#But my heart would have hurt so much more if it had been Jim getting tortured 😅

[walkingstackofbooks]

my toxic trait is watching an excellent episode of Star Trek and thinking "that was great (but I wish it had happened to Julian)" 😅

[bloodreinasbathwater]

Jacked Up Love

part 2

Jack Hughes X Best Friend! Reader

(Brothers Best Friend AU)

a.n: I have been debating whether to add some spice to this but after not seeing it fit my ending yet, it will be in part 4 or 5 instead. this one feels a little short but it's getting the story going until we have our final confrontation. I hope you guys enjoy and please message me if you have any questions or want to be added to the tag list. <3

warnings: flirting, not proofread, fuckboy jack, kissing, cursing, mentions of cheating?

masterlist link

Summary: Hurt and angry, Y/N avoids Jack for most of the night until he confronts her as the party winds down. Just as things are heating up between Y/N and Jack, Lee walks in on Y/N and Jack in an intimate moment.

word count - 4341

...

Jack chuckled as he observed Quinn and his dad bickering good-naturedly over the stove. Quinn kept trying to slather more sauce onto the ribs, much to Jim's exasperation.

"No, no, you're doing it all wrong!" Jim complained, attempting to wrestle the basting brush from Quinn's hand. "You're supposed to let the meat speak for itself, not drown it in that sugary nonsense."

Quinn rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, live a little! Everyone knows the secret to killer ribs is in the sauce dad."

Their playful argument carried across the large house, drawing amused glances from the other partygoers. Jack shook his head, grinning at their antics. He loved these laid-back gatherings in the winter, where everyone could just kick back and enjoy each other's company.

Turning his attention back to Lee, Jack tried to focus on their conversation about the latest Cardinals game. "...and did you see that pass in the third period?" Lee was saying excitedly, his hands waving animatedly as he recounted the highlights of the game. "I thought for sure they were going to score off that turnover."

Luke nodded, taking a swig of his beer. "Yeah, man, that was a close call. But the goalie really stepped up his game tonight. Those saves were unreal."

They continued to chat, their voices rising and falling with the ebb and flow of their enthusiasm. He tried to focus on the words, but a familiar laugh rang out, causing his heart to skip a beat. Jack's attention drifted from Lee's animated play-by-play of the game, his gaze inexorably drawn to where you stood by the dessert table with your girlfriends.

You were laughing at something Mia had said, your eyes sparkling with mirth. Jack watched, transfixed, as you tipped your head back, exposing the smooth column of your throat. Time seemed to slow as he took in the sight of you, the rest of the party fading into the background.

Lee, oblivious to Jack's distraction, continued chattering on about batting averages and on-base percentages. But Jack was only half-listening, his attention continually drawn back to you. "Hey, Jack! Did you catch that insane goal in overtime?"

Jack merely hummed noncommittally, his tone casual. "Yeah, yeah, I saw that. Pretty sick shot."

His gaze traced the curve of your smile, the fullness of your lips. An ache blossomed in his chest, a longing so acute it stole his breath. What would it feel like, he wondered, to have those lips pressed against his own? To trail his fingers along the silken expanse of your skin, to hear you sigh his name in the darkness?

In a trance, Jack's eyes roamed over you, drinking in every detail. The way your dress clung to your curves, the faint smell of your perfume on the jacket he had offered you outside, which of course you had given back covered in your smell. You were a masterpiece, a work of art come to life.

God, you were beautiful.

And then, as if sensing the weight of his stare, you turned. Your eyes met his across the flickering flames, and the world ground to a halt. In that suspended moment, Jack felt a jolt of electricity coursing through his veins, a pull towards you that was almost gravitational.

Your lips curved into a soft, secret smile, and Jack's heart stuttered in his chest. That smile held a thousand unspoken promises, a wealth of possibility that both terrified and thrilled him. He knew he should look away, knew he was treading on dangerous ground. But he was powerless to resist the magnetic allure of your gaze, the siren song of your presence.

Did you have any idea what you did to him? How much he wanted to pull you into his arms, consequences be damned?

He took a swig of his beer, trying to calm the riot of emotions swirling inside him. This was getting out of hand. He needed to get a grip on himself before he did something stupid.

Like confess his feelings for you, the one girl who was absolutely, completely off-limits...

Shaking his head, Jack forced himself to focus on Lee's words, determined to push all thoughts of you from his mind. At least for now.

But deep down, he knew it was futile. Because when it came to you, resistance had always been impossible. And maybe, just maybe... that was starting to feel more thrilling than frightening.

"Right? I thought the puck was going to bounce right off the crossbar, but nope - top shelf, baby!" Lee nodded, oblivious to the undercurrents swirling around him.

…

"No, but seriously," Ava said, her face deadpan, "I think I'm going to start a GoFundMe for my boss's fashion sense. It's a tragedy, really. The man needs an intervention."

Sophie snorted. "What, you mean the 'middle-aged dad on vacation' look isn't working for him?"

"Please," you chimed in, grinning, "I've seen actual dads on vacation with better style. He's more like... a cross between a used car salesman and a cruise ship entertainer."

Mia nearly choked on her drink. "Oh my god, I can't unsee it now. The tacky Hawaiian shirts, the ill-fitting khakis..."

"Don't forget the socks with sandals!" Ava added, shuddering dramatically.

You all burst into laughter, the absurdity of the image too much to handle. Your shoulders shook with mirth, tears of hilarity pricking at the corners of your eyes. But then, gradually, you became aware of a prickling sensation on the back of your neck. The unmistakable feeling of being watched, the stare burning into your skin like a physical caress.

Still giggling, you scanned the crowd of faces, trying to catch the culprit. Your gaze flitted from person to person - Uncle Joe by the cooler, Quinn and Jim still arguing over the grill, a group of Lee's friends from college - but no one seemed to be paying you any attention.

Until your eyes locked with a pair of striking blue ones.

Jack.

The laughter died on your lips as your breath caught in your throat. He was staring at you intensely. The old, faded baseball cap perched backwards on his head did little to tame his unruly dark hair, and the worn grey hoodie he wore strained against the muscles of his chest and shoulders.

Your heart stuttered in your chest as you drank him in, heat rising unbidden to your cheeks. In that suspended moment, it was as if everyone else simply fell away, leaving only you and Jack, connected by some invisible, unbreakable thread.

But then Lee came into view, saying something to Jack with an easygoing grin. The spell was broken as quickly as it had been cast, uncertainty flooding in to fill the void.

Swallowing hard, you tore your gaze away, only to find Mia watching you with a knowing smirk. Her green eyes sparkled with barely contained laughter, and you knew you'd been caught red-handed.

"Shut up," you muttered, feeling your face flame even hotter.

Mia held up her hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I didn't say anything! But seriously, Y/N, when are you going to put that poor boy out of his misery and jump his bones already?"

"Mia!" you hissed, mortified. "It's not... I can't... he's Lee's best friend!"

Sophie rolled her eyes. "So? That doesn't mean you two can't get your freak on. Just think of how hot the sneaking around would be..."

You buried your face in your hands, torn between laughter and abject horror. "I hate you all. You're the worst friends ever."

Ava slung an arm around your shoulders, grinning. "Nah, you love us. And you know we've got your back, no matter what. Even if 'what' is climbing that tall, dark, and broody tree over there like it's your job."

Despite your embarrassment, you couldn't help but dissolve into giggles once more, your heart feeling lighter than it had all evening.

…

You snuggled deeper into the cozy embrace of the blanket, content to simply bask in the company of your friends. Ava, Mia, and Sophie had settled into the chairs around you, the conversation flowing as easily as the alcohol.

As the minutes ticked by, you found yourself growing increasingly drowsy, the events of the day finally catching up to you. Your eyelids grew heavy, and you had to fight to keep them open. Dimly, you registered Quinn hopping off rib duty, his arm slung around his girlfriend's shoulders as they made their way to the other living room, easily getting swept into his mothers conversation.

A moment later, Lee and Luke disappeared upstairs, their good-natured trash talk about the upcoming NHL game fading as the door swung shut behind them. Suddenly, feeling restless, you stood up - only to sway on your feet, the blanket flopping back down onto the love seat.

The world tilted alarmingly, and for a dizzying second, you were certain you were about to face-plant right into new glass table Ellen had bought.

quick as a flash, strong hands gripped your arms, steadying you. Before you could process what was happening, you found yourself being tugged down onto a solid, warm lap.

"Hi, Mini," Jack's deep, honeyed voice rumbled in your ear, sending a shiver racing down your spine that had nothing to do with the chill in the air. Your heart leapt into your throat, a giddy thrill coursing through you at his close proximity. This was the closest you'd been to him all night, and the heat of his body seemed to seep into your very bones.

Tipping your head back, you met his gaze, a slow smile spreading across your face. There was just something about Jack, something that never failed to bring a grin to your lips and a flutter to your pulse.

Whatever it was, you knew you were hopelessly entangled in his web, caught in a pull that only seemed to grow stronger with each passing day.

"Hi yourself," you murmured, your voice coming out breathier than you'd intended. "You come here often?"

Jack's lips quirked, his arms tightening around your waist. "Well, you know me. I never could resist a damsel in distress."

You laughed, swatting at his chest. "My hero. Whatever would I do without you?"

His expression softened, something tender and unguarded flickering in his gaze. "Guess you'll never have to find out, huh?"

Your breath caught at the unspoken promise in his words, the implications hanging heavy in the scant space between you. Suddenly, the air felt charged, electric, like the moment before a thunderstorm breaks.

Awareness prickled over your skin as you stared up at him, your senses hyperattuned to every flex of his fingers on your hip, every hitch in his breathing. The rest of the world seemed to recede, fading into insignificance until there was only this - the crackle of the fire, the pounding of your heart, and the magnetic pull of Jack's eyes on yours.

It would be so easy, you thought hazily, to just lean in and close the distance between you. To finally, finally discover if his lips were as soft as they looked, if he tasted as good as you'd always imagined...

But then a burst of raucous laughter from across the yard shattered the spell, jolting you back to reality. You blinked, heat rushing to your cheeks as you realized just how close you'd been to kissing your brother's best friend - in full view of everyone, no less.

Clearing your throat, you started to pull away, only for Jack's arms to tighten around you. "Hey," he said softly, his voice low and intimate. "Where do you think you're going?"

You swallowed hard, your heart hammering against your ribs. "I... I should probably go check on Lee upstairs. He gets super sensitive over chel, you know that." It was a flimsy excuse, and from the knowing glint in Jack's eyes, he wasn't buying it for a second. But he loosened his hold, nonetheless, letting you slide off his lap on unsteady legs.

"Hurry back," he murmured, his gaze hot and heavy on your skin. "I'll be waiting."

And as you stumbled away, your pulse racing and your mind awhirl, you couldn't help but wonder...

What the hell had you just gotten yourself into?

You knew you needed to be more careful, needed to keep a tighter rein on your reactions to Jack. The last thing you wanted was for Lee to catch on to the tangle of feelings knotting in your chest.

…

You managed to tear yourself away from the magnetic pull of Jack's presence, mumbling some excuse to your friends about needing to use the bathroom. But instead of heading inside, you found yourself climbing the stairs, drawn by the muffled shouts and laughter emanating from Lee's bedroom.

As you reached the top of the landing, the sounds of aggressive button-mashing and colorful trash talk grew louder, bringing a smile to your face. Some things never changed.

Pushing open the door, you were greeted by the sight of Lee and Luke sprawled out on the floor, controllers in hand, their eyes glued to the giant TV screen. They were in the middle of an intense NHL match, their players zipping across the virtual ice in a blur of motion.

"No, no, no!" Lee yelled, his face scrunched up in concentration as he mashed the buttons frantically. "Don't let him get past you, you idiot!"

Luke cackled, his fingers flying over his own controller. "Too late, bro! That's what you get for picking such a weak-ass team."

Lee let out a growl of frustration as Luke's player scored a goal, the tinny sound of a horn blaring from the speakers. "Lucky shot," he grumbled, elbowing his friend in the ribs. "I'll get you back for that."

"Bring it on, loser," Luke taunted, his grin wide and shit-eating. "I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back."

You leaned against the doorframe, shaking your head in amusement as you watched them bicker and shove at each other like overgrown children. It was moments like these that made you forget all about the stresses and uncertainties of adulthood, transporting you back to simpler times.

"Having fun, boys?" you asked, your voice cutting through their competitive banter.

Two heads swiveled in your direction, identical expressions of surprise on their faces. "Oh, hey, Y/N," Lee said, his annoyance melting into an easy smile. "Didn't see you there."

"Yeah, we were just schooling each other in the art of hockey," Luke chimed in, puffing out his chest. "Wanna see me kick your brother's ass?"

You snorted, pushing off the doorframe and sauntering into the room. "As much as I'd love to witness that thrashing, I actually came up to see if you guys wanted any snacks. Though from the looks of it, you've already got enough beef to feed a small army."

Lee rolled his eyes, chucking a pillow at your head which you deftly dodged. "Har har, very funny. But yeah, some snacks would be awesome. I'm starving."

"When are you not starving?" you teased, ruffling his hair affectionately. "I swear, you're like a human garbage disposal."

"Hey, I'm a growing boy!" Lee protested, swatting your hand away. "I need my sustenance."

Luke snickered, ducking as Lee tried to smack him with a controller. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that, buddy. I think you stopped growing in the eighth grade."

As the two dissolved into another round of good-natured ribbing, you couldn't help but laugh, your heart swelling with fondness for these ridiculous, wonderful boys.

They might drive you crazy sometimes, but moments like these? Where you could just relax and joke around, forgetting about all the complications and uncertainties of the real world?

They were priceless.

So you settled yourself on the bed, content to watch Lee and Luke battle it out on the digital ice, their laughter and trash talk washing over you like a balm.

And for a little while, at least, you let yourself forget about the heat of Jack's gaze, the confusion swirling in your heart.

…

you headed back downstairs, the warmth of your impromptu hangout session with Lee and Luke still buzzing pleasantly under your skin, you couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of resolve.

So what if you had some complicated, confusing feelings for Jack? So what if his mere presence sent your pulse racing and your thoughts spiraling into dangerous, uncharted territory? At the end of the day, he was like a brother to you - and that was something you couldn't afford to lose.

Squaring your shoulders, you stepped down into the living room, determined to put some distance between yourself and the magnetic pull of Jack's orbit. You'd just grab another drink, maybe chat with your friends for a bit, and then make some excuse about needing to head home early. Easy peasy.

Ava, Mia, and Sophie were huddled together, their heads bent close as they whispered furiously to each other. The easy laughter and playful banter from earlier had vanished, replaced by a tense, almost electric undercurrent that set your nerves on edge.

