#AND THEN i find out that report cards are due next week
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expelliarmus · 1 year ago
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ivys-garden · 26 days ago
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Wild Life Spoilers: Session 2 Alliance Report:
Teams:
The Spanners - (Mumbo, Grian, Skizz) - formerly the Sub One Club, immediately forget their idea of using crawl mode and lament that they can't be sub one anymore. Mumbo then decides they are “The Floaters” due to them becoming obsessed with the levitation ability. Luckily this doesn't stick because I could not handle an alliance that changes name every session. Mumbo and Skizz built their “base” as a series of bridges, leading to Mumbo calling them “The Spanners” since “they span things”.
Speaking of levitation, they died from that. And starvation. This was not Mumbo or Skizzes session, with Mumbo losing two life's and Skizz losing 3, halfing his amount of lives in one session. If Skizz loses one next week he will be yellow. Seems Grian's curse of outlining his alliance has started early.
The Bam-Boozelers - (Scar, Lizzie, Jimmy)
I normally have a lot of faith in all life series teams. I think anyone can make it to the end. I think this so long as it is not abundantly clear that they're doomed. I never say someone is Doomed from the star-
This team is doomed from the start. Immediately they decide that the Wild Card is that he can't heal from hunger, now this is a good first thought and is shared by other teams, though those other teams immediately realised that if that were the Wild Card everyone would die of hunger and started looking for other options.
These 3? They stuck with that idea and started making boats to travel. When they realised that their hunger reduced passively, they panicked until Grian saved them by telling everyone in chat that they could eat anything. Now, armed with this knowledge they just have to find a good and easy to use food source.
They chose stone shovels. An item that cannot be stacked and required way more effort and resources to make than was worth it. And they stuck by this even as others told them about better foods. They only stopped using shovels because of the randomisation.
How is Jimmy the most confident member on his team?
In other news, they're theme park is going well and Lizzie's Parrot is cute. Jimmy also apparently has “Big Mascot Energy”.
Renwood - (Martyn, Ren)
These dogs are just vibing. They each lose a life each, no big deal. A far cry from previous seasons, Ren is just chilling, Not going after anyone unless they go after them first and trying to get Martyn to do the same. And he actually does, not attacking anyone this session at all. He even gives up going after Jimmy for stealing their cows (an action which was by every account deserved.)
The Tuff Guys (Tango, Etho, Bdubs) (not technically together (?))
Ah yes, Team B.E.S.T without Skizz …. Considering Skizz was the only person keeping Team B.E.S.T from imploding, this can only go well!
Yeah this team is not staying together. Technically they're already breaking up, with Bdubs saying they should only look out for themselves and insisting they live in different houses. Bdubs even cements this mentality by fully encouraging Scar to help kill Tango for no reason.
As for the “Tuff” part, Etho has decided that they need to be tougher and take what they want from people. You know, not to be nice or polite.
Luckily we can see how this works in practice, as Gem encourages him to go be tough to the Final Girls, let's see how Etho is an not being nice:
● he greets Scott and Cleo
● makes small talk
● politely asks for copper
● tries to stop Pearl stealing from them since he doesn't know she's on they're team
● takes more of the stuff he was told he could have
● gives them obsidian in return anyway
● and still feels bad about it.
Yeah not only was this the least tough Etho had ever been, the Girls almost certainly didn't notice and probably won't even care when they do. Great job Etho.
The Fast And The Furious (Gem, Joel)
This session, Gem announced her plan to make friends so people don't judge them based on 5 seasons worth of going insane every time they go red. This lasts for 3 minutes before other people arrive, Scar misunderstands instructions, Etho lets the cops out and the Final Girls partake in their favourite pastime of miscommunication and insisting their own teammates are doing something they aren't.
Other attempts to make friends do go better, with Gem arguably being on good terms with everyone except two people. So that's good.
Gem also builds a cute little Bard that I give a session before it's burnt down or has a Creeper hole in it. Joel spends all session building a car. Everyone on the server thinks it's hideous, mainly because it is hideous.
The Final Girls - (Scott, Pearl, Cleo, Impulse, Bigb)
Somehow the most stable team here, even if it is mostly out of spite. Yeah this team will stay together, the core four have never betrayed anyone unless an outside faction is involved. They're safe. Even if they continue the tradition of forgetting all the bad stuff they did and only reimbursing bad stuff their teammates did (what do you mean Pearl doesn't trust people based on what happened in previous seasons? That was you, Cleo!)
Oh Bigb also joined this session. Though I imagine this will be a Heart Foundation situation where he bases alone despite being on the team.
Scott and Cleo spend a lot of time this session fixing the mistakes Pearl and Impulse make by acting how they always do. A house and wall are built and Pearl and Impulse prepare revenge plans on Grian and Martyn. Pearl encourages Impulse not to tell the others, seemingly forgetting that Cleo and Bigb are addicted to revenge and would have no problem with this.
Alliances and Friendships:
Lizzie and Gem
these two agree to team up if their teammates die. Since their teammates are idiots.
Remember, Lizzie is the one who made the stone shovel plan.
Spanners Vs Bammers
The Bam-Boozelers still hate the Spanners, dropping their reputation all the way to zero. Mumbo and Skizz either don't realise this or don't care. Grian was gone almost all session mining so can't really say what his thoughts on the situation are.
The Family - (Joel, Etho, Gem)
Etho is indoctrinated into yet another family, though he seems more willing to be present for this one. When Tuff Guys breaks up like 5 minutes into session 3, we all know where he's going.
Also Scar might also be part of the family though every else seems to just ignore this.
Spanners Vs Tango
The Spanners are really angry at Tango for accidentally killing Skizz. They seem satisfied with manifesting his death through belief, but it seems they haven't let him off the hook yet. We all know Bdubs won't help him
Joel might also be mad at Tango since he ate the wheels of his ugly car.
Mumbo & Jimmy still hate Renwood
Mumbo still doesn't trust Martyn after the enchanter fiasco and Jimmy attempts to get revenge for the cow theft. Ren and Martyn have chosen to ignore this, Mumbo seems to have forgotten he was angry, and Jimmy is satisfied that he got revenge.
Ren buys his friends
Ren bought Gem and Tangos friendship through iron. Will this hold up? No.
Gem has beef with team oblivious
Gem hates Pearl and Impulse this season. They are at the top of her inevitable murder list.
● The Final Girls came round for a visit
● Impulse was accused of stealing
● He said he wouldt stela since he knows what it's like to be stolen from
● Gem took this as him amusing her of stealing
● Scott cut him off before he could explain himself by saying he was purposely antagonising them
● Gem cut both of them off by ranting about how much she doesn't trust them
Stellar miscommunication guys, great job as always. Please never change, the series would be way less funny if you did.
Pearl also made it worse by trying to Poison Gem 30 minutes later. Woopsie.
Neither Pearl nor Impulse notice that Gem hates them and the others refuse to tell them.
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pokedawriter · 8 months ago
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Nymph!Reader x Sumeru!Men
Gn!reader, you're a nymph
How would the sumeru men react to finding you and your grotto
I still have no idea what I'm doing
I've never written for Cyno, Alhaitem or Scara so forgive me if something is out of character
Cyno
He's patrolling the desert. There have been lots of cave-ins in the area recently and he wants to figure out if there is a specific cause that he can solve or if he should just warn people about the area
As he walks, he feels the sand beneath his feet begin to fall and he tries to jump away but it's too sudden and he falls
He braces for impact but lands into a net of vines that gently lower him to the ground
Your standing next to him, arm extended with the sunlight on your back, looking gorgeous and radiant, then you speak
"I can't be-leaf someone fell into here. Water you doing here?"
Archons, he might have fallen in love with you at that moment
He asks you about the recent cave in and you tell him it the Wenut mating season, and they're all trying to make burrows for their young. An inexperienced male has been digging here but didn't dig deep enough, which is why there are so many cave-ins. You tell him to just wait a month or two for the season to end
The hole is fairly deep and so you build him a ladder out of vines and he promises to return
After reporting what happened with the cave-ins, he returns and finds you've been repairing your grotto in the mean time, removing the dirt and stones that fell
You're very excited to see him and take him deeper into your grotto, further underground
It's beautiful, with purple, white and yellow flowers illuminating the area. Glowing stones are scattered in the ceiling like stars
He makes a regular habit to visit you and introduces you to Tighnari pretty soon (but he doesn't visit much due to his incompatibility with the heat). You all like to have Genius Innovation TCG together (Cyno teaches you and gives you cards)
He finds himself falling asleep in your grotto, surrounded by the glowing flowers and flowing water
He has to stop visiting for a few months due to work, but tries to wrap it up as fast can to see you
When be returns, he finds your grotto has been severely damaged, much of the flora dying. He searches high and low for you, going to the deepest part of the grotto where rocks fall away and reveal a very weakened you
You tell him people found out about your grotto and stole as many of your rare plants as they could, weakening you greatly and you had to hide yourself and your remaining plants away
He's furious and immediately takes action
He works with Tighnari and Lesser Lord Kusanali to make you and your grotto a protected space
And though he can't punish the researchers for over-foraging (since you and your grotto weren't legally protected), he does let other researchers know of their actions, resulting in those researchers being shunned
He helps you and your grotto return to full health and always tries to visit once a week to 'keep away any trouble makers" (but he just wants to visit you)
You both often fall asleep together in the deepest part of the grotto, happy in each other's presence
Alhaithem
He was looking through the old archives. The scrolls and books here were no longer scientifically accurate, but were kept for record purposes
He's found an old book about mythical creatures of Sumeru: Aranara, Nymphs, Djinn, Rocs, and more. He decided to rent it out and give it a read
Reading it at his house wasn't an option as it would be too loud (Kaveh, whom he didnt feel like dealing with today), the Academia students and researchers were always bothering him if he was around (especially after the 'hero' title), so he decided to leave the city for a bit.
As he walked, he found a small cave and decided to read there
Inside was larger than he expected, with a small moss-covered shrine and little yellow flowers. He sat on one of the rocks to read
It was wonderfully calm and quiet. The right temperature, the trickle of water from a nearby stream, the rustle of the leaves... it was all perfect
So, he came back here again and again, reading his books late into the evenings
He was in the middle of his mythical creatures book, on Nymphs, when he felt a presence and immediately looked for it
You sat on the shrine, staring at him, head tilted in wonder
He looked between his book and its description of Nymphs and you... and it seems he found a mythical creature. Regardless, he continued to read and you continued to watch him
Eventually, he turned to you and asked why you were just staring at him, to which you shrugged and said "If a man were to walk in your yard everyday and read, doing nothing else at all, wouldn't you grow curious?"
He was mostly surprised by the fact you could respond. The book said that Nymph's were shy creatures who couldn't talk
But to you, this man had been a regular visitor to your grotto for months now. His scent was just part of your grotto, like the duskbirds and rishboland tigers. He wasn't a stranger at all
Alhaithem decided to ask you a few questions about Nymphs which you agreeably answered, even showing in the deeper parts of the grotto that he hadn't noticed were there
You both fell into a comfortable routine of him visiting you on his days off to read in comfortable silence while you worked on your grotto
Despite being able to talk in every language he could, he realized you couldn't read at all
He helped you learn how to read and you helped him relax and have the perfect reading spot
You became reading buddies, and even though you would ask him with question on words, it never bothered or annoyed him
He subtly made your grotto a legally protected area so if anyone messed with it, they would have to pay
You were his safe space, and in return, he would protect you too
Scara/Wanderer
Nahida asked him to go outside and touch grass more
Just kidding, she asked him to find a rare flower, only ever found underground in rare Nymph Gardens
She gave him a rough idea where he might be able to find it and off he went, grumbling the whole way
Finding the entrance to the cave wasn't hard. All he had to do then was follow the smell of fresh flowers. It was so simple for him (and most certainly didn't take him several days)
When he finally found your grotto, he couldn't find the flower Nahida had described for him and grumbled under his breath about it
This is where you come in: appearing next to his shoulder asking about what flower he was exactly talking about
You stare at him innocently even as he hold a swirl ball of anemo energy
You ask again and he asks who you are, cautious
"I'm the nymph of this grotto"
That can't be possible, Nymphs aren't real, surely you're pulling his leg
But you have flowers growing on you, the plants lean towards where you step and life seems to exude from you
He'll dispell his anemo attack and tell you about the flower. You nod and scoop it up a bit of dirt and grow the flower on it
He's wondering if there's a cost to it. You tell him it'll hurt you when he leaves with it. He asks what he owes you and you shrug and walk away to play with the springyness of a new fern
He brings the flower to Nahida then rushes back. Not because he's worried! He's just curious about the affects of removing the flower from your grotto (Nahida gives him a knowing smile as he leaves)
When he arrives, you're laying on the ground, looking unwell. He puts his hand to your forehead, and you're burning up
Why would you give the flower to him if it would hurt you so much?
"Because you needed it," you say with a smile
He'll take care of you for the next few days, your waking hours being filled with scolding and mild insults about how stupid it was to give all thay power to a stranger. What if they wanted to take advantage of you?
You laugh and smile. When he's not paying attention, you'll make little figurines out of flower of him
Then he'll notice and scold you for not resting properly, idiot (he does think it's very cute though)
He'll protest even when you insist you are perfectly healthy again
You'll take him to the deepest part of the grotto where you made a picture of the two of you in glowing flowers. He says it looks stupid, but you notice his little blush and giggle
He has to leave for a few days and during that time, treasure hoarders find your grotto
They have no respect for your plants, so you hide, slowly growing weaker and weaker as they pick and burn your plants
Needless to say, when Scara returns and sees you hanging on by a thread, he's pissed
He wipes them out and tends to you once again. It takes months this time until you are healthy, but he's by your side every step of the way
"Clearly, you can't take care of yourself, so I'll have to watch out for you! Hey! Don't giggle! What's so funny, idiot?"
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cookies-sports · 1 month ago
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With the discussion of goal line technology after the weekend, I wondered what the cost of that is.
The BBC reported in 2013 it cost £250,000 to install at each ground, then around £4,000 cost per match. La Liga more recently stated a reason for no goal line technology in the league was that it would cost €3,200,000 to install. They have 20 teams, so roughly €160,000 per stadium which is roughly £133,000. So presumably the cost has gone down since 2013; however, there is also variation in the quality/features available which affects the cost.
If we take that La Liga figure, in the WSL it would cost around £1,600,000 to fit out the league. If the cost per game is still £4,000, that's £24,000 per game week. It could be less than that given that the cost of the technology is now lower, so we'll call it £16,000 for the sake of this post.
If you've ever been to Chigwell Construction Stadium where West Ham Women play, you won't be surprised to read that I doubt the club would pay for their women's team to install goal line technology there at those costs. And West Ham women don't make enough money to shoulder the cost themselves yet. I'm sure West Ham are not the only ones in that situation either.
So, could the cost be met by the new company running the WSL and Championship? Well, probably not; I just don't think there's enough money there yet. The FA gave them a £20,000,000 loan to help with start-up. Installing and running goal line technology over a year would take just under £2,000,000 of that loan, or 10%. And only the WSL would be getting it there, you'd double it if we included the Championship teams. However, each year after would, of course, be cheaper.
While goal-line technology has made errors, I don't think there is anywhere near the same level of controversy with it as there is with VAR (which is even harder to find costs for, estimates in different leagues around the world seem to be around 3-5 million for installation, 1-2 million per year after). So I don't think from a gameplay point of view, introducing goal line technology is particularly an issue. But the cost...
I don't know if that ball went over the line during the Chelsea vs Tottenham game. Like so many things, without the right angle or perspective, it's so difficult to tell. I've been at games where the people around me are furiously declaring that a tackle was "never a yellow card" and the referee is incompetent; you watch it on the highlights later and think "it definitely was a yellow card and the referee was spot on". It's an inherent bias, I suppose, for when someone supports one specific team. People presumably see their team more favourably than other teams, or else they won't be their team! What we can be fairly sure of is that goal line technology would have answered that dilemma of was it in or not on Sunday.
I'm just not sure the WSL can afford the cost of all teams having goal-line technology yet. That's without considering the calls from some people for VAR or this upcoming automated offside technology due to come into the men's game in the next few years. Women's football is growing, but so much stuff that is wanted and needed to facilitate that growth (like getting the stats, which I discussed in another post) just costs so much. It'll get there, I'm sure. I'm just not sure how long that will take. I suppose it depends on the cost vs benefit the new company sees compared to everything else that also needs investment.
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green-fifteen · 10 months ago
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Day 2: unauthorized surveillance in the boys room
Prompt: Eavesdrop Fandom: X-Files (TV) Pairing: Scully & Mulder / Gen Summary: In a world where Scully and Mulder meet as Dana and Fox, two teenagers take on a high-stakes case. (I wrote a high school AU for some reason.) Word count: 2,889 read on AO3 instead
for @fluffyfebruary
Fox opens his locker and dumps his books inside. They land noisily in an uncomfortable-looking pile. He can hear the locker to his right opening as he shuffles through the mess of papers on his shelf. Where is his damn essay?
The girl next to him tucks a few strands of orange hair behind her ear and adjusts something neatly within her own locker, then closes and locks it. There's a tall boy standing at her side who looks like he was sculpted by the head coach to fill out a football jersey. Fox looks away from them when he bends his head to kiss her.
"Come to practice?" he hears.
"I can't today. There's a lab after school."
"Danaaaaa," he whines. Fox wrinkles his nose and his search starts to feels a little more desperate. He hates it when he has to listen to this guy. If he could just find that stupid essay! He knows it's here somewhere. He wrote it a whole week in advance, then put it in his locker for safe keeping until it was due. Which it is. Right now.
"Maybe you could come over for dinner tonight, when you're finished. Mom keeps asking me to invite you, even though I told her I have. Like seven times. She wants to meet you."
"I'll try. I'll be real tired after practice, though. How about I call you when I get home and let you know then?"
