. Dad looked down at mine, like I did at his.

"You're all grown up, Carter."

"Yeah, Dad." I reached down and touched his cock. My dad's cock. He wasn't Daddy, he wasn't my first man, but the forbidden aspect made it off the charts. "I gotta learn to be your son again, though."

Dad gulped. His eyes grew misty wet. "You never stopped, sport. Not even this last year."

We kissed. Dad was responding to my soft approach, like I'd responded to Daddy's. My hand ran along his strong chest and his softer middle as we made out. I felt every bit of guilt for how I'd treated Dad and it was coming out in the only way I knew. Like Dad, I wasn't good at expressing emotion.

But I was good at this.

I broke off the kiss with a playful smile. Dad seemed to be trying to read what I was thinking. I let him wonder a minute longer.

I scooted down, kind of kneeling on the bed, till I was face to face with the dick that made me. I touched it again, feeling its poker hot heat and its steel rigidity. I could smell his masculine scent.

"Sport..." he urged, as if telling me something.

His next words caught in his throat as I took his dick into my mouth. I paused a second. Daddy had instructed me in this, but my father's cock felt particularly dry until I summoned up some extra saliva. Then I went down on him, slowly, teasingly.

I was going to make things up to Dad in the way I knew how.

He placed his hand on my head, softly cradling it as I lovingly blew him to completion.

***

The next morning when Dad was in the shower I sent a text.

"Daddy, you didn't tell me you knew my father."

He was up and the reply was quick. "You had to find out for yourself." Then, "I hope you can be a junior counselor next summer."

I thought of what next year would mean. Being off at college, enjoying some independence. Making new friends.

But I knew that meant nothing. "You know I will," I wrote.

"Stay strong," Daddy replied.

"Stay strong," I wrote back, then set down my phone.

[moonstruckme]

this is such a specific request and i’m back and forth about making it because it feels silly but i’m so in love with the way you write james i had to take a chance. i had a bad experience going down on a guy once and i just can’t enjoy it since, but guys often aren’t very understanding about it. i was wondering if you’d write something with james and reader where she doesn’t enjoy it (and it doesn’t have to be for the reason i stated, any reason is fine!), and he’s being such a sweetheart about it. no worries if this request is too much!

Thank you for requesting <3

cw: smut mdni

James Potter x fem!reader ♡ 634 words

When James’ head disappears beneath the covers for a second time, your guilt catches up with you. 

You lift up the sheets. You can’t lie to yourself, it’s an alluring sight—James looking up from where he’d been kissing under your navel, long lashes fluttering in happy surprise and one big hand already wrapped securely around your thigh. His lips stay half an inch from your skin.

You decide to drop the sheets rather than tire your arms holding them up. They bubble you in there with him, the morning light filtering through and casting you both half in shadow. 

“Hey,” you say awkwardly.

James’ smile splits his face. “Hi, there.” He finishes what he started, kissing the skin below your navel tenderly. “Nice of you to join me down here.” 

“Thought I should see what you seemed so interested in,” you joke. 

He squeezes your thigh roughly. “It’s quite the view, as you can see.” 

“Yeah,” you laugh half-heartedly. “Sure.” 

Something on your face must give you away. James’ hand smooths out on your thigh. He presses a kiss to the inside, gentle but enough to make your nerves jump. “Something wrong?”

“I don’t think you should do this,” you blurt. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, and, um, we should probably go back to doing other things.” 

James makes no move other than to distance his lips from your leg. “Okay,” he says simply. “If you don’t feel like it anymore, that’s fine. Do you not want me to touch you?” 

“No, it’s—it’s not you.” You give him a little smile, aiming for reassuring. “You’re fine. I just don’t think we should do oral.” 

He blinks. “You don’t think we should or you don’t want to?” 

“I don’t think we should.” Because trust me, I want to. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let you do it the first time. I can’t—or not can’t, I just don’t want to reciprocate.” The confession tumbles out of you like yarn unspooled. “Sorry. I really don’t like blowjobs.” 

“Oh.” It appears to take James a few seconds to process this. When he does, his expression isn’t what you anticipated. He smiles crookedly, eyebrows scrunching like he’s caught between bemusement and humor. “Sweetheart, you could have just said that. That’s alright.” 

You give him a weak smile. “Thanks for being cool about it. I know I should’ve told you earlier, it just…I got caught up, and it felt really good.” You feel your face heating and drop your gaze. “Anyway, it was selfish. Sorry to lead you on.” 

“What? Angel.” James gives your thigh a little shake. “I mean I don’t mind. Really, I’ll eat you out either way. It’s not just so you’ll give me something in return.” 

Now it’s your turn to blink. “What do you mean?” 

He gives you a half-lidded look, both knowing at teasing. “I mean that I like doing this. And even if I didn’t, you hardly forced me. You didn’t promise me anything. You’re allowed to do—or not do—whatever you like.” 

“You’re serious?” You glean from James’ expression that you must look as shocked as you feel. “You really don’t care? You’d tell me if you did, right?” 

He grins, kissing again the sensitive skin inside your thigh. “Yeah, honey. I promise I’d tell you.”

“Oh. Thanks.” 

He laughs. “No problem. So do you mind if I keep going now? If you want me to stop, that’s okay too.” 

“Um.” You rub your lips together, looking down at him. James waits patiently, but his palm starts moving up and down your thigh, a soothing touch that leaves a trail of heat in its wake. “Sure. If you don’t mind.” 

He holds eye contact with you as he lowers his head. His breath is hot on your cunt. “Not at all.”

[kiiwiigii]

Morning Showers 

Emmett x Fem!Reader 

Summary: Emmett joins you for a morning shower, and as if the shower wasn’t already hot enough, it gets even hotter 

Warnings: 

NSFW 18+ 

Smut 

Word Count: 700+ 

Requested?: For Kinktober! 

Okay I'm back again 👀 but I just saw shower sex!?! So how about sleepy and lazy shower sex with emmet (also I'm loving everyone's ideas and I'm gonna have a blast reading them alll)>  

A/N: Not sure I'm super happy with this one, but I hope you guys enjoy it, nonetheless. 

I sighed happily, letting the hot water run over my skin.  

There was nothing quite like a hot shower to wake you up in the morning. At least that's what I've been told. Right now, I could happily fall asleep, my muscles relaxing even more. 

I jumped a little as I felt cold arms wrap around me from behind. I automatically put my hands over his in surprise, my brain trying to form coherent thoughts in its foggy state. 

"Emmett?" I murmured sleepily, turning my head to rest against his as he buried his head into my neck. 

"The one and only." His voice was muffled for a moment before he nosed his way up to my ear, placing a soft kiss at the base. "Good morning, beautiful." 

"Good morning yourself, handsome." 

I reached my hand up to cup the back of his neck as he kissed and nipped along my neck. I leaned my head to the side in silent submission, letting him rake his teeth along my neck before sucking softly on my pulse point. 

I moaned, digging my nails into his hard skin. 

Emmett chuckled. "Easy there, tiger." 

I couldn’t help but giggle, but that quickly turned into a soft moan as his hands traced their way over my curves, leaving a cool trail of goosebumps behind. I shivered a little, the coldness of his skin contrasting with the heat of the water. I gasped as his hands found my breasts, his long fingers pinching and flicking my nipples teasingly. 

"Emmett." I moaned softly. 

"I love it when you say my name, doll." He nibbled on my ear. 

I turned around to face him, lacing my hands through his thick hair and reaching up on the very tips of my toes to meet him halfway as he ducked down to kiss me.  

"I want you," I murmured. 

"Your wish is my command." 

I let out a surprised gasp as he lifted me, hands under my thighs, and pressed me into the shower wall, the water running in between us. My hand slipped downwards, taking his length in my hand and guiding him to my entrance. My head fell forward onto his shoulder with a groan as he entered me with little to no effort. 

He growled, pushing deeper into me and my heart skipped a beat. If there was one thing I loved about Emmett, it was his possessiveness. He gave me freedom to do whatever I wanted, but at the end of the day I was his, and he was mine. And there was nothing that turned me on more. 

I could feel every inch of him as he slid into me, and I moaned as he bottomed out, filling me completely. I wrapped my legs around his waist, clinging to him as he began to move, his hips thrusting in a slow, smooth rhythm. It wasn't long before I could feel my orgasm boiling up inside of me, and I rolled my hips forward, desperate for release. 

Emmett buried his face in my neck, his hands clutching my thighs. 

"That's it, doll. Come for me." He murmured. 

I groaned, feeling the warmth in my lower half building and building.  

"Emmett," I whimpered. "I'm going to…" 

"Come for me, Y/N." He murmured; his voice tight. "I want to feel you come all over me. I want that pussy strangling my cock until I can barely move inside you." 

He picked up the pace, thrusting into me as I felt the waves of pleasure build up inside me. Just when I was about to let go, he shifted his hips, hitting that one spot that had me seeing stars and finally sent me over the edge. I mewled, arching my back as my whole body shook.  

"Emmett." I panted, no, I pleaded, tears forming in my eyes from the intensity of the pleasure rippling through me. 

"I'm not stopping until you come again, doll." 

I moaned, pussy and thighs clenching around him at his words.  

He continued to move, his hips moving in a fast, desperate rhythm. I could feel myself tightening around him again.  

"Please. Please. Please." I whimpered. "I'm going to come again." 

He obliged, his cock hitting that one spot over and over again and I cried out, shattered by the waves of pleasure washing over me. He growled, pounding into me harder and harder. Just when I thought I wouldn't be able to take anymore, he slammed into me one final time and froze, coming deep inside of me. I cried out, my orgasm continuing unabated as he filled me with his seed. 

We slumped against the wall, both of us panting and spent. 

"Mine." He muttered into my neck. 

"Yours." I agreed. 

{Kinktober} // {Masterlist}

Taglist: @alecvolturi @alecvolturiswifeforever @belladonna-xox @bunbunbl0gs @hyperuseless @jana-jaeynneee @itsmytimetoodream @lack-lust-3r @lucansmina @pawspurpaw @pooka167 @rosedpetal @targaryenmoony @twilightlover2007

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[missmonsters2]

🥶

WandaNat

Pairing: WandaNat x Fem!Reader

Warnings: awkward!reader. clint slander. WandaNat no mercy.

Note: i miss them

Masterlist || Library Blog || AO3

Count: 999 (🧍‍♀️)

Reminder there's no taglist but you can follow my library blog for notifications 💘

Please do not copy, repost, or translate my work anywhere else.

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⋆⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷

This was your worst nightmare—trapped between the bodies of two incredibly hot, kind, and funny women. 

And no, it wasn't in the sexy way—your brain refused to even let you go down that route. You'd implode at even the slightest thought of it. 

This was Clint's fault, you quietly seethed, plotting his gruesome murder that could later be turned into a true crime podcast. Laura will have to be a widowed single mother, and the children will have to grow up fatherless, but surely it was for the best. 

"Come down to visit us!" Clint said to you, your mind mimicking his voice unflatteringly. "It's been way too long since you guys came to stay with us."

It was a normal occurrence; you thought nothing of it. You, Wanda, and Natasha often went to stay with Clint and his family quarterly. Natasha visited more with her girlfriend, Wanda, and they invited you every time, but you settled that four times a year was enough. 

It was usually fun, and the time spent was enjoyable, so you really had thought nothing about it.

Until Clint decided he was actually the incarnate of the devil and condemned you for some undisclosed sin. 

"Oh, you three are cool sharing a room, right? The other spare bedroom is under renovation. I mean, one of you can take the couch but I highly don't recommend it with what the kids have spilled on it over the years."

No, it wasn't okay, you wanted to say at the time, but Wanda and Natasha nonchalantly waved Clint off and told him it was fine, and the conversation breezed on, never to be returned to again. 

Why would he invite all three of you if there wasn't enough space!? You tried to tell Wanda and Natasha that you could drive to the nearest hotel at night, but they looked at you strangely and asked if you hated them. It was jokingly, but you could hear a tinge of hurt in their voice, which silenced you from offering to leave again. 

But now you were suffering. 

The bed was way too small for three people but left enough room for just a couple of inches to keep you from coming into skin-to-skin contact with either redhead.

You stared at the ceiling, despite being unable to make out any details of the room in the darkness. 

Why the fuck were you in the middle?

You should've been on the edge. At least then, you could hang half your body off it to keep some distance. 

You started at the edge of the bed—make no mistake. But then Natasha came to your side and asked you to scootch over. You assumed she preferred sleeping on the right side, so you started to make your way down to the other side. But then, to your horror, Wanda climbed in from the other end, effectively trapping you in the middle. 

The words were caught in your throat as you tried to force them out and ask if you could have the edge, but Natasha and Wanda mumbled their goodnights before promptly falling asleep. 

This was unacceptable; you mentally cried. This was—weird. You know that Wanda and Natasha have been together for ages, and they probably didn't care, but it was strange to be in the middle of them like this. You're way too awkward for this. 

It brought up the unwanted feelings you've been trying to get rid of for months. 

The worst part was that it was winter, and this room was so fucking cold. Was Clint going through financial hardship? Why isn't there any heat in this room?

You wished him ill, you wished him ill, you wished bad things upon Clint Barton. 

You shifted, trying to pull the blanket up higher and shrink yourself to retain some of the heat. You turned on your side, facing Wanda's back, and frowned. You could practically feel the heat radiating off her and wanted to scoot away from her. But you couldn't. You'd scoot right into Natasha, who was also radiating heat as she faced your back.

At this moment, you hated them for being so unaware of their temptations. 

You swallowed. Moving a little closer to Wanda wouldn't be too bad, right? Just to steal a bit more of her warmth, so you could fall asleep and wake up early to get out of bed. 

You scooted a little closer, your nose just inches away from her back since there wasn't much wiggle room. Her heat emitted off her like a goddamn fireplace, and you sighed a little at the warmth on your nose and the parts of your cheeks. 

It was still pretty cold, and you shivered a little. 

Your movement seemed to wake Wanda as she lifted her head to look around at you. You looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Turning back, Wanda lay her head back down and shut her eyes with a yawn. 

You started to scoot back to where you were, but Wanda grabbed your wrist from under the blanket and pulled it over her waist as she shuffled back into you.

The warmth pressed against your front jolted you, and you were stiff, despite how good it felt. 

"любимая, she's cold," Wanda mumbled in the dark as she threaded her fingers through yours.

Wanda was clearly speaking to Natasha because the redhead behind you shifted and moved closer until she was pressed against your back snuggly. Her arms wrapped around your midsection as she tangled her legs through yours. 

You wanted to die. 

You wanted to kill Clint Barton and then run into oncoming traffic. 

"Um," you croaked. 

"Is this better?" Natasha mumbled sleepily, and she was so close you felt her lips move against your shoulder. 

No.

Yes.

No.

"Uh," you dragged out before finally deciding with an awkward stiff, "Yes."

It was warm—almost too warm now. You closed your eyes with a silent groan. 

You weren't getting any sleep tonight.