"Hey guys," you said cautiously, sinking down into your seat. "What's going on?"

Three pairs of eyes snapped to your face, wide and startled, like kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Oh, Y/N! We were just..." Mia trailed off, shooting a panicked look at the other two.

Sophie jumped in, her voice a little too bright, a little too brittle. "We were just talking about... boys. You know, the usual."

But there was something off about her tone, something strained and artificial that set your internal alarms blaring. You'd known these girls long enough to tell when they were hiding something - and right now? They were definitely hiding something.

"Cut the crap, Soph," you said, your gaze flicking between the three of them. "I know you guys better than that. Seriously, what's up? You're starting to freak me out."

"Y/N, we need to talk. It's about Jack."

Your stomach dropped, a cold, creeping dread slithering up your spine at the mention of his name, but you tried to play it cool. "What about him?"

Mia and Sophie exchanged a loaded glance, she nodded encouragingly, their faces grim as Mia spoke up, her voice low and conspiratorial. "We overheard him talking to Luke earlier, and... well, he said some things. About you."

Your mind raced, a thousand possibilities whirling through your head. What could she possibly mean? A cold sense of dread trickled down your spine. "What kind of things?"

Sophie bit her lip, looking uncomfortable. "He was laughing about how easy it was to string you along, how you were just another notch in his bedpost. He even said..." She paused, as if gathering her courage. "He said he had a bet going with his teammates to see how fast he could get you into bed."

The words hit you like a punch to the gut, knocking the air from your lungs. It couldn't be true. Jack wouldn't... he couldn't...not after tonight.

But even as you tried to deny it, doubt began to creep in, insidious and corrosive. All those moments between you - the stolen glances, the lingering touches, the whispered promises - had they all been a lie? A cruel game played by a master manipulator?

Anger surged through you, hot and bitter, mingling with the sharp sting of betrayal. How could you have been so stupid, so naive?

"I... I need some air," you mumbled, stumbling to your feet and away from the concerned gazes of your friends.

you wove your way through the crowd of laughing, chattering partygoers, a sudden commotion near the edge of the yard caught your attention. Frowning, you craned your neck, trying to get a better look - only for your heart to plummet straight into your stomach.

There, surrounded by his friends near the Christmas tree, was Jack - and he wasn't alone. A tall, stunning brunette was glued to his side, their arms pressed flush against each other as she leaned into him, whispering something in his ear.

For a moment, you couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but stare as a tidal wave of emotions crashed over you. Hurt, betrayal, and a searing, white-hot jealousy that took your breath away with its intensity.

You watched, frozen, as Jack threw his head back and laughed at something the girl said, throwing his arm over her shoulder. They looked so comfortable together, so natural - like they'd done this a thousand times before.

And just like that, the fragile bubble of denial you'd been clinging to burst, the illusion shattering like glass at your feet.

You were such a fool.

Of course Jack didn't have feelings for you. Of course he saw you as nothing more than his best friend's kid sister, a silly little girl with a hopeless crush. How could you have ever thought otherwise?

For the rest of the night, you did your best to avoid Jack, always keeping him in your peripheral vision but never letting him get too close. Every time you caught a glimpse of his tousled hair or heard the rumble of his deep laugh, your heart clenched painfully, a fresh wave of humiliation washing over you.

But as the party began to wind down and guests started to trickle out, you found yourself cornered by the one person you'd been desperately trying to evade.

"Y/N." Jack's voice was low and urgent as he caught your elbow, spinning you around to face him.

"Nothing," you managed to choke out, your voice cracking traitorously. "I'm fine. I just... I need to go."

But even as you tried to pull away, Jack's grip on your arm tightened, his fingers digging into your skin with a desperate sort of urgency. "Wait, please. Just talk to me. Tell me what's going on."

You yanked your arm from his grasp, glaring up at him with all the fury and hurt you could muster. "I have nothing to say to you, Jack."

His brow furrowed, confusion etched across his unfairly handsome features. "What's going on? You've been avoiding me all night. Did I... did I do something wrong?"

"Why do you care?" you spat, the words bitter and acidic on your tongue. "Shouldn't you be getting back to your girlfriend over there?" Jack blinked, a flicker of confusion passing over his stupidly handsome face. A harsh, bitter laugh tore from your throat. "Don't play dumb, Jack. I know all about your little bet. About how I'm just another checkmark to you."

Jack's eyes widened, shock and disbelief warring on his face. "What? Y/N, that's insane. I would never... who told you that?"

You scoffed, crossing your arms over your chest like a shield. "Does it matter? The point is, I know the truth now. I know what kind of guy you really are."

He took a step closer, crowding into your personal space, his gaze locked on yours with an intensity that stole your breath. "The truth? The truth is that I'm crazy about you, Y/N. I have been for years." Your heart stuttered in your chest, a traitorous flutter of hope sparking to life. "That girl... she's just a friend. I swear. There's nothing going on between us," he insisted, his voice low and fervent.

One hand came up to cradle your cheek, his thumb brushing over your skin with a tenderness that made you ache. "I could never lie to you, Y/N. You're... you're everything to me."

You wanted to believe him. God, how you wanted to believe him. But the seeds of doubt had already taken root, twisting your thoughts into knots.

"I don't... I can't..." you whispered, hating the way your voice shook.

Jack's other hand found your waist, pulling you flush against the solid warmth of his body. "Then let me prove it to you," he murmured, his breath hot against your ear. "Let me show you how much you mean to me."

And then his mouth was on yours, fierce and desperate and achingly perfect, his kiss searing away every last shred of resistance. You melted into him, a broken moan rising in your throat as his tongue swept over yours, claiming and possessing and branding you as his own.

The kiss was electric, a live wire igniting every nerve ending in your body until you felt like you might burst into flames right then and there. His hands slid into your hair, his fingers tangling in the silky strands as he angled your head, deepening the kiss until you were drowning in him, lost to everything but the heat of his touch and the sweet, dark bliss of his mouth on yours.

"It's you, Y/N," he rasped, his voice low and raw with emotion. "It's always been you." 😉

just as you were losing yourself completely in his embrace, a familiar voice cut through the haze of desire, shattering the intimate bubble you'd created. "Where's Y/N?" Lee called out, his footsteps echoing on the stairs.

You and Jack froze, your lips still locked together, your bodies intertwined. What were you doing? Making out with your brother's best friend, in the middle of a party, where anyone could see you...

Jack sensed your sudden tension, pulling back just enough to meet your gaze. His eyes were dark, pupils blown wide with arousal, but there was a softness there too, a tenderness that made your heart ache.

"Shit," you muttered. Your mind raced, frantically searching for an excuse, any excuse. "I… I'll just tell him I was in the bathroom or we were just talking," you whispered, straightening your clothes with shaking hands.

"Hey," he murmured, brushing a strand of hair back from your face. "It's okay. We don't have to hide."

You swallowed hard, your throat tight with emotion. "But Lee... what if he..."

"What if I what?" Lee's voice was closer now, just on the other side of the door.

Your heart lodged in your throat, fear and guilt and a desperate, wild hope all tangling together in your chest. This was it. The moment of truth. Once Lee walked through that door, there would be no going back.

...

Tag List <3

[pinescent-and-gingerbread]

Can I request a drabble where Arthur comforts a female reader who has a broken heart? The reader's ex-boyfriend cheated on her and left with another woman.

Here we go! I took the liberty to name Reader's ex Jim (pretty random name for that place and time so I thought it would fit alright.)

I hope you'll like it anon!!🙌

࣪ ˖✧ The World is living.

✦ Pairing: Arthur Morgan x Fem!Reader ✦ Warnings/Tags: Mention of cheating, reader's ex is a loser (boo him), reader is in a pretty bad mental state but Arthur is here to save the day, cursing cause he's mad as hell someone hurt you. ✦ Words: 1,5k ✦ a/n: As Anon had requested a drabble I tried to keep this short! Takes place in Clement's Point because the lake is so good for that kind of work, reader is part of the gang. Clearly this drabble is a big hug to all my sis out there who have been poorly treated by their ex🫶🏻

You were sitting by the shore, just behind camp. Flat Iron Lake was always beautiful at that time, just before dawn. Frosty, pastel colors on the sky and the water surfaces, melting into a soft shade of pale lavender and teal blue. You could only hear the occasional chirping of birds, splashing of an adventurous fish jumping out of the water, and lonely howls of coyotes.

The World was living.

You couldn't understand how. How did the World was still turning while you were hurting that much? It should have stopped. It should have. This was the only option after what you had been through.

You felt tears watering your eyes again. You couldn't sleep, as often lately, so you just had decided to come and sit here in the sand to do something, anything else than just lying in your cot, alone in the cold night, alone in the cold silence, alone in the cold emptiness. Alone, so alone even though you were surrounded by people at camp; it didn't mattered. He was gone now, and everything felt tasteless without him, everything looked drearier, even the beautiful morning scenery under your eyes.

You were now crying hard. Damn it, you didn't even knew you still had water in your body for it. You had cried so many times in the past few days your eyes were permanently red, your cheeks scarred by two trails of dry tears; you felt like one of those oranges that people squeeze to get the juice, leaving behind only a corpse of fruit devoid of all substance.

You couldn't do it anymore, it hurt too much. You buried your face in your hands, sobbing once again, trying to let out the sorrow that was eating you up from inside like a noxious parasite since he had left you.

"Y/N? Is everythin' okay?"

You tilted your head up, a slight feeling of panic and shame crashing on you as you searched for your interlocutor.

It was Arthur. He was a few meters away from you, empty bucket in his hands. He probably was on his way to the lake to fill it, but had heard you crying. You weren't too surprised to see him this early, Arthur had never slept much, he was always up before you in normal time, already helping everyone around camp.

He looked at you in the eyes, waiting for an answer. He seemed genuinely concerned; you realized you hadn't seen him for a while since he had been on a difficult job for weeks, he probably should have came back during the night, but you were far too deep in your own dark thoughts to have noticed it. He was clearly clueless and surprised about your state, his arms hanging awkwardly by his sides, his blue work shirt's sleeves rolled up carelessly.

"N-no..." You only answered, trying to wipe what you could of the literal torrent of tears flooding out of your eyes, but it just wouldn't stop, you felt even more ashamed. You must have looked pitiful right now.

Arthur let go of the bucket, letting it fall on the ground without an ounce of care. He then slowly approached you, and sat down in the sand next to you, leaving a little space between your two bodies. He didn't look disturbed or annoyed, but almost as stoic as usual. Except for his eyes. His eyes were telling a hundred stories even if he didn't wanted it. Their azure color bright and deep, you almost recognized a hint of sadness in them, as if he was pained seeing you like this. 

"What's happenin' to ya, miss?" He inquired, voice deep and maybe a bit more empathetic than usual. He wasn't extremely expressive in usual times, so yet you could feel just by his presence how he cared about your well-being.

"It's Jim... He... He slept with one of these pretty girls from the Parlour House and he left me for her..." Saying it was making it all even worse. It was making it all too real. You struggled to get those words out, your tone cracking up as if they were crushing your vocal cords.

More tears, your eyes shutting close in a pained expression, the ache in your heart physically hurting you, as if someone had opened your thoracic cage and was crushing it with his bare hands. In a way, that's exactly what he had done to you.

"Goddamn piece of shit..." Arthur mumbled before looking at you, his intense indigo stare fixated on your face. He felt genuinely sorry, and outraged for you. Who in the world could have to audacity to hurt such a sweet girl like you? He was starting to clench his fists, feeling his blood boiling, a silent kettle on a burning fire. After a few seconds of hearing you cry, he couldn't hold it anymore, empathy getting the better of his rage, and opened his arms to gently pull you against him.

His strong, wide body enveloped you, and you let him. You buried your face into his chest, not really thinking about it, your hands wrapping around his waist, and gripping tight on his shirt. Looking clingy or odd was your last concern, you were way too blinded by your pain. You started crying loudly, wanting to make everything go out of you, your pain, your sadness, Him, everything.

"Yeah, that's it girl, let it all go..." He encouraged you, in a calm and quiet whisper. One of his hands had found its place behind your head, gently caressing it, the other resting around your waist. He carried you, as you screamed your pain to the World, as you poured all these gnawing feelings outside of you.

"He's a damn fool, Y/N. You deserve way better than him, lemme tell ya." Arthur murmured to you, voice still deep and caring. You could also hear behind that a hint of genuine anger in his tone, as he truly was pissed at Jim for having harmed you like this. "And you're gonna be okay, alright sweetheart?"

You slightly nodded into his chest, barely able to answer something properly. His scent and warmth were enfolding you, and you felt like you were somewhere else now, somewhere sunny. Somewhere pleasant. Somewhere better.

As the minutes went by, and his embrace didn't loosen, you slowly started to get out of your personal darkness, breath calming, thoughts clearing. You were taking in the fact that usually, Arthur wasn't frankly fond of hugs or other physical attention, and you felt thankful. He was doing this just for you.

"You're gonna be okay." He repeated like a silent vow. You felt like he was going to make sure of it. And for the first time in days, you honestly believed these words. You were going to be okay. It would take time, of course, but you just knew you would, as certain as the Sun was rising and setting every day.

You gently pulled back, both of you still holding each other in your arms, sitting on the sandy shore, but not as close, so you could look at this face. Your tears had soaked his shirt. You tried to apologize for it, but he quickly opposed it, telling you he had been covered in far worse than your tears. You smiled a bit, knowing he was right.

"Thank you so much for that Arthur..." You told him, genuinely feeling so grateful.

"Eh, I may be a cold-hearted killer, but I wouldn't have let a sweet lil' flower like ya cry..." He asserted, a slight grin on his face. You noticed how he looked a bit reassured himself, less worried. Maybe, just like his affection towards the other members of the gang, Arthur actually cared much more about you than what he was letting everyone see.

He carefully wiped the last tear from your cheek, thumb feeling rough but gentle against your skin, before getting up, his hands leaving your body but not going too far away as he proposed one of them for you to take and help you get up. You gladly took it, enjoying the warm contact of your fingers on his skin.

"I just feel like... I'm not enough..." You concluded with a pained tone, your eyes looking down at your feet. The fact that on top of having broken up with you, Jim had left you for another woman, was absolutely destroying you, making you feel like you were worthless. It was also this feeling that was so hard to handle; so hard to live with.

"Listen t'me." Arthur told you a bit more firmly, his eyes searching for yours. He knew how you felt, he felt bad about himself every day of his life. He didn't wanted you to feel like this in any way, ever. "Don't let this bastard make ya feel shitty. You're a beautiful, sweet, kind young woman, that is the truth." He asserted, his hands squeezing yours in a comforting gesture before letting go of them.

