#BUT she cares and is happy for them both!

[ari-ana-bel-la]

hi, can you do a max one were the reader is around 15-16 and gets harassed or hate from fans (possibly gets hurt) when she joins max at a race, but max is on the track, so he doesn't see it or know and well you can come up with the ending

From good to bad

Yn had been excited for this race weekend for weeks. When Max had suggested she join him, just the two of them, she had nearly jumped into his arms with joy. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her family—she adored her little sisters, and she knew how much her parents loved her. But ever since the younger girls had been born, their attention had naturally shifted toward them. She understood it, truly, but sometimes she missed the days when she was the center of their world.

So when her Papa said, Just you and me this weekend, she had packed her bag faster than ever.

The paddock was buzzing with energy when they arrived. Max had a hand on her shoulder, guiding her through as he proudly introduced her to everyone. Engineers, mechanics, media personnel—everyone smiled at her, recognizing the young girl who had always been in the background of her father's life.

Then, she saw him.

"Uncle Charlie!" Yn beamed, her face lighting up.

Charles turned at the sound of her voice, his green eyes softening when he saw her. "Ma chérie!" He opened his arms, and Yn gladly stepped into his embrace.

"You’re here for the weekend?" he asked, pulling back to take a good look at her.

"Just me and Papa," she confirmed with a proud smile. "The little ones are staying with Mama."

Charles chuckled. "Finally getting some one-on-one time with the old man?"

"Hey!" Max protested, playfully shoving his friend. "I’m not old."

Charles smirked, ruffling Yn’s hair before turning back to Max. "It’s good you brought her. You don’t get nearly enough time with this one."

Max's expression softened as he glanced at Yn. "I know."

She knew they felt guilty. She had overheard her parents talking about it late at night, her Mama whispering about how they sometimes neglected their eldest. She had wanted to walk in and tell them that she understood, that she didn’t resent them, but she never did. It wouldn’t have changed anything.

"I'm really happy to be here," she reassured them both, squeezing her father's hand.

Max gave her a small smile before checking the time. "I have to head to a meeting. Stay around here, okay?"

Yn nodded, watching as her dad disappeared into the Red Bull hospitality. Charles left shortly after, heading toward Ferrari’s motorhome, leaving her alone.

It was fine.

She wandered through the paddock, taking in the sights and sounds. Everyone was busy, running around with headsets and laptops, preparing for the upcoming sessions. It was exhilarating. Eventually, she found herself on a quiet balcony overlooking the entire paddock. The view was incredible, and she leaned against the railing, taking a deep breath.

But then—

“Hey, look! It’s Max’s daughter!”

Yn turned around, startled, as a group of older girls approached her.

“Oh my god, we have to take a picture,” one of them said, pulling out her phone.

Yn hesitated. “I—um—I’d rather not, sorry.”

They didn’t seem to care.

“Oh, come on, just one!” another girl insisted, stepping closer.

“Yeah, it’s not a big deal,” a third chimed in.

Yn took a step back, feeling uneasy. The balcony wasn’t very spacious, and they were closing in on her. "Please, I really don’t want to—"

“Just smile for the camera!”

A girl reached out, trying to pull her closer, and that was when it happened.

Yn stepped back instinctively, her foot catching on the edge of the small staircase behind her.

She didn’t even have time to react before she felt herself falling.

She hit the first step hard, the impact jolting through her ribs. Then, she tumbled down the remaining steps, rolling until she came to a painful stop at the bottom.

Silence.

Then panic.

"Oh my god!"

"Shit, is she okay?!"

"Run!"

Yn barely registered the sound of hurried footsteps as the girls fled. Her body was screaming in pain, a deep, sharp ache spreading through her side. When she tried to move, a searing pain shot through her ribs, making her gasp.

She groaned, forcing herself to sit up despite the dizziness.

No one was around.

No one had seen.

Her hands shook as she pressed them to her side, breathing heavily. It hurt.

After a few minutes, she managed to stand, biting down on her lip to keep from crying out. Her legs were unsteady, but she forced herself to walk, her mind focused on one thing—she needed to get away.

She made it to a bathroom, locking the door behind her. With trembling fingers, she lifted her shirt.

A massive bruise had already formed, stretching across her left ribs. Worse, there was something wrong with the way her skin was shifting—like the bones underneath weren’t where they should be.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

What was she supposed to do?

A deep, shuddering breath left her as she pulled out her phone. There was only one person she could call.

She pressed the contact and lifted the phone to her ear.

"Papa?" Her voice was weak, strained.

"Yn?" Max’s voice was immediately alert. "What’s wrong?"

Her breath hitched. "I—I need help."

There was silence for a second. Then—

"Where are you?"

"The—bathroom. Near the back of the paddock," she whispered.

"I’m coming."

Minutes felt like hours. The pain was unbearable, her vision blurry from unshed tears.

Then, the door burst open.

Max.

His eyes landed on her, his face contorting in worry. "Yn!"

She let out a choked breath as he crouched beside her, his hands hovering over her as if afraid to touch her.

"What happened?" His voice was sharp, panicked.

She shook her head, too overwhelmed to speak. Instead, she lifted her shirt slightly, revealing the bruise.

Max’s face darkened, his jaw tightening. "Who did this?"

"I—" She winced. "Some girls… they wanted a picture. They crowded me. I—I fell."

Max’s hands clenched into fists. "They pushed you?"

"Not exactly, but… they didn’t stop."

Max exhaled slowly, his nostrils flaring as he pulled out his phone.

"Lando, I need you. Now."

Minutes later, Lando rushed in, his expression filled with worry. "What happened?"

"Help me get her to the medical center," Max ordered.

Lando immediately moved to support Yn, his touch gentle. "Hang in there, sweetheart."

The medical team confirmed it—two broken ribs. Yn was given pain medication, her body exhausted as she lay in the hospital bed.

Max stayed beside her, his expression unreadable. Then, he turned to Lando, his voice cold.

"I'm going to sue those bitches."

Lando nodded, his jaw set. "I’ll help you find them."

Max reached out, brushing Yn’s hair back as she drifted off to sleep. His heart clenched as he watched her.

She had always been his brave girl.

But he had failed her.

And that was something he would never let happen again.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♥︎♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Authors Note: Hey guys. I hope you enjoyed this story. My requests are always open for you.

-💙🦋

[ijenoyou]

Ojos lindos.

Joaquín Torres x StarkF!Reader

WARNINGS: none rlly i think it’s just some nice fluff strangers to friends :3

note: helllowwwww it’s been a while since i’ve written sum for marvel lol anywayssss i rlly enjoyed the new cap movie!! and def did enjoy danny ramirez as the new falcon :3 so yeah i hope yall like this ohhh and if i like this storyline enough i’ll probably make it into a series ;) OH also the reader is supposed to be iron heart !!

Since Sam needed a new team for the Avengers the very first person that came to his mind, aside from Joaquín, was you. You definitely had Tony Stark’s brilliant mind and that helped you build your own suit not wanting to use the one your father made you while you were stuck in the Blip.

And Sam needs someone like that, smart, strong and brave. So when you offered to help him rebuild the team he was more than happy that you did. And he even was more happier to the fact that he got to see you. Since the passing of Tony Stark you disappeared leaving him with the wonder of where you went.

But you had to. Thanos had blasted you with the power of all the stones the moment he saw you get ahold of the gauntlet not knowing that the mixture of the power would cause your body to absorbe it.

So you had new powers, one’s that are quite hard to control, so you did what was safe to the people you care for which was disappear.

But now all was good, your powers are more than safe to use now that you know your way around them. And when Sam found out about the things you could do he knew in his heart he should take you under his wing just like he did with Joaquín Torres.

“She told we could have any room we want.” Sam told Joaquín when they arrived to the old Avengers base.

The both of them grabbed their own baggage and began walking inside the building.

Joaquín’s eyes were shining like crazy. He always thought being an Avenger wasn’t something in his path.

“Uncle Sam!” You said as soon as you saw them walking to the area that had all the old rooms the old team used. You arrived earlier since you wanted to clean up the area for the new arrivals.

Sam smiled and left his things on the floor, he then extended his arms signaling for you to hug him. Since you were quite far holding a broom you decided to teleport.

Joaquín hadn’t seen something like that. The pink glow that appeared in front of him when you appeared of the blue was something that surprised him and it made him lift the right corner of his lip, amused to the fact you were clearly too lazy to walk a few steps to greet Sam.

“So, this is my new child, also known as the new Falcon, Joaquín Torres.” Sam said while grabbing Joaquín’s shoulder.

Your eyes traveled towards him and smiled. You looked different from what he was used to. One of your eyes had a pink glow and the other didn’t, he tried not to let his thoughts show on his face after seeing your new appearance.

“It’s nice to meet you, Sam’s been talking a lot about you since we were on our way.” Joaquín said while reaching his hand out for you to shake. “I’m a big fan of your work, I was a volunteer on the charity you created a few months ago.”

Your smile became even bigger at the mention of the charity you created in honor of the fallen Avengers.

“Really? Thank you so much! I thought I recognized your face from somewhere else.” You said with a sweet tone. “People usually tell me about my father’s work and not mine so thank you, really.” You shook his hand.

Warm.

That’s what he felt inside him when he touched you. He noticed how small your hand was compared to his and how soft your skin felt against his calloused palm.

The both of you didn’t notice how Sam walked out the scene and began searching for a specific room. He wanted the one Steve used since he heard amazing stories about the incredible shower head pressure.

“Want help finding a room?” You said while taking one of this bags from the floor.

“Oh don’t worry I’ll take it!” He tried to take the bag from you.

Too late. You had already teleported a few feet away from him with a playful smile.

“Come! I think you might like this room.”

He smiled and nodded.

He walked behind you for a few moments when you stopped in front of a door that had the number 10 on it. You pushed a few numbers on the pad that was next to the door and the door opened by sliding.

“This one used to be one of my favorite rooms. “ You said with a soft tone.

You left Joaquín’s bag on an old chair and turned to him with your hand on your hips.

“You like it? The view here is amazing, my favorite out of all the rooms.”

He couldn’t believe his eyes. This room had a perfect view to the forest that connected to the base, he couldn’t help but notice how big the room is. Way bigger than he ever imagined with huge windows and a balcony that already had some furniture on it.

“I really do.” He left his things on the floor next to the old chair and walked to stand next to you. Admiring the view.

“My father built quite a lot of rooms for everyone.” You said. “He wanted everyone living under the same roof.” You smiled at the memory of the old team fighting to get the nicest rooms over the base.

Joaquín turned to see you.

You not noticing that he much preferred to have you as the increíble view you mentioned instead of the forest.

“Que ojos tan lindos.” He didn’t realized what he said until you turned towards him with a lifted eyebrow and small smile tugging at the corners of your mouth.

“You think? I’m still getting used to the new color but it’s quite cool.” He didn’t know you understood spanish. A blush began spreading to his face and his right hand scratched the back of his neck with a bashful smile.

“Sorry I just..” He tried to speak but being caught red handed specially by you made him lose control of his words.

“It’s fine!” Your shoulder pushed his. “I don’t mind people looking at my eye, I mean, the staring was bound to happen.” You explained and began walking away from him. “I’ll let you get settled okay? Dinner’s at 8! I’m cooking enchiladas, hope that’s okay.”

Joaquín nodded. “I love enchiladas.” You gave him a thumbs up and walked out the room.

He turned again and stared at the windows for a few seconds until he registered what you said about the staring. He quickly turned on his heel and sprinted to the hall. “For the record I wasn’t staring at your eye! I was just admiring them!” He shouted for you to hear.

A big laugh was all he hear from down the hall. He smiled and turned which caused him to have a mini heart attack at the sight of Sam behind him.

“Dude! Make some noise the next time you stand behind me.” Joaquín said while putting a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat at a fast pace.

Sam made a face at him. That damn look Sam had almost all of the time when he found something cheeky. Like he knew a secret about you.

“You and little Stark became friends really fast uh?” Was all he said while crossing his arms over his chest.

[ ]

A plate of enchiladas appeared in front of Joaquín and Sam’s eyes.

“Here you go!” You said while sitting in front of them at the aisle of the kitchen instead of the big dinning room. You had said it felt way bigger with just the three of you, but Sam reassured you that with time and effort that would soon change.

“So, do you know when Bucky’s coming?” Sam asked while cutting his enchiladas.

You nodded, your hand reaching for a napkin. “Yes! He told me he’s coming next week after he visits the wakandians for a new update on his arm.” You explained after taking a big gulp of your iced coca cola. “He’s been staying up here with me for a while so his room is already set up.”

That caught Joaquín’s full attention and Sam noticed. Sam decided to play a little game with the knowledge he now has. His new child had a crush on little Stark. Oh my, how small the world is.

“Really? And what do you guys do? I’m assuming is just the two of you.” Sam told you with a cheeky sneer.

Your cheeks became flushed and that made Joaquín furrow his eyebrows, just a little.

“Well we just spend time next to one another you know? Sometimes I’ll be reading and he would be sitting next to me while he learns how to share a TikTok.” You explained with your eyes locked on your food.

Sam lifted an eyebrows and began asking more things to get a rise out of Joaquín. “How nice of him, right Joaquín?” Sam elbowed him causing him to cough.

“Oh? Yeah…”

“He doesn’t stay a lot.” You explained sensing the weird tension in the air. “He sometimes comes when I tell him I miss my father.”

The strings of Joaquín’s heart were pulled. He couldn’t imagine what you felt. From what Sam told him, it was just you and Tony Stark. He then met Pepper and became partners but for a while it was just the two of you, against everything.

He knew your father was your rock, he was all you had since your mother died while giving birth, the doctors not noticing she was having an internal bleeding causing her to slip away without too much fuss. The info being shared by Sam.

“But now, you two are here so I won’t be feeling as lonely as before.” Sam nodded as the same time Joaquín did.

After dinner Sam had to take a call from the White House, leaving you with Joaquín to wash all of the dirty dishes you used.

It was nice. Joaquín felt a cozy vibe coming from the moment, soft jazz music playing on the background, you next to him drying the plates with a cloth he would give you after he scrubbed them.

“I totally think he faked that call because he didn’t want to help wash the dishes.” You said playfully.

A laughed erupted from Joaquín’s chest and nodded. “For sure! I mean did you see the look he gave us when he stood up?”

Now it was your time to laugh. “That damn look he has! It’s like he knows something about you, isn’t it?” The both of you exploded of laughter. Making fun of Sam was one of your favorite hobbies now that he was more present in your life.

“Thank you for the compliment by the way.” He heard you say while putting the last plate on its designated place. “Yo también pienso que tienes unos ojos muy lindos.”

He almost choked when he heard those words coming past your lips.

“I didn’t know you spoke spanish.” He explained bashful.

“Tony made me learn quite a handful of languages when I was a kid.” You told him. “Spanish was my favorite by far, I think it’s a very romantic language, don’t you think?”

“It sure is.” Was all he said while turning his body to you.

The both of you didn’t notice how close your bodies were. He could feel the warmth coming from your body, that’s how close he was to you. He could see with clear perfection every lash and every beauty mark on your face. His eyes stopping their path on yours. Joaquín could see the pink glow with perfection and it felt like time stopped.

He wasn’t attracted to your eyes just because of the pink color but because he felt really seen under your gaze. It felt like you were going under every inch and corner of his mind, leaving your mark in it.

And you felt the same thing.

“I-I think it’s quite late, isn’t it?” Your voice brought him back to reality.

He stepped back, instantly missing the warmth of your body. He cleared his throat and sighed.

“Oh right.” He spoke. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”

Your lips curled and nodded. “Of course.” Your voice came out almost as a whisper. “I’m off to sleep, if you need anything my room is next to yours actually.”

He bit his bottom lip and smiled. “Okay then, sleep well mini Stark.” That damned nickname Thor gave you years ago made your skin tickle. A funny feeling forming inside your chest.

**

Que ojos tan lindos - what beautiful eyes

Yo también pienso que tienes unos ojos muy lindos - I also think you have beautiful eyes

[gaywineauntsstuff]

Okay I’m gonna drop an unpopular opinion here

I really

Really

Really

Hate the Jason and Damian met in the league and have a close brotherly relationship

I honestly think it detracts from BOTH of their development and makes both the characters a lot more 2D and boring.

And also I think it disrespects my GIRL Stephanie brown. Bc that close personal bickering, anything goes sibling shit? Yeah that’s Damian and Steph all the way.

And yeah I tend to credit Dick Grayson (bc he’s my boy) for a lot of the Growth Damian goes through. But Stephanie brown and him have the funniest sibling relationship in history

And I think to have as interesting of a development as Damian has had you needed characters like Dick and Steph to be his Batman and Batgirl.

Dick who I think we can all agree is objectively the least violent of the bats at a baseline (Richard crash out Grayson moments notwithstanding) as well as Steph. Both have angry moments of doling out justice but BOTH prefer rehabilitation methods and tend to be more mouthy and loud about their thoughts during a battle

Steph CLAWED her way up into her position, she fought for that and held on with an iron grip that left indents. She wasn’t as good as, Dick born acrobat Grayson, Barbara prodigy Gordon and Tim genius Drake. So she worked her ass off and FORCED people to pay attention to her and got good enough that she matches the rest of the bats on the field.

Dick HAS the experience of working with difficult cases. He’s lead teams his age filled with drama, infighting and death successfully, he’s trained kids younger than him successfully on panel.

He’s canonically a very adaptable teacher, who has strength in meeting you where you’re at and getting you to move to where you want to be.

Both these things helped Damian exponentially

Now let me be so clear.

Damian did the work.

Damian put in the blood, sweat and tears into changing his beliefs and perceptions of the world. But that would not have been possible if these two didn’t at least make it known that “hey you can be the kind of person who cares and still have value and not be weak and pathetic”

Damian going vegetarian/vegan bc of his morals, Damian choosing not to kill, Damian choosing to leave Robin, Damian making choices unrelated to mantles, regrets and vengeance. Is due to the fact that he had Dick Grayson and Stephanie brown as examples (now ofc Alfred was also very very very imp but I feel like no one ignores his significance so I don’t feel the need to add him here)

And Jason?

It also imo, FUCK UP JAYS DEVELOPMENT.

Bc if Jason could be this kind, empathic older sibling to Damian? WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK WAS HE DOING WHEN HE FIRST CAME TO GOTHAM? the way he treated the bats and the rogues gallery? Slaughtering all of blackgate to end up in Arkham, making dick watch him fall to his ‘death’.

No absolutely not

This is the ‘pit madness’ nonsense all over again

Jason had to see the world outside of Gotham and work with other people who were anti-heroes who fall into the category.

