#DO YOU KNOW WHO ELSE WANTS A GUY THAT WAS ONCE RUSSIAN TO BE HIS MISTRESS

[vulupture]

I can't believe they turned my OCs into white, 18th century emperors.

[dirtyvulture]

Envy and Venom - Part 2

Heiress!Natasha Romanoff x CEO!Beefy!Fem!Reader

18+ only, read at your own risk

Summary: You are the notorious playboy who just inherited one of the biggest tech companies in the world. Your first move? Sleeping with the heiress of your rival company.

Word count: 4911

AN: Didn't think I'd write this, but the opportunity was too good to let pass. :)

Click here for Part 1!

DAY 2

“I can’t believe you,” Tony says, watching as you anxiously like a caged animal. “I mean, I can, because Romanoff is smoking hot, but really? On your first day?”

“I didn’t know who she was!” you snap, your stomach churning in knots. You hadn’t been able to eat breakfast, even ignoring the hot black coffee your secretary Wanda had waiting for you like usual when you arrived to the office.

“Literally the daughter of the guy of our biggest rival,” Tony says, clearly only trying to make you feel worse than you already feel.

“I know who he is!” you bark, well familiar with Alexei Shostakov, the enormous, bearded and beer-bellied Russian who had once been on the board of directors at Envy Industries. Alexei was long gone from your dad’s company by the time you entered the scene, and at that point had formed Black Widow Corporation into a juggernaut. Word on the street was that Alexei used “unconventional methods” to stay ahead of competitors and now you wondered if you had fallen right into one of those traps. 

“Why was Romanoff even at the party in the first place?” you ask.

“Why do you think?” Tony scoffs. “Daddy probably sent her to mess with you and no offense…but it worked.”

“We don’t know that,” you defend, although your gut is telling you that Tony is right. 

“So, what did you tell her?” Tony asks, kicking his chair back to wobble on its hind legs.

“Nothing!” You sigh, your brain scrambling to remember your interaction with Natasha before you took her up to your suite. “Uh, I mean…I mentioned the contract we have with Tesla. But a bunch of other people probably overhead too, and that’s not exactly a secret anymore.”

“Mhmm, sure. Anything else?” Tony prompts.

“No. No, nothing else,” you say with an edge of uncertainty. “There wasn’t really much time for talking, if you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I know you, you horndog.” He waves at you.

For once, you feel immensely guilty about not being able to control your behavior. This wouldn’t be the first time you had to face the consequences of the people you chose to take to bed with you, but none had been this jarring or dangerous. You feel used, even though you truly hadn’t revealed any company secrets to Natasha. Just the thought that she knew who you were, and wasn’t honest with you about herself, made your whole interaction with her feel slimy and fake. While you also knew it was ridiculous to think that you were in love with someone you just met, even you won’t deny there had been some kind of spark between you two, but perhaps it had all been manufactured. 

You genuinely want to see Natasha again, hopefully in more honest circumstances, and not just purely for the physical pleasure of it. You knew she was one of the few women on Earth who truly understood your line of work. She didn’t need to pretend (or even study ahead) like some of the partners you had in the past. She was beautiful and smart and managed to turn you into a stuttering, whipped mess in less than ten minutes. No one else had ever been able to do that, and as humbling as it was, it was also hot as hell.

“What am I supposed to do now?” you ask, pulling at the suffocating collar of your shirt. 

“First of all, don’t see her ever again,” Tony responds, and it sounds like he’s telling you you’re not allowed to breathe anymore.

“Fuck,” you grumble, because you know he’s right, but it won’t be that easy to just forget about Natasha. 

“Seriously, Y/N,” Tony goes on. “You have a whole company to run now. Let the media say what they want, but promise me that you won’t be caught with that woman ever again.”

“Caught, you say?” you tease, knowing that he would always offer you a way out.

“I know you,” he repeats. “Besides, I heard she has a sister.”

You laugh, the tense mood lightening considerably. “Yeah, sure, I’ll put in a good word for you when I see her again.”

“You’re the best.” Tony stands up to give you a high-five.

***********************************************************************

Natasha hums to herself as she opens her laptop. She plugs in her headphones and boots up the application that is connected to the microphone she slipped into your jacket pocket. Over 12 hours of audio have already been recorded. Just out of curiosity, she scrolls to the first hour.

“Look how wet you are. You’ve been waiting for this all night, sweetheart?”

“Shut up and let me fuck you.”

Natasha feels her core light up with desire as she remembers the previous night with you. It had been a long time since she had been fucked so well and you certainly lived up to the hype. When she closes her eyes, she can still remember how your body had felt against hers, the way your muscles flexed in warning when you were about to finish but were waiting for her permission, the intoxicating taste that coated her tongue and had her (quite literally) demanding more and more from you.

“Hey, sestra.” Yelena walks in without knocking, and Natasha’s eyes snap open, tearing off her headphones and closing the audio application.

“What?” she growls, annoyed by the interruption.

Yelena smirks at her. “How was the party last night?”

“Good.”

Yelena doesn’t look convinced. “Did you see that TMZ article?”

“Anyone who relies on that hack as a legitimate source of information is just setting themselves up for disappointment.”

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” Yelena states, walking up to Natasha and showing her her phone. 

New CEO of Envy Industries Y/N spotted getting cozy with Black Widow Corp. heiress Natasha Romanoff 

Below the headline is a grainy photo of her almost sitting on your lap, both of your heads leaned close together. 

“What’s your point?” Natasha asks, pushing Yelena’s phone away from her face.

“Did Dad approve of this?”

“What does his approval have to do with anything?” Natasha snaps. “I’m a grown woman, I can do whatever I want with whoever I want–”

“We’re not stupid, Natasha,” Yelena frowns. “And you aren’t either. You aren’t getting mixed up with just anyone, this is the CEO of Envy Industries–”

Natasha waves her hand. “Just stop, Yelena. I know what I’m doing, okay? And I’m the one who’s going to take over the company when Dad steps down, so I need to make sure that we are on top and stay that way.”

Yelena’s expression softens. “Just be careful, sestra. You don’t know what some of these people are capable of.”

“Like Y/N?” Natasha laughs. “She’s just a big rich idiot. I could steal her entire company right from under her nose and she’d just go fill her bed with Victoria’s Secret models and forget it by the next morning.”

“Please be careful, Nat,” Yelena begs. “Do not forget what happened last time–”

“That was in the past. I know better now,” Natasha dismisses, although the hair on the back of her neck rises at the memory. She had been too cocky, too arrogant, and nearly lost her life as a result. But she was certain that wouldn’t happen with you. She had you eating out of the palm of her hand even before the mind-blowing sex. You’d happily hand her the keys to Envy Industries if she promised you five minutes in bed. 

“Don’t worry about me,” Natasha gruffs, turning back to her computer. “Close the door on your way out.”

Yelena doesn’t respond and backtracks. Natasha waits until she hears the click of her door to open the files on her flash drive that contains the data stolen from your systems. None of your files are even password-protected. Maybe your company was even more of a joke than she thought.

***********************************************************************

DAY 14

Tesla backs out of contract with Envy Industries, reportedly in talks with Black Widow Corporation for GPUs

DAY 15

Envy Industries (ENVY) stock drops 15%

Black Widow Corporation (BWC) stock up 10%

DAY 18

Tesla hires Black Widow Corporation to produce hardware for upcoming Model 2

DAY 24

Black Widow Corporation announces AI supercomputer project

DAY 30

Black Widow Corporation (BWC) joins the Magnificent Seven stocks, knocking Envy Industries (ENVY) out

“You need to fix this. Now.”

“I’m trying!” you practically sob, staring at the same headline on your computer that your father is looking at. 

Your first 30 days as CEO had been an absolute whirlwind–of defeats. First, an intern at Tesla had called you to tell you the deal was off. And then to hear that they were taking up business with Black Widow Corporation was like a sucker punch to the gut. No one at your company could understand how Black Widow suddenly had the technology you’d been working on for months, but a nagging feeling in the back of your head told you that you were the only person who knew the answer.

But you couldn’t be one-hundred-percent sure. After all, you had spent one night with Natasha Romanoff, most of it in bed with her getting your brains fucked out. But she had left even before you woke up, and there was no way to confirm if she had managed to get her hands on the confidential information that your company was built upon.

Whatever had happened, Envy Industries was on a steady decline ever since you had taken over and it was not a good feeling. The stock prices were tanking and now you had lost your spot amongst the prized “Magnificent Seven”–also known as the seven highest-valued companies in the United States. It was embarrassing, shameful, and upsetting. The board of directors were having daily meetings about your leadership qualities and you were worried they would boot you from the position any day now. Your father still had some influence, despite stepping down, but with the way he was speaking to you now, you weren’t sure he was going to defend you anymore.  

“I don’t care how Black Widow Corp got the intel. They have it now and we can’t get it back. You need to raise security protocols and if anyone is caught leaking information, they will be publicly humiliated and sued to kingdom come,” your dad rages through the phone. 

“Yes, yes, I agree,” you say.

“You need to focus on recovering from this. What’s done is done. But if you let it get worse, there will be severe consequences. For the company, for its future, and for you.”

“Yes. Yes, Dad,” you gulp.

“Stop fucking around and get your shit together,” he says. “You have a reputation that precedes you and thousands of people are depending on you to see them through this. Envy will come back. Promise me.”

“I promise,” you repeat hollowly, not even convinced of your own words.

“Good girl. We’ll talk later.”

“Okay. Bye, Dad.” You hang up and put your phone face-down on your desk, staring once more at the headline. For the first time, you don’t feel sad, you feel angry. You want to lash out at something–someone. Preferably the person or persons who put you in this predicament. You didn’t deserve this. You hadn’t done anything wrong. But one thing was for certain: you weren’t going to mope around and let them continue to take advantage of you.

There’s a heavy knock on your door.

“Hey, Y/N. Ready for lunch?” It’s Tony.

“Sure. Give me a minute.” You whip your burgundy blazer off the back of your chair with more force than necessary; it gets twisted upside-down and something falls out of the pocket. You squat to pick it up. It’s a black, small, flat circular device that blinks red and there’s tiny little ridges in the center to indicate some kind of microphone.

What the hell is this? you think. You look back at your burgundy jacket. It’s the same one you were wearing the day you were made CEO, the night you met Natasha Romanoff. It wasn’t your most worn jacket, making the occasional appearance if you felt it complimented the rest of your outfit, but spending most of its time hanging in the front of your closet.

A disturbing thought enters your head. This little device couldn’t be what you thought it was, right? But you knew tech better than most people. And you knew that Black Widow Corporation had somehow gotten ahold of confidential information that was causing catastrophic damage to your company.

It takes all of five seconds to formulate a plan. 

You slip the audio recorder back into your pocket and put your jacket on.

Two could play at this game.

“Hey, Tony. Where are we going for lunch?” you call out, trying to keep your voice flat and clear.

“The steakhouse!” But his voice is muffled through the door.

“The steakhouse? The one on 6th Avenue, right?” you ask.

“Unless you suddenly have a new favorite that’s not on 6th,” he grumbles.

“Nope, that’s fine. Let me go check on something in the lab and I’ll be ready.”

***********************************************************************

“What’s wrong with you? Did they get your order wrong?” Tony asks as you poke at the slab of beef on your plate. 

“I’m just not really hungry,” you say. “You know, since our whole company is falling apart and everything.”

“Well, it’s still standing the last time I checked.” You appreciate how straightforward Tony is. Granted, he isn’t under the same kind of pressure as you, but you need someone who can be this cool under pressure in your life. “And I know you can’t be productive on an empty stomach. Should we order those crab legs you like?” 

“No more food please,” you mumble, pushing your plate away from you. “I need to use the bathroom.”

“Hurry back. Or I’ll order the whole appetizer menu!”

“Okay, whatever.” But you smile as you walk away from the table to the back. You look at your reflection in the gold gilded mirror, noticing the clear stress lines in your forehead, the darkness under your eyes, the way your cheeks are more hollowed in because you aren’t eating your usual 4,000 calories a day.

You rinse your hands in the sink and pat water on your face. You hear the door open behind you and your heart starts pounding faster. Had your plan worked?

“What’s wrong, honey?” Her voice snaps you to attention, velvety and seductive just like how you remember hearing it the first time. You turn to see Natasha Romanoff leaned against the wall, wearing a white blouse ready to burst at its buttons along with black slacks and towering heels. Her hair loosely bounces on her shoulders and her exposed wrists and neck are adorned with more jewelry than you can count. 

“You,” you growl, striding over to her in three big steps and glaring down at her. “Are we adding stalker charges to your growing list of crimes now?”

“What are you talking about?” Natasha tilts her head to the side dumbly. “I’m here for lunch, just like you. A coincidence isn’t a crime–”

You pull the little audio device out of your pocket. Natasha’s eyes widen for a second before she quickly turns her expression into one of defiance, but she’s already given away her familiarity. “So this is how you’ve been stealing all of our ideas, huh?” you ask. 