"Thank you, Arthur..." You said once more, feeling like you were repeating yourself, but he didn't seem to mind. He was walking back to where he had left the bucket, grabbing it to finish his chore.

"Ah, no worry, miss." He said to you with a smile, now feeling better as you felt less depressed. "Let me tell ya, this piece of shit better be far by now, 'cause I'm goin' to beat the Hell out of him if I ever see him again." He added, still smiling, but you knew he was being dead serious, and he was way more than capable of it. You almost chuckled, thanking him for the third time and telling him you wouldn't mind if he did.

He noticed the little grin that had curled up your lips. He loved it. His days at Clement's point weren't the same without your bright smile and your pleasant presence.

The Sun had completely risen now, the camp slowly emerging from its slumber. The first drowsy voices of your companion softly filling the air, yawning, saying greetings, some already teasing, merging with the sound of nature around you.

The World was living.

And now, so you were.

[ladykailitha]

Do You Know What Shovels Dig? Graves Part 2

My version of the shovel talk trope.

Part Two to This!

*

Eddie knocked on Steve’s door bouncing on his toes.

Steve opened the door and then just led Eddie into the front room without a word. Eddie’s heart let out a small mewl of distress. Either Jonathan had been underselling it or Steve was worse than when he left. Eddie had a sinking feeling it was the latter.

“I’m guessing Jonathan called you,” Steve said, sitting down hard on the sofa.

“Came over and plied me with weed, actually,” Eddie said, settling next to him. “I get why you didn’t tell me. I can’t fault you for being hurt by people who you thought cared. But I can fault me for not noticing you were hurting. Because yeah, maybe you couldn’t say why, but I could have been there for you anyway.”

Steve’s shoulders sagged. “I should have at least told you that I was feeling upset.”

“I think the part that upsets me more than anything, love,” Eddie murmured, pulling Steve close to his chest, “is that I’m the newbie in all this, shouldn’t they be more worried that I’ll hurt you? I’m the wild card here, not you.”

Steve wrapped his arms around Eddie’s waist. “And it’s not as though I ended my last major relationship, either. That was all Nancy. I was trying my best, I really was. And I’ve tried with every other girl I’ve dated seriously, too. I’m always being broken up with, not the one doing the breaking.”

Eddie laid down and pulled Steve flush along the length of his body. “I’m the love and leave ‘em type, not you, sweetheart. The reason you are my first real relationship is because I liked not having to worry about get my heart stomped on by straight boys experimenting with gay sex and then fucking off back to their girlfriends.”

“So why are they coming after me?” Steve asked piteously, snuggling into Eddie’s neck.

“Because I keep myself to myself,” Eddie explained. “Even though I’m out and loud, I keep it tucked in my chest. But you sweetheart, wear your heart on your sleeve.”

Eddie kissed him and slowly began to rub circles up and down his back. He deepened the kiss. Yes, this was supposed to be a distraction, but he really wanted to make his boyfriend forget about his troubles for awhile. They were lost to time for awhile.

They didn’t get to sex, not really. Their clothes were still on, but Steve was sleepy and relaxed, so Eddie counted that as a win. He slipped out from under his boyfriend.

“Stay,” Steve mumbled into the sofa

“I’ll right back, darlin’,” Eddie assured him. “You need some sleep and I have to run a quick errand. You nap for a bit and I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay?”

“’Kay,” he replied, mostly asleep. “I love you.”

“Love you too, sweetheart,” Eddie said kissing his temple.

*

Eddie managed to arrived at the Byers house before everyone else. Will let him in.

Will led him to the front room where Joyce and Jonathan were waiting. Jonathan was on the sofa and Joyce was standing up chewing on her thumb.

“I talked to Jim and really chewed him out for scaring Steve like that,” she said the second she saw Eddie. “That wasn’t fair. Jim is supposed to be like a father to Steve, not be another bully.”

Eddie hugged her. “Thanks. I’ll talk to Wayne later, too. I didn’t even know he owned a shotgun.”

El scoffed. “He borrowed Dad’s.”

Eddie threw his head back and rolled his eyes. “Yup. That makes more sense actually and Steve would be too terrified to realize it was the same gun. He is in so much trouble for that.”

Soon everyone had arrived and piled into the small front room.

“What’s this about?” Dustin asked. “Jonathan said it was serious on the walkie. Not like Code Red, but bad.”

“I think it almost was,” Jonathan bit out.

Eddie winced, because he couldn’t be one hundred percent that if Jonathan hadn’t shown up that Steve wouldn’t have done what he threw at the older teen.

The room was silent. Eddie could hear his own ragged breaths and rapidly beating heart.

“Someone say something,” Robin pleaded. “What’s going on?”

“You are all assholes,” Will bit out. “Steve wouldn’t break Eddie’s heart if it was in his power and you all know it. So why the hell would you tell him if he did you would kill him? Not just cause him bodily harm, but actual death. Haven’t we seen enough of death to last our life time?!” He had been sitting on the sofa next to Jonathan when the meeting started but had risen to his feet.

Mike scoffed. “It not serious.”

“It sure the hell wasn’t the first time. But what about the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth or even the ninth time?” El asked, her eyes blazing.

“Ninth?” Robin asked.

Jonathan nodded. “If my math’s right. It could be more or less, but yeah. There were only a small dedicated handful that didn’t tell Steve some variation of ‘hurt Eddie and I’ll hurt you’, myself included.”

“That can’t be right,” Dustin said with a frown.

“Oh no, Dusty,” Eddie said, tilting his head side to side. “That’s absolutely correct. And worse is that none of you shit heads even said boo my direction. Not that I want to be threatened. I get enough of that, which now that I think about it...that’s why, isn’t it?”

The silence in the room was deafening.

“Oh, that is it!” Eddie crowed. “Can’t go after me because I get literal death threats so lets all dogpile on Steve instead!”

“Steve was in a really bad place when I went over there this morning,” Jonathan said into the bitter hush.

Joyce stepped forward. “I realize most of you are children and don’t quite understand what you did. But actual adults got involved in this mess. Adults that should have known better. So let me put this to you in a way you can understand so this never happens again. You’re getting to age were you’re dating yourselves, so think about how you would feel if someone came to your partner and threatened them with violence.”

“I’d be pissed,” Max said from the corner. “It’s no one’s business but ours.”

Joyce held out her hand to emphasize her point.

“Oh,” Nancy said from the corner of the room. She looked over at Jonathan and then ducked her head, crossing her arms over her stomach.

“Steve is so far from the boy that was a dick in his junior year,” Jonathan said. “Like that was four years ago. Almost five. And yet you still treat him like he hasn’t grown. Are you even his friends at this point or are you just so used to having him around that he’s just a tool to you to be used.”

“We don’t use him, do we?” Lucas asked, his voice cracking with emotion.

“You tell me,” Eddie huffed. “Do you ask anyone else to take you places? Do you have parties anywhere other than his place? Do expect him to be there for you when this shit gets to you, but don’t check in on him?”

The room was filled once again with the awkward silence.

“We didn’t mean to,” Dustin said, near tears.

“I want all of you to apologize to Steve,” Joyce in her best mom voice. “Work on being better friends. Because if you don’t, some day you might wake up and wonder how he just slipped away.”

They all nodded.

Erica tilted her head to side. “Wait a minute. Why didn’t you give Eddie or Steve the shovel talks? Any of you?”

Jonathan shrugged. “Just didn’t care enough. Plus I always thought they were bullshit, anyway. Shit happens. Any of you want Nancy dead because she broke Steve’s heart?”

Nancy’s head shot up and her jaw dropped.

“I love you,” Jonathan said. “But you can’t deny that’s what happened.”

She snapped her jaw shut.

The whole room was shaking their heads. Of course they didn’t want to hurt Nancy.

“Friends don’t hurt their friends,” El said. “And if you’ve been hurting Steve, maybe he needs to be taken away until you learn to play nicely.”

Joyce hid her smile under her hand. That was one way to look at it.

They looked at Will.

He rolled his eyes. “I think made myself pretty clear when we started this, so yeah. Fuck off.”

“William!” Joyce hissed. “Language!”

Will looked up at her completely unrepentant. She sighed. “I’m with my boys, I’m afraid. Shovel talks are bullshit and Steve is a good boy who has continued to go to bat, sometimes quite literally, for all of us. He could have walked away from the Upside Down fuckery at any time, but he came. He stayed. He took hits meant for someone else. Someone weaker. That’s a good friend. Maybe you should start treating him like one, too.”

Eddie looked around at everyone. “Has everyone learned their lesson?”

Everyone nodded.

“Good,” he said. “Now I’m going to back to Steve because he’s waiting for me. But I want those apologies. I don’t care if you call, write, or visit. But you will apologize. And no more shovel talks.”

*

And now with part three! Part four ! Part Five Part Six

Tags because they asked:  @justforthedead89 @zerokrox-blog @ihavekidneys

[slowandsteddie]

Hi!

Since you’re asking for fic ideas, how about Claudia Henderson taking Steve in when he’s younger? She knows Wayne Munson got custody of his nephew the year before, so she asks him for advice helping Steve adjust.

Maybe Steve and Eddie getting to be close friends? Bonus points for little brother Dustin!

Thank you so much for the request! I love it and have been thinking about it nonstop.

CW: mentions of divorce, previous child neglect/abuse, C-PTSD, mention of minor character death (murder), swearing

I’m not sure what happened here exactly. I just know that I like it.

1953 words.

Claudia Henderson had always wanted two boys, a fact that almost everyone in Hawkins knew about. So, it really shouldn’t have come as a surprise to her that Jim Hopper was standing on her doorstep. He was holding his hat in front of him and the look on his face proved that he knew he was probably going to ask too much. Again.

“How can I help you, Chief?” She asked as though she couldn’t see Steve Harrington sitting in Hop’s car and looking straight ahead.

He cleared his throat. “I need to watch over the kid for a few days. Maybe a week while we try to get ahold of some relatives.”

Jim never was one to beat around the bush, but neither was Claudia. “Why?”

“His father is… going away for a while.” He seemed uncomfortable.

“Why?” She repeated, subconsciously crossing her arms when she had to press for more answers. He came to her for a favor, she had every reason to demand answers.

“He killed his wife and the kid has nowhere else to go in the meantime. I don’t want to have to hold him in a cell just because we don’t have a child services division in this small town.”

“Sorry we aren’t New York, Chief.” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. That poor kid. Did he see what happened? Was she going to have to take him into the station to answer questions in the morning? “Does he have anything with him?”

“Just some clothes. He didn’t really want anything out of that house.”

She sighed again at that. “Bring him, then.”

Tomorrow, she was going to see if he wanted to go to the store and get anything. Probably best to keep him busy if he was willing. Besides, she needed to take Dustin to go pick out a new coloring book anyway.

Claudia looked out through the darkness and gave herself a moment to mourn, though not to cry. Steve’s mother had been her friend, even if they had drifted apart after Claudia’s divorce had gone through. Tonight couldn’t be about her. Not when her best friend’s son needed someone to take care of him.

“Thank you, Ms Henderson,” Hop said as he passed the backpack over to her and Steve stood on her doorstep.

He was so skinny. And was that bruising or shadows on his tiny face? That was a question she’d leave for the morning. Right now, he looked like he was about to collapse.

“I’m not doing it for you,” she replied before kneeling down to Steve’s level.

Hop took the opportunity to leave. The young male looked to him the same way a terrified boy would look for his father and Claudia made a note to reprimand the police chief later.

“Hi, Steve. I know this isn’t your home, but I want you to be comfortable here. Do you want to stay in the spare room tonight, or my room?”

He looked at her, wide eyed, as if she had a second head. “I get to choose?” He asked so softly and it broke her heart.

“You always have a choice here, Steve. As long as you stay safe and don’t hurt anyone.”

He chewed his lip and winced. It made Claudia lean more towards bruises than shadows, but it was hard to tell in the lighting and she wasn’t going to push. He had been through a lot.

“Spare room please,” Steve eventually decided.

Claudia made sure to show him where the kitchen and the bathroom were in case he needed anything. She also pointed out her own room being right across the hall before opening the door to the spare room for him. She did her best to make sure that he was as settled and comfortable as he was going to be under the circumstances. She stood in the door frame for a few seconds, holding on to it gently. She didn’t want to leave him, but he had requested to be alone.

“Anything you need, Steve. Just let me know. And Dustin might pester you in the morning if he wakes up before I do.”

“Okay,” he said simply.

Claudia went back to bed, leaving her door open. She really was going to have to call Wayne in the morning.

If Steve snuck into her room and laid on the floor beside her bed, she pretended not to notice.

—

“Wayne?” She was speaking a little lower than normal, but she did have two sleeping boys in her house and she was doing her best to keep it that way. “How did you help Eddie cope when he had to move in with you?”

“Why are you asking Claudia?” His voice was rough, but she knew him well enough to know that it was because he was tired.

“Have you heard about what happened at the Harrington’s yet?”

“You mean the murder?”

“I have Steve. Hop brought him to me last night,” she said in a rush before looking down the hall to make sure neither boy was going to sneak in on this conversation.

“Just make sure he feels safe and knows that things are going to happen at his speed, as much as possible. Have your limits and stick to them. Don’t let him push you over just because you know the hell he’s been through. And most important? Don’t try and be his Mama unless he asks you to.”

“Don’t have to worry about that last one. Hop said it should hopefully only be a week until they find some family willing to take him.” There was a tiny sniffle behind her. “Shit, Wayne. I gotta go. I’ll call you back tonight.”

When Claudia turned around, Steve was already disappearing back into the spare bedroom. The door closed with a soft click.

Shit.

“Mom, what’s for breakfast?” Dustin demanded as he walked out of his room and straight to the kitchen.

She’d check in on Steve soon. He probably needed a minute anyway.

“Pancakes sound good to you, Dusty?”

His toothless grin made her heart hurt.

How could anyone look at their child and feel anything but love?

—

It had been a few months and it seemed like Steve was staying. No one wanted to step up and take Steve. Honestly? Claudia wasn’t heartbroken about it. The longer he stayed, the more she loved him. She wasn’t fully convinced that she would let anyone take him away from her at this point. She wasn’t sure when she started looking at Steve as a son exactly, just that it happened quickly. Even Dustin, spoiled as he was, was excited to have an older kid in the house to hang out with. He said it made him seem cool to his friends that he suddenly found himself spending a lot more time with a Harrington. Whatever that meant.

She was just happy they were getting along. Happy that Steve was getting more comfortable with them. He was back up to a healthy weight, all the bruises were gone, and his injuries had turned to faded scars. Steve was safe. Most importantly, he was happy and loved. Claudia tried to not let it get to her that those were new feelings for the boy who previously only knew neglect or abuse at the hands of his biological parents.