[seamsterslocal]

summer binder picture tutorial

this is the third binder ive made for myself recently and the first one i’m writing up. it’s designed to do a few things: 1) allow me to put it on by myself without dislocating my shoulders 2) allow me to breathe well enough to partake in normal activity 3) be cool enough to wear throughout a muggy 90-100F summer 4) not constrict my ribs in a way that aggravates my lack of connective tissue and causes intense pain.

this has become necessary even though i had top surgery many years ago, because when i had it i was extremely skinny and since then i’ve increased in size by about 50%. this has been really fucking good for my health in every single way* except that when my chest is squishy or moves at all it’s So Goddamn Triggering for me. but also since ive had top surgery ive developed and/or been made away of a plethora of chronic conditions that make every single commercially available binding option medically impossible. unbound, my chest is pretty much what you’d expect for a chubby cis guy but venturing out into the world in just a tshirt no longer works for me

*anyone who badmouths weight gain or fat bodies in the notes WILL be blocked

under the cut are a bunch of process pictures and explanations of what they all mean:

first i’ll give you a look at the pieces and measurements:

most of the seams are sewn in this picture and one half is turned inside out, allowing you to see both the finished dimensions (right) and the placement of the fusible horsehair canvas that gives this lil scrap of linen any structure at all (left)

to get your chest measurement, you’re gonna have to do some math:

first measure above and below what you want to bind. average these numbers. mine are something like 32 and 34, which average to 33. subtract a few inches--this is to allow the air movement between the laces at center front and back, critical in the summertime. i deleted 3 inches bc i like that number but you can go bigger if you want. the more inches you subtract here, the more youll be able to ratchet all your chest material down later, but at the same time you need to leave enough fabric for a sturdy garment. let’s say a range of 2-6 inches/5-15cm. by taking your measurements this way, you’re essentially measuring the chest you would like to have. that + the horsehair canvas work together to compress any squishy tissue/force anything that doesnt compress up and to the outside (basically into the armpit/lower shoulder--the chest might stick out but it will give a very puffed chest captain america pectoral silhouette)

you can also see how ive clipped my curves and pre-drilled my lacing holes. i used the marlin spike on my knife to open up the holes on the interfacing side, mainly as a way of marking them. this worked well bc the interfacing’s glue kept the linen from raveling

this is the same stage but looking at the non-interfaced grey linen/cotton blend (the black is some 100% linen from my cabbage stash). you can see ive broken the solar-plexus-to-back measurement up into a bunch of pieces to save on fabric but that’s not necessary. my original pattern was just two pieces (front and back) and chopping the straps into thirds on both sides was aesthetic

in the following picture you can really see how this is really just overgrown regency stays:

i thought about doing side lacing but didn’t think that would be comfortable for me. on the front, the side seam allowance was pressed inwards before turning to create a finished looking slot. on the back the side seam is left unfinished with an extra wide seam allowance, and is inserted into that slot.

here’s a closeup on it pinned in place (you can adjust the angle of the side seam and the fit during this pinning stage):

that side seam was just topstitched in place once i had the fit how i liked it, and the armhole was reinforced with more topstitching

alright, time for eyelets: first, you can see how well the marking worked:

next, two rows of basted eyelets (left), one row of eyelets sewn with a doubled and waxed cotton thread (center right), and one row of eyelets opened and stainless steel rings placed (right).

next time i’m going to mark the eyelets same as i did above, but do this step differently--i’ll mark and baste the steel rings in place BEFORE widening the eyelets. this is bc i had a lot of problems keeping the eyelets on center

eyelets half done on this one! on the left are eyelets sewn with doubled and waxed cotton thread and on the right eyelets sewn with quadrupled and waxed thread. the center is basting again. i was able to force the holes back in line while sewing the eyelets but it was kinda annoying. adding a second picture that doesnt have great focus but hopefully shows how that process worked and shows the spike clearly

i ended up using this white cotton thread because it’s stronger than my black cotton thread (which the rest of it is sewn with). [eta: after this was first posted, i pressed the whole thing heavily, which effectively de-waxed the thread, and i dyed the whole thing a medium charcoal grey, the thread blends in perfectly on the lighter side and isn’t such a sore thumb on the darker side]

bonus: the piecing layout for that little piece of strap. the whole light gray half of the binder was made from 1/2 of one of the legs i cut off some linen suit pants to make slutty camping shorts last year and i really really didn’t want to break into any of the other three halves for this garment--i have Plans for it

overall the fit of this is incredible. it DOESNT hurt my ribs which every zip-up garment ive been able to find (and it is difficult) does due to really thick elastic at the base. it doesnt aggravate my sensory issues with the synthetic fibers that every commercial option is made of. i can walk up a hill or stairs, or go to pt, without getting too out of breath. i can eat with it tight, or loosen the front easily and without taking it off to make eating easier and less nausea-inducing. it is reversible!

best of all the lacing at the back gives the garment enough movement for me to get it on without dislocating, and the interfacing and steel rings give it structure once it’s on. the shaping comes only from fusible horsehair linen canvas and stainless steel rings like youd use for chainmail, there’s no boning at all, which makes it very quick to sew (except the eyelets, but metal grommets would be sturdy and quick provided theyre of good quality)

there’s a small amount of gaping on the outside of the shoulder strap, which i plan on fixing with a tiny tiny dart in the armpit, i want to add pockets to tuck the laces into, and i need a better lace for the back, but it’s completely wearable in time for the 90 weather next week which is all i wanted. i’ll do a reblog when it’s perfectly finished with an update on the fit but for now it is done enough 

the little ridge where it doesnt lay flat against the shoulder is most visible with just a single t shirt over it. with a flannel or a sweater, it disappears, and by itself, it’s hidden in movement

eta: after dyeing this, i relaced it a bit looser in the back and that gape mainly disappeared. ive decided to leave it in instead of smoothing it with a dart because the loose fabric gives space for my chest to expand when breathing and shapes my silhouette in a way that emphasizes my shoulders

[shurisasthmaticgf]

boyfriend enrichment activities: lando norris x black! fem reader

summary: you and your boyfriend spend a much needed day at the beach.

warnings: swearing

author's note: i thought of this after going to the beach and seeing a guy dig a hole in the sand for a solid four hours...so thanks to that guy for the inspo! as always feedback is highly encouraged and greatly appreciated.

a day at the beach was something that you'd been needing since the start of winter, and now that it was finally beach weather you couldn't wait to enjoy the sun with your boyfriend. the two of you had been working hard, lando was training hard as the season was in full swing while you were balancing your new job and travelling on weekends. although your job was much less physically demanding, you were still exhausted and in much need of a relaxation day.

you both spared a day between race weekends to run off to the beach for the first time in a long time. most times you'd plan everything down to the type of bottled water you'd bring in your cooler but this time you decided to forget the itinerary and just take a few things.

lando carried your oversized beach bag that brought an ache to his shoulder by the time you made it down to the water from the parking lot. meanwhile you carried along your favorite tiny cream colored Jacquemus bag that only fit a pack of tic tacs and a mini lip gloss. in one hand you held your phone and the other a small shovel and bucket set you'd gotten at a store right by the beach.

when the two of you finally found a good spot you laid down a outdoor blanket and your towels on top of it for a softer surface to lay on. you immediately began putting on sun cream, applying it liberally and rolling your eyes when it left a slight white cast against your brown skin. you didn't even have to ask before lando took the bottle and began rubbing the lotion onto your back, brushing your box braids away from your back first. when he was finished you did the same for him and just like that he was gone, running out to the water eagerly as the scorching hot sand burned the bottom of his feet.

you did enjoy the beach and as a kid you spent hours making sandcastles, finding seashells, swimming out to a sandbar for sea biscuits, or playing some ball game with your cousins on the sand during family vacations. however, today you just wanted to lay out and soak up the sun while watching your boyfriend frolic in the sea.

nearly half an hour passed before you felt fat drops of salt water fall onto your face. when you opened your eyes you saw your boyfriend's face mere inches from yours, his curls now dripping onto your skin. you pushed his face lightly with a laugh, "get your soggy ass away from me!" he shook his head and flung salt water onto you earning a screech followed by giggles. you passed him one of the towels from your bag and said, "here dry yourself with this." he wrapped it around himself and sat beside you, "the water is quite nice, it cooled the bottom of my feet after running out there." you hummed as you read the book you brought with you. lando simply watched you but you could tell he was itching to do something, he just didn't know what.

you watched as he eyed your beach bag then unclipped the claw clip from the side of it. he opened and closed it then smiled to himself before using it to sift through sand to find shells he thought you'd like. one by one he began lining them up on your thigh, but you didn't mind, he was in his own world while you were immersed in your book. eventually, gathering shells also grew boring and you'd dozed off with your book beside you and your beach hat covering your face. so, lando took to the sand once more but this time began digging a hole a few meters away from the spot you set up.

there was no telling how long you slept since you didn't know when you dozed off, but when you woke up lando wasn't beside you. grabbing your sunglasses you looked up from where you'd been laying and you nearly choked seeing the gigantic hole he dug in the sand. he noticed you staring at him and beamed, "look at the hole i dug." something about seeing him proud of this stupid sand hole he made just made you laugh even more so when you looked at the children's plastic shovel in his hand.

by the end of the day he was fast asleep and slightly snoring on his towel. you'd gotten him to take a walk with you to take pictures for social media and tried to show him how to balance rocks in a stack which he failed at miserably. the two of you also used the two buckets you had to try and see who could build the best sandcastle. you won with a quite impressive masterpiece but only because your boyfriend built his too close to the water and it got ruined by a large wave that ran right into it as he finished. however, the highlight of your day was finding a horseshoe crab and naming it Persephone then running over to show it to lando thinking he'd find it cool.

he did not find it cool.

he found it rather uncool.

so much so that he ran away screaming for you to put it down as you tried to bring it closer to him.

you smiled at the memory as you gazed at your sleeping boyfriend. after snapping a photo of his sleeping form you slowly you inched closer to him and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. lando's lip twitched into a sleepy smile and you placed a hand on his head, softly grazing his ear with your thumb. your shadow blocked his eyes from the sun as he slowly opened one and looked up to see you with your knees drawn to your chest, your face resting on your thighs. you shushed quietly and said, "go back to sleep, we don't have to leave yet." he let his eye fall back shut and you looked straight ahead at the sea. the turquoise expanse of the sea blurred into the sky's cerulean blue flecked with silvery clouds in the distance drew your attention with passing moments. you let out a soft sigh, smiling to yourself at how corny and cliche this moment seemed to be, yet it was all you needed after all this time. 𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆝⋆.˚ 𓇼 ⋆｡˚ 𓆞

callmeyn

liked by landonorris and 934,293 others

callmeyn my job is just...beach ⛱

view all 10,543 comments

alexandrasaintmleux pretty girl <3

⤷ callmeyn that's all you mama 🩵

⤷ charles_leclerc stop flirting with my girlfriend

⤷ callmeyn OUR girlfriend 😒🖐️

⤷ charles_leclerc i didn't agree to that-

⤷ alexandrasaintmleux too bad 😇

f1 it was all too much for little lando norris 🥺

⤷ callmeyn LMAOOOOO

username1 lando finding a horseshoe crab is so on brand 😭

⤷ callmeyn girl please i found Persephone and this man ran away from me yelling "no please!" when i picked her up and tried to show him 💀

mclaren why is my driver standing in a ditch? 🤨

⤷ callmeyn i woke up from a nap and there it was...him standing in it.

⤷ oscarpiastri i could dig a deeper one

⤷ alex_albon i could out dig both of you

⤷ maxverstappen1 i'd win hands down

lilymhe omg the little shells are so cute! 🤭

⤷ callmeyn ikr :(

username2 NEVER DIG STRAIGHT DOWN AT THE BEACH!

⤷ callmeyn don't worry pookie he knows, he just chose to do it anyways! ����

username1 stanley yelnats ahh 💀

⤷ callmeyn STANLEY YELNATS- you just unlocked a childhood memory omg

username3 why does my boyfriend do the same thing...

⤷ callmeyn ✨boyfriend enrichment activities✨

𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆝⋆.˚ 𓇼 ⋆｡˚ 𓆞

landonorris

by callmeyn and 785,997 others

landonorris use protection

view all 5,325 comments

mclaren ...p-pardon?

username4 WHAT IS THIS CAPTION 😭

username5 Y/N MARRY ME PLS I HAVE A MANSION AND MANY CARS 🙏

⤷ landonorris so do i, try again

⤷ username5 i'm not afraid of horseshoe crabs😈

⤷ username6 HELP HE BLOCKED ME AND I HAD TO MAKE A NEW ACCOUNT 😭😭😭

⤷ callmeyn UNBLOCK HER RIGHT NOW @/landonorris

oscarpiastri you do know you have the option to leave captions empty right 😐

⤷ landonorris i'm advising the public to use sun cream?

danielriccardo wait that's a nice ass sandcastle-

⤷ landonorris why thank you

⤷ callmeyn i'll let you have it since yours got washed away by the ocean at the last second 😁

⤷ f1 oh this is awkward...

𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆝⋆.˚ 𓇼 ⋆｡˚ 𓆞

the end.

[phan3145]

Title: Slippery Slope. Fandom: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Rating: T. ( Intensity, implications) Pairing: Eventual Noa x Human!Reader.

***NOTES: Finally a chapter with a decent length. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me along this story’s journey. I would love to hear more from you guys, what you think of the chapter, or any predictions for what might happen! Tagging @imaginarydreams

Chapter 7: At Odds

You

It wasn’t long after Noa left that you found sleep again. It wasn’t completely restful though, odd dreams and quick flashes of memory plagued you until you woke up once more. You sighed, eyes cracking open to steal a glance towards the opening by your fire, noting it was barely dawn, the cool blue tone of morning still reflecting along the sides of the rock. You closed your eyes again, wanting just a little bit more time, hoping that if you went back to sleep now it would be dreamless.

You blamed the visions on your conversation with Noa, reawakening thoughts and feelings you buried a long time ago. You knew whatever peace you found last night wouldn’t last, but even you had to admit this was a little too soon. You heard a faint scratching of rock next to you, and you groaned internally. Bringing your hands up to rub at you eyes, you wondered if a bird had gotten in.

You turned your head, suddenly coming face to face with brown eyes, auburn fur, and white teeth. Your own eyes widened, frozen in place as you stared at the predator in front of you. It’s body was lithe, crouched in a position that suggested it was ready to either leap or dash away. Your eyes focused then on its mouth, open but not snarling or frothing. No rabies then, but not necessarily a non-threat. It was studying you just as you studied it, each of you waiting for the other to move.

You slowly placed a hand on the edge of your bed, the red tail fox sniffing and inching closer as you did. This surprised you, having come across foxes before and never experiencing this level of naïve curiosity in them before. In the past, they had let out a horrendous screeching noise before dashing away into the woods. Your mom had loved the creatures, saying they reminded her of domesticated cats that used to roam free when she was a child. She never explained what happened to them, only that they no longer existed. She had modeled your shelter after the foxes’ homes apparently, which also explained why she called it a burrow. The engineering was smart though, having two different ways of getting in and out, one obvious, the other hidden in case of a predator cornering you.

The fox paused as you tentatively pushed yourself into a sitting position, its eyes lingering before darting to the left. You looked then to the ledge a foot away from you. The half eaten salmon that Noa gave you, still wrapped in the leaf, sat there cold and untouched. The fox was hungry…and desperately so if it was willing to get so close to you. You leaned over hesitantly, not wanting to spook it, and grabbed the fish.

It whined then, almost sounding like a laugh as it swayed left then back right. That’s when you noticed the protruding ribs. Foxes were meant to be thin, but not that thin. Its mouth opened in another whine, tongue lolling out slightly as it raised its paw only to put it back down exactly where it had been. You chuckled, looking at the fish in your hand, then to the fox. It was waiting patiently. You leaned forward, ready to spring back if it decided to lunge at you instead of the volunteered meat. It sniffed at the offering in your hand, head inching closer before snatching the fish from you. It paused a moment, as if surprised how easy that had been, then spinning around and scurrying towards your entrance. It stopped again, looking back at you once more, before squirming it’s way through the crack between the rock and cave wall, dashing away into the woods.

You let out a breath in surprise, wondering if that had actually happened. You didn’t need to pinch your arm, the ache in your shoulder reminding you that you were in fact awake. Then you wondered if its burrow was somewhere nearby, surprisingly not concerned for yourself, but for the creature. It seemed so hungry, and you were aware there was not a lot of small game in the area. The sickening thought that you might be over hunting the woods of what little game there was, made your stomach drop.

You looked to your makeshift kitchen…no more meat. There were only two baskets of fruit remaining, and normally today you would go out and hunt for rabbit or squirrel before meeting the apes. You breathed in deeply, shaking your head as you pushed yourself up from your bed. You would need to wash your sheets tomorrow during bathing day...and also remember to wash the blood from your forehead. Until then, you grabbed an apple, your spear, and fishing line, deciding to get your day started.

The salmon had been good last night, at least until your stomach tried to reject it during your emotional trip down memory lane. You usually didn’t eat it, knowing the apes frequently visited the creek and fish was part of their food supply. Now that you had built a relationship, if you could call it that, with three of them, you decided now was the best time to include more fish in your diet. It wouldn’t kill you to eat fish and fruit for awhile, instead of squirrel and rabbit.

Something fluttered in your heart then as a passing thought rocketed through your mind. If you happened to have an extra fish, and the fox came back, it would be such a shame not to feed it. Waste not, want not and all that. The apes had their eagles after all, so inter-species companionship wasn’t inherently a human trait. If you could befriend an ape, why not a fox? At least, you wanted to try.