“You have no proof that came from me,” she objects.

“I guess not.” You toss the device to the floor and stomp on it so hard with your Gucci loafers that it crumbles with an audible crunch. “And now we’ll never know. But now you’ll have to leave alone for a little bit, right? You have to give us some time to come up with more ideas for you to steal–”

“It’s nothing personal,” Natasha insists. “Business is business, isn’t it?”

“Well, once you put my reputation at risk–” You move one step closer until your chests almost bump. “–My future at risk–” You lower your head until you’re practically breathing on her face. Natasha doesn’t shy away. In fact, you think you see a glint of triumph in her green eyes. “–It becomes very, very personal.”

The tension between you is so thick it’s suffocating. You refuse to break eye contact with Natasha, but you’re not even sure what your next move should be. You know that you should hate this woman, should be calling for her head and outing her to the media for the literal crimes she’s committed, but you also want her. She hadn’t left your mind since the day you met her and knowing that she had been spying on you this whole time was both infuriating and a little arousing. 

Natasha suddenly grabs onto the front of your shirt, yanking you closer to her until your lips crash together. You hate that the contact makes you feel relief, and you wonder if part of your recent frustration can be attributed to the fact that all this time you were secretly yearning for the same woman who was responsible for ruining your life.

“Things between us are very, very personal,” Natasha whispers, her hands slipping under your shirt to scratch across your abdomen. The coldness of her skin makes you want to cringe away, but her fingers hook onto your belt to keep you from going too far.

“Did you get jealous listening to all the girls I was fucking?” you ask.

“No,” Natasha says, but her cheeks redden and you know she’s lying. “But none of them could make you moan the way I do.”

“I wished they were you,” you admit, panting against her forehead as she undoes your belt. “Which is a fucked up thing to say given what you’ve been doing to my company.”

“I’m very good at what I do, baby,” Natasha says, pressing another hot kiss to the corner of your mouth.

“I’ll make your life hell if you don’t stop fucking with my company,” you growl, but your threat is significantly undermined by the whimper you let out when her fingers trace down the V-line of your hips to your center. 

“Would you rather I fuck you over your company?” she asks.

“Shit,” you gasp, unable to focus on her question when two fingers slip into you. You’re embarrassingly soaked for her, but you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t had wet dreams of letting Natasha Romanoff fuck you ever since your first encounter. You fall back against the wall, panting as she pistons her fingers in and out of you. “Someone might walk in,” you warn, suddenly reminded about the forbiddenness of this relationship.

“I locked the door,” Natasha says, using her free hand to tug down the collar of your shirt so she can lick and kiss the skin of your neck. You bite on your lip to muffle your moan, your hands going to hold her hips roughly, pulling her closer to you. Her fingers curl and her thumb presses hard into your clit. You feel yourself clench tightly around her and your knees are ready to buckle. “For the record, I did miss you too.” 

“What took you so long?” You have no idea how you’re able to hold a conversation with Natasha Romanoff while she fucks you, but here you are. Your hands wander towards her ass, cupping her solidly and almost lifting her off the floor. 

“I had to wait,” she answers simply, her thumb flicking against your clit and your stomach burns with the stimulation. The slick noises of her fingers sliding into you is downright filthy and you rock your hips forward to urge her to move faster.

“What did you…have to wait…for?” you pant. “Your stocks to…overtake…mine?”

“Sure, baby,” Natasha says, nibbling at your collarbone and marking you with a dark hickey. You still have enough consciousness to notice the way she dodges your question. “You want to cum for me?” she asks, pistoning her hand faster.

“Yes, yes, please,” you beg, already on the verge of finishing. You adjust the angle of your hips so she can reach deeper, her fingers brushing past the sensitive ridges that make you see stars with every touch.

“Wait until I say,” she demands and you whine at her dominance. But you’re in no position to negotiate, so you keep your back pressed against the wall, desperately fighting the tidal wave of arousal threatening to crash down. 

“Nat,” you say, your fingers digging hard into her ass, “Please let me–”

“Wait,” she repeats, sounding both annoyed and aroused. She pumps into you harder and faster, until you’re quivering and don’t think you can physically hold back anymore–

“Babe–”

“Cum for me.”

You feel like your body is tearing apart as you explode over her hand, arching your back off the wall, pressing your heaving chest into Natasha’s, heart pounding like you’ve just sprinted through a marathon. Natasha’s thrusts slow as you ride out your orgasm, and as you slump against the wall, she pulls her fingers out and, sticking them into her mouth to suck off your juices. You watch her hungrily, still dizzy from the rush of endorphins. 

“My turn,” you say, hooking your arms under her thighs and her arms loop around your neck. You pick her up effortlessly and shuffle with her into the handicapped stall. This time, Natasha’s back is pinned to the wall as you crash your lips into hers, reigniting the heat between your legs. But you’ve already got your release and you are more than eager to return the favor. 

You pull down her pants and panties, mouth watering at the sight of her glistening center. You crouch down to pick her up again, this time letting her thighs rest on your shoulders so when you stand up, her pussy is perfectly in line with your mouth. Natasha’s hands tangle tightly in your hair as she draws your head towards her center, her calves locking across the back of your neck.

Without needing any more prompting, you pull forward to taste her. Her moans are music to your ears as you lap at her dripping heat, your tongue pressing deeper in search of more. All you can smell is her, all you can taste is her, and all you can think about is her. Natasha is sinful heaven to you and for a few seconds, you let yourself completely forget about how she’s ruining your life.

Suddenly, you hear a knock on the door.

“Hello? Why is this locked?” someone’s voice on the other side says. 

You reach up with your right hand and cover Natasha’s mouth. She bites into the side of your hand and you hiss at the pain.

“Go get one of the staff.”

“You better finish soon,” you hum, nipping at the insides of her thighs while she squirms on your shoulders. “Or the whole world is going to hear me eating you out in here.”

“They should,” Natasha pants, gripping almost painfully at the back of your head, trying to force you back between her legs. “They need to know that you’re all mine, baby.”

You want to tell her that you don’t belong to anyone, and certainly not her of all people, but the protests die in your throat as she squeezes her thighs around your head. You truly are some kind of servant to Natasha Romanoff. Your tongue runs up and down her slit, poking at her throbbing clit as she bucks forward against your face.

“Fuck, take me already,” she whines. 

“So impatient,” you tease. 

“Less talking, more fucking,” she demands.

“Same to you.” You shove your fingers into her mouth to quiet her, and she sucks on them in a way that you try to mirror against her pussy. Wrapping your lips around her clit and thrusting your tongue into her until she’s a puddle in your arms.

“...I don’t know why the door is locked. Let me speak to the manager to get the key.”

Natasha’s whimpers are muted so you have to gauge her reaction by the rest of her body. The way she grips onto your hair like it’s some kind of lifeline. Her walls milk your tongue desperately, slick spilling onto your chin. You don’t think you’ll ever be able to get enough of this woman.

The door clicks open just as Natasha finally comes undone. Your fingers muffle her moans as you quickly lick her clean, wishing you had time to bring her to a second orgasm, but the heels on the floor indicate the two of you are no longer alone. You slowly lower Natasha to the floor, suddenly feeling the burn in your shoulders as you finally relieve yourself of her weight.

“Call me next time you want to fuck someone,” Natasha pulls you in for one final kiss and slips something into your pocket. It’s her business card. 

“We’ll see,” you say, still not exactly sure of this arrangement, but not having the time to hang around and discuss. You leave the stall first, washing off at the sink and slinking out.

***********************************************************************

Natasha waits until you’ve left the bathroom to adjust herself in the mirror. She reapplies another layer of lipstick, smoothing down her blouse and tucking it back into her pants. She struts out of the restaurant, her body tingling in the aftermath of her sexcapade in the bathroom with you.

She steps into the alley adjacent to the restaurant and stands by the overflowing dumpster. She takes your wallet out of her pocket, unfolding it and laughing at the photo on your driver’s license. It was almost disappointing how easy you were. You weren’t cut out to lead a powerful company like Envy Industries. While you might have had the intellect, you clearly could not handle confrontation and even the idea of failure.

Natasha almost feels bad for you, but not bad enough to stop.

She empties the cash from your wallet, the several crisp hundred dollar bills fluttering to the ground. Maybe they’ll make some lucky homeless person’s day. Natasha pockets your heavy metal credit cards, despite having no intention but to use them as paperweights for her office. Then she finds what she’s really after: the solid black card that’s your apartment key. 

Natasha discards your wallet into the dumpster and walks out to the street to be picked up by her driver. 

***********************************************************************

You return to the table, smoothing back your hair and pulling at the newly-formed wrinkles in your shirt. You barely remember to button your shirt back up to your throat to hide the collar of hickeys Natasha left to remember her by.

“You were in there a while,” Tony comments. “You need some Pepto?”

“No, I’m fine.” You sit down, staring at your cold steak while you think. “Can we go now? I have some stuff I need to do.”

“Sure, sure.” Tony calls for the waitress and the check. You slip your phone out to view the location of the tracking device you (literally) implanted into Natasha.

It was a tiny, tiny device, probably about the size of a grain of rice. You could barely feel its weight when you have it balanced on the tip of your finger. 

“This GPS will provide an accurate location down to a meter,” Dr. Pym explains. “Designed and manufactured right here at Envy Industries, so you can rest assured this is the highest quality product you’ll find on the market.”

“Don’t mention this to my dad, will you?” you request, placing the little tracker back in its foam-padded case.

“Of course,” Dr. Pym says. “I answer to you and only you now.”

“Good.”

You weren’t a hundred-percent sure how successful you’d be, but you had tried your best to hold the GPS on your fingertip before sticking your fingers in Natasha’s mouth. Her natural reaction would be to suck and swallow, and you were hoping that the rice-sized GPS would easily find its way down her esophagus into her. 

There was no way she would know about it (or even be able to taste it) in the heat of the moment, and after a few days, it would pass through and the evidence wouldn’t be in her system anymore. You didn’t need more than a few days to track her location and habits. 

With a sigh of relief, you see the red dot on the map indicating that she’s still waiting by the street side of the restaurant, probably for her driver. You can’t help but chuckle to yourself, wondering what Natasha would say when she realizes you’re willing to play just as dirty as her.

The waitress boxes up your steak and hands it to you in a paper bag. You and Tony leave through the back entrance to the cramped parking lot and you wait until you’ve climbed into his Aston Martin to say, “Are you still in touch with that…uh…Buck guy?”

Tony is quiet for a moment. “Oh, you mean Bucky? Yeah, I see him from time to time. Why?”

You’ve never made a request like this before in your life, and you know the moment you do, it’s going to change everything. You take a deep breath, fighting the anxiety in your chest.

“I need him to get me a gun.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

AN: Click here for Part 3!

Please like, reblog, and comment! Follow for more content. 🥰

[the-forbidden-pookie]

Unknown motives

Tw: SFW, written with a fem reader in mind, attempt at comedy, fluff with a dash of something else, slight use of profanity, reader is short for plot reasons.

Pairing: Anton Ivanov x reader

#Free Palestine🇵🇸

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sorry," the large man says as he approaches you "I got held up by this strange guy asking if I wanted to play cards or something on my way here... Hm? You haven't started interviewing our president yet, have you? Don't forget to lower the mic stand a bit."

You blink up at him in surprise, and suppress an eye roll. You can't help it, everything about him was giving... the same vibe you see in the old capital era movies, the frat boy types. Still, you respond cordially enough "Huh? Oh you mean the reporter lady from earlier? No she left already, I'm the new part timer." You say confidently, deciding you'll end this conversation quickly if you looked sufficiently assertive. The work site was plenty noisy too, surely he'll get annoyed from talking out here soon enough.

The man's hand was on its way to the back of his head, his eyes trained away from you before he halts and looks back "A new part timer? Who the hell hired you?"

"I hired myself." You say simply.

"Ha, you hired yourself? Really now? And who made you think you were qualified enough to work here?"

You don't bother giving your real reasons "The field of construction calls for me." Is what you say instead.

"Calls for you, huh?" To your surprise , the man takes your words seriously, and you notice a name tag that introduces him as Senior Staff and On Site Project Manager Anton Ivanov. Wow, what a mouthful, no wonder he seems to know who exactly does and doesn't work here.

"You look like a runt... Can you handle the job? Do you even know how to tell apart a Gauging trowel from a Margin trowel?"

You blink owlishly back at him, startled out of your thoughts "A what now?"

"Exactly my point! How about I test you, then? First, go get me a torque wrench."

"Ahaha" you laugh awkwardly "Uh yup! I totally know what that is!" Why is there no connection in this place? I need to Google this! You panic internally.

"Oh really? Well then go get one. It's right by the tool box in the west warehouse." He points at said building "I'll be waiting here."