—

Claudia woke up in the middle of the night, her heart pounding. What was that? A second thud had her throwing her covers back and running to the kitchen. The sight that greeted her would have made her laugh if Steve didn’t look so terrified.

Both boys were covered in flour. Honestly, the fact that most of the kitchen also had at least a thin dusting of the stuff was kind of impressive.

“What’s happening in here?” She asked with a smile.

Steve flinched and she tried to not let it get to her. He had to know by now that she would never hurt him, but the past doesn’t just go away like that.

“We were trying to make you a cake, but you put the flour too high and Steve wasn’t going to crawl on the counter. So I had to do it.” Dustin supplied after looking at the older kid and realizing that he wasn’t going to talk.

It happened a lot, Steve suddenly not talking. He also tended to leave the room a lot and hide in what had become his room. At least he felt safe enough to walk away now. He wasn’t walking away this time.

“It’s your birthday,” Steve said so softly. “It’s your birthday and you deserve a cake. I never got a cake.” His words got quieter as he kept talking, the last part of what he said barely audible.

“Oh, Steve,” Claudia’s heart was breaking. Shattering, really. “That’s really thoughtful of you, sweetheart. How about this? We clean up this mess and try again together? Yeah? Then I’ll move some stuff around so you can reach all the food in this kitchen.”

His eyes were shiny with unshed tears as the fear on his face gave way to a shy smile. “Okay,” he said simply.

And that was that.

—

Claudia was flustered.

She had been talking to Wayne a lot lately because he could relate to what she was going through. Taking in a kid who had nowhere else to go.

Somehow, that translated into them going out for dinner or lunch a few times to talk in person. To complain about the hardships and brag about the worthy things respectively.

That turned into her actually asking him on a date. Even more surprisingly, he agreed! Even though she knew he wouldn’t care, she was dressed in her absolute best and even took the time to tame her wild hair.

When there was a knock on the door, she was quick to answer it before Steve or Dustin had a chance. What she saw took her breath away. Wayne had put an effort in as well, and he was even holding a bouquet of flowers. Her cheeks heated and she smiled widely.

“They’re beautiful,” she breathed.

“You’re beautiful,” Wayne replied.

“Come in, come in,” she insisted as she stepped out of the way. When she saw Eddie, she smiled at him as well. “Thank you for agreeing to babysit my kiddos for me.”

Eddie grinned. “Uncle Wayne said he’d get me an Iron Maiden cassette.” Then he was running off to Dustin’s room, following the sound of laughter.

Claudia laughed softly before returning her attention to Wayne.

He shrugged. “Flattery and bribery get you everywhere with that boy,” he joked before going to grab a vase to put the flowers in.

Obviously he had been around the house a few times and paid attention to where she put things. Briefly, Claudia pictured Wayne and Eddie moving in - in the future.

It wasn’t a bad thought.

—

When they got back, Claudia was greeted by an adorable sight. Dustin was asleep, spread across the couch. Eddie and Steve were cuddled up in the recliner. Of course Dustin would claim the couch for himself and make two people share the smaller seat.

“Let’s not wake them just yet,” she said softly after a moment. “I’ve never seen Steve look so relaxed.”

Wayne had no objections. “Let’s put a note on the coffee table and then head to the backyard?”

Claudia had no objections, either. She scrawled out something on a piece of paper that was on the table already before leading the way outside. They sat on the outside loveseat, their knees touching.

Everyone was going to be spending a lot more time together. She just knew it.

[weaselle]

Dog Walking Post 3 of 3

@hatchan is hiring dog walkers and since i am in the business, has asked me what qualities and skills i think make the perfect dog walker.

So far i've told the story of two dog walkers we've hired where i work: Dave, who is such a perfect temperament for dogs that it fooled us into thinking he understands dogs well. And Jim, who was good with dogs, but was scattered and unreliable in stressful conditions.

The point of these stories is that it is easy to focus on finding someone who loves dogs and has good interactions with them, but what you really need is someone who can be in charge of dogs. And of course by "in charge" i mean responsible for the dogs and maintaining safe control of their experience, none of this Alpha/Dominance bullshit you hear so much about in this industry.

So we've talked about being good in an emergency, and we've talked about understanding things from a dog's point of view, now i'm going to spend a minute on paying attention. For this, we're going to talk about another employee that didn't work out, lets call him Greg.

There were a lot of reasons Greg didn't work out, and i personally had to do the paperwork and meetings and actual firing of Greg, which was sad because i liked him and still really hope he's finding happiness and success somewhere. But the thing i'm going to talk about is how much trouble Greg had remembering to pay enough attention to the dogs.

For example, one day we were each walking a pack of dogs, and the route was on a pedestrian path (we switched routes to that path that day because while it's not as good for dog walking as our more usual route, it has a lot more shade and that was a very hot day -- you want a dog walker who pays attention to that sort of thing)

Now this path crossed a street, and had the sort of posts they put on that kind of path to prevent cars from thinking they can turn onto the pedestrian path, like this

Now, if you are walking a pack of 8 dogs through these, you want to check to make sure none of your dogs are taking their leash on the wrong side of the posts as you pass through. Greg had been walking with us for more than two months at this point, mostly with my boss, and i just... didn't think i had to tell him to make sure the leashes didn't hang up on the posts.

But he just... walked through at full speed without looking at any of his dogs at all. And sure enough, one of them went on the other side of one of the posts and got hung up hard by the neck. It was hard enough that she yelped in pain, which hurt my heart because i should have been looking out for her better. Greg was my responsibility that day, and therefor all his dogs were my responsibility too, and i failed that poor dog. I just didn't think a person would walk through something like that without even looking... anyway.

I stopped us and talked to him about how important it is to always be paying attention to the dogs, specifically talking about leash hang-ups and neck injuries.

Then, because i was starting to get a feel for what working with Greg was like, I deliberately passed us back through those same exact posts two more times in the next 45 minutes. And i am still flabbergasted when i tell you he did not check the leashes while passing through EITHER TIME even after being reminded again.

The thing is, Greg just couldn't focus. Walking was an activity that made him zone out. And even when not walking, he would do stuff like forget to block the open van door with his body while dealing with a dog that was already out, even if it had only been 2 minutes since you reminded him that he needed to position himself to prevent dogs from jumping out of the van and into traffic. Or, when repeatedly told during the walk that he had to make sure a specific dog didn't get a hold of pine cones and sticks because she would eat them, he simply would not notice her darting over to pick one up, and he would not notice her walking along chewing on it.

He just couldn't remember protocols or focus or pay full attention to the dogs. As someone who probably has some kind of ADHD thing going on myself, i empathized with his mental state, but he was just not compatible with the job, he could not be trusted to keep the dogs safe. I wish him well wherever he is now.

So that was a lot of talking about people who did the job wrong, but what we are discussing is who to hire for dog walking, and i'm hoping hatchan and i can both learn from my hiring mistakes.

To answer in the positive though... What skills and traits would i combine in a lab to create the perfect dog walker?

Someone with an instinctive understanding of dogs - they don't have to be perfect at knowing all dog body language etc, but they have to understand on an internalized level the basics of how to read dogs and how to interact with dogs who are in various emotional states. For example being able to tell a dog is nervous, and knowing without having to stop and think about it not to make sudden movements toward that dog. Crucially, this is different than loving dogs or having good energy around dogs or interacting comfortably and easily with dogs, all of which are also things to look for of course.

Someone who is calm and in control under stressful conditions. This is hard to assess, but you might try suddenly changing something or... idk, i might hand a leashed dog over during the second interview (which would be a working interview to observe them with dogs) and inform them that this dog really dislikes the dog i'm about to bring into the room and then go get another dog on a leash and see how they handle that. I wouldn't really bring together two dogs that had beef, i'd actually use two dogs that had a normal relationship, but this would give you insight into not only how this person handled a potentially stressful situation, but also how quickly the person picked up from the dogs that they were actually fine together.

I'd be looking for the person to do things like position themselves between the dog they had and the dog that was entering, stay clam and try to keep the attention of the dog they were holding, see if they were able to pay attention to both dogs, and assess how quickly they realized there was actually no issue between the dogs. I'd also at that point be looking for them to ask questions that indicated they understood that some dogs seem fine right up until they aren't. Questions like have these dogs had physical altercations before, do either of these dogs snap without warning, what did their last bad interaction look like, is their behavior together different off leash, on the walk, or in the van, etc etc. Then i'd be asking them what they thought of the two dogs emotional state around each other and having them tell me what they were basing that off of before admitting the dogs were actually fine. I've never done this, so maybe it's not a great idea, but if i was fully in charge of hiring it's something i might try.

You want someone who is reliable, knows where their gear is at all times, who always shows up fully prepared for the day, who accepts responsibility for their actions and understands the dogs' health and safety are in their hands while they have those dogs. Someone who can keep track of who threw up, and what that looked like, and why it's important to pass that on to the owners. Someone who can tell when the dogs are getting too hot, who notices a slight limp, who is on the look out for ticks and foxtails and discarded cooked chicken and pork bones.

And you want someone who is very patient and doesn't have any flares of temper.

And lastly, here's one that was harder for me to look for: someone who can be decisive and firm. Dave from the previous post has a lot of trouble telling dogs that their behavior is unacceptable. The dogs i walk will mostly listen when i tell them to drop a chicken bone because they know i'll reach all the way down their throat after it; they know to shut down a fight before it really gets going when i tell them to shut it down because they know i'll climb back there and haul them apart and make them not fight if i have to; they know to stop gearing up to bark at someone else's dog on the walk because i'm already telling them i see what they're thinking and i'll turn them around to walk the other way or blow air in their face or dump water on them or wheelbarrow them to distract them or whatever else -- the point is i'm not going to stand for them behaving badly.

But Dave will be too soft and will give up too easily. He'll make a soft attempt to get a bone away from a dog and then throw his hands up and concede, he'll tell a dog that's already barking not to bark at other dogs, but then he won't do much to enforce it, and he won't give them a warning the instant he sees that they are tense about the other dog in the first place. As a result his dogs misbehave a lot more. So you need someone who isn't too soft, and will be proactive and act decisively, but without ever getting angry about it. And who balances that out by actively creating a positive relationship with the dogs founded on mutual respect. You want a person who isn't afraid to take corrective action, but who leads with positive preventative action first.

And so, dear hatchan, that is my answer

[silversword7000]

☕️Bridge Crew Coffee Headcanons☕️

Author’s Note: I indicated TOS and AOS for Kirk because each version gives me wildly different vibes about coffee but the rest of them can be read as either TOS or AOS🥰

Kirk:

TOS Kirk would have coffee occasionally and only put a splash of cream in it.

He would absolutely have a special cup for coffee so it is more of a treat though!

AOS Kirk would put 20000000 sugars and creamers in his coffee and also he should NOT be allowed to have coffee ever because he will have 50 cups in a day if no one (Bones) stops him.

He would absolutely love coffee though and like TOS Kirk he would have a special cup but AOS Kirk would have a blinged out reusable to go cup✨

Spock:

Spock would NOT drink coffee. He hates the bitter taste of it and even if it was doctored up, he still wouldn’t like it.

Caffeine would not agree with his Vulcan half…

McCoy:

He has a caffeine addiction.

With all the bullcrap he has to deal with on a daily basis I do not blame him.

He also doesn’t have time to sleep often so…yeah.

He drinks his coffee black. The bitterness reminds him of how he feels when people (Jim) are constantly getting themselves hurt in idiotic ways.

The only time he ever drinks it any other way is when Uhura makes him latte art. Even though he prefers it black, he enjoys seeing how excited she gets about doing it.

If anyone tries interacting with him before he has his coffee, he will kill them. All of the other medical officers stay far away from him until he has his first cup.

Scotty:

You already know my man is not bothering with coffee unless it has alcohol in it.

Scotty is able to wake himself up pretty quickly. He just gets up and he’s ready to go! So, he’s never had the need to drink any coffee.

Frankly, he just doesn’t enjoy the taste of it.

Uhura:

Uhura would love to start her day by having a nice cup of coffee! It is part of her morning ritual. ☀️

She has a few mugs that she swaps out to have some variety, but her favorite is her pink Hello Kitty mug that her mother gifted to her. (Hello Kitty would stand the test of time, I make the rules and you know I’m right.)

She puts some half and half as well as a little sugar in her coffee most days, but sometimes she switches it up for funzies to varied results.

One day on shore leave, a friend of hers taught her how to do latte art and she has been OBSESSED with it since.

She has her own coffee machine and she brings it to the rec area some mornings to make latte art for other crew members! She loves making hearts and leaves the most!

Her favorite part is seeing others smile when she gives them their special coffee <3

Because she knows how much he needs it, sometimes she lets Bones use her coffee machine to get a fresh cup.

She likes to make him special latte art when she is on breaks because she loves seeing how it cheers him up!

Sulu:

Sulu only ever has coffee on special occasions.

It’s not something he needs every day so he only ever has one when he is on shore leave or vacation and it strikes his fancy.

He loves to try specialty coffees from different places to taste the regional differences.

Chekov:

Chekov LOVES coffee.

However, he is not allowed to have it after…the incident.

Scotty installed a special sensor on the replicators so that if he tries to make a coffee, it doesn’t work.

If Chekov does have coffee…oh boy, strap in. He is like a little kid with a sugar rush! Pavel will NOT be able to sit still to the point where it impedes his work and annoys everyone around him.

He is bouncing off the walls like nobody’s business!

The last time Pavel got his hands on some coffee while he was on duty, Sulu was assigned to wrangle him. It ended with Pavel tied to a chair and gagged.

So yeah the entire bridge crew knows NEVER to let him have any coffee anymore.

💫Thank you so much for reading!! Reblogs and comments are adored <3💫

[companionjones]

Lover/Awoken

Pairing: Spock x Reader

Fandom: Star Trek (Kelvin Timeline)

Summary: While saving the children of an alien species, you are injected with a toxin that causes immense pain. What will be Spock’s reaction to this?

Warnings: Pain, almost-death

*******

    “Just do it!”

    Scotty beamed you back, causing you to feel like you were hit by a starship.

    “--y would you do that?!” Bones had practically caught you when you showed up in the beam room. He was yelling at Kirk, as always. “You should never beam someone wen that kind of toxins been introduced to their system!”

    “S-Sp--” You tried to ask about your lover, but the words wouldn’t come out.

    Bones just nodded. He knew what you were trying to say. “Spock’s on his way. He just got back, too.”

    “I am right here, my love,” your partner suddenly appeared and knelt next to you. He took over from Bones in holding you.