Your time with the apes, while new and strange, recently reminded you of just how alone you were. You relied on their persistent presence now, dreading days you knew you wouldn’t see them. You enjoyed living alone, but not necessarily being alone…to be the only living thing in a space was unnerving sometimes. Solitude was a blessing and a curse in that regard. You could never domesticate an Eagle like the apes…but a fox? Maybe. As you squeezed yourself through your entrance, huffing slightly from the effort, you made your way towards the creek. Might as well get there early and work on dinner before the apes came to learn.

You were reminded then of the books, knowing you hadn’t seen them in your burrow last night or this morning. You recalled Noa placing them into his satchel before the boar attacked, hopefully they were still with him. It was Noa after all, he seemed to think of everything. You groaned then, vividly reminded oh how the two of you had parted last night. You had been flustered and slightly awkward, which caused you to flush from embarrassment all over again. What exactly had you even been thinking at the time?

Noa was a friend, an ally if nothing else. His touch last night was nothing more than an attempt to soothe you after an emotional moment, but something about it had left a lingering impact on your senses. You recalled every second of that exchange in vivid detail, to the point you could almost still feel the warmth of his hand on your body now. You shook the thought from your head, reminding yourself about the truth behind his touch. It was to comfort, and to serve his own goals. He told you as much, wanting to make you more comfortable around apes in the future. You couldn’t deny that, he even said he wanted to build off the fact his touch didn’t bother you.

At the time, your mind had been too muddled to really think about his words, but now? His frequent touch may shock you, surprise you even if you’re unprepared, but you agreed it didn’t bother you. You had to admit, if only to yourself, all the times you’ve flinched from it, it’s never been in disgust or a desire to get away from him. It hadn’t been, not since that first day. He wasn’t Gol, and you were very aware of that. The day you two met he had been gentle with you, reassured you, and though it had scared you at the time, he had protected you. He didn’t know you, but he had been willing to throw his body over yours so you wouldn’t get hurt. Noa’s touch was protective and gentle, and that’s why you flinched from it.

Now, because you responded after he showed you that same gentleness and kindness, you were worried about facing him. All you really did was hold his hand! How ridiculous was that? Maybe Noa was right, maybe you were jumbled. At the very least, you were hungry. You took a bite of your apple then, the juice dribbling down your chin. You wiped it away, noting that you were already off to a fantastic start as a teacher. You forgot about your books and you were scared to face your students. Then there was the glaring issue, that you had never had to teach anyone anything before. You had always been the student, and swapping roles made you nervous. You wanted to be a good teacher, hoping to be patient and well spoken as you explained how the English language worked. The apes were quick learners and highly intelligent, so that would certainly help you. And, in all fairness, how hard could teaching adults really be?

…

Surprisingly, it was easier than you thought. Teaching the trio words using the alphabet as association had been simple enough, even if they never heard of the animals in the book. Explaining a lion to the apes took longer than you would have liked to admit, same went for a tiger. You had to promise to get a book on zoology the next time you went to the library before they agreed to focus back on the lesson.

It wasn’t until the third lesson a week later that you realized your mistake. They were learning words, but the individual letters? Not so much. Forming individual syllables seemed to be hard for the apes, Anaya more so than Noa or Soona. At least, that’s what you thought up until right now.

“Wait,” you stopped Noa’s reading mid phrase. You leaned over his shoulder, pointing to a specific line in the middle of the page, “Read this line right here.”

Noa was uncharacteristically shy now. You saw his eyes scanning the words at the top, mouth twitching in phantom movement. You groaned, slightly impressed by his ability to trick you as you accused, “You memorized the book the last time I read it with you, didn’t you?”

Noa’s mouth pulled into a thin line, sniffing once, “Too simple, easy to remember.”

You sighed, “That’s not the point Noa. That’s not reading, that’s memorization. I can’t go around reading everything to you first. And neither can Soona.”

Soona was the star pupil between the apes, putting in the hard work to understand the individual letters. She had already finished her first book, and was starting on her second. She was saving Stellaluna to read to you on her first go, wanting instead to start on Anaya’s books after she finished this one for more practice. You thought that was odd, but if that was her goal you weren’t going to tell her she couldn’t do it. It was rare she asked for your help, choosing to use the Learning Your ABC’s book as a comparison as she sounded out words. You had to admit, her technique was far superior to anything you came up with when learning to read as a child.

She hooted her amusement at your scolding, “Would not help Noa…if he asked anyway….same teacher…same books…can learn himself.”

Noa huffed, flipping the book closed before turning away, “Choose another book…know this one.”

You raised a brow, picking up the book and opening it to a random page, “Are you telling me you can’t read this because you’ve memorized it that quickly? What if I point at individual words?”

Noa hesitated, “Still will remember…you reading it…not on purpose.”

You ran your hand through your hair then, placing the book on the rock a few feet from you. This time last week you thought keeping yourself focused on teaching around Noa would be your biggest struggle. That, or keeping him focused. When he was determined there was little you could do to distract his mind, and you feared he might want to work on building up your tolerance to ape touch instead of learning to read. Thankfully, that had not been the case. Unfortunately however, he had been so determined that he remembered everything you read or showed him. It wasn’t necessarily a bad problem to have, he had certain words memorized, but it did produce the challenge that he could not replicate Soona’s success. He tried to fill in the blanks instead of actually breaking down the words and sounding them out.

You took a deep breath, turning to glance at Anaya now. He was struggling with the first page of his book still. He could understand vowels, but had a hard time grasping the sound of consonants. Much like Noa, he could memorize a word once he heard someone speak it while reading, but had a hard time hearing the sounds on his own. Maybe putting them together would lead to better results?

“Anaya,” you called softly. When he looked up, you motioned him over to where you and Noa sat, “We’re going to do some group work, can you come over here and sit next to Noa? Bring your book too, please.”

He looked absolutely miserable, half walking half dragging himself over before plopping down next to his Sunset Brother. Noa noticed his defeated look, hand coming up to clasp his shoulder, but Anaya shrugged him off. He curled into himself more, crossing his arms and letting his head rest on top of them before sighing. You truly felt bad for him, giving a small thumbs up as you asked, “Are you okay?”

Anaya looked to you, eyes darting towards your hand before returning to your face. He shook his head then, looking away as he signed, Anaya stupid.

“Hey!” You said a little more sternly than you probably should have. Both apes in front of you stared with surprised eyes, silent as you continued, “You are not stupid. Don’t call yourself that again. You’re learning, and yes, it’s going to take time and it’s going to be frustrating, but I know you. You can do this, Anaya.”

Anaya, apparently still not up for words, signed, Soona not frustrated. Soona learn fast.

You gave Anaya a half smile, “Don’t compare yourself to Soona. Everyone is different, everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. Look at me, I can’t jump or climb like any of you can. I can read, because I learned at a young age, but I can’t fish half as well as you Anaya. Soona can braid and weave baskets, because she learned at a young age, but she can’t leap as far as you or Noa. And of course Noa, he uh…”

As your gaze turned to said ape, you lost your train of thought. He was looking at you again, the same way he had that night in your burrow. Those intensely green irises reflected warmth and sincerity that froze the very breath in your lungs. Thankfully, Anaya picked up where you left off, admitting, “Noa…is…good leader…cares for Eagle Clan…but thinks too much.”

Anaya hooted as Noa’s head jerked sideways to glare at him, letting out an offended huff. You chuckled, grateful for the distraction so you could catch your breath. “See? Strengths and weaknesses. No one started out good at any of those things though, they had to learn and grow into it. Just don’t give up so soon, okay?”

Anaya gave you a half smile and a thumbs up, mumbling, “Okay, Echo.”

Soona had remained silent during this exchange, seated under the tree behind you, but grunted now to get your attention. You turned then, seeing her arm outstretched with the Learning Your ABCs book. You leaned over, taking it and signing Thank you before returning your attention to the male apes in front of you. To say you were at a loss for what to do was an understatement. You imagined Noa memorized the alphabet the same way he did his other book, so you weren’t sure how this would be much help. You ran a hand through your hair once more in frustration, kneeling on the ground in front of the apes and beginning to draw in the dirt with your finger. You had one idea that might break through some barriers.

They watched your scribbling with curiosity. You held your breath as you studied the upside down letters to make sure they were right for the apes. You pointed to Anaya then, handing him the book, “Anaya, I want you to use this like Soona does. Try to read what I’ve written, and if you can’t remember a sound, find the letter in the book and use the example.”

Anaya nodded as you pivoted over to Noa, doing the same thing for him. His word was relatively easier to write upside down, and you hoped making it personal for the two apes would bring out their desire to learn again. You wiped your hands on your pants once you were done, “Noa, this one is yours. Same thing, try to figure it out.”

You scooted over to Anaya then, who was staring at his word in confusion. You leaned into him, gently nudging his shoulder, “Sound it out. One letter at a time.”

Anaya pointed, “ A. A. A…sounds like aaaaaape.”

You giggled, “Okay, that’s a start. What about the other two letters?”

Anaya huffed, frantically turning pages in the book, “N…nest and…Y…yarn.”

“Very good,” you smiled. “Now, put all the letters together. Try to sound them out. If they don’t sound right, remember that vowels have a big sound and a little sound.”

Anaya had a few false starts before pushing out, “A…NA…Y..A …that does not sound…like a word.”

You pointed at the first A then, “Okay, so let’s try changing the sounds. Instead of ape, what else can this sound like?”

“Apple,” Anaya immediately supplied.

“Yes!” You encouraged, “Now, try it again until it sounds right.”

You saw the wheels in his head turning, mouth moving over the syllables until you saw the dots connect. Anaya looked up at you then, pants of air followed by hoots as he stood from the ground. You smiled as he pointed to himself, swaying back and forth, “Anaya…is Anaya…my name…is my name!”

“That’s right!” You cheered.

Anaya seemed in brighter spirits at least, pacing back over to Noa and his word. You hoped that Anaya hadn’t given away Noa’s own word by cheering for his success. You watched as Noa seemed puzzled by the letters in front of him. You crouched down to his level then, “What are you struggling with?”

“Thought…it was my name…but now…not sure.” He grunted.

“You thought?” You asked, confused. It was his name, what was he not understanding?

Noa pointed at each letter then, making the big sound for each one, “N…O…A…H…NoAHa….does not make sense.”

“Oh,” you said, understanding his confusion. “So, same thing with Anaya. A does not always mean A. Remember big sounds and little sounds?”

He tried it once more, but still curled his lip at the end. He kept putting a small A at the end of the H. You tried to breathe out an example of what an H sounds like, but when he tried to copy you it still came out as Ha. You reached for his hand then, bringing it closer to your mouth as you explained, “No, you’re going too hard on the H. It’s not a war cry. You’re going, Ha, like there’s an A on it. I need you to say it softer, breathe with it. Like this.”

You breathed out several quick H sounds onto his hand. You locked eyes with him, but he looked even more confused as he stared at you. Sitting up straighter, you angled his hand, turning your head slightly so you were sure he could see your mouth. You held his gaze, pointing to yourself with your free hand as you said, “Watch my lips, feel my breath at the end. NoaH… NoaH… NoaH.”

You breathed and put emphasis on each of the H’s, watching Noa tense on the second pronunciation of his name. On the third, you noticed him lean away from you, the hairs along his neck and shoulders raising. When you were done, silence engulfed the four of you. Noa looked more than confused now, while you could only guess Soona’s expression since she was still at your back, and Anaya’s head swiveled between Noa and you with a slack jaw. For a moment, you worried you had done or said something weird in their language from the way they were reacting.

You let go of Noa’s hand then, which remained suspended in the air a second or two longer, before it dropped into his lap like dead weight. You looked between the trio then, finally having the guts to ask, “What? Did I do something wrong?”

Everything seemed to happen at once then. Soona screeched in laughter, startling you as you jerked around to look at her. She was holding her stomach, as if it physically hurt her to laugh, which in all fairness was a rare occurrence for her. You heard a Thud then, turning away from Soona to see Anaya on the ground, rolling around as he hooted and pointed at you. Or, at least you thought he was pointing at you.

A low rumble came from Noa’s chest, and while it should probably have concerned you, you had a feeling it wasn’t directed at you. In fact, Noa wasn’t even looking at you now. Anaya shot up then, hobbling on all fours to be next to Noa, signing so rapidly you couldn’t keep up. Soona’s hooting, which started to die down, seemed to come back with a vengeance at whatever Anaya was saying. Noa attempted to look away from Anaya, but the chimp leaned his body around his shoulder to continue whatever he was saying.

Finally, Noa tried to swat away Anaya’s hands, who did not stop his signing, skillfully dodging Noa’s attempts. Noa leaned over, trying to cover his hands now with his own, but once again, Anaya was too quick. He rolled sideways, shuffling over by you, hooting in amusement as he slowed his signs, allowing you to catch a handful of words.

Noa…upset…Echo…private…learn…happy…

You opened your mouth to ask what you were missing when Noa, in a tone you had never heard him use, something between a growl and a yell, boomed, “No!”

All three of you had the same reaction, freezing as muscles grew tense and silence struck you like an arrow. You couldn’t see Soona’s reaction, but you saw Anaya crouch low and duck his head in submission. You felt your breath come in harsher as your heart rate spiked, eyes wide as you stared at Noa in confusion and unease. You must have done something wrong after all. He was taking deep breaths through his nose, something he only did when he was irritated, and after that yell…you decided it was best if you apologized.

You found the courage to open your mouth again, snapping it shut when Noa raised his hand to halt you. His eyes locked on to yours then, nostrils flaring now as he continued to breathe deeply. Anaya’s left arm was placed in front of you then, his body leaning forward and pushing himself out of his submissive stance, closer now to Noa than he had been. He signed with his right hand, phrases you couldn’t see as his shoulder blocked your line of sight. You twitched in surprise when Soona’s hand landed on your left shoulder. You looked up, seeing a determined look in her eye that matched Anaya’s while standing behind you. It didn’t seem like they were challenging Noa…but there was a warning there you couldn’t decipher the cause of.

Everything felt too tense, and you couldn’t understand what you could have possibly said in their language to garner such a reaction, but you filed it away to never do again. Noa’s eyes darted between Soona and Anaya, looking uncomfortable, using his mouth to release quick gusts of air, before you heard his breathing start to return to its normal rhythm. He looked away from the three of you then, staring down at his name in the dirt. You brushed Anaya’s arm aside as you said, “I’m sorry Noa, if what I did ‘upset’ you. It was not my intention. I won’t do it again.”

You copied the sign that Anaya made for ‘upset’ as you apologized, pulling Noa’s attention back to you in that moment. He flinched when he saw the sign, looking concerned before shaking his head, “Not…upset.”

You didn’t know how to respond to that, feeling that the opposite was true. Noa used the back of his hand then to roughly swipe at the dirt in front of him. Looking down, you saw the H had been wiped away. Noa pointed to each letter as he read, “N…O…A…my name…Noa.”

You smiled again, “Alright, Noa with no H. It was mainly silent anyway. At least now you know what your name looks like.”

He hummed in response. Soona tapped your shoulder then, apparently she also wrote in the dirt. You turned, seeing her spelled out S O O N A in clean strokes on the ground. You smiled at her, leaning to nudge your shoulder with hers, “Very good. I’m so proud of you.”

She smiled back, writing another word before underlining it.

M A L E S

You snickered, causing the other two apes to rush over and see what she had written. Noa and Anaya both sounded the word out before saying it out loud. You were surprised, watching as they pointed at each other. Apparently, friendly competition was a good incentive. You tucked that away for later as well.

Noa turned to you then, “Your…name?”

You sighed, trying not to look bitter as you scrawled your name in the dirt. The letters stared back at you, almost mockingly. You hadn’t seen your name spelled out in so long, and even though Noa said it recently in the library, it was hardly ever spoken anymore. It was as temporary as it’s dirt form, only here as long as you made sure it was.

Speaking of Noa, he stood over your shoulder now, staring intently at the letters. You shuffled to your left as he leaned over to trace the pathing of your letters with his own fingers. He let out a low hum in thought, concentrating as he began to replicate each one below your original markings. He took his time, saying each letter out loud until he finished. He paused, drawing a line under your name before he whispered it, almost to himself.

You felt heat rise to your cheeks, ignoring the small swoop in your stomach as you turned fully towards him. He smiled, that same smile he gifted you when your arms were entwined a week ago, in your burrow. You swallowed thickly, clearing your throat before you found your voice enough to say, “That’s very good Noa, I’m impressed. I’ll be more impressed if you can do it in a few days without an example in front of you.”