You quickly turn away before he sees your expression descend into panic "Mhm, be right back boss man!"

"Hah, what's with that look?... Wait... Hey! Come back here!"

You ignore him and use your small frame to your advantage and easily weave through construction workers left and right, most of them admittedly much bigger than you. Still, you disappear into the crowd and easily loose anyone trying to stop you. Once you make it to the warehouse, you go ask someone on duty about the tool, and find a bear gentleman squinting at a clipboard.

"Excuse me sir." You interrupt politely "The project manager sent me to grab a tool for him, can you tell me where-" you pause. What did he call it again? You stare at the fellow in front of you as he stares back. Once it became apparent you weren't going to finish the sentence any time soon, he points at a collection of crates in one section of the warehouse

"I'm busy so help yourself kid." He says, then leaves before you can correct him about you not being a kid.

Welp.

You go look though the crates, hoping any of them would be marked or named, and while some of them are, most of those are in Russian.

You don't speak Russian.

You sigh, and decide nothing will get done if you keep standing here, so you grab a random heavy tool, and lug it back to Anton, who surprisingly did wait for you where he said he would.

"I'm back! Did you miss me?" You pant from the exertion, trying to hide the toll this is taking on you with jest "Is- is this it?"

Anton looks dumbfounded for a moment before speaking "...That's a welder's mask, kid. The kind bear Thirens use."

You look down "So that's what the glass part is for... Hey I'm not a kid! You're just way too tall!"

Anton smirks, amused with your response "You're not a kid, huh? Then how old are you, shorty?"

You look away. "Hmph. You should never ask a lady about her age! It's improper!" You dodge the question. You may be an adult, but there's a non zero chance that once you show him your ID he thinks you're presenting him with a fake one and kick you out immediately. You'd rather not give him the chance. "So how do I go about properly signing up to join Belobog Heavy Industries anyway?"

Anton chuckles, seemingly getting a kick out of this "Ha! It's funny that a shorty like you can call herself a lady. You're barely at half my height. Anyways, if you wanna work here, I'll have to assess your experience and qualifications first."

You are certainly not looking forward to that.

"... Isn't there someone else that can do that...? Maybe someone I don't have to crane my neck all the way up just to look at their face?" You sweat drop.

Anton laughs, thoroughly enjoying this situation "Nope, not a chance. You're stuck with me, shorty. Now, quit complaining and tell me what you can do with those tiny arms of yours."

You crouch down and grab a random rock, then stack a few more on top of it. Once done you stand back up and point at your creation. "Construction...?"

Anton raises an eyebrow, looking the most baffled you've seen him all day, and that's saying something. He stares at your attempt before he lets out a disbelieving laugh "Construction? You call that... whatever it is, construction? I'm not sure if I should be impressed, concerned, or just downright baffled."

You don't hesitate "Which one's more likely to get me hired?"

"Anton crosses his arms, looking you up and down as he seriously consideres your question. His earnestness is starting to get to you.

"Hm, I suppose I'd be impressed, because it takes a lot of audacity to call that thing construction. So I'm going to give you a chance."

He grins slightly.

"Spend the day around the site today but don't go past any yellow lines without permission. If you still want to join us afterwards, come find me and my bro at the end of the day at my office. We'll discuss your new position in the company then, shorty."

You can't help it, caught off guard by his genuine offer, you let out a huge, surprised smile, no sarcasm or barbs in sight "Wait really?!"

You can vaguely tell Anton is taken aback by your response, but he quickly covers it up with a smirk "Of course. It'd be fun to have someone so short around here to tease, it's not like I can mess with the president after all." He says jokingly.

At your resulting glare, he chuckles and ruffles your hair with his large hand.

For a second, you feel dumbfounded at the overly familiar act, but you quickly regain your composure and push his hand away "Sorry head pats are reserved for friendship level 8 or higher."

"Oh? 8 or higher, huh? That's a pretty high number. I guess I'll have to work my way up to earn the privelage then.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the work day comes to a close, you make your way to Anton's office, directed by the scowling red head girl that often came to check on you throughout the day. She awkwardly waves off your genuine thanks.

I guess everyone here looks scary but is actually nice? You wonder.

"Hey there, shorty." Anton perks up from his slumped position as he sees you come in. You notice his desk and seat appear comically small when compared to his size, it doesn't help that the office room is rather cramped. "Did you have a fun day of "construction" today?"

You sigh "I tried to help, but everyone kept telling me I'd just get in the way." You say as you unceremoniously drop in a guest chair by his wooden desk "Please hurry up and give me an official position at the company."

Anton's smirk softens as he sees your dejected expression.

"Heh, I can see you really want to fit in here, huh? My bro and I really appreciate that kind of spirit. Alright, I'll do you a favor and give you an official position."

He seems to think for a moment before speaking "How about you become the company's official short stack? We do lack a mascot."

Your eye twitches involuntarily "My dude you are giving my fist an erection. Are you trying to get socked in the face?"

Anton doubles over his desk laughing, a full body laugh with his shoulders shaking and his mouth gasping for air. Well it was a very good line wasn't it? You inwardly give yourself a pat on the back for causing that reaction. Finally when the bursts of laughter subside and he can actually breathe again, the taller male leans down and gets close to your face with his signature smirk on.

"Ha! I'd like to see you try. Besides, you're too short to land a proper punch, anyway."

Anton's smirk fades into a more serious expression this time as he considers your question. He taps his chin in thought.

You deadpan. Bro cannot be acting all nonchalant after he almost went into cardiac arrest from your joke "Back on topic," you say impatiently "any real positions I can fill up?"

He looks you up and down for what feels like the millionth time this day, before speaking "If I'm being honest, the only jobs you could fit would probably be serving food at the cafeteria or maybe assisting in office work, hardly something that would feel like construction work."

"Hmm, let's see..."

You try not to pout "But just today I saw a girl shorter and definitely younger then me, she was working hands on and-"

"The president," Anton interrupts "has many years of experience, she also may not look it to your untrained eyes but she has a lot of practical muscles that make up for her size disadvantage."

You blanch That was the President?! I'd been calling her girlie-pop all day! I think I even called her pookie once?!

Suddenly, all the strange looks the staff were throwing you throughout the day made a lot more sense.

"That said..." Anton brings you back out of your thoughts "How about we start you off as an assistant? I'll have you work under me, and I'll show you the ropes around here, it would also count as a training period. If you prove yourself competent, I'll consider promoting you to an official position."

Your eyes gain a shine to them at the offer he went of his way to give, and you feel a bit remorseful at all the attitude you've been giving him "Wait, wouldn't that be troublesome for you?"

Anton shrugs lightly, that smirk returning to his face.

"Troublesome? Nah, I'd get a kick out of having a pipsqueak like you following me around. And who knows, maybe you can learn a thing or two from a professional like me." He says, pointing proudly at his chest.

You deadpan yet again. "I take back the good thoughts I started having of you, what was I thinking?" You tell him as you shake your head in mock despair.

Anton laughs at your blunt response, clearly enjoying the banter. "Ha! There's Shorty's short temper kicking in again. Come on, don't be so uptight . I'm just messin' with ya."

He grins widely, clearly finding this whole situation amusing. He then playfully ruffles your hair with his hand.

You push his hand away again "My head isn't for patting unless you're level 8 friendship I said!"

Anton laughs good naturedly, and obediently removes his hand.

"Ha! Still going on about that friendship level thing? Fine, I'll keep my hands to myself for now. But just know, I have plenty of other ways to bother you, Shorty."

"I've known you for only one day and yet I don't doubt that one bit."

Anton crosses his arms and leans against the nearby wall, looking down at you.

Still, you can't resist messing with him right back, so you get up and walk away "Nevermind I'll go see if the convenience store down the street is still hiring-"

"Oh, you have no idea. Stick around, shorty, and you'll see what I mean. You haven't experienced true torment yet." His voice has a teasing quality to it and you can tell he puts extra care in making that obvious to compensate for his naturally intimidating size and face.

Anton quickly scrambles off the wall and grabs your arm, halting your retreat "Oh no you don't. You're not getting out of this that easily." He smirks, as if he wasn't floundering less then a second ago. His grip on your arm is gentle yet unrelenting "You're stuck with me, Shorty. You already accepted the job as my assistant, remember? You can't back out now."

You sigh dramatically, and hear as Anton laughs at your theatrics. You then remember the two of you haven't properly introduced yourselves to each other yet "I guess I have to be a woman of my word." You say in mock reluctance as he lets go of your arm "It's a little late, but my name is Y/n by the way, L/n Y/n. What's yours?"

His smirk slowly fades into a genuine smile "Oh, we never did properly introduce ourselves, huh? Hah, guess we were so busy bickering we forgot about the formalities." He extends his hand for a handshake "Name's Anton Ivanov. Remember that, ok Shorty?"

You grasp his hand, his grip strong and sturdy "Like I said, my name's Y/n. Since we're on the more serious topics, is there a contract I need to sign or am I in a trial period for now?"

Anton shakes your hand gently before responding, seemingly very aware of how much bigger his hand is as it is engulfs yours. If you didn't know better you'd think he's nervous to accidentally hurt you. "Yeah trial period's a fitting name, and no contract signings just yet. We'll see how you do working under me before we worry about paperwork. So, Shorty, are you ready to get started as my assistant?"

"How early does the work day start here?" You ask, forcefully dragging your eyes away after they started staring at his chest a bit too long. You can't help it tho! It's more comfortable for your neck to stare at that region!

Anton scratches his chin thoughtfully, considering your question and blissfully unaware of your internal turmoil.

"Hmm, work usually starts around 6 in the morning. We like to get an early start here at Belobog. Why do you ask?"

You gulp "Wow, bright and early with the sunrise huh?"

Anton valiantly tries to suppress a chuckle at your reaction. He fails, but you suppose it's the effort that counts.

"Yep, bright and early. We don't like to waste time around here. And hey, don't worry about adjusting to the early hours, you'll get used to it soon enough, shorty."

"I sure hope so." You sweat drop, then your eyes drift to the arm sized device strapped to his arm. "Is that the main tool you use?" You motion with your chin towards the machine he still has strapped to his arm despite the work day being already over.

Anton follows your gaze, and he brightens considerably at your question. "This is my bro, it's a pile driver." He says seriously, and it doesn't take long to realize he's not joking.

He grins, looking down at his arm-mounted weapon affectionately "My bro and I go way back, and it got my back in both work and combat." He says proudly.

"I guess you could say it is, in a way, like family. It's been with me through a lot."

He pats the pile driver, a fond look in his eyes.

Your eyes soften "Well, can't wait to see you and your bro in action once I officially start!" You exclaim, mentally cataloguing the pile driver as Anton's Emotional Support Companion in you head.

"So, I hear Belobog Industries has dorms for all staff members, are newbies like me included or do I need to find my own lodgings around here?" You change the subject, because while you didn't mind hearing more about Anton and getting to know him better, you did still have an objectif in coming here "I wanna know if I'll need to make moving arrangement soon."

Anton's grin widens at your enthusiasm and what he reads as genuine interest in the company.

"Ha! That eager to get in on the action, huh?" he guesses "You're going to fit right in here."

He pats your head lightly, and you're starting to understand it's meant to be a playful gesture rather than a condescending or even teasing one.

"And don't worry about lodging. We provide dorms for all staff members, including newbies like you. You don't need to worry about finding a place to stay."

"Well that's convenient," you say as you bat his arm away, almost by reflex now "I guess I better go get my stuff sorted by tomorrow then." You say as you shift to get going, before a loud bang outside Anton's office door startles you both, and a tall woman comes barreling in.

"Anton!" She all but shouts "I got it! I cracked the code uncle Khors left behind!"

Next to you, Anton is initially startled by the sudden entrance, but he soon regains his composure. He throws a look at you, as if making sure you're not scared off by the taller woman's antics, then turns back to her, his face a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

"Grace? You cracked the code? That's great, but we need to tell the president before you -"

But this Grace person is no longer listening, as her attention is now in on you "Huh, I didn't know it was bring your kid to work day? Wait who's kid is this?"

You deadpan "For the last time. I'm an adult."

At your claim, she looks you up and down and it's quite obvious she doesn't believe you. "A highschooler maybe." She murmurs under her breath.

Anton quickly interjects before she can say more, and you can hear the hint of annoyance in his voice as he speaks "Grace, Y/n's not a high schooler..."

You finally sigh and take out your ID card, at least Anton seemed to believe you so you didn't think he'd take it for a fake ID.

"Oh you poor thing!" The woman says after thoroughly comparing your face to the image on the card "who malnourished you?"

"I'm not malnourished." You say with a tired sigh, but it's not like you can explain your situation, so you don't think you come off as very believable.

Anton gives Grace a sarcastic look as she tries to save her mistake. He rolls his eyes, but a small smile still forms on his face.