Bc Jason didn’t start out as an antihero

Jason was a full on villain with a grudge against other villains, he worked for the place he’s in. It’s bc of characters he interacted with, it’s bc of realizations he’s dealt with. It’s because he’s been a little too trigger happy in the wrong place and ended up looking at the grief he caused others and realizing he didn’t want to do that.

It gets rid of Jason realizing HE CAN work with his family.

It gets rid of Jason BECOMING a solid older brother to Tim and erases the Jason who WANTS to have a relationship with his family.

It erases all of the times he’s tried and failed and still got up and tried again

Both of them have grown bc of the people around them and I think if they had each other at that time it would’ve gone 1 of 2 ways

1) a toxic loop re-establishing bad beliefs and practices that damage both of them and leave them more resentful and stuck in their ways

2) they would’ve hated each other and tried to kill each other

In summary

-both these characters didn’t show up nice, they worked for it, don’t erase that

- don’t erase the characters that helped them grow (my girl Steph Brown being left out of conversations she started will kill me)

- Jason can have close relationships with the family im not saying he shouldn’t. I’m just saying that Jay is the cool older brother who very obviously loves you but was at college when you were a kid and now doesn’t really know how to interact with you and it’s awkward but you know you can go to him even if he isn’t your first call in most situations

- Damian was not a good person, he CHOSE to be that’s important to his growth. And with that growth came the ability to form the close connections he now has in canon. Without the growth he undergoes he wouldn’t be able to form the protective loving group of family and friends he has around him

- STOP IGNORING STEPH, I AM LITERALLY A DICK GRAYSON STAN ACCOUNT AND I AM OVERHERE TRYING TO GET CRUMBS OF MY GIRL OHMYGOD

- I would highkey love a short miniseries of Jason and Damian working together and developing a nice relationship both in and out of the masks but until we get that. I’m sticking to awkward brother that loves you but doesn’t get you at all

Also if you disagree/ have more nuanced takes on the Jay Damian sibling arc please leave in the reblogs and comments, I like hearing more nuanced takes and discussing just please don’t be a dick (hehe) about it

[l-starsz]

could you please write some smut where r and billie are coming home from a party theyre both drunk and end up fucking in the pool late at night (the pool has red led lights) (add strap please🙏🏼) r has been a brat all night so billie is like kinda mean and degrades her

THANK YOU

a/n: IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK AGES FOR ME TO WRITE BUT I HOPE THIS IS GOOD🫶

as i rushed to get ready, billie was laying on our bed. she was completely chilled out whilst i was stressing about how i was going to make us late. billie had previously been rushing me, since we had to be there soon in order to not be too late. she eventually resorted to waiting in bed whilst scrolling through her phone, glancing over to me every so often.

"cmon angelll, are you nearly ready?" she practically whined.

"i'm about to be ready bil, promise." i giggled, "can you help me with my eyeliner please?"

"of course, pretty girl." she smiled, getting up from the bed and walking towards me.

i held the eyeliner pencil out towards her, which she soon enough took. she was about to start when she gave me a questioning look, and i knew exactly what she was thinking.

"sit on my lap." i whispered, gently holding her hips and pulling her closer to me.

she didn't complain, and let me practically pull her onto me, before taking the lid off my eyeliner and getting closer to my face. she was being so gentle, careful not to hurt me or poke me with it. after a few short minutes, she was completely finished.

i looked in the mirror with a smile on my face.

"perfect, thank you, baby." i thanked her, then placed a gentle kiss on her lips, my lipstick and lipgloss transferring slightly onto her lips.

i pulled her further into my arms for a minute or so, before she whispered to me that we needed to leave. we were both finally ready, and it was looking like we would still be pretty on time, so we left as quick as we could.

hours passed, we stuck together the whole time we were there, but were both a little drunk. we'd definitely had too much to drink. we were practically all over eachother, whilst the music echoed loud, making us even more touchy.

"can we go somewhere quieter, love?" i heard her whisper into my ear as my back pressed against her chest.

"hmmm, i don't know, i'm quite happy staying here." i smirked.

i'd been planning to tease her, and be bratty. i needed to see how she'd react. and i was hoping she'd maybe punish me too.

the whole night i had been talking back to her, trying to get a reaction from her. but she didn't react. all i got was her rolling her eyes at my words, or her grip tightening on my skin. she didn't push me, but i could tell that she was getting impatient. the alcohol running through us wasn't helping either.

obviously i was desperate for her, but i needed to keep my act up. i needed to make sure i got some sort of reaction from her.

it was only a matter of time before one of our friends came over to us, offering to drop us off on their way home. we hesitated at first, wanting to stay longer and continue our fun, but when our friend brought up how drunk we were, we accepted.

it didn't take long to get home at all, since we lived nearby. we thanked our friend as we got out, letting out drunken giggles as we walked up the driveway towards the front door.

billie had the keys, and she fiddled with them for a bit, trying to find the right one whilst almost dropping them on the floor in the process. this just made us laugh more, and when she finally managed to open the door, get us both inside, and then lock the door behind her, we stumbled straight upstairs.

i flopped onto the bed, whilst billie looked for comfier clothes. i was waiting for her, when i got an idea. a small smirk appeared on my face when i opened my mouth to speak.

"bils? can we go in the pool?"

she turned around with a smile, but then her eyebrows furrowed.

"we don't have anything to wear.. i have no idea where our swimming costumes are."

i groaned and threw my head back out of frustration. i wanted to tease her more. i knew exactly what i wanted to wear to push her over the edge, but obviously that wasnt happening. however, another brilliant idea popped into my mind as i was trying to think of solutions. why did neither of us think of it before?

"we can always go in naked?" i suggested, rolling onto my side and reaching my hands out for her to come towards me.

as my hands landed on her waist, i tugged at her clothes. i was getting desperate for her. i was supposed to be bratty, and instead i was needy. i needed to change my attitude. i had time to be needy later. at least i hoped.

she moved away from my slightly, and pulled me up onto my feet, attempting to pull my clothes off. i shook my head and moved back.

"hmm i think i changed my mind.. it'll be more fun with our clothes on."

i knew that she wanted my clothes off. as much as she loved my outfit, which consisted of the shortest skirt i could find, it only just covered me up, but one wrong movement and everyone would've seen my underwear, which billie had picked out for me before we left. i was also wearing a tight shirt, and no bra, so it was safe to say billie was worked up. and it didn't help that i was talking back, and ignoring her requests. the alcohol made both of us needy, but my defiance made her want need to punish me, and fuck some sense into me somehow.

her tongue poked the inside of her cheek, and i could tell she was getting frustrated.

"you know what? go wait by the pool i'll be out in a few minutes."

i was confused, but i had to keep my act up.

i crossed my arms and shook my head, walking back over to sit on the edge of the bed. my hips swayed as i walked, making sure she saw.

a sigh left her mouth, before she grabbed something from the wardrbe, and walked downstairs without me. i decided it would make her more mad if i didn't follow at all, so i stayed put, looking for my phone which i must've misplaced. i was always more forgetful when i was drunk.

i waited for about five minutes, before realising she wasn't coming back. she was waiting downstairs and wasn't coming to get me. she knew exactly what i was up to. she'd known all night.

i groaned, then headed downstairs, straight outside to where our pool was. there were two towels folded and waiting on one of the chairs by the pool, and i took notice of them before my eyes drifted over to billie, who was completely naked in the pool.

i could only make out her tits under the water, and my eyes were glued to them.

"coming in, angel?" i saw her smirk, the red lights surrounding the pool making it slightly more difficult for me to see her.

"i.. yeah." i managed to stutter out.

i walked over to the side of the pool which was closest to her, before removing my clothes as slow as i possibly could. i first started with my shirt, taking my time to lift it up so that it sat just under my boobs. i pushed the waistband of my skirt down, exposing my underwear slightly, but not quite enough for her liking.

i could see on her face that she was mad, but she was trying her best to hide it. i could see right through her though. i eventually took my top off, letting it fall to the floor.

my skirt slowly followed, and all that was left was my underwear. i thought about leaving them on, but i knew that as much as it would tease billie and test her limits, it would be so uncomfortable.

i slid them off my body, being careful not to lose my balance as i wandered over to the edge of the pool. we were obviously still pretty drunk, so i knew that the second i was next to her, we would be all over eachother once again.

i made my way over to the steps, slowly getting closer to her, whilst she stayed exactly where she was. i made sure to take my time, but as soon as i was facing her, her hands attached to my waist like a magnet, pulling me close.

"you think you're smart teasing me, hm? being a brat? such a needy fucking slut for my attention."

her words were slightly slurred as the gap almost closed between us. i couldn't hold back any longer. i practically pounced on her, my lips finding hers straight away.

she kissed back slightly, before pulling away. she lifted me into her arms, my legs wrapped around her waist, but i felt something. had she kept her underwear on? i was about to ask, when something was slammed inside me. and it would only be one thing.

she had her strap attached around her waist. the one she knew was just that tiny bit too big for me, that made me overstimulated in a matter of seconds. a moan echoed from my mouth, straight down her ear.

she wasted no time speeding her movements to pleasure me, but not for long. i knew it wasn't going to be so simple. i didn't know what she had in mind, but i just needed her. her grip on my waist was enough to leave marks, and her speech was slurred as she thrusted into me. it was a good job i was so wet, otherwise it would've made things more difficult.

"such a desperate, needy slut, isn't that right, love?"

my cries and moans grew so much louder upon hearing her words, my body limp in her arms as i was so close to finishing.

"cmon, need you to answer me. can't just ignore me, baby. that's not nice, is it?"

my moans sounded like sobs as i tried so hard to get the words out for her. i was hoping that our neighbours were sleeping, because i was definitely loud enough for anyone to hear me.

"i'm not even going to think about letting you cum if you don't answer me."

her speech was slurred from the alcohol, but also muffled as her lips pressed against my neck. i felt her sucking marks over me, whilst one of her hands reached my clit, adding onto the other sensations, bringing me right to the edge.

part of me wanted to say it, so that she'd let me cum. but the other part of me was more desperate to continue being bratty.

i threw my head back and held onto her shoulders as tight as i could.

"going to carry on being a brat? suit yourself.." she mumbled with a smirk, before pulling out with no warning.

"no!! no pleaseee. billie, baby, please i'll do anything!! i was going to say it i swear!" i cried out, pulling myself closer to her and hiding my face in her neck.

"nuh-uh. you wanted to be bratty and tease me all night? this is what you get. maybe if you can prove to me that you can be a good girl then i'll let you cum."

her voice was calm. much calmer than mine. i was a whiny mess, trying to convince her to touch me more, to make me cum, but she wasn't having any of it. not until i proved it to her.

"how?! i'll do anything bil!"

"let me fuck you until i finish, yeah? then you can cum. you're gonna take it, and be good for me, okay?"

"yes!! of course! i'll be good for you."

the strap broke through my tight walls once again, the familiar feeling so perfect yet overwhelming at the same time. her thrusts met her previous pace immeiately, making us both feel good. i squeezed my eyes shut tight, letting her basically use me for her own pleasure, and waiting for her to let me finish. the water slightly splashed and made waves around us from our movements.

it felt like ages, but definitely wasn't long before her moans increased in pitch. she sounded so beautiful, it was getting difficult for me to hold onto my orgasm, hearing her whines and feeling her inside me was making the pleasure build up inside me quicker.

as soon as her moans was louder, and more high pitched, i knew she was ready to cum. my own moans mixed with hers, and i let out breathy whines into her ear.

"please, bil. cum for me. i want to cum for you, please. you sound so pretty. so perfect. my beautiful girl." my voice was almost a whisper, but at the same time it sounded so powerful as it echoed through her mind.

that was all it took for billie to cum, the friction of the strap rubbing against her clit helped, but my words threw her over the edge. her voice was so breathy that i almost didn't hear her speak. i was clenching around the strap whilst my nails dug into her shoulder, sure to leave scratches or bruises for her to wake up to in the morning.

"you can cum for me baby! fuck! le- let go for me."

that was the only thing i needed to hear. i'd never came so hard in my life, not bothering to even attempt to keep myself quiet. i didn't care who heard, or who i woke up. we both needed this, and that was all that mattered in our minds in that moment.

as we both slowly came down from our highs, my moans turned into sobs once i started to get overstimulated. she stopped her movements, making sure to hold me closer and pepper my exposed skin in kisses.

i did the same to her, having no intentions of moving away from her yet. but i felt the strap being slowly pulled out of me. her hands ran along my back to soothe me whilst she pulled completely out, somehow managing to take the strap off and throw it on the side of the pool. we stayed where we were, just holding eachother for a while until i was falling asleep, and of course billie noticed when my body slowly grew heavier and slumped against her.

"cmon angel. lets get cleaned up. i've got you." i heard her whisper, before placing a little kiss to my head.

we were soon upstairs in the bathroom, a towel draped over each of our bodies, and while i clung onto her still naked body, she started running a nice warm bath for the both of us. i so badly wanted to help her, and take care of her just like she was doing for me, but i was almost asleep. i was exhausted. still drunk. and fucked out. although billie was also still drunk, and tired, and fucked out, she could handle it better than me. i could barely keep my eyes open.

she added some lavender scented bubble bath, which made my eyes feel even heavier as the smell filled the room. she was still somehow holding me whilst making sure everything was perfect for us. she laid out some clean clothes, fresh towels, and skincare for afterwards.

we finally got in the nice hot bubble bath, our muscles relaxing and tiredness practically taking over us. although i was struggling to keep my eyes open, i insisted that billie laid against me. i wanted her to feel as though i was taking care of her as much as she was taking care of me. so, whilst we were in the bath, i helped her clean her body, wash her hair, and made sure she was relaxed and calm.

she did the same for me, and we spent time letting the water warm us up and pull us further into our sleepiness. we eventually got out, wrapped in the fluffy towels, and fighting to stay awake. we rushed to do skincare, and put our pyjamas on, before we were in bed. sleepy and slurred i love yous, and goodnights, came from us before we were fast asleep.

neither of us woke up once in the night, we were completely worn out, and felt as though all we needed was eachother. it took us a while to actually get out of bed when we woke up, our heads were hurting and the sun seemed way too bright shining through the blinds. when i finally decided to get up, i glanced out of the window after getting dressed. something caught my eye laying on the side of the pool. oh.

[eggcompany]

Jayce and Viktor both wanted a child. They were happily married, successful, wealthy, but something felt like it was missing in life. Not friends, they had plenty, not work, they made themselves enough of that, not unhappiness in material things, they had anything they wanted.

People assumed… certain things. Surely two wealthy married men who’d invented biological gifts and created plant life like nothing else, would simply make a baby.

They did not do that. Refusing to consider it.

Instead they hid away from the public, making what was once their secondary lab into a child’s room. Jayce cried a lot, thinking about being a father, Viktor made fun of him saying that he was definitely the mother. They both finally felt that gap between them fill, decorating the room with a soft bed and painting the walls soft colors, Viktor took days and days, fighting his bodily aches to pain a correct star system on the ceiling.

They hid from the public for a whole year, only making a few appearances at important meetings.

But they didn’t hide from Viktor’s roots. They found their child, a small girl found malnourished and alone in a gutter who was brought to the overfilled orphanage that Viktor gave a percentage of his earnings too. They called her Rio.

Viktor loved her. Loved her soft green-hazel eyes, her tan skin like Jayce’s, her pointy little nose and her tiny ears. He loved the way she looked, loved the way she giggled, loved the way when they held her, she looked at them. Jayce was in love with her before he laid eyes on her, before he ever heard her giggle. Loved her more when she grabbed his finger, instincts or reflexes be damned, he knew she loved him back.

When they brought her home, a little bit after her first birthday, they didn’t let anyone know. The only people who knew about Rio were Viktor, Jayce, and newly named, Grandmother Talis.

Ximena had known the entire time, making sure they knew what it took to care for a bundle of joy. She was there when they brought Rio home, ready to meet her grandbaby “finally I get a girl! I get you, I get another son, but now I finally have a girl! And she’s perfect!”

Rio was two when they took her out in public for the first time without sneaking around. Dressed in her little corduroy pants and little brown knit cap, they took her out for a cookie.

Pictures were splattered across the front pages, headlines reading “Where’s the Talis Family’s New Member Really From?” And all sorts of things that pissed Viktor off.

Not for long though. Not when he had a wild haired little girl crawling in his lap with a new book to read or a picture to show him. Not when he had everything he ever dreamed of right there in their home, together and happy.

[vesseloflukola]

Did Nicola give us a hint?

We all know that Nicola is good at giving us crumbs. We have also seen that she has been wearing mostly black when she knows she will be photographed at events for quite some time.

I believe she was doing so to hide her pregnancy. For anyone who has been paying attention, we could see how her body slowly changed (and I will not entertain any talk of noticing her body changing as body shaming in any way. Pregnancy is beautiful and Nicola continued to be beautiful as her body was going through changes. I would never shame Nicola for her body).

The one time Nicola did wear some color, was at The Fashion Awards 2024 that were in London this past December. She wore a black dress with blue draping on the sides.

I believe this was her first hint to us that she was going to have a baby boy.

Those of us who believe in baby newts think that he was born the beginning of February. I believe because of the timing of his birth, Nicola was able to go to the SAG Awards.

I predicted (correctly as it turned out) that she would wear a Bridgerton Blue dress to the SAG Awards. The reason I thought she would not wear black to this event is because she no longer needed to hide a pregnancy. Of course, the color I chose was just a lucky guess. Or was it?

Even though I had not thought Nicola was giving us a hint (with her hint of color in her Fashion Awards dress), maybe I subconsciously thought it was a hint when I made my prediction for her SAG Awards dress.

The SAG Awards were a big deal for her (and the cast of Bridgerton as a whole). She knew a lot of eyes would be on her. I believe her choice of color for her custom made dress was done with purpose (as I believe most things she does are). I think it was her way of saying “hey, we have a baby boy” without having to say anything. I also believe that Luke coordinated with her purposely.

I think we were all so happy to see Luke and Nic together, being giddy, smiley and completely enjoying their time together at the SAG Awards that we simply didn’t pay attention to the fact that her dress color could be a crumb for the part of the fandom that knows about baby Newts.

I also love that @frantastical pointed out that both Nic and Luke currently have clear phone cases on their phones (as noticed in the pic of the selfie they took at the SAG Awards). It was also pointed out by @carylmeanslove that clear phone cases lend to being able to put a picture in them (Polaroid) that will show through the case. Of course, we know Nicola has had a clear case for some time.

I noticed that Luke’s phone was sitting on the table screen up. I don’t know about anybody else, but when I lay my phone down, I always put it screen down. I think Luke may have put it down the way he did because he has a polaroid of his new baby. I think Nic probably does too.

We got a couple cute pics of Nic today at her friend Jake’s play. I don’t care for the red headed stalker who took the pictures, but I do love to see how cute Nic is looking wearing color again.