You stood then on nervous feet, stretching your arms and spine in a deep arch, hearing a few bones pop before letting out a small groan of satisfaction. The apes ability to sit on the ground for so long astounded you. You turned to Noa first, then Anaya, “We have a little bit more time before we lose the light and I need to head back to my shelter. You should read Soona’s Goodnight Moon, I know you haven’t memorized it so it should pose a bit of a challenge. And Anaya, do you want me to help you with Green Eggs and Ham?”

He nodded enthusiastically, practically running towards the pile of books on the nearby rock. He shuffled through them, but turned back to you a moment later looking anxious, “Not…there!”

Your brows furrowed, “What? I don’t understand, Soona do you have it?”

You pivoted to the female ape, who quickly paced back to her tree, checking her three-tiered stack before shaking her head. You were about to turn back to Noa, to ask him the same question, when his arm came around your body to place the book in question in your line of sight. You let out a sigh of relief, the words ‘thank you’ on the tip of your tongue when you felt his lips graze your ear and breathe out, “Here.”

The action alone caused a shiver to run up your spine, but the emphasized H and heat of his breath on your neck, forced a startled inhale from you. The air hissed through your teeth and rattled your lungs as you took a step forward. You whipped around to face him then, right hand coming up to cover your ear as you gaped. You hadn’t even realized he had risen from his place on the ground. He looked completely innocent to his deeds, seeming shocked by your reaction, but you knew better. As always, his eyes expressed everything his mouth and body language did not. You saw that playfulness, that mirth that was rarely displayed by the leader of the Eagle Clan. Except of course, when he was around his Sunset Brother and Sunset Sister. Except, apparently, when he was around you.

Anaya hooted lowly, teasing, “Noa…scared Echo.”

“Not scared,” you replied as you stared Noa down. “Thank you for the book in any case. Soona, can you sit with Noa, make sure he’s actually trying, please?”

She hummed in agreement as you made your way towards Anaya, and Noa moved to sit with Soona. You felt the brush of his fur against your bare arm and thought for a second that it was deliberate, but decided it must be your imagination acting up after his teasing. Still, you felt your own hair react to him, rubbing discreetly at the pebbled flesh along your arms. This was getting out of hand.

…

By the end of the day, the two male apes had turned a corner, showing real progress. You felt confident when you stopped and decided to send everyone home. It was twilight, just enough time for you to make it back to your burrow before a friendly visitor, hopefully, made an appearance. You had caught three fish, enough for dinner and breakfast, and one to spare. You were excited, having something to look forward to as you went home.

Anaya waved goodbye, his own catch hanging from his fishing rod as he made packed his things, two apples clasped tightly in hand. One for him, and one for his horse. Now that the apes were making frequent visits to the creek, they chose to ride on horseback to get there. You were fine with it, as long as it saved them time. You felt bad for the horses though, being tied up somewhere for hours waiting for the apes to go home, so you’d taken to bringing fruit that was a couple days away from spoiling for them. They deserved a treat for being so patient.

Soona was next, hand reaching up to cup the back of your head, she didn’t pull you in like you expected, but she smiled before nodding her head and releasing you. You returned her smile, nodding in return as she prepared to mount her horse. Jumping up onto the saddle, she settled before clicking her tongue, both her and Anaya trotting off in the direction of their village. You were confused by this, noticing Noa dawdling by his own stallion.

You took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before making your way over to him. He was feeding his horse the apple you had given him, patting its neck affectionately. You chuckled then, shifting the books you were holding to one arm. You jabbed your thumb back in the direction of the retreating apes, “You do realize you’re outnumbered now, right?”

Noa hummed, “Horse…is on my side.”

“As it eats the apples I brought.” You scoffed, pulling another apple from your own bag and letting the horse snatch it up from your hand. You were feeling good about your statement, when you heard a faint screech somewhere above you. You ducked, just in time to see Eagle Sun land on the saddle of the horse. He bobbed a moment, eyes trained on you as his talons readjusted themselves. You sighed, “I stand corrected, we are perfectly matched.”

Noa chuckled, “No…you are right…outnumbered…Eagle Sun…never on my side.”

“What is it with you and this bird?” You asked, hand gently outstretched to Eagle Sun. You remained wary of him, sometimes just as temperamental to touch as you were. Instead of the warning peck you were accustomed to receiving when he didn’t want your touch, he simply elongated his neck so you could give him his cherished chin scratches. “After all, he follows you, keeps an eye out for danger, and acts pretty calm around others. He seems like a sweetheart to me.”

Noa’s gaze lingered on you and Eagle Sun, before he confessed, “Was my father’s bird…we did not always…get along…we bonded…only after he died.”

Your hand froze, Eagle Sun tilting his head upwards to see what had caused you to stop, “You never told me that before.”

Noa shrugged both shoulders, “Never…had reason to.”

That was fair, it wasn’t often Eagle Sun made an appearance, choosing to fly free while Noa occupied his time with you. The few rare times the bird did choose to interact with you, it was usually because he wanted attention, or the food you were eating. You tilted your head, watching Noa shift from foot to foot, “Is there something else you want to tell me? Something you want to talk about?”

Noa looked down to the books in your hand, reaching for them and opening his saddle bag. You didn’t protest, simply asked, “Are you taking them back to practice more?”

“No,” he said simply. “Easier to…walk this way.”

“Walk?” You parroted. “Are you not going to ride?”

Noa shook his head, “No…you are…I am walking…you out.”

Your lips twitched upwards, a giggle threatening to burst out of you at the misuse of your phrase, but he was simply too endearing to laugh at. You figured this meant he did want to talk though, and decided to let him open up on his terms. Noa ushered Eagle Sun away from the saddle, the bird squawking once before taking off and landing somewhere in the nearby trees. You didn’t see where he landed, but knew he wasn’t far. You took the opportunity to step into the stirrup and hoist yourself up, before he thought to fly back.

You groaned under your breath, lingering tension in your legs reminding you what happened the last time you had been on Noa’s horse. He brushed knuckles along your outer thigh, “Still sore…prefer to walk?”

You waved him off, “No, I’ll be fine. Humans heal slower than apes I think, and you know, I’m not used to riding.”

Noa reached for the reigns, guiding his horse in the direction of your burrow as he hummed, “Not far…will get used to it…after a moon cycle.”

You tried to remember how long that was, but found yourself distracted by the colors smeared across the skyline. Soft pinks, purples, and a heady dark blue swirled against the clouds, creating a masterpiece that would never be seen again once the black of night overtook it. You glanced back to Noa, his focus solely on the path forward. You didn’t enjoy his silence, as you normally would. This one felt different, full of unspoken tension, like Noa was holding something back.

Your mind began to wander, and you couldn’t stop the question that slipped from your mouth, “Do you see in color like I do?”

Noa’s head turned sharply to glance at you, feet steady as he continued to walk, “Think so…how would I know…if we see things…differently?”

You pointed to the sky in the distance, “What colors do you see there?”

Noa was quiet a moment, “Blue…purple…black…light red.”

“Light red? Do you mean pink?” You asked, leaning forward in the saddle to be closer to the ape.

“Same thing.” Noa chuffed, “Like light red…better.”

“To each their own,” you hummed. “So, are you going to tell me why you’re walking me out?”

Noa was quiet. If not for the fact that you were so close to him, you might have thought he didn’t hear you, but by the extra power he suddenly added to his stride, you knew he had. You bit the inside of your cheek, sitting up again and fighting the urge to say anything else. He would tell you when he was ready.

“Need to…explain…a few things.” Noa said, sounding somewhat reluctant.

“Okay.” You asked, “Do you want to explain them now while we’re walking, or back at the burrow where you’ll have my full attention?”

Noa seemed to actually consider the question before replying, “Now is…good.”

“Alright then, Master of Birds,” you teased. “What needs explained?”

Noa sighed through his nose, “Before…when things were…tense…during the lesson…I did not mean to scare you.”

“Which time?” You asked.

Noa grunted, “When I was…loud.”

That certainly caught your attention, originally thinking he meant when he had whispered in your ear. You leaned forward again, “It seemed to me you were just processing what happened. I didn’t mean to do what I did, then Soona and Anaya’s reactions were…a lot. It’s understandable you were upset and lost your temper.”

Noa’s head seemed to bend slightly, admitting, “Was not…upset.”

“Not to argue, but if that’s not you upset, I would hate to see what you look like when you are actually angry,” you said playfully.

Noa stopped then, turning and making two different signs. The second one was upset, but you weren’t sure what the first one was. As if hearing your thoughts, Noa responded, “This is upset…what Anaya signed was this… it means bothered.”

You felt your body curl inwards, “I didn’t mean to bother you either. I have to admit, that’s a pretty small distinction for apes. Upset, bothered, annoyed…”

“Not that type…of bothered.” Noa confessed, urging his horse forward again.

You sat there, trying to figure out what bothered could possibly mean if not annoyed. Apes sometimes twisted or altered words, like echo, depending on the need it seemed to fill. Finally, you asked, “Bothered how, if not in the annoyed or upset way?”

“Same way…as you.” Noa said, head swiveling to look at you for a moment before turning back. “When I practiced…my small H sound.”

Another moment of confusion, then you felt your heart stutter to a stop, your breathing following suit. Your mouth went dry, and no matter how hard you tried you couldn’t think of a single word to say. Noa not only recognized your response to him, but apparently had felt the same way you did, when you had-…breathed on his hand while calling his name. Now you were the one who felt stupid.

How embarrassing

A hand came up to cover your eyes as you winced. No matter how innocent that had been in your mind, intimacy wasn’t solely a human thing. You had tried to show Noa like you would a child, but he was not a child. He reacted like any normal adult human, or ape, would. Oh, God. How uncomfortable he must have been in that moment, while you sat there confused and clueless.

“I’m sorry,” you said again, the only phrase that felt appropriate at the moment.

Noa hummed, huffing once before admitting, “I am sorry…Anaya signed something after…as a joke…and I…reacted poorly.”

Something inside of your brain screamed not to ask, but your mouth listened to the other part that just had to know. “What did he say?”

“Suggested,” Noa began, seeming to think about his choice of words. “Echo stay with me…in the village…would be happy to be taught…just you and me…no other apes around…it reminded me…of you…as a pet...made me…angry.”

The implication was there, but you chose to ignore it in favor of, “You didn’t tell Anaya or Soona about my history with apes…did you? Anaya never would have suggested something like that if he knew.”

Noa grunted, “Not…my…place.”

You thought about it for a moment, then asked, “Do you think they would treat me differently, if they knew?”

“Yes.” Noa answered immediately. He seemed to reconsider his one word answer before adding, “Would not do it…on purpose…would not want to scare…or hurt you...they are…good apes.”

You sighed, noticing your burrow up ahead, “It’s probably best they don’t know for now, then. I like the way things are between us, I don’t want things to change.”

“Apes say,” Noa began, stopping his horse and tying the reins to a nearby tree. “Change is nature…cannot control it…or stop it…only embrace it…as it happens.”

You patted the horse’s neck and mane as Noa finished the knot and looped back around to you. You snorted, “That sounds very wise, but here’s a little known fact about humans. We don’t like change. We actively try to avoid change. We like the security of the same thing everyday.”

“You…need change.” Noa insisted, hands reaching for you as you swung your left leg over the saddle.

You let him wrap an arm around your waist as you made to slide down, your own hands bracing on both of his shoulders. “So says, the Master of Birds. You think you know what I need?”

Your feet were not sure as they landed on the ground, but you did not stumble as Noa’s other hand came to wrap around your side and brace your back. He basically held your entire weight, only letting you take it back once he felt your legs lock in place. He glanced down briefly between the two of you, acknowledging your feet were on solid ground before his eyes darted back to meet yours. That intensity that was always there, burned now with a new type of determination as he said, “Yes.”

You felt the fingers of your left hand inadvertently tighten on his shoulder, grazing the skin underneath his fur. When that happened, you felt Noa subtly shift in place, somehow closer to you now. His hands trailed from their hold along your back, skimming down your sides, before stopping to rest on your hips. You found yourself caught in his gaze, trapped again at what you perceived as something dangerous in front of you. Only, this time, the sense of danger was completely different. He tilted his head slightly, eyes wandering across your face like you were a puzzle he was trying to solve. He sighed through his nose then, head beginning to tilt downward before something over your shoulder caught his eye.

Just as quickly as his focus shifted behind you, did he react. You were thrown behind him before your could blink, barely having time to process the movement as he screeched and yelled. You turned, watching him charge on all fours after the offending creature, growling, “Get away…shoo…Pest!”

You could have cried, seeing the fox you had been secretly feeding for the past week yip and whimper, trying to stand its ground against Noa. But Noa was bigger, scarier, growling and hissing as he circled and chased after it. You ran to stop him, calling out, “No! It isn’t hurting anyone Noa, just leave it alone.”

Too late, the fox whined and chirped as it is was chased off. You heard the leaves and rustling of bushes, but lost sight of it after a few seconds. Noa was panting, face scrunched as he snarled and grunted a final warning to the empty woods. Then you saw the harsh lines ease, canines retreating back behind his lips as he moved to stand on two legs. You had never been reminded so harshly before that he was an ape. It was a startling contrast to the intimate position you two had been in just seconds ago, and something in your stomach turned.

“Why did you do that?” You half whispered, somewhat breathless yourself.

Noa turned to you then, concerned as he pointed in the distance, “That…was a fox…not safe.”

Your brows furrowed, “But it wasn’t hurting-”

“Not…safe.” Noa interrupted with a final huff. “Predator…has attacked Eagles…nuisance that apes…usually kill on sight…in the village…cannot trust vermin…like that…pest needs to be…driven away…or will bring harm…to you…as all pests tend to do.”

You felt the blood in your veins, which had felt so warm moments ago, freeze. You had never been at odds with Noa before, and his resolve seemed absolute in this. It also showed you that once you had made an enemy of the apes, they were not so kind as to forgive. A fox had attacked Eagles, it might as well have killed an ape. You were surprised Noa hadn’t killed it on sight. You imagined your presence was the only thing that stayed his hand, since he never had been overly violent around you before.

This changed things

You hoped the fox would come back, but even if it did, you would have to make sure Noa was nowhere near your shelter. You owed the ape your loyalty, but you also owed the fox for all the food you had been depriving it of for so long. Noa was your-…friend, but the fox could be your companion…given enough time. Then again, maybe this was your sign not to pursue the idea of companionship with animals. After all, with what had just taken place between you and Noa, you weren’t exactly sure you were in a place to make that type of decision. You needed time to think, and to do that you needed to be away from Noa.

Said ape was pacing back to where you stood, rooted to the ground. Not for long though, as Noa’s hand reached for you. Without properly thinking, you took an involuntary step back, avoiding his outstretched fingers. He had no time to mask the surprise that immediately morphed into hurt, pulling his arm back and asking, “Are you…alright?”

“Yes,” you lied. “That just surprised me. It’s late and I’m tired, I think I’ll go to bed now.”

Noa turned to look behind him, “Need help…with rock?”

You smiled, “No, thank you, Noa. I’ll be fine. Go home.”

He looked reluctant, stuck in place as he seemed to search for the right thing to say. He swayed back and forth as you walked towards him, then past him. He turned, mouth moving but saying nothing, hands fidgeting until he seemed to remember something. He moved quickly towards you, stammering out, “B-books…books in…bag!”

You stopped in your tracks, “I almost forgot. I’ll grab them real quick, that way you aren’t riding back in the dark.”

Before you could take so much as two steps forward, Noa had run back to his horse and yanked them out of the satchel. He paced back over to you, holding the books out, somewhat hesitantly, “Will not…see us…tomorrow…big day of…preparations.”

You swallowed, part of you wanting to comfort him, but the other part screaming at you to distance yourself from him before you ended up in another situation like before. Your heart won out though, as you sighed, “That’s okay, will I see you the day after?”

“Yes,” he was quick to reply. “Do not have to…give lesson…next time we meet…can explore…or talk…or something else…you need to do.”

You gently took the books from Noa, pulling them into your chest as you promised, “I’ll think about it. I’ll probably rest tomorrow, make some repairs to my shelter.”

His brow creased at that, asking, “Broken?”