"Well!" Grace says "Whatever you two are discussing can wait, let's get her to the cafeteria before it closes, someone is in desperate need of a big meal-" At Anton's warning look, Grace amends "Uhh that person being Anton! A bear sized fellow like him definitely needs to eat lots!"

"Nice save there, Grace. Real subtle."

I don't know what these two's relationship is, but they seem close. You wonder internally.

And as Anton glances at you, it seems he misreads your pondering expression as one of doubt about yourself because he says: "Don't you worry, Shorty. You're fine. I've met actual malnourished people, and trust me, you're in the clear."

...why is he such a green flag?! You have to admit to yourself it'd be quite the shame if he is dating Grace.

"But it's true that we're all hungry" Anton continues while nodding "Grace is right, and let me tell you, the cafeteria food here is really good. I wouldn't want you to miss out on it, shorty."

You nod back, liking the idea "Alrighty then, please lead the way." You go for a polite voice but at Grace's giggle you wonder if you over did it.

Anton grins and gestures for both of you to follow him.

"Aight, I'll show you the way to the cafeteria."

He starts walking and motions for you and Grace to fall in step beside him.

Grace starts telling you both all about the mysterious code the former president of Belobog Industries had left behind, and while fairly sure the information should remain confidential, it wasn't like you could stop the woman on her tirade, you notice Anton doesn't even try.

Then again, they probably think I haven't a single clue of what she's talking about.

As the three of you near what you assume is the cafeteria, Grace stops dead in her tracks. "Oh gosh I'm so sorry, I know I was the one that suggested coming here but I just got an alert and I need to go back and check on my children!" Grace exclaims showing a notification with a warning symbol for an icon. By children, you figure she's talking about machines or software code.

Anton hardly looks surprised. He shakes his head "Hah, typical Grace. Don't worry about it, we can grab food ourselves. You go take care of your babies."

Anton pats her on the shoulder reassuringly "Just make sure to eat something later, okay?"

Grace nods, and you expect her to hurry off towards her workstation but instead she moves to your side and whispers in your ear "My intuition tells me you're a good person, so good luck, I'm rooting for you!" And as you blink in surprise, the woman is already rushing off. You realize that at some point you'd made the judgement she was wholly focused on her mechanic creations and had little attention to her surroundings, but that had to be untrue. She read the situation in seconds and seems to be setting you two up on a date of sorts.

Anton on the other hand watched the entire exchange with one eyebrow raised.

As Grace runs off towards her creations, he turns back to you with a slightly quizzical look.

"What'd she whisper to you?"

You give him a sly smile "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Anton gives you a playful glare in return and crosses his arms "Oh, now you're just teasing me. Come on, spill the beans Shorty. Let me in on the secret."

You skip ahead and push the cafeteria double doors open "Oh wow this place smells great, it's suddenly making me feel so hungry! We better get some food quick!"

Behind you, you hear the taller male let out a hearty chuckle at your unsubtle change of topic "A convenient case of selective hearing, huh? Okay, I'll let it slide for now."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After filling your trays with food the two of you choose somewhere to sit, and with the cafeteria mostly empty it was like you had the whole place to yourselves.

Time to satisfy our empty stomachs.

Or so you thought.

You barely get to sit down before Anton gets a call, and he immediately gets up to take it. You wonder for a few seconds if it would be rude or not to start eating without him, however the call doesn't take that long.

"Sorry about that." Anton says, but when you look up to face him it's like looking at a different person. His attention is still on his phone and the set of his shoulders is stiff, but most of all, his smile is nowhere to be found "Something came up, you can start without me and uh- I'll be right back."

He's gone before you can get a word in edgewise.

Well, now you've been subjected to the inconvenience of eating alone in a cafeteria. At least it's mostly empty. You take exactly two bites of your delicious burger (it seems he was right about the food in this place) before you're interrupted, by Grace again this time.

"Hey! You're Anton's girlfriend!"

You almost choke-

"Where did he go- I think I messed up and I need his help before Sweet Pea finds out!"

Wow... Where do I even start with this one...

You decide to go with the basics "I'm not his girlfriend. I don't know someone called him away I think. Why are you afraid of a vegetable finding out about your mistake...?"

"So he's not here? Oh no." The woman turns on her heel and leaves.

You don't hesitate and follow after her, you'd rather not have to sit alone in a cafeteria, you just hope no one will put away your food while you're gone.

The real problem tho, is how much taller and faster she was. By the time you make it to the double doors you have no clue which direction she went in.

I think she went this way last time?

You pick a direction and at some point the smoke alarms start beeping in the halls, and you hear footsteps somewhere in the building rushing to and fro. Sure enough, you find yourself in a technician's lab at the end of the route. The only problem is, Grace is not here.

You walk in.

It doesn't take long to figure out what was causing a commotion, as the smoke alarm was beeping on and off above a smoking machine component. You step closer and take a look.

Hmm I'm not familiar with this model, but...

Your head turns towards the computer setup on the desk, warning and error messages flashing on the monitor. You sit down and crack your knuckles.

Let's give this a go.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anton comes back to the cafeteria, finding you right where he left you.

"Heyo Shorty, sorry that took a while, wha- you're not eating yet?"

"Ah- I nibbled at the burger a bit, but I didn't wanna start without you so..." You lie smoothly.

"What the- I told you you could start," Anton says plopping into his seat "now I feel bad for making you wait so long." He says with a- is that a kicked puppy face? You didn't even know it was possible on him.

You instantly start feeling bad "Oh no worries, I didn't even feel the time pass!" I was fairly occupied anyways "Oh! I heard a lot of noise out there, what was going on?" You smoothly switch subjects, grabbing a hold of your burger and taking a bite.

"Hn? Oh yeah, the smoke alarm was ringing in multiple branches but there wasn't a fire in any of them, the system was pranking us I guess." He stabs his steak and starts cutting it "I tried to go back right after but Grace came to find me cuz something was acting up, so I go on a detour to her lab, we got there and whatever she needed a hand with just righted itself so I hurried back." He takes a bite of meet and waits till he's swallowed it to continue "You sure I didn't take too long?"

You smile "Really it's fine, it wasn't that long at all."

For the first seven to ten minutes of you two sitting together again, you both give your undivided attention to your food filled trays. Finally, after devouring an entire burger you break the silence "I'm gonna be honest with you, Anton, I had you all wrong when I first saw you this morning." You say between mouthfuls of fries, keeping one hand in front of your mouth whenever there's food in it and you need to talk.

Anton grins at your admission, taking a sip of his drink before replying "Hah, yeah, I can tell. You were giving me the eye roll of all eye rolls this morning. I take it you've changed your opinion of me now then?"

"Well, you have a very imposing build and with your resting scowl face I thought you'd be... Well nevermind, turns out you're someone who helps those in need... you also got a nice laugh." You end softly.

You hear a utensil drop, and you look up to see Anton's fork fell onto his steak, but more interesting was the deer caught in headlights look he was giving you.

Just as fast as it comes however he pushes it away, regaining his composure in record speed "Ha! I can see why you thought that. I do have a bit of a mean mug when I'm not smiling, though I've been told my laugh sounds like a bear's roar, so the nice laugh bit is definitely a first!" He grins at you, and you wonder if the lighting is playing tricks on you because you think there's some light redness at the top of his cheekbones. He then continues "But you're right, I do try to be helpful and kind, especially to those in need. And I'd like to think my sense of humor isn't half bad either."

You're not sure how to respond to that, the man has been nothing but forthcoming and honest with you all day while you've been... not.

Instead, you glance at the wall clock and say "I think I need to head out soon." As you clean off the last of your fries. "I came here for a job interview but I somehow ended up meeting you and uh- I really enjoyed it! I just wouldn't wanna walk back home too late in the dark y'know?"

"Anton looks at the time on his phone and nods in understanding."

"Yeah, it is getting late. It's not safe to walk around at night, especially for short stuff like you. I don't want you getting lost between the cracks in the sidewalk or something." He gives you a playful smirk.

You go to reply, deadpan tone and expression at the ready when he interrupts you.

"But... if you want, I could always give you a ride home. I have a company car parked nearby."

You hesitate " ...you already payed for the meal, which I'll totally pay you back for by the way! So I don't want to trouble you more..."

Anton shakes his head and waves off your concerns "Nah, don't worry about it. It's just a meal, it's no trouble at all. And don't worry about paying me back either, consider it a welcome to the company gift." He grins, then leans in closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially "Besides, you wouldn't be troubling me. It's my pleasure to help you out, Shorty."

You sweat drop "What's the point of me giving you my name if you'll just keep calling me that?"

Anton chuckles at your reaction, clearly enjoying teasing you "Oh, lighten up a bit. I like giving nicknames to people. It's a nice way to bond, y'know? Besides, it's kind of fitting, don't you think? Given your, uh, petite stature."

You glance at his emptied out tray, the mountains of food he'd heaped onto it already gone "Well, the bonding experience can wait till tomorrow, if you're done, shall we get going?"

Anton leans back in his chair, patting his stomach with a satisfied smile "Yeah, I'm all done. Let's hit the road." He stands up and stretches, then motions for you to follow him "Come on, Shorty. Let's get you home safe and sound."

You follow after him "Tell me honestly, Anton." You say as he grabs his tray to place it on the racks nearby, when you go to grab yours he beats you to it and smoothly takes that one as well, stacking it on his.

"I could've carried that!" You whine.

Anton's infuriatingly attractive grin makes another appearance "Oh, I know you could've carried it. But I'm just being a gentleman, shorty. Can't have you doing all the hard work before you even start tomorrow, you'll get even tinier!" He ends, his tone is teasing as usual but his eyes softened up considerably, and the look he's giving you has your insides turning to mush.

You flush. "Uh- as I was saying, are you maybe a bear in disguise? Because you just cleaned off a mountain of food alone."

Anton laughs at your flushed expression and your playful accusation, the way he's keeping his composure somehow just feels unfair, though you guess for someone working in construction keeping his cool would be a must.

"Ha! Bear in disguise, huh?" He replies "Nah, I'm just a guy with an appetite. You know, working here, I need the extra energy." Then his grin turns cocky "Plus, it takes a lot of food to fuel all this muscle." He gives a playful flex, showing off his bicep with a smirk.

You give a playful eye roll "Oh wow, and you're so humble too!" You say flatly "What a catch wow!"

Anton lets out a hearty laugh at your sarcastic remark and gives you a playful salute "Oh, you know it. I'm the total package. Good looks, charm, wit, and the appetite to match." He grins, clearly enjoying the banter, which you've come to enjoy as well.

"But I'll have you know, there are quite a few women here who think so too."

You deadpan "Good for you. Give me there number, I'll help set you up."

Anton chuckles, then scratches his chin in mock thoughtfulness, then his expression turns into a grin and he gives you a playful nudge.

"But why would I need their number when I've got yours, Shorty?"

You blink "Huh? But I never gave my number...?"

"Yeah, not yet you didn't, but I have good intuition. Call it a sixth sense." He taps his temple with a wink. And it's telling me a certain cute Shorty is interested."

You flush harder "Well your sixth sense must be malfunctioning this time." You say walking ahead, trying to keep him from seeing your beat red face. Unfortunately, with how much taller he is, he catches up by the next second.

When he's by your side, he wastes no time laughing at your flushed face "Hah, you're forgetting who you're dealing with, Shorty. These long legs of mine give me an unfair advantage."

You don't reply.

"And are you sure my sixth sense is malfunctioning this time? Cuz you're lookin' real flustered."

"You're imagining things, maybe it's time to visit the eye doctor?" You huff.

"Oh? Is that so? Hm, maybe my eyes aren't as sharp as they used to be. Let me have a closer look, just in case."

He places one hand on your shoulder to halt your walk and leans in closer, making a show of examining your face.

Your eyes go wider then your older sister's saucers "Hmm strange, I'm getting a clear view of your rosy cheeks right now, and my sixth sense is telling me it's not from the cold."

You consider how to get the upper hand in this situation, but with your muddled mind it gets a bit tricky. You end up going with the first thing that comes to mind "You're right, it's from the heat, it's really getting hot in hear for some reason-" You start, before realizing belatedly how suggestive that sounded "Uh- wait no-" You flush further.

Anton grins at your unintentional innuendo, and raises an eyebrow, playing along "Oh really? Getting hot in here, hm?" He looks around, feigning innocence "Huh, seems like a comfortable temperature to me. Maybe it's just you, Shorty."

You cover your tomato colored face with your arms "Oh enough already, you win so just stop!"

Anton laughs and puts his hands up in mock surrender "Alright, alright, I'll stop. Can't have the cute shorty overheating on me now, can I?" in a quieter, more gentle tone, he adds, "But seriously, your blush is adorable."

You groan "Anton!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anton pulls up outside your house in the company car and turns to you with a smile "Here we are, shorty. Home sweet home."