"Okay. I think my dad is making pasta, so there'll be plenty if you decide to come. I hope you do."
They're quiet after that while they lean in to kiss each other again, this time longer and more noisy. Fox scrambles through his mess one last time and finally spots what he's looking for. He nearly crows in triumph, but a glance at his watch shows him he doesn't have time to celebrate. He has to be on the other side of the building in one minute. He slams his locker shut and dashes down the hall, away from Dana and away from her lying boyfriend.
For Fox, school is (mostly) easy and very boring. As his report cards show, he doesn't have any trouble performing above the standard, academically (if you ignore his D+ in German). His extracurriculars are impressive, too; he's a cross country runner, and a whiz on the debate team.
The people at his school are also very boring. And, in a sense, they're also easy. There are lots of 'in-groups' that he's noticed: mean and pretty people, technology obsessives, artistic flunkies, just to name a few. Despite not caring about any of the things that bind these groups together, he's managed to become friendly with almost all of them. It's all surface level for him, though. It isn't that he doesn't care about people, or that he doesn't want to have real friends. It's just that everyone he goes to school with is too easy to read.
Take Dana's boyfriend as an example. He doesn't want to meet Dana's parents, likely because he doesn't take their relationship seriously. Despite this, he feeds her fake and obvious excuses to string her along, pretending he's as serious as she is. Once, Fox heard him say he "needs to clean the oven," after Dana invited him to her sister's birthday party.
And, unfortunately, Fox is never taken in by the little lies people tell to make and keep relationships. He hopes it will be easier when he's older, but at 17, he sometimes feels like he's the only genuine person he knows.
After he turns in his essay and manages to stay awake through the rest of class, he strides back to his locker. Dana is already there, bending to arrange her textbooks into some kind of order. When he opens his locker, she straightens and turns to face him.
"Hey, Fox," she says, voice friendly. It isn't hard to hear the nervous tension underneath it.
"Hi, Dana," he replies. He's pulling his folders from his backpack, tugging them out three or four at a time.
There's a moment of silence where he knows she's chewing on her lip. "You heard what Paul said today, right?"
Fox snorts and looks at her. Her face is a little pink and her eyes keep darting to him and away again. She holds her mouth in a straight line. He can't help but feel sorry for her.
"Yeah, I heard him."
"Do you think…" the words catch in her mouth, but she soldiers on. "He's not coming over for dinner, is he?"
He tries on a gentle smile, then says, as kindly as he can, "I don't think so."
She straightens her back and turns to lean on the front of her locker. Her entire posture signals determination to him all of a sudden, and he gets an uneasy feeling.
"Okay," she says. "I want proof."
"Proof?"
"Yes. No offense, but I'm not sure if I can totally trust your perspective on the situation. I don't know you that well." She shakes her head and the white light in the hallway glints gold off her glasses. "I want to break up with him. I think I need to. But I want to be sure."
He nods, slowly. "And you are going to do this… how, exactly?"
She faces him fully, arms crossed and gaze direct. "I need your help."
Fox feels his eyes go wide.
He's only spoken to Dana Scully twice since the beginning of the school year. The first time it happened, he'd been rushing to cross country and he was already late. He'd closed his locker and immediately lunged into her. Their books and homework pages had flown across the hallway and they'd worked together to sort everything. He didn't have much time for pleasantries, but when she'd said "I'm Dana," he'd said, "Fox," and "Nice to meet you," before sprinting away.
The second time was only five or six days before now. She'd been humming to herself, rummaging around in a bag of cosmetics. He'd been leaning against the locker on the other side of his, fiddling with an origami crane. He couldn't get the neck to fold correctly. Boyfriend Paul had come up and startled both of them, his huge hand slapping on metal.
"You look like a fish when you make that face," he'd said. "Like some deep sea thing with huge eyes."
She'd whacked him hard with a notebook and then they'd kissed. Their interaction after that had been almost identical to the one Fox saw today. Dana had asked him to come over, Paul had said "Sorry, Dana, I volunteered to babysit my nephew tonight," and then he'd gone away again.
And apparently, that was enough to push Fox over a line he didn't even know he'd been toeing.
"He's not going to come over," he'd said.
Dana had been surprised to hear him talk, at first. Then she'd been angry.
"Excuse me?"
"You have to know he's stringing you along."
"I don't--" she spluttered. "As a matter of fact, it is none of your business." She kept her voice low as she turned away from him, stuffing her backpack in an uncharacteristically haphazard fashion.
"Listen," he pressed. In for a penny, in for a pound. "I just wanna know why. Why are you still with that guy?"
She laughed like she was being forced to. "Oh, I see what this is. You're--"
"I'm not coming onto you." He ran a hand over his clammy forehead. "It's just been bothering me."
She slammed her locker shut and didn't meet his eyes. "Well, now you're bothering me." As she walked away, she looked like she'd like to turn back and say something else, something really biting. She appeared to think better of it and just marched away from him instead. Her orange ponytail swung in lockstep with her stride.
Now she's asking him for help.
"What?" he says, mouth hanging open a little.
She ignores him. "Football practice is tonight. Paul will be in the locker room in about," she checks her watch. "Fifteen minutes."
Fox just gapes at her.
"You're in cross country, right? I looked you up in the yearbook." He nods. "Good. And where are you going now?"
He looks at her with suspicious eyes. "Cross country."
"Perfect." She closes her locker with a bang like a striking gavel. "You'll take me with you."
"You can just go to the track yourself," he says. "You don't need me to take you there."
"No," she clarifies. "I want you to take me to the locker room."
Fox tries to argue, he really tries. He isn't nearly invested enough in this relationship to risk being punished when they get caught. He speaks at length to this point, at a rising volume. Unfortunately, Dana has a strategy of her own. She gives just as good as she gets while they argue, but then, when Fox has had enough and stomps away, she follows him. Realizing she'll just follow him all the way to the locker room, he takes an awkward minute to re-evaluate the situation, Dana standing fuming behind his back.
"You really think you're going to see or hear something about you?" he asks.
"Well, no, of course not. Not naturally, anyway."
He sighs. "You want me to bring it up." She nods. "But I don't even know Paul, I have never spoken to him!"
Dana gives him a hard look. "Fox, if it bothers you so much to listen to him lie, you should be happy to get him to tell the truth."
And she's right, he realizes.
That's how they find themselves in the empty locker room, mere minutes from being discovered, Dana's hands over her face while Fox changes faster than he ever has in his life.
"Okay, get in," he says, once he's crammed his school clothes into his backpack and placed everything on the hook. She's lucky the bottom of his locker in here is much emptier than his regular one.
She folds herself down into the cramped space and gives him a thumbs up. Before he closes it, he says, "You won't be able to say anything after I close this."
"I know." She looks annoyed.
"So do you want to say anything?"
"Yeah." She glares up at him, her eyes the only part of her that isn't in shadow. "Close the damn door, Fox."
He sits on the bench with his homework in his hands as the other athletes trickle in. The pages are just a prop-- he's listening for Paul, who comes in after a few minutes with a group of football players, laughing raucously. They're at a different group of lockers, somewhere behind him. His cross country teammates have already arrived and are making noise and chatting too loudly for Fox to make out what the footballers are saying, so he stands and pretends to stretch.
Then, his heart pounding, he sidles over to his teammate, Collins. "You know Dana Scully?"
Collins looks confused. "Yes? She's in my history class."
He makes himself fidget, like he's nervous to be asking, and says, "Does she have a boyfriend?"
"Why are you asking me? I hardly know her."
"Well, who might know? Could you ask around?"
He heaves a put-upon sigh, but walks over to another of their teammates and speaks to them. From there, it isn't long until one of them darts gleefully over to the football players.
Paul's voice cracks over their heads like a whip, halting all conversation.
"Who the hell is asking?"
And then he's coming around the corner, looking pissed off. His jersey hangs on his shoulders at a weird angle, like he just got it over his head before he came over.
"Mulder? You wanna date my girlfriend?"
Fox is a little afraid, he'll admit it. Some of the blood from his face seems to drain into his feet, pumping in and preparing him to run.
"Oh, uh." He looks around. Everyone is watching them, eyes darting from one to the other. The football players are leaning around the corner, wide grins on their faces. Even the swimmers have come around to see what's happening, padding over barefoot in their swimsuits.
"I was just asking if she was dating anybody. I didn't know she was your girlfriend. I don't even care about her that much." He's aware that this could be the fatal flaw of their entire plan-- that this innocent act depends on Paul being so blithely unobservant that he never noticed Fox listening to their conversations at Dana's locker.
"Well, now you know, idiot. Watch your mouth."
Well, there's that. Still, Fox knows he should to be very careful about what he says next. He's still not really sure how this is going to play out. What if he was wrong about him? He takes a deep breath.
"I will. I'm just curious, though-- how did you land a girl like that?"
Paul's eyes flash dangerously, but he laughs. "Oh man, Mulder. You did not just say that." The rest of the football team is laughing, too.
"No, I'm serious. Dana is great. How did you get her attention?"
Paul sobers and looks right into Mulder's eyes. "Dana is a redhead and boring as hell. I have never met a chick who talks more about her grades. On the other hand, I could date anyone I wanted in this school. Do you know why I'm still with her?"
Fox shakes his head.
"Because she's almost ready, man." At this, the footballers holler and make lewd gestures. Fox interprets them correctly.
"You think she'll have sex with you?"
One of the football players guffaws. "It's been two years! She'd better put out after two years!"
Another one says, "I wouldn't be surprised if she gives it up tonight."
Furrowing his brow, Fox asks, "What's tonight?"
Paul takes a menacing step closer. "What's it to you, dork? Why are you asking these questions? Researching how to make Dana fall in love with you?"
"Is she in love with you?" he asks, and it sounds like a challenge.
Paul's nostrils flare but he turns his head. "What do you think? She's been begging me to meet her family. Trying to take me tux shopping for prom. Of course she's in love with me." As he speaks, he's scanning the room just like Fox had, gauging the reactions from their classmates.
"And tonight," he says, almost grandly like he's making a royal announcement, "I'm gonna tie off the net."
"What does that mean?" he asks, honestly puzzled.
"I'm gonna come over for family dinner and convince her to go all the way." He says it like he thinks Fox is an idiot for needing an explanation.
After that, the locker room is a chorus of hooting and jabbering. Paul turns away from Fox to sneer something to his friends when a whistle suddenly cuts through the noise-- time to hit the field. Before he's tugged away, Paul looks at Mulder again.
"Maybe you can date her when I'm finished, jerk. Hope you like sloppy seconds."
And then he's gone, rushing away to football practice.
When everyone is gone and the locker room is empty again, Fox realizes he's smiling. He feels incredible. It had taken no time at all to get Paul to spill his guts to him, and he was right about everything! Well, Paul was planning to go to Dana's house for dinner tonight, but he really had been stringing her along the rest of the time! And what a confession it was-- not only the incriminating evidence he wanted, but even more besides! This proves Paul was operating with forethought, that he'd planned to use Dana in this way for a long time--
A thump comes from his locker and Fox spins the combination into the lock, feeling triumphant. He flings it open and grins at Dana.
She's still crouched in the same position, but now her face is hidden in her knees. The smile dies on his lips as he takes in the way her shoulders are shaking and the near-silent gasps of air he can hear despite her efforts to muffle them in her jeans.
"Dana?" He lowers himself on the bench on front of her. She doesn't respond.
"What do you think?" he asks, feeling helpless and a little lost. "Is that enough to break it off?"
She makes a wet sound that he realizes is supposed to be a laugh, then she lifts her head to blink up at him.
"Truthfully?"
Her eyes and nose are red and watery and her voice sounds choked and frail like she just woke up. He can't look away.
"Of course I want the truth."
She wipes her eyes with her sleeve. "I think Paul is getting single-er as we speak."
His mouth twitches and hers does too, and then they're laughing together.
He doesn't know why she decided to trust him with this, why she came to him for help even though she'd been angry at him for telling her the truth. In the end, it doesn't matter. When he listens to Dana laugh like this, he can honestly say he has never heard a more genuine sound in his entire life.
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achievechamp · 11 months ago
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My WoL, Emmy Thielsen
Crystal || Brynhildr
Emmy is a Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te from a clan who lived near the edge of the Black Shroud. She was raised to be the next matriarch of her clan, but throughout her childhood, she dreamed of exploring the world and frequently discussed all the places she would go with her older brother. He left the clan to become an adventurer when she was a teenager and sent her letters from all of the places he went. Unfortunately, her brother was killed during the Calamity. This prompted her to finally realize her dreams and leave her clan, and name, behind. Emmy (a nickname given to her by her brother), set off for Gridania with the blessing of those left in her clan.
Emmy is a Bard main (she learned archery for hunting purposes and protection), but she also is well practiced in crafting, due to her clan's main source of income being artisan goods. Her favorite minion is Wind-up Nanamo and she can frequently be seen riding Ehll Tou. Follow Emmy on The Lodestone and Lalachievements.
How long I’ve been playing
I started playing in August 2022 after watching my sibling and roommate play for the prior 6 months. MMOs were never something that appealed to me, but I got fully sucked into the story as I watched it. I started playing within days of my roommate finishing Endwalker.
Fun Fact: I was actually part of the closed beta back in 2010 for 1.0. I didn't play a lot in the game and I can't really remember any part of the beta, but it's wild that over a decade later, it would become an important part of my life!
My favorite content
The story! MSQ, raids, side stories, all of it! I love the stories and characters and world of FFXIV! I also love crafting and gathering. While playing through the game, I sometimes take a break and only craft for a week. I also love collecting, so I've done parts of the game for the sole reason to get orchestrions, minions, and triple triad cards. 
Also, special shout out to the music! Soken was my top played artist on Spotify last year. And the year before.
My current achievement score:
11,870 (as of 12/31/23)
My pledge per achievement:
For the month of January, I will commit to $0.50 per achievement earned in the month This amount is likely to change from month to month and I will update my next month's donation amount as this progresses.
Follow my tag to find my progress reports:
#AcheiveChampEmmy
(Yes I am a week late. I have been keeping up on what I've gotten, I just never finished this post...)
https://www.lalachievements.com/char/44606751/
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grex-statera · 1 year ago
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Chapter 1: A Letter - Winter, Year 0
Elliot spent a good chunk of their childhood in Grandpa's farm over at Pelican Town but can't really remember anyone on there, if they do remember her. Every year at Fall, dad would go out into the old farm to keep watch over it "lest there be spirits camping in there, amirite?". But this year it's different:
Dad: Hey champ! Say, why don't you go check up on the farm this year?
Elliot: Mmmm and how exactly do I do that??
Dad: Oh yknow, just check the house if it's still intact. Pull some weeds; get rid of debris...Maybe a attend a meeting or two..
Elliot: Meeting??? In the countryside? Haha that's quite an imagery, dad.
Elliot's always busy nowadays especially with her promotion as a Project Officer in her corporate job. Schedules become more and more hectic. Overtime is more frequent and longer than it was. Hell, she even gets called in to work during the weekends. Ultimately, dad is very worried about her well-being but there's also another thing he worries about - the farm. Sure, they could survive without it; Elliot has more than enough money saved to even buy her own house at this point and Dad's been retired for quite some time now, with a pension, of course. But money isn't the reason why the old farm's being kept around.
Elliot focuses back on her report due next week and dad has no choice but to back down with the topic for a bit or else his daughter might get annoyed and dismiss the topic entirely. The doorbell rings and dad goes out to get the door. He opens it but sees noone, except for a neat-looking dark blue envelope on the doormat. One look and dad already knows what it's about. Dad goes back to the dining table where Elliot has her laptop set up.
Dad: Hey Ells... it's for you.
Elliot's gaze turns to dad then to the pretty-looking envelope in his hand.
Elliot: Ooooh that's such a fancy envelope! Who's it from??
Dad gives her the envelope and Elliot holds it and examines it closely. It's a very pretty thing - matte paper that's very satisfying to touch. Theres nothing written on it except on the middle of one side, in very neat handwriting, it said: To Elliot
Elliot carefully opens the envelope, trying not to rip any of it. Inside was a small card that read:
You are cordially invited to The Grex Statera, to be held this coming Autumn, on the night of Spirit's Eve.
Your return to the roost will be highly anticipated. Do not fail to attend.
- M. Rasmodius
An undescribable fear washed over Elliot.
Elliot: Hey, uh. This is...a really weird letter, dad.
Elliot looks at dad with a puzzled look but dad is just looking back at her, dejectedly.
Elliot: Hello?? What is this about??
Dad: I'm sorry I kept it from you for so long. I knew I should've talked to you about it when you were 16, just like your grandpa did to me. Ahhh, but your mother-
Elliot: What? What's that have to do with this?? Just tell me now, then.
Dad was silent for a bit, trying to find the words.
Dad: We have magic in our bloodline, sweetie.
Elliot just sat there with an exasperated look.
Elliot: What?
Dad: Yes, you heard that right. We have magic in our bloodline. Just like some families out there. Do you remember your friend, Rose?
Elliot: Oh. Woozy Rosie?
Dad: *chuckle* Yep, Woozy Rosie. They had to move to a forest-dense area since they're a family of half-vampires and they needed the shade.
Dad casually drops this information as if it's a part of normal life, not even showing an ounce of his mischievous side. That's when Elliot knew that he wasn't kidding about this.
Elliot: *leans back into the chair, her shoulders slumping* Man, what the hell.......So what are we then?
Dad: Oh, don't worry dear, we're not another species. We're just very well-attuned to nature.
Elliot, confused: What? That's it?
Dad: Yeah. Now you know why we keep getting bothered by animals. It's because I can talk to them.
This revelation shocked Elliot to her core. As if something clicked in her brain. All of those cats and birds in the parks that they visited, the deer, the random lizards and insects that show up from nowhere. The dog, now affectionately looking at dad.
Elliot: Wait so you mean...I can talk to them too????