You shook your head, “No, just need to make some adjustments. It happened over time, but it’s nothing I haven’t done before. Don’t worry.”

Noa nodded then, lips pursing before he said, “I have…made something I…would like to give to you…next time we meet.”

Something about the way he said it made you nervous, made your stomach sink, but you brushed it away. “Well, now I can’t wait until we see each other again. Way to leave me in suspense. I’ll look forward to the surprise.”

“It is…nothing grand,” Noa hedged. “Will explain better…when you see.”

“Noa, I’m sure whatever it is will be great and I���ll love it.” Your heart hurt as you realized that you fully believed what you had said. “I’ll see you day after next, okay? Get home safe, and get some rest.”

Noa nodded, “You too…have been working…hard…goodnight.”

You started to back up, waving with your free hand as you hummed, “Goodnight.”

You turned as Noa made his way to his horse, pausing once you reached the entrance of your cave, to watch him ride off. His eyes didn’t leave your form for the longest time, not until his horse carried him so far away that you were only a silhouette against the rock. You swallowed, placing the books on the dry shelf before bracing your back against the stone wall and sealing yourself in for the night, leaving just enough space for your nightly visitor if they returned. You dropped your bag on the ground, the chain to your doorway swaying back and forth as you sunk to the ground. You leaned back against said door, questionable tears filling your eyes as the reality of your life crashed into you.

You wrapped your arms around your knees, conflict swirling within you as you tried to think rationally. You felt like you were at war with yourself, nothing making sense or feeling right as you struggled to understand any of it. A sob shook you then, the heels of your hands digging into your eyes. The material still wrapped around your palms absorbed your tears, which made you angry for some reason. You pulled the offending material off and threw it over with your bag, looking at the new pink flesh that had been revealed underneath. No scarring or bleeding, just edges of new skin.

Reminded of Anaya and Noa’s kindness, the tears returned with a vengeance and you tucked your head into your knees. You hated feeling this way, hated how strange and disoriented you felt. You just wanted someone to hug you and tell you it was going to be alright. But who did you have that would do that? The face you used to imagine was not the one that appeared in your minds eye now, and that broke your heart even more. In that moment, you pretended that the last five years didn’t happen, that you were seventeen again and had had a nightmare in the vault.

You opened your mouth, a sob stealing your breath before you desperately called out, “Micheal!”

You didn’t open your eyes. You didn’t look up, because you knew he wouldn’t be there… but just for a moment, you pretended he could hear you. You pretended he was throwing the blankets off of himself in bed, and making his way over to you in yours, to comfort you until you fell back asleep. You sucked in a breath when you suddenly felt a light touch on your leg.

And there he was, auburn fur and brown eyes. Your fox had placed a paw on your leg, looking up at you with something almost like concern. You swiped at your eyes, sure you were seeing this wrong. The fox yipped and whined as you made eye contact. You felt crazy, but tried again, calling out, “Micheal?”

The fox lowered its paw then, sitting up a little straighter as it observed you. You leaned over, reaching for your bag and pulling a fish out. The fox hardly reacted, simply taking it from you with its teeth. This time though, it did not run. It laid down on its belly, tearing into the meat of the fish while it sat next to you.

Your tears stopped all at once, and you chuckled wetly, “I guess I know what to call you now. You know we’ll have to be more careful from now on, right?”

Micheal, the fox, looked up at you then, licking its lips and blinking slowly at you before returning to his meal. You were pretty certain at this point that you had lost your mind, but hey, at least you had a friend to keep you company and share dinner with.

[fairyhaos]

how seventeen do couples yoga

requested by anon: "Can you do Svt doing couples 🧘‍♀️ pls?"

notes: i have Never thought about svt doing partner yoga before, so this was absolutely hilarious to imagine

masterlist

seungcheol:

probably didn't want to do it, saying he's going to make himself look like an idiot. ends up doing it anyway though, bc he's weak for you when you get all sad and pouty on him. screams if he has to hold a position for more than 5 seconds, but all in all he's actually pretty good at it. you two go and buy junk food after to take back the calories you burned

jeonghan:

i genuinely cannot see this man doing couples yoga, or even yoga in general. asks you if you're okay with taking chan or someone instead of him. ig he'll eventually cave in the end? only does the poses for like 15 minutes tho, and then when you both get tired you just sit there and watch the other couples in the class struggle with the yoga

joshua:

probably signed you guys up tbh. if you're a little sceptical, he'll beam rlly wide and be like "it'll be so much fun, i promise!!!" the thing is tho neither of you have the best balance n so you end up trying to hold yourselves up while also trying to help hold the other person up which really is a bit of a mess and you end up falling down on the mats more than actually doing the poses

junhui:

"sure! sounds fun!" is totally down. knows he'll make a fool of himself, but he doesn't mind bc no one looks cool while doing yoga. is holding you up half the time bc it's hard to balance okay. lowkey finds it extremely fun, especially bc it's with another person and that other person is you. asks if you're up for another session together sometime

hoshi:

tries to (gently) push you over while you're doing the poses. can't help but burst into laughter at some of the incredibly strange poses that they instruct you to do. was looking forward to doing those crazy poses where he holds you in the air by his feet, but it was a beginner class so he didn't get to n he was very disappointed about that </3

wonwoo:

found it really fun, to his own surprise. was originally rlly reluctant and only went along bc you really wanted to do it, but he liked the idea of couples yoga strengthening the emotional connection between two people. his favourite pose was that one pose where you essentially just sat cross-legged opposite each other and hugged with your foreheads touching

woozi:

good luck trying to get this guy out of the house/ his studio lmao. almost bursts out laughing with you at the very strange poses you have to do, but manages to keep it in by Not looking at your increasingly confused and alarmed face. he feels fine as you two are leaving the class, but he wakes up the next day with his calves aching so bad

minghao:

another person who probably booked the session for you two. you've both done yoga before (him bc he wanted to and you bc he'd insisted it was good for you) and couples yoga sounded fun so you both wanted to do it. grabs onto you like a lifeline and giggles every time he slips or almost falls over. is already thinking of buying another yoga mat for you so you two can do this stuff at home

mingyu:

almost fell down a total of 5 times. is Determined to do the poses well tho, bc he doesn't wanna make you look bad in front of the others even tho you don't mind bc they're literally just strangers. kind of enjoyed it? he's not sure, he's just wondering how cheap the budget of the building was for them to make the ceiling so low that his head is only 3 inches away from it when he stands up

dokyeom:

his center of balance is pretty firm, okay, but he has really sweaty hands which is kind of a disadvantage bc most of the poses involve you two holding hands. tries his best not to scream so loudly, instead lets out the most adorable yelps when he feels wobbly. had fun!! would definitely do it again… maybe in like 2 months

seungkwan:

he is Offended when he heard you booked a beginner class for you two. complains about it on the way there, and then struggles during the class bc what do you mean you're going to have to put your feet on his knees??? he can't hold up your legs like that. very loud. and dramatic. has managed to make friends with at least 2 other couples there. somehow. 

vernon:

initially tells you that no thanks, he's not up for that bc he is definitely not flexible enough for yoga. eventually ends up agreeing tho, and is sitting next to you on the mats listening to the instructor and wondering how the hell he ended up coming here. kind of zoned out the entire class, but you tell him you had fun so he guesses he did too. 

chan:

LOVES the idea of couples yoga. was waiting for you to suggest it and then immediately says yes when you offer. goes out and buys the two of you matching yoga pants an entire week before the session. he's a little wobbly, but he helps balance you whenever you look wobbly and is beaming so hard the entire time. has a great time. has the greatest time, actually.

request guidelines

[melodramaticatheart]

Lighten Up

Dean has a panic attack when Micheal suddenly appears out of the blue and distracts him from stressing thoughts.

Pairing: Dean Redding and Micheal Townsend

Word Count: 753

Book: The Naturals

Author's Note: the bromance guys!!! this was interesting to write since i rarely write from a guy's pov, especially in 1st person. anywho yeah i love my boys so writing about them and their dynamic was fun. had to cut some words cause it came down to just a bunch of yapping lol. also im kinda proud of this one!

taglist: @nqds, @reminiscentreader, @urbanflorals, @art-of-fools, @deprivedofbraincellsandsleep, @lxvebelle

The heat on my chest was brewing. I needed air. The doors stood at the end of the hall taunting me, so close yet so far away. I stumbled forward, getting closer to my goal. I finally made my way outside, breathing in the night. I took a moment to compose my shaking hands, counting as I stared at the moonlit pool. The panic in my chest only rose. I stood there, trying to make sense of how I’d let myself break. 

Again. 

Sterling was ordering Agent Locke to take me to visit my father for a new case, something about patterns. But every time I walked into that interrogation room, all I wanted was to shoot him in the head, his eyes on me. I’m not like him. I repeated the thought to myself until I half believed it.

“Y’know, I’ve never seen someone so pouty while staring at the moon.” My back straightens at the sound of Michael’s voice. “Fuck off, Townsend,” I grunt, not having the energy to deal with his bullshit. “Why the long face, Redding?” Michael teased, his grin seemed to have a presence of it’s own since I felt it before I saw it. He came to stand before me, two beers in hand and glinting eyes.

The tension between us was palpable; about a dozen arguments and unresolved fights helped make that. I stumbled forward, sitting on the familiar cobblestone steps, getting away from his figure.

“What do you want, Townsend?” I snapped, not bearing his company. My hands still trembled; the cool night breeze helped, but not enough.

Michael quietly came to sit beside me for a long moment before offering me a beer. “Thought you might need this.”

I stared at the bottle, temptation running on my tongue, before silently laughing. Only Townsend would offer the solution of drinking away my problem. “No? Ok, more for me I guess,” He says uncapping a beer and taking a chug. “Look man I know that Sterling has you going to see your dad again, it must suck ass I’m just trying to,” He lowered his voice to a whisper “Make sure you’re ok.” “What no way the Micheal Townsend cares about me?! This can’t be” I feigned sarcasm not caring to put a single inch of emotion into my words. “Shut up, I’m just doing it 'cause if you fall apart so do the girls and I don’t need to be taking care of three sad wimps.” I stare at him and take a beer out of his hand temptation winning over. 

“Y’know you shift your shoulder when you lie, Lia must be bored with how easy it is to figure you out.” 

“Shut up” He retorts with a snort,

A long silence seems to settle itself between us, leaving us to drink and drink. “I can handle it y’know” I take a moment before continuing, ignoring the sting in my eyes. “I don’t need you worrying about me, especially not Sloane or Lia,” I say with finality, not wanting them to worry about me, it was bad enough when Sterling looked at me like the same broken child I was so long ago, I didn’t need to see the worried glances from the girls every time I went out. “Can you? Handle it I mean?” He takes another swig from his beer before pointing to where I was standing just 20 minutes ago. “Cause from over there it looked like you were losing it.” 

I knew what he was saying was true and yet I couldn’t let myself admit it. “Every time I see him I feel so helpless. It’s like i’m back in that house” I cut myself off  taking a shuddering breath. “Don’t worry Redding, whether you like it or not you’re stuck with the lot of us, we’ll help you get though it and then when we go through our shit you’ll be there for us too.” I nod stiffly to his words knowing the truth behind them. “We’re a team, and if one of us breaks, well we can’t have that happening” The familiar word of Agent Locke sound through my head as Micheal stands up finishing up his beer. “Hey you notice how much calmer you are with my presence? It’s almost as if i’m a relaxing thought for you” He backtracks to the door his cocky grin back on his face. I give him my middle finger, happily confirming that no amount ‘heart to heart’ could change our relationship.

[demonvampire180writes]

Date at the Zoo

Find me on Ao3!

At precisely seven o'clock on Saturday morning, Tommy and Buck’s doorbell rang. Groaning, Buck turned to his other side and wrapped his arm tightly around his husband's waist, grumbling curse words over the sound of Tommy’s quiet chuckling. “It’s too early.” He groaned, leaning until his head was pressed between the older man’s shoulder blades.

Tommy patted his hand and replied, “Babe-” He didn’t even get another word out before there was another knock and then the persistent ringing of the doorbell. It kept going until Buck groaned and shot out of bed, wearing nothing but his grey sweats.

“I’m coming, quit it with the damn doorbell!” He shouted, ruffling his mass of curls as he shuffled from their bedroom and down the stairs. Throwing open the front door, he was greeted by a small child tackling his legs, nearly sending him sprawling. Thankfully his quick reflexes allowed him to grab onto the door frame before he went down. Blinking, sleep still in his eyes, he stared blearily down at the face of his adorable niece, Jee-yun, who he swore grew six inches every time he saw her. She was almost to his waist already. He swore it was only yesterday that she was clinging to his knees half the time while running rampant around his loft the other half.

On the other side of the threshold, his brother-in-law stared at him with a shit eating grin on his face while his sister stood there looking exasperated. “Sorry bud, did I wake ya?” Chimney asked, playing the fool like a champ.

“Sorry for the early wake up call.” Maddie said, sounding only mildly apologetic. “She was just so excited that we figured she could spend more of the day with her favorite uncle.”

“I’m her only uncle.” Buck yawned, though he couldn’t help the smile spreading across his face as he hefted his niece into his arms. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and planted a wet kiss on his cheek, giggling.

“Hey, I resent that.” Tommy’s voice came from behind him, but a moment later his warm arm was wrapped around his waist as lips brushed his cheek in a soft kiss. “Morning Chim. Maddie.” He greeted him with more warmth in his voice than Buck could currently muster. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Jee-yun’s hair which she repaid with a kiss to his nose. Tommy ruffled her black hair, tied into adorable twin buns, grinning.

“Morning Tommy. We really appreciate you guys taking her today.” Maddie leaned in to give her brother-in-law a hug, which Buck scowled at, having not gotten his own. She dared to wink at him as she leaned back. “It feels like we haven't had a day to ourselves in… God. I don’t even remember when.”

Chimney looked at his watch. “Well. I had fewer grey hairs then so… Never?”

This caused all four of them to laugh and just as they were settling down, a new vehicle pulled into the driveway. A moment later, Eddie hopped out of the driver’s seat with Christopher in hot pursuit. “Well, well, well, look who’s awake. I thought I was gonna have to break in.” Eddie confessed with a grin just as dastardly as Chimney’s, pushing past his other family to reach in for a hug, carefully avoiding his niece, before turning to Tommy for a half hug handshake. “Christopher was so excited he could hardly sleep.”

“Daaaad!” The almost adult cried out, cheeks turning pink. “That’s not true. It’s just the zoo.”

Buck set Jee down, she was beginning to squirm anyway and she wanted a hug from her other uncle, and said, “Oh, I see how it is. The almost adult thinks he’s too cool for the zoo. Maybe we shouldn’t bring him along. Whadda ya think, Tommy? Think we should just leave him here to house sit?”

Tommy nodded as though his husband were giving the most sage of advice. “I guess house sitting is way cooler than seeing a bunch of lions, and tigers, and bears oh my.”

Chris made it to the door, and rather than going around his uncles, he decided to break straight through their arms to get into the house. “Not you too, Buck! I never said that.” Quieter he admitted, “I want to see the animals, too.” And even quieter. “And I want to hang out with my cousins.” Every single adult smiled at that, remembering what it was like to be that age and thinking that being with family wasn’t cool but secretly loving it anyway.

Eddie watched him with a fond expression for a moment before turning back to the others. He reached into his pocket and drew out his wallet. Opening it, he pulled out two twenties and tried to hand them over. “For admission, and lunch.”

Both men looked at Eddie. Then each other. Then at Eddie again. Tommy quirked one brow while Buck raised both, looking incredulous, and ridiculous in his shirtless state. “Eddie. Edmundo. Diaz. In what world do you think that you’d be paying for your son on our outing?” He motioned back and forth between him and Tommy. Tommy crossed his arms, biceps bulging in his sleep shirt. “My nephew is our responsibility today.”

Chimney snorted. “I think you might have offended them, Edmundo.”

“Shut up Chimney.” The tip of Eddie’s ears had gone a little red as he stuffed the money back in his wallet before stashing that away as well.  “Anyway, I’m gonna enjoy my responsibility free day while you guys babysit. Have fun.” He leaned around Buck and Tommy and yelled into the house, “Have fun Christopher, love you bud!” before turning without another word and scurrying back to his car.