You nod "Thank you, and sorry for the trouble."

Anton shakes his head and waves off your apologies "No trouble at all, I enjoyed the company. Besides, I couldn't just let you walk home alone in the dark." He grins, then adds in a playful tone, "Especially not when you're such a cute Shorty."

You deadpan "Don't make me take it back." You consider something then say "Give me your phone for a sec."

Anton raises an eyebrow, but obediently hands you his phone "Sure, but why do you need it? You gonna put your number in without me asking?"

"Nice try. I'll give you my Inter Knot contact for work stuff. You're not high level enough to get my number yet."

"High enough level, huh? Am I just a lowly level one in your eyes right now?"

Not looking up from your typing you reply "You made it all the way up to level three on day one, Congrats! But your nickname for me is shorty, I don't know how to feel about that yet."

Anton laughs, seemingly amused by your rating system for him "Only level three? Damn, I was hoping for a higher rank. But you're right, the nickname 'Shorty' might be deducting some points."

He grins, then adds with a wink, "Maybe if I find a better nickname, I'll rank up higher in your eyes... or maybe I'll just keep calling you 'Shorty' just to annoy you."

You deadpan "Well that would be very in character for you wouldn't it?" You say handing him back the phone.

Anton takes it back with a smirk, clearly unrepentant for his nickname choice "Hah, you know me so well already, Shorty. I gotta admit, your deadpan face is just too fun to tease." He leans in closer, unable to resist poking at you further "Besides, the way you turn all tomato-red whenever you're flustered is just priceless."

You push his face back with your hand "Goodnight Anton, see you tomorrow." You say as you unlock the cat door and head out.

"Haha, goodnight, Shorty. Get some rest. Sweet dreams."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And as you lock the car door and leave, Anton checks his phone, leaving the Inter Knot app to check the CCTV footage he has access to. The one that clearly shows you entering and leaving Grace's lab. He barely mumbles out "Till tomorrow then... Y/n. Hopefully I'll figure out what you're really up to soon."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hmm did I manage to make the reader subtly mysterious? 🤔 Tell me guys if y'all want a part two. LavenderLily you can tell me directly 👀

And as always, Free Palestine ❤️ 🇵🇸

[tinkerleaf]

The Coffee Crime Cafe

Synopsis: Fyodor seems like such a kind man when you meet him at a cafe. Trusting him is so easy. Words: 1.6k Pairing: Fyodor x Reader Warnings: manipulation, weapons, crimes, etc. Genre: idk general? a/n: the idea I had for this one was so good but I hope it translates just as well.

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You were a foreign college student in Yokohama studying literature. It didn’t take you long to find out from the locals about some of the crazy things that conspired in the area. You knew better than to meddle in affairs you weren’t supposed to, but that rule didn’t help you avoid trouble.

Your footsteps echoed in the cozy cafe as you sat down and settled in a booth that would serve as your desk for the next few hours. The amount of work almost due on your dashboard was enough to make you sigh out of frustration.

“I should get started…”

As you rushed to collect your items, the man in front of you knelt to assist you. “Are you alright?” He asked in perfect English. It took you by surprise.

After a while, you managed to get a surprising amount of work done. You didn’t pay too much attention to the time, but you realized it might be best to save the rest for another day. You wanted to ensure you were back at your dorm before nightfall.

Quickly gathering your belongings, you headed towards the door of the cafe. Before you could pull the door open, someone on the other side pushed it, causing you to drop your things.

“Yeah! Sorry, I didn’t mean to run into you.”

A couple of days later, your workload began to pile up again. You decided to head back to the same cafe to continue where you left off. When you walked in, you noticed the same guy you ran into before was sitting at one of the tables by the window. You internally panicked.

“That’s quite alright,” he handed you one of your books. He had a thick Russian accent that made you melt inside. He smiled as he continued inside the cafe.

You left with your face flushed, speechless at the handsome man who ran into you like the start of some random Hallmark movie.

“Where do I sit? Has he noticed me yet? It’ll be weird if I sit too close, but the other seats are taken! “

You spotted a table a few spots down from where he was and made your way over to it without making any eye contact. Little did you know, he’d known you were there from the moment you walked in. He was sipping on what looked to be hot tea and looking over some papers in front of him.

After around thirty minutes, you realized you weren’t going to get anything done with such a handsome man within 15 feet of you. You wanted to take a little peek at him from above your laptop, so you shot him a quick glance. It turned out not to be so quick when you met his gaze. You immediately looked back down. You started to get anxious and decided to try and work on your assignments somewhere else.

As you get ready to leave, you hear his silky voice once again. “Leaving so soon?”

You give him a nervous smile, “Hm? Oh, yeah.”

“You know, if you need any help with your studies, I happen to be quite knowledgeable of all kinds of literature.”

You blanked for a second, “How did you know what I was studying?”

He gestures towards your books. “I’ve read those before.”

“Oh.”

“Why don’t you sit? I’d love to hear your opinions on them, and maybe even learn a little bit about yourself.”

You felt something rather sinister radiating from this man, but you couldn’t help the invisible force that was pushing you closer to him. After sitting across from him at the table, you introduced yourselves. His name was Fyodor, a name that slipped off your tongue in the best way.

The more time you spent with him that morning, the more comfortable you became with him. After all, he spoke your language, had a similar interest, helped you with your work, etc. You wondered if you were meant to meet him based on how convenient this was for you.

It was one o’clock when you parted ways, but you knew you would see him again next time. And so did he.

The next few times you saw him were the same. You sat with him and studied while he went on about his opinions on the books you were reading. Once you were finished, you’d go on about all sorts of topics. Sometimes he would offer to buy your coffee, which you only accepted once. After all, you didn’t want to seem too interested.

You nodded. “Sure! I can do that!”

One particular time, however, Fyodor asked you to do a simple favor for him.

“Do you mind returning this to the library downtown for me? I will not have time to take it back myself before it is due.” It was a classic you hadn’t read yet. “From my understanding, you travel that way often for class, is that correct?”

“Thank you, I promise I will make it worth your time.” He winked as he handed you the book, but before you could flip through the pages, he stopped you. “Don’t bother.”

You set it in your bag, “Is it not good?” It felt a little heavy.

“Terrible. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such atrocious writing.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” you laugh.

You didn't realize at the time that even if you wanted to open it, you couldn't. It had been sealed shut.

A few hours after leaving the cafe, you dropped off the book at the library through the slot next to the entrance. It was thick and old, and it felt like carrying a brick in your bag. No wonder Fyodor didn’t bring it back himself.

You didn’t see Fyodor for almost a week, but you were checking in almost every day after the library incident. You finally caught him back in his usual place by the window. You get an uneasy feeling as if you’re being watched.

The next morning, you didn’t see Fyodor in his usual spot at the cafe. He had mentioned before that he was a busy man, so his absence wasn’t a shock to you.

What did surprise you, however, was the news headliner. Apparently, that same library you were at just the day before had been completely leveled by an explosion. You gaped at your phone, trying to find more information.

“There you are, I’ve been looking for you!”

“No, I did not. However, I think I have a clue.” He sips his tea.

He looks up at you with a calm smile, “Why, my apologies. My work was keeping me away.”

You sit down, “I need you to explain some things to me. Did you see what happened on the news?”

You blink at him. “Fyodor, that library exploded. The day after I went.”

He didn’t even flinch. “Then it must have worked.”

You freeze. “Huh? What worked??”

“My distraction.” He stands to leave, satisfied with the current situation. You weren’t ready to let him go so easily.

“Fyodor? What’s going on?” You followed him, but he didn’t answer.

He was focused on the man in a trench coat sitting nearby, seemingly waiting for him. The look on Fyodor's face didn’t ease your dread.

You didn’t understand much of what he said. You had no idea who he was, but he must have had something to do with the situation.

“Again, what is going on?!” You pleaded, begging for an answer to this confusing mess.

“It seems they found us out.” The smirk on Fyodor’s face made you want to vomit.

“Us?” Once everything clicked, you became livid. “You-you had me do your dirty work?”

The next few seconds went by in slow motion. An armed group of officers pointed their weapons at you, and you were panicking. You watched as Fyodor killed one of them with a single touch.

You knew you’d be sent to prison. There’s no doubt about that. What you didn’t know was Fyodor’s intentions with you, which you feared was much more terrifying.

That evening, you were taken to a holding cell until you could be tried for your “crimes”.

When you woke up the next morning, you were in a hotel room. At least, that’s what you thought it was. You were confused, but you couldn’t complain. At least you were out of jail.

You quickly moved away from the bed to the window. On the outside, there was nothing but the sky.

“Where the hell am I?”

There was a knock at the door. Looking through the peephole, you saw the mastermind himself. You wanted to ignore him and hide, but it didn’t feel like you had any choice but to let him in.

“My apologies for manipulating you into my plans. But I promise you, my intentions with you are only pure."

“Do you hear yourself right now? You set me up! You made me a criminal!”

A soft smile remains on his face, “That’s correct.”

You sighed, “Why? Why me?” You really thought you finally made a friend in this country.

“At first, it was because I needed someone to set off a distraction, and you just happened to be right in my path. You were so naive.” He lightly chuckles, “But now I think I’ve grown fond of you.” He motioned for you to walk with him into the hallway. You weren't exactly sure what to do with that statement. Was that supposed to be a good thing? This man was clearly insane, but at least you weren’t his enemy.

You followed closely behind him, taking note of the luxurious furnishings and decor that surrounded the establishment you were in. “So…what now? How do I get home?”

“You’re not going home. You’re wanted in the streets of Yokohama. It’s best if you stay here with me. After all, I told you I would make that little task of yours worth your time.”

A gut-wrenching feeling filled within you. “Where is ‘here’ exactly?”

He brought you to a balcony that overlooked a grand gambling establishment, with all sorts of machines and dealers. There were people scattered everywhere like ants. The enormous room before you was absolutely stunning.

“This is the Sky Casino.”

[steveharrington]

Have we seen Steve interacting with authority figures? I feel like we must have at some point but I can't think of any... which is maybe why I struggle to imagine what Steve and Hopper/Joyce sharing a scene might look like. I guess there's that scene with Barb's parents?

we HAVENT ‼️ hardly anyways! off the top of my head i’m fairly sure that the only adults we’ve seen steve interact with (and i define interacting by him talking to them directly or vice versa) are barb’s parents like you said, the guys he walked up to cleaning the theater marquee, and the russian general. genuinely cannot think of anyone else. isn’t that so upsetting

i wouldn’t call barb’s parents or the movie marquee guys authority figures per se, but i do think you could kinda categorize ozerov that way. at the very least, he has massive power over steve (literally has him tied up and drugged). i think it’s notable that of these instances where steve is sharing a scene with an adult, he is consistently doing some sort of repentance. cleaning up the marquee, visiting barb’s parents after she died in his backyard, and being beaten for finding the operation (which served as a larger message to steve that once again reminds him he was an Evil Little Boy). we’ve never seen steve interact with an adult to receive comfort or protection—it’s always the opposite, actually. uncomfortable at the very least, literally being tortured at the most.

i think a very underrated moment is steve threatening ozerov by saying that hopper is going to save them. i think it’s sooooo genuinely deeply sad, actually! he so confidently thought hopper (and other adults ie the us calvary) were going to come save him and robin, when actually no one even knew they were down there. if dustin and erica hadn’t saved them, literally no one would have!!!! the same protection that hopper and joyce provide the other kids/teens don’t really extend to steve and robin, which makes sense logically since they’re kinda on the outskirts. they are not their children or close friends of their children. but i think that line is so meaningful and sad because it kinda implies that steve thinks of himself as falling under that umbrella of protection, but he doesn’t :(

that’s not to say that i think hopper is canonically like “fuck steve harrington i don’t care about that kid”, but the writing in st thus far hasn’t really been dynamic enough to give us glimpses into the various ways that All these kids/teens/adults are inherently tied together after going through category 5 monster moments every half a year together. i really hope season 5 remedies that (it sounds and looks like they might?) by giving us these rare interactions between characters who have almost been killed by the exact same Creature several times but have somehow never talked. i also want so badly for someone to acknowledge that steve becomes the de facto adult when joyce and hopper aren’t around (i know mom steve jokes got annoying but they stemmed from his behavior clearly modeling that of a Parent with the kids) and maybe give us insight into how steve views himself….does he feel like an adult? would he view hopper as an authority figure, or would he almost see him as a peer and equal considering they both end up being the meat shields when it comes to fighting people and monsters? i need to know…..

i do think we’ll get at least a crumb of steve and hopper in s5, at least because david harbour and joe keery have both talked about wanting to share scenes and it would be so mean of the writers to just be like no sorry we don’t have time for a 2 second interaction in this 10 hour season LOL but we shall see <3

[mariacallous]

Right-Wing Media Sails On Despite Russian Scheme

It was the day before the most recent presidential debate and Benny Johnson, the popular right-wing podcaster and YouTube show host, was amplifying the latest falsehood—soon to be heard direct from Republican candidate Donald Trump’s mouth—that Haitian immigrants were dining on people’s cats. “This story is insane, all right!” Johnson chortled on The Benny Show. “I doubt any corporate media is going to go and tell the story of Springfield, Ohio, but we have to, actually, as our social obligation to you.”