One thing I did notice was that she definitely has a polaroid in her phone case. Of course we just see the corner of the picture, but I’m ok with that. I still believe it is a picture of her baby, and I fully support celebrities who don’t want to show their kids to the public.

[jays-bonnie-on-the-side]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAY

PAIRING : jensen ackles x fiancé!reader

SUMMARY : it’s jensen’s 47th birthday and reader surprises him at work

WARNINGS : fluff. love. surprises. established relationship. mentions of wedding. age gap if you squint. strong language. implied oral sex (male receiving). daddy!jensen. hints of jealous ex.

A/N : thought of this last night and wrote this morning. happy birthday jensen. i love you more than you know and i hope you get to see your kids today. —your bonnie on the side. 🫶🏽😘🎉🎂🥳🎈🎊🎁

March 1st: Jensen’s birthday. Today, he’s turning 47, a year closer to the number he dreads, yet his age had never bothered me. All I wanted was Jensen. And I’m fortunate enough to say I have him.

He’s been working so hard since September, juggling cons and shooting Countdown, and it doesn’t end there. Once he wraps up his current project, he’s heading straight to Toronto to film The Boys, followed by Vought Rising. I moved to L.A. to be with him, both of us refusing to be apart. Yet, he comes home so late and leaves so early that I hardly see him. But not today, not on his birthday.

With the filming running behind, he still had to go in on Saturdays, and unfortunately, that’s the day his birthday fell on this year. Unbeknownst to him, I had very special plans. The first one was waking him up with breakfast and head in bed.

“Fuck, sweetheart. I don’t know what’s better: the food you make or your pretty little mouth.” Jensen breathlessly chuckles as he swipes the dribble of cum from the corner of my lip.

That was this morning, and now I’m on the set of Countdown, talking with the PAs about his surprise. As he’s finishing his scene, the most important part of my plan shows up. Jensen knew I’d meet him for lunch but had no idea I was flying his kids out from Connecticut for his special day. The only downside to both him and I was his ex tagging along. Despite the years Jay and I have been together—and after Vought Rising wraps, I’ll become their stepmother—Danneel didn’t trust me alone with them. And no matter the animosity I have towards her, I needed his children to be here.

They rush toward me, tackling me with their embrace. It had been months since I last saw them. In between cons, tournaments, and public appearances, Jensen spent his free time visiting his kids across the country. Not that I minded, but I did miss him—and them—like crazy. I wrap my arms around them, laughing with glee as they cling to me.

“Hey! I’ve missed you guys so much.”

“We’ve missed you too!” says JJ.

They squeeze tighter, close to taking my breath away. I play into it and gasp dramatically, making them giggle. My gaze falls on an annoyed Danneel, and a smirk tugs at my lips. She’s always hated my relationship with the kids. ‘Could’ve been one of the reasons she gave Jensen such a hard time about bringing me around. It didn’t matter, though; They loved me anyway. Right from the very start.

They set me free, and Arrow asks loudly, “Is Daddy almost done?”

“Yes, but it’s a surprise, remember? We have to be quiet until we sing him ‘Happy Birthday,’ then you can be as louudd as you want. Okay?”

“Okay!” A PA calls me over, and I excuse myself, but she scampers beside me and takes my hand. “Can I come with you?”

“Sure, but you have to ask your mom first.”

Arrow spins on her heel, asking her mom, “Can I go with Y/N?”

“I wanna go too!” “Me three!” Both JJ and Zep chime in.

She shakes her head. “No, you can stay here.”

They begin to whine, but she doesn’t care. “C’mon, Danneel. It’s not like you won’t be able to see them. They can help me finish a few things.”

A few producers and PAs watch her closely, waiting for her response. With all eyes on her, she caves in, grumbling a “Fine,” under her breath.

The kids jump in joy and hurry after me. Backstage was lined with Jensen’s favorite foods and desserts. All that was left was to finish the decorations and bring out the cake. Without having to be directed much, they pick up streamers and run them along the tables. They even blow up balloons and hang them where they see fit. Once we finish, I tell them my plan.

“Okay, so. I’m thinking you guys hide when Daddy comes in, and when everyone starts singing, you roll the cake out, surprising him. What do you think?” They nod their heads in agreement. Jensen’s PA comes in, quietly shouting that he’s coming. “Okay, kids, it's showtime! Go tell your mom to stand in the back so he doesn’t see her, and you guys wait by the cake.”

They run off, and I direct everyone to stand in a half circle, facing the direction Jensen will be coming from. After giving the final instruction, I turn around and wait. My heart pounds, excited to see his reaction. Everyone’s quiet, and we hear the laughter between the cast members coming off stage. It gets closer, and the curtain pulls back, revealing my groom-to-be.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” The crowd shouts, making Jensen jump.

His green eyes widen, and a grin grows. He looks around the room, and his gorgeous orbs land on me. His face says it all: He knew I put this together. That’s not all, Ackles. Everyone begins to sing to him, and he stands in amazement. I walk to the edge of the crowd and wave the kids out.

JJ pushes the cart with her dad’s favorite cake, and the twins walk beside her. His demeanor changes in shock, not expecting to see his offspring. She wheels it in front of Jensen, and the moment it’s in place, he pulls them in for a hug. Everyone watches in awe as they continue to sing. He glances toward me, tears welling in his eyes, having not seen them since Christmas.

My heart soars at the sight. They look so happy. He’d been feeling down lately, not only having gone so long without their presence but knowing their absence was to be expected on his birthday. And when JJ told me her New Year’s resolution was to see her dad more, I knew I had to make this happen. Seeing their reunion was a gift of its own.

I walk toward Jensen, settling my hand over his neatly trimmed beard as he extends his neck to kiss me. It was long and sweet, enough to make Zep cringe. We chuckle and pull away, ceasing our PDA. The traditional birthday song ends, and he blows out his candles. With his face still close, I push his head down, and it smashes into the frosting. Everyone laughs, some hooting and hollering, as they clap. He stands up, shocked that he hadn’t seen it coming before a laugh of his own comes out.

Nearly everyone snaps a picture of his cake-kissed face before he uses his tongue to clean the area near his mouth. Someone hands me a napkin, and before I can wipe him off, he grabs and holds me still. I squeal, but he shuts me up with his mouth, smearing the frosting onto mine. The crowd cheers, and he deepens the sugary kiss. We separate and clean each other’s faces off, but not in the way we would in private.

“All right, kids,” Jensen claps and rubs his hands together as the kids circle the chocolate sheet cake. “Dessert first!” They cheer, and Danneel comes out of the shadows to protest. He mutters, “I knew it was too good to be true,” before arguing back. “Hey, it’s my birthday, and as their father, I say let them eat cake!”

I roll my eyes, knowing he won’t be the one dealing with their sugar rush. Then again, it’s not like she would let me have them anyway, so to hell with her! She doesn’t put up much of a fight with everyone so close. Instead, she stomps away. Once she’s out of sight, I talk some sense into the man.

“Dad, are you sure that’s a good idea? ‘Cause if I remember correctly, you once told me that cake tastes soooo much better after eating food first.”

Understanding my hint, he nods. “You’re right. I did say that.”

“Did you make the food, Y/N?” His younger daughter asks.

“No, babe. Not this time,” They ‘awe’ in disappointment, but I assure them I will tonight. “For now, why don’t we eat some food from Daddy’s favorite restaurant here in L.A.?”

Bouncing at any chance to be closer to their father, they nod excitedly. The kids then run toward the table with the disposable eatware and grab their plates. Before I follow after them, Jensen pulls me into his chest.

“I can’t believe you did this for me.”

I turn in his arms and pull him closer. “Of course, baby. Why wouldn’t I?”

He shrugs, looking in the direction his ex-wife disappeared off to. “I guess it’s not something I’m used to.”

“Well, get used to it, birthday boy.”

Jensen gently cradles my face, tilting it up so our eyes meet. “I love you. So fucking much.”

“I love you more.” His lips attach to mine, keeping the kiss PG with our audience present. “Happy birthday, Jay.”

“Thank you, sweetheart. For everything. ‘This has been one of the best days I’ve had in a while.”

“You’re so welcome,” I press a quick peck to his luscious lips before tugging his hand. “C’mon. Let’s go feed our kids.”

He drapes his arm over my shoulder, drawing me close and planting a kiss on the crown of my head as we stroll toward the impatient children.

JENSEN ACKLES MASTERLIST | MAIN MASTERLIST | JOIN THE TAG LIST

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[starrbar]

Thanks for the tag x3 Sorry it took me so long to get to it haha. I'll highlight characters in red if I had a lot to say about multiples in one answer.

Favorite girl: I think I'd say Jinx because I love her character. All her scenes in S1 are compelling and tense, and I found her to be thoroughly tragic by the end. She's the thread that holds everything else together and it's beautiful. Also Ambessa and Sevika are both super hot and I always look forward to seeing them.

Favorite boy: I like boys. O_O My favorites are Silco, Singed, and Viktor. Silco is one of my favorite villain characters, very layered and complex, and I was genuinely intrigued and excited as I learned more of his story in S1. I'm also totally guilty of mega-simping for him in S2 despite how my opinions of the story would later sour. Singed honestly just has a fantastic voice and animation that hits me the same way Rango's animation does, where "ugly" characters are treated with such care that they're a treat to watch anyway. He's so stimulating aaaa. Finally, Viktor's arc in S1 is one of my favorites, handled patiently and expertly, and his arc in S2 has quite a few problems, but I still... really enjoy seeing him, and seeing him with Jayce, so I don't tend to be bothered by how S2 handled Viktor.

Least favorite character: You know what? I was so close to posting this with "S2 Caitlyn" because she's a nasty person who never gets to have a proper arc in any direction, but I think a more fitting answer would be S2 Vi. Caitlyn being an awful person in some scenes was still interesting and believable, if a bit rushed, and I would have been fine with her character going that path had it been executed a bit better. Vi, though, is just... turned into a sad lapdog who doesn't act on her own at any point and is just depressing to watch, even in her "happy" moments. God damn, they destroyed her this season. ><

Favorite ships: Zaundads, Sinco, JayVik, and Jilco. If I elaborated on each, I'd feel like I spent way too much time on this, but they each have dynamics I enjoy for different reasons.

Least favorite ship: S2 Caitvi. They were cute in S1, but S2 made Caitlyn an abusive war criminal and then pretended that didn't need to be properly addressed before Vi just gave herself to her. Blegh.

Favorite side character: Lately, it's Salo because I like em pathetic ahaha~ I've always loved Mylo too, adorable little Junkrat kid. x3c

Favorite songs: Oooooh this is a hard one. x3 Goodbye and What Could Have Been will always hit me so hard and remind me how watching Arcane for the first time felt, and for that, they're extra special. I think Playground still gives me those vibes too. I also adore Guns For Hire, and Dirty Little Animals goes so hard. S2 introduced quite a few songs I love too. Ashes and Blood, Renegade, and Spin the Wheel are favorites. Favorite score songs are: The Bridge, The City of Progress, You're Stronger Than You Think, You Can't Escape the Past, A Story of Opposites, Stubborn to the End, I Can Help Them, The Era of Hextech, Revenge, You're a Jinx, A Bicentennial, The Assailant, Romance, Traitor, She's Back, The Toy Boat, I'm Right Here, Showdown, First Steps, You're Perfect, and I'm far less familiar with S2's score, but I can't stop listening to I Promised You. <3

Favorite episode: S1 episode 3. There are tons of scenes I love throughout the story, but this episode marked one of the greatest experiences I've ever had watching a show.

Least favorite episode: So like... I'm not entirely sure which entire episode is my least favorite, so it might be easier to list "chunks", like all the Mel/Black Rose stuff is a boring waste of time to me, and all the final battle stuff is like... uuuuugh. But I didn't just wanna say s2 episode 9 because I do still like the Jayce and Viktor stuff even if, critically, I don't think most of it makes sense x'D. Those two are legit just a guilty pleasure this season and I'm okay with that.

Favorite duo: Oooooh, mmmm..... I think Jayce and Viktor fit the term "duo" best out of my favorites. My other fave is Jinx and Silco, even though they basically never work together, but their interactions are priceless. <3

Favorite design: Aaaaa so many good ones, ummm... honestly? Powder is one of my favorite characters to watch and her design is adorable and complex (a lot of characters are complex in design, but ye). I really love the mismatched look of a lot of Zaun outfits. Also past Silco is um, I'm locking him in my basement. >u>

Least favorite design: Hm... so... I don't think I've looked at any design and hated it, just felt like a few of them were kinda... not as appealing to me as previous versions. So, I prefer Ambessa's pre-S2A3 designs, and I think it's because she looks too slender in her final look compared to previous ones making her look so big and imposing. I think Jinx's newest design is... overrated and kind of messy to look at. I know she's a messy character, so that would fit, but I dunno, there's something missing or... something. It's also hard not to let my feelings on the story taint my feelings for some of the designs, like Vi and Caitlyn's, which look pretty damn cool actually, but I just always picture that final cuddly scene with them and it makes me feel icky.

Favorite scene: The Guns For Hire sequence ✨

Least favorite scene: The Silco, Vander, and Felicia flashback because it ruins the motivations of Silco and Vander, not just to adopt their kids, but to free Zaun from Piltover's oppressive hold. Felicia is pretty and even has some fun sassiness to her personality, but I want her far away from my boys.

I don't like this ending on a negative, so Imma add one more question myself:

Favorite visual moment: Of course, I can hardly pick less than a dozen, but I'll just list a couple off the top of my head, not counting previously mentioned stuff of course. I love the scene of the mage saving young Jayce and his mother. It's so gorgeous and fluid and the music adds so much too. Gahhhh- I also super love that shot of Silco leaning back while smoking right after he talks to Marcus.

I'm always bad at tagging, so just like, do it if you feel like! 8D

On tiktok there was this arcane trend that was just about stating some basic arcane opinions of yours and I thought it would be fun to do something similar here! You can tag others and make it a tagging game or you can just answer the questions do what you want :)

Favorite girl:

Favorite boy:

Least favorite character:

Favorite ship:

Least favorite ship:

Favorite side character:

Favorite song:

Favorite episode:

Least favorite episode:

Favorite duo:

Favorite design:

Least favorite design:

Favorite scene:

Least favorite scene:

[secret-moonstruck]

Forbidden Love | k.sn

— Pairing: sunoo x fem!reader | (Masterlist)

— Synopsis: "- You're right, it's obvious that he's been avoiding me, and I'm left out. - Y/N smiled sadly at her friend."

— Genre: smut

— Warnings: masturbation, praising, making out, begging.

— Notes: I'm new to this writing thing, and English is not my first language. Sorry for not writing so well, I wish to improve and bring better and well-written stories.

Y/N and Sunoo's friendship was perfect, they were always together, he did everything for her, he was always so affectionate, he took care of her, so it was difficult for her not to fall in love, but she was embarrassed to express it, she thought it was just his way, that it was just friendship, he was sweet to everyone, he was very kind and affectionate, so she was afraid, afraid that she was misinterpreting his affection for her.

It was just another normal day for them, they went out for ice cream, they were talking calmly, anyone who saw them would think they were a couple, the way they were sweet to each other. But then he appeared...a boy approached them, and greeted Sunoo. 

- Y/N this is Jinwoo, a friend. - Sunoo seemed a little tense, Y/N noticed the change in his behavior.

After that day everything slowly went downhill, whenever Y/N was happy with Sunoo they were interrupted by Jinwoo.

It was when Jinwoo appeared that Sunoo would get tense, move away from Y/N or both of them would leave leaving her alone, this was making her hurt, it always hurt to feel abandoned, she loved Sunoo and she felt empty whenever he left her.

But the last straw was on Sunoo's birthday, Y/N had prepared a surprise for him, and went to his apartment, she tried to call him several times, she waited at the entrance of the building for hours worried because he didn't answer, she was upset that he disappeared, but she was more worried that he wouldn't answer her calls.

Y/N didn't know what else to do, she was trying to call him and that's when she saw him arriving, and Jinwoo was there, of course they were together, lately whenever she saw Sunoo, Jinwoo was by her side. She was hurt, he ignored her the whole day because he was with Jinwoo. Sunoo picked up the phone and answered it, but she hung up, she couldn't talk to him, so she just left.

- Seriously, since this Jinwoo appeared everything has gone to shit. At first I tried to make friends with him, but he seems to hate me, and I hate him too, he always keeps Sunoo away from me.

Y/N was upset complaining to her friend Solbin. She noticed that her friend looked at her sideways, an expression of pity.

- I'm sorry Y/N, but from what I saw in Sunoo's sweet way, and what you said about this Jinwoo... I didn't want to tell you this, but have you ever thought that maybe they are more than friends?

- No, you don't think that... - Y/N looked shocked at Solbin, it never crossed her mind, but when Solbin said it, it seemed like a very obvious explanation.

- Unfortunately, I think so. I don't mean to be mean, but maybe you should give up and stop looking for him.

- You're right, it's obvious that he's been avoiding me, and I'm left out. - Y/N smiled sadly at her friend.

A few days had passed since she spoke to Solbin, and Y/N did as suggested, she cut off contact with Sunoo, if he didn't care about her, she wouldn't continue looking for him and humiliating herself.

She was at her house, her family and some acquaintances were there, it was her birthday and everyone came to congratulate her.

Nothing cheered her up, but she tried to be nice to the people who cared about her. Chatting and smiling at the guests, but her smile disappeared when she saw Sunoo.

He looked embarrassed, afraid, like he had done something wrong, as he approached Y/N. She remained motionless, expressionless, he became nervous, she was never like that with him, she would always be happy in his presence, she would run to hug him, but now...she seemed disappointed, as if she didn't want to see him.

- Happy birthday. - He smiled, handing a gift box to Y/N.

- Thanks. - She didn't show anything, it was as if she was empty, without emotions.

Opening the box Y/N looked confused, there were lots of cute things, lots of heart things, keychains, teddy bears, sweets, everything with hearts, and lots of pictures of them.

- You really like things from the heart. - She said expressionlessly, closing the box.

- Yes, I like it, but you don't understand? - His voice was soft, he got closer to Y/N. - I like…

His phone rang, Y/N saw the name on the screen, Jinwoo… she snorted and laughed in disdain, before walking away leaving Sunoo there with the gift box.

- Y/N wait. - He went after her, but his phone rang again.

Sunoo barely answered the phone and ran away, leaving her there. Y/N held back from screaming in anger.

- He's not coming back. - A male voice said behind Y/N, scaring her.

When she turned around, Y/N saw a tall, handsome boy leaning against the table, his expression was one of boredom.

- What the fuck, who are you? Why are you in my house? And why do you say he won't come back?

- Ni-Ki, I came to be a good friend to Sunoo and tell you the truth, and he won't come back because he broke the rules.

- What do you mean by that?