“We’re taking off, too. Call us if you need anything. Jee-yun, we’ll see you later, okay? Be good for Uncle Buck and Uncle Tommy.” Maddie crouched and pulled her daughter into a tight hug, kissing her head repeatedly until the young girl squealed and pulled away. She was immediately pulled into her fathers tight embrace and attacked with even more kisses, which she took until she didn’t, escaping into the house after her cousin. “Love you!” Her parents called after her, chuckling. “See you boys later.” Maddie pulled her younger brother into a hug this time and attacked him with forehead kisses until he too pulled away.

“I’m not kissing ya.” Chimney said, looking between the Buckley siblings. “That’s Tommy’s job.”

Buck blushed crimson, embarrassed even after all these years. “Get outta here.” He shooed them away with a flick of his hand. Grinning, they turned and headed down the front walk, giving a backwards wave as they did. Once they’d pulled out of the driveway, Buck gave in to the yawn he’d been suppressing. “Coffee. I need coffee. And lots of it.”

“Whatever you need, babe.” Tommy kissed his temple, pulling him back inside with a huge grin. “Who wants pancakes?” He yelled, pulling his half asleep husband along with him as a chorus of me’s followed the question.

Two hours, two pots of coffee and an absurd number of pancakes later, the doorbell rang once again. This time Buck was ready, dressed in a pair of slim fitting jeans and a plain white long sleeve tee. He pulled open his front door to see the Wilson family standing there, Mara and Denny both wearing a small backpack. Hen and Karen grinned at him. “They’re yours now, no take backsies.” Hen warned, shoving her kids through the door. Karen snorted.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Buck rolled his eyes even as he captured each kid in a hug, much to Denny’s chagrin and Mara’s delight. She’d really blossomed over the last three years. While she still struggled, she’d made a lot of strides forward and was slowly getting back to being a normal, pre-teen girl. “Jee, Christopher, your cousins are here. Time to get ready.” He yelled into the house. He got a noise of consent in reply.

“Are you sure you’ve got this?” Karen asked, stroking Mara’s head, which she leaned into.

“Two teenagers, a pre-teen, and a six year old. What could possibly go wrong?”

“With you, Evan “Buck” Buckley-Kinard? Just about anything-” Hen said.

“And everything.” Karen finished.

He snorted. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. I’ll have Tommy with me, it’ll be fine.”

The women gave each other a pointed glance before turning to their friend, and chosen family, and shrugged. “I’m not sure that that’ll do a whole lot of extra good but you’re emergency responders. They could be in worse hands.” Karen said, wrapping hand around her wife’s neck and giving it a gentle squeeze.

“That’s true. Anyway, if you need something, anything at all, call us. We’ll be available.”

“Quit acting like you’re sending these guys to the battlefield. We’ve got this. Go enjoy your day off.” Buck reached out and carefully took Mara out from her mom’s grasp and wrapped her in a one armed hug. “I’m sure there’s plenty of things you can do when you’re alone.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively to which both women snorted and Denny called out gross! “Now get off my lawn.” He put on his best old man voice as he waved at Karen and Hen, behesting them to get out of his sight. They chuckled before yelling out a Love you guys, and see you later as they disappeared down the walk. Mara shyly waved them off even as she snuggled deeper into her uncle’s side.

Once they’d driven off, Buck turned to Mara and asked, “We’ve still got a few pancakes left, how do you feel about eating them?” Her face lit up and she nodded enthusiastically. “Great. Why don’t you go eat while we wrangle everyone else?” He shook her gently before sending her into the kitchen. Denny had already plated some delicious looking hotcakes and microwaved them to toasty perfection, setting them down on the table just as his sister slid into the chair. “Tommy, go get dressed.” Buck ordered, kissing the man even as he shoved him towards the stairs. “You’ve got fifteen minutes.”

“Sir yes sir.” The man replied with a sass no one could compare to, even offering a two fingered salute. Buck rolled his eyes, the tiniest smirk on his lips that he hid away so his husband didn’t think he condoned such behavior. (Which he totally did, but Tommy couldn’t know that.)

Twenty minutes later the six of them were piled into Tommy’s SUV and on their way to the Los Angeles Zoo. Denny and Christopher chattered nonstop about video games the entire way while Mara asked Jee about which animals she was most excited to see. Buck sat in the passenger seat, his hand holding Tommy’s thigh. When they arrived, he was relieved to see that it wasn't overly crowded. It was a Wednesday morning at 10 AM but in LA, that meant nothing. As Tommy maneuvered around the parking lot into a space, Buck turned in his seat and turned his serious voice on. “Rules for today. Stay together. No running off. Mara, Jee, if you guys need to go to the bathroom or anything, ask Tommy or me. I don’t want you going anywhere alone, understand?” Both girls nodded. “Christopher and Denny, I know you’re almost adults but you’re still our responsibility so if you have to go, tell us.” They both nodded. “Christopher.”

“Yes Buck?”

“Are you okay with your crutches, or do you want us to see if they have a wheelchair available?”

The boy contemplated for a moment, even glancing at his braces in the very back, before saying, “I think I’ve got it, but maybe we could take one with us just in case.”

“Sounds like a plan. Now. Let’s get in there and have fun.” Buck fisted the air and let out a whoop which his companions readily copied. He also took a moment to appreciate Christopher’s growth. When he was younger, he’d have fought about being offered a wheelchair because he hated feeling singled out, but as he’d gotten older, he’d realized that it was just another tool to make his life easier. He still tried to use his crutches as much as possible, but he recognized that on days like today, where they’d be a lot of walking on sometimes uneven ground, it was better to just accept that he’d tire out more easily, and that the day didn’t have to end early just because he was being stubborn.

They piled out. Buck took Jee’s hand in his left and Tommy’s in his right, herding the older three kids in front of him. “I want to see the big cats.” Denny said, a skip in his step.

“I want to see the snakes.” Christopher sniffed, grinning.

“Monkey’s!” Jee chirped, swinging their hands together wildly, pulling Buck’s shoulder. He grinned indulgently down at her.

Mara clasped her hands together, playing nervously with them. “Mara?” Tommy leaned forward so he was looking directly at her, his voice soft. “Is there something specific you’d like to see?”

She said something under her breath.

“Can you speak a little louder, sweetheart?”

“I want to see… the lemur’s. And the binturong.” The tiniest smile curved her lips.

“What the heck is a binturong?” Chris asked, scrunching his nose in confused contemplation.

“It’s a type of mammal, also known as a bearcat, even though it’s neither bear, nor cat.” Mara’s soft voice got ever so slightly louder with her excitement, her dark eyes alight as she spoke of them. “They’re really cute.”

Chris’s eyes lit up. “That sounds awesome. I want to see those, too. Can we Buck?”

Buck laughed. “Yeah, of course. We’re here to see all the animals today. Why don’t we start at the beginning and we’ll just make our way through each enclosure?” The kids cheered excitedly. Plan in place, they paid their dues and entered the wonderful world of mammals.

As soon as they saw the first animal, Jee slipped from Buck’s grasp so she could plaster her nose against the glass, imitating the animal behind it. Buck and Tommy grinned, taking out their phones so they could snap photos and send them off to their parents..

When they reached the binturong enclosure, the two older men took a seat on a bench nearby, knowing that the kids were going to be a while. Mara was animatedly explaining to the boys everything she knew about the little creatures as they looked on, her hands a wild blur of gestures and emotion, a look of awe in their expressions. Buck couldn’t help his grin as he rested his head against his husband’s shoulder after taking a short video to send to her moms. Tommy leaned back against him, putting their clasped hands together in his lap as he played with the other man’s fingers. “They’re having a great time. I’ve never seen Mara so chatty.” He mumbled fondly. Buck nodded in agreement. He felt Tommy inhale deeply, then, like he was readying himself for something. “So… I know you like kids.” He began. Buck shifted just a little so he could look up at him, though he really only saw the underside of his stubbled jaw, and waited patiently. Tommy’s blue eyes shifted directly into his. “Have you ever considered… having any of your own?”

Buck sat up, nearly colliding with his husband's face as his heart began to pound. They’d been married for six months, and together for nearly four years, but they’d never discussed kids. Of course Buck had always imagined himself as a dad, but it had never been a deal breaker if his theoretical wife hadn’t been interested, but here he was, in the healthiest relationship he’d ever been in, and his partner was asking if he wanted babies. His eyes welled with tears and Tommy nearly fell backwards in his surprise.

Reaching out, he cupped Buck’s face, searching his expression even while his hands trembled, blue eyes wide with horrified concern. “Evan. Babe. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. If you don’t want kids, that’s totally fine-” Buck slapped Tommy’s hands away and lunged forward, capturing his lips in a starving kiss, wrapping a hand around his neck so that he could pull the man even further into himself. He grabbed onto the short hairs at the nape of his neck and tugged until Tommy whimpered, begging for air. The noise he made was borderline indecent.

But Buck would’ve kept kissing the man if Christopher hadn’t whistled and then said, “Ew, get a room you guys! No one needs to see two old guys making out.” That broke the spell and both men pulled apart, snorting with laughter, Buck’s sounding a little wet, but Buck didn’t stop touching the man.

“Evan-” Tommy tried again, reaching out to wipe away the stray tears still streaking down Buck’s face, his cheeks red.

“If that’s your way of asking me to make babies with you then the answer is yes. Always yes.” Buck kissed him once again, more chastely this time, before leaning in to press their foreheads together, sniffing as his nose dripped. “I’ll have as many kids with you as you want.”

Tommy wrapped him up in his arms and pressed a kiss into his curls, though Buck could clearly tell he was grinning as he did it. “I’m not entirely sure that’s how biology works, though I’m not opposed to trying. However, I was thinking more along the lines of adoption, or you know, surrogacy.” 

Buck shivered, feeling heat in his belly. In retaliation, he leaned into Tommy’s ear and breathed, “I’m not so opposed to trying over… and over… and over again, either.” He nipped the soft cartilage and tugged. When he let go, the tip of that ear was bright red and he grinned deviously. “But, surrogacy works too.” Finally he leaned back so he could see his husband's face. The look he wore sent jitters down his spine and for a split second he really wished they weren’t in public.

“I’m telling dad you two were being inappropriate in front of my cousins.” The voice made them jump and they turned to find Christopher standing there with both eyebrows raised looking wholly unimpressed.

“Like your dad hasn’t done worse with you around. That man could look subtle in the eye and still miss the mark.” Buck pinched his side after wiping at his face with his forearm, making him giggle and then glare, trying hard not to look guilty. Tommy, for some reason, appeared smug.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen him trying to eat his girlfriend's face before.”

“Good thing Tommy is my husband, then, and not a girlfriend.” Buck stuck his tongue out as if that would help him win his argument. Christopher didn’t have time to reply as the others gathered around them, ready to move on. “Was it everything you hoped for, Mara?” Buck asked, changing the subject. She nodded, her face lit up like the north star with her joy. “Good. Where to next?”

Over the next four hours they saw hundreds of animals, taking extra time near the tiger and lion enclosure, and spending an obscene amount of time with the primates as Jee asked them to read each and every description they came across; ate exorbitantly priced frozen treats and a massive, greasy pizza.

They hung out in the gift shop for nearly an hour, each kid getting to choose one thing to take home. Jee chose a stuffed elephant. Mara, of course, found a huge stuffed binturong, and even though it was much more expensive than what the others chose, Tommy couldn’t say no. Denny found a shark tooth necklace that claimed it was from a real shark (though Buck doubted it seeing as it only put him out eighteen dollars and some change.) Christopher picked out a shirt with a tiger in the middle of a roar that wrapped from around the back to the front so just the tiger's head was showing. Buck and Tommy each picked out an LA Zoo keychain that they added to their keys.

By the time they made it back to the car, Tommy was pushing Christopher in the wheelchair with Jee curled up in his lap. Denny held onto his sister's hand as he pulled her along, her eyes drooping. He didn’t seem to be doing much better, stumbling over small rocks and nearly twisting an ankle in a small crack in the pavement. Buck stashed Mara’s stuffed animal in the trunk before ushering her into the middle with the boys bracketing her like bookends. Tommy helped Christopher in, setting his crutches in back. As he went to return the borrowed chair, Buck made sure everyone was buckled before climbing into the front seat and getting Jee settled. She leaned heavily against him, her tiny chest rising and falling as she slept. He wrapped an arm around her, pillowing her head into his side. A few moments later Tommy climbed in and they were headed back home.

On the drive back, Buck sent out a text suggesting a sleepover to which the others readily agreed, loving their free time. It was Tommy’s turn to hold his leg, the smallest grin on his face the entire time. Clearly the kids conversation has put him into a great mood and Buck couldn’t disagree.

When they arrived home, they ushered the kids into different bathrooms to clean up; having them shower before changing into pajamas that they each had stashed there. Impromptu sleepovers with Uncle’s Buck and Tommy were not so unusual that they just started keeping a set at the house. While Tommy observed the brushing of the teeth, Buck got the living room set up for a campout, blowing up three twin sized air mattresses and putting sheets over each of them and the couch. Each one got a fluffy down comforter and a pillow designated for each kid.

Once everyone had settled down, both men having showered and changed into their own sleep clothes, they popped some popcorn and flipped on the TV for a movie. By the time the movie ended, all four kids were fast asleep, snoring softly. Smiling, Buck switched the TV off and, as he walked by each of them, he leaned in to press a kiss to their heads and pull their blankets up just a little bit higher. Tommy followed behind with another gentle kiss to their temples.

As silently as they could, they marched upstairs to their bedroom where they too promptly crawled into bed and under the covers. Tommy immediately made himself the big spoon, pulling Buck into his arms as he snuffled the back of his neck, sighing contentedly. “Today was a good day.” He murmured, sounding sleepy.

“Yeah. It really was.” Buck hummed, shifting a little. He felt something pressed into his back. “Tommy.”

“Yes Evan?” Tommy hugged him closer.

Buck grinned as he attempted to turn over in his husband’s viper-like embrace. When he managed it, he stared deep into those bright blue eyes as he whispered, “I’m thinking that, maybe, just maybe, we can start trying for that baby tonight.”

“Oh yeah?” His earlier sleepiness seemed to slip away as his hand, which had been drawing circles on Evan’s back, dipped lower until he was cupping Evan’s ass pulling him against him.

Buck nodded, pressing his lips to Tommy’s nose, and then his lips and then down his jaw, his own hand wrapping around a firm half globe. “Yeah. I think so.” Giggling like school boys, Buck flipped Tommy onto his back and got on top of him, kissing him until they could no longer breathe.

It might not have been a traditional date, but Buck couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend his Saturday, with the man he loved and the kids of the family he chose.

[aventurineswife]

Could you do Reader x Aventurine where there are college rivals, reader always a top student not until Aventurine arrived and took reader 1st place and they have become the 2nd place, they always bickering who's the best but they never cross any line

One day reader got sick, Aventurine was worried because he hadn't seen them for 2 days so he decided to pay them a visit and found out reader had a high fever so he rushed out to buy a medicine for reader until now they have become close but still have those rivalry banter, rather more playful now

Kinda like rival to lover but they're like mutual pining until both of them say something

Closer by Competition

Summary: In college, you and Aventurine are fierce rivals, constantly competing for the top spot in your program. Aventurine’s unexpected arrival pushes you down to second place, sparking a lively competition filled with witty banter and mutual respect. But when you fall sick, Aventurine’s concern leads him to visit and care for you, marking a shift in your relationship. Slowly, your rivalry evolves into something warmer, as you both realize that perhaps you’re better together than in constant competition.

Tags: College Rivals to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Rivalry with Affection, Fluff, Sickfic, Academic Competition, Banter, Playful Rivalry, Light Angst with a Happy Ending

Warnings: Mild language (playful insults and teasing), Brief mention of illness and fever

The rivalry between you and Aventurine began the moment he transferred into your program. You'd always been the top student, basking in the quiet satisfaction of watching your scores inch higher than anyone else's. But then he arrived—Aventurine, the guy with sandy-blond hair, sharp magenta and cyan eyes, and that ever-present confident smile that made your blood simmer. From the first test he aced, taking your spot at the top, to the last debate he won by the narrowest of margins, he had become your academic nemesis.

You were both locked in this unspoken battle, constantly throwing playful, biting remarks at each other in the lecture hall, or subtly trying to outdo each other with project presentations that dazzled the professors. But there was a line, one neither of you ever crossed—despite the bickering, there was an unspoken respect between you. And maybe… just maybe… a spark.