The Sept. 9 video racked up more than 132,000 views and helps explain why The Benny Show has more than 2.4 million subscribers on YouTube. It also illuminates why its host—once the viral political editor of BuzzFeed before he was fired for multiple instances of plagiarism in 2014—was recruited by Tenet Media, a right-wing Tennessee-based media company identified by the US Department of Justice this month as a “covert project” of RT, the Russian state-controlled media outlet. “Benny used to say, ‘Do you know the difference between a good click and a bad click? They’re just clicks,’” recalls Bubba Atkinson, founder of Bubba News, a daily center-right newsletter, who worked with Johnson in the past. “I think that’s demonstrative of the ethos he lives by, where, you know, almost all attention is good for him.”

Johnson has issued a statement saying he was unaware of Tenet’s Kremlin ties. So have several of the company’s other prominent commentators, most notably the self-described red-pilled former leftist Dave Rubin and skateboarding libertarian Tim Pool. That may very well be true. Still, that such relatively big names in right-wing circles could find themselves entangled with anti-American forces—wittingly or unwittingly—speaks volumes about the state of conservative media in the age of Trump.

If you think of the hierarchy of the right-wing media world, particularly on the personality side, as a three-tiered pyramid, the top is occupied by Fox News figures like Trump cheerleader Sean Hannity. Go down a level, and you’ll find Ben Shapiro and his co-hosts at the Daily Wire, the Nashville company aspiring to be a right-wing Walt Disney Co. Then there’s a third tier of self-employed figures like Johnson, Pool and Rubin. Without the protection or the guardrails of an employer, they must compete for traffic with everybody else and have a financial incentive to go to extremes.

That could mean Johnson mocking the Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney and Trump nemesis Fani Willis as “Big Fani,” or Pool hosting alt-right figures such as Richard Spencer and former Breitbart News senior editor Milo Yiannopoulos, who’ve been largely shunned for good reason elsewhere in conservative circles. But that only seems to have made Tenet’s commentators more attractive to RT. According to the indictment, their messages “are often consistent with the Government of Russia’s interest in amplifying US domestic divisions.”

“Look, the Russians were not stupid,” says Rick Wilson, co-founder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project and a former Republican political consultant. “They recognized that these guys are very much influencers who can spread the kind of messages they wanted distributed to a wider audience, to drive social media engagement through the roof.” (Neither Tenet nor Johnson, Pool or Rubin responded to interview requests for this story.)

Given the nature of their businesses, the Tenet figures were also clearly more susceptible to the dangling of large checks—in at least one instance, $100,000 per video—than their peers with cushier employment arrangements. As Pool put it in an appearance on The Ben Shapiro Show after the indictment’s unveiling, he gets these kinds of offers all the time. “When someone reaches out to us, I say, ‘Great, cool. Someone handle it and talk to the lawyers,’” Pool told Shapiro. “The lawyers come back, do their due diligence, and then we say sure—or whatever.”

He added, “We have people tweeting at me, like, give the money back. Like dude, let me put it this way, we’re talking to our legal department.”

None of this impresses Cenk Uygur, founder of TYTs, a progressive online news network, who has appeared on Pool’s show—or at least he did before the news of the host’s RT connection. “Come on, man, somebody gives you $100,000 a video?” Uygur says. “That makes me ask, are other people giving you $100,000 a video? And who are they? If this is so normal, how often does this happen for right-wing media? And who else is giving you money for propaganda?”

As for Johnson, he’s continuing to rack up views on YouTube. Despite his association with Tenet, he’s had little trouble getting prominent Republicans to appear, including sitting members of Congress. The Benny Show goes on.

[fanficwriterlover]

Undercover

18+ Readers Only

As you guys have voted, this is another series I'll be working on...this one will have a different approach and I want to blossom this relationship with Ghost through harsh trails. We'll see where it'll take us. Don't worry will still work on Safe With A Ghost.

Enjoy ! Thanks for Supporting !

Chapter 1: Last Time

Summary: You're an undercover CIA, your job has always been to extract information from your targets to report back to Laswell. This time, things are different you'll be working with a team called 141, yet everything seemed to fall apart, you've become compromised and endangered. Now you have to have a babysitter to keep you safe, yet, it turns to something else~

Expectations: blood,shooting,cursing,intensity moments,flirting, indication of nudity, slight arousal, and more

Call sign: N/A

══════ ⋆Undercover Masterlist⋆ ══════

════════ ⋆Chapter 2⋆ ═════════

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sighing out, being undercover was hard work, it was never ending. You were always on the move with your next target and constantly dressed differently. This time, you were an assistant which, you've had to portray for months now. Least until Laswell's team got enough of what they needed to take action. That's right, you were the guinea pig they threw into a den of lions to chase after. Some times it'd take you a day to win over your target others took months. It was hard, you couldn't know from one day to the next. One slip up and you could have a bullet in your head. Recently your "boss" had moved into his other mansion feeling his enemies getting under his skin. He was growing agitated now, he couldn't for the life of him figure out how his enemies were getting information. Little did he know his "dorogoy" translation for sweetheart was the heart of the betrayal.

He cursed on the phone slamming his fist down on the table obviously not happy that his warehouse was found by Laswell's team. You of course leaked it out, as his personal assistant you had full access to everything. You eyed him seeing the big man look through the window. He spoke Russian through gritted teeth to whoever was on the other end "vam luchshe ispravit' eto seychas! Mne nuzhno, chtoby eta posylka byla otpravlena zavtra! Sdelay eto !" ( You better fix this now ! I need that shipment sent out tomorrow! Make it happen !) Luckily, you were a multilingual, and understood a variety of languages which gave you the upper hand to infiltrate and go uncover.

He slammed the phone onto the table nearly breaking it as you took the chance standing up walking over to him, speaking in a seductive low voice touching his arm "Gluboko vzdokhnite, lyubov' moya, ya uveren, chto zavtra oni sdelayut eto. chto-nibud', chto ya mogu sdelat', chtoby oblegchit' vashi problemy?" (Deep breaths, my love, I'm sure they'll get it done for tomorrow. anything I can do to ease your troubles ?) He seemed to be composing himself shaking his head. "Net. Ne nuzhno volnovat'sya iz-za chego-to podobnogo, moya dorogaya. Pochemu by tebe ne kupit' mne chego-nibud' v toy bulochnoy." (No. Don't need you stressing over something like this my dear. Why don't you go get me some thing at that bakery shop.) Giving a warm smile. "Of course !" You make your way out of his large office grabbing your coat and leaving his large mansion. It was too fancy for your taste, but all his estates were that way and you’ve lived in almost luxury for 7 months so far. You stride out the door, body guards every where as you take a deep breath, it was cold outside as always as you made your way to the bakery.

Once you felt out of sight you pulled out your phone and called Laswell, "I got something." You can hear Laswell sounding ready to log into the computer and record the phone call. You waited until she told you to speak. "Tonight, his men have to make up a new shipment, he's set on getting it out tomorrow to whoever." Laswell then asked "He hasn't told you who though" you huff "No...that's one thing he hasn't opened up to me about. And Laswell...I think he's catching on. You need to get this done now. My neck is on the line" you bit your lip. It was true, you were the only other person present in the room that would share information to the enemies, he's obviously going to figure it out soon. "I know, hang tight. I'll send a team to extract you. We have things to go over anyways, right now he's not our priority. Until then-" you frowned walking a bit making a right, for a while you felt someone was following you "I think I've already been caught on...." You began panting softly speed walking Laswell hearing this "I'm going to be sending two of my guys to your location. Stay alive until then. ETA extraction team be there at best 2 hours" you cursed under your breath speaking through gritted teeth "I may not be alive by then Laswell." She takes a breath from the line "Then guess you fight like hell" you walked yourself into an alley way the two men were definitely behind you as you put Laswell on hold."Excuse me for a moment" , looking at the men smiling "Good morning gentlemen, to what do I owe this encounter?" They both strided towards you but you were faster grabbing one of the man's arms kneeing him in the chest and grabbing his gun shooting his head. The other one reaching for his, drawing it. You use the man's limp body as a shield taking the shots as you aim his gun to the other man shooting him. Just like that, dead. You pick up your phone "Sorry about that Laswell, where do I rendezvous again ?"

A Couple Hours Later

You were in a jet flying back to base where you'd meet Laswell and her new team, for the first time. You've only heard a little bit about the team otherwise you didn't know what to expect. You had changed into your casual attire, it was tight jeans, boots that reached below your knees and a shirt that only one sleeve went over of your shoulders. You wore one sleeve to mask your other arm, your nails manicured and hair hanged down over your shoulder showing your natural hair color. It's been a long time since you've been back in your home turf. It always felt like you were always on the move dressing differently from head to toe.

When you finally landed you stepped down the stairs however you weren't greeted by Laswell, instead you saw 7 men all seeming to wait for your arrival. You then noticed the laptop on the stand with Laswell on the screen as you knew what this meant. Approaching the laptop you look at the screen seeing her serious face before smiling and nodding her head "Glad to see you still kept your head" you mumble softly "Barely, no thanks to you" she smiled slightly "I know you just got back-" you raised your hand "If you expect me to already go back in the field again you must be joking ?" Giving you an apologetic look as a man with a cup hat walked forward holding his vest "Unfortunately we are not lass, Kate says your the best. And quite frankly we need your skills lass." You wanted to scream, you just got home. You've nearly lost your head twice and already you want to be sent out like a guinea pig. Gritting your teeth "And you are ?" Cocking a brow at him almost glaring. "Captain John Price, I lead the team 141." You studied him for a moment scanning at the men behind him. Before looking back at the screen. "Last one, I mean it, I need a break Laswell" nodding her head "I agree" you frown crossing your arm "I'm going to need more assurance than you agreeing with me Kate" the words came out sharp but you couldn't be blamed, you were rightfully to be pissed. "I promise this will be your last one." You studied her, huffing hands on your hips "Alright, who now ?"

Laswell went on to speak with the Captain shifting the camera view for Laswell to see the interaction "Need you to meet whose going to help with this mission. Los Vaqueros, this is their leader; Colonel Alejandro Vargas and his Sergeant Major Rodolfo Parra" you raised a brow before speaking "Los vaqueros eh? México ? que parte ?" Reaching to shake Alejandro hand he was shocked and surprised smiling before responding "Crecí en Las Almas mi amiga, ¿hablas español?" Smiling at his remark "Sí, estudié todos los idiomas para moverme." He laughs softly "Debo decir que estoy impresionada!" You then shake his Sergeant Majors hand nodding your head. Next you were in front of two other men, both wearing UK flags. "Sargent Kyle "Gaz" Garrick and Sargent Johnny Soap McTavish" shaking both their hands Soap seemed a lot more excited to greet you as he spoke with a rough Scottish accent "Nice to meet you lass, you're quite the deal if Laswell hand picked ya" you laugh softly "So I'm told." Next was a person you didn't see before. He blended into the shadows was almost daunting from his size and aura. Laswell spoke "And that is Lieutenant Ghost." You nodded your head as he did the same. Flipping your head in Laswell's direction, "Okay....what do you want me to do"

After the Briefing with Los Vaqueros & 141

You were in your bunker putting on some makeup, was more natural looking and a glue on wig (honestly you hated wearing wigs but was essential to look different) it was blonde of course, they will be of course going back to Russia. You grumbled annoyed you just got back from that place and now you have to go back to find some guy named Gusev. This annoyed you apparently the man was selling illegal weapons and they want to know why. However, you had a feeling they knew more than they shared, it felt like you were out of the loop, just told to get whatever information you can and return. Apparently in two nights, he'll be meeting someone to give some information, a deal so to speak. Whatever was in his briefcase they wanted to know. Your job of course, is to get information out of the man within a night, take the briefcase and bring it to HQ. Sounds almost impossible, but you'll make it happen. This will be different though, you'll be watched over by 141 and Los Vaqueros. You frowned, Los Vaqueros patrolled in Mexico, so why exactly were they involved ? What do they gain from joining 141 ? And why was a team necessary to make 141. All of it confused you. People sell illegal weapons all the time, that's normal but for British,Mexican, and American to work together simply to track down some smuggler, it made you wonder what exactly you'll hear from Gusev that Laswell was withholding. You put in some green eye lenses to look completely different, sometimes you didn't even know who you were. Once ready putting on a dress with heels. Was a tight black dress that hugged around your body with not straps. You walked out of your bunker, the clicking of your heels can be heard through the halls as you made your way to the team.