Dad: Well, not right now as you are since you have forgotten to attune yourself with nature.
Elliot: Excuse me?? What does THAT mean??
Dad: Dear, you've been working yourself to the bone in a concrete jungle. You can't even keep a plant alive. How do you expect that to nurture your magical gift?
Alright, that kinda stung. Elliot was only working for his and his father's sakes. She wants him to retire into comfort, not to spend his retirement days thinking about her well-being, still. She didn't bring this up since it's quite hard to tell parents that you care about them. Maybe this is not a universal experience.
Elliot, still holding the letter: So.....what do we do now?
Dad: I'm going to teach you some farming basics and you're going to move to Pelican Town to watch over the farm.
Elliot: Wait, what? The thingy here won't be until Fall, next year! Why do I have to move to Pelican Town????
Dad: Because you need to revive the farm, honey.
Elliot: But you only stay there for like, a week max in Fall?? How come I need to move there??
Dad, starting to get frustrated: I'm sorry dear, but you're the next heir to the farm, not me. It skips a generation. I'm only a caretaker, in preparation for you.
About 50 thoughts swirled in Elliot's head: What about my job? What about dad? Who takes care of him? How am I going to survive out there? Can I really do this? Am I really just going to drop everything I have right now for something this stupid? Elliot's paranoia was interrupted by dad:
Dad: I know what you're thinking, honey. I'll be fine on my own. And you'll be fine on your own over there. The citizens and your uncle-gramps will take care of you.
Elliot: My what now?
Dad: *chuckle* Grandpa's friends. They will show you the ropes. Y'know, when I first took over the caretaking business for the farm, I didn't know anything either. It was them who helped me out. It's a really nice community out there - they really feel like one big family. Who knows, maybe you'll even find a significant other there?
Elliot, annoyed: Alright, dad.
Dad: *chuckle* Just kidding, dear. Right, since it's quite dead outside how about I teach you about plant care basics in the garage?
Elliot and dad spent a lot of time together that Winter going through everything that could prepare Elliot for what's to come - for the farming aspect, of course. Try as he might, Dad's not really the best person to go to with regards to the magic stuff. The valley has a wizard for that, of course! Maybe even a few.
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charcherry-weekly · 2 years ago
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Charcherry Weekly - Issue 140
Hello everyone, Mage of Light Nick Card here. It seems last week was the calm before the storm, thankfully in a good way!
Baby birfday
On the 4th of April, Baby Ren Careon turned 2 years old! Details of any celebration have been kept private out of respect for the family.
Revered Return
Just a few days ago, Heir of Time Thoren Emit successfully lead the Left Beef crew back to the Gene Universe, with two new guests in tow. They are staying in separate households, as they were previously in conflict with each other. For the time being, they will be referred to as "Tarzan" and "Abeleo" to protect their identities. With the two new members, there was Heir of Hope Hazel, her robot catgirlfriend QWERTY, and Heir of Breath June Egbert.
So far, Tarzan has managed to scream so loud that they were able to be heard from at least a mile away. Fortunately, Bounty Hunter Samus was there to offer support and cookies.
Abeleo on the other hand has stayed rather private for the time being, only briefly appearing on the memo to be confounded by a conversation about the finer points of Super Mario 64's programming.
Overall, I do hope that they find solace in their stays here between chapters. As a reminder, None Pizza With Left Beef Chapter 2 part 2 releases next week on April 13th, 2023.
Rogue on the Run
Rogue of Heart Charles has managed to regain contact with the memo from the Unova region via tumblr link. This method has proven to be rather unstable so their handle has been kicked until a more stable solution can be found--one that won't get hijacked by ad bots. Meanwhile, it appears that Charles is on the run due to a mishap involving another version of themself, that has managed to ruin their reputation in that region by some manner. Reportedly a voidco file on the other Charles has recently been decrypted, but further details are needed.
As for other news, Gym Leader Jovin Castle has been dealing wit combative primeapes and a mischievous Fowlent. Bounty Hunter Samus has been getting back into baking lately and reportedly plans on throwing a bake sale at an unspecified time soon. Unity Ranch recently got a new volunteer for the night shift. There has been minimal development on the situation with the digimon found in the friendship network, as they're mostly just hanging around mostly.
I think that about does it for this week. Hopefully I can get reports back from any game testers soon, as there's only a few days left until release. The game is complete-able to the end, but it certainly needs polish to be its best. Until then though, see you next week! https://letssosl.boards.net/thread/370/charcherry-weekly-issue-140
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strxife · 2 years ago
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Warnings: Mature themes, 13+ content
Vampire Aristocrat!Cro x Poor Villager!Reader
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Precocious Tutor teaser~
Fandom:dear dere
Side note : Y'all go cancel Hoshi she made me work my butt off making this just to ask someone else and tell them theirs was better IN FRONT of me 😃 /joke but not really fiwuerfhuwui
Also say hello to Mr.clean guys! @nymphicmuse
Just how did you get in this predicament? You thrash to stop his mouth becoming closer and closer to your collarbone but his hold… His hold on you was too tight but not too much for it to be suffocating. I’m the end your thrashing was coming in vain when he opens his mouth preparing his fangs as you brace for impact.
But how did you fall for it all? Now that you think about it your life does flash before your eyes. Is he going to suck on you empty you till you're pale and bony, or will he have mercy on you? Now you have time to think and it’s true what he said you’ve been incredibly dumb, that’s the only way you can phrase it right now as you thrashing becomes slower until it stops.
A couple days earlier-
You just got home from getting groceries just to be greeted with a black card without an envelope on top of the carpet to your house. You look at it strangely before you go down on one knee and examine it wanting to see what’s on this mysterious letter. ‘Shouldn’t there be a envelope?’ You think to such a weird letter and also couldn’t they just put it in the mail box?
Picking it up you get back on your feet and read the front in your head. ‘Hello we are interested in your assistance with a tutoring job.If you are interested please report to report to the top of the mountain at the mansion if you accept the offer you will get 3k per week.’
You stare at it blankly. 3K!? ‘No,no,no I must’ve read it wrong let me re read it…’ You re read it again with a look of shock it’s definitely the right number. Then you look at it with disgust… ‘It’s one of those rich aristocrats that live in the upside of the town they’re out here paying 3k for jobs while we suffer just to support our families.’
You doubt anyone is going to actually go it’s probably some lame joke by them.You crumple it up into your pocket not caring if you damage the letter. You know they were just testing you... joking that they have the luxury of mindlessly paying people 3k.
What a sick joke.
little did you know in due time you would desperately need that money.
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“Papa what do you mean they cut off our funds!?” You speak harshly to your grandpa who only responds with sweet sorrowful murmurs. "The aristocrats are paying more and more taxes and we now don't have enough money to support us..."
He strokes your back soothingly as your sorrowful cries echo in the small room as the couch creaks with each tremble of your thighs as you papa embraces you in a pleasantly soothing hug.
"It's all going to be alright [Y/N] I'll find a way to get us some money." he whispers in your ear...how is your sweet and caring old grandpa going to get enough money to pay for the aristocrats unreasonably high taxes
No you can't depend on your sick old grandpa anymore hes already endured so much...you cant put him through that at least anymore.
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You were walking around cleaning the house when you stumble upon something on the kitchen counter curious you take a look. 'Its..the same card?' the same card you got today was in your hands which you thought you had crumpled. In horror you go to your pocket fishing out the crumpled card.
You found it how was another one on the kitchen counter. You set them next to each other feeling weird about the current predicament when you hear your name.
"[Y/N] Is something wrong?" your grandpa sweetly calls out. You cant worry him with this.... "Nothing Pa! Just looking through our papers!" you say as normal as you can muster.
He gives you a half hearted nod as if he still didn't believe your words 'Dang Pa is really smart.' you think in your mind before rereading the card once more glazing your pointer finger over the words as you read in a swift movement.
'Maybe this might not be a joke?' you ponder in your mind before intensely shaking your head no, it must be a joke everyone in the downside of town gets under paid they would never give away over a cent for commoners.
But what if it wasn't a joke what if you were the one who doomed your weak papa? What would that feeling be like even if there was the slimmest of chances of helping your papa you would take it.
'This is what I need to do' you grip the letter lightly knowing the extra letter on the kitchen counter could have been a sign to stop holding back and help who needs you the most.
You decided.
You will go to the mansion...*ehm* castle on top of the hill/mountain....
and thats how it started....
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rrazor · 4 years ago
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hq boys as non-sexual things that feel sensual
tags: mildly suggestive content (mostly pining)
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bokuto: certain phrases are very sexually charged; “make me,” or “what are you gonna do about it” lunch time!! bokuto comes back from the cafeteria with his pork-cutlet sandwich to see you engaged in a card game with three other people. He sees that everyone’s bet something and you bet a strawberry danish you bought this morning and bokuto’s eyes go 🤩 he forces himself in LMFAO and makes sure to sit next to you 🥰❤️ in the end, it’s only you and him left (konoha and komi come over from their classes to see what all the fuss is about and they’re like …..how is bokuto doing so well 😶)
but you win and steal his sandwich on the desk 😈 he tries to defame you for cheating lol but all you do is look at him coyly like “and what are you gonna do about it, bokuto-kun? 😇” and suddenly his tongue feels heavy and his cheeks flush and he’s all 🥺👉👈 he asks you for the bread back because its his only lunch 😭💀 but he ends up winning sm more because you offer to share your bento with him and his heart goes 🥰💖💞
akaashi: sitting next to someone and your shoulders/thighs touch it’s the sports festival!! and it’s lunch break. he spots you sitting on a bench and he starts sweating at the idea of sitting next to you but he wants to be near you somewhat because then MAYBE you’ll talk to him??!? hopefully 🥺💔
he swallows his nerves and sits on the bench too but on the other side with a huge gap between you and your friend. he pulls out his phone to look “busy” LMFAO then, more of your friends come over and suddenly, you’re snug against him, your BARE THIGH touching his because you’re both in shorts and akaashi thinks he gonna pass out with the bashful apology you give him 😵 he thanks every deity he can think of that your friends came over and STAY because your leg is still touching his and he’s holding a conversation with you 😭🥺🥳💕💖❤️😍
konoha: having someone use your keyboard standing up while you’re sitting in front of it you’re in one of the school’s computer labs working on a research essay. akinori sits next to your station, having worked up the courage earlier to ask you if you could help him with his. he sneaks glances at you at the printers as you refill the trays with more paper 👀 he blushes even though you aren’t even doing anything to him 😭😔💔
before he can stop himself, he calls your name lmfao 🗣 but manages to save himself from utter embarrassment by asking you to look over one of his passages. coming over, you lean over him, hands on his keyboard as he leans back. his eyes are wide and cheeks ruddy as he tries so hard to keep cool because you’re so close 😍🥺💕 and god does he hope what he wrote was coherent because he thinks he’d d-word if you said it made no sense 😓😵
kuroo: when you’re sitting next to someone and they lean over and reach across you to grab something another day, another group project. kuroo gets added to a group with you and another guy because he was absent for volleyball. the two of you push your desks next to him and he’s fist pumping internally because you’re sitting next to HIM and not the other guy and he gets to act as the barrier AHAHAH 😇🥳😛
you’re working together when you ask one of your friends to pass over the notes she took from you. she’s sitting in front of kuroo, but diagonally to the right so she leans back and you lean forward to grab the papers. your arm accidentally brushes his chest and kuroo short circuits 😶 you’re SO CLOSE and your body is nearly laid over his entire desk and if he moves his hands up he could probably touch your chest HJAKHSDLKASD 👁👄👁 the guy next to him looks at him all 😐 as kuroo goes INSANE 🤯
kita: hugging from behind he’s home alone, studying in the living room for his university exams. you’re in the kitchen with his grandma helping her with tonight’s dinner. he smiles softly to himself hearing the two of you laugh 😊🥰💞
he’s halfway through a derivatives question when you hug him from behind, arms coming around him as you rest your head on his shoulder blades 🥺💘 when you softly tell him dinner is almost ready, his chest warms and a soft smile appears on his face ❤️💖
atsumu: the guys strapping you in on a roller coaster. are we gonna kiss? why are you giving me that eye contact? inarizaki’s vbc get together to go to the local amusement park!! they get in and the first thing the twins want to do is ride all of the roller coasters so after a ridiculously long line up, atsumu’s sitting next to osamu, waiting for an attendant to come buckle them in, when you suddenly come up in your cute uniform and hair tied up and atsumu’s like SHIT ITS YOU 😳 also damn y didn’t you tell him you worked here he could have gotten discounted tickets smh 🥴😒
anyways you come up to them to buckle them up with him first and he doesn’t really notice anything but you buckle the first strap really tight and he’s like “does it need to be so tight 😘” and you tell him, making eye contact, using your best customer service voice (vocal bottoming but at least you get paid) and with a pretty smile on your face that doesn’t reach your eyes, “yes, unless you want to die. and if you do, don’t do it on this ride because my shift ends in ten minutes and i don’t want to stay here to write a report about a dumbass who ko’d on a roller coaster 🥰” and he BLUSHES oop— 👁👅👁
osamu: having your back scratched you sit next to each other in class and it’s self study time and you’re helping him with the english homework that was assigned when his back starts feeling itchy. he rolls and moves his shoulders to try to alleviate it, but it just isn’t working so he brings a hand back to scratch at it, but he’s not flexible enough to reach it 😔 you ask him what’s wrong and he puts his arm down like he got burned because he doesn’t want to be seen doing something weird in front of you or making a weird face so he just says nothing but you raise a brow and go “are you itchy?” and he nods JAJCKKAD
you bring your arm up to where he was just scratching, “here?” a shake of his head, “no, a little to the right.” AND YOU SCRATCH RIGHT AT IT!!!!! he can feel his shoulders slump as he closes his eyes and groans a little WHOOP he’s SUPER EMBARRASSED but you just laugh it off and scratch him some more before going back to work and he looks at you like 🥺💖 why’d you stop?? even though you’re not even looking at him LOL 😞 touches his back that night in the shower like your hands were so small 😯😍😳 and maybe he should be itchy more often but it also quickly turns to she better not be touchy feely with anyone else 😒
suna: someone writing on your arm he’s forced to take this one evening class this semester because it’s not offered the next one and he needs to take it because it’s a prereq for almost every other course ugh but at least the cute girl who sits next to him lets him copy her notes LMFAO 😭💀 he left all his belongings in the gym’s lockers because he was going to go back anyways for practice so when the professor gives out a code for a free trial of the software they have to use for the homework assignment due in a week, he’s like shit; he left his phone in his bag 🤡💔
you offer to write it down on his arm, grabbing a pen from your pencil case. he nods like sure why not so you take his arm and push the sleeve of his hoodie up and start writing and he just stares at you 👀 your writing is cute and he kinda likes the feel of your hands on him 🤧 class ends and you part ways with a wave. It’s not until he’s reached the gym that he realized you could have just messaged the code to him on facebook 🤨 so he pushes his sleeve up and sees your phone number on his arm under the code 😘 aren’t you smooth!!! 😌
iwaizumi: when someone is putting the car in reverse and they put their hand on the back of your seat iwaizumi been interested in you for a while, and ever since he came to the revelation he finds it really hard to talk to you because he’s afraid of coming off too aggressive or you figuring it out 😔💔 good thing kindaichi reveals that you’re his older cousin and that you’ll be driving some of them to their next practice match because the volleyball team’s bus is out for a checkup!! 😍😘 oikawa, matsukawa and hanamaki all force him to sit shotgun as you drive (even kunimi and yahaba get in on it). iwaizumi grumbles about it and all but he’s secretly super happy he gets to be right next to you omg 👀😭 he takes a bunch of glances around the interior of your (parents’) car and sits a little straighter than he usually would.