Then came a week where you weren't around to throw the usual quips his way. Aventurine noticed your absence. Two days passed without your witty retorts or side-eyed glares across the classroom, and he found himself… worried. The idea that something might actually be wrong bothered him in a way he didn’t expect.

Without a second thought, he managed to get your address from a mutual friend and decided to visit. When he knocked, your groggy, barely coherent voice from inside told him all he needed to know. He pushed the door open to find you sprawled on your bed, looking paler than he’d ever seen you.

"[Name]," he said, worry clear in his usually cool tone. "Why didn’t you tell anyone you were sick?"

Your response was a half-hearted, sleepy glare, which normally might have been funny if you didn't look like you were about to pass out. Aventurine didn’t waste any time. He left your apartment and returned shortly after with fever medication, a water bottle, and a bag of snacks, a surprising softness in his gaze as he handed you the medicine.

“You know,” he said, his usual smirk making an appearance. “For someone who supposedly likes being number one, you don’t seem very committed to staying alive.”

You rolled your eyes weakly, the smallest smile tugging at your lips. “Coming from the guy who’s obsessed with competition. Figures you'd be here just to make sure I get back to competing with you.”

He chuckled, brushing a stray hair off your forehead. “I wouldn’t want my only worthy rival giving up that easily.”

From that day, something changed between you two. Your exchanges softened, though the rivalry remained. You’d still argue over who got the higher test score, whose presentation dazzled more, but now your banter was laced with a new warmth. He’d check in on you more often, and you found yourself doing the same, wondering if he’d eaten lunch, if he’d stayed up too late cramming. It wasn’t long before people around campus began to notice how your rivalry was slowly morphing into something else.

One day, after yet another mock argument about a recent exam score, Aventurine grinned and leaned closer, his eyes dancing. “You know, I think we might make a better team than rivals.”

You felt a warmth rise in your cheeks, rolling your eyes to hide it. “Maybe. But don’t think that’s going to make me go easy on you.”

He laughed, his smile softer this time. “Good. I’d hate for it to be too easy.” And with that, your rivalry became something deeper, both of you leaning into the subtle affection that had grown between you.

[jr-acrux101]

Okay Im rusty with my writing, and ive only seen like 512 episodes of one piece, but I do know some of the spoliers pls go easy on me 😭

NSFW/ 18+ ONLY

MINORS PLS DO NOT INTERACT-

Aokiji has been on my mind lately. ngl mans is fine as hell. The characters are not as canon as I would like, but 🤷🏻‍♀️ I am working on a 2nd chapter pls lmk if you guys want it.

Not beta read- hope you enjoy!

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

You sighed as the man you love started to freeze you. The past memories came back.

-

You started off as his subordinate. On your first meeting with the rest of your crew that was transferred, he waved and left to take a nap. He infuriated you. To you he was lazy.

Somehow that same day you bumped into you falling as the 7ft man towered over you.

"Arara, my bad Miss …"

You glared at him and started to pick up the paperwork, "Last name is _ Admiral Aokiji." He hummed and picked up 2 documents by his feet.

He handed them to you and gave a quick wave. By the grace of god you were promoted to Vice Admiral. Picking up his slack, which was almost always.

The relationship between you turned teasing somehow. It started with sarcastic remarks under your breath and him smirking when he heard them.

He would sleep at his desk while you did his paperwork, something that was the normal routine for the two of you.

Kizaru always jokes when he invites you for a night cap, that there was more between you two, which you would laugh off. "The thought couldn't be more unfathomable." Was your reply. He shrugged and muttered to himself, "Wouldn't be surprising." His wife and him would share a look but left it at that.

Kuzan would be little more in your presence when he caught wind every time you went to Kizaru. Clingy in a way but you never thought much of it.

"So Dove let's go have a nightcap together." Oh that infuriating nickname got on your nerves but you kept calm. Moreover you were shocked, but nodded yes.

Well Kizaru wasn't wrong about that there was something more you felt you never would have imagined that Kuzan liked you back.

Aokiji was lazy, a smartass, and so fucking hot. His sarcastic remarks and playful banter, when he would have energy, made you fall for him a little more. When he had a shit eating grin leaving his work to you to leave and nap made you tingle.

"Arara you're so wet for me already F/N." He looked you over with lust filled eyes. You bit your lip and looked away with your cheeks stained. He grabbed your chin and kissed you. He kissed your neck and trailed down. He cooled tongue and battled against your heat slicked pussy. You groaned and bucked your hips.

"Ad- Admiral-"

"None of that now, no need for titles in bed Dove."

"Aokiji! Please."

"Hmm Kuzan my little dove. You're so desperate to have my cock inside you huh?" You nodded feverishly.

"I want you to fuck me Kuzan."

"Arara there's the spitfire I know. So demanding."

You gave a grin at that. He picked you up easily and leaned on the headboard. "I want you to work for it."

You rolled your eyes, "You're just too lazy to continue." He huffed out a laugh.

You slowly eased on his cock. He watched you hungrily as you inch by inch took him. He groaned once you bottomed out. "Fuck tight." Was all he was able to utter and you rose up and slammed down. You fucked yourself on his dick, feeling the the pressure in you lower stomach. Your pace quickened but he held you still.

"So impatient F/N. Enjoy the ride a little more." You looked down at him through half lidded eyes.

"Please Kuzan, make me cum. Then fill me up with yours." In the moment Aokiji wanted to have you face down and ass up as he rearranged your guts. He kept cool though, his dick twitched inside you.

"Hmm you sure know how to make a man weak." You gigled.

The time you two fought after fighting with the white beard. Unbeknownst to him, you had encountered the strawhats before him, letting them go but you were close to one particular straw hat before joining the marines.

"It was wrong!" You hissed.

"It is my job."

"Your job is to help maintain justice! Not make up rules of what you think is justice."

"You should know better than anyone that that is what we do."

"Like killing your best friend for trying to save a child? Or killing an entire island because of ancient text reading abilities?"

He froze, his aloofness gone. "How do you know that?"

You turned away. "The fight was gruesome and all the casualties were unnecessary. And you wanted it to continue to catch straw hat."

You had agreed with Coby, it was too much death and the "justice" was out of control.

"I'm an Admiral L/N." You stiffen at the usage of your last name.

"Of course, your duty comes before actual justice." With that you slammed the door of his office and left, to hell with the rest of work. What were they gonna do? Demote you? Good riddance.

Your relationship was tense after that. It started to thaw and blossom again until the fight with Admiral Akuinu. When he awoke you cried in relief. That night he wanted you to ride him in his hospital bed. You were, of course, appalled but complied nonetheless when everyone went home.

The week after that he was gone. He left a letter saying he couldn't do it anymore, your relationship, the new fleet Admiral, and his wayward justice.

Kizaru was there to help you pick up the pieces. Him and his wife would check on you on your days off, she would constantly fuzz over you. You and Kizaru had a friendship of silence and understanding.

Coby was there for you too. He was a sweet boy who would do great things. You hoped that his sense of justice and understanding never changed.

When you gave birth 9 months later you gave birth to a beautiful little girl. She has light brown skin and light brown curly hair. She was perfect.

You requested more time off and raised her, with the help of Kizaru's wife and Kizaru of course. Coby was her uncle. And Robin knew who her father was upon seeing her. But she did not cast her fathers sins upon her. You had helped Robin as a young girl running. Giving her a place to stay and eat before she got up and left again, it was too dangerous.

By some miracle you met again again as a rookie in the marines. You were off duty. You talked and talked. It was nice to hear she was alive.

By that time you kept in frequent touch.

You were appointed to the new world for a mission. It was quick, to get intel and after that it would be your last mission.

Smoker called you into his office. "Kuzan will be the enemy for this mission F/N. He saved me during the Doflamingo incident, he's still alive and with the Black Beard pirates." Your heart stopped.

You were silent. But nodded your head.

"Be careful please. Kiki still needs at least one parent."

"I have the calm calm fruit. I'll be quick and silent. Not engaging Smoker." He nodded. You two grew closer in the past months.

"Be careful F/N."

You gave a small smile and left.

"You shouldn't have come."

"You got this Aokiji?" Black beard laughed. He nodded and his "crew" started to leave. "Hurry up, we'll be on the ship."

The two of you were left on the snowy island.

-

"Her name is Kiki." He slowed down the ice. He saw the tears streaming down. "Goodbye Aokiji Kuzan." She accepted her fate. And the ice fully enclosed her.

He cursed. He got her transponder snail. "Smoker."

"Kuzan?"

"I have F/N here frozen. She took too many injuries so I froze her to stop the bleeding. Thaw her out and have a doctor on stand by."

"YOU COWARD! YOU MIGHT HAVE SAVED MY ASS BACK THEN BUT I SWEAR- TASHIGI HEAD BACK TO THE ISLAND F/N ON."

The responder clicked. He left it on her shoulder and froze it. He replayed one of last words. 'Kiki. Well fuck.'

You gasped as you woke up. "F/N." Koby was there with Kiki who was fast asleep. Koby's yelling did nothing to wake her. Your head was pounding and your body ached. You fell right back to an unconscious state.

After a month-long recovery, you resigned. You had enough money saved since you were just taking care of yourself till recently. All you did was save.

You went and bought a home for you and your daughter. Kizaru and his wife Takako would often come on by, as well as Koby, and Smoker, with Tashigi every now and then.

Two years had passed after. Kuzan spotted the light blue house on the shore. There were blue salvias around the house, kind of like a fence.

He saw a little girl running outside with her doll. He slowly walked up the hill. The little girl had her into 2 little puffs. She looked up at the man walking on the road towards their house.

She furrowed her eyebrows and ran inside. "Mama ! There's a man on the road to the house!"

She ran up to you, who was on the phone with Kizaru.

She faintly heard him say "time."

"I gotta go Kizaru, you and Takako can come visit whenever."

You rushed to Kili, "Stay here sweetie. I'll be back." The three year old nodded. You rushed to the door, only to be met with the man that broke your heart, the father of your child, your former Admiral, Aokiji Kuzan.

You activated your bubble. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "You think after making me fall in love with you, breaking my heart and leaving me, breaking my heart again and almost KILLING ME you get to waltz over here as if it didn't happen?"

He hung his head. You were fuming. Upon looking at him you noticed he had a black eye and his arm was in a cast. You furrowed your eyebrows, who was strong enough to kick his ass?

"F/n. I know. I am sorry. I left to protect you. I had to do this mission my own way with my own sense of justice, and in order for me to do that I had to leave everything, in-including you, the person I loved."

Your eyes watered but you didn't want to waste anymore tears on this man.

"So that makes it okay?"

"No, of course not."

"Why are you here?"

"To apologize. To see our daughter."

"Our daughter? The one you left before she was born?"

"I didn't know she existed Dove."

"Oh don't you fucking call me that Aokiji." You said his name mockingly. He winced, wrong move.

"F/n. Please, I didn't-I know I fucked up. But I came to you to beg for forgiveness. You are the love of my life and we made a child together. I needed to do this, to keep you safe."

You felt like you were shaking with anger, you probably were. "Aokiji Kuzan you are a heartless man incapable of loving. You left me and then you almost killed me. I will not let you near my child. You have shown your goals were more important and I will not have my daughter be second to a fucking construct. Leave."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I am not going to leave a second time."

The bubble around you started to harden. Kuzan stepped back to be met to the end of your bubble. You stepped back and the bubble let you out. Kuzan on the other hand was stuck.

He tried to freeze the bubble to break it, but it seemed like that just made it more durable.

You went and picked up the responder snail. "Mama who is that?" You stiffened. You scooped her up and took her to her bedroom.

"Stay right here little Dovey I'll be right back. That's mamas old friend."

"Okay mama."

You gave her a kiss on her head. And walked down to the end of the stairs. You sat on them and you realized Kuzan gave up and was laying down.

Fucking typical.

"Moshi moshi!"

"Why the fucking is Kuzan at my door step?"

Kuzan winced, he gave a weak chuckle. "While after I broke the arm that he used to freeze you with and then after Smoker suckered punch him. We um gave him your address."

"Why?"

You could hear his shrug,"He wanted to apologize, and with him weakened by us we knew he wouldn't try anything. Plus Smoker is on your island just in case." You went to the window and saw him and someone else on the shore.

"So you broke his arm for me?"

"Of course. I would've broken the other one too but the man is also down a leg if you haven't noticed so…"

You huffed out an inappropriate laugh. "Well thanks, I'll call you later. Oh and I'm calling Takako to kill you." You heard the groan and hung up. You sighed.

The bubble popped and Kuzan fell on his back. He hit it with a soft thud and grunted.

"Okay you've apologized can you leave." You've made the bubble again.

"No."

"Oh you stubborn, lazy, jackass!" He wanted to grin, you riled up was always so cute and sexy. But he knew if he did you would somehow kill him.

"I know."

"Oh you know? And yet here you are still lazy, stubborn, and a spoiled pain in my ass!"

He just nodded. "Ugh say something you asshat!"

He huffed out a laugh, "Asshat?"

You gave him a blank stare. "Sorry, never heard it like that. It was quite funny "

You rolled your eyes. "Yeah I'm quite the fucking comedian."

Okay, this could go either 2 ways for Kuzan. Him on the floor dead or him on the floor close to death as you ride him and suxk the life out of him.

He was jack shit wrong, but he could dream.

"Did you finish whatever goal that was so important to leave everything and everyone behind?"

"Yes."

You hummed.

"How old is she?"

"3 years and 3 months."

"What's her favorite color?"

You glared at him, "Blue."

"Does-does she know about me?"

"Yes. You have your glasses and a different bandanna so it didn't register to her since she's only seen pictures."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sure you are."

You grabbed the responder snail again. "F/n."

"You and Tashigi can leave now Smokes. I'm fine."

"Are you sure you want him around? Say the word F/n, and Tashigi and I will kill him for you."

A laugh came out of you as Tashigi agreed. "Thank you for that generosity but I'm fine."

"Okay just checking. Call us when you want us over with Barsalino and Takako."

"Will do."

Silence hung in the bubble before you heard a soft knocking to your left. Kiki was there. It finally clicked for her. "I'm going to keep you in the bubble." Before he could protest, you stepped out of the bubble.

She signaled up. Which you obliged. "Is that him?" She whispered.

You smiled as she still had a hard time understanding your devil fruit. "Yes, that's him."

"Can I meet him?"

"Do you want to?"

Kiki stared into Kuzans eyes,and slowly nodded her head. You let the bubble burst. You stood in front of Kuzan.

"Kuzan, this is our daughter Kiki. Kiki, this is your father."

[princeoftheeternalbog]

Presenting the Switch!Usopp agenda🤲 except mostly he's subbing here but if you guys want part two then ask

First post with uhm uh DON'T LOOK AT ME OKAY you know what, thats what you're here for pookie

MDNI or i swear to god i will turn your bones into jelly.

Seriously tho it's got some erm explicit acts under the cut do not open if you don't wanna read that.

Usopp is trembling underneath you.

You'd been at this for about half an hour now, bringing him close to the edge and then pulling your touch away. His biceps are straining where he tries to pull against the restraints you'd slipped on him when you first started making out, the cool toned rope contrasting beautifully with his warm, tanned skin. His hair is half falling out of it's usual ponytail, curls springing out to frame his face.

"Come on- just let me finish-"

His voice is wrecked and cuts off into a higher pitched whine as you give a particularly mean twist of your hand. He's attempting to glare at you but his watery eyes completely undermine the intent, making him look more like he's begging than anything else. You just giggle, shifting back to sit more firmly on his thighs so he'll stop bucking up so much.

"You were saying?"

"Oh fu-u-ck you- hngg" Your thumb slides over the head of his cock.

"That's not a very nice thing to say"

His head snaps up from the pillow, voice coming out sharp,

"Y- you want to talk about nice??"

He looks so pissed off, it's actually really hot, you don't really get to see him being serious like this. He starts to tug harder, now trying to gain some sort of anchor with his legs, thrashing slightly underneath you.

His suddenly renewed straining actually causes the headboard to creak and you decide that now is probably the best time to disarm him.

And on that note you lean down and take the first few inches of his cock into your mouth, keeping your hand at the base. Usopp shouts, bucking his hips hard, pushing himself deeper and he very nearly smashes your nose into his pelvis. You simply readjust, moving to lie between his legs and bringing your arms up to wrap around his hips and lock them in place. You start to suck harder, moving your head slightly but he doesn't really need much considering how long he's been on the edge.