    Your brow furrowed at the term of endearment. Then, with another stabbing pain, you realised you must’ve been worse off than you thought. “Spock, it...it hurts,” you gritted as you leaned into him.

    “I know, baby. It-It is going to be okay.”

    “Baby. Hmm. I must be dying,” you thought.

    Spock and Bones blurred as you drifted from consciousness.

***

    “Spock. I think they’re waking up.”

    There was the sound of frantic rustling as the world came back into focus. The first thing you saw when you opened your eyes was your half-Vulcan. A quick glance at and behind him revealed that he had probably been sleeping when Kirk told him of your waking.

    “How long have I been out?” you asked.

    Spock answered. “...Two days.”

    “I’ll give you two some privacy,” offered the captain.

    If you knew Spock, he would’ve forgotten to eat while waiting for you. It occurred to you that Kirk probably took care of Spock as much as he could while you were sleeping.

    “Jim,” you called after him, getting him to turn around. “Thank you,” you told him.

    Smiling, he nodded, “No problem,” and left.

    “Are the children of the species okay?” you immediately asked Spock.

    He nodded. He was sitting on the side of your bed, holding your hand and brushing his thumb over the back of it. “Yes. We were able to neutralise the toxin. There should be no more casualties.”

    You nodded in return, then pulled your hand from his to place it on your cheek. “You haven’t shaved.”

    A smile flashed across his face. “Yes. As I am sure you understand, I was indisposed. I could go now and--”

    “No, wait. I like it,” you stopped him to say.

    There was no mistaking the smirk on Spock’s lips then. “I missed you very much,” he stated simply.

    “And I you, S’chnn,” you replied with all the sincerity that you had. You took his face in your hands brought him close to you so you could kiss your lover for the first time since you had awoken, but certainly not the last time that day.

*******

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! Fill up that heart and reblog if you liked it! I would also really appreciate a comment, if you have the time. If you would like to read more, check out my masterlist. Have a nice day, night, or whatever time it is for you! <3 <3 <3

[jadetheblade4]

Are They Stupid?

A Dog Man Fanfic by Swirly Twirly

☆☆☆

Summary: Petey escapes Cat Jail, but the local guard that checks up on him is the one on his tail!! Will the shennanigans ever cease... (Takes place somewhere before A Tale Of Two Kitties) (Not a ship thing sorry weirdos but this gal wants to write for the silly of it ^_^)

☆☆☆

Part 1:

It was yet another normal day at Cat Jail, Collardale. The guard was doing his normal everyday rounds, albeit with a positive demeanor. He had been having a great day so far, thinking that nothing much could ruin it. He went to Petey's cell with a skip in his step.

"Gooooooood morning, Petey!" proclaimed the Guard, banging onto the cold metal bars of the cell. Petey, startled by this sudden noise, lifted his head up from his piles of papers and blueprints of escape. His face contorted into an annoyed glance once he saw who it was, his ears turned downward in disinterest.

"Aaaaaand goodbye to you, Guard..." Petey retorts, waving him off and continuing to work on his plans.

The guard chuckled. "Aw, cheer up, buddy! Big Jim and a bunch of other cats are planning on taking a sewing class today. You should join them!"

"Don't call me buddy! Besides, why would I want to be with any of those nut jobs? They're all stupid goofballs that don't have anything better to do with their life!" Petey took great offense in that chuckle, even slightly hissing his words to subconciously tell him to back off.

The guard tilts his head slightly, frowning a bit. "Then...what are you doing with your time?" he questioned, leaning onto the bars of Petey's cell. 

Petey's sneer immediately dissapears the moment he realizes how suspicious he looks. "I- um...Well..." he stutters, trying to find something to pass off as an excuse. Suddenly, his ears perk up, a quick idea passing through his genius mind.

He picked up a piece of paper that was a shopping list of some sort but for evil machinery. The contents didn't matter, though. He turned it over and quickly doodled a crude-looking drawing of the guard and himself holding hands, trying to make it as nice as possible with his ratty artstyle.

"Well, for your information... I'm...drawing a picture!! Of us!! Hanging out or whatever, just come see it!" proclaimed the orange cat, waving the drawing above his head.

The guard's face lights up in glee. "Really, Petey? You drew a picture for me??" he squealed in excitement. He never would've thought that Petey would do something nice for him for a change!

Petey nods convincingly. "Uh huh, just open the cell door and come inside to see it!!"

Unlocking the door to petey's cell, the guard steps inside gleefully. "What does it look like? Oh, I hope you capture my likeness onto it!!"

"Yeah, yeah, here ya go, I made it with care and whatnot, blah blah blah sappy stuff..." Petey shoves the drawing onto the guard, who happily accepted it.  The guard's eyes go wide as he scans the picture. A huge grin spreads across his face. "Aw, Petey, I love it!!! It looks so nice!!! C'mere you!!" He goes over to him and pulls him into a tight and loving hug.

"Oof!" Petey's breath slips out of him as he's trapped in the guard's iron grip. "Ok, man, hands off the merchandise!!" He squirms, trying to get away, but the guy has no plans of letting him go at the moment.

"This is the most thoughtful gift i have ever recieved in my whole entire life!!!! the guard proclaimed, continuing to cuddle him more. He comically spins him around and even kisses his cheek a couple of times, the gift really meaning a lot to him somehow.

"EUGH!! Alright ALRIGHT I GET IT I'm such a great pal now GET OFF!!!" Petey wriggled around his grasp until he popped off. He let out a "hmph!" as he tidied himself up from his sudden invasion of privacy. The guard jumped off to the side, a bit hurt by Petey's sudden cold nature. The orange cat notices his sudden deflate and feels a certain pull in his heart. "I mean, uh, no problem... figured I'd repay you for dealing with my, uh, schemes and stuff..." Petey stuttered, shifting his feet.

The guard's face lights back up again as he looks back at the picture. "Aww, it's nothing, Petey!! Just doing my duty!!" he said. Petey let out a smile, strangely happy about his half-assed drawing. He then shakes his head and tries to focus on the task at hand.

"I was thinking about hanging it up over there on the right side corner of my cell, can ya be a dear and put it there for me?" he bats his eyes innocently and points to said corner. The guard happily agreed. "Of course, dear pal!" He gives him one final hug and rushes to the wall to hang it up.

With a devious smile on his face, he tiptoes out of the cell. "Heheh, what a doofus..." the cat giggled. A few moments later, he escapes from the jail once more. "Ahh, finally! I can get back to doing what i usually do..." He walks back to his lab and breathes a sigh of relief. "The life...OF CRIME!!! HAW HAW HAW!!!!" he announces. The large building echoed his words, alerting the butler from the staircase.

"Heya Petey! Been a while since I've seen you around!!" he quickly steps down and joins him as Petey parades around his home. "Breaking out this time was a bit difficult," Petey went on, "but now things can finally get back on tra-"

A tv at the corner of the supposed room they're in suddenly announces its lovely presence by blaring breaking news from its LD screen. Petey and Butler turn their attention to the tv. It shows none other than Sarah Hatoff,  greatest reporter, in front of the very Cat Jail Petey just escaped from moments ago.

"BREAKING NEWS, FELLOW CITIZENS OF COLLARDALE!!!" Sarah declared. "We are currently receiving reports of a runaway warden of sorts from the Cat Jail looking for a certain fiendish feline...PETEY!!!" A mugshot of his face is shown on the screen right next to a goofy-looking photo of the guard, to which Petey frowns upon. "He informs us that if we see the cat anywhere to report to him...and...only him." Sarah scratched her head in confusion. "Huh. Guess the police aren't needed. This is Sarah Hatoff, signing out."

The butler turned to Petey. "Huh, I guess you don't need to, after all!" he said with a dumbass smile on his face. Petey grimaces and pinches the middle of his forehead in frustration. "AAUGH....Why is there always SOMETHING to ruin the mood..." he groaned, marching up the steps to the lab's roof with the butler following right behind. 

Up above, Petey and the butler scan their surroundings. The day-to-day hustle and bustle of the city rings out from below, showing no sign of anything unusual. The butler tilts his head. "Nobody here yet..." he muttered.

The orange cat crossed his shoulders and shook his head. "...Hmph! What am I even worried about anyways?!?" He laughed at how absurd he was acting at the moment to save face as he started walking back towards the stairs. "This lab is one of the most discrete and perfectly hidden buildings in all of the city of Collardale! It'll take a while before-"

A loud buzz-like sound suddenly calls out and the pair jumped in suprise. Petey rushed back and leaned over the roof once more to see a tiny guard waiting patiently at the door, pressing the goddamn buzzer.

"HOW DID HE FIND MY LAB!?!" Petey screamed. He quickly covered his mouth and dragged Butler down to the ground before Guard could see up above. He grabbed his butler by the shirt and whispered, "How did he find my lab?!?!?!"

The butler shrugged. "Gee, Petey, I don't have a clue how the guy could think of coming here."

"Hmm...strange." Petey let him go and scratched his head. He peered over the roof to look at his big fat-ass "PETEY'S SECRET LAB" sign. "Oh, by the way, I think you need to change a few of the lightbulbs on my lab's sign this weekend. A few of them are starting to fade out."

The butler rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'll buy lightbulbs later this evening, I guess..." he muttered again, peering over and looking at the sign with him.

Petey raised his eyebrow. "Also, quit muttering and mumbling so much, it's starting to irritate me >:( ."

The guard pressed the buzzer again. His hand contained a small piece of paper. "Helloooo?"  he called out. "I'm an authority from the local Cat Jail! Is anyone home?" He looked up at the tall building, to which Petey noticed just in time and ducked. Unfortunately, the butler ducked a bit too late, therefore leading the guard to only catch sight of him and not Petey.

"Oh, hey there! I just wanted to ask a couple of questions, if ya don't mind!!" he shouted from below to up above. The butler pops out again and gives a thumbs up, then goes down again.

Petey facepalms himself and groans annoyingly. He then faces the butler, who smiled sheepishly.

"You better not tell him im here. In fact, make him regret coming here in the first place!! I don't wanna be involved with the guy any further!!" he yelled, grudgingly going downstairs.

The butler shifted uneasily in place. "Uh, sure, Petey... I'll see what I can do, I guess..." he mumbled once more as he followed the grumpy cat.

[whumpsday]

Kane & Jim #48: Basement

Chronological masterlist / Writing order masterlist

content: whumper turned whumpee (turned caretaker), whumpee turned caretaker, vampire whumpee, recovery, comfort, nightmares, starvation

sorry this took 10 thousand years. tbf, it’s my longest chapter ever! enjoy!

-

Tonight, just like every night, Jim led Kane back downstairs before sunset. Kane never seemed to have a problem with it. He honestly seemed happier now than he ever had back when he was free, when their positions were reversed. It was weird to think about.

The door swung shut behind him. It’d been doing that lately instead of staying open, but this time it was even louder than it had been the past few days, like it was insisting that Jim remember to fix it. He made a mental note get to it tomorrow.

He unlocked Kane’s ankle cuffs, letting him free of the restraints for the night. “See ya tomorrow. Sleep well and all.”

Kane smiled back at him. “You too.” He went over to sit at his desk, picking up a book and humming pleasantly.

Jim walked back up the stairs, keys in hand, and pushed the door.

It didn’t budge.

Jim stood there for a second, unbelieving. The door had closed behind him every morning and night for the past three days, and it’d always just opened right back up at a push, because it wasn’t locked.

The lock. The lock on the outside. The metal bar that made the sound of the door closing extra loud when it swung down from the force of the door snapping shut.

Leaving him stuck down here with Kane, and no way to get out.

He pushed on the door again, more insistently. But this door was made to contain someone far stronger than him, silver or no silver. He felt his throat tighten. It suddenly felt hard to breathe. Like when he’d said something that made Kane angry and he picked him up by his neck and-

“Jim? Is something wrong?” Kane asked. Jim spun around to see the vampire’s face painted with confusion.

“Yeah,” Jim squeaked, his back pressed against the door’s silver lining. “Yeah, I uh, I can’t get the door open.”

Kane closed his book, setting it down softly on the desk. His brows creased in concern. “Oh. Um, you mean... at all?”

Jim nodded, eyes wide with steadily growing fear.

-

This was bad. Kane liked his routine. He liked his half-half balance of spending the day with Jim and the night to himself in his nice, comfortable basement. Getting blood in the mornings and helping with chores. He liked his life.

But an essential part of his new life over the past four months had been that Jim deigned him fit to be treated well. Jim was kind and caring, but sometimes, it was apparent that being around Kane was too much for him. And at those times, Jim would excuse himself, or send Kane back down to the basement, where he was happy to be. Whatever he had to do to help Jim feel safe. To minimize the damage he’d caused.

Jim couldn’t excuse himself now. Not for lack of trying: he turned back around and continued fussing with the door, pushing and pounding and trying the handle. He let out a sob as the door held fast. “Kane?” he called, his voice pitched with fear.

Kane didn’t dare move from his seat. Not without permission, not while Jim was so scared. “Yes?”

“Can you try? To open the door?” Jim asked.

Kane had never tried to open it himself. For one, he had no desire to escape. For another...

His heart sank. “But... it’s silver.” It was hardly a protest. His voice came out small.

Jim said he wouldn’t be hurt anymore. No more burning. No more silver.

“No, I didn’t mean, like, touch it,” Jim clarified nervously. “You could use the blanket, maybe?”

“Oh.” Kane started to calm down. Of course. “Yes, I can try. If- you’re sure it’s okay?” Fringe nightmare scenarios of him busting down the door and being punished for escaping ran through his mind, as little sense as they make.

“Yeah, go for it.” Jim descended the stairs and stepped out of the way, hugging the wall. Kane didn’t miss the way Jim seemed to shrink back away from him.

He grabbed his blanket and ascended the stairs to approach the door, looking back nervously to Jim before ramming into it full-force, using his blanket as a shield. The entire room seemed to vibrate with the force of it.

The door didn’t budge.

Kane looked back again, and Jim looked much more scared this time, to his despair. Jim backed himself up into the far corner, shivering.

He drew his blanket around himself. “I’m sorry. I- I can’t break it. It’s silver. I was just doing what you said to, please don’t- please.”

“No, it’s uh, it’s all good,” Jim said shakily, arms clutched protectively to his chest the way he always used to do back at Kane’s house. “I mean, you. Not- this situation.”

It was starting to sink in. They were trapped in here together. Jim was trapped down here with him. And...

Kane was strong now. He didn’t need to worry so much that Jim would hurt him, and his tentative trust in Jim had grown enough by now that he was reasonably sure he wouldn’t anyway.

But it was apparent that Jim was really scared. Jim had never hurt him, but Kane had hurt Jim. Over and over and over for years. It was different here because Jim was the one in charge now, he could always get away if he needed to, but now... he couldn’t.