he can feel the stares on the back of his head from the other third years egging him on to make a move and just when he works up the nerve to say something to you, you put the car in reverse to back out the parking spot and put your hand on the back of his seat 😳😤 iwaizumi thinks you look so cool AND HOT he clams up and just stares at you with his jaw slightly open 👁👄👁 💕pls save him 🤧
matsukawa: when a girl puts her hand up to yours and remarks on how yours is so much bigger you got randomly paired up with each other to do a presentation for your world history class and so you’re sitting next to each other on a saturday afternoon at the public library doing research together. matsukawa spent more time than he would like thinking about what to wear because he doesn’t want you to think that his fashion sense was as grotesque as the school’s khaki pants 😷🤢 (when you complimented him nonchalantly about how he looks a million times better in casual clothes compared to the school uniform and joking said that he should start a petition to get rid of the school’s ugly khaki plaid pants and skirts and use a photo of what he was wearing today as the main piece of evidence, he almost doubles over 💀)
you’re sitting next to each other and he’s still kinda reeling from the previous interaction ahjdalhd but he does his best to pull his weight. he’s taking notes in a notebook and you look over and comment out of the blue that his hands are really big as you look at yours 🤧👀 he blinks and looks at you like “yeah?” and you nod, putting your hand up and he does it too because he thinks he’s having a fever dream at this point, but not even in his wildest dream did he’’d ever think you’d push your palm against his and say “your hand is so big! 😳” he has to excuse himself to go to the washroom to scream 😘🥰❤️
hanamaki: when you’re sitting next to someone on public transport and the centrifugal force from the vehicle firmly mooshes the two of you together hanamaki pines for you silently and you can’t really tell he likes you because he’s pretty decent at keeping his emotions hidden. or maybe you’re just so busy with your senior year you don’t notice anything that isn’t the impending doom of university applications and keeping your grades up 😤😇 anyways the two of you get on and off at the same stop each day (which he secretly thanks god for 😭) and you’re sitting next to each other and hanamaki thinks he’s gonna combust because you’ve never been this close!! 🥺🥰
he can feel his hands getting sweaty already. hanamaki sneaks glances at you and tries to see what you’re doing on your phone LMFAO suddenly, the train lurches a bit and you slide from the inertia right into his side and then he can feel the warmth coming from your thighs, side and your shoulder are touching holy sh— 😭❤️😵👀💖 you look up to apologize as he takes a breath and you’re a little shy in your apology but he takes that chance to ask you about something mundane and he makes you laugh!!!! he thinks about the interaction for the next two weeks because he finally got to talk to you dhaskld ☺️🥺💕
kyoutani: when anyone raises their arms to stretch and their shirt gets lifted up slightly gym class—you’re doing timed runs today!! kyoutani is already finished with his so he’s just sitting off the side of the track, staring not-so-subtly at you but you don’t notice because it’s your turn next!! you’ve got the typical school mandated shorts and plain t-shirt on but kyou is all 👀 at your tastefully exposed skin. he thinks you look pretty with the sun hitting your face as you give a smile to your friend, squinting at the sun light 🥰
he’s just mindlessly staring at this point but then you raise your arms to stretch your triceps and the hem of your shirt rises up a little to expose the tiniest sliver of skin before it’s covered again 👁👁 his cheeks pink a little and you catch him looking LMFAO but you don’t think anything of it and just smile and wave as kyoutani burns bright red, heart battering against his ribs and looks away 😡🤡🥰💕 he saves it for future reference HURDURDUR 😇😛
ushijima: when a woman does that thing where she tucks her hair behind her ear while making direct eye contact ushijima is INTERESTED in you, likes you, is intrigued, would like to hold your hand and rub the back of your hand and feel the soft skin with his thumb—same thing 🥰 you’re talking to him about something for the cultural festival and he’s nodding along to what you’re saying because you’re so brilliant and responsible for working on the school festival committee wOW 🤩
time seems to move in slow motion as you look up him whilst tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. he zones in on the shy smile on your face, your cute cheeks, glossy lips and pretty eyes 🥺🥰 “ushijima-san?” “yes?” “what do you think?” “that’s a great idea, I will ask my team members for their input as well.” you nod exuberantly even though he has no idea what you’re talking about but your cute smile makes him all mushy on the inside 💖💕
semi: making eye contact with another customer at the grocery store around the same age it’s 2:11pm on a tuesday and semi’s at the grocery store because it’s summer and his mom was all “go to the store and buy these shimeji mushrooms for me, eita, they’re on sale!!! but only until 3pm so get skedaddling!” 😩 so he’s here and he swears housewives are the most powerful people on the planet because he thought he was gonna d-word just tryna get his discount mushrooms. he spots you in the condiments aisle looking at sesame oil and he gives you the up, down and lingers a little too long on your exposed legs 💀
he thinks you look really cute in your t-shirt and jean shorts though 🥰 when you look up and make eye contact with him and give him a little smile and wave he BLUSHES 🥺 and is right about to take the chance to talk to you but a granny hip checks him trying to get to the soybean paste and he almost trips and lands on his face 😔💔 so much for looking cool in front of you 😢🥺
tendou: having someone else play with your hair satori sees you on cleaning duty carrying the recycling to the bins as he finishes his runs around the school, about to make a turn to the gyms. he makes a beeline for you, calling your name with a bright smile on his face and waving his arms in the air. 🥰💞🥺
he bounds up to you and offers to help even though the bin is really light, cheeks warming at your smile 😊 when he takes the bin out of your hands , you wave your hand to get him to bend down. he complies, eyes widening when he feels your hand in his hair. he straightens up to see you holding onto a couple pieces of cherry blossom petals 🌸 he laughs bashfully; it feels like time has slowed and you’re the only two people in the world 💖💕
sakusa: if you’re on a pc/laptop, somebody leaning over your shoulder to look at the screen with you. the close proximity of your faces can feel awkwardly sexual you’re in the same kinesiology class and sakusa first noticed how GOOD your presentations are wtf and he’s even more impressed when he hears that you winged the whole thing because “i conveniently forgot about this until one in the morning when I decided it was a good time to reorganize your entire dorm room” ALSO you offered him hand cream the one time you caught him staring and against all reason he said yes and ever since he’s been dying to ask you where you got it from because HOLY was it nice 😍
you get paired up for the final pair presentation and he’s only become more interested in you! you’re easy to talk to and don’t pry too much and he finds himself oversharing at times 💀 the professor gives the class part of the lecture time to work on the projects so you’re sitting next to each other working when he asks you a question about the academic article he just found and you lean over his shoulder to look at his screen 👁👁 for anyone else, the close proximity of your faces would have grossed him out but he can’t stop thinking about how good you smell and how cute your ears look 👀🥰 when you tell him he’s found a really good source with an excited smile on your face, he BLUSHES and promptly wants to pass away because he has no mask on to cover him 🤡😭😵
sachiro: when you have a melting popsicle, there often comes a time where you must choose between eating it too quickly, or sucking it off so it doesn’t drip on you sachiro hums happily, holding your hand as the two of you walk home after your date and stopping at the convenience store where he buys the two of you popsicle sticks 😋
you’re talking about something funny you saw hoshiumi do in the class the other day when your popsicle drips onto you. you kitten lick at your hand and take the whole thing in your mouth to get rid of the more liquidy parts of your ice cream and sachiro is all 👁👄👁 he swallows thickly, cheeks warming and heart beating a little faster; why’s he suddenly so thirsty? 🥵💦🙈
gao: getting a strong whiff of somebody’s perfume when they pass you gao really wants to talk to you, like really really wants to talk to you 😖😭🙏 but you’re talking to your friends about something and the cute way you laughs and joke with them has him all 🥺🥰🤩
he’s about to walk up and join the conversation because let’s face it, gao isn’t afraid of much 🤧💀 too bad the teacher calls you back into the classroom about something. when you pass him, he gets a good whiff of your shampoo and his stomach flutters 😍😊🥺💕💖 follows you with sparkly eyes and wishes he made the choice to talk to you sooner 💔
futakuchi: bending over to pick up something you dropped kenji is watching (glaring) as you talk to one of the baseball team’s starting players 🤐 he’s so ticked but he doesn’t admit it like where does this guy get off making you laugh and smile like that wtf 😒🙄 luckily for kenji, the guy gets pulled away by the class rep for something so kenji calls your name to get you to look at him instead 😤
you come over and just as he’s about to stand up from his desk, he knocks over his eraser. you crouch down to pick it up and he finds himself really liking it 👁👁 he doesn’t get it either 🤡 like you aren’t bending and snapping—just folding your knees to get his eraser for him, but the way you tucked your hair behind your ear before you bent down so prettily has him ☺️😉🥵
terushima: when you’re eating and chatting with someone and they lick their lips yuuji pulled you away from your friends when it was time for lunch, wanting to spend more time with you one on one. he was so busy with volleyball and school lately 😞 and when he managed to get you to tell him how lonely you felt without him, he made it his mission to spend more time with you!!! 🥰😘💕
you’re eating together, sharing food and talking about everything and anything when he notices you lick your lips; he zones in on your little pink tongue as it swipes across your bottom lip 👁👁 “yuuji, you okay?” a hand on your cheek and suddenly, he’s kissing you. he tastes like the leftovers your mom packed you for lunch 🥰😋
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softyoongiionly · 4 years ago
Text
For Whom the Bell Tolls
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Just outside the boundaries of your town, deep within the trenches of the forest sits a massive tower made from smoke-stained ivory. Decrepit and ominous, it looms over your town like a warning- like a shadow...
There are opposing rumors as to what resides in the tower.
One of them, the one that just so happens to appeal to you the most, is that there is a deity living in that tower.  
The one who knows.  
The one who blesses and curses the deserving and offers wisdom that no mortal can.  
And now, faced with the imminent demise of your family- you have no choice but to seek answers in the darkness. 
What, in god’s name, will you find?
Pairing: Jimin x Reader
Genre: demi-god! au, demi-god! Jimin, mythology, slight angst, smut, fantasy
Word count: 8k (THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PWP)
Warnings: likely inaccurate representations of greek mythology lmao, unprotected sex (wrap it up plz), mentions of violence/death, slightly spooky??? allusions to corruption and murder (non-explicit), JIMIN (cause he’s always a warning), probably a messy plot cause I went feral with this one. parts are unedited oops. 
A/N: i have nothing to say. this was supposed to be demon porn and now we have a completely new au. SOMEONE PLEASE STOP ME. okay anyways,,,, i love u. 
Corruption.  
It ran rampant through your town like the plague, devouring everything in its path. One right after another, you have seen it swallow those who you had come to respect; good town folk, who at one time, moved through the world with a moral compass stronger than the one you felt you possessed, had now fallen ill to the disease.  
And you understood...to an extent. The universe was not a benevolent dealer. It randomly assigns cards to its patrons and cares not about the outcome- or the losses. You understood that sometimes people were simply without a winning hand.  
But the need to win was still present.  
However, your town was spoiled with a type of greed that wafted through the streets and turned everything to mold. Neighbor betraying neighbor, partner betraying partner- even mother’s betraying their children...
All to please one man...
Lord Instinctus was the ruler of your province. Born into nobility, he took over the position after his father passed away and began turning the tides in his favor. Taxes were raised, work hours following suit and, harsh punishments were administered to anyone who dared questioned the new system. He forced your town to pledge their loyalty to him on the day he took over and sent ‘enforcers’ to hide out in the town in search of any signs of rebellion.  
However, his cruelty was not unique. Too many men have followed the path paved before them and suckled at the teet of avarice, until they were compelled to out do one another.
To outkill one another...
What made Lord Instinctus unique was the fact that he had never shown his face before. During his initiation into the noble court, the townspeople were given blindfolds and told to face away from their Lord and simply listen. Few people broke the rules but, the ones who did were immediately executed.  
You still remember the shudder that ran through your body as you heard the sound of your townspeople hitting the pavement. From that point on, the tone was set. Insubordination means death; the terms were simple.  
The lack of knowledge and the possibility of death didn’t stop speculation from blooming. In fact, the appearance of the Lord was essentially the usual topic of conversation at every pub on the main street. After the freeing of spirits, both liquid or otherwise, the rumors begin pouring into the atmosphere.
“He’s probably horribly deformed...”
“Inbreeding is common amongst the nobility; it would make sense...”
“My cousin walked by the villa the other day, he said Lord Invictus had a tail!”
“A tail you say?! So is he some sort of hybrid?!”
“Oh please, that’s preposterous- he's probably just hideous...”
You bite your bottom lip, as you wipe the whiskey from the chestnut countertop, resisting the urge to smirk. Bartending was certainly not a glamorous job but, it paid your taxes and helped put food on the table for you and your family.  
Glamorous it was not but, amusing it definitely was.  
“I bet you he still beds a new woman every night though...”
“A pretty face ain’t worth more than all that gold he has aye?”
“Maybe he’s cursed...”
“That wouldn’t surprise me either- I hear noble families make deals with the magic folk all the time.”
“If you all want to know so bad, why don’t you just pay the tower a visit?”
With that meager suggestion, the bustle of the pub comes to halt- all eyes now on the man who mentioned a topic that is normally banned from public spaces.
“What? You can’t tell me you haven’t wondered what was up there...”
“We know what’s up there-”
“Or rather- who's up there.”
Just outside the boundaries of your town, deep within the trenches of the forest sits a massive tower made from smoke-stained ivory. Decrepit and ominous, it looms over your town like a warning- like a shadow...
It’s said to be the home a monster.  
The tower was used as a prison for the most dastardly of criminals. For years, just before the establishment of your town, it served as a last resort for the rotten underbelly of society. Countless lives were taken, madness ensued- until the revolution came. The tower was set aflame by revolutionaries but for whatever reason, it did not crumble.  
The ivory merely sizzled and turned gray and then over time, it turned black. For years it was abandoned until one day, just after sunset, light emanated from the tower once more. Onlookers who were near the building went inside to see if some vagrant had moved in.  
And they never returned...
Several spiritual advisors have visited the town, including religious figures from various faiths, and they have all arrived at the same conclusion: a demon has taken residence in the tower. Despite the efforts to bless the building, the light comes on every evening.  
Thus, it is assumed that the demon remains unharmed.  
“What about Mrs. Jeon? She left offerings for the beast and her son was cured of the plague the next morning.”
“Or Mr. Kim- he left one as well and found gold in his backyard that very night...”
“You aren’t suggesting there is a benevolent being in that tower, are you? Should I remind you of how many disappearances have occurred?”
There are opposing rumors you suppose.  
One of them, the one that just so happens to appeal to you the most, is that there is a deity living in that tower.  
The one who knows.  
The one who blesses and curses the deserving and offers wisdom that no mortal can.  
“Hey here’s a thought- how about Jacob tests his theory eh? Why don’t you go down and find out yourself? Report back to us with your findings...”
The pub erupts with laughter now, the uneasiness slowly melting away from the room.  
You elect to keep your thoughts to yourself, as you finish up counting the money you had made from that evening- making sure to leave a portion for the incoming team.  
The bite of the winter wind is harsh and untamed as it scraps across your skin, causing you to hurriedly put your coat on. It feels like winter never ends in your town and if it weren’t for the fact that your family stocks up throughout the year, you would be worried where your next meal is coming from.  
Walking down the street towards your home, you catch sight of the tower in the distance. The way the windows begin to glow, almost makes you feel like it’s somehow staring back at you- taunting you.  
You would be lying if you said it didn’t tempt you.  
It always has.  
Even as a young girl, you remember being drawn to the infamy, to the danger...
Your mother always told you that being curious was a good thing, that it led the greatest minds of humankind. You kept that with you as you moved through life, trying your best to understand what your purpose was.  
But times were hard...
With a malevolent lord hanging over the morale of your town, digging his fingers into the heart and soul of your people and crippling them with eternal debt, it was causing you to look for answers.  
And you were beginning to look in some unorthodox places.
Dinner with your family soothes the aching curiosity in your chest as you try and remind yourself of all the things you have to be grateful for. After your meal, you wrestle your little brother into his bed before telling him his favorite bedtime story. Once his eyelids have kissed, you turn out his light and move into the main room to wish sweet dreams upon your parents.  
And although the pleasantries are nice, there are a few things throughout the evening that disturbed you.  
The limp in your father’s movement.
The blisters on your mother’s hands.
The bags beneath the otherwise unburden gaze of your little brother.  
Exhaustion was palpable.  
Living beneath the weight of a corrupt leadership will do that to you.
As your head hits the pillow, you can hear your mother murmur in desperation.
“I won’t have enough to pay him this week...what are we going to do?”
“I can work extra hours at the mill- we will figure it out.”
“How could you possibly work any longer-”
You feel your chest twist with guilt as you hear the crack in your mother's voice.
“You’re falling apart my love...if you continue pushing yourself this way, I’m afraid I will lose you and I can’t- I can’t-”
The muffled nature of her cries suggests that your father has pulled her in for a hug, trying to erase the inevitable with his affection.  
“We will endure, I promise. Just hang on a little longer.”
With your father’s final words, their conversation begins to die down.  
This can’t possibly go on much longer. You might be able to pick up more hours at the pub and, perhaps procure a second job but, the dues will never end.  
Your family will never exist for any other reason aside from paying to the noble family.  
So you make a decision. Hard work clearly isn’t the answer and revolution would only shed innocent blood. If the practical world had nothing else to offer then, you would seek answers from beyond.  
Your parents retired to their rooms shortly after their conversation but, you wait until you’re sure the house has fallen silent before you make your next move. Embarking on this mission would be simple but what lies at your destination is anything but; so, you try to be prepared for the possible outcomes.
Wrapping yourself in the thickest coat you can find, you slip your dagger beneath the onyx material and slowly creep out of your bedroom.  
The streets were still bustling with life; your town rarely ever rests and the pubs and shops are open well past midnight.  
It might sound like the product of a vibrant town but, it’s mainly due to the ever-present demand for profit.  
Limited hours mean limited sales.
Thankfully, no one really notices your presence as you traverse your way down the streets and through the alleyway. The noise echoing from the main street slowly diminishes and makes way for the sound of the wind dancing through the trees. The forest itself does not frighten you. You grew up memorizing it with your father as he taught you the fundamentals or foraging and gardening. The sound of the owls is expected as is the chill that runs up your spine with the increase of the breeze.  
However, as you near the tower- fear begins to slither its way into your veins. It’s quite a sickening feeling as it seems to stop you in your tracks but, you push on anyway- determined to finish what you have started.
The wrought iron surrounding the tower is stained with rust, corroded and crackling with age, the creaking of its bars alarms you, stopping you in your tracks and forcing you to look up.  
And there it is: the tower.  
It stands above you like a menacing giant and although it’s presence should deter you, it doesn’t. Making an effort to be as silent as you can, you slip past the opening in the gate and begin walking up the broken cobblestone pathway.  
There is nothing but dirt surrounding the perimeter of the tower and other than the moon, the only light before you is coming from the very top window. It’s glowing but the color isn’t stable- it's as if it were shifting slowly from red to green to blue and then back again. Faced with the wooden French doors, you question the idea of knocking.  
If someone truly did live here, it would only be polite...right?
With a shaky hand, you knock three times as loudly as you can. For a moment there is nothing, but just as you ready your hand to knock again, the door groans and begins to slowly creak open.  
The already unstable heartbeat in your chest begins to rattle without mercy as you brace yourself for whatever horrible creature might lay on the other side. Instead, however, there is no one.  
The door opens entirely to reveal that instead of the simple but filthy interior you expect from an abandoned tower such as this one, there is a rather decadent home. Large marble pillars extend upwards seemingly holding nothing in place while glamorous furniture positions itself through the foray. Everything is cooled tone with greys and shades of blue, black often lining the borders of the funiture. There is no lantern, the moon lighting up the interior of the room just as it led your path up to the door.  
The layout doesn’t make sense.  
The tower is cylindrical and doesn’t offer enough space for such an open floor plan so, how is it that the inside looks like lavish mansion?
You swallow your fear and newfound confusion as you tentatively look around the expanse of the room.