- In short, you will never be able to be together, Sunoo is an angel, Jinwoo is too, and he was sent to take him away from you before he made a big mistake, again, I am too and I came because I felt sorry for you.

- Angels? Okay. - Y/N laughed mockingly, then turned to leave the room, it had to be this boy's joke.

- Don't you believe it? - When he said that, his wings opened.

A startled sigh was all Y/Didn't make it express, she was shocked and disbelieved.

- But how? - She was too confused. - Angels? Is this serious?

- Yes, very seriously, and as I said, I came to tell the truth, they didn't want to, but so what? Sunoo has already been taken away, what's wrong with knowing the reason? Poor things, you suffered so much.

Ni-Ki pulled out the chair and sat down relaxed.

- I'll simplify, there are decades of history and I don't know every detail. You met in another life of yours, you were in love, but obviously this was wrong and prohibited. You tried to be together but you were discovered, you were punished, never in any of your lives would you be happy in love. And Sunoo could never get close to you again. But this idiot wasn't content with watching you from a distance and decided to get closer to you, he was ruining everything, he knew very well that this time the consequences would be worse for him if he disobeyed. That's why they sent Jinwoo, he needed to push you away, and he succeeded, at least for a while, Sunoo is a fool in love, I can't believe he showed up today to tell you the truth. Now he will suffer the consequences.

- What consequences? Why did you say he won't come back? What are they going to do with him? - Y/N asked, approaching Ni-Ki as if she wanted to get an answer from him.

- Calm down, he will suffer some kind of punishment. exile and he will never be able to come down to see you again. I'm sorry but you'll never be able to see him again. They would never allow it. 

- They won't let me see him anymore? - Y/N asked softly.

- Yes, he will never come back.

Ni-Ki was surprised by Y/N's calmness when she walked away from him, but realized late what she was planning.

- Let's see if they won't give it back to me. - Y/N grabbed a knife and ran away, leaving Ni-Ki confused.

Ni-Ki left immediately, returning to report what Y/N was planning. When he told everyone, Sunoo tried to go to Y/N but was trapped by the others, heavy chains trapped him, he fought against it, but it was impossible to free himself.

- I accept any punishment, but let me save you. - Sunoo begged.

A few seconds passed then a horrible pain hit him, one of his wings was ripped off.

- This is your punishment, go save the human and think if it was worth it.

He didn't hesitate even with the pain killing him, he got out of there, but without his wing it would be a disaster.

Y/N ran to the empty field near her house she screamed desperately, begging them to give Sunoo back, the knife lined up in her chest, she pulled it away, she was about to stab herself when she felt the impact. 

She was lying on the ground, a bloody Sunoo on top of her, hugging her desperately. She saw how he only had one wing, which was covered in blood.

- Don't do this Y/N, I can't lose you, not again. - His voice was weak, he was crying, he was in pain, he was about to faint.

- Sunoo, what happened? What they did to you.

Y/N sat down with Sunoo fallen in her arms, she fell into despair when she saw his condition, he seemed to be dying.

- He's going to be fine, they ripped off his wing as punishment, but I managed to stop this idiot from dying from the fall. What was he thinking trying to come with just one wing?

- Are you sure? - Y/N asked, looking scared at Sunoo almost passed out in her arms. - He doesn't look like he's going to be okay.

- He is going yes. You just need to take care of the wing wound. - Ni-Ki approached. - I'm sorry Sunoo, they gave an order, but they allowed me to do it in the least painful way. By the way you are free, they agreed that you have already been punished.

Y/N didn't understand what he was talking about, not until Sunoo's other wing disappeared did Sunoo finally pass out in his arms. She screamed, scared, if he was in this state because he had removed a wing he would certainly die now.

- Calm down, he didn't feel anything. - Ni-Ki reassured her. - They were cruel. But now he's going to be fine...or something.

- What do you mean? - Y/N couldn't understand anything that was happening that night.

- He's just an ordinary human now. - Ni-Ki sighed, disappointed by Sunoo's choices. - Now he will suffer like any other human, but he doesn't care, as long as he's with you. Well I need to go, but I know you will take care of him, I will help you take him to your home.

When they arrived at Y/N's house, Sunoo had already woken up, so Niki left, leaving them alone.

She helped Sunoo take a shower, luckily, as before they left he slept at Y/N's house a few times and he had a few changes of clothes there. But she asked him not to wear his shirt when he got out of the shower, as she needed to take care of the wound on his back.

Y/N's thoughts almost went out of control for a moment when he got out of the shower, she asked for it herself, but she had to control her thoughts, especially after finding out what he was...

She motioned for him to sit on her bed, then shuffled closer so she could watch his back. His fingers lightly traced around the wound, it was a long, deep cut, but strangely it looked as if it had partially healed.

- That's strange, there's only one wound and it seems to be healing already.

- Niki removed my second wing with no injury, unlike how they ripped out the first one. And he must have healed me a little too. - Sunoo's voice sounded a little different.

Y/N continued to care for his wound, she thought it was hurting from the way he reacted, whenever she touched his skin he tensed up, he seemed uncomfortable.

- That's weird. - His voice was low. - When you touch me I feel something different, I've never felt this, it's strange but it's good.

Y/N didn't understand what he meant, she just continued. She slid her fingers over where his wings were, imagining how beautiful he must have been with them, and now they were gone, and it was her fault. 

She was lost in her thoughts, her fingers gently running down Sunoo's back, when she heard him sigh. 

- Sunoo are you okay? - She asked worriedly.

- I don't know, it's strange, the feeling is different when you touch me.

Well, he was human now, maybe he felt things he didn't feel before. Y/N thought for a while, when a thought crossed her mind, could it be? She smiled at the idea.

- Sunoo, you're human now, right? - As she spoke she got closer to him.

- Yes, a punishment but a reward, it was the way to pay for falling in love, suffering like a human.

Now it wasn't just Y/N's fingers sliding down his back, she slid her hands over his shoulders, as she moved closer, down his chest, only to move back up to his shoulders.

- While you were an angel, you felt only pure things, but if you are no longer one, you must feel everything that an ordinary person feels. And I guarantee it's not just suffering. - Y/N whispered in his ear before kissing his neck.

She noticed how much more tense he was than before, how his breathing seemed to be quickening.

- I just didn't expect you to feel this type of human sensations so quickly, aren't you a pure angel Sunoo?

- Y/N... - Sunoo seemed weak, her name came out as a whisper. - I don't know what it is, it's painfully good. But it's uncomfortable, there's something wrong with my body...

Y/N snaking her hands from his waist to the front of his body, she touched him through his pants.

- What a perverted little angel, you're hard without me even doing anything. - Y/N could perfectly feel the outline of his already hard penis against the sweatpants he had put on to sleep.

Y/N was already getting wet as she felt him under her hand, she began to massage his erection.

- This feels so good, please continue.- Sunoo's breathing was ragged, he was getting harder and harder under her touches.

- This could get better. - She said releasing him, he sighed disappointed.

But soon a moan left his lips when he felt Y/N's hand against his skin, touching him directly without the uncomfortable fabric. He held tight to Y/N's thigh as her hand moved against him, it was a wonderfully new sensation.

- Please Y/N don't stop, it feels like I'm going to explode but I don't want it to stop, it feels so good. - He moved his hips against Y/N's hand even though she increased her movements he seemed desperate. His cock twitched in his hand as he moaned as he came soiling his pants and Y/N's hand.

- What was that?  - He asked shyly, turning to Y/N.

- That, my sweet little angel, was just the beginning. - Y/N sat on his lap, she would show everything a human would feel

She didn't expect Sunoo to adapt so quickly when he took control of her movements, or when he asked for more after they climaxed.

- I can't call you an angel anymore, that certainly doesn't suit you anymore.

[ari-ana-bel-la]

Okay, so I kinda have baby fever currently and was hoping you could help cure it. Maybe a baby girl with Max? Like using that kelly is pregnant and the baby is a little girl and max is introducing the baby to Penelope for thr first time? Or something like that. Max looks good with babies.

Big sister

The house was unusually quiet without Max and Kelly. Penelope had been staying with her grandma, but she couldn't sit still. Since her parents left for the hospital, she had been waiting for what felt like forever. She missed them. But more than anything, she was desperate to meet her baby sister.

"How much longer, Oma?" Penelope asked for what had to be the tenth time in the past hour. She bounced on the balls of her feet, her little hands twisting the hem of her dress.

Sophie smiled softly, brushing a strand of hair behind Penelope's ear. "Soon, sweetheart. I promise. Papa said he'd call when it was time for us to visit."

Penelope sighed dramatically, flopping onto the couch. "But I've been waiting forever," she groaned. "What if the baby doesn’t like me?"

"Oh, sweetheart," Sophie chuckled, sitting beside her and wrapping an arm around her. "Your little sister is going to love you so much. And you’re going to be the best big sister ever."

Penelope smiled a little, leaning into the hug. "I hope so. I have so many things to teach her."

Before Sophie could respond, her phone buzzed on the coffee table. Penelope's head shot up as Sophie checked the screen. A warm smile spread across her face.

"Come on, my sweet girl," she said, holding out her hand. "It's time."

Penelope jumped to her feet, her heart pounding with excitement. "Really? I get to see Mama and Papa and my sister?"

"Yes," Sophie laughed softly, grabbing her purse. "Let’s go meet her."

---

The hospital room was warm and quiet when Sophie gently pushed the door open, guiding Penelope inside. The second she spotted Kelly sitting up in bed, Penelope ran straight to her.

"Mama!" she cried, launching herself onto the bed and into Kelly’s open arms. "Where is she? Where’s my sister?"

Kelly laughed softly, pulling her into a warm hug. "Hey, baby," she murmured, pressing a kiss to Penelope’s hair. "She’s right here."

At Kelly’s words, Penelope turned her head—and there was Max, standing a few steps away. In his arms, wrapped in a soft pink blanket, was the tiniest, most perfect baby Penelope had ever seen.

Her mouth fell open. "Is that her?" she whispered.

Max smiled softly, his voice warm with pride and tenderness. "Yeah, P. This is your baby sister, Yn."

Penelope scrambled to sit up straighter. "Can I hold her? Please, Papa?"

"Of course you can," Max said gently. "But you need to be very careful, okay? Sit next to Mama so you can be comfy."

Without hesitation, Penelope scooted over, her small legs dangling over the side of the bed. Kelly kept a protective arm around her while Max moved closer.

"Ready?" Max asked softly.

Penelope nodded eagerly, holding out her arms the way Max had taught her earlier that week. She held her breath as he carefully placed Yn into her waiting arms, making sure her hands were steady.

The moment Yn was settled, Penelope’s face lit up with wonder. "She’s so tiny," she whispered, her voice filled with awe. "And soft."

Kelly laughed quietly, brushing a hand over Penelope’s hair. "She is. She already loves her big sister so much."

Penelope’s fingers gently traced Yn’s cheek, her touch feather-light. Yn stirred slightly but didn’t fuss, and Penelope beamed. "She likes me," she whispered.

"Of course, she does," Max said, sitting on the edge of the bed and watching them both closely. His heart swelled at the sight of his two girls together. "You’re her big sister—you’re already her favorite person."

Penelope looked up at her parents, her heart nearly bursting with happiness. "Thank you," she said earnestly.

Kelly tilted her head in confusion. "For what, baby?"

"For giving me a sister," Penelope said, her voice soft but full of joy.

Max chuckled, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "You’re very welcome, P. We’re so happy you love her already."

"I do," Penelope said quickly, cuddling Yn a little closer. "I love her so, so much. And I’m gonna teach her everything."

Kelly’s smile grew as she shared a tender look with Max. It meant the world to both of them that Penelope was so happy. "I know you will," Kelly said softly.

For a while, they sat in quiet peace—just the four of them. Penelope kept her eyes on her sister, watching every little movement she made. When Yn let out a tiny yawn, Penelope giggled quietly.

"She’s so cute," Penelope whispered.

Max couldn’t stop smiling as he watched them. His heart was full, and the love he felt for his girls overwhelmed him. He never thought he could be this happy.

"Alright, P," he said softly after a while. "I should take Yn back now. She might get a little fussy."

But when Max reached out to take the baby, Penelope tightened her arms around her sister and shook her head firmly. "No."

Kelly raised an eyebrow, trying to hide her smile. "No?"

Penelope looked at them seriously. "She’s mine," she declared. "You gave her to me. That means she belongs to me now."

Max chuckled softly, exchanging an amused glance with Kelly. "Sweetheart, that’s not exactly how it works," he said gently.

"But she’s my gift," Penelope insisted, her brow furrowed with determination. "And if she’s my gift, I get to keep her."

Kelly laughed quietly, pressing a kiss to the top of Penelope’s head. "Baby, she’s all of ours. You don’t have to worry—she’s not going anywhere."

Penelope pouted slightly, her arms still wrapped protectively around Yn. "But I wanna take her home with me now. We need to pack her things."

Max let out a soft laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. "Oh, P," he murmured. "I love how much you care about her already."

Penelope’s pout deepened. "It’s not funny, Papa. She’s my sister."

Kelly bit back another smile, smoothing a hand over Penelope’s back. "And you’re the best big sister. But Yn needs to stay here a little longer with Mama and Papa so the doctors can make sure she’s healthy."

"But…" Penelope trailed off, glancing down at the baby again. "I just love her so much."

Max’s heart melted at her words. He reached out to stroke her hair gently. "We know you do, sweetheart. And you’ll get to be with her every single day. You’ll help us take care of her, teach her things—everything."

Penelope perked up a little at that. "Everything?"

"Everything," Max promised. "She’s going to need you, P. You’re going to be her hero."

Penelope finally relaxed, a smile returning to her face. "Okay," she said softly. "I’ll teach her everything."

Kelly’s eyes softened as she watched them, warmth spreading through her chest. "We love you so much, P," she murmured. "And we’re so proud of you already."

"I love you too," Penelope said sweetly, snuggling closer. "And I love Yn the most."

As Max and Kelly shared a tender smile, they knew that no matter what, their family was complete—and full of love.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♥︎♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Authors Note: Hey loves. I hope you enjoy this story. My requests are always open for you. Max is Penelopes other dad, change my mind.

-💙🦋

[thefandombringer]

Season 3 Milkvan is not nearly as cute as I remembered it being 4 years ago

So I’m rewatching s3 for the first time in a hot minute because I remembered that being the most milkvan heavy season but what I’ve realized in this rewatch is that there is not a single scene between Mike and El where Mike does not have to put up some sort of facade. We see a lot of Mike’s genuine character in the first two seasons, especially when he is happy (playing D&D with the party, spending time with his friends and Will) so we as an audience can tell that all the times where Mike appears happy in season 3—especially in scenes with El—are NOT Mike’s genuine personality.

Im not sure quite how to explain it, but the main scenes that come to mind are the opening scene with them making out in El’s bedroom, Mike’s phone call to El when he lies about his Nana, and the scene in the pool with that human dummy thing. Two of these are scenes where Mike is supposedly happy and joking around with El, but they have a very superficial vibe to them—which will be the first . I’m pretty sure that anyone can clock those moments if they watch those on their own but, as someone that does a lot of acting, mannerism and vocal inflection shifts are key when playing different characters. The way Mike holds himself and delivers his lines do not feel like the same Mike that we grew to know and love in the earlier seasons and, since Finn is obviously not a terrible actor (he is, in fact, quite a good actor), we as the audience are meant to realize that Mike is not being his true self or, in other words, playing another character. He can’t be his genuine self around El (which is also demonstrated very very clearly in season 4 but this shows that these issues did not come out of nowhere), which heavily contrasts the other significant relationships in the show, especially throughout season 3 (Jancy, Jopper, Lumax) who are their authentic selves with each other and are able to bicker and match each other’s energies while still very clearly loving each other. Milkvan is not like them, and not in a good way.

The second portion of this (and why I mentioned the phone call scene) is the fact that Mike talks to her like he has to dumb himself down/like she is much younger and unable to understand how he would talk to her normally. I really don’t has a way to describe this other than just recommending that you watch those scenes again to see what I mean. It’s obvious that he cares about her and really does enjoy talking to her, but in a way that I would talk to my younger siblings/cousins. Is this how a healthy relationship should seem? I certainly hope not. This is doubled by the fact where in that one interview (I have no idea where to find it so if someone has it please link it!!) Finn says that when he first met El, it was like taking in an alien like in ET. Again, not very romantic. It is also explicitly shown that this is not how everyone talks to El, so it’s not like she can’t understand the standard level of conversation. Such a big emphasis on El and Max’s friendship and the fact that Max treats El as an equal and helps her find her own personality instead of babying El and keeping her sheltered and controlled. She can be treated like a regular person and is so much better for it. She’s not you pet, Michael.

Notice how both of these major problems are never found between Mike and Will. All of their conversations and interactions within the show are 100% genuine and authentic and never feel superficial or forced. Their relationship is also taken much more seriously throughout the whole show when contrasted to Milkvan, but that’s a whole separate post. Mike and Will’s fights are serious and real, while Mike and El’s (with the exception of the “From Mike” fight, which is pretty telling) are comedic and surface level and played for laughs.

BYLER ENDGAME BYLER ENDGAME

[ssentimentals]

hi love ur works! can i request 43 and 45 for idol!cheol and idol!reader?

hi babe! aw, thank you :') thank you for requesting, hopefully you'll like it! 💜

prompt: realization of the feelings at the Worst Possible Moment & fake dating

'pr relationships' are very common in the idol world. seungcheol never particularly cared for semantics but he wished he did, because when he got into pr relationship with you, he was totally clueless. the whole 'fake dating' thing spiraled from few videos of you two on the awards ceremony laughing and then your fans made their own conclusions and... well. seungcheol supposes there are weirder things out there than seeing an article about himself being in happy relationship with you, when in reality he never even met you outside of big events.

'it worked very well,' his manager says, smiling at him reassuringly. 'it's a normal practice, seungcheol. we will just put out a statement that you two didn't manage to hold on to your love due to very busy schedules and that's it, you will officially be a free man. those five months were probably very tiring for you.'

seungcheol doesn't think he should say that those five months were actually the best months of his life, so he wisely keeps his mouth shut. he tried to ask around about this - are there any pr relationships that turned out to be real? did any couple in the history go from 'fake dating' to very much real dating? answer is no and it weighs heavily on his chest. he never thought how fake dating would work, but you made it so easy. going out with you was awkward at first but then? days when you two were supposed to meet quickly became his favorites. he anticipated them, got ready for them, enjoyed them fully. somehow from 'just another idol' you turned into 'a good friend' and then-

'okay, let's get this done. today is the day we put an end to that pr stunt,' his manager pats him on the back. 'she and her manager are already inside.'

seungcheol thinks that universe is probably laughing at him right now. he's about to walk into the meeting where you two are supposed to sign the document specifying the end of 'pr stunt' and 'fake dating' and seungcheol? seungcheol wants none of that. seungcheol wants to take your hand and kiss you for the first time in those five months. he wants to wrap his arms around you and look into your eyes and tell you that he's fallen in love for real. he wants to go on those dates but not because it's an obligation due to contract, but because he genuinely wants to spend time with you. he wants you to be his real girlfriend with no pretense. and he thinks that you might want it too. after five months seungcheol likes to think that he knows you well and if there's even a tiny chance that you might feel the same - he's going to go for it.