Kane sat down on the steps, hoping to make himself less intimidating. “It’s okay. It’s just like upstairs except... continued, right? I can put the cuffs back on, if you want.”

Jim hesitated, thinking it over. “No, it’s okay,” he decided, his voice squeaky with fear. Kane supposed that made sense: the restraints were to keep him from running, and they were pretty useless when he was locked in the basement anyway. Jim took a deep breath. “Liz’ll realize something’s up when I don’t pick up the phone. It might just... take a bit. Like a few days, maybe.”

“Okay. Um, I know this has to be scary for you. I’m a little scared too?” Kane’s always scared. “But you always make me feel better when I’m scared, and I know that- that I probably can’t do that so well, but I’m not going to hurt you, Jim. Ever.” He tried to emulate the kind of thing Jim always said to him when he was extra scared.

Jim nodded slowly. “Y-yeah. Thanks.” His face reddened a bit, clearly embarrassed for needed to be comforted.

“Usually after you leave upstairs, I spend a couple hours reading and listening to music. Then I wash my face and brush my teeth and go to bed,” Kane recites. “Would you like to, um, do that too? I have- I mean, you know what books I have, obviously.”

“I think I’m just gonna sit in the corner for a bit and try to cool off,” Jim said quietly. His hands were shaking a bit as he slid down the wall in the corner of the room.

It might not have even been him, Kane realized. Maybe it was just the feeling of being trapped again. Kane never had a break in between- he’d just gone from being imprisoned by the hunters to being imprisoned somewhere infinitely better. He’s locked down in the basement every night. But Jim’s been free this whole time.

“I’m sure Liz will realize something’s wrong soon,” Kane assures him. “And it’s not like- you’re still in your own house, right? You’re home.”

That seemed to get through to Jim a bit. Kane could see his shoulders relax slightly with the thought. “Yeah. That’s true, I guess.”

“I’m just going to go to my- to the desk. Let me know if I can, um, get you anything,” Kane said awkwardly. It was his space, but it was Jim’s house to begin with. His home in Jim’s basement.

Hours passed, the evening surprisingly normal despite the tension in the air. Jim stayed firmly in the corner. Kane could see his hands anxiously worrying at his sleeves through the corner of his eye. It reminded him of back then, in the later years after Jim got quiet. He held back a wince of guilt at the thought.

When bedtime rolled around, he took one of his blankets from the bed. “You should take the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“Oh, uh, that’s okay. It’s your bed. You don’t gotta do that,” Jim said. “I can take the floor.”

“I’m used to it,” Kane assured him. “You’re the one who’s scared this time. You should take the bed... um, if that’s okay.”

Jim hesitated before nodding. “If you’re sure. At least take the pillow.”

Kane took it, suppressing the Yes, sir that he always instinctively wanted to say after an order. “I hope you sleep well.”

“Yeah, you too,” Jim said as he lied down in Kane’s bed, facing the wall.

Kane dragged the rug to the other side of the basement, giving Jim the space he was clearly desperate for, and set up his little sleeping arrangement on the floor. It wasn’t nearly as comfortable as the bed, but he would still describe it as comfortable after years on his cell’s cold, hard floor. And it was certainly more comfortable than knowing Jim was sleeping on the floor instead.

It was hard to fall asleep with Jim in the room, he soon realized. He’d grown so used to startling awake when he heard a hunter approaching down in his cell that the smell of a human so close was keeping him awake.

Well, it wasn’t like he had plans tomorrow. No rush to sleep, Kane supposed. Jim might even appreciate some alone time if he were to wake first tomorrow.

After a bit, Jim’s sleeping form began stirring with obvious distress, whimpering a bit. He was having a nightmare, that much was clear.

Kane bit his lip anxiously, a drop of blood welling where his fang met skin. What should he do? Letting him stew in the nightmare didn’t feel right. He was probably the one tormenting Jim in his dreams.

“Jim?” he called softly.

He didn’t wake up. Kane hesitantly stood, his blanket wrapped around his shoulders, and took a few steps closer. “Jim?”

Nothing. Jim whined pitifully in his sleep, and now only half a room away, Kane could see a tear running down his face in the dark.

My fault.

It was possible that Jim could be having a normal nightmare unrelated to him, but he seriously doubted it.

Kane approached further, kneeling beside the bed. Better that Jim doesn’t wake to his tormenter looming over him. He gently laid a hand on Jim’s shoulder, the same way Jim would do when trying to comfort him, and shook lightly. “Jim, you’re having a nightmare.”

-

Jim woke in the dark, The bright-red eyes in his dream fading into the exact same in reality, no more than two feet from his face.

He jerked back immediately, pressing himself back against the wall. His good arm went up to protect himself- never to fight back, that only made things worse, just to be in the way so Kane didn’t hit tender stomach or easily-cracked ribs.

“I’m sorry,” he whimpered, cowering against the wall, murky with sleep. The dream was fading, the details melting away, but he knew Kane was angry with him. “I’m s-sorry, Master. I’ll be better. I’ll behave. Just gimme another chance.”

Kane didn’t look angry. He looked... horrified, honestly, which was confusing. He shuffled backward without standing.

“Jim,” Kane’s voice came out gentle. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not- I’m not your master anymore. It was just a dream. I know it’s terrifying, I get them too, but it’s not real. I’m not... like that anymore. I’m sorry. I won’t hurt you.”

Jim blinked the sleep away, starting to come to his senses. Kane was letting him off the hook this time. No, wait, what was going on?

“You’re home,” Kane reminded him. “You’re not at my house anymore. We just got accidentally locked in the basement. You had a nightmare.” His face took on a tinge of fear. “I- I’m sorry for touching you. I just thought it would be best to wake you since you seemed distressed, and I know if it was me I’d want- I shouldn’t have, I’m so sorry. You can, um, you can punish me if you like.” He bowed his head down, shivering.

Right. Kane. This was who Kane was now.

Jim smoothed his hair back, the curls bouncing back into place as he did, starting to calm down. “No punishing. ‘M gonna go back to sleep. Thanks for waking me.”

Kane sighed with relief. Jim was glad they’d gotten to this point: it’d have taken ages to calm him down if something like this happened just a few months ago. “Okay. Good night, Jim.”

“G’night.”

...

His next dream was back at Kane’s, again, his mind unable to drop the subject. Unlike the last dream, this one wasn’t violent. Kane wasn’t mad this time. It was a normal, peaceful night.

Kane fed from him, and they lounged in Jim’s quarters for some reason, his dream discarding the fact that Kane wouldn’t do that. There was no hurting or threatening, and though Kane was his usual pompous, aggravating self, it was okay.

Jim hated those dreams the most.

He woke with a grumble, reminded once again all how content he’d been at times to be Kane’s property. How he’d gotten stuck in that rut. Learned helplessness.

Kane was already awake, sitting quietly at his desk. Jim felt a pang of guilt for stealing his bed, but, well, the guy offered. It was weird, to feel like a guest in his own basement. Like it was someone else’s home and not his.

Kane’s home.

Jim pushed the thought aside immediately. Semantic bullshit, his brain making connections where there weren’t any. It wasn’t the same.

“Morning.” He stretched and sat up in bed, at least a little less freaked out than last night.

Oh God. Last night. It was a little fuzzy, but he remembered freaking out. He remembered calling Kane Master. His face grew hot with shame.

Kane looked over. He shrank back a little, obviously a bit scared. “Good morning, Jim. Are you feeling any better? I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. S’okay. You were just trying to help. You don’t gotta worry.” This was better, being the one to reassure Kane. He didn’t want to need to be taken care of, especially by him.

Kane relaxed a little. “Okay. Yes, I just, I just wanted to help. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“Can I ask you kind of a weird question?” Jim blurted out.

“Yes?”

He twiddled his fingers. “You ever get these dreams, like... you’re back at, like, your cell or whatever, but nothing bad’s happening? And you’re kind of just chilling there.”

Kane nodded. “A lot, actually. You... also get those?”

“Yeah.” Jim didn’t know where he was going with this. It just kind of felt nice to know it wasn’t just him, that he wasn’t broken for having dreams where he’s content with his captivity. Kane went through literal torture and he gets the same thing.

They were still stuck down here for the time being. All the games were upstairs, since Jim didn’t hang out in the basement, but luckily, it turned out Kane had brought a deck of cards down for solitaire a couple months ago. He’d almost forgotten Kane asking for permission for that.

While they were in the middle of their third game of gin rummy, Jim started to feel hungry. He’d missed dinner last night, and it looked like he wouldn’t be getting any breakfast today either. He had water from the half-bathroom’s sink, but there was no food down here for him.

There was food down here for Kane.

His hand stalled as he went to draw a card, frozen. There was no blood draw kit, not even a small knife like he’d used before he got the kit, and no bowl to collect it in even if there was. And besides, he’d get dizzy after if he couldn’t eat, and that meant that the only way for Kane to have his breakfast was to-

“Jim?” Kane asked, taking on that timid, concerned tone again, like he couldn’t decide if he was in trouble or not. “Is- is something wrong?”

“Uh, no.” He quickly drew his card. “Just- you know. Spaced out.”

“Oh.” Kane seemed to accept the lie at face value, taking his turn.

-

Kane could tell something was wrong, but he didn’t want to push it. It was probably just that they were trapped, but Jim seemed off.

It finally clicked when Jim’s stomach growled a few hours after they stopped playing, a soft sound that his acute hearing nonetheless picked up despite being on the other side of the room. Of course. He himself was a bit peckish, not that he’d ever think of bringing it up to Jim, but he’d had much worse.

But Jim was human. He’d missed three meals by now, dinner last night and breakfast and lunch today. Humans needed to eat so often, that was the equivalent of three days without blood for a vampire.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asked, worried. “I- I’m sorry there’s no food for you down here. You must be hungry.” It wasn’t fair. If anyone deserved to never ever have to go hungry, it was Jim.

Jim dropped the pencil, the sound of it clattering to the paper he was drawing on ringing out. He looked up with fear in his eyes, scooting back in the chair. “I’m okay,” he said quietly, trembling a little.

That wasn’t the reaction Kane had been expecting. Jim would get scared of him sometimes, but usually when he’d done something to-

“I know you’re hungry too. Please don’t.” Jim’s hand went to his neck, where his turtleneck covered twin impressions of Kane’s own fangs, holding it protectively. “I just- Kane, man, I can’t. Liz’ll realize I’m not answering the phone and come to let us out in a day or two, and I’ll give you blood then, okay? Please.” Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.

“Oh- no, no, I wouldn’t.” Kane paused the CD player, sitting up with his knees to his chest on the bed. Did Jim think he was going to attack? A flash of panic surged through him. “I wouldn’t attack you, I mean- I wouldn’t ever again, I swear! I wasn’t going to, please believe me! Jim, you, you know I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t. I promise.”

His panicked insistences seemed to calm Jim down somewhat. He removed his hand from his neck, though it still hovered close-by. “You mean it?” he asked, his voice small.

“Yes. I will not touch you,” Kane promised confidently. “It’s okay. You’re- you’re safe.” It felt backwards, his heart still thudding with his own panic, given how many times Jim had repeatedly assured him of the same. But Jim was the one who really needed to hear it.

Jim let out a long, shaky breath. “Okay. Thanks.” He was clearly still on-edge, but starting to relax.

“But- you never answered, are you alright? You’ve missed too many meals,” Kane brought back up.

“I’ll be fine.” Jim wiped his eyes, a half-smile tugging at his lips. “Remember that little hunger strike I tried back at your place?”

Vaguely. Kane hadn’t thought about that in a long time. A smaller rebellion, overshadowed by Jim’s ill-conceived attempt to run him through with a knife a few weeks prior. “Um, yes, I think so. That was- the first year, I believe? You were alright after that.”

“You waved a chocolate bar in front of my face and I caved immediately. I was nineteen.” Jim gave a soft chuckle. “I was terrified at the time, but looking back on it now, it’s a little funny when you think about it like that. Oh man.”

Nineteen. So young. Kane had known he was, he looked it, but hadn’t learned just how much until Jim told him on the eve of his twentieth birthday. He was a mere teenager when Kane stole him away from his life. How could he have been so horrible?

He nodded along to Jim’s observation, throat thick with guilt.

They did what they could to pass the day, hunger gnawing at the both of them. Kane was sure that whatever he was feeling, Jim must have been feeling it at least three times worse, maybe more since he was unused to it.

He wished he could alleviate it, somehow, like Jim had done for him. That he could offer Jim his own blood to alleviate his pain. But he was the vampire, and Jim was the human. There was nothing he could do but fetch him a cup of water.

-

It had been three days.

Jim didn’t get out of bed today. He’d gone hungry before, on many occasions. Skipping meals as a kid trying to make sure Liz had enough food on her plate when things were tight. That little hunger strike. The two days he ran from Kane, he didn’t eat until he woke up in the hospital, but he was much more worried about water, then. At least he had that, now.

Three was pushing his limit in terms of comfort. He knew he’d survive it fine, Liz would catch on before he got anywhere close to dangerous, but it was turning out to be a stay-in-bed day.

Kane had taken to doting on him, oddly enough. Brought him refills whenever his water got low. Kept asking him if he was okay. It was... kind of sweet, honestly. His fear slowly lessened the more time they spent down here. If Kane were going to attack him, he probably would have by now.

It only made him feel more guilty for not feeding him. He knew Kane was hungry, too. He’d regretted starving him that first month because he couldn’t work up the courage so much, and now he was doing it again. Kane said it was fine, but Jim was pretty sure Kane would say anything was fine.

He took a deep breath. He’d been agonizing over this since yesterday, and he knew he had to do it.

“Kane?”

Kane was by his side in an instant. “Yes? Do you need anything? Are you feeling okay?”

Jim pulled down his sleeve and held his arm out shakily. “You can feed, if you want.”

He was going to panic. He knew it. There was no way he could feel fangs sinking into his skin and not panic. But he could hold it inside and let Kane feed. He was trained for it, after all.

“Oh.” Kane’s eyes flickered from Jim’s face to his wrist. After a long, long pause, he continued. “No thank you.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What?”

Kane slowly reached for Jim’s sleeve and pulled it back up. “I can wait.”

Jim pulled his arm back to his chest, relief flooding through him. “Oh. Um, if you’re sure.”

Kane gave a small smile, the kind that didn’t let his fangs show. “I’m sure.”

...

It was hours later when Kane perked up. “Phone’s ringing!” he proclaimed excitedly, hearing its soft tone from upstairs.

“Is it?” Jim listened carefully. “I don’t hear anything.”