“Hello?”
Nothing.  
You take a deep breath and decide that the likelihood of someone (or something) answering that call is slim, especially given the way you were welcomed into the tower in the first place.  
You place your hand inside your pocket, gripping the dagger for good measure before beginning to make your way towards the staircase. The moonlight is sufficient enough at first but for whatever reason, as you begin making your way up the stone staircase, the interior of the tower seems to slowly darken. Your grip on the dagger tightens as you stop walking, frozen in your steps, cursing yourself for embarking on a journey so reckless.  
Suddenly, all of the light from the room vanishes, forcing a gasp from your throat. You manage to grip the railing to steady yourself but you have no idea what you are to do next.  
And then, someone speaks.
“Well- you’re awfully far from home...aren’t you?”
The sound of the voice rushes through your senses much like the wind did. It’s too sweet for your liking but, it entrances you none the less.
“Who are you?”  
As much as you try to steady your breathing, the way your voice cracks, gives you away instantly.
Laughter bounces off the stone walls, sinister and playful all at once before the voice speaks again,
“Don’t you think that’s a question I should be asking you? You are the intruder after all...”
Disembodied or not, the voice makes a valid point. You did walk in unannounced and you most certainly weren’t invited.  
“I’m Y/N Y/L/N.” The strength in your voice comes back slightly as you grip the railing a bit tighter, “I came here because- “
“I know why you’re here...” The voice is much closer now, likely positioned at the top of the stairs, “Humans are so predictable; always looking for a handout.”
This offends you greatly and regardless of the amount of danger you might be in, you let the voice know anyway.
“I am not looking for a hand out. My family and I work from sunrise until sunset to make ends meet. I’m here to make an offering- not merely to take whatever miracles that you make.” Stronger and stronger, your voice rises to the occasion, preparing itself to either spar with the beast or scream for help.
“Miracles hm?” Sinister laughter slinks down the staircase, practically teasing the exposed skin of your neck, “Is that what you think I do?”  
You swallow the bile that creeps up your throat, “I’ve heard many stories- but I wanted to see for myself. Some of my people claim you’ve blessed them but, the clergy said a demon lived here...”
“Oh?” It rises with inquisition, “And you came anyway? Do I have a heretic in my presence?”  
Shaking your head does nothing in the darkness but it’s instinctual, “I don’t believe in demons- at least, not the kind who dwell in abandoned towers.”
“Is there a kind you do believe in then?”  
There is something in you that urges you forward, captivated by the sweet sound of the voice above you, desperate to view the owner and desperate to see the moonlight again.
“Hell is nothing but a metaphor and it’s demons all the same. There is plenty of evil here, plenty of suffering- by definition, there is a demon ruling over my town- he is draining us of our resources for his own gain. I couldn’t imagine a more accurate representation.”
Suddenly, you hear the sound of boots clicking slowly and steadily down the stone stairs. You brace yourself, still feeling frozen in your place- wishing to see whoever or whatever is front of you.
“If I did make miracles,” It muses and, now you’re able to discern that it’s only a few steps in front of you, “What exactly would you be offering me in return?”
Taking a deep breath through your nose, you place all your effort into trying to make out whether or not there was an actual owner to this voice. Finally, your eyes adjust enough to see the faint shadow of a figure which appears to be sitting on the second set of stairs.  
“Name your terms, I will do my best.”  
“Ah ah-” The voice corrects along with a side of twinkling laughter, “That isn’t how this works...”
You’re growing frustrated with the apparent mind games but, you know it’s in your best interest to be patient; you still don’t know what you’re dealing with.
“How does it work then?”
Silence passes through the air for a moment before the voice speaks again, “You must bring me the thing you treasure the most so, that I may know your true intentions- I cannot help you until I can see you properly.”
You snort, “You’d be able to see me if you hadn’t wiped the light from this room...”
Laughter comes again but this time, it’s lower and deepened with suggestion, “I’m not referring to physical sight, human. You might not be able to see in the dark but, I can.”
For whatever reason, its response sounds salacious and riddled with an innuendo that you’re slightly afraid to comment on.  
And the reaction it creates within you, only frightens you further.  
“I’ve just told you that I barely have enough money to scrape by- I don’t have anything of value to give you.”  
“I never asked you to bring me anything of value nor did I ask you to give it away- you’re not listening very well...I don’t know how I’m supposed to help you if you can’t follow instructions.”
It sounds irritated and fond all at once, prompting you to nod immediately, not wanting to upset your only shot at freedom.
“I’m sorry.” You breathe, “I’m just-”
“Don’t lie to me...”
Your gaze strains to try and make out the expression of the figure in front of you but, its futile- the darkness impeding your effort.
“What do you mean?”
“You were going to tell me that you’re scared.” The voice accuses, “But you’re not- even though, you most certainly should be.”  
It wasn’t wrong. You should have ran when the door opened on its own, when the lights began to dim, when a voice began speaking to you...
But you didn’t.
You were undeniably intrigued.  
“Are you going to hurt me?”
An insidious bought of laughter comes from the figure before it sighs, “Hmmm, maybe a little bit.”
When your lips part with something that resembles shock, the laughter comes again only slowing to a halt for the sound of the figure’s tongue tutting against its teeth.
“You are a curious girl...” It observes, “...promises of harm should not excite you and yet- excitement flows from you anyway. Why?”
It kills you to refrain from denying it but, you have no choice.
“Your voice-” A sigh leaves your lips, “it’s very intriguing.”
Maybe it’s part of the creature's abilities, you think, its voice is the main weapon to lure unsuspecting and vulnerable humans into its clutches. The only question is-  what happens once it has you.
“Is it now?” The voice sounds intrigued, “Most humans don’t seem to think so. Are you sure you’re hearing me right, girl? I’ve been told my voice is the thing of nightmares.”
This perplexes you; how could anyone possibly think such a voice was frightening? Despite this creature being anything but human, it sounds very much like a man- a warm and mischievous man who seems hellbent on getting you into bed.  
“What does my voice sound like to you?” It asks, a smile in its tone.
You ponder this question for a second, realizing very quickly that you can’t exactly tell this creature that it sounds like it’s trying to seduce you. But still, that does seem to be the only appropriate description.
“Sort of...like a melody.”
Laughter comes again but, this time it’s paired with the moonlight slowly fading back into the tower, covering every surface until it finally reveals the appearance of the figure.  
Beautiful.  
Not an it but a he...
A man with wings.  
On the steps before you, he stands, leaning casually against the railing now. Atop his head is a tousled mop of sapphire hair, just below are his eyes- nearly black and hooded with the same seduction as his voice and cloaking his figure is a black linen ensemble fitted only by the same color corset. His pillowy lips and soft skin would be a masterpiece on their own but coupled with the giant pair of onyx wings protruding proudly from his back- his visuals become simply devastating.  
“What do you see?” He smirks, licking over his lips.
Unable to resist, you shake your head in complete awe, all of the sensible words dying before they leave your throat, “You- are you an angel?”
The light allows you to see him now as his head tilts another round of laughter, “Try again...you’re very close.”
Perhaps the clergy was right...
“A demon then...” You resign because despite your previously-held beliefs, if this really was a demon, then you know very well you shouldn’t be dealing with him. “I should go.”
His smirk broadens, “But I thought you didn’t believe in demons?”
“I didn’t but, that’s clearly what you’re alluding to. If a winged man tells me he’s a demon, I think it’s wise that I return home.”  
Through your moment of clarity, your desire for him persists- especially now that you see what he looks like. But you know better than to make a deal with a demon, even if you are desperate.
“Do you think the universe is that simple? Angels and demons? Good and evil? You don’t think that maybe- in all of his vastness, there is a chance for the inbetweeners?” He presses and now his black eyes seem to glow, his gaze slightly hypnotic.  
Tightening your coat around your body, you stay staring at him for a moment before you respond, “Is that what you are? Something in between?”
He licks his lips, his eyes finally allowing themselves to wander over your figure. There isn’t much of you showing but, he still drinks you up regardless, exposing and exciting you all at once.  
“I was sent by the underworld to do business for the gods...” He drops his voice to a near whisper, his gaze burning a hole in you, which now aches to be filled.  
You take in a shaky breath through your nose, nodding in understanding, “Did you kill the people who disappeared here? Is that what happens when their judgment goes south?”  
He arches his brow, tilting his head with his inquiry- his voice dripping with darkness, “Maybe I did...maybe I didn’t. I don’t see how that’s relevant- especially since you’ve already decided you were leaving. Which of course-” He waves his hand then, the wooden door behind you creaking open, “-you are free to do.”
There is something about him you haven’t touched on but, it’s beginning to eat you up inside. He may be an otherworldly being, possessing the tower like a beautiful virus but, he is starting to look familiar. This of course, is hard to imagine because his beauty is so striking that you don’t see how you could ever forget it. But nonetheless, you feel like you’ve seen him before.  
And this is what has kept you frozen.  
“Will you not give me any answers?” You border on pleading but, attempt to keep your tone firm.
He chuckles, “You didn’t come to me for answers. You came for help- which I’ve already agreed to give you.”
The supernatural discourse that has transpired, thoroughly distracted you from the reasons for seeking him out in the first place. Your situation had not changed; you were still desperate for money, desperate for justice and desperate for peace.  
“You won’t hurt my family...” It’s not a question, and it leaves no room for any other response aside from the one he gives you.
“I won’t.”  
Nodding, you glance behind your shoulder towards the door, “I have to go home. I don’t have the item you asked for. I can be back within the hour...”
For the first time, he looks slightly disappointed but as you complete your sentence, he shakes his head, “No. Don't come back tonight.” He insists, “If you wish to do business with me- you must return tomorrow after midnight. I will wait for you at the shoreline.”
This confuses you, “The shoreline? Why can’t we meet here? The water is dangerous after dark.”
The smirk returns to his tender lips, “I know.”  
With that, he waves his hand again- causing the door to swing open and slam against the tower walls.
Jumping at the sound, your gaze shoots back behind you before returning to where the creature stood.  
But he had vanished.  
You have no choice but to heed his requests and rush away from the tower, the curiosity inside you almost too much to bear.  
Nothing is out of the ordinary as you walk back home, at least not at first. But when you pass the massive clock tower in the center of town, you realize something strange...
The clock hadn’t moved, not even a second.  
You remember very clearly reading the time as you hurried past it on your way to the tower and now, even as you’re staring at it, it stands perfectly still. Until suddenly, without warning, the hands of time begin to move again. The clicking almost startles you, your brain filling with a million questions despite your decision to turn away and return home.  
Time had seemingly stood still whilst you were in the tower.  
Slipping beneath the covers, you try your hardest to get to sleep despite being bombarded with images of the haunting man you had just encountered.  
You know you should be terrified.  
You know you should be wary.
But the familiarity of him has possessed you and, you’re determined to understand why.  
The next night, with your treasured object tucked securely in your coat, you make your way back to him.  
You make sure to check the clock tower before you do, logging the time away for later to see if last night had been more than just a fluke.  
12:32am.
The clock tower has never lied but, you’re starting to think it might be influenced by whatever resided in the tower- magic, beast, or otherwise.  
As you pass through the many trees, you begin to hear the chaotic crashing of the waves in the distance. The tower may be frightening but, few things could match the malevolent temper of the sea. In fact, you’ve always believed that nothing could. The sea was unrivaled in her cruelty, consuming the world at will, just for the fun of it- you've theorized that she likes the screams. During the day, she simmered- blue and serene, allowing boats to decorate her surface like candles on a birthday cake. At night though, her temper worsens and it’s as if she suddenly remembers all the injustice she has faced. Her waves swell to horrific heights, smashing into the seawalls built around your town, creeping over like a titan looking for vengeance.  
You’ve always felt pity for her. It must be hard: being the heart and soul of humanity, being responsible for the very nature of things- only to be forgotten. Only to be mistreated...
Your boots are discarded near the last patch of grass before the sand and, your toes brace themselves icy chill of the sea breeze. You’re especially thankful for the coat now as you suspect that your teeth would have already begun chattering had it not been for the thick fabric protecting you.  
The waves haven’t begun their violent dance just yet but, you can sense their temper beneath your feet. They will begin soon.  
“The sea-” The voice from the tower is behind you, “it suits you.”
Breathless, you turn to face him and even though you’re more prepared for his beauty than you were last night, it still shocks you.
He’s wearing a black silk gown, that drapes effortlessly off his body, the sleeves made out of French lace and extending well past his fingertips. His wings are shuttered behind him, folded almost modestly against his back.
“Thank you.” It’s the only response you have before you reach into the fold of your coat, “I have the-”
He holds up his hand, his voice commanding but gentle, “Wait. I want you to walk with me first. I don’t like rushing through my business deals.”
Your hand slowly retreats from your coat as you warily look behind you, “You want to walk along the shoreline? I told you, it’s too dangerous- at least for me it is, I don’t exactly have an escape mechanism attached to my back.”
He smirks, his tempting gaze flourishing with fondness you cannot place, “What causes you to mistrust the sea so much? Surely she wouldn’t hurt one of her own...”
Your brow furrows, “What do you mean?”
Extending from the confines of silk, his fingers reach out to you, fluttering with invitation, “I will show you.”
And really, you’d be a fool not to accept.  
Interlacing your fingers with his, you feel electricity simmer ever so slightly beneath your skin. You’re assuming it’s from the power that likely resides within him but, you don’t expect it to affect you so much.
The sound of the waves begins to softly roar in the distance but the water isn’t close enough to the shoreline to pose any immediate threat.
Not yet at least...
You begin walking alongside him as he leads you both in the opposite direction of your town border. For quite a few moments, he just gazes at the eternal stretch of sand before you, his soft mouth curved up ever so slightly. He looks pensive and serene all at once and, it confuses you.
“May I tell you a story?”
His request surprises you but, you aren’t really in a position to say no. And if you’re being honest, you really didn’t want to.  
“Yes.” You murmur, feeling compelled to keep your volume at a minimum.
He smiles softly to himself, glancing towards the water briefly before beginning.  
“The water has many gods...” He speaks softly, letting out a sigh, “Lir, Irish god of the sea, Tefnut, Egyptian goddess of the rain, Amimitl, Aztec god of lakes and fisherman...” His explanation already has you interested. You were taught much of the stories beyond your land but, it had always fascinated you, “The gods of the sea are known for the temperate nature, they often stay away from humans and avoid interfering with the mortal coil. Death by water is merely a request they carry out for the gods of death and destruction and thus, there is goddess who rules over the violence of the sea itself.”
Just as he finishes his sentence, the temper of the sea seems to roar to life, the swollen waves crashing aggressively, still not close enough to reach you.
Not yet at least...
“Cymopoleia, is the goddess of violent sea storms. Poseidon, her father, tasked her with overseeing the malignant waters and tending to the causalities. She was not the creator of the storms but she carried the ability.” He moves through the story as if he has told it a 100 times but he seems captivated by it nonetheless, “When it came time for her to bear a child. She conjured up a spirit from within her very core. She crafted them out of the essence of the sea and placed them inside of clamshell in her palace. She was awaiting the full moon when someone snuck into the depths of the ocean and stole them from her.”
The gasp that leaves your lips cannot be helped, you didn’t realize how engrossed you were until suddenly you recognize the port from another town nearby.
You had been walking awhile.
“Why would someone do that?” You press, shaking your head.
He sends a solemn look your way, “Many thoughtless humans believe that if they capture the essence of a god, they will become one themselves. Foolishly, he opened the clam shell and released the spirit into the world. By the time the goddess found him, it was too late- but she delegated his fate anyway. She took his life beneath the depths of a violent storm and placed a curse upon anyone who shared his bloodline. She made it so that any one of his descendants would bear the physical embodiment of his fate.”
“So, they look like they’ve died at sea?”
He can’t help but smirk, a bit of the darkness you saw at the tower, beginning to creep back. “Indeed. They are horribly disfigured and regardless of their efforts, they all meet the same fate. His lineage believes that if they send enough offerings out to sea or if they build high enough walls, that they will somehow escape their deaths. But of course, this if futile- the goddess vowed that she would continue to collect them until her spirit was returned.”  
His story ends and it’s like something clicks within you. Without warning, you squeeze his hand, slowing both of you to a stop, just before the light of the upcoming pier hits you.  
“Does this have something to do with my town? Is that why you’re telling me this?”  
Lord Invictus certainly fit the description for a descendent of this thief and, although it bores no sense of logic- you have no choice but to believe it anyway.  
It all fits together too well...
He turns towards you now, his smirk now a small smile, “It has to do with you Y/N.”
Your brow furrows, “Me? What do you mean?”
He nods to your coat, something otherworldly lingering in his eyes, “I’d like to see what you’ve brought with you now.”
Still riddled with confusion, you reach inside your coat and find that the item you had brought with you (a beaded necklace gifted to you at birth by your parents) had turned into something else.  
And now, sitting in the palm of your hand- was a clamshell.  
“What is this? This isn’t what I brought to you- I-” You begin to panic, confusion and fear starting to take over, “Did you do this? Did you take my necklace?”
Finally, the sinister smirk returns as his wings begin to unfurl from behind his back. Along with his shift in expression, another danger is brewing very close to you- you can feel it.  
The sea is growing irritated and whipping the wind and the water up into a frenzy. As you look toward the water, you have no choice but to look on in horror as you see the beginning of something deadly.  
A rogue wave.
The grip on your hand tightens as his extraordinary strength keeps you in place.  
“I think it’s time I formally introduce myself-” His voice is loaded with bad intentions but it sounds sweet anyway as he burns his gaze into yours, “My name is Jimin. Son of Tartarus, the god of punishment and Nyx, the goddess of the night.”
Your eyes are wide with desperation, not fully registering what he said before he’s yanking you against his chest and turning you to face the sea. Standing behind you, he unleashes a spell of wicked laughter as his wings unfurl from behind is back to wrap around the both of you, so that the only thing you’re able to see is the wall of water coming for you.  