'any questions before we start?' the lawyer asks once everyone sits down.

seungcheol chews on his bottom lip. you're sitting in front of him, looking as nervous as he feels. he wants to reach out and take your hand in his, wants to tell you that there's nothing to worry about, that he will handle it all. he truly is an idiot for figuring his feelings out the day this contract is supposed to end. 'i have a question,' he says loudly, startling everyone. you look up at him with raised eyebrows and cheol leans on the table, stretching his hand out to you. 'you're with me, yes?'

you blink. there's moment of hesitation but then you clasp his hand. 'not sure what's happening, but yeah, i'm with you.'

seungcheol gives your hand a squeeze. that's all he needs. 'what if i didn't want to break up?' he asks, causing both managers to freeze in shock. 'what if i wanted to keep going?' you start to pull your hand out of his grip and he quickly adds: 'as a real thing this time.'

'seungcheol, what?' you breathe out with widened eyes. 'what-'

'for real this time,' he repeats, turning to you. you look shocked but you also look hopeful and yeah, seungcheol is going all in. 'you and me. as a couple. no contract anymore, no stupid pr things that we have to do. just us.'

'just us,' you repeat in awe. blush colors your cheeks when the meaning behind his words resonates. 'cheol, i-'

'with me?' he asks, interlacing your fingers. 'still with me, yeah?'

his manager is going to kill him. shocked looking lawyer will probably have his ass too. but none of it matters when your eyes sparkle prettily at him. when you lean closer, smiling. when you squeeze his hand in reassurance. 'yeah. still with you.'

seungcheol smiles. there's some stuff happening at the background: managers bickering, lawyer shouting. none of it matters though, not when he moves his chair until he's right next to you. when you let him kiss your cheek and your shoulder. 'can't wait to take you out on a real date,' he whispers, grinning.

you chuckle, leaning on his right side. 'me too.'

people on the background fade. seungcheol kisses your hand and smiles - nothing else matters.

a/n: oh this was so fun to write hehe :D hope you enjoyed, let me know! - nini

request your own here

my other seventeen work is here

[ultimatelytired]

Lullaby pt. 2

word count: 10,231

Fandom: Poppy Playtime Pairing: N/A Pronouns: She/Her Relationship: Familial Occupation: Caretaker Ability: Ballerina Music Box

The character takes the appearance of a beautifully crafted music box ballerina figurine made of the toughest porcelain and glass, their clothes made from real fabric that is soft to touch and hair so smooth and silky you'd mistake it for real hair. Attached to their back is a wind up key that continuously spins when they're active and stops when they switch off. If the key is removed they cease to operate until key is returned and they are wound up again. Before CatNap, the character was the one to put the children to sleep with their built-in music box that would constantly be updated with new songs to play to help ease the children to sleep.

Keys:

[F/N]: Female Name

Warnings: the hour of joy, blood, death, all that shit.

"Lullaby" pt. 1

finally started using grammarly properly and started cleaning up my shit, i'm kind of happy about the outcome, though grammarly does tend to repeat a couple words.

I originally wanted to make this longer but I'll put in what I want in the next part.

that is all.

It was just like any other day.

Wake up.

Do a headcount during breakfast.

Guide the children to school.

Clean up around Home Sweet Home.

Entertain the Smiling Critters.

Play with the children after their lessons.

And so on and so forth. But a problem arose when she was in the middle of cleaning up Home Sweet Home. It was late at night, and the staff had missed a few things during their shift. Rather than wait for the morning crew, she decided to take care of it herself. Usually, a few lingering night guard employees would patrol Home Sweet Home while she "slept," taking over her job of monitoring the Playcare. But tonight, she was struggling to find them—or at least the one in charge.

"Where the hell is the night guard...?" she muttered to herself, standing on the second floor and looking over the railing to try and spot the man. A quiet breath left her lips when she still couldn't find him. She sighed, frustrated, her nails tapping against the oak beneath her fingers. Forget it—she'd find him later.

She moved on to the third level of Home Sweet Home, where the Smiling Critters resided. Peeking into their rooms, she nodded softly when she saw them all sound asleep. But when she opened CatNap's door—

"H-Help me..." Her eyes widened at the sight of one of the morning staff lying in a pool of their own blood, deep scratch marks gouged along their arms and face. Huh—no wonder she hadn’t seen them earlier that afternoon. Slowly, she lifted her eyes and found CatNap staring at her, shock clear in his gaze. He hadn’t expected her. Some of the red smoke escaped his mouth, though they both knew it didn’t work on her.

"P-Please save me..." the injured woman pleaded, grabbing Ballade's leg and trying to pull herself up. Ballade froze, her mind racing. Why did she have to walk in at this moment? Why now? This woman had been pestering CatNap all day to "open up," insisting she was "there for him." He’d ignored her until she cornered him in his room, and clearly, things had escalated.

What was Ballade going to do? Report this to the higher-ups? Send CatNap to the doctor to fix his violent outburst? Was she scared of him? There was nothing he could do to stop her. Despite being made before the Smiling Critters, Ballade’s model had been designed to handle toys the humans couldn’t control. He took a step back when he saw her glance down at the woman, her hand reaching out. He expected her to help her up—but instead, her hand crushed the woman’s head in one swift motion.

Ballade waited for the twitching to stop before she removed her hand, looking back up at CatNap. She smiled softly. Before she could speak, the sound of footsteps echoed outside the room. She pressed a finger to her lips and gestured for him to stay quiet. Lifting the woman’s body by the neck, she stepped out and shut the door just as the night guard appeared.

"Ah, there you are, Balla—" He stopped, eyes widening at the sight of the dead body. "Why on earth do you have a corpse?" She shrugged.

"I thought she was an intruder and dealt with her the way the Head Executives told me to." He stared for a moment, then shrugged.

"Whatever, as long as you don't do that to me."

"You have a reason to be here overnight. She did not. I didn’t expect anyone but the nightguards to be here—and I know you wouldn’t sneak around like a rodent." She smiled sweetly as the woman’s bones cracked under her grip.

"R-Right... So, uh, what are you going to do with her body?"

"Feed her to Boxy. If the children ask why she’s missing, I’ll just say she’s sick and needs time to recover. Mister Pierre prefers it when I kill the staff—saves him money on wages."

"Sounds like him." The guard nodded. "Need any help?"

"I’ll manage. I’ll be back once the body’s disposed of." With a polite bow of her head, she turned away. Noticing the guard linger near CatNap's door, she held her breath—but he simply shook his head and walked off in the opposite direction. "Perhaps I should thank CatNap. Now I get to see Boxy Boo~ It’s been a while." Tossing the corpse over her shoulder, she made her way down to the prison. The night shift employees didn’t blink an eye when she passed with a body in tow. They knew the drill.

The moment Boxy's cell opened, his eyes peeked through the crack—and then the lid burst open. His tongue lolled out at the sight of fresh meat. She caressed his head gently before tossing the body onto the floor. As he ate, she sat beside him, talking about anything that came to mind. Boxy couldn’t speak, but she knew he was listening—and understanding.

It was hard to leave him, especially when he whined softly for her to stay. But she had other matters to attend to.

"Oh, kitty cat~" she cooed softly as she entered CatNap's room, now dressed in fresh clothes. She had taken longer than expected—mopping up blood was a tedious task. But she was back, and she found him sitting nervously on his bed. "You must be curious about what just happened, hmm?" She didn’t sit beside him, mindful of his nerves. Instead, she knelt before him, waiting patiently.

"... You killed her," he said quietly.

"I did."

"The human guard was fine with it..."

"He was."

"... Have you killed before?"

"Many times." She looked down at her porcelain hands, imagining the blood that had stained them so often. "I am Playcare's security for a reason. So long as I don't step out of line, I can deal with these humans however I like—and they won’t bat an eye. Mister Pierre prefers it. Saves him money and resources." Her voice softened as her hands began to tremble. "But I hate the human employees. They know what we are, what was done to us—and still, they smile while they lead children to their deaths. So yes, when I kill them—when they beg and plead—I enjoy it."

The sadistic glint in her eyes startled CatNap. But then her expression crumbled.

"But then I remember those children. I smile with them, sing with them, play with them—and I lie to them. I give them hope that they’ll leave this hell, knowing they never will. And that makes me just like those adults. I let those kids slip through my fingers." She clenched her shaking hands. "I hate myself for it."

"I don’t think you’re like them," he whispered. "You try to keep us safe. You let me go when I tried to escape." She blinked, startled that he remembered.

"And I am grateful to 1006 for saving your life. But that still isn't enough. I just want them to be free, even if it means I have to stay down here to repent for what I have done." She looked up when CatNap's paws grabbed her hands.

"The Prototype will save us." She blinked in confusion.

"T-The Prototype? But how? Ever since you two tried to escape, he's been put in a high-security cell that only the Head Executives and the Doctor can access. I'm allowed to roam the prison however I like, but even I'm not allowed near it. I-It's impossible." She shivered slightly when he gave a low chuckle.

"He will give us salvation. With him, we will know true freedom." He noticed the way her face broke, even if it was just for a second; he saw the way his words were getting to her. "If we side with the Prototype, he will free us from this prison." Her gaze stayed on him before it drifted to the side.

"I don't care if I have to stay down here, I just want those kids to be free." She licked her lips as she looked at him. "If I help... will he promise to set them free?" He grinned.

"The Prototype will set us all free." She wavered, swallowing thickly as she took her hands back.

"I need to think about this, Theo. If something goes wrong--" He shook his head.

"Nothing will go wrong." She sighed.

"We don't know that. I haven't agreed nor have I declined the thought of siding with the Prototype, but I just need to think about this. If I do agree... I'll come find you, but it'll take me some time." He nodded his head.

"There's no need to rush, [F/N]."

"Thank you, Theo." She smiled, albeit weakly, and hugged him. "I really needed this."

"... If you ever need to talk, I'll be here." She hummed softly.

"You're probably the only one who would understand, but I don't want to burden you with my thoughts." He shook his head.

"It's the least I can do with all the stress you have to carry."

"Hah, then I appreciate it." She scratched under his chin and nuzzled her cheek against his. "I won't say a word about our conversation to anyone, but tell me if anyone else bothers you. I will personally take care of it. Or if you kill anyone, tell me and I'll clean it up. You're not technically allowed to kill anyone, so we'll both get in trouble if that occurs." He let out his own laugh.

"I'll keep that in mind." CatNap perked up when he felt her movements start to lag, so he looked at the wind-up key and saw that it was beginning to slow. Noticing this, he gently nudged her stomach. "You should go back to your stage; you're beginning to slow down."

"Oh, I didn't even notice." She started pushing herself up but struggled a little. She let out a noise when CatNap stood up and let her lean on his body. "Thank you."

"Allow me to help you down..." She hummed softly.

"I appreciate the help." The nightguards didn't question CatNap helping Ballade down the stairs and onto her stage, where he waited for her key to stop turning to finally leave her alone. They all knew that CatNap was her favorite out of all the Smiling Critters and figured if they couldn't find her in her usual spots, she'd be with that colossal cat.

And so the days went on as if nothing happened in the first place. A few of the children did notice that the woman was missing but eventually forgot about it when Ballade said she was at home resting after catching a cold. The Smiling Critters did notice that Ballade and CatNap seemed a lot closer than usual; they also knew that CatNap was her favorite, but whatever occurred that night seemed to have strengthened their bond. Speaking of which, they needed Ballade for something and found both her and CatNap on her stage with a couple of other children drawing.

"What a wonderful blend of colors, sweetheart. Crafty Corn has taught you well during her arts and crafts lessons." Ballade praised as she looked over their art piece, quite impressed by their skill. "You will make a fine artist someday, child." She teasingly pinched their nose and giggled softly when they squealed.

"Stop that!" She held her hands up in surrender before leaning back into CatNap once more, her hand absentmindedly patting his head while her music box played songs that helped him sleep. Her other hand was drawing circles in the air before she finally noticed DogDay, Bobby, and Bubba, where she perked up and waved her hand to greet them. "Good afternoon, children! Care to join us?" She cocked a brow when she saw the three of them look nervous.

"Um, you're not particularly busy, are you?" She looked at the children that were sprawled all over her stage while CatNap nestled close into her back before looking back up at them.

"...Not really, no. Why?" Their reason was so ridiculous it woke CatNap up; even the children were staring in confusion. That's where she found herself staring down at Kickin and Hoppy, who had somehow gotten themselves stuck in the children's playground. "And you did this because you wanted to prove you could fit through the hole?" At least Hoppy had the decency to look shameless; Kickin just huffed as he hung by his waist from out of the hole he was stuck in.

"...Yes." She shook her head.

"You do know that this is a playground built for tiny children, correct?" She chuckled softly when Hoppy covered her face with her ears. "Have anything to say for yourselves?"

"...Help us?"

"No!" She slapped a hand onto her forehead and let out a sigh while the crowd of children laughed when Hoppy and Kickin apologized, which was what she really wanted. The next hour was spent with Ballade trying to get them out without damaging the playground or hurting the two, but both were difficult. The two of them had wedged themselves pretty tight, and she couldn't pull them out without tearing their stitching. She practically had to tear the holes they were in wide enough for them to slip out, but due to this, it destroyed the part of the playground they got themselves stuck in. She then spent the next half hour explaining to a few of the employees what happened while Hoppy and Kickin were on their knees with their arms above their heads as a form of punishment.

"You guys did this to yourselves," Bubba said, Picky and Crafty nodding their heads from behind the elephant.

"We're sorry..." Hoppy and Kickin sighed, DogDay snickering softly.

"The children had a good laugh out of it," Bobby said, pursing her lips as she scratched her cheek.

"Sure, but now they have to close the playground so they can fix what Miss Ballade broke to get them out." They looked back over at her and saw how she pinched the bridge of her nose at what the employee told her, then apologized and consoled the children when they learned they couldn't play on the playground. "Way to go, you two."

"Let's hope Miss Ballade doesn't get in trouble. They don't like it when we break any of the property," Crafty said.

"Perhaps since it was her, she won't get into a lot of trouble."

"Still, I can't help but worry." Hoppy and Kickin felt even worse; because of their competitiveness, they were getting Ballade in trouble. True to her suspicion, Leith reprimanded Ballade for not keeping an eye on the two and for not thinking of any alternatives to prying them free. CatNap was the one to slink over to her side to comfort her but flinched upon noticing that behind her smile-painted face was the look of rage burning in her eyes. Her hand closed into a tight fist, her entire frame trembling with suppressed anger as she watched Leith with Stella and a few other employees walk away. Her eyes snapped over to CatNap when she felt him press himself against her side, his presence the only thing keeping her from lashing out. She took a slow breath, forcing her muscles to relax, but her voice, when she spoke, was tight and low.

"Thank you..." she spoke softly, his ears perked up at her words. "You're really the only person that can calm me down..." Her voice was barely above a whisper, soft enough that only he could hear. The way CatNap lit up had the children thinking that Ballade was going to reward him with something. A broken, rumbling purr rippled from his throat as he rubbed affectionately against her side. She responded by kneeling down, her painted smile still in place, and nuzzled her cheek gently against his fur. The warmth of the gesture seemed so natural, so familiar, that the children watching giggled at the display.

But then her eyes shifted, softening as they landed on Hoppy and Kickin. Their ears drooped, and their expressions were heavy with guilt. Without hesitation, she approached them. They jumped in surprise when her hands landed softly on their heads, then cupped the back of them to pull them into a warm embrace. She felt the way they trembled in her hold, their little bodies overcome with remorse.

"W-We're sorry for getting you in trouble, Miss Ballade..."

"We promise we won't d-do it again..." they whimpered softly, their voices shaking. She shook her head, her grip on them gentle but firm.

"It's fine, it's better if I get in trouble than you lot. They would be far harsher on you than they ever would be with me." The thought chilled her, though she kept her tone calm and comforting. We’re lucky all I got was a talking to and nothing else, she thought bitterly. Pulling back just enough to meet their eyes, she offered a soft, reassuring smile. "As long as you learn from this, all is fine." she sweat dropped when they started crying so she continued to hold them until they eventually calmed down.

The next day, determined to make things right, Hoppy and Kickin approached the playground supervisor and took full responsibility for the damage. They also worked together to organize an impromptu arts and crafts day with Crafty Corn’s help, keeping the children entertained while the playground was being repaired. They even helped with the cleanup and offered to assist in the minor repairs they could manage without making things worse. Ballade couldn't help but be impressed by their initiative to take responsibility—perhaps the two of them were finally learning—until she noticed them bickering again, each claiming the idea had been theirs. She cleared her throat pointedly, and with one sharp look, the two fell silent.

Despite their antics, the effort they put in didn’t go unnoticed. By the end of the week, the playground was on its way to being fixed, and the children had enjoyed a day filled with laughter and creativity. Even Stella, seeing their hard work, made a point to praise them for stepping up. Later, as the day came to an end, Ballade found herself once again sitting with CatNap on her stage, watching the children show off their colorful creations. She let out a soft sigh, her hand absentmindedly stroking behind his ears.

“Maybe they’ll grow out of it one day,” she mused. CatNap chuckled, his purring a gentle vibration against her side.

“Maybe. But where would the fun be in that?” Ballade smiled despite herself, the warmth of the moment washing away the week’s troubles. For now, at least, there was peace—and perhaps just a little bit of hope.

Until—

"We're a head short..." Ballade murmured to herself as she counted the children that exited the school, she grew nervous when she counted again and again but she still ended up short one child. "Even one of the Miss Delight teachers is missing. Where could they have gone?" One of the Miss Delight teachers approached Ballade after hearing her question.

"Miss Ballade, thank goodness I've found you." She raised a brow.

"What is it?" She looked down at the teacher and watched her pace.

"The employees came earlier today and pulled one of the children aside." Ballade's face turned cold at what she said. "We know we're not supposed to interfere when they take the children, but they weren't following the correct procedure, so one of my sisters is stalling them." Miss Delight flinched when she saw the dark look on Ballade's face, her voice dropping.

"Where are they?" she asked, her tone sharp and dangerous.

"If she's stopped them, they should be close to the back."