"Oh my god- Oh my god-"

His chest is heaving now, breath coming fast and his voice is wrecked. You hum around his cock, to acknowledge him but also just to wind him up more before pulling off for a second, one of your hands leaving his hip to wrap around his cock.

"I thought you were my god hm?"

As you say it, you give him one long stroke and he throws his head back, groaning as he cums. He's straining against your grip as his back arches and you can feel him throbbing under your fingers as his release soaks your hand. His voice is garbled and he's blabbering nonsense but you can vaguely make out some phrases like- "Thank you" "lve you" "so good".

He relaxes, practically melting into the sheets. His eyes are closed but you know he's not sleeping because he's still murmuring something. You wiggle your way up his body, coming up to his face to kiss him and to hear what he's trying to say. It's as you lean in, chest touching his that he finally raises his voice a little

"need t' return the favour"

Your face twists in confusion and you go to speak but there's a loud snapping sound and then your vision does spins as he flips you onto your back. The sudden shift has left you disorientated and he uses the opportunity to snatch your wrists and bring them together.

He holds them with one hand while he uses his teeth to loosen the remnants of the ties on his other hand, he's efficient, barely loosening them before slipping his hand out. He lets the rope drop to the bed, switching hands so he can take care of the other one while you just blink up at him in shock.

When he finally finishes his task he leans down for a kiss, using his tongue to coax you into opening your mouth. You're so distracted by the deep, thorough kiss that you don't notice him pulling the exact same trick that you did. Well almost the same, difference being that your hands are only tied to other each other.

"Sorry lovely, I broke the headboard before, but I'll fix it later okay?"

Each word is punctuated with a kiss and he's rambling a lot but his tone is smooth and confident, nothing like his usual way of speaking.

Maybe you should've thought about the consequences beforehand...

Oh well.

[artiststarme]

Win Some, Lose Some

Based on a prompt from @mysticcrownshipper. Thank you and I hope it meets your expectations! Please leave your thoughts in the comments.

~*~*~*~

Steve was pretty sure he was unlovable. It was the only reason that made sense as to why everyone always treated him like this. What about him made people feel the need to put him down in every conversation or ignore him completely? Neglect wasn’t a new feeling to Steve. No, he was all too used to being uncared for and left alone. He had been since his parents started leaving him for weeks at a time to go on business trips and vacations when he was nine. Neglect wasn’t new to him nor was the underappreciation and ignorance that was constantly present in the Party. Every person he talked to made him feel like an inconvenience and he was sick of it.

Robin was supposed to be his best friend, his platonic soulmate with a capital P, his ride or die. So why was she belittling him and downplaying his feelings every chance she could? Any time Steve wanted to vent about Eddie or talk about his feelings, she would shut it down. She’d tell him that Eddie was just new to relationships and that his feelings were misplaced. She made him feel the worst out of everyone in the Party because she was the one he expected to be on his side the most. Steve ignored it mostly because what else could he do? Call her on it and risk losing her completely? No, it was best to push down his ‘misplaced feelings’ and pretend to laugh when she put him down. It’s not like he didn’t have the practice.

The kids were just as awful as they always were, completely taking him for granted. They expected Steve to give up everything without giving anything back. He has a date with Eddie that night? They want him to drop it and give them a ride to the pool. He has a headache and doesn’t feel like doing anything? Who cares, they need him to watch their DnD campaign. Oh, he doesn’t have enough money for groceries that week? He has to have enough to give them some for the arcade though, right?

Eddie certainly wasn’t helping either. He was constantly neglecting their relationship and placing it as his lowest priority. Steve would go out of his way to make plans with him only for him to cancel last minute or neglect to show at all. He’d go without calling Steve for days, blow him off when he did something nice for him, and poke fun at Steve’s expense to make the others laugh. It was to the point where it wasn’t making just Steve uncomfortable but the Corroded Coffin boys as well. 

He thought he was hiding his hurt feelings pretty well but when Eddie said a comment that hit a little too close to home for him, Steve ducked out of his own dining room to smoke a cigarette he definitely didn’t need. When he heard his sliding door inch open, he hoped that it would be Eddie coming to apologize but it turned out to be a worried Jeff instead. 

“Hey man, you alright?” He asked him, his eyes glimmering in concern. 

“Yeah, man,” Steve nodded before taking a long drag. “It’s fine, he does that all the time. It’s cool.”

Jeff didn’t look convinced and narrowed his eyes at the half-burnt cigarette. “It’s not cool at all. Why are you smoking, I thought you quit?”

Steve sighed, “yeah well, I couldn’t kick it completely. It makes a good excuse for when I need a break. Plus, Wayne is a really bad role model and keeps buying an extra pack for me when he gets his. I don’t have the heart to tell him I’m thinking of quitting, he’d be crushed.”

“I get it.”

There was a moment of silence between the two of them when Jeff spoke again. “Hey, you want to hang out at band practice with the guys and I on Monday? Eddie won’t be there but you could just hang with us.”

“You want to hang out with me without Eddie? You guys don’t even like me.” Steve told him deadpan. 

“What? Yes we do! We think you’re cool and if you ever want to swing by, we’d love to have you. We need an unbiased judge for our music.”

Steve hummed, “okay, what time on Monday?”

“Um, I think eleven. AM, not PM. Just come and hang out with us in Gareth’s garage. His mom is making tuna salad for us,” Jeff added. 

“Well how could I ever resist tuna salad?” Steve laughed, it felt like a long time since he’s done that. 

Jeff pointed at him, “that’s what I’m saying! And ditch the cigarettes, you won’t need a break with us. We won’t treat you like that.”

Steve nodded as Jeff went back inside. It was nice to be invited somewhere without an ulterior motive. Steve found himself looking forward to Monday so he could just relax without having to fake a part. He was excited and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt that way.

~*~*~*~

Word must have spread after that because suddenly, everyone outside of the main Party members wanted to hang out. The Corroded Coffin boys were teaching him how to play guitar and making him sing choruses alongside Jeff. Nancy was inviting Steve over for girl’s night to talk shit about Eddie and Robin. Murray was luring Steve to his bunker with promises of authentic Russian vodka and “sticking it to the man”, Steve didn’t accept that offer but he did appreciate it. Even Hopper and Joyce were inviting him out for milkshakes and basketball practice. 

Steve was having the most fun though with Phil and his new boyfriend Dio. Dio was a goth, twenty something with a sarcastic personality and a stupid sense of humor that complemented Phil’s. Just looking at him, Steve could tell that he and Phil shared a type (a fact often laughed at by Dio). It seemed they both went for alternative guys with shitty tastes in music. When Phil had first introduced the two, they had both been wary of one another; Steve because the guy looked like the type to stab his enemies and Dio because this preppy jock could out him and ruin his life. They soon found common ground however over their love of horror movies and Queen music. Now, Steve saw Dio as another older brother of sorts and couldn’t picture Phil with anyone else. 

 They invited him over biweekly for dinner and movie nights with horror films that left Steve itching with anxiety. But he was finally having fun. With all of the unexpected invites, he didn’t have any time to spend with the Party. Soon, he found out that that was intentional.  

He made a comment to Phil and Dio at one of their dinners that he hadn’t seen any of the Party in a while and that it almost seemed like he was avoiding them to hang out with other people. They both just looked at him blankly and Phil told him deadpan, “Well, duh. We made a plan to keep them away from you, we’re not going to make it easy on them. Now eat your green beans before they go cold.”

Steve just blinked at him. “What do you mean you made a plan? I’m confused.”

Dio gave Phil the side-eye and smiled a strained smile at Steve. “Alright look, we heard from your band friend that your other friends were being dumbasses and decided that they needed a time out. But you didn’t deserve to suffer so we made plans with you to keep you busy and to keep them away. Got it?”

No, Steve did not ‘get it’. 

“Why would you do that? That’s just how they are.”

Phil whipped his head up and almost knocked over his glass of chocolate milk in his haste to point a finger at Steve. “Excuse me?! They’ve been this way the whole time? Then why the hell are you friends with them?”

Steve blinked. “Because they want to be friends with me. It’s not like many people want to.”

Both Phil and Dio stared at him in sadness. They clearly didn’t see that coming. They looked at each other, back at Steve, then back at each other before Dio spoke. 

“We have to step it up then and really make them suffer. Here’s what we’re going to do, we’re going to make them jealous. If they haven’t realized that we’re trying to steal you already, they will soon enough. I’ll make the calls and we can really escalate things.”

“What the hell, um no. Let’s not do that? I just- what?” Steve stammered. 

“No, just trust me. We can make them really jealous with this plan. I’ve done it before, I’m a pro at getting revenge,” Dio smirked at him. 

Steve just stared at him and Phil nodded in agreement. 

“That’s true,” he said through a mouthful of green beans. “He’s gay and vengeful, that’s the worst kind. But remember, I’m an officer of the law so you have to keep it legal this time.”

“This time?!”

~*~*~*~

Dio wasn’t kidding about his revenge plan. He started coming around to Family Video on his lunch breaks in an attempt to confuse Eddie. He had the Corroded Coffin boys inviting Steve over almost daily and even Uncle Wayne taking him out for coffee and donuts. It was all Steve had ever wanted and deep down, he was a little sad that it had to be an act. 

Three weeks in though, the Party started to notice and it was all worth it. The kids came in to glare at the random goth weirdo that was monopolizing his time at work and complained to each other that their calls to the Harrington house were going unanswered. 

Robin was stuck working with Keith when Steve switched his shifts and her attempts to brag about Vickie went unanswered on the walkie. She couldn’t help but wonder where her best friend had gone or what had caused his absence. 

Eddie kept seeing Steve leave Gareth’s garage right as he got there and whenever he asked the guys, he got a disinterested, “yeah, we’re teaching him how to play the guitar. He was just stopping by.”

He reached a breaking point when he walked into Family Video to see a goth standing shoulder to shoulder with Steve in the horror section. Steve was smiling and nodding along to whatever the guy was saying and Eddie had had enough. 

“Hey! Who are you? Why are you standing so close to him huh? He’s taken!”

Steve just looked at him unimpressed. “Oh, are we still dating? I wasn’t sure considering you haven’t talked to me in three weeks.”

“What, three weeks? It hasn’t been that long. Even still, you’re going to go after a goth? What the fuck, Steve?” Eddie shook his head at him like Steve was in the wrong. 

“This is my brother’s boyfriend, Dio. We’re trying to pick out a movie that’s going to scare Phil. Not that it’s any of your business.”

“Oh, um. Can we talk?” Eddie murmured, chagrined. 

“No, I don’t think we should. There’s literally nothing you could say to make me forgive any of you. You, Robin, and the kids have ignored me for weeks and I didn’t even do anything wrong. And now you’re jealous because I’m talking to a guy that’s not you? No.”

Eddie’s face dropped. “Are you, are you breaking up with me?”

Steve’s mouth twisted, this hadn’t been part of the original plan but it did feel right. “Yeah, I am.”

“Um, okay. I’m gonna, I'm gonna go,” Eddie whispered before darting out of the store. 

Steve sadly watched him leave as Dio just looked between him and the door. “Well goddamn, you broke up with him? The whole plan was for everyone to make him jealous so he treated you better. I didn’t know that you wanted to dump him.”

“I didn’t either. But these past few weeks have taught me that the Party really aren’t great friends to have. And Eddie isn’t really a good boyfriend. I don’t want to go back to how it was,” Steve murmured. His chest felt heavy with loss and he could feel a tension headache creeping in. 

“Hey, look at me,” Dio met his eyes and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You have to do what’s right for you and if that means cutting ties with toxic people, that’s what you have to do. There’s no shame in that.”

Steve nodded at him and broke away from his hold to get back to work. It was going to take some adjusting to losing the Party but it was the best thing for now. He’d been put down and mistreated too much by them to let them so easily off the hook once again. It was about time he put himself first, even if it meant losing the friends he’d thought he’d never lose.

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[indigosabyss]

The Not-A-Curse (JJK x Nanbaka Crossover) AU: Kyoto Goodwill Event – Possible Track for Nanba?

The Goodwill Event was a collaboration between the three major jujutsu education organizations in Japan: Tokyo Jujutsu High, Kyoto Jujutsu High, and... Nanba Training Academy.

"Why'd you say that weird?" Yuuji asked, immediately picking up on Megumi's reticence on the subject.

Gojo tapped his chin, "Well, how to put this? Even compared to sorcerers, they're weird."

"The Goodwill Event only happens either here or Kyoto because they literally will not tell us where their secret island base is." Megumi explained sourly.

"An island?!" Nobara screeched, "So unfair! I'd throw the match so we can get an island vacation next year."

"Which is exactly why we let them not host." Gojo tutted, "Otherwise, everyone has an incentive to not do their best!"

Then above them, a loud 'POOF' rang out, followed by a cloud of white smoke. When it cleared, there was a man dangling upside down from the ceiling right in front of Gojo, using a belt that resembled more of a tail wound around a lighting fixture to keep him there.

Bright red markings around his eyes heightened the dry glare leveled at their teacher from mere inches away, who smiled beatifically.

"Heard you were talking shit." The guy drawled finally. Yuuji thought he was really cool.

Gojo grinned, turning to look at his students and pointing at the interloper, "See? Weird."

(more excerpts thru the entire arc under cut)

------

"'Goodwill Event'." Principal Hyakushiki - nicknamed 'The Warden' - scoffed as she marched in front of the chosen six students for the event. They all straightened their spines as she continued to lecture, "Don't let your hearts soften. Don't lose sight of the target. Remember: this is war."

Zakuro gulped, leaning to whisper to his trainer, "Doctor, isn't this a bit dramat-?"

He was cut off by the Principal bellowed, "WHAT IS THIS?"

"WAR!" The rest of the group readily yelled. The Department Five duo he expected to like that sentiment, but the Dreams track guy said it with way more bloodthirst than was normal.

----

Jyugo didn't want to invite the Kyoto group to the school. He just happened to be passing by with Inumaki and Panda who wanted him to break into Kusakabe's car.

And now he had been cornered by this scary guy with a topknot.

"You. What's your type in women?" He asked, towering over him.

Jyugo blinked, struggling to understand how they had gone from carjacking plans to this.

"I... don't like women." He settled on saying.

"Men, then!" The interrogater switched tracks easily.

"I don't like men either." This finally hit a dead end for the guy. Was it really that strange?

"Complete emotional unattachment is his entire identity." Panda backed him up.

Mai waved a hand over the weird guy's eyes, to no reaction, "Woah, you broke Todo."

---

"Hey, Number Fifteen. Want to watch the event from the screen us staff get?" Gojo asked, half-distracted by a strawberry popsicle, "Your old supervisors have great taste in snacks!"

Number Fifteen shook his head, looking listlessly at the book the blind fire-cursed man had given him, "Kinda busy right now."

"Okay then, have fun staring holes into a book you clearly can't stand!" He ducked back out, beating the bad thoughts back with a stick.

---

Zakuro's hands were shaking lightly as he pulled Jyugo's hand into a handshake, "Holy shit, you're the original Cursed Shackles user."

Funnily enough, the Cursed Shackles were the last thing people pointed out as weird about him, in jujutsu spaces. Everyone was more excited by the Hollow Spirit aspect.

"Thanks." He managed, extracting his hand from the grip, "Should you be down here?"

"We should run away." Zakuro suggested, already thinking about the future, "This world, these chains, we don't deserve it. Let's get out of here."

Jyugo considered it. He looked back at his room, still covered with deadbolts on the outside.

The idea wasn't too unappealing.

---

The curse with tree roots growing out of its eyes flexed its cursed energy, facing down the young sorcerers surrounding him.

The tiny boy with plaster-white skin flickered his cursed energy wildly. His classmate in the red jumpsuit started moving back.

"Brace yourselves." He warned, "Upa is unleashing his technique."

Everyone backed away as the boy fell into a stance, waiting in anticipation as he concentrated higher and higher cursed energy into his palms. Until finally he released a blinding beam of it directly at the curse.

Smoke rose up from the spot, eviscerating the creature previously standing there.

"Your secret technique," Megumi said with withering disappointment, "was just hypercharged cursed energy blast."

"Yes." Upa said simply, "It is a talent treasured in Department Five."

Megumi fucking hated Nanba Academy.