“I have to come to send you home Y/N...your mother has been waiting for you a very long time.”
His arms are wrapped around you now, crushing you against his chest as his wings begin flapping- the wind picking up furiously around you.
“Jimin!” You scream, eyes welling up with tears, “You promised you wouldn’t hurt me! You promised! Why are you doing this to me?!”
He laughs at you, and it isn’t necessarily malevolent but merely amused, as if he in on a joke you weren’t part of.
“Shhhh, quiet down my little sea nymph...” He whispers salaciously into your ear, “...your fate will be painless.”
You’re crying now, digging your nails into his skin, attempting to break free as the massive creature that is the ocean rushes towards you without mercy. The crest of the wave arches above you proudly, the swirling darkness of the water mocking the mere audacity of your existence but, as you brace for impact- it never comes.  
Only the darkness does...
And it’s the darkness that consumes you.  
“Jimin!” A voice breaks into your subconscious, luring you out of what you hope was a nightmare, “You couldn’t have brought her home without scaring her? She was practically driftwood when she arrived here.”
That familiar twinkle of laughter sounds then and, it forces your eyes open.  
“I’m sorry your grace- it's just in my nature.” He defends poorly, still chuckling to himself, “I can’t imagine my brothers are doing much better.”
You are somewhere extraordinary, that much is certain. Above your immediate line of sight is an ornate glass ceiling that seems to glow a cerulean blue. All around you are gold furnishings, each decorated with various moldings of sea creatures.  
“She’s awake!”  
Your vision, still slightly cloudy, now lands upon a being so beautiful- that you have to blink a few times to ensure you’re seeing the right thing. Draped in blue silk and decorated with gold and pearls, is a woman who looks at you with nothing but love in her eyes.
“Oh my- its really you...”
She seems tentative but, you’re suddenly overcome with joy- filled with an almost cosmic sense of peace.  
“Mother!” You cry, rushing off of the bed you were laying on and into her arms.  
She takes you in her arms immediately, her skin cool against yours like the tepid waters of the bay. She sniffles, tightening her grip on you,
“I knew you’d come home...I knew one day I would find you.”
And it really doesn’t make much sense does it?
How could your life swing so violently from one direction to the next?
Your life on earth seems so insignificant now...now that you’re back with her.  
Cymopoleia- queen of violent sea storms and, your mother.  
She explains it all to you, gently stroking your hair and fawning over you.  
The spirit in the depths was you. Born into a human body, you were fated to one day meet with the demi-god of darkness, who with a bit of trickery- would return you to your rightful place in the cosmos.  
Your mother assures you that your mortal family would be relieved of your memory until it was safe for you to visit them, until the gods of fate decide. In addition, Lord Invictus would be the last of the bloodline to pay for what his ancestor had done and, the fog of greed and corruption- which begin the day you were born, would soon be lifted.  
The explanation is long and doesn’t leave you completely fulfilled but, your mother assures you that you have all the time in the world to understand the complexity of the universe.  
Hours later, after you’ve had a decent feast, your mother instructs Jimin to escort you to your bedroom.  
As he leads you down the hallway towards your chambers, you send a playful glare his way, “So- how much of what you told me was a lie?”
He merely smirks, “None of it.”
You scoff, “Even the part of about your voice? And all that nonsense about excitement and me being curious? You knew all along what was to happen- you just tricked me.”
Jimin chuckles darkly, stopping just outside your bedroom door before turning to you, “The part about my voice frightening people wasn’t a lie, Y/N. My father is the god of punishment, any mortal that hears my voice usually cowers in fear...”
“Is that why I felt so drawn to you? Because you were meant to take me home?”  
His smirk broadens, “No...you feel drawn me because you want to fuck me.”
Your mouth goes completely dry at his bold statement but, you are unable to deny it- your fingers suddenly twitching at your side.
“Wh-”
“It’s not your fault really...” He murmurs, his body shifting towards you, “...it’s just the way I was made. I am used to people lusting after me- however,” Jimin reaches out then, to brush his thumb over the swell of your cheek, “-I have never known true lust until I had the pleasure of meeting you.”
“You lust for me?” You whisper, completely drawn up with desire- finally allowing your true nature, the nature of a demi-goddess pour out of your soul.
He licks his lips, his gaze upon you timid as he presses his thumb into your face, “I do.”  
You turn to the side suddenly, capturing his thumb between your lips, “Show me.”
It's all it takes: that one phrase of consent being enough to unleash all the urges within him.
You’re inside your chamber seconds later, Jimin clawing at the fabric of your robe, his fingers digging into your skin as he does, his lips latching on to every part of you he can reach.
“I knew the moment you walked into my tower-” He grunts, “I knew- there was no way a mortal could be tempting, so dreadfully seductive.”
You sigh hopelessly, raking your hands through the sapphire tendrils on his head, your lips ghosting along the swell of his cheek, the tail of his brow, the shell of his ear...
“In the underworld...” He’s practically growling now, scratching his nails up the newly exposed skin of your back, “We are never taught to refuse our desires. You were my greatest challenge- it took everything in me not to devour you right there.”
You smirk now, positioning your lips at his ear, “I wouldn’t have known what to do with you though- aren't you glad you were patient?”
He grunts again, pressing his hips against yours defiantly, “Patience is for virtuous gods- “ He doesn't answer your question but, you know that he means yes. In spite of his darker nature, Jimin still believes in doing the right thing.... most of the time.  
He has you on the bed moments later, his wings spreading proudly. He’s panting, his eyes completely black with lust as he nudges your legs open, determined to finally taste what he’s been craving.  
For the demi-god of darkness, denying his desires for even a second is painful. He aches to fufill them over and over again...
You were certainly no exception.  
But you want to keep teasing him...
Reaching down, you spread yourself open for him- feeling the visceral substance of your arousal sticking to your inner thighs.
“What are you waiting for then?” You lean up, grasping your hand behind his neck and staring directly into the abyss that is his gaze, “Defile me...”
Jimin growls, sliding into you instantly, his hands quickly bracing themselves on either side of your head. He smirks as your eyes roll back the sheer pleasure of him inside of you causing your nipples to harden.  
“Oh look at that-” He chuckles, his own expression unstable with pleasure, “Are you going brain dead already hm? Is this cock that good?”
Your eyes come back into play as you stare up at him, your hands gripping either side of his face as he starts a power rhythm within you.  
This wasn’t meant to last long, the carnal desire too much for either one of you to handle...
Perhaps, if your feelings permitted it- you'd make love another time.  
Nodding, you moan as he increases the rhythm, pressing your forehead against his own.  
“You feel so good.” You whisper, “I didn’t know it could- oh...” A whimper leaves your lips as he hits that spot inside of you, the pleasure completely ruining your ability to speak.
“Of course you didn’t- you’ve only ever let mortals play with your pretty cunt haven’t you?” He laughs, mocking you and cooing all at once, “And now that I’ve gotten ahold of it, you’re never going to want anyone else. I will ruin you ugh-” He finally breaks, his own brow furrowed with the onslaught of his release as you tighten around him, “-ugh fuck yes. I can feel how badly your cunt wants me- it's like you’re begging me to cum.”
“I want you to cum,” You whisper shakily, kissing at his mouth, “Fill me up please, I need it.”
He growls, kissing you back with just as much fervor, his hips moving so fast that the pleasure fucks with your vision.  
“I’m going to make a mess of you, they will smell me on you until I can come back-” He promises, smirking ever so slightly, “and then- I'll paint the inside of you all over again won’t I? Such a masterpiece this cunt will be...and you’ll be all mine, cumming only for me.”  
And he wasn’t wrong because, mere seconds later- the two of you are cumming all over one another, ruining the silk sheets with your release and clawing desperately at one another.  
With the mutual utterance of your names, Jimin collapses beside you and, moments later- when you get your wits about you, he is ushering you onto his chest.  
Sweaty, exhausted and satisfied, you lay together in silence for quite a while.
Until finally you speak, “I’m not quite sure what came over me.”
Jimin chuckles but this time, the sound is much warmer than you’re used to, “Immortal lust, it’s a blessing and a curse but, eternal life has to stay interesting somehow.”
You trace patterns on his chest whilst he covers your body with one of his wings, the feathers teasing at your sensitive skin.
“Did you mean it?”  
And he doesn’t even bother asking, he knows exactly what you’re referring to.
“I want you.” He affirms, “If you’ll have me- I felt quite possessive of you then but, I won’t insist on anything you aren’t comfortable with.”
You smile, tracing a heart directly over the spot where his heart would beat, “It fits doesn’t it? You and I?”
If the past few days have taught you anything, it is that sometimes- it is appropriate to succumb to fate. Sometimes, believing in the simplicity of destiny works out. Being with Jimin felt right and, for now, this was enough.  
“It does.” His statement is simple but his expression says it all: he is elated.
You fall back into comfortable silence once again before one more pressing question leaves your lips, “Did I hear you mention something about your brothers earlier?”
Jimin nods, his eyes half-closed as he cuddles closer to you, “You did. I have six of them.”
“Are they- like you?” You murmur, unable to stop your curiosity.
He nods again, “They are.”
You think one more question will suffice but, his answer will unfortunately bring about a thousand more, “Are they all on missions too?”
Jimin’s trademark smirk shows itself once again as he snickers, “They are-” He repeats before a great sense of pride comes over his expression...
“I was just the first one to return.”
A/N: should this be a series? asking for a friend...
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queen-haq · 3 years ago
Text
Fic: A Woman Scorned - Part 8
Fic: A Woman Scorned - Part 8
Pairing: Billy Russo x Reader
Rating: R for language.
Words: ~2000 words.
Summary: You’ve been sleeping with Billy Russo for a few months now. Knowing his aversion to emotional commitments, you’re satisfied with your clandestine arrangement until you catch him having dinner with Dinah Madani one night. Then it finally dawns on you. It’s not that he doesn’t want to commit, he just doesn’t want to commit to *you*.
Billy may think he knows you, but he has no idea what he’s just lost...
Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5   Part 6   Part 7
Part 8
Billy read through the file on his desk for the third time that day. After the night of the gala he’d hired an investigator to gather info on you, and now all the major events in your life were neatly encompassed in a red folder, ready for his perusal. Despite your refusal to share anything, he’d managed to learn a lot about you reading your file. Except instead of giving him clarity on you, the documents triggered an avalanche of questions and emotions that left him rattled.
You grew up in the projects, in a poor neighbourhood in Chicago, but had managed to wrangle your way into a state university. He knew how expensive those were, and even with the scholarships you’d earned it was almost impossible for someone in your socio-economic background to be able to attend college – but you had, and judging by your relatively low student loans it wasn’t simply due to luck. Billy had learned a long time ago that when opportunities presented themselves, he had to make quick and tough decisions to get ahead. Rawlins had presented such an opportunity, which had given Billy the cashflow he needed to start Anvil. Who was your Rawlins, he wondered.
Throughout college you interned at a moderately-sized company in Chicago and they hired you immediately upon graduation. You never looked back after that, moving from firm to firm while going up the corporate ladder. There were so many things about your life you didn’t share with Billy but you had been honest about one thing – Anvil couldn’t afford you. If he’d hired you, your salary would be on par with his.  
Billy still remembered when he’d signed his first lucrative contract. He’d been eyeing the Wraith for months prior to that, and as soon as he could justify the purchase he did. The penthouse in a luxury high-rise building came next. You, however, were the complete opposite of him. You owned your condo, and while it was nice and in a decent neighbourhood, it certainly wasn’t a luxury purchase. You were careful with your money, except when it came to shoes. Based on your credit card records, you bought a lot but the ridiculously expensive purchases weren’t as numerous. He guessed those were the ones you bought when you were especially troubled, like Davina had said.
Billy had pored over your life starting from where you were now all the way back to your childhood. The first time he read the child abuse investigation report in your file was two days ago, and it had taken him hours to finish because of the sheer rage it provoked in him. It was an incident reported by one of your teachers after you’d shown up to school with bruises and burn marks. Of course the child protective services had done nothing, you’d been returned to your parents. There were no other reports filed after that but abuse that vicious didn’t stop just because the cops came around. Your parents probably just learned not to leave visible bruises.  Billy was all too familiar with that kind of violence and realizing you went through the same made him want to destroy every fucking person in your life that ever hurt you.
“I fought like hell to make something of myself, to be safe and happy.”
Your words still rung in his ears. They had haunted him for a week now. He could still remember the strange look of apathy on your face even though your words were obviously coming from a place of hurt and anger. At the time he didn’t know what you meant, but now he understood and it both sickened and infuriated him that you felt threatened by him. What could he have possibly done to conjure the same fear in you as your goddamn family? How could you compare him to them?
“You will not destroy me.”
Your voice had been steady and calm when you said the words, a complete contrast to the confusion he’d been feeling. Fine, he may not have recognized your worth sooner before but that didn’t mean he wanted to hurt you. Yet you’d accused him of doing just that and it pissed the fuck out of him. Yeah he’d bragged about Anvil to Roger but that was to get you actual protection and keep you safe – something your precious fucking Roger should have done from day one. Corporations didn’t give a fuck about their employees until their bottom lines were threatened and knowing a competitor had access to that kind of info meant bad PR for Valiant. You were smart, you should have realized exactly why Billy had played that card but instead you chose to be willfully blind and accuse him of jeopardizing your job. It made him so angry that it had taken every bit of willpower he had not to shake the stupidity out of you.
The phone rang, pulling him out of his thoughts. Upon seeing who it was, he picked it up immediately. “Yeah?”
“Hey, boss. Just wanted to give you a heads up. Looks like she’s lost her tail. Didn’t even take her that long. The guy’s an idiot.”
Frustrated, Billy ran his fingers through his hair. The little talk with Roger had worked and Valiant had assigned a bodyguard to you, but like everything else about the company, the guard was ineffective. Fortunately Billy had already anticipated Valiant’s ineptitude so he’d made arrangements for one of his best trackers to keep an eye on you. “Think she knows about you?”
Andy snorted. “This ain’t my first gig.”
Even though Billy knew Andy was great at what he did - he was one of Anvil’s best - it still didn’t assuage his anxieties about you. “Where is she right now?”
“Driving out of town. I’m on her tail.”
“Headed for?”
“Not sure yet. Connecticut, I think.”
Billy exhaled an agitated sigh. “Okay, let me know if there’s trouble.”
“Will do.”
After hanging up with Andy, he called your number. As expected, it went to your voicemail automatically. Just like it had every time this past week. Obviously you’d blocked him, which irritated the fuck out of him, but he realized it was something you needed to do for yourself. And if you didn’t have some unhinged lunatic after you, Billy would have given you the space you needed - but now was not the time to respect your goddamn boundaries.
“Hey, it’s me. I get it. You’re pissed but we need to talk. Call me.” He paused, breathing. A part of him wanted to add a ‘please’ but he didn’t like the thought of pleading with another person, even you. Because if he begged and you still didn’t call back… he didn’t want to think about what that meant.
Reluctantly, he put your file down and returned to reviewing the contracts in front of him.
***
It was almost two in the morning. He’d gone out for dinner with some potential clients and schmoozed the hell out of them. After a lot of booze and ass-kissing, they finally shook on the deal. All in all, it was a pretty great night except he couldn’t stop thinking about you.
Every time his phone rang he hoped it was you; it never was. And now he was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking of you like some lovesick fool. It was pathetic. He should have gone home with the waitress that had slipped him her number. She’d been hot, fun, and more than happy to fuck him but some stupid part of him felt guilty – actually guilty even though you’d been ignoring him for a week – of sleeping with someone who wasn’t you. What the hell was wrong with him?
Yeah, sure, he’s been in some relationships before but they never lasted long. When things were bad, they were terribly, horribly bad and the good times just weren’t worth it. And so, in the past few years, he’d decided to keep things casual with everyone until you fucking came along and dropped a bomb and now he was right back in the middle of a hurricane. Fuck you. Fuck You. Fuck you for making him feel like this. For making him feel desperate and clingy and pathetic. For making him worry about you. For making him care.
He grabbed his phone and called you. There was your fucking voicemail greeting again and the dreaded beep.
“I make you feel worthless?” A bitter laugh escaped his throat. “What the fuck did I do to make you feel that way? Tell me. Because you actually haven’t given me any reasons. You just spouted some bullshit about having feelings for me before you walked away. Now you’ve blocked my number and I’m sitting here trying to figure out what the fuck I did wrong.” He scooted off the bed and began pacing the floor. “Eleven fucking months we’ve been sleeping together and you tell me nothing about yourself. Nothing. You were a glorified sex doll. A fucking fleshlight who spoke and only told me things I wanted to hear. Yes, Billy. No, Billy. Fuck me, Billy. You kept everything bottled up! Not once did we have a real conversation. And then all of a sudden you come alive and I find out there’s more to you and I want to get to know you better but then you tell me you have feelings for me, that you might actually love me and instead of giving me a chance to process any of this shit you dump my ass and block me? Fuck you, Y/N!”  
He hung up the phone, feeling much better, but within seconds that feeling of euphoric release turned to anxiety. What if you misinterpreted what he meant? What if something he said inadvertently hurt you again? This time when he called you, his voice was calmer.
“This isn’t me, Y/N. I’m not the guy who calls a woman over and over again, especially when she wants nothing to do with me. But you’re in my head. You’re everywhere I look. I don’t want to think about you, I don’t want to give a fuck about you, but I do…” He took a deep breath. “You said you might love me but I think you’re full of shit. Because when you care about someone, you don’t leave them behind. Shutting someone out, abandoning them, that’s not love. That’s being a fucking coward.”
After putting his phone back on the nightstand table, he lay back in bed with his arm propped up behind his head. He pondered the message he left, realizing the truth. As hard as he’d fought it, as much as he didn’t want to, he had fallen for you. You. Not the woman he’d been fucking for eleven months who didn’t have any personality but the real you, the woman who challenged him, who made him laugh, who was brilliant and incredibly smart and so fucking beautiful he’d get a hard-on practically every time he looked at you. There was so much about you he didn’t know, but he wanted to spend the rest of his life discovering you, fucking you, making you his.