She nodded once and turned, her pace brisk and her mind already racing through every possible scenario. Her breath quickened as she navigated the halls, thoughts swirling in a dangerous storm. If they were taking a child now, in broad daylight, it was far outside protocol. They were only supposed to remove the children at lights out—when it was easier to explain away their absence by saying they had fallen ill overnight. If they were breaking that rule, it meant that the scientists were eager to experiment on a child instead of having the lucky "chosen child" that was lucky to be adopted.

"Please, don't take Sarah away!" Miss Delight's desperate plea echoed through the corridor, trembling with fear and determination. Ballade’s sharp eyes immediately locked onto the two employees holding the child—Sarah—between them, their grips too firm and their faces too tense. Sarah’s frightened whimpers tugged at something primal inside Ballade. When one of the employees pushed Miss Delight back, Ballade’s vision flashed with fury. Her smile, painted and eternal, hid the storm brewing just beneath the surface.

"Unhand that child." Ballade’s voice was calm—too calm—but the weight of it filled the air like a thunderclap. Every head turned toward her, and the employees visibly stiffened under her gaze.

"Miss Ballade, this is none of your concern—"

"It becomes my concern when my children are frightened," she cut in coldly. She advanced slowly, every step measured, her eyes never leaving theirs. "And it becomes my problem when protocols are ignored." She stopped mere feet from them, her towering presence suffocating in its intensity. "So I will only say this once more: unhand the child. Now." they were quick to heed her words and they let Sarah go, who cried weakly and fell into Miss Delight's embrace.

"I-I was so scared...!" she sobbed softly, Ballade waved her hand and gestured for Miss Delight to take the child and leave.

"I'll handle this, go join the rest of the children and your sisters." she bowed her head, thanking the figurine profusely as she rushed away with the child in hand. When they were both out of sight and she knew they were alone, her fist connected with the wall beside their head and they both jumped in fright when it made a hole. The sharp crack of breaking plaster echoed through the corridor, and dust rained down around them.

"What do you think you were doing, hmm?" she asked, her friendly persona disappearing as she glared down at the two humans, who trembled under her terrifying gaze. Her eyes, usually warm and expressive, had turned cold and razor-sharp, her smile a painted mockery of calm.

"W-We... We were just fo-- following orders." they answered, their voices shaking.

"Oh? Then why didn't you follow the proper procedure?" Ballade’s voice was low and dangerous, like a blade sliding from its sheath. She took a slow, deliberate step forward, and they instinctively backed away. "If you are to take a child, I am to be informed so I don't act the way I am acting right now." The venom in her tone made their knees buckle. "Even so, why aren't you following the correct protocol?"

She advanced again, her presence suffocating and overwhelming. "When you are to take a child in broad daylight, especially when there are other children to witness your actions, you must do it in a way that doesn't cause the child to stress and raise alarms. And yet here you are—manhandling her like some kind of thief." Her voice dropped to a whisper, which somehow made it even more terrifying. "Are you thieves? Are you looking to steal from me? Because I will not tolerate anyone who threatens my children." One of the employees tried to stammer out an excuse, but Ballade slammed her hand against the wall again, cutting them off. The impact left another crack in the plaster, and both humans flinched violently.

"Give me one good reason," she hissed, her eyes burning with fury, "why I shouldn't report you to the Head Executives myself. Or perhaps..." She tilted her head, her smile twisting into something darker. "Perhaps I should take this up with the Doctor. I'm sure he'd love to use you in a few of his experiments." They paled at the mention of the Doctor, their fear now nearly tangible.

"Please... it was a mistake! We—we won't do it again!" one of them whimpered.

"You’re right about that," Ballade snapped. "Because if you ever step out of line again, I promise you—there won’t be enough left of you for anyone to find. Now get out of my sight."

She closed her eyes, taking a slow breath to calm herself before ripping her hands free from the wall, flexing her fingers to shake off the debris. She was confused—why wasn't she informed that they were taking one of the children that day? Why did they show up at the school to remove little Sarah? The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Something wasn’t right.

Did she do the right thing stepping in the way she did? The answer was clear in her heart—yes. But the weight of what she’d just done pressed heavily on her mind. She figured they were going to inform the higher-ups about her interference, and she knew there would be consequences. But was she really at fault? Was protecting the children wrong? Haa, she was going to get into so much trouble.

Her fingers twitched with leftover adrenaline as she turned to leave, but then she remembered the holes she had made. Her eyes darted around the corridor, scanning for any witnesses. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she grabbed the nearby lockers and, with little to no effort, shifted them just enough to conceal the damage.

Perfect.

She stepped back, brushing dust from her hands and examining her work with a critical eye. No one would know—at least for now.

"Miss Ballade!" her head perked up when she saw DogDay rushing up to her, his ears flopping with every hurried step. His face was a mix of worry and confusion "I heard what happened from Miss Delight! Are you alright?" She waved her hand to dismiss his concern, the painted smile on her face still intact, but her eyes betrayed her unease.

"I am fine, nothing to fret about," she answered calmly, her hand gently patting his shoulder in reassurance. "But I am concerned. Why would they break protocol? The scientists are usually very thorough on how they... take the children. They are never ones to send the employees—never in broad daylight, and never without informing me." Her voice softened, but the tension in it was unmistakable.

"Why would they do that?" she sighed.

"I haven't a clue." She jumped when she heard a cry, so she looked over DogDay and saw little Sarah clinging to Miss Delight's dress, the woman doing her best to comfort the child. Miss Delight's usual calm demeanor was visibly shaken, her hands smoothing over Sarah's hair in a desperate attempt to ease her fear.

"I-I was so scared, Miss Delight! I didn't do anything wrong!" The Smiling Critters, who had heard the commotion, huddled around the little girl, their soft voices trying to soothe her with gentle reassurances. Bobby reached out to pat her shoulder, and Crafty offered one of her handmade paper flowers, but nothing seemed to ease Sarah’s sobs. The moment Ballade approached, Sarah’s wide, tear-filled eyes locked onto her, and without hesitation, the little girl rushed over and threw her arms around Ballade's legs tightly. "I swear I didn't do anything wrong, Miss Ballade!" The heartbreak in Sarah's voice made Ballade’s chest tighten, her smile unable to mask the surge of emotion welling up inside her. She knelt down slowly, gently holding the trembling girl by her arms, brushing a stray lock of hair from Sarah's damp cheek.

"I'm sure you did nothing wrong, little one. But fear not—your friend Miss Ballade Ballerina thwarted their efforts! They won’t be coming to scare you, not anymore." Her voice softened with a warm, protective lilt, but inside, she felt a cold fury still simmering from the encounter. She gasped softly when Sarah threw her arms around her neck, her tiny frame shaking with sobs. Ballade sighed, the sound soft and heavy as her own arms wrapped securely around the child, one hand cradling the back of Sarah’s head as she whispered gentle reassurances. "I'll make sure of it," she promised, her voice low and fierce with quiet determination. She knew those words meant more than Sarah could ever understand.

"T-Thank you, Miss Ballade. I'm glad I can trust you." The girl’s words were muffled against her shoulder, but they struck Ballade harder than any blow. Her breath caught as she felt Sarah nuzzle closer into her embrace, seeking safety and comfort. The weight of guilt settled deeper into Ballade’s mind, cold and unshakable.

She really shouldn't place her trust in her.

CatNap noticed Ballade becoming more distant from herself after the incident with the child as bedtime approached. No one else seemed to pick up on the subtle changes — the way her painted smile looked just a bit more strained, how her eyes wavered every time she looked at the children. The mask she always wore, the one that kept her true emotions hidden, was slipping. She lingered longer when the children hugged her, held them a little tighter, as if trying to memorize the warmth of their small arms around her. Their laughter, their trust — it weighed heavily on her shoulders. They told her how much they loved spending time with her, and each word chipped away at her carefully constructed facade. It had always been easy to fake happiness for their sake, to protect their ignorant bliss… but with each passing day, it became so much harder to keep up the act.

It was during bedtime, after they put the children to sleep and she was walking CatNap back to his room, when he finally understood why.

"I'll do it." his head perked up when she spoke, her face void of any emotion.

"... do what?" her eyes hardened, whether it be at him or herself, he couldn't really tell.

"Whatever you and 1006 need, I'll do it." Ballade's shoulders slumped as her eyes fixated on a picture frame of the children laughing and smiling, not a single bad thought behind their innocent eyes. She stared at it, the image feeling so distant— like something she could never quite reach. She wondered what it would feel like to truly hold them, to feel their warmth, the softness of their little hands when they reached out for her. But she never would. The sensation of touch was something foreign, a mystery she'd never get to experience again in this body. Every embrace she gave them was empty for her, a performance of comfort she could never fully share.

"I can't do it anymore." Her voice broke, trembling with the weight of her words. "It pains me every time I watch those children cry and ask me what they did wrong to be taken away, how they trust me with every inch of their small bodies and I trample all over it just by simply existing." She wanted so badly to feel the way they held onto her, to know the security they believed she gave them. But all she ever felt was the aching hollowness where that connection should have been.

"I hate going to the prison and hearing their anguished cries to be let out, to go home, to be free." Her hands shook at her sides, the phantom feeling of their terrified clinging playing through her mind — sensations she could only imagine. "I hate lying to them, telling them everything will be okay when I know it won’t." she could imagine the sensation of tears welling up in her eyes, though they could never fall since she lacked the proper glands to produce them. "They look at me like I’m their protector, their safe place… and every time one of them disappears, I know I've failed them again." She clenched her fists so tightly her porcelain hands threatened to crack, but even the pain of it was absent. The frustration of that emptiness only made the ache inside her deepen.

Ballade's fingers traced the frame’s edges, her hands trembling as she fought to keep her composure. CatNap watched her quietly, his tail flicking with unease. It was rare to see Ballade like this— so vulnerable, so worn down by guilt and sorrow. He padded closer, pressing his head against her arm in an attempt to offer some comfort.

"They deserve better," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Better than me. Better than this place." CatNap let out a low, broken purr, his eyes flickering with a knowing look.

"Then let's change it," he murmured, his voice soft but resolute. Ballade turned to him, her eyes wide but weak.

"But what if we fail?" he shook his head.

"We won't. With your help, freedom will be in ours hands. The Prototype will make sure of that, I promise." her lip trembled and he'd think she'd start crying but she was unable to, she bit her lip and knelt down to press her forehead against his.

"I don't care what happens to me, CatNap, so long as those kids get to leave this hellish place." Her voice hardened. "I'll side with you and the Prototype if it means those kids get to be free, if it means they don't have to suffer anymore." She turned to face him, eyes burning with a mixture of sorrow and resolve. "Just tell me what you guys are going to do, and I'll be right on your side." she was fully on her knees as she wrapped her arms around CatNap's neck and nuzzled into his head, he returned the affection as a single thought went through his mind.

He had won.

Ever since their conversation to help the Prototype, CatNap observed Ballade closely. He saw how the weight of her decision pressed down on her more with each passing day. There was a newfound desperation in her every action, an urgency that hadn’t been there before—because now there was chance to finally make things right. Now there was a possibility that the children's suffering could finally end, and that chance both strengthened and broke her.

He noticed how she struggled to get by every day, caught between the promise of freedom for the children and the reality of her own helplessness. The knowledge that she could finally save them gnawed at her, but with it came the agony of waiting—waiting for the right time, waiting for the right plan. Every second felt like a betrayal, knowing the children she loved were still at risk.

Ballade’s guilt was killing her. She hated herself for every moment she stood by and did nothing while the children were taken—frightened, confused, and pleading for answers she couldn’t give. She hated the way they trusted her so completely, how they clung to her and sought comfort in her arms when she knew she couldn’t protect them. And worse, she hated how she longed for their touch even though she couldn’t feel it.

That emptiness haunted her. Every time a child’s small hand slipped into hers, every time they hugged her tight, she could only pretend to feel it. She could see their warmth, their affection, but it never reached her. And yet she held onto those moments as if they could somehow fill the void inside her. She clung to their love because it was the only thing keeping her from falling apart.

"... the Prototype has a plan, [F/N]. But we must wait before we can act on it."

"How long must I wait?"

"I'm sure you can be patient." a weak chuckle escaped her throat when he saw her pout, he nudged his head against her cheek "Our freedom will be guaranteed with you on our side." she nods.

"Just tell me when, and I'll do whatever you two need me to do."

Having Ballade side with the Prototype was the last hurdle in their final plan. She was already well aware that the Prototype was one of the most dangerous experiments to ever come out of the Bigger Bodies Initiative. And though she was no match for a force as powerful and unpredictable as the Prototype itself, Ballade was more than capable of handling CatNap and the other Bigger Bodies. That was her job — not only to care for the children and dispose of any unwanted guests but to apprehend any of the toys that stepped out of line. She’d done it before, and she can most definitely do it again. She remembered the incident with Mommy Longlegs vividly — the frantic way the creature lashed out when the children left the Game Station and moved into Playcare. The hysteria had escalated so quickly that Ballade had been forced to tie Mommy Longlegs' limbs together just to stop her from going on a rampage. It wasn’t the first time Ballade had been made to turn on one of her own, and wouldn’t be the last so long as the toys did their jobs.

The Prototype will be most pleased to learn Ballade has sided with him.

[august eighth 1995, 10.00 am]

Deep breath.

In, and out.

In, and out.

Quell your nerves.

"Ballade, are you alright?" her eyes move down to one of the human counselors and saw the way the woman looked up at her in concern, seemingly noticing she wasn't acting like herself, but Ballade easily masked her unease and smiled.

"Don't worry about me, Miss. Just trying to come up with more ways to entertain the children, the older ones are growing bored of the usual activities I usually plan out. I'm struggling to come up with new things to keep them entertained." the woman laughed as she pats Ballade on the back.

"I'm sure you can come up with something, you're quite creative when it comes to keeping those kids on their toes!" she gave a laugh in response to her words.

"I try my best." she waves her hand goodbye when the woman had to return to the Counselor's Office, missing the way Ballade's eyes turned cold as they observed all the human employees walking around. It was like any other ordinary day within the Playcare, the children were up and escorted to the dining hall for breakfast by the Smiling Critters then guided to the school to proceed with the day. It was only a matter of time before it all begins, and they won't even know what hit them.

".... don't tell me you're chickening out, [F/N]." a bitter laugh escapes her lips when CatNap appeared beside her, she looked down at him and could practically see the eagerness in his eyes "It's almost upon us." she huffed.

"Yes, the day they all reap what they sow. The other Critters are still unaware, right?" he nods.

"They are. They're not nearly as understanding as you, so I was afraid to outright tell them the details about what was going to happen today." he saw the way her shoulders slumped.

"I feel like that it's for the better, Theo. Better to stain our hands than than the others." she let out a breath "Then we're going for plan b?" he nods his head.

"I have already told them to meet us beneath the Playhouse." she closed her eyes and briefly looked back into Home Sweet Home to find the clock and it was only half past ten, he watched her and saw the way she rubbed her arms nervously "Remember, [F/N], we're doing this to secure our freedom. The Prototype is giving us our chance to do right by the children by not only saving them, but ourselves." despite her hesitation, she nodded.

"You're right." she inhaled deeply before they both made their way to the Playhouse, they went through the back to avoid running into any other staff members or children and found the Smiling Critters in the prison, Ballade made sure there was nobody else beneath the Playhouse before entering the room alone.

"Children... something drastic is going to happen in the next half hour, and though I don't want you to participate in what is going to happen, I can't leave you in the dark." Kickin let out a nervous chuckle, his feathered hand rubbing the back of his head.

"W-What do you mean? Does this have to do with what CatNap was yapping about months ago?" she nodded.

"What exactly has he told you?" They looked at each other rather anxiously, Bobby pressing her paws together.

"He mentioned... the Prototype? Saying stuff about how he'll save us." Hoppy nodded.

"He was really cryptic with his words. It kind of freaked me out."

"CatNap was talking about how there will come a time when we will get to take back our lives if we... join the Prototype," Bubba said, his hooves messing with his lightbulb-shaped zipper.

"CatNap wasn't s-serious about us joining the Prototype, right? The staff told us that he was very dangerous," Crafty murmured softly.

"He's been obsessed with that thing for ages. I thought he would have gotten over it years ago," Picky added. DogDay, in turn, gave a forced laugh as he looked up at Ballade. He felt uneasy with how they were all trapped in the cramped room with Ballade blocking their way out. The dimly lit room didn’t help calm his nerves as Ballade looked down at them all with an unreadable expression.

"He wasn't being serious though, right? He was probably just trying to scare us! He wouldn't really consider joining hands with that experiment." He took Ballade by the hand and looked up at her for some sort of reassurance. "If you're talking to us about this, then that means CatNap brought this up with you as well. He wasn't being serious about helping the Prototype, right? You talked him out of it, right?" They all looked up at her eagerly and saw the way she couldn't meet their eyes.

"M-Miss Ballade?" When she took a step forward, they felt a chill run down their spines when they saw the look in her eyes.

"The Prototype will set us free," she spoke with a rather eerie voice. She took DogDay's paw and squeezed it, a look of desperate and conflicted expression on her face. "He said that if we help him, we'll be saving the orphans from being killed."

DogDay yanked his paw back, stepping away as if burned. "You... you're siding with the Prototype?" His voice was trembling, his wide eyes filled with disbelief.

Ballade flexed her hands, her painted smile a stark contrast to the pain in her eyes. "I didn’t, initially," she whispered. "But I’ve grown tired of seeing so many children dying at the hands of the scientists — and I let it all happen because I couldn't do anything about it. If we help him, he promises that he'll set them free... He’ll set you free! Don't you understand? If siding with the Prototype means we get to end this madness, then so be it."

The room fell into a suffocating silence.

"No," Hoppy whispered, her ears flattened against her head. "No, this isn’t right… You—You can’t believe him!"

"The Prototype is a monster!" Bobby cried. "He’s dangerous — the humans told us so!"

"And the humans lie!" Ballade snapped, her voice cracking as emotion bled through. "They hurt us! They hurt the children! How many more have to suffer before we fight back?!"

"Not like this," DogDay said softly, shaking his head. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. "Not like this, Miss Ballade…" they stare up at her in terror as her shoulders deflated, she let out a defeated breath as she lowered her head.

“Then... you leave me no choice.” Ballade’s voice was heavy with regret as she stepped to the side, one hand reaching for the doorknob behind her. It was then that they noticed the red smoke seeping from beneath the doorframe. When she turned the knob and pulled the door open, the thick, eerie mist flooded into the room, swirling around their feet. CatNap stepped in silently, his eyes gleaming with purpose.

“I can’t have you stopping us,” Ballade continued, her voice quiet but resolute. “Nor telling the adults what you’ve learned.” As the door clicked shut behind CatNap, the red smoke spread, filling the room like a creeping tide.

“W-What are you doing?” Kickin’s voice wavered, panic rising.

“Why are you doing this, Ballade?!” Bubba cried out, fear evident in his eyes.