“It definitely is. It has to be Liz, right?” Kane asked.

“I’ve made damn sure reporters can’t get my number anymore,” he grumbled. “Yeah, gotta be her. Shouldn’t be long now.”

Kane kept informing him each time the phone rang, the spaces in between getting shorter and shorter. Finally, Kane informed him the front door was opening. Both of them ran to the wall by the stairs, to pound against it for Liz to let them out.

Liz watched in astonishment as Jim leaped out of the basement and wrapped his arms around her. “Finally! Am I glad to see you!”

“Jim? What are you doing down here? What happened?” Liz gave him a quick hug before pulling back to check him for injuries.

Kane backed up until he was all the way down the stairs. Liz had never hurt him, but this was an unusual situation. Best not to be in the huntress’s space.

“Door’s fucked. Been locked down here for three days.” Jim walked past her. “If you’ll excuse me, I have got to get something to eat.”

“Shit! Are you serious?” Liz opened and closed the door experimentally as Jim raced past her to the kitchen, Kane watching apprehensively.

Liz looked down at him and sighed. “Guessin’ you haven’t had a lot to eat either?”

He shook his head.

She held the door open. “C’mon. Let’s get you some blood.”

“I think, um, I don’t mean to contradict you or anything,” Kane said nervously, “But I don’t think Jim is-”

“Yeah, Jim’s not bleeding for you today. I’ve got it covered. C’mon.” Liz motioned for him to follow.

Kane’s heart felt warm as he followed her upstairs. “Thank you.”

-

K&J extra content posted between #47 and #48:

Kane & Jim drabble: Spilled Blood

Crossovers K&J x MMSS and Kane & Raiza continue to update!

not K&J related but i also posted a one-shot, Tomcat Disposables

starting a new thing where i add the taglist in a reblog because i think having it in the main post is breaking my links on desktop somehow, so hang tight for that in a few minutes!

[specialagentlokitty]

Mycroft x reader - truth

Mycroft x Moriarty's twin/sibling - Mycroft dates Reader, trying to get info on Jim but ends up falling for them - @mxacegrey 💜

You were excited for your date night with Mycroft, you were going to watch a film and order takeout since you knew work had been hard for him recently.

You didn’t know much about his work, but he told you it was important and you understood that, so you didn’t push him for any more information about it.

Wondering around your house, you hummed to yourself as you tried to find the takeout menu to your favourite place.

The door was thrown open and slammed closed and you snapped your head up to the hallway.

“(Y/N)?!”

“Jim?!” You called out.

He came running into the room and looked you up and down before sighing heavily.

“You’re okay. Good. You need to leave your boyfriend.”

“What why?”

You were confused, you and your brother didn’t talk much. But when you did it was usually about you, he tried keeping you out of whatever he was planning.

Never, in your entire life had he demanded you break up with someone.

“Because he doesn’t love you!” He snapped out.

“What? Of course he does! We’ve been together for a year!”

Moriarty scoffed and little and pulled something from his jacket, tossing it over to you.

You picked it up and frowned a little as you opened it. It was a government file, that had your name on it.

“Did you steal this?!” You hissed.

“Just read it you idiot.”

You carried on reading and your heart sank as you realised what this meant for you and Mycroft.

You looked up to your brother with tears in your eyes, heartbroken and with a sigh he wakes over and hugged you tightly.

“I’ll kill him if you want?” He whispered.

You shook your head.

“No.. I… I need to ask him about this…”

Moriarty shrugged a little and looked at his watch.

“Just say the word and he’s done for.”

You just nodded and he lingered for a moment unsure about what to do.

“Go… he’s coming here…”

“You sure? I can stay I don’t care.”

“Just get.”

He quickly left through the window and not even a minute later your door was opened again and your so called boyfriend walked through calling out for you.

Picking up the file, you held it in your hand and took a deep breath, walking into the hallway you tossed the file at his feet with nothing but hate in your eyes.

Mycroft looked at the file before quickly turning towards you.

“How’d you get this?” He asked.

“You should know since apparently you’re very familiar with my brother.” You spat.

“Dear please.. you have to understand.” He reasoned.

You scoffed shaking your head.

“Understand what?! I get Jim isn’t exactly a saint! I know that! But he has never once dragged me into anything he’s doing, never!”

“Well clearly he had now since you’re in possession of a highly classified government file. Which way did he go (Y/N)?”

You shook your head as you walked away from him into the kitchen where you sat at the table, looking at some pictures of you and him on the fridge.

Mycroft followed you, sitting in front of you.

“Please, they’ll arrest your for obstruction of justice. Just tell me where your brother went.”

“I don’t know okay? Even if I did I wouldn’t tell you.”

“You’d go to prison for him.”

“It would be better then being lied to.” You spat out.

Mycroft flinched a little at your harsh tone and he sighed heavily.

“Everything we did.. everything we built? A lie? Seriously?”

“I’m sorry, it was work. I never meant for anyone to get hurt.”

“To get.. to get hurt?! What the fuck did you expect to happen Mycroft Holmes?!”

“Calm down.” He spoke softly.

Getting up you grabbing the pictures from the fridge and threw them at him.

“You lied to me for a year! I thought you loved me for me! Not just using me to get at my god damn brother! I don’t know what he’s doing! I don’t know where he lives because he keeps me out of it all!”

Mycroft said nothing because he knew you were telling the truth. He realised that ages ago.

“My brother wants to keep me safe! Because he loves me, unlike you, you fucking selfish bastard!”

“I do love you.” He replied.

You froze, anger forgotten just for a second before you shook your head, tears burning your eyes as you pointed at him.

“Dont…”

“It’s the truth. It’s nothing but the truth. Yes, this started of as a case, to get information about your brother. But I realised after a few months you really had nothing to offer us. But I’d already fallen in love with you.”

Tears were spilling down your face as you tried frantically to wipe them away.

Mycroft sighed, getting up, he walked over and reached out, only to stop when you leant away and lowered his hand to his side.

“I stayed because I love you (Y/N). I understand after this if you never want to see me again, but just know I mean it.”

He sighed a little.

“If I could take us back I would… I would have told you everything from the start… I should never have built this relationship on lies and false pretence. I regret that so much, and for that I am truly, deeply sorry my dear.”

He leant down, kissing your forehead, he took one of the crumbled photos and placed it on the counter next to you before giving you a tiny smile.

“I’ll always love you.”

With that, Mycroft left and you fell to the floor, tears streaming down your face as you clutched at your shirt, letting out a pained cry.

Everything was so perfect, why did have to fall in love with him?

You had so much panned with the oldest Holmes, a future, a happy life where it was just you and him against the world.

That dream had come crashing down around you, because how could you ever trust him again knowing he had only gotten involved with you to use you?

This was all just a lie? Everything a lie. How could you trust him?

[inexplicablymine]

Time for an ask!

How do you think Alex’s introduction to David went? Who was more excited?

Short Answer: They are equally excited and Henry is a little butt hurt that Alex is able to get along so easily with David (but secretly thrilled).

Long answer: a canon-compliant if you squint Ficlet for you because this ask SENT ME PLACES. (see below to keep reading)

My Two Favorite Royals

“Oh stop wait you know what would make this better,”

“What Alex,” Henry asks in an exasperated tone, he is already hanging on by a thread at seeing the object of his every fantasy in threadbare joggers and glasses. Alex grabbing his hand only moments ago to take a photo for Instagram almost made him vibrate out of his skin.

“Where is your dog?”

Henry sputters back, “My, my dog? What on earth- how do you know about my dog?”

Alex sends a lazy smile his way, “It was on your fact sheet sweetheart do keep up.”

Henry tries not to let the momentary confusion or the nickname get the best of him. He knows with certainty that anything about David wasn’t on that blasted fact sheet that was so wrong it could have been made for a complete stranger.

Alex is standing now pushing his laptop closed and looking up at Henry eagerly. It's a face Henry couldn’t possibly ignore.

With a resigned sigh Henry turns and walks towards his bedroom. He can’t help but think about how he has never had a boy in his bedroom. Sure Pez, but that didn’t count. And now… now his inescapable insufferable crush was going to be waltzing into his bedroom of all things looking like a wet dream walking.

Henry is ripped from his internal monologue by a shout and Alex running in front of him to David.

He can’t tell who is more excited, his beagle, who is shaking so much his entire body is wiggling with every tail wag, or Alex, who immediately drops to the floor arms open wide to accept the wriggling dog into his arms.

“Ohhhh such a good boy, yes you are, what a handsome dog, the most important royal yes you are,” Alex coos. Henry can feel his heart bursting at the sight. Alex’s uncontrollable laughter when David starts licking him, and the way he sits fully against the wall legs splayed out and glasses askew is giving him heart palpitations.

Alex looks up smiling, “Not sure how such a cute dog got stuck with such a stuck up owner but I might just have to take him home for myself.”

“Excuse me! Stuck up? You can’t take David he is the only thing that keeps me sane in this prison cell.”

Alex looks a little startled by the outburst and pauses to pat the ground next to him.

“Want to elaborate on that sweetheart.”

Henry isn’t sure when the nickname came to be but he isn’t going to ask for it to stop. So he sits down, completely undignified in his jim jams, and lets David break the ice between them.

The next two hours are spent with their hands accidentally touching while they pet David. Alex pesters Henry for more answers, real answers, about his life than he has ever been asked before.

They argue about David’s name and Alex says his only saving grace is that he is no longer a mystery to Alex but the rest of the world can stay that way. It warms him up from the inside. He doesn’t want to look too hard into anything or give himself a false sense of hope.

Maybe Alex is just this touchy with everyone. Maybe the nicknames aren’t just for him. Maybe he also holds someone’s hand in his own as he puts his number into their phone demanding daily updates of David or incurring his wrath.

When Alex is somewhere over the Atlantic he gets a notification link on his phone to an Instagram post.

Alex in his glasses and sweats holding David mid laughter. Henry next to him also laughing. The Crown is going to kill him for looking so unprofessional, but the caption is what stops him short.

“Had to hop across the pond to visit my two favorite royals (don’t tell Henry that David is really my favorite)”

Henry can’t stop the way his heart jumps at being called a favorite anything of Alex’s.

He scrolls down to the comments and sees a wave of support.

Comments about how real their friendship is, how cute David is, how real friends wouldn’t have photos like this together, how the bromance is real.

His heart doesn’t stop thumping with every text back and forth with Alex that evening. Or the next.

His heart is in his throat with every phone call, it pitters restlessly when he receives selfies from the bed, it leaps when he gets a phone call at thanksgiving, and clenches dangerously when he finally ends the call on Christmas Eve.

A year and a half after that selfie was posted to Instagram they are sitting on a low leather couch in a brownstone in Brooklyn. A place that Henry never expected to call home. Alex is in sweats and Henry is wearing one of Alex’s NYU sweatshirts. They are currently arguing over which season of The Great British Bake Off to watch when Alex gets an alert on his phone.

He looks down and laughs. Henry doesn’t have a moment to ask what it’s about before Alex is dragging David up from his place between the two of them into his arms. David lets out a small huff but quickly relaxes back into Alex, where he has found home in the past year just as easily as Henry.

“Smile babe,”

Henry has learned not to question Alex so he leans in and smiles, realizing just how easy it is now to let the corners of his mouth curl up.

A few moments of tapping and Alex sets his phone down on the table with a flourish.

“So are you going to share what that was about?” Henry lightly pesters.

“Only putting an online debate to rest, you might want to mute your notifications sweetheart.”

Oh god what has he done now, is all Henry can think as he pulls his own phone up.

Posted on his Instagram Alex has created a slideshow of photos. The one he just took at the front of the group. As Henry swipes through he can’t help but smile as image after image of the three of them, Alex, Henry, and David are together. The final photo makes his breath catch. There they are on the floor of Kensington Palace, long before anything happened, long before Henry knew just how wonderful his life might turn out to be.

The caption is simple and sweet,

“Just wanted to update y’all on how it’s going with my two favorite royals. (Don't tell David but Henry is my favorite.)”

[moaserendipity]

My Top 10 BL's of 2023

I am back with my personal top 10 of 2023. I know I've been super quiet these days but making a top 10 is always fun to do. The #1 has been decided early this past year but for the rest... It was a crazy year for BL but only a few were really top tier...🔥🔥

10. My Personal Weatherman (Taikan Yoho)

One of the Japanese BL's I really enjoyed watching. It was more grown up then the ones I've seen and that was very welcome. I love the dynamics between the main characters a lot. It was a bit of a slow one, with the lack in communication between the two but I forgive that because the chemistry was really good.

09. Wedding Plan

Oh how i looked forward to this one, the second I saw the trailer. I loved the storyline but I thought it was very short, which made them rush through it at times, which was a shame because it was actually really good and I just wanted to see more. I loved the chemistry between Sailom and Namnuea, So I really enjoyed watching them. They are very new if I'm correct but I didn't notice it at all, so hopefully they will get another BL together but a longer one. Also I love the GL in this BL, it was very natural and I in the end hoped they would be the ones that got to marry. Not to forget about the cameo;s of my babies Payu and Rain and of course Prapai and Sky.

08. Moonlight Chicken

This one I've waited for so so long and it was kind of a surprise because I love EarthMix, Like Mix is my man but my attention got taken away from them and got attached to GemFourth who played Li Ming and Heart. I just loved everything about them! I loved how they incorporated Sign language because Heart was deaf and just the overall chemistry between them, was everything. They made me smile so much. Jim and Wen, you know were amazing as well but I sometimes felt frustrated by their interaction. The close moments they had were amazing of course but it was not what I expected from EarthMix but overall this drama was definitely worth the wait!

07. Kiseki: Dear to Me

I absolutely loved this one. I couldn't get enough of it. I am a sucker for the Hate to Love trope and this had exactly that and in a gangster way. Like I loved it. ZeRui and Bangyi were made for each other and you can't tell me otherwise how he went to prison for ZeRui and even got hurt but he still decided to dedicate his bakery to him with his Strawberry cakes, ugh too cute. The second couple made me want even more. The sassiness of Ai Di and the coldness of Chen Yi, they were really something. The way Chen Yi didn't realize that Ai Di loved him until he went to prison or that one hot night made me slap my forehead because nothing was more obvious, so I can not explain how happy I was they finally got together in the end!!

06. My School President

This really was a GemFourth year because this was their first leading BL and boy how they won us over with their cuteness. The OST was also seriously top tier. I think I loved all the songs. This entire Cast was amazing! To think I almost skipped this one...That would've been a mistake for sure, so I'm happy that I decided to give it another try because I fell in love with them and bingewatched it in one go. I can't wait to see the next project from them.!