He didn’t believe in destiny or any of that romantic nonsense. The universe had fucked him over too many times for him to accept sentimental bullshit like that. But what he did believe in was himself. Everything he had he fought for and he destroyed anyone who got in his way. Something told him you were the same as him. You two were connected.
He reached for his phone again and dialed your number. His voice was strong, calm, and resolute as he left you a final message.
“I like you. I want you. I’m not walking away.”
He hung up, smirking.
Part 9
A/N - I’m back from lovely St Maarten, all tanned and relaxed :) I hope you guys had a wonderful week, and that you enjoyed this new chapter. I know it wasn’t plot-heavy, just thought-heavy but that was on purpose. I really wanted a chapter just for Billy to process his feelings about “You”. Hope the lack of plot wasn’t a disappointment. As always, thank you for the lovely feedback on the last chapter.  I’m sorry I didn’t respond in a timely manner while I was away!  Please know that I truly appreciate the likes, the reblogs, the wonderful feedback and the asks you guys left me.
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writtenjewels · 2 years ago
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Meet at 2100
[This ended up getting away from me. It was three pages on Word. Hope you like it and the continuing adventures of Joe and Charlie!]
In ways, this was a lot like the night he and Charlie first met. Joe was back in his dress uniform and was attending a dance. The only difference was that he looked for Charlie this time. When he finally spotted the man, Joe saw that Charlie didn't arrive alone: he had a dame on his arm. As long as Charlie saved a spot on his dance card, the rest didn't matter.
After Charlie walked away, Joe spent the rest of the evening feeling like the worst piece of shit. It took a while for his libido to calm down and he spent the whole time in shame. Shame for his body's reaction, but also the word he used and the way Charlie's whole attitude shifted when Joe said it. He wanted to apologize but Charlie never allowed them time to be alone. After a while, it became clear Charlie was purposefully avoiding him.
And it hurt. He knew he deserved it, but it still hurt. Joe spent more time with the other soldiers hoping Charlie would at least look his way, but it didn't happen. Joe tried to connect with the other guys instead. He and Buckley talked, played some cards, but it wasn't the same. He kept wanting Charlie's voice, Charlie's laugh, Charlie's lips...
The band struck up a new song, bringing Joe back to the present. He saw Charlie's dame was gone off somewhere and quickly hurried over.
“Howdy, Private Anderson. You free for a spin?”
“Private Roberts,” Charlie returned. His expression betrayed nothing. “Sure, I'm game.” Joe moved into his space and the two began to dance. “You've gotten better,” Charlie noted after a moment.
“All that marching paid off, I guess.” Joe took a breath to steel himself before continuing. “Listen, Charlie, I... I'm real sorry. I said some stupid shit and I wish I could take it back.” Charlie watched him but said nothing. “I miss my best friend,” Joe went on. “I miss him real bad. Can't we get back to that?”
“I think we can,” Charlie agreed.
“Great,” Joe sighed in relief. “How 'bout we find a bar and shoot some pool after this is over?”
“Can't, sorry. The dame I came with? I gotta see her home. There's this fountain in town that I'm going to sit by at 2100 hours. If I see you there we can talk more. If I don't, I'll see you back on the ship and it'll be like the past few weeks never happened.”
Joe blinked, trying to process what Charlie meant. “All of it?”
“Yep. We'll just go back to how it was before.” Joe was a little stunned, but he understood now what Charlie was saying: he was giving Joe an out from what they were doing before. The sneaking away to secluded spots, the heated kisses, Chuck and Iosif. Like it never happened.
“All right. I'll let you get back to your lady friend.”
– –
Joe checked his watch; it was 2055. He came by early just to be sure he didn't miss it and was now checking the time almost every minute. They weren't due to report back to the ship until the next morning and Joe already determined he would wait here until 2400 if he had to.
But like any good military man, Charlie arrived at the spot exactly on time. His face lit up seeing Joe before he quickly schooled his expression to something more neutral.
“Evening, Private Roberts.”
“Charlie, come on, man,” Joe groaned. “I've already been waitin' here a half hour. Can you just cut it with the bullshit?”
“Fine.” Charlie sat on the lip of the fountain and after a moment, Joe sat beside him. The space between them was small enough to be breached; one of them just had to make a move. Charlie lifted a finger to trace the outline of stars. “Funny how we're on the other side of the world and the Big Dipper's in the same spot.”
“Ursa Major,” Joe corrected him. “She was one of Zeus's lovers. He turned her and her son into bears to protect them from Hera.” He could feel Charlie gaping at him. “What?” Joe huffed, turning to his friend.
“Why the hell do you know that?”
“I read the stories to my son at bedtime. I wanted him to learn about heroes who were strong, brave, and cunning, and those old stories have tons of heroes like that.”
“Aren't some of those stories really messed up?” Charlie frowned. “Your kid's gonna be scarred for life.”
“Maybe,” Joe agreed with a little chuckle. Charlie's expression softened and on impulse, Joe reached for his hand. Their fingers intertwined as easy as two puzzle pieces fitting together. [What do you want?] Joe asked him in Russian. A faint flush rose up on Charlie's cheeks; he recognized the words.
“You never told me what that meant,” he mentioned. Joe interpreted for him and Charlie pursed his lips. “You're the one who stopped it, not me. So maybe you should answer that.” Charlie leaned in and said the words right in Joe's ear. The pronunciation was off but Joe barely registered as Charlie's closeness sent a jolt of excitement through him.
Joe kept his eyes forward. If he answered with the truth, there was no going back from it. But he had already denied what was happening between them for long enough.
“Ya khochu tebya,” he confessed, turning and pressing a soft kiss on Charlie's lips. He felt the lips twitch before softening, accepting. Charlie kissed him back in an almost careful way. This was nothing like the intense heat they had before. This was more like a slow warmth that built with every press of their lips.
No, there was no pretending or denying what this moment was.
Charlie's hand pushed its way through his hair and Joe gently pressed against Charlie's back to bring them closer. Charlie parted his lips with no provocation and Joe took the invitation. He felt Charlie shudder as he prodded and tasted. When he finally released those lips, he swirled his tongue over Charlie's Adam's apple instead before gliding down to the hollow of the man's throat.
“Ahhh, fuck,” Charlie groaned. “Uhhhmnmnn.”
“Are you tryin' not to say my name?” Joe snorted. “You're real stubborn, you know that?”
“Maybe I just need time to remember it,” Charlie smirked mischievously. “It's been a while, pal.”
“Oh, fuck you.” But this time he meant the words fondly, and he swallowed Charlie's responding laughter in another kiss.
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hermette-historian · 3 years ago
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A Comedy of Errors: The B-Team vs. TEA
You know it's funny, sometimes, how history repeats itself. How many of you knew there was in fact a full on Hermitcraft war all the way back in Season 1? Oh, there was chaos before Grian alright. Have an "abbreviated" summary of events, and see for yourselves just how little our favorite characters have changed.
Part I: The Setup
Biffa2001 is a chaos gremlin. He's has already shown earlier in the season just how bold he can be with threats (however empty) and interfering with other people's stuff. Biffa decides that holding everyone's bases hostage for diamond blocks isn't chaotic enough for him, so he goes in and closes down every shop in the bazaar under threat of foreclosure.
Biffa also has a best friend, our beloved Xisuma. X finds out that his shop has been closed and instead of confronting Biffa goes after DMAC, whom he discovered has not only "illegally" reopened his own shop but has been buying up and undercutting Xisuma's own prices on enchanted iron tools for weeks. (In the meantime, DMAC covered Biffa's entire base in iron golems in retribution for closing the emporium).
Biffa and Xisuma decide that too much shady shit has been going down on this server lately, and that they need to be the ones to bring down the hammer and stop it. They form "The Agency" (later TEA for Tea Eaters' Alliance) and their first target is not DMAC, but GenerikB's Hermits Hurtin' Hurdles from way back at the beginning of the season. The gauntlet has been long abandoned at this point, having been bested by both Joe Hills and Hypnotizd, and parts of it have even been torn down to make way for a slime farm. The Agency decides that it's far too dangerous to be left standing, and bricks the whole passage up with wooden fences. A few days later they return while GB is still out with food poisoning following his vacation. Having decided that the Hermit himself is dangerous to the well-being of the server due to his nasty habit of having a literal hit list, they punish him by filling every air block in his entire underground base with the same wooden fences.
GB, obviously, is pissed. He comes back from his illness to find he's been quarantined, spends several hours trying to tear down the fences by hand, and finally with a heavy heart resorts to burning them. He bricks off as many of the offshoot farms as he can, rescues what important materials he can find, and sets fire to the inside of his base-burning out not only the fences, but nearly a year's worth of carefully placed wooden structures and decorative leaves.
Now effectively homeless until he can hire Topmass to build him a new base, GB decides he needs backup if he's going to go up against The Agency. Within a week the other half of the B-Team (Bdubs, of course) and the "Goon Squad" (Skyzm, Pungence, and Juicetra) join the server and descend on The Agency's respective bases like flies, leaving their calling card: Several extremely large cobblestone Bs.
That, obviously, is not enough. While TEA is building their diamond-studded headquarters at a sit e offshore from Xisuma's base, GB puts up a new shop in the bazaar: The Angels with Bent Halos Foundation, where one can become an "involunteer" and donate their items to the poor and needy of the server (himself. He's just stealing Biffa's stuff.) He also decides that Hypnotizd is a suspiciously neutral party, and sends the Goon Squad out to the remote reaches of the server to investigate his massive, technologically advanced base...
Part II: The Escalation
Enter Joe Hills, and the errors with him. Joe realizes his shop has been closed a few months too late, and misreads the "B" on the sign as meaning "B-Team" regarding recent events. In a fit of righteous anger he griefs the AWBH foundation. The next day he realizes his mistake and very quickly shifts the target of his rage, beginning construction on a courthouse in which he plans to put TEA on trial. Meanwhile TEA builds their own shopfront in the second floor of the bazaar, a sort of police station in which neutral parties can leave complaints and report crimes.
Before Joe can realize his mistake and clean up the mess he made, Juicetra arrives at AWBH and assumes that TEA is responsible for destroying it. He rushes upstairs and leaves a very strongly worded message in their dropbox before bricking up their own shop, "a taste of their own medicine".
GB follows up close behind. Unlike Juicetra, he knows who vandalized the shop and leaves a report formally suing Joe for the damages in the form of an involuntary donation-forcing TEA to work on his side. (He also leaves a second report complaining about the noise from the chickens that X hid in the walls of the bazaar, but that has little to do with the situation).
The turnaround time on the complaints is mere hours. TEA arrives on the scene of the crime to help GB clean up the mess and retrieve his missing items from Joe's shop, and promises that justice will be done. In possibly violent ways.
Part III: The Suspense
The Goon Squad senses the impending "shit's about to go down" and retreats to the mountains, building a secret hideaway for neutral parties to use when bits start to explode. Topmass and his build team finish GB's new base in creative mode (we'll talk about the implications of that later). Hypno pokes his head into the rest of the server for about 0.2 seconds and sees that Bdubs has involunteered the decorative emerald blocks at his nether tunnel, but shows little interest in the whole affair. The neutral parties begin to take sides...
Part IV: A Long-Expected Party
Weeks pass, and nothing is heard from either side of the conflict. And then, a spark.
The Agency receives intelligence containing the coordinates of the Goon Squad's base, and deeming them a higher threat than either the B-Team (due to the substantiated squashing of GB's base) or Joe (who hasn't been seen on the server for weeks due to the birth of his child) decide it's time they paid their due. It takes a reasonable level of hunting, but eventually they are able to track down the coordinates and...redecorate a bit. Just to remind the Goons that the Agency is watching.
It takes a few days, but Skyzm discovers the vandalism and on his own swears revenge from the Goon Squad. Word then reaches GB-famous for his fairness and generosity and certainly not killing people-who is righteously angered by the Agency's actions and leaves the Goon Squad a voucher for an involuntary donation to them such that justice might be done.
A few days later, the Goons come back to the hideout and in a familiar move, angrily burn the vandalism out from the inside. They proceed on a tnt-fueled rampage through all of the little marks that TEA left on their home, and in a final act of revenge vandalize the police station as well as the neighboring TEA-owned Tnt shop and chicken farm.
Here's where things take a turn for the IRL. Juicetra enlists the help of his fanbase via Twitter, and asks them one fateful evening if they have the coordinates or approximate location of the TEA headquarters (which, you may recall from several paragraphs ago, is a) full of diamonds and b) severely lacking security). But before the nosy fans that had scouted the location during the world tour could spill the tea, Xisuma catches wind of the possible heist and very quickly moves the diamonds to a safer location. Only he forgot to tell Biffa. Responding to the emergency call of “someone stole our diamonds!!” results in awkward apologies and a trip to view the damage to the police station, and then…to do nothing about it?
Unfortunately, this is pretty much where the story ends. The server was wrapping up at this point, and two weeks after the last installment both members of the B-team left for good. Two of the three members of the goon squad remained active until the very end, but the third was too preoccupied with FTB to focus on any shenanigans. Joe Hills did return from his baby-related hiatus, but the courthouse went unused. And the tension regarding the dictatorial Tea Eater’s Alliance dissolved.
For now.
See you in season 2! /t
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honeypiehotchner · 4 years ago
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intelligence & issues (Hotch x Fem!Reader) -- chapter twenty-four
Hi lovelies! So, sort of bad news and good news? Bad news is that with Christmas falling on this Friday, I’m not going to upload a new chapter of this fic until next Monday because I won’t really be active much at all on Christmas Eve or Christmas (but don’t worry! Going right back to the Monday/Friday schedule next week). But, the good news is that I have a Christmas-themed Hotch short story (because it’s LONG, like ~10k words long) coming December 23rd (this Wednesday)!! I’ve literally been writing it on and off since September and it’s so cute I can’t wait to share it with you guys xx.
On that note, today’s chapter title is from Taylor Swift’s song “long story short”. Happy reading!
Warnings: Just the usual angst and sadness that I put them through
Previous chapter || Fic Masterlist
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Chapter Twenty-Four: Long story short, I survived
Hotch’s phone rings while he’s in the middle of the shower. He lets it continue ringing, but then it happens again, immediately after a voicemail, so he hops out of the shower to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Aaron? Thank God, where are you? Are you with her?”
It’s your mother. Shit. He forgot he had sent that text before he jumped in the shower.
“Hi Mrs. L/N, please, calm down, everything is okay,” he says first, grabbing his towel off the counter and drying his hair. He didn’t wash his hair, but it’s fine. “I do have bad news, but first and foremost, Y/N is okay. She’s alive.”
“Alive?!” Your mother nearly screams. “Aaron Hotchner, you better tell me what is going on right this minute before I—”
“Y/N was shot,” he interrupts, eyes closing from the pain of just saying it aloud, admitting that it happened on his watch. “In her left thigh. The bullet nicked the major artery and she lost a lot of blood, but she’s stable and awake now. She’s okay.”
“Where is she?”
Aaron hears rustling on the other end and furrows his eyebrows. “Arlington Memorial Hospital in Texas. Why? What are you doing?”
“Booking a flight to Texas, what does it sound like I’m doing?”
“Mrs. L/N, she’s okay. I can have her call you when I get back to the hospital, but you don’t need to spend money on a flight.”
“With all due respect, Aaron, I’m coming to see my daughter. I don’t care if she’s alright now. I need to see her.”
“I understand,” Aaron says softly. “At least let me give you my credit card for the flight.” He walks back into his room, grabbing his wallet from the bed before your mother has a chance to answer.
“What?”
Aaron is already fishing his credit card out of his wallet. “I’m giving you my credit card. Flights are expensive.”
“Aaron—”
“Please, let me,” he says. “Please. It’s all I can do right now, so just— Let me.”
“Okay.”
“Are you ready?”
“One second.”
After relaying the numbers and getting confirmation from her that the flight is booked – it leaves in a few hours – Aaron ends the call to put fresh clothes on.
He foregoes the suit in favor of jeans and a t-shirt, remembering you asked for one of his shirts, so he folds one up and puts it next to his wallet, so he won’t forget it.
He’s in the middle of texting Rossi to let him know he’s ready when a different call comes through on his phone.
“Shit,” he mutters, pressing answer. “This is Agent Hotchner.”
“Aaron,” Erin Strauss says it like she’s surprised to find him on the other end. “I just heard about Agent L/N. How is she?”
“She’s okay, she’s currently in the ICU, in and out of sleep, but she’s going to be just fine,” Hotch replies. “Thank you for calling.”
“Don’t thank me just yet,” Erin pauses. “How long will Y/N be in the hospital?”
“I’m not sure,” Aaron shakes his head. “Why?”
“Because you and your team are being summoned,” she replies, which never means well. “The Use-Of-Force Reports are due soon, and the BJS is making a special visit here tomorrow. And they want to speak to all of you. Minus Y/N, of course. She’s exempt due to the circumstances.”
“Okay,” Hotch says, exhaling deeply, knowing he has no other option besides to agree, even though he’d rather say he can take a phone call with the Bureau of Justice Statistics so he could stay here. “Okay, we’ll be there.”
It wouldn’t be a bad idea, actually, taking a phone call with the BJS instead.
+++
But when Hotch tells you this, you obviously don’t agree.
“You have to go back,” you tell him sternly. “You said my mom will be here later. It’s okay.”
“I don’t want to leave you,” he says quietly, fingers wrapped around yours, and he’s glad for the team giving the two of you some privacy.
“I’m gonna be okay,” you murmur, your eyes watering because his are getting glassy. “Don’t cry. Don’t make me cry. Stop it.”
He chuckles, says, “Sorry,” as he wipes his tears away.