Captain Price had the laptop up again, obviously talking to Laswell as you made your way closer, everyone else was talking amongst each other. It was the man with the skull balaclava noticing you first, his eyes scanned you from head to toe. You didn't let it bother you though, you were used to having eyes on you. Apparently was enough to make the Scottish man notice with his gaping mouth. You ignored it though approaching the Captain who looked like he was holding stuff for you, he handed you some IDs as Laswell spoke through the screen "You'll be a hooker this time" you raised a brow frowning at her "Really?" Kate laughs a little "Apparently Gusev is known for going to some strip clubs" if you thought your brow were high they went higher "You've got to be joking !" you blinked "I'm afraid not y/n, you'll find what you need in your bags. Ghost and Soap will be inside with you the whole time. With Price, Gaz and the Los Vaqueros guarding the exits and entrances."

You mumbled to yourself "Great....." with that Price spoke up "Alright team, let's move out." He then said a few words to Laswell, which you were able to catch her last words before "Take care of her John " was what you heard before boarding the craft. Finding a spot where the man known as Ghost sat across from you, with of course Soap next to you and Colonel Alejandro. Everyone else sat around. This was going to be a long flight you thought to yourself. Already Soap was asking you a bunch of questions, he seemed almost enamored to finally speak with a women, as you thought Poor guy, he must not go out a lot with women. His voice disrupting your train of thought "Where you from by the way ? You sound American." you nod your head "Spot on, I grew up in Kentucky." His eyes lit up "Country girl ?" You laugh a little covering your mouth "Something like that yes, my parents own property I used to ride horses. Well, kinda still own one but yeah" This really intrigued him, but Alejandro chimed in "Ah, a lass with good taste, no wonder. ¿Eres una vaquera tú mismo?" You smirk at him, he was handsome, he had a nice chisel face and slick hair "Sinceramente, no soy un estilo vaquero, monto al estilo inglés." He nodded his head "Ah, impresionante mi querida, seguro que eres talentosa." smiling from the compliment "gracias" yet this time Ghost caught your attention "How long you've been working undercover ?" The question seemed to surprise everyone as they looked in his direction My god, his presence could be obvious from his size and demeanor yet I forgot he was there. Guess he'd blend in well in the club. "Let's see- give or take maybe....6 years ?" His eyes narrowed in on you almost finding it hard to believe "Awfully young then aren't you ?" Your cheeks were red as you smirked a bit "I am old enough to be in the field, I assure you Lieutenant, I know how to do my job. I've never failed at getting what I want." He huffs "As long as you ain't a burden on my ass. Last thing we need is dead weight" Price looked his way "Ghost, none of that, Laswell and y/n, have worked together for years at the CIA, I trust Kate's judgement therefore I trust her." Price gave you a sympathetic smile "Sorry lass, don't let him intimidate you" you smile back "Not at all sir"

Arrival Somewhere in Russia

Getting off the plane, you were escorted by Ghost and Soap, to take you to a hotel to spend the night. You work at the club (already been given the job after the owner scanned your body from head to toe) Ghost and Soap, got jobs as bodyguards for the club, which the owner seemed delighted because apparently it's known for fights. You're to pretend to be a 21 year old, that gave you an eye roll. Your objective, find the target, seduce him, get the briefcase that contains plans that is needed. Apparently he's supposed to do a trade with someone. Ghost and Soap will stand in proximity to the best of their ability, if it all goes south they'll extract you immediately.

Getting a room card turned out to be more problematic than you thought though, the hotel had only two available rooms, therefore it meant someone would have to share since of course as the concierge said "The room for Mr and Mrs. Jones." You were about to say that must be wrong yet Ghost spoke up "Yeah, that'd be me and my new wife" clearly not trying to make a scene you went along with it. Feeling Ghost lay a hand on your waist. You knew it was for show but his hands were big on your waist, it sent a shiver up your core making you blush deeply. The concierge seemed delighted "Ah newlyweds! Here's your room then." Taking the keys Ghost and you walked side by side, well more like, he pulled you away from the desk with the press of his hand on your hips. Glancing back at Soap, you can see he was pouting about not thinking quick enough to be your fake husband. At the same time, you were somewhat relieved, you felt Ghost would be less obnoxious. And quite frankly less perverted. You hit the elevator button waiting for the doors to slide open as Soap eventually caught up as you all stepped in silently.

Ghost looked at the ceiling of the elevator obviously making sure their was no cameras as he spoke "Johnny, stop pouting" you looked toward Johnny seeing his arms crossed glaring at Ghost "It's not fair LT, besides you didn't even give y/n a chance to decide her husband." You laugh and blush a bit, Ghost looking down at you "Beggers can't be choosers." He says gruffly as you look at him as if he was encouraging you to say something as you look at Johnny who seemed to be fuming "C'mon Johnny, don't be like that. I tell you what- if we survive this mission, next time I need a fake husband I'll ask you" you gave a smirk. He beamed up "Aye, hear that LT, already should be expecting a divorce soon" Ghost snorted, the elevator door dinged as you stepped out walking to the room you'd be staying in. Unlocking it. Wishing Johnny a good night as you and Ghost went into your shared room. It was spacious, rose petals, fragrance smells, soothing lights, just perfect to set the mood...if you were an actual couple.

You look up at Ghost seeing his annoyed stare as he grumbled "Fuckin hell" you laugh softly, holding your stomach as you couldn't help it "Already regretting Lieutenant?" You walk into the room setting down your bag near the bed brushing off the petals. Ghost stood against the wall as you looked at him "You know "husband" if you plan to watch me undress that would ruin the element of surprise." You giggle seeing him become uncomfortable clearing his throat "Don't get any ideas lass, I don't plan on watching" you cock your brow zipping down your dress "Yet you're still staring." He looks immediately away heading into the large bathroom "Hurry up and fuckin change." You giggle seeing him rush into the bathroom shutting the door. You began undressing out of the dress into some shorts and loose shirt. Having to make do, with the dresser and your own mirror to remove your makeup, hair, and lenses. When finished you called out "Alright hubby, you can come out now" you can already hear him grumbling stepping out obviously not thrilled with the new pet name. He was still wearing his mask but in a shirt and sweatpants, cocking your brow at him sightly "You sleep with your mask on too ?" He groans rolling his eyes "You ask a lot of questions" you stand up sitting onto your bed "And yet you dodge every question. You are an unknown book, that I'm dying to read" he snorts "Poetic, don't get your hopes up lovie, best to stay curious and never know."

His eyes lingered on yours then moving down to your shirt, realizing you weren't wearing a bra as he adverted his eyes cursing in his mind. You pulled him out of his mind "Well we should rest. Big day tomorrow. Goodnight hubby" he grunts sitting in the sofa chair, you look at him and scuff "Ghost, there's plenty of room on this god for sake king size bed. Get in now !" Your eyes were sharp, he almost would've taken that as an order with your sharp tone as he grumbled feeling like he'd regret this. Laying on the other side, his back towards you before going to sleep. You lay awake for what seemed like forever unable to close your eyes. You could feel his warm body at the other side of the bed. Hearing his heavy breathing as you lay in silence. You turn to look at his back seeing him breathe. Your curiosity from what's under the mask as you wonder who he was and what he looked like. There was so many questions running through your head you didn't even realize until he spoke "Go to sleep, or I'll knock you out myself" with that you gave a huff but smiling softly, you finally close your eyes and mumble "Shut up..." he gave a low chuckle it surprised you but it made you smile falling into a deep sleep.

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Thanks for Reading !

[castianii]

my Ninjago headcanons!!!!

Kai

• Is TikTok famous. He likes to put his camera in everyone’s face while they do normal everday things then says “ooh this is perfect, everyone will love this!!” and then everyone does love it.

• Spends most of his time trying to annoy his teammates. He finds it funny how easily Nya gets ticked off, so he annoys her most often. ex) going into her room and just singing really loud.

• Thinks Tarayummy is his soulmate. He sits in his room in the dark and just watches her videos. He has a hatred for every man she has ever talked to.

Nya

• Says she hates dressing up/wearing dresses, but at night she secretly puts on pretty ball gowns she hides in boxes in her closet. (I do this)

• Loves art, but she mostly paints. She picked it up after seeing the paintings Jay did after seabound. He taught her a lot of it.

• Anytime she sees a friend or someone she knows out in public she has to talk to them. It’s like when you were little and your mom/dad saw someone at the store and they just had to talk to them forever. She does that.

Zane

• There’s a desk in his room with the most random junk on it. He doesn’t even know where most of it came from. This junk varies from model airplanes to defused pipe bombs.

• He’ll give himself weird accents sometimes. If he’s bored he will just put on a new accent and talk to the others to see their reactions. One time he did a Russian accent that scared Jay so much he peed his pants.

• He could watch those videos of dancing fruit for hours. He just loves brain rot, and that’s okay because it keeps him busy.

Cole

• Religiously watches edits of himself of TikTok. Once he accidentally reposted one and everyone lost their mind.

• Thinks Halo by Beyoncé is the greatest song ever written. It’s the only song he will sing in front of other people and he will put his whole heart and soul into it every time.

• Likes to skateboard, but doesn’t have enough time. He thought it would be a fun hobby to pick up before he was a ninja and actually got really good at it. He isn’t as good now, but he can still do some tricks.

Jay

• This man is so zesty oh my god. Everyone in Ninjago thought he was gay until he got together with Nya. There are still people who think it’s all just an act to cover it up.

• If this guy sees a river he is getting in. It doesn’t matter if it’s 10 or 80 degrees, this man is ready to jump in any river he sees. He tries to get everyone else to join, but they aren’t as stupid (except Cole who obviously has to join him)

•Watches Instagram reels instead of TikTok. He thinks they’re funnier, and Kai thinks that it’s the funniest thing in the world and never shuts up about it.

Lloyd

• A lot of people think this, but I think that he bleach’s his hair. He doesn’t want to look anything like his dad, and he thinks his dark hair makes him look evil.

• Also likes art, but mostly draws. He likes to do art with Nya, but picked it up when he was younger. He used to make his own comic books about the ninja in S1.

• Wants to be a theater kid so bad, but he has to focus on his ninja work. He’s made everyone watch Hamilton at least 5 times (so far).

I have other headcanons about a lot of other characters, and more about these guys if you’re interested.

[siilvan]

aqua regia – III

part one | part two

characters: nikolai

summary: your day off ends up being far more eventful than you originally planned.

genre: fluff, explicit, fem!reader (bravo 0-5)

warnings: semi-proofread, cursing, slight possessive!nik, he’s a massive simp, oral (f!receiving), fingering, unprotected piv, heavy praise, slight size kink, lil' breeding 🫣, i don’t know russian

word count: 6k

note: something about a 6'4" war machine on his knees just heals me in ways nothing else can

also got a little silly and made this 6,000 words <3

you stroll into the communal kitchen well after the sun has risen in the sky, immediately being greeted by the two sergeants sitting at a table nearby, chatting away about something until they see you.

"any plans today, l.t.?" soap asks, his chin resting in the palm of his hand as he looks in your direction. gaz raises his coffee cup towards you as a silent "hello", a relaxed smile on his face.

"oh, yes, big plans today." you huff out a small laugh while pouring yourself a cup of coffee. "i’ve got a busy day of 'nothing' all planned out. no training, no work, no annoying rookies breathing down my neck."

you saunter over to the pair and regard them with a smile of your own. "today is dedicated to doing absolutely nothing." you cheerfully add while settling in an empty seat, earning small noises of agreement from the two.

"seems like we’ve all got the same plans." gaz says with a soft laugh. he goes to sip his drink again, before his eyes suddenly light up in realization and he shoots you a curious look. "say, lieutenant, haven’t you and nik been getting along lately?"

you nearly choke on your drink, but attempt to play it off by clearing your throat. "i’d say we’re, uh… good friends, after all the work we’ve done together," your voice wavers just slightly as you string together an explanation. nikolai and you haven’t told the rest of the team about your relationship, nor did you have any intentions to for the time being - the second they find out, your days of peace are over.

"why do you ask?" you send both men a wary glance, noting their relaxed expressions. maybe they don’t know. just act casual.

gaz shrugs, leaning back in his chair. "saw him in the airfield earlier, figured you’d like to know." he says, and you internally breathe a sigh of relief. "heard you saved his ass after he got shot, too, so i thought you’d want to check up on him."

"hard to imagine a guy like him taking a bullet," soap chuckles from your other side, shaking his head. "usually he’s saving us after we get shot."

"i get the feeling nik’s been shot more than either of us." gaz motions between himself and soap, who concedes with a grin. "combined, probably." soap adds after a beat, making you halfheartedly roll your eyes at the pair.