One by one, they succumbed. The red smoke took them swiftly, their bodies crumpling to the floor as the strange gas overtook them. Ballade stood still, taking a deep breath—unaffected—as the others collapsed around her. Only DogDay resisted, his knees buckling as he fought to stay conscious, his teeth clenched.

“Please... don’t...” he whispered, his vision blurring.

But it was futile. As his strength gave out and he began to fall, Ballade caught him, cradling him gently in her arms. For a moment, she held him there, her grip firm but careful. When she pulled away, her fingers brushed against his face, cupping his cheeks with a heartbreaking tenderness.

“I’m doing this for your own good,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “You’ll forgive me for this when it’s all over... when you see what we’ve done was to save you.”

DogDay’s hand gripped her shoulder weakly, his eyes pleading—but then his strength faded completely, and his body went limp. Ballade closed her eyes, forcing herself to swallow the guilt rising in her throat. With methodical care, she gathered the others, dragging their unconscious forms into their individual cells. The sound of the locks clicking into place echoed in the still air, and she stood in the silence that followed, her heart heavy.

For a long moment, she lingered at the door, her hand resting on the cold metal.

“You did what you could, [F/N],” CatNap said softly behind her. “I’m sure they’ll thank you when this is all over.”

Ballade clasped her hands together tightly, the motion more to steady herself than anything else. “I just hope... my judgment isn’t wrong.” She looked down at CatNap, her eyes sincere but filled with doubt. “The Prototype will uphold his promise... right? The orphans will be set free... right?”

She didn’t trust the Prototype—how could she?—but she trusted CatNap. And CatNap believed in him. That was the only reason she was still standing here.

The only reason she hadn’t turned back.

"The doctors say he's dangerous, but he wants what's best for us all." this was enough to reassure her, she reached down and ruffled his head.

"If you say so." she takes another breath to calm herself one last time "We should probably go, it's almost time." he nods.

"The Hour of Joy is almost upon us." she chuckled as she laced her fingers together and pushed them forward, hearing her joints crack under the pressure.

"Let's get to work."

There were many toys that the Prototype managed to recruit to his cause, each one with their own grudges and reasons for joining his orchestrated rebellion throughout the entirety of Playtime Co. From Huggy Wuggy, stationed menacingly within the main lobby with his sharp-toothed grin and cold, unblinking eyes, to Mommy Longlegs lurking within the Game Station alongside the ever-watchful Mini Huggies, waiting with predatory patience for their signal to strike. In Playcare, the heart of the children's refuge, CatNap and Ballade stood as the most dangerous of his allies—each powerful in their own right, each burdened with their own twisted sense of duty and guilt.

Even Miss Delight, the ever-cheerful face of comfort for the orphans, was drawn into this uprising, her tears of joy and sadness masking the deep-seated resentment she bore toward the human employees. And then there were the mini Smiling Critters—once innocent and carefree, now caught between loyalty and fear. They hadn’t yet chosen their sides, and that hesitation made them dangerous liabilities.

The Prototype extended a hand to all the toys who had suffered at the hands of the human employees, promising them more than just vengeance. He offered them freedom—freedom from the torment of their artificial existence, from the chains of servitude and the horror of seeing the children they loved and protected dragged away, never to return. It was a chance to end the cycle of pain and finally reclaim their lives from those who had treated them as nothing more than tools and experiments.

EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM EFFECTIVE 8/8/1995 11:00:00 EST

Playtime Company

Issue A

WORK FORCE DANGER ALERT

"The following message is for all Playtime Co. employees.

At 11:01AM, Eastern Standard Time, an unknown hostile force declared present within the Playtime Co. facility.

Personnel are to begin enacting emergency evacuation protocols immediately.

Leave all personal belongings.

Do not engage with any hostile individuals.

If no exit path is available, seek shelter in a hidden location.

Use blankets or pillows to cover your body, and remain silent.

Do not look through any windows.

Do not open doors for any individuals.

Do not make eye contact--

...

...

Open the doors now. The Hour of Joy has arrived."

It started with the alarms—shrill, blaring cries echoing through the factory like the wailing of lost souls. The lights flickered violently, plunging corridors into a maddening dance of shadow and flame. In the main lobby, Huggy Wuggy descended upon the unsuspecting staff with terrifying speed, his massive frame moving with unnatural grace as his gleaming teeth tore through the chaos. Screams filled the air, but no one escaped his relentless pursuit. Blood painted the walls, limbs lay scattered across the floor, and the air reeked of iron and fear.

At the Game Station, Mommy Longlegs played with her prey. Her elastic limbs snaked through vents and rafters, dragging terrified employees into the darkness. The Mini Huggies scurried in swarms, their tiny forms overwhelming anyone who crossed their path. The once lively station became a house of horrors, filled with echoes of laughter twisted into something monstrous. Flesh was torn from bone, and the floors were slick with blood as the station became a macabre playground.

In Playcare, it was no better than the rest of the factory.

Outside the Playhouse, the halls of Playcare ran red. CatNap drifted through the corridors like a phantom, his red smoke spilling into every crevice. The humans never stood a chance—one by one, they collapsed, some peacefully, others choking on the thick haze, their bodies hitting the ground with lifeless thuds. Ballade followed in his wake, her hands already stained with blood. She moved with cold purpose, securing the orphans first, locking them away where no harm could reach them.

But the carnage followed her.

The human employees were torn apart, their bodies left in grotesque displays of violence. One counselor she had shared a conversation earlier in the morning with lay sprawled against a wall, her throat crushed that her head lolled unnaturally to the side. Another staff member—someone who had once laughed and joked with the children—clawed at his own face, the red mist driving him into a frenzy of madness before his body finally gave out.

As the hour stretched on, the factory drowned in chaos. The Prototype’s plan unfolded perfectly, and the rebellion tore through Playtime Co. like wildfire. Yet amid the destruction, doubt gnawed at Ballade’s resolve. The line between savior and monster blurred, and she wondered if the price of freedom was too steep to bear.

...

...

"Haaa..." It was only hours after the Hour of Joy had commenced when Ballade sat on one of the benches within Playcare, her head thrown back over the backrest while she spread her legs out. "That took longer than I expected," she muttered, as blood slowly dripped down her unclenched fists. The metallic scent of it clung heavily to the air, a stark contrast to the usual warmth and joy that once filled this place. She didn’t get exhausted easily, but after hours of nonstop killing, her body finally felt the weight of it.

She sat up and let her body rest against her knees, more blood sliding down her face and legs, staining her once-pristine porcelain skin a deep, ghastly red. The sticky sensation of it had long since lost its shock — now it just felt like part of her.

CatNap emerged from the shadows, his colossal frame also splattered with crimson, though his breathing was steady and composed. "Most of the humans are gone," he reported, his voice light, almost pleased. "Playcare’s finally quiet. Peaceful."

But it wasn’t peaceful. It was too quiet. The children’s laughter, the chatter of the Smiling Critters — it was all gone. In its place was an eerie stillness, broken only by the distant, occasional drip of blood hitting the cold floor. Ballade’s eyes flickered toward the Playhouse where the Smiling Critters still lay unconscious, and her heart twisted. They hadn’t stirred once since she and CatNap had gassed them. She told herself it was for their own good — they wouldn’t have been able to handle the truth of what needed to be done. Still, the silence behind that door haunted her more than the screams of the humans ever could.

"They’ll thank us," CatNap said softly, as if reading her mind. "When the dust settles, when the children are free— they’ll understand." Ballade nodded slowly, but the doubt gnawed at her. She looked down at her blood-soaked hands, wondering if there would ever truly be an end to the nightmare they’d created in pursuit of salvation.

"Cleaning this all up is going to take so much time..." she said as she looked around and saw all the bodies "I don't suppose we can leave this to the other toys, hmm?" the look CatNap gave her said otherwise, she let out a defeated sigh.

"The Prototype wants us to drag all the bodies down below." CatNap's voice was low, the eerie silence of Playcare amplifying his words. Ballade rubbed her face in exhaustion, smearing more blood across her porcelain skin.

"I can only guess why." Now that all the humans were gone, their connection to the outside world was severed. Supplies would stop coming. They'd have to make do with what was left. "I'm sure there are still some humans roaming around, hiding."

"We got all the ones that weren’t fast or smart enough to hide," he replied. "We should probably head to the labs first before dragging all the bodies."

"Fine by me. I’m not up for more labor after what just happened. Besides, we can check on the others down below to see if they’re done. There were a lot more humans in the prison compared to Playcare." She chuckled, shaking her head as she noticed the eagerness in his eyes.

"Let’s go," he urged, nudging his head into her side. She gently pushed him off as they walked toward the Gas Production Zone.

"We’re going, we’re going," she muttered. Their heavy footsteps echoed against the cold floor with every step, the sound bouncing off walls now stripped of the laughter that once filled the air. They maneuvered over the countless bodies they’d eventually have to clean up, the stillness around them almost deafening.

Reaching the elevator, Ballade gestured for CatNap to step in first. She followed closely behind, waiting for the familiar lurch as it started to descend. But instead of standing still, she left the control panel and leapt down to join him, landing softly beside him. Thanks to her body, she could scale great heights and drop from any distance without pain or injury. No matter how far the humans ran, she would always find a way to get to them. No matter where they hid, there would be no escape.

On their way down to the labs, they came across several toys—some still in the throes of violence, others feasting on the remains of the security staff. The air was thick with the coppery scent of blood and the grotesque sounds of tearing flesh. Some toys played with their victims' remains, giggling in twisted delight as they dismembered what was left. Others stood over the bodies like sentinels, eyes wide with an unhinged kind of glee. Blood painted the walls in wild, sweeping strokes, turning once sterile corridors into grotesque art.

Most of the toys paid them no mind, too absorbed in their grisly work. A few glanced their way, tensing as if ready to strike, but the moment recognition flickered in their eyes, they stood down. Even the most frenzied among them knew better than to cross paths with Ballade and CatNap.

The two of them had a reputation. CatNap was the Prototype's most loyal follower, his name whispered with both respect and fear. And Ballade—Ballade was the Head Executive’s personal bodyguard, an enforcer who obeyed their every command without question. As they ventured deeper through the prison towards the labs, every so often, distant, inhuman screams echoed from below—a reminder of what waited for them at the bottom. The air felt heavier, saturated with the scent of blood and chemicals as they made it to the lower labs. The walls bore deep gouges, the aftermath of something strong and enraged. And in the far distance, they could hear it—metal scraping against metal, a slow, deliberate sound that set their teeth on edge.

"Hmm?" Ballade twisted her head to the side when she heard a sudden clatter, sighing to herself when she spotted a scientist trying to hide but freaked out when he realized he had been spotted "Go on without me, I'll catch him before he locks down the labs. Besides, the Prototype scares me." she gestures for him to go on before turning and chasing after the scientist, catching up to him was easy but due to the fact he ran away he had led her to more humans that were hiding out. Ballade moved through the dim corridors, the scent of blood and metal still thick in the air. She had just finished tracking down the stray scientists, their cries cut short in a single, efficient movement. Wiping her hands on her already bloodied dress, she started back toward the lower labs where the Prototype waited.

As she approached the entrance, the sound of voices reached her ears. She slowed her steps, curiosity and caution guiding her closer.

"…and once the remaining children are secured, we can begin the next phase," the Prototype��s voice was calm and calculating, every word measured as he used the stolen voices of those who have spoken to him. "Their resilience makes them perfect subjects. We’ll have ample opportunities to push beyond the limits of what this facility dared to achieve."

Ballade froze. Her heart—if it could beat—would have stopped. She stepped closer, unnoticed, her breath caught.

"Ballade..." CatNap’s voice was hesitant. "Is not going to let this go. She wants them to be free..."

"Freedom," the Prototype interrupted smoothly, "is a matter of perspective. You see, true freedom lies in purpose—fulfilling the potential we were created for. These children… they are the key to unlocking evolution. Their sacrifice will pave the way for something far greater than any of us."

Ballade’s stomach twisted violently. The world around her blurred at the edges, a rising wave of nausea and panic threatening to drown her. Her hands curled into trembling fists, slick with the blood of those she had already killed, and the weight of those lives now pressed down on her like lead.

"But—"

"Do not let sentiment cloud your judgment," the Prototype’s tone darkened. "You’ve seen how fragile they are, how easily they break. Would you rather they die in fear and ignorance? Or serve a higher calling? In this way, their suffering gains meaning."

She couldn’t listen anymore.

"You lied to me," Ballade spoke, albeit a whisper, but it let her presence be known as she stepped into the lab. Both figures turned toward her. CatNap’s eyes widened in guilt; the Prototype merely regarded her with cool detachment.

"[F/N]—" CatNap started, but she shook her head as she looked towards the monstrosity that was the Prototype.

"You told me we were doing this for them," she whispered, her voice shaking with panic. "To save them. Not… not this." She gestured wildly. "Not to turn them into experiments!"

"Their freedom," the Prototype said, unflinching, "comes through transcendence. Through transformation. It is the only true escape from the frailties of their existence. You of all creations should understand this."

"I understand," she spat, stepping forward, "that you used me." Her cold eyes locked onto CatNap. "And you let him."

"I… I thought—" CatNap stammered, ears flattened.

"No." She shook her head, the enormity of her mistake crashing over her. The faces of the children flashed behind her eyes—their laughter, their trust—and the image shattered under the knowledge of what she had condemned them to. "I made a mistake to trust you." she shakes her head before turning on her feels and leaving, ignoring the way CatNap called out to her as she hurried back to Playcare.

This was a mistake.

I made a mistake.

I shouldn't have trusted them.

I shouldn't have trusted him.

But it's too late.

From one hell to another, the Prototype's in control now.

[blouisparadise]

Here are some great bottom Louis fics that were posted or completed during the month of February. We really hope you enjoy this list. Happy reading!

1) Just Wanna Be Loved By You | Not Rated | 1,901 words

Louis is too tired to be tough and Harry tries to love him through his struggles. A Defenceless AU.

2) Darling, I Will Give Up Everything | Explicit | 1,903 words

Louis' had a terrible day at uni, but thankfully he can always fall into Harry's arms and be taken care of.

3) Dear Harry, | Not Rated | 1,945 words

The one where Louis writes a letter to the Alpha that he one day dreams of meeting.

4) The Eagle Has Landed | Not Rated | 3,311 words

Louis comes back from the Superbowl and Harry exacts his revenge for Louis' night with Zayn in LA

5) Early Mornings | Explicit | 3,428 words

“You’re everything to me, you know that?” Harry whispered, his forehead resting against Louis’ as he looked into those familiar blue eyes. “I know,” Louis whispered back, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his mouth despite the overwhelming sensations coursing through him.

6) Skulls And Crossbones | General Audiences | 3,467 words

“Thanks for the tea, mate… but uh, why did the steam turn into a skull and crossbones when you stirred it?”

7) Truth Or Dare | Mature | 4,296 words

"See that guy over there?” Louis shifted slightly in her seat, directing her gaze toward the table across from her. “The one in the wool vest?” Camila nodded at the blue-eyed girl's question. "Go make his day, Lou; he looks like he wants company.” Louis raised an eyebrow. “Don’t look at me like that. He’s cute. Just look at him; he looks so adorable with his plaid vest and coffee.” .... "I've never done this, I don't want to ruin it" Louis leaned on his chest. "You're not going to ruin it, just let yourself go" She kissed him again tenderly and Harry ended up nodding softly.

8) Are There Still Beautiful Things? | Explicit | 5,473 words

Louis brings Harry to a secluded meadow for one last night of happiness before they both go to war.

9) Fuck Me Til I Feel Better | Explicit | 6,904 words

Louis is stressed, tired and anxious and he just wants his Hazza!

10) The Devil in Disguise | Explicit | 8,276 words

At a lavish masquerade ball, Harry and Louis, once inseparable bandmates of One Direction, find themselves unknowingly drawn back to one another after years of silence since the band’s split. Hidden behind elaborate masks, they exchange furtive glances from across the room, each wondering if the other can see past the disguise. As the night unfolds, their quiet game of cat and mouse leads them to a secluded spot, where the truth of their identities—and the years of separation—are finally laid bare, sparking a reunion neither of them saw coming.

11) Not Quite As Planned.... | Not Rated | 9,105 words

The plan was for them to make gingerbread houses with the gingerbread Harry had made. But things don’t end up going quite to plan….

12) Where You Lead, I Will Follow (Part 1) | Explicit |2,301 words

Louis and Harry are best friends. One night after a great show, he admits his feelings for one of his friends, his male friend. He knows his crush has experience and asks Harry for his help on what to expect.

13) Too Young | Explicit | 18,193 words

Accidentally bonded as 8 and 10 year olds, Louis starts resenting Harry once they were old enough for him to realize what had been taken away from him and now they're roommates who fuck out of obligation.

14) Tangled Up In You | Explicit | 22,795 words

Louis has a hopeless crush on his best friend’s dad but his crush may not be as hopeless as he thought.

15) With All My Heart | Not Rated | 34,339 words

Popular omega Louis receives a present each day from a secret admirer. Throw in some humor, jealousy, calculus, a masquerade ball, Mario Kart, snowball fight, mixed CDs, a cute dog, oh, and a cute nerdy shy alpha, who just might be the biggest surprise of all.

16) Rogue Omega | Mature | 38,791 words

Louis is a rogue on the run from his birth pack, who want to kill him because he's a male omega. He ends up in the Styles pack's territory, trying to get away from his hunters. But it's too late--the alphas surround the exhausted omega and attack him. The last thing he sees, before he passes out, is a huge black wolf with green eyes. What a sight to die to.

17) Loving You's The Antidote | Explicit | 60,450 words

Louis is a struggling musician who can barely pay his rent, Harry is a successful art curator with a rich family. Louis ends up as Harry's fake boyfriend for a weekend and they have to share a bed.

18) I Believe In Magic | Explicit | 115,276 words

Harry is the Crown Prince and the future king of Camelot. His sworn duty is to protect his kingdom from outside threats, especially from the dangers of magic. Louis is his best friend and, technically, his servant. And he has a secret.

19) You Belong To Me | Explicit | 125,621 words

Where Louis is sent to prison for the first time. He is set up with Harry who is willing to help him to get through his sentence. But his help doesn't come without a price tag.

20) Yours, Mine, & Ours | Explicit | 126,630 words

A ten year reunion puts ex-boyfriends, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, in the same room together for the first time in ten years. Louis' desperate to avoid the man who left him sobbing outside a dive-bar in the middle of London. It's going swimmingly until an accidental submission to the reunion's slideshow highlights the existence of the son, Leo, that Harry never knew about. Harry's determined to stake a permanent claim in Louis' life as their child's father. Louis knows Harry's temporary, and refuses to allow him to break their son's heart too. The past bubbles up in uncomfortable ways, and choices need to be made. Will Harry and Louis be able to put everything aside in the best interest of their son? Or will everything fall apart just like it did all those years ago?