5. Our Dating Sim

this Korean BL was a welcome one. I loved the office setting of this BL and the fact that the episodes were short as usual, didn't disturb me that much. Their chemistry made up for that! I will never forget how my heart sank when Ki Tae thought Wan had disappeared again, this poor man but I loved how Wan immediately comforted him the second he saw him. I should really rewatch this again.

4. Last Twilight

I know it's still running but I can not leave it out of my top10 for 2023. I am impressed with Jimmy and Sea. These two are everything to me at this moment. Their chemistry is crazy and I am happy they have this BL to show their talents again. I am impatiently waiting every week for the next episode and so far no episode has disappointed me, which is rare tbh.

3. Sing my Crush

Sing my crush was not even on my radar but the second I came across it, I bingewatched it. I am a sucker for music BL's, where the actors can ACTUALLY sing and play instruments.. I loved it so much. from start to finish. I really think this BL was very underrated. I did not hear a lot of people about it but it definitely deserves more!

2. I feel you linger in the Air

Ever since I saw the trailer, I wanted to see this one badly and boy did it not disappoint! I was in awe every episode. I don't think I've ever seen a Thai Bl that was staged in the past. Also this way of time traveling is one I actually like. As long as no bodies get switched I am loving it. Their chemistry was top notch and those intimate scenes. That kiss in the rain, Art I am telling you and that massage scene, HELLO!! I literally forgot to breathe at that point and my face was almost stuck to the screen, crazy!! So yeah this was a true masterpiece!

01. The Eighth Sense

Let's all act surprised by this one...... what can I say? This one touched my intire being. It touched my soul, My heart everything. I cried, laughed and even cursed at 2 people in particular.. This is the biggest masterpiece of 2023 and nothing can change my mind about this. The way I anticipated every week and felt sad when it ended, ugh!! I just want to praise Oh Jun Taek for the way he acted, because if I'm correct this was his first acting job or at least he is very new but he pulled it of perfectly and Ji sub, I am applauding him for the way he portrayed Jae Won. All I need now is a season 2 or an special episode where we see them do the things Jihyun wanted... like just please!! In al seriousness everything was amazing about this one and that's why it's my number 1

I really do think that the Korean BL's won this round. I feel like they are finally stepping up their game. It's still not as Explicit as Thai or Taiwanese but that's not what I am expecting. I don't always have to have NC scenes because without a story, it's not worth a lot. Overal the Bl's were powerful this year and Top tier. Hopefully next year will bring us even better ones!! <3

[lovinglettersacrosstheverse]

Special Delivery!

We've got a letter for Louise Worth @mysweetlouise! And there's even some pressed flowers! 💖💕

My Dear Lou.

How long will you make me wait? Dancing on the edge of my reach with the one you know I despise most? I know you enjoy games but hasn’t this gone on long enough?

A part of me feels this is my own fault. Some form of punishment for the state I left you in. I wish you knew how much it has tormented me over the years. Knowing what was only a second in the world was decades in the mirror with Damien and Celine, I can’t imagine how alone you must have been. How much time you spent alone, trapped. The centuries we will never know. You did not deserve that. Which is why I don't understand why you keep playing with Mark. It’s not the same Mark, fine, but they all have that same seed of narcissism inside them that lead to our fates.

We could make a home in this new reality, if you would only give me the chance. I haven't made one without you yet, not really. There’s a building where I meet with others, unusual like us. I have a room with a bed here, but I do not rest. If you were here, it would give the old bed purpose and I would keep you company. The affection of Damian and curiosity to know you of Celine live on in me, memories of you that are not mine haunt me. Your face is what I see most nights Louise, before everything went wrong, the college days, the games, the late walks across the college grounds. 

And the look in the mirror when you were left behind. I don’t know which one is worse.

Please! I have been tortured enough, join me and we will make sure Mark receives the same punishment as I or better yet, ensure he can’t hurt another soul when he next feels the need. While I drown in the past of our fury and pain, he lives on free of his sins. 

I’ve taken a breath and a moment of reflection. This isn't about him. This is about you and me. And you deserve better than you have ever gotten, Lou. I want to be the one to provide that for you, we can provide a better life and a better future for each other. You never truly got to be the D.A. in our past life, but you can be anything in our future. Not just playing a role, a meaningless game where nothing matters as you do now. We can make something with substance that actually counts for something. But I can’t do it without you.

Maybe I sound like a fool. We haven’t gotten the chance to re-familiarize ourselves with each other in some time, despite how long we’ve had. You’re a different person by now as well, I imagine. I wonder how many habits you still have from the past. What new ones I could learn about you. 

When you tire of your current circumstances, remember that my door is always open and a new home of our own making ready to be built. 

Sincerely,

Your Ever Waiting Darkiplier

Well, there is one more thing....

I also found a torn paper in the mailbox today, it looks like a journal page? I'm not sure this is supposed to be here... but I think its for a Louise Worth as well so maybe i am supposed to deliver it!

It’s late now. I’m in my office, reading the most recent report from the Jim’s when the radio changed. It started playing this slow jazz and these memories came to my mind, unbidden. Damien's memories of you, late nights listening to jazz as you both studied for exams. A record you’d put on the phonograph that became his go to for focusing on work in the years after. The years apart as you all worked for your separate goals, when Damien would spend these nights wishing for your company once again. Lou.

You're not even here. I write only for myself, a page i will tear and burn when I have the chance. But still, writing to you makes it easier somehow. Calms me in these moments.

This body always aches, and I can imagine at one point the heart would ache for you. If I told you it still did, you would know better than to believe me, wouldn’t you? I saw it in your eyes the last time we met, your silent regard for me. You're getting wiser to the situation. I can’t fool you into thinking the Damien you knew is still in here anymore, can I? Nor can I convince you that being as I am, I can feel anything other than rage and resentment. Perhaps the resentment I feel towards Mark for making that promised future of you and Damian working together side by side once again is a form of love itself?

But it’s not even by his remnants you stand by now is it?

Do you have any idea what it’s like to be in a body constantly in a state of decay? I feel the pull of death over me constantly, trying to drag me away like a fist around my throat, never tightening more than it is but never loosening either. And yet you’re out there in your own new skin, where did it come from?

(Note from here to the * was originally all scribbled out but i managed to make it readable... though maybe I should have left it)

Do you want me to apologize for leaving you there? None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for him, I am trying to get revenge for us all!

And now you go and have your little adventures with that monster! In practically every reality, you two are connected in some way, you really think any Mark in any other universe is any different than the one who did this to us? This is why you couldn’t stay! You’re too soft, you weren’t angry enough at the right people. You are the exact fool Celine pegged you for that night, all those years ago. 

How did you get a new body? How, how, who did you take it from, where did you get it, why do YOU have one?*

I apologize. You know how this unstable amalgamation of my being can be. I'm getting better at controlling it over the years, but I still have my moments. Can you not lend a hand to an old friend?  Or perhaps those old tales you told Damien once were true, and this is my repentance for breaking a mirror?

No, perhaps you're right. And there is more to atone for on my end. You should not have been pushed out. I was blinded by the mission of my birth. Clearly I underestimated your strength and resolve, if the way you stand against me and the endurance of your soul is anything to go by.

We are still old friends, aren’t we? You were there when I was created, the first face I saw and even behind whatever cloaks me now, still the face I see in every mirror and reflection. What some might say should be guilt or softness I should feel at that is as all things, replaced with the rage of knowing why I carry you with me in such a literal way…

I wish to confide in you one thing Louise, that I barely confide in myself. There’s one other feeling I'm capable of that sits so deep within me it’s but a grain of sand in the void fractures that make up my sewn together soul. Fear. I am the living testament to their hatred and thirst for revenge. If, when I see their retribution through, then what? What will become of me? Will I have any purpose? Will I continue to exist at all? What will be left when there is no one left to despise? You are the only one I can think of to ask. How did you survive the void of the mirror for so long that you escaped? What feeling motivated you? What purpose?

I shouldn’t keep bringing up old wounds, but what else can I do as a living scab of a soul myself? It is only this mission that keeps this broken body together.

If you just let me in, I can fix all of this. Just let your old friend in Lou.

[khruschevshoe]

Black Pete and Jim Jimenez

I see you tugging on your shirt

Trying to hide inside of it

And hide how much it hurts

Let 'em laugh while they can

Let 'em spin, let 'em scatter in the wind

I have been to the movies, I've seen how it ends

And the joke's on them

-Brandi Carlile, The Joke

Pete shrugs. "Doesn't matter to me. I'm not friends with you because you're the chatty type."

Jim adjusts their hat with a smile. They remember Pete catching their hat at the wedding like it had been a bouquet thrown by a bride on land, the way that Jim had hoped that it meant that soon enough, Pete would get to have the same glorious moment that they had. That Jim had hoped that Pete would get to feel loved and cherished and held tight by those that loved him most. 

Pete has had a special little place in their heart for awhile now. Sure, they have friends now, consider every crew member a part of the family they never got to have as a child, but Pete's different. Yes, Olu was their first friend ever, but their relationship evolved into something different, something that involved wanting to be touched and adored and worshipped.

Jim never wanted to kiss Pete. They never wanted him to be anything more than just a friend.

But they care about him deeply. As much as they love Olu and Archie, cherish and adore them with everything they have, they will always have an understanding with Pete that they don't have with anyone else. A connection to the power of creation, of change, of being so determined to make your body fit your soul that you remake yourself, until your clothes and body and life and name are right.

Pete is something good. Something precious. Just because they are not married to him, do not want him in that way, doesn't mean that they don't love him.

-aletterinthenameofsanity, love the one you hold (watch me as I tumble homeward)

Guys. GUYS. The galaxy-brained relationship between trans Black Pete and Jim is the best thing I've ever read, especially after the recent update regarding Jim's top surgery. This friendship has been living in my brain rent-free for WEEKS now and it will stay there for a very long time. I adore their dynamic so much!

@polikate @yuenity @possumsmushroom @angxlwiings @bricksbloggyplace

[darkness-and-books]

As You Wish

James Kirk x gn!reader

⚠️: none really, for some reason reader hasn’t seen the Princess Bride

word count: 1,007

Jim was nice to you, but you thought nothing of it, he’s just a guy right? He was friends with everyone so it couldn’t be a big deal that he visited you in engineering yesterday morning. “Hey, Y/N!” Kirk greeted gleefully, “ow!” You sucked in a breath and attempted not to curse as you had hit your head on the counter you were working under. “Sorry! Are you alright?” He recoiled as he heard tools begin to clatter. “Yeah, I’m good. What’s up Jim?” You assured as you slid out from under the table, covered in grease and various other unidentified debris. “Well” Jim hesitated as he rocked on his heels with his hands held behind his back. “Brought you some water and a snack because Scotty said he hadn’t seen you leave the engine room since lunch yesterday” he finished in a rush as he held out the food and drink. “Aww, thanks you didn’t have to do that” You thanked him as you stood up. “Hey could ya open those for me” you requested, referring to the bag of pretzels Jim had brought. “Greasy hands” you explained as you waved your hands up in evidence of your point. “As you wish” Jim smiled as he opened it for you. “Oh hey, before you go, can I ask you a favour?” You asked Jim just as he set the pretzels on the table you had just been working under. “Of course, Y/N. What do you need?” Jim agreed instantly, “it shouldn’t take long, but it would be great if you could hold some wires in place for me while I secure them” you stated. Jim was already getting on the ground next to you as he said once more “As you wish”. ——— Or this morning when he was making a run for coffee and asked if you wanted some. Would have asked other people if they didn’t already have their own coffee, right? “Hey, Y/N! I’m getting coffee, you want some?” Jim asked before heading over to the turbo lift. “Yeah, could I have mine with ice though?” You asked, “As you wish” he replied just before hopping into the turbo lift. McCoy turned to you, “How in the stars are you still single?” He remarked, “What are you talking about?” You asked. “His ‘as you wish’ business?!?” McCoy pointed out, “I’m sure he says that to everyone!” You argue. “Oh bless your heart, he doesn’t say that to anyone else, and have you never seen the Princess Bride?” McCoy rambled. “No, what has that got to do with anything?” You ask defensively, “you’ll see, come to my quarters and we’ll watch it after my shift is over” McCoy stated simply, it wasn’t so much an offer as it was an order. Kirk came back a few moments later with coffee that you quite honestly forgot you had asked for. “Thank you” you said as you took it from him, “Of course” Jim replied, giving a cordial nod. ——— The shift had passed slowly, but it was over now and you were on your way to McCoy’s quarters to see a movie that would supposedly clear things up. You put the pin in the keypad (not that you’re supposed to have it, but what Starfleet Command doesn’t know, won’t hurt them). “Oh, hey!” McCoy greets before pausing a moment, “how’d you get in?” He asked in realisation. “I’m in engineering” you state plainly. Leonard seems a bit concerned by this, but moves to put on the movie anyway. “Sit down, you’re not gonna wanna stand the whole time” He says looking up to you from the couch. ———

An hour and a half later and all you could really remember of the movie was When he was saying as you wish, what he meant was I love you. You turned slowly to look at Leonard “and Jim’s seen this movie?!?” You ask in disbelief, “one of his favourites in fact” McCoy stated casually, as if this weren’t Earth shattering information. You ran out of the room and down the hall to Jim’s quarters. You had to do this before your courage ran away from you. You knocked on the door (you’re not really sure why you did it since there’s bell, but moving on), it was only a few moments before the door slid open. “May I have some tea” you requested quietly, you were banking on him saying it again, otherwise this didn’t work and it was just a random request for tea. Jim smiled down at you “As you wish” he declared softly and simply as he moved for you to come in. “I love you too” you had said just as he was turning around. You had said it so quietly that for a moment you weren’t sure Jim had heard you, if that were the case you were entirely prepared to forget about this. He turned toward you again and pulled you into a hug, it was full of warmth and it was tight. He pulled back to give you a kiss, just as warm and pleasant as his hug. Jim pulled away “Did you still want that cup of tea” he asked with a smirk, “as long as you’re offering” you say as you walk the rest of the way into his quarters. Something could vaguely be heard one room over, but you figure nothing of it. ————— Bonus scene: McCoy and Scotty had run into Spock’s quarters to put their ears against the wall closest to Kirk’s room. “Pay up, Scotty!” McCoy nearly shouts, “I told you I could do it!!” Scotty grumbles to himself as he pulls out his wallet. “Excuse me gentlemen, but I would appreciate it if you could leave now” Spock deadpanned, Leonard and Scotty look over to see Spock, wet and still wrapped in a towel. “I really hope you sleep in pyjamas, otherwise that’s a mental image I really don’t need!” McCoy spit as he and Scotty went back to their respective rooms.

Also this is what I used as the layout for the quarters in case you were wondering.