“It’s okay,” you whisper, cradling his face in your hand. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he replies almost instantly, grabbing your hand to kiss your knuckles. “Always.”
You snicker. “Nice Harry Potter reference.”
His eyebrows furrow. “What?”
You stare back at him, blinking a few times. “Seriously? Okay, we’re watching all eight movies while I’m out of work. I mean it.”
He laughs at that, not wanting to admit that he can’t wait until he can have endless movie nights with you. “Okay. We can do that.”
“But we can’t if you don’t get out of here and go meet with the BJS tomorrow,” you remind him. “We don’t need Strauss getting suspicious of us already.”
“I know,” he says, sighing in defeat. “I know.”
“So, go,” you smile gently. “I’ll be okay. You can call me anytime. I’ll answer. Unless I’m asleep. Then my mom will probably answer. And apparently, she loves talking to you.”
He shakes his head through another laugh. “She does. But in her defense, I like talking to her, too.”
“Don’t let her hear you say that,” you warn. “She’ll never stop. I got that from her.”
“And I’m glad,” he whispers, pressing another kiss to your knuckles. “Because I don’t want you to ever stop talking to me.”
You shake your head. “I won’t. Ever.”
A knock on the door pulls the two of you apart.
Catharina flashes an apologetic smile. “Sorry to interrupt. I’m bending the rules a little and letting everyone come in for a few minutes.” She holds the door open and you grin as Morgan, JJ, Emily, Rossi, and Reid file in. “I heard you guys have to head back soon, so I figured I’d help save time.”
“Thank you,” you say sincerely.
“Just a few minutes though, okay?” Catharina says, looking at everyone. “I don’t need to get in trouble.”
“And neither do they,” you add, turning your head to give Aaron another stern look. “It’ll be fine. You guys should go.”
“Excuse me,” Morgan scoffs, walking to the other side of your bed. “Not without saying goodbye.” He moves his arm to begin messing up your hair – typical Morgan.
“Duh,” you laugh, swatting him away, wincing when you move too fast and your ribs ache. “Damn. Bruised ribs are no joke.”
“Quit moving then,” Morgan jokes, but you can hear the underlying seriousness, leaning down to press a kiss to your head. “You’ll have all the time in the world to smack me when you’re better.”
“I can’t wait,” you grin.
Hotch’s hand squeezes yours. “Do you need anything?”
“Yeah, hugs from the rest of us,” Emily teases, gently shoving Hotch out of the way to give you a half-hug. “Don’t worry, we’ll keep him busy.”
“Would you please?” You plead, ignoring the look of betrayal you get from your boyfriend.
“You got it,” Rossi chimes with a nod, earning a tired look from Hotch.
JJ gives you a hug on the other side, smoothing your hair from your face. “I’m not gonna cry,” she says through a laugh.
“Don’t do it,” you warn. “Because if you start, then I’ll start, and then we’ll all be a mess.”
Everyone laughs at that. Because you’re right. But also because you’re in such good spirits that they’re relieved.
The only one who hasn’t hugged you yet is Spencer. And quite frankly, he looks terrified to even step another inch closer to you, even though he’s standing against the wall, as far as possible from your bed.
“Spence,” you murmur.
His eyebrows raise to show you that you have his attention.
“C’mere,” you nod your head.
He walks over slowly and stands by you, not bending down to hug you, which is fine. You know how he is, and you don’t expect that to change, especially not when you’re in the hospital.
“I’m okay, Spence,” you say quietly, wondering if that’s what has him so spooked.
He nods. “I know.”
“Then I’m gonna need you to smile,” you reach up to grab his cardigan, tugging on it like a child. “You’re not allowed to frown right now.”
He chuckles and smiles a little bit. “I don’t actually think that’s how human emotions work.”
“Well that’s how it works for now,” you tease. “Come on.”
He nods again, and you can tell he’s trying not to cry.
Which is why it surprises you so much when he bends down and hugs you. It’s not a half-hug, either. He buries his face into the pillow behind your head, his arms holding you tight as he whispers in your ear, “I’ve never been so glad for my statistics to be wrong.”
You don’t say anything in reply, knowing he doesn’t need anything and neither do you. But you smile, silently telling him that you’re glad, too.
The team leaves after one more round of goodbyes, giving you some time with Aaron. One last moment before he has to get on a plane and leave.
He sits down in the chair by your bed, taking your hand, but being careful of the IV.
“Your mom should be getting in soon,” he says, only trying to fill the silence because he really doesn’t want to go. “She said she’d text you when she lands.”
“Okay,” you reply. “Thank you.”
He goes quiet, just staring at you, eyes watering. You give him a look, fighting through the tears that are pricking the backs of your eyes.
“Stop it,” you murmur, sniffling hard. “Stop it, Aaron.”
He shakes his head and tears fall freely down his cheeks. “I can’t help it.”
“I know.” You give up on trying to hold back your tears, letting them fall, but he wipes them away gently with his thumbs. You reach up and hold onto his wrist, keeping his palm there, cradling your face.
“I thought I lost you,” he says, voice cracking and breaking on every syllable. “I thought you were gone.”
“I know,” you whisper. “I thought I was too, and I wasn’t ready.”
That breaks his heart far more than anything else. You must’ve been so scared, lying there, bleeding out, barely aware of him kneeling over you.
“It’s okay,” he says, for the both of you. He leans his forehead into yours and says it again. “It’s okay.”
You nod slowly, but a broken sob tears through your chest, followed by a gasp because damn these bruised ribs.
“Shhh,” he tries to calm you, knowing it’ll hurt you more if you keep crying. “It’s okay.”
Eventually, your tears subside and you’re able to breathe without sucking in air so fast that your ribs protest.
“Okay,” you murmur. “I’m okay. You should go.”
“Y/N—”
“Hotch, you need to go before I ask you to stay,” you say quickly. “Because you and I both know that if I ask you to stay – and I will – that you won’t get on the jet, and then we’ll be in a whole load of trouble when Strauss asks why you wanted to stay with me when my mom was already going to be here.”
He knows you’re right. But he doesn’t want you to be. He wants you to ask him to stay, so he can just stay.
But you don’t. “Go,” you say, adding a small shove on his arm, as much as you can muster up enough strength for right now. “Go. Please.”
He gives you one last look before he nods. “Okay.”
One more longing, lingering kiss, and then he’s out the door and down the hall to join the rest of the team.
The morphine makes you fall asleep before you can start crying again.
Next chapter
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ashintheairlikesnow · 3 years ago
Text
Haven Gray
CW: Abducted whumpee, description of missing person, captivity, BBU/WRU
Where Is Haven Gray?
r/FindTheMissing
•Posted by u/bananasare2appealing
3 days ago
In the summer of 20XX, 21-year-old Haven Gray texted family and friends to let them know a second job interview they’d just finished had gone well, and they expected to be offered the job.
They made plans to have dinner with a couple of friends to celebrate, but never showed up to the restaurant. They were reported missing by their parents later that night and have never been seen again.
Hey, everyone, this is my first attempt at a post like this, so I hope you’ll go easy on me! Haven Gray is a kind of a personal case to me, I went to the same high school a few years behind them and there was still a lot of talk about what could have happened and like, their picture is in a memorial frame in the hallway by the principal’s office. It’s just a really important case to me and I hope they figure out what happened to Haven one day.
Haven Gray was the oldest of three children born to Matthew and Maria Gray in the small town of Trenton, Indiana. Tall, with long wavy red hair and gray eyes, they stood out in a crowd in more ways than one.
Haven set records for their high school’s cross-country track team, played well on the school basketball team, and maintained a 3.5 GPA alongside plenty of extracurriculars and an active social life.
They then spent two years attending Trenton Community College, looking to finish out their degree at Indiana State University and go into the human resources field. They kept up a part-time job on the side, but during the summer before they would move to ISU, they decided to look for full-time work to help save up some money.
Haven’s mother Maria was interviewed after their disappearance by local news station INNW as saying that Haven was very excited about finishing up their degree and moving into their first real apartment. 
Haven had seen an ad on a job-hunting website for a receptionist for a temp agency that specialized in placing HR professionals in nearby companies. Seeing a way to get some relevant experience before they finished up their degree, they applied and were contacted for a job interview.
Here’s where things get just a little weird, before they get even weirder.
Haven texted a photo of the strip mall where the job interview was, and noted that the company was not located in a well-maintained place, which made Haven very nervous. The signage also seemed brand new, which conflicted with information on the company website suggesting they’d been in that location for years. 
They waited in their car and called the company phone. Only when someone came out to greet them did Haven go inside for the interview. 
The first interview went smoothly, and Haven excitedly called their friends and family to say a second interview was already scheduled with the owner of the small company. It turned out, they explained, that the creepy location was no longer the company’s main location, and their second interview would be at a different address in a much nicer part of town.
They did not give any explanation, if any was given to them, about the reason for brand new signage if the business was in the process of leaving that address. On the day of the second interview, one week later, Haven’s mother saw them leaving in a deep blue top with satin detailing at the neck and gray slacks. 
They exchanged goodbyes, and Haven reminded their mother they would be meeting friends tonight, either to celebrate a good interview or commiserate over a bad one.
“My comfort,” Maria Gray said in her interview with INNW, “is that I said goodbye and I love you. I have that, at least. So many don’t get that final chance. I just wish I had known it was the last time. I would have looked at them a little longer.”
From here, Haven is seen on camera at their ‘regular’ Starbucks a few moments later, ordering a large (venti) iced latte. An automatic speed-checker camera next to the highway captured their car with license plate clearly visible driving in the direction of the interstate a few minutes later.
Two hours after this sighting, they called a friend, Natalie Morales, to tell her that the interview had gone well and they believed they would be offered the job. Dinner that night, Haven said, would definitely be a celebration. 
They texted three other friends, Maria, and Matthew - as well as a younger sibling. These are the last direct communications anyone had with Haven Gray.
“They didn’t sound scared,” Natalie said in her own interview with True Crime Podcast Now You See Them, Now You Don’t. "Not at all. I’ve thought about it over and over again, trying to ask myself, was there fear there? Had something already happened? And I just don’t think so. I think whatever happened, happened after they hung up the phone. They were excited, said the pay rate was way more than they expected for a receptionist job. The only thing is that they said the guy who interviewed them kind of... gave them the, you know. Made the hair on their arms stand up. You know what I mean? And I thought of that first, when they never... but he has an alibi.”
The man in question is Ladd Prescott, the stated owner of the temp agency Haven applied to. Ladd gave multiple interviews, off-camera and to law enforcement, but he did not leave the office and is seen on in-office security cameras and he is not considered a person of interest in the case.
The final image of Haven’s whereabouts that day comes from the CCTV camera at an ATM for Haven’s bank one hour after the final text message sent to their father Matthew. They are seen pulling up in their car to the drive-thru ATM, where they withdrew $300. 
Notable about this footage is three things:
1. Haven appears to look directly at the camera twice, deliberately holding their gaze maybe
2. Their hair, carefully styled when they left for the interview according to Maria, is noticeably in disarray, and they do not appear to be wearing the same shirt they had on when they left (the footage is super grainy, so this is hard to tell exactly, but if you check here you can see that they appear to be wearing a white t-shirt). 
3. A shadow just behind them moves independently of Haven, gestures a few times, and it appears - and police believe - that someone else is in the car with Haven Gray directing their movements.
Haven never arrived at the restaurant. When their friends attempted to contact them, the phone went directly to voicemail. This was very out of the ordinary for Haven, so friends called Maria and Matthew, who became immediately worried and contacted the police.
Haven Gray officially was listed as a missing person the next day.
Four days later, their car - with IDs, debit and credit card, a book they were reading, and their resume and list of questions from the interview all inside - was located at a nearby riverfront, abandoned. The only thing missing was the $300 in cash Haven had taken out of the ATM, and Haven themself. 
A witness came forward later stating they had seen a man with ashy blond hair who appeared to be in his 40′s or 50′s smoking next to the car the day Haven was last seen. This man has never come forward or been located and his connection to Haven’s disappearance, if any, is unknown.
Law enforcement believes that Haven was abducted within half an hour of finishing their interview by someone who forced their way into the car, and likely directed to the ATM to take cash out and then met someone else or moved into a different car after parking Haven’s at the riverfront. 
Weirdly, the riverfront was checked the day after Haven was declared missing, which suggests someone came back and moved the car after the witness saw the smoking man, then moved it back into place after the initial search of the area was over with.
Cell towers picked up pings from Haven’s phone for four hours afterward, heading due east. The nearest big city would have been Cincinnati, so it’s possible the abductor headed that direction. If they did, though, they took a winding route and Haven’s phone was turned off or discarded before reaching the city. 
Look, I know this is a big conspiracy theory and there’s absolutely no proof, but I think Haven was abducted by WRU. 
Why?
Three weeks prior to their disappearance, Haven attended a bar’s “singles night”. They mentioned to friends later that they connected with a man who worked for WRU as a handler, but then decided they couldn’t handle the reality of what he did and cut off contact before they could have their first real date.
(The handler in question has been cleared during the investigation, but I still have my suspicions)
I know this seems like the flimsiest reason, but Haven’s friends all say that the man was very upset by Haven’s discomfort with his job, tried to keep contacting them for days. I think the job interview is a red herring and it’s this handler guy who is behind it somehow - maybe him, or his friends.
Also, there’s a WRU Training Facility in Cincinnati, Ohio, only a few hours away... and law enforcement never even tried to get a warrant to search there. Easy way to get rid of someone if you did something to them, right?
(I know, I know, WRU has standards and does checks and all that, but seriously. Think about it.)
A year later, improbably, a farmer working to mow the ditch next to his fields found Haven’s cell phone in a ziploc inside a second plastic bag. The phone had been wiped to factory settings and no new useful information was found.
So, where is Haven Gray? 
Were they murdered? Abducted? Will we find their body in a field one day? Were they just dumped in the river next to their abandoned car? Are they part of the WRU system now? No one seems to know, and reported sightings of them in Los Angeles, New York City, and even one mention from Sydney, Australia, seem hard to believe.
Haven’s mother Maria says they have no plans to declare Haven legally dead, and they intend to keep looking “as long as it takes”.
What Are Your Thoughts?
-
WRU NEW ACQUISITION INTAKE FORM FACILITY 005
SUBJECT: 549065
DATE OF ACQUISITION: 06.06.20XX
TIME OF ACQUISITION: 1:45 PM
LOCATION ASSIGNED: FACILITY 005, CINCINNATI, OHIO
PREVIOUS ALIAS: Haven Finley Gray
AGE: 21
DATE OF BIRTH: 07.19.20XX
HAIR: Red
EYES: Gray
HEIGHT: 6′0″
WEIGHT: 153 lbs 
SEXUALITY: Pansexual 
DESIGNATION: Romantic
KNOWN SKILLS: Subject in school for business-related major, excellent with typing, record-keeping, work with Excel spreadsheets, etc. Subject reports regular workouts primarily consisting of long-distance cardio. Subject refused to provide details on sex life but is known to have been active in the dating scene of local area. Subject is known to be gregarious and social.
HOBBIES: Subject mentioned reading as a hobby, with primary interest in fantasy and science fiction. Three books located in subject’s car at time of acquisition. 
KNOWN CONCERNS: Subject is showing some irregularities in heartrate, likely due to fear. No other known concerns. 
KNOWN IMMEDIATE FAMILY: Matthew and Maria Gray, both living, location Trenton, Indiana. Grandparents are deceased.
SIBLINGS: Two younger siblings: Mark, brother, two years younger, and Penny, sister, four years younger. 
METHOD OF ACQUISITION: Involuntary. 
ACQUISITION DETAILS: Access to subject provided by local business. Subject was apprehended without incident by Handler Benjamin Ralford. Subject was given an injection of sedative and transferred to WRU company vehicle at 3:15 pm. The rest of the acquisition proceeded without incident.
ASSIGNED HANDLERS: 
CONTRACT SIGNED: 06.09.20XX 5:55 PM
           PRIMARY: Benjamin Ralford, per request, acting as primary. Handler and Processor, Romantic Division.
           SECONDARY: Melissa Striker, Senior Handler and Processor, Romantic Division
SIGNATURE PROVIDED VOLUNTARILY, SUBJECT NOT SEDATED FOR SIGNING. SUBJECT SHOWED NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF INJURY AT TIME OF SIGNING. SUBJECT REPORTED FEELINGS OF FEAR AND CONFUSION COMMON TO NEW RECRUITS.  
CONTRACT SIGNATURE: Haven Gray, aka 549065
PRESENT AT TIME OF SIGNING: Handler Benjamin Ralford, Badge #3345, WRU Attorney Ryan Alderson. 
ESTIMATED COST FOR TRAINING: $125,000 USD
COMPENSATION TO BE PAID BY PROSPECTIVE:  $500,000 USD 
CURRENT LOCATION: Romantic Division Room #12, post-signing contract
TRAINING PLAN: ALL Positions 1-35, Flexibility, Sensitivity, Endurance, Dance, Socialization
COMMENTS:
I’m going to take every fucking thing out of that head and put back in only what I want to be there. I think they’ll fall in line once the Drip is really working on them. My professional recommendation is total illiteracy should be emphasized before moving on to other training. They’ll do better with focus and commitment on the skills we want to impart that way. I am also recommending absolutely no scarring unless there is no other option. - Benjamin Ralford, Primary Handler
Scribbled at the bottom of the paper and not put in to WRU’s digitized records system is a note in Ralford’s handwriting:
Should’ve gone on that fucking date, asshole
-
@astrobly @burtlederp @finder-of-rings @whump-tr0pes @raigash @orchidscript @doveotions @pretty-face-breaker @eatyourdamnpears @boxboysandotherwhump @vickytokio @whumpfigure @outofangband @downriver914 @justabitofwhump @thehopelessopus @butwhatifyouwrite @yet-another-heathen @nonsensical-whump
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