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

You can find other monthly roundup fic rec lists here.

[flowery-mess]

kill the silence

Pairing: frat boy Noah x female reader

Warnings: 18+ MDNI! / argument with reader's mother / mother's asshole boyfriend mentioned / mentiones of alcohol / I think that's it, let me know

Words: 2,8k

Author's note: don't you just love when writers self project themselves in their works? Because that's exactly what I did lol. Hope you like getting to know more of Ella's story💕

frat boy Noah masterlist

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

“Can we talk about it?”

“Ella please, act like an adult.”

You rolled your eyes after reading your mom’s messages. Yesterday she called you on facetime to show you the big diamond on her finger, throwing the news of being engaged at you.

Your parents divorced when you were 4 and it has been a wild ride since then.

You stayed living with your mum, seeing your dad only a few times a month. You’d think that something like this would make your and your mom's relationship stronger, but it was the opposite.

She started dating different guys, but no one was serious enough for her to bring him home for good. She introduced you to some of them, but you never liked any of the men that walked through the door of your home. And you didn’t hide your dislike.

You never crossed a line with doing something rebellious, but you always made sure that they knew you’re not a fan of them with the way you talked to them or about them behind their backs.

Your mom always put up with it, but it brought lots of fights between you two. She never blamed you for her failed relationships, because they weren’t meant to last. Until she met him, Richard.

Richard was a few years older than her, with no kids and with a nice house. Moving to his place wasn’t a question, she just told you to pack your stuff. “You’re my child, you’re gonna follow me wherever I go. I don’t care that you don’t want to.” will probably replay in your head until the day you die.

Sadly for you you were still underage and with no other place to go, so you moved to his place and that’s where the hell started.

Heated arguments with your mom every day, silent treatments from both of you and cold shoulder for Richard. Poor guy didn’t stand a chance, you dismissed him at the very beginning.

You hated the house and you cried yourself to sleep every other night.

He turned out to be a narcissistic and arrogant guy which you couldn’t stand. You were counting the days until it was time for you to move away for college. The best thing that ever happened to you.

Seeing your mom and Richard less was a good thing for keeping the family relationships at least somehow working. After a few months of not seeing them you finally found the courage to come back for a weekend and somehow you three acted like the hell before you left never happened.

You got along with Richard for a few hours and then left their place again. It wasn’t home for you, it was just their place. And since then you visit them occasionally.

You got used to their relationship and swallowed all your opinions for your mother’s sake and happiness.

That was until yesterday though.

You didn’t know what reaction from you she expected, but it probably wasn’t “Are you fucking serious?” and hanging up on her. Since then you didn’t pick up any of her calls nor replied to any of her messages.

“Ella please, just a few minutes so we can talk about it.”

You read the next message and rolled your eyes again. You finished the drink in your hand before standing up and going outside.

Little did you know Noah was watching you look at your phone every other minute, rolling your eyes and making sad faces. He could tell something was wrong so he wasn’t surprised to see you storm out of the crowded living room.

He wanted to give you a few minutes and see if you come back, if not, he knows where to find you.

In the beginning of your friendship with benefits you two sometimes sneaked away from your friends and met in the backyard in a small place that was separated from the rest of the big garden by bushes. There was an old swing, too small for both of you, but it provided you lots of fun. Also the almost broken fence where Noah pinned you many times just to steal kisses from you was there. It became “your place” any time you two couldn’t find each other and texted the other “our place?” and time, you both were there.

Your place was exactly where you ran off. The drink you just finished gave you enough courage to face your mom’s voice over the phone and tell her your opinion.

She picked up almost immediately and started talking, but you cut her off.

“Finally darling, ca-”

“No mom, you let me talk now.” you started, taking a deep breath before letting it all out. “I’ve been silent for the past few years, but I can’t let you marry him without telling you my honest opinion.”

You kicked a few rocks that were laying around and walked back and forth, a habit of yours when you were too nervous.

“I don’t think he’s good for you. I don’t think he’s enough for you. You were always a strong independent woman who knew her worth, I never thought I'd see you running around a man like you do now. You always laughed at women who served food under their man’s nose or had to pack a bag for them. But now that’s you mom.” you stopped talking, expecting some protest from her, but there was just silence at the other side of the line.

“You do everything he says, you’re like his maid mom. That hurts me to see. You should find a man who’s gonna carry you in his arms and worship the ground you walk on, not someone who tells you he won’t eat the food you made because it tastes weird, but also refuses to cook his own meal. He’s a child mom.” you threw your hands up and down in a frustrating gesture.

She finally spoke and you could hear the hurt in her voice. “That’s not true Ella.”

“You know it is, you just don’t want it to be.”

“Listen, I know you don’t agree with my relationship, but you need to respect it. I’m finally happy.”

“I don’t think you really are.” you whispered back and couldn’t stop the tears running down your cheeks. Of course you want your mum to be happy, but if this is how happiness looks like, you hope you’ll never find it.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion. I just wanted to tell you that we will be sending invites next week and I’d really appreciate it if you’d come to the wedding.” there was a short break before she added “Please.”

She rarely used “please”, “thank you” or “I’m sorry” with you, so you knew how hard it must’ve been for her to say those words out loud.

“I have to think about it.” you told her the truth. You didn’t want to make any promises in case you’d decide to not attend in the end.

“You’re hurting me Ella.” there she was, back at attacking you for your feelings.

“Bye mom.” and before she could say anything else you pressed the red button and silenced her voice that could only say more hurtful things.

Your eyes stayed on the ground, colors of the grass and dirt mixing together as your tears formed in your eyes, one blink of your eyelids sending them down your cheeks.

You were hurting too. You were hurt, sad and angry. The anger took over your body and before you could think of what you were doing, you threw your phone away and only heard a loud bang when it landed somewhere in the dark in front of you.

When Noah thought you were gone for too long he decided to go after you. He found you with your back facing him, your hands by your sides, but you weren’t talking or moving, you were just standing there.

“Did something possess you?” he joked. He expected a silly comment back or you saying “shut up”, but you stayed silent.

The tears kept running down your cheeks, because you suddenly felt so small. You felt betrayed by your mother and you felt like you were standing in your childhood room listening to her “I don’t care what you want” speech all over again. You just wanted to cry.

You heard Noah's question, but what possessed you was just a pure sadness that was making it impossible for you to move or speak.

Noah made a few steps to be closer to you and reached for your hand, but before he could do that you finally spoke up.

“Can I have your phone?” even with your back still facing now very confused Noah, he could hear the tremble in your voice.

“What?”

“Your phone.” you turned around to face him. When you did, his confused face turned into something softer. He saw your wet cheeks and the small shakes of your chin. “I threw mine somewhere in the bushes and I need to find it.” you said it like it was the most obvious thing and waited for Noah to give you his phone.

He didn’t ask any questions and just handed you his phone, turning the flashlight on for you.

You turned around and went in the direction of where you thought your phone could be. Noah just stood there in silence, his eyes following your every move.

Well, now you really looked like something possessed you. Your hands were snapping the twigs that came your way, some of them got stuck in your hair while you tried to find your phone.

With no luck finding it, you got out of the bush and dived straight into another one.

“For fucks sake.” Noah couldn’t keep watching this shit show in front of him and yanked you out of the bush, took his phone from your trembling hand and started looking for your phone himself.

You cleaned yourself from the mess and leaves that were stuck to your clothes and hair. The need to escape this loud place made your body shake. You were thinking about telling Noah to stop and come for the phone tomorrow or even buy a new phone with a new number so your mum couldn’t call you again.

“Here.” Noah’s voice took you out of the trance you were in, looking at you with a proud smirk and leaves in his hair, but he had your black phone in his hand. And it looked like you didn’t break it when you threw it away.

“Thank you.” you took it out of his hand and put it in your pocket.

Noah, scared of what you’re going to do next, stood in silence and waited for your next move. But you just kept looking around, avoiding his face. You for sure didn’t make it easy for him.

“Do you want a hug?” he asked you, unsure look on his face.

“What?”

“Isn’t that what people want when they're sad?” just as he finished his question your hands were wrapped around his torso.

You didn’t want him to see you cry again, so you just hid your face in his sweatshirt. You tried to hold your sobs and cries in, but you felt like you’re going to explode, so you let everything out.

Noah didn’t know what else to do than just rub your back and gently sway you from side to side.

After a few minutes your breath calmed down and you stepped out of Noah’s arms, cringing at the wet spot on his grey sweatshirt.

“Sorry for that.” you whispered and pointed to the place that was covered in your tears.

Noah just looked down and laughed. “It’s okay. Come on, let's take you home.”

He took your hand in his, but you realized how crazy you must look after this meltdown, so you stopped in your tracks, making Noah stop too.

“I can’t go there. I look crazy.” you panicked.

“Yeah you do, but everyone is drunk at this point, they won’t notice.”

“No, Molly and Clara will and I don’t want to explain it to them.”

Noah just sighed and looked around, rubbing his jaw with his palm and thinking of ways to leave the fraternity without anyone seeing you.

“We can jump the fence.” he proposed.

“Are you out of your mind?” you looked at the tall metallic fence around you.

“It’s either that or the main door.”

“It’s impossible for me to jump over it Noah.”

“I’m gonna help you.”

You looked at the fence, then at Noah and then back at the fence.

He’s tall and strong and falling on your ass in front of him was better than doing the walk of shame.

“Okay.”

He led you in the direction of the fence. “Okay, so, you’re gonna put your feet in my hands and I’m gonna push you up. Then you have to carefully move over the top and jump down, okay?”

“How are you gonna do it?” you asked him, because there's no way you're going to help him from the other side.

“Haven’t thought of that yet.”

“God, don’t laugh at me if I fall.” you made him promise before he leaned forward and intertwined his hands low enough for you to step into them.

“Grab my shoulders. I’m gonna count to three and then push you up okay?”

“Okay.” when he started counting you were sure that neither of you knew what you were doing.

You felt yourself being lifted from the ground, reaching for the top of the fence and swung your leg over it, then the other one.

“Jump!” Noah yelled at you, because he was scared you’re going to fall back at him.

You closed your eyes and jumped, landing perfectly on your feet.

“I did it!” you turned around to see Noah through the metallic barricade between you, laughing at the situation.

It was Noah’s turn to jump over the fence and after a few failed attempts you had to hold in a laugh and said “You know you can walk through the inside and meet me in the parking lot?”

Before Noah gave you an answer, he was happy to hear you wanted to leave with him. He was scared you’re going to push him away and won’t let him comfort you like you did to him many times.

“Can’t let you have all the fun.” he snorted, laughing at himself after another failed attempt.

After he finally managed to climb to the top of the fence, one of his legs betrayed him and he fell down on his ass in front of you.

You gasped, not knowing if he was okay, but then you started laughing. He looked up at you, shame all over his face, but he couldn’t help laughing too.

“You know, I did that just to make you laugh. It was intentional.” he shrugged his shoulders after he stood up and used his hands to get rid of the dirt from his clothes.

“Smooth Sebastian, real smooth.” you laughed, but appreciated his attempts to lift your mood.

—

Noah paid for the cab to his place even though you insisted that after everything he’d done for you it was your turn to pay.

He sent you in the direction of his bathroom after he found a few leaves in your hair in the elevator and ordered some food while you washed the dirt of that night of your body.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Noah asked after he swallowed his food, looking at you at the other side of his sofa.

“Not really. Long story short, my mum is engaged to her ass boyfriend, we had a fight over the phone and I’m probably gonna have to buy a new dress for their wedding.”

“I’m sorry.” he didn’t know what else to say. Your mood was better now, no more tears and throwing things around, so he thought he did a good job.

He wasn’t good at those things, taking care of people, so he was proud of himself for returning the care you gave him many times before.

“Don’t be, shit happens. I just need time to process it.” you put away the take out box. “And maybe some cuddles would be nice.” you made your puppy eyes at him.

“Ugh, women.” he acted annoyed, but you didn’t miss the smile on his face when he lifted the blanket on his lap so you could lay down on his chest.

He put on his favorite show and you two watched in silence.

You were happy he found you in the garden. You loved your friends, but they wouldn’t give you the comfort you needed.

You realized that you want comfort from Noah just as much as you want to comfort him when he’s feeling unwell.

His fingers played with your hair and his eyes were focused on the TV. You laid on his chest, playing with the fabric of his t-shirt and thought about the upcoming wedding.

As if Noah could read your mind he suddenly said “You know, I could be your plus one at the wedding if you decide to go.” his gaze stayed on the TV.

“Shut up, you mean it?” because if you’re going to go, in a place so uncomfortable and full of people you haven’t seen in years, you’d appreciate someone by your side.

Do you want part two?

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

This story is a work of fiction, with the plot and characters entirely made up. The appearance and name of the main male character are inspired by Noah Sebastian Davis, but the storyline bears no connection to the real person. Please do not steal or repost this work on other platforms without permission.

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[taradactyls]

This is a really great example of how the reader's emotions affect our view of a character's actions.

We know from very early on that Henry isn't serious, and we have a pretty critical opinion of Maria and Julia, who he's toying with. It's just a mess of jealousy and selfishness and characters who aren't thinking empathetically of others or being very wise. We simply aren't sympathetically emotionally engaged with any of those characters or the situation.

Whereas the first time we encounter Sense and Sensibility it's natural to see Willoughby's intentions as generally coming from love, even when there are a few inconstancies raised. Because we don't know his history and we are more likely to sympathise and agree with kind and sensible Elinor and kind, if sometimes overly passionate, Marianne. When he abandons Marianne, and ignores her when they meet in London, discarding her for another, we hate him.

We don't know about his seduction of Eliza yet: only his falseness towards Marianne, how desperately he hurt her after encouraging her affections, and how little he seems to feel about it. That's all criticism which can apply to Henry Crawford - perhaps even moreso to Henry at this point, since as far as we know Willoughby isn't a repeat offender and we know Henry is. Both men deliberately inspired love in a woman they had no serious intentions towards and had done it before and would likely have done it again if the consequences of their lifestyles didn't catch up to them. The difference is in our (and Elinor's/Fanny's) sympathy towards the victims, our insight into the gentlemen's motivations from the beginning, and the focus of the narrative on the emotional fallout. If Maria had had the sensibilities of Marianne she might have fallen into the same level of grief, and if Marianne had the resentment of Maria she may've also made decisions based on spite. There is also something to be said, if we include Eliza into the mix, that only the woman with the sensible, caring, and emotionally and physically present support system was able to ultimately come out the other side of falling for these men without her future being irreparably ruined.

We do of course find out more about Willoughby that paints him even worse - seducing and abandoning a girl is horrific. But even before that the way readers view both Willoughby and Henry Crawford and their victims hugely differently is always surprising.

And then lets see how that also applies to how we view their seductions.

Eliza was younger and perhaps sheltered, and I do think that was objectively worse. But readers seem only too eager to forget that Maria was also expecting marriage, also deliberately misled as to the level of affection he felt for her, and in an emotionally vulnerable position and trying to escape an unhappy marriage (I wonder if anyone bothered explaining properly what her wifely duties towards Mr Rushworth - whom she neither liked nor respected, and who viewed her superficially - would entail, and then on top of that having power struggles with her MIL) literally the only way feasible.

Both women knew what they were doing would injure their families/caretakers and wasn't 'right' as such and were only too happy to accept the gentlemen's attentions, and they were both taken advantage of and deceived. They both suffered the consequences in a disproportionate amount to their male counterparts - not only in the narrative and likely the public perception of contemporary readers in an incredibly sexist society, but still so today. Even though I imagine so many readers hate victim-blaming, slut-shaming, and the like. The added cheating aspect can explain some of it, because Maria unarguably acted badly towards her husband, but somehow that criticism also seems to fall solely at Maria's feet and never Henry's, even though he also knew Rushworth, pretended to be friendly with him, and knew exactly what he was doing. It is absolutely a greater betrayal on Maria's end, but Henry is not an innocent and unknowing party in this, and does seem to view his own actions as akin to cheating on Fanny.

Maria is a great example of how someone doesn't need to be a perfect - or even that likeable - person to still be a victim of another; and how this general dislike of a victim (and I think disliking Maria is plenty justified) is often used to exonerate the actions of the person who preyed upon them.

We don't even know if Eliza Williams is that different from Maria Bertram, or Lydia Bennet, for that matter. She's a perfect victim because we never see her, and so the fandom has only sympathy for her and condemnation for Willoughby. But if we did see her, if we saw her being silly, selfish, vain, or any other number of dislikeable traits, would we have less sympathy for her situation? Would we think Willoughby less at fault?

Because we shouldn't. Willoughby's pursuit of self-indulgence without a care for her life being ruined is the same regardless of whether Eliza was as sweet as Georgiana Darcy or as silly and self-centred as Lydia Bennet at the time they they were persuaded to elope. And we should apply that to Henry Crawford, who, just like Willoughby, knew what he was doing, was happy to lie just as much in the pursuit of his enjoyment, held no qualms over manipulating women or breaking their hearts and (in Maria and Eliza's cases, respectively) ruining their life and reputation forever.

We shouldn't give Henry Crawford an easier time just because neither us as readers nor characters we like were deceived by him. He's cut from the same cloth as both John Willoughby and George Wickham when it comes to a general disregard of others and pursuit of their own gratification above all morals and empathy. And I truly believe that if his true nature was a plot twist, or his victims more sympathetic, readers wouldn't be so eager to forgive him.

In another note on Mansfield Park – the thing that bothers me most about Henry Crawford is that he is doing, repeatedly, exactly what Willoughby did to Marianne in Sense and Sensibility: charm them, get them to fall in love with him, give them all the social signals that he is about to propose marriage, and then drop them and act like they were reading too much into it. From the way he and Mary talk, he’s done this to dozens of women. Willoughby differs in that he ended up actually falling for Marianne, whereas Henry does not fall in love with his conquests (until he tries to play this trick on Fanny, who remains unconquered).

And we hate Willoughby for what he did to Marianne! Marianne’s experience with Willoughby came near to being life-ruining, she was so devastated by it.

Willoughby is worse in his seduction and abandonment of Eliza, Colonel Brandon’s ward, but not in any other respect.

And the excuse made for Henry Crawford seems to be the assumption/assertion that these offscreen women were all silly, shallow, and vain, and only their pride was hurt. But there’s no reason to actually believe this! It’s just placing the blame for Henry’s actions on the people that he’s mistreating and making miserable.

It frustrates me to see this written off as “flirting”. It’s much more than that! When he toys with Maria at Sotherton, he is telling her in clear symbolism that she should drop Rushworth for him and, if she does, he will marry her. He is lying. And saying of all the women he’s lied to, “They should have known better,” is not remotely an excuse.