"can all of you just stop getting shot?" you jokingly suggest. the sergeants immediately shake their heads in tandem, with claims of your proposal being "boring" and "lame" falling from their lips.

as the two continue to gripe about your suggestion, you push back in your chair and stand up. "well, i’m going to check on the bullet sponge," you announce, heading towards the door. soap interrupts himself with a barking laugh, while gaz nearly snorts into his cup. "do me a favor and stay away from the shooting range, yeah?" you add from the doorway.

you can hear two shouts of "no promises!" as you leave and head to the airfield.

when you arrive, you’re greeted with… nothing, surprisingly. nikolai is nowhere to be seen, even as you investigate near the black hawk that you knew belonged to him.

"looking for someone?" a cheerful voice asks from behind while you scan the airfield, making you jolt with a startled gasp. you spin around and come face-to-face with nikolai, who beams at you with a mischievous glint in his eye. an amused huff leaves him as you shoot him a petty glare, your shoulders relaxing once more.

"someone should put a bell on you," you huff. nikolai leans toward you as his grin morphs into a lopsided smirk. "i’m sorry, принцесса, i didn’t mean to startle you." he feigns a sympathetic tone as he lifts a hand to brush against your cheek, cupping it in his palm. "how about i make it up to you, hm?"

before you can object, he angles your head up and captures your lips in a sweet kiss. for a few seconds, you respond in kind, until you remember that you’re standing completely out in the open.

you pull back, hands reaching for his forearms and holding them gently. "nik, we shouldn’t– not here, at least. somewhere more private." you mutter, still close to his mouth after he chased yours. the surrounding area was near-empty, thankfully, save for some soldiers occupying themselves with their own vehicles a safe distance away.

"let them see, милая." his whisper ghosts over your lips before he presses another kiss to them, forcing you to turn your head to the side. even that doesn’t deter him, lips drifting up your cheek and brushing against the shell of your ear. "i don’t want anyone thinking they can have you."

"we’ll tell everyone soon," your hands slide up and settle on his shoulders. "but, for now, i just want to enjoy the privacy."

you can feel nikolai’s sigh more than you hear it. he moves to detach himself from you, before you stop him as one of your hands directs him to look at you. "it’s already been a week since the incident in finland, hasn’t it?" you ask with a smile, earning a confused but affirmative nod.

ever since you two had returned from that semi-failed mission, you’ve both been kept busy. hardly seeing each other once again was difficult, but it helped to prevent any… inconvenient feelings from sparking up and distracting you.

"how’s that wound been healing?" you continue, tilting your head to the side.

during that week, you two had seen each other just one time. you were stunned by how fast he was recovering from his injury - it was almost like he developed some kind of regenerative ability, or somehow learned to heal through sheer willpower.

your question seems to finally click after a beat, his face lighting up. "very well, actually." nikolai answers with a chuckle. "but, i may require your assistance in checking it. you have time to help, no?"

"oh, i always have time for you." carefully, your hands trail down his arms and find his own. you begin leading him to the barracks, dragging him hand-in-hand despite your reservations. "my day is entirely open and available, after all." you add a couple moments later.

nikolai is on you not even a second after the door clicks shut. pushing you up against the wood, lips smashing into yours, hands circling your waist to hold your body flush against his. you barely have time to process the frantic movements before his knee is being shoved between your own and nudged against your clothed core.

"fuck–" you gasp and whine under your breath, nails digging into his shoulders as you grind down against his knee. even through your thick cargos, you can feel the pressure from it.

"that’s right, принцесса." he leans over to your ear and coos, a noise of satisfaction vibrating deep in his chest. "take what you need." his knee lifts slightly, pulling a soft moan from you.

your head falls back against the door, locking eyes with him as he leans back to observe you. the pressure just wasn’t enough, you couldn’t hope to get off like this. "nikolai– please, nik, i need more." you stare back at him with pleading eyes.

if nikolai was anything, pliant was not one of them. for you, however, he was like putty in your hands the moment you asked anything of him.

he practically carries you to the bed and plops you onto the plush duvet, hovering over you. you lean back on your palms and watch as he carefully lowers to one knee, dark eyes unwavering from yours. he drops to his other knee soon after, leaving him kneeling at the foot of the bed.

your heart thumps wildly against your ribs as heat immediately pools in the pit of your stomach at the sight. nikolai, a giant in both stature and industry, known to all as a fearless - and fear-inducing - leader and ally, an expert in all fields, was currently on his knees in front of you.

"shirt off, милая." he says, his voice alone making a shiver rack your spine. you swear his accent is thicker, voice husky and resonant as he gives you the simple command. your hands immediately lower to the hem of your shirt and you lift it over your head before discarding it somewhere to the side.

his eyes slowly drift down to your newly uncovered skin and he hums appreciatively. "so good at following directions," he murmurs; to you or himself, you’re not quite sure. "and, so fucking beautiful…"

you keen at his praise, feeling each word add to the heat building under your skin. he finally reaches out to you moments later and grasps your hips, fingers eagerly digging into the heated flesh. his hands dance up your sides until they reach your covered chest. he clicks his tongue, using one hand to pull the cups of your bra down and expose your breasts.

he moans once his eyes land on them.

"you were sculpted by the angels, принцесса…" nikolai sighs and leans forward. his mouth attaches to one of your nipples and he sucks on the bud, drawing a whimper from you. his tongue languidly circles it while he pinches and rolls the other between his thumb and forefinger. one of your hands grips the edge of the bed as the other flies to his hair, tangling in and gently pulling at it while he worked. he switches his attention to the other breast after a moment, giving them equal treatment.

he finally pulls away with a small pop once he’s satisfied. his lips drag over to the valley of your breasts and he presses a chaste kiss to it, mumbling something against your skin that you don’t quite catch.

"what was that?" you whisper, noticing the way his hands ever-so-slowly glide down to your waistband.

"want to taste you," he says, louder this time. his head lifts from your chest and his gaze locks onto yours again. as if to emphasize his point, his tongue darts out to wet his bottom lip. "can i taste you?"

you nod and move to unbutton your pants - however, before you can, his hands silently grab ahold of yours and move them back to the duvet. he then reaches for your cargos himself, unbuttoning and unzipping them for you.

he taps your hip gently. "lift."

you lift your hips enough for him to pull your cargos down, taking your soaked-through underwear with them, as well. both soon join your shirt on the floor, and you’re quick to add your bra to the pile, leaving yourself completely bare for him.

nikolai, meanwhile, is still fully clothed. you paw at his shirt with a breathy whine. instead of removing it, he grabs your hand and kisses your knuckles. "in due time, любимая." he chuckles and releases your hand. his attention shifts to your thighs, which pressed together once your pants were off.

his palms press flat against your thighs, short nails pressing into your skin. a low sigh of "please" falls from his lips as he urges you to open them. you concede after a moment’s hesitation, any shyness melting away with just a single word.

you hear a soft "thank you" as his left hand slides down to your ankle and lifts it, placing a kiss on the side of it before resting it atop his shoulder. his lips start a slow, deliberate trail up the inside of your right leg, his other hand gripping the plush of your thigh and keeping your legs spread.

"i’m no better than a fucking mutt," he mutters against your knee, eyes briefly flicking up to meet yours. his pupils were blown wide with lust, irises pitch black voids, and you were sure yours looked much the same as you maintained his gaze. "happy to serve, eager to please."

he sinks his teeth into your skin once he reaches your thigh, quickly soothing the sting with his tongue and a gentle kiss after you yelp. he repeats the process a handful of times on both of your thighs, leaving them covered in bite marks and soon-to-form bruises. you whine and frustratedly wiggle your hips under him, trying to get him to focus on where you desperately need him most.

nikolai lets you complain, an amused smirk gracing his features as you do. he then urges you to lay back and you do so without complaint, fingers twisting in the duvet as you anxiously await his next move.

he leans forward so your knee comes to rest on his shoulder, mirroring the position with your other leg and leaving your dripping cunt completely exposed to his burning gaze. "absolutely perfect, милая…" he whispers, breath fanning over your folds and making you arch your back off the mattress. "this pretty little cunt really is all mine?" he asks with an airy laugh.

you quickly nod your head and worry your bottom lip with your teeth. "please, nik. i need you so bad–"

his tongue flattening against your folds and licking a stripe up to your clit is enough to silence you - or, rather, cut off your pleads with a surprised moan. he drags his tongue back down and up again, flicking your clit with the tip once he reaches the top.

you aren’t sure if it’s a grumble or a growl that leaves his throat, but judging by the way he grips your thighs tight enough to leave crescent-shaped marks in your skin, you assume it’s the latter. "tastes so good, принцесса–" he groans and laves his tongue over your glistening folds, greedily soaking it in your arousal. "so fucking good."

the deep timbre of his voice, the endless praise, the way nikolai’s tongue worships your cunt has your head spinning already.

one of your hands flies down to his hair and clings to it when you feel a single finger prodding at your entrance. it easily slips in without any resistance, curling upwards and drawing a moan of his name from you. he adds another soon after and begins pumping them slowly, angling them right into your sweet spot with every thrust.

you writhe under him while fisting the blanket and his hair, jaw going slack when his tongue flattens against your clit. he wraps his lips around it a second later and sucks on it as his fingers start picking up speed. "nikolai– ah, ah– fuck, please don’t stop–" you babble, turning to muffle your moans in the blanket after he hums around your sensitive bud.

suddenly, the sensations all stop at once. you whine pathetically and look down at him, stomach flipping as you see the shadow cast over his eyes.

"don’t you dare hide from me," he says, voice gravelly and thick with lust. "i want to hear every sound that comes out of that pretty mouth. you hide, i stop. understand?"

you frantically nod your head as tears start to build up at your waterline. you felt like you were going to burn up without his touch. the feeling was so strong that you couldn’t even focus on his words proving, unsurprisingly, that he has a mean streak.

his lopsided smile returns and he leaves a gentle kiss just above your clit. "that’s my good girl." nikolai says before taking the neglected pearl between his lips again, rolling it with his tongue and sucking on it. his fingers - one of which is the same size as two of your own - curl up into that spongy spot inside of you that makes your thighs clamp shut around his head.

you just barely manage to apologize through the moans and whimpers freely spilling from your lips. the smile that you can feel around your clit tells you that he enjoys the reaction, though.

your heels press into his shoulder blades, urging him closer. his fingers move faster, twisting and scissoring inside you as he tempts you with another. a third one soon joins the other two, forcing your inner walls to stretch and accommodate them as he moves them at a brutal pace.

"too much–" you whimper, hips still bucking towards his touch despite your protests. he releases your clit and chuckles. "too much? your pussy seems to disagree." he thrusts his fingers and you listen with heated cheeks as your wet cunt makes lewd squelching noises around him. "can you hear the way she speaks to me, принцесса? sounds almost as sweet as you."

you can feel the knot in your stomach tightening and threatening to burst as he continues with his harsh ministrations. you clench tight around his fingers, a whiny moan leaving you.

"gonna cum." you punctuate your sentence with another moan. the tip of his tongue alternates between circling your clit and flicking it, steadily working you towards the edge. your arousal covers his hand in a glistening sheen and drips down his wrist, the wet noises of your cunt mixing with your sounds of pleasure and echoing off the walls.

"i know, милая, i know." nikolai says, his free hand holding your thighs wide open for him. "cum for me. you’ve been so good, you’ve earned it."

"please– fuck, nikolai–!" your orgasm washes over you hard and fast, your back arching as your mouth falls open in a silent moan. he keeps his fingers moving inside you, prolonging the pleasure and pulling gasps and breathless whines from your lips.

you fall back against the duvet after a couple seconds, chest heaving as you fight to catch your breath. nikolai carefully extracts his fingers, holding them up enough for you to see the wetness running down them. he hums in satisfaction and reaches for your left thigh with the hand, smearing it and leaving the skin shiny with your fluids.

"i’m not done." is all the warning you get before he dives back in, tongue greedily lapping at the arousal dripping from your folds. you let out a stuttering gasp and try to pull his head away as the dull pleasure quickly melts into burning overstimulation. he makes an animalistic sound, akin to a growl, when you tug on his hair, refusing to move an inch. his iron grip on your thighs is used to pull you closer to the edge of the bed, right to his eager mouth.

"so fucking good," is chanted against your cunt like a mantra, as nikolai shifts his hold to spread your outer lips with his thumbs. you practically scramble to sit up on your elbows and watch as a string of saliva falls from his slightly parted lips, mixing with the fluids of your drooling cunt. he slowly, so agonizingly slowly, presses the flat of his tongue to your cunt and licks a trail from bottom to top.

you nearly finish again just from the sight alone. his tongue prods at your entrance before sliding in, and you throw your head back as a drawn-out moan of his name escapes you. the sound goes straight to his cock, already painfully hard and desperately straining against the confines of his dark jeans.

his hips jerk forward and grind into the side of the bed, making him sigh against your sensitive skin at the little bit of relief. his tongue teasingly dips in and out of your entrance a few times before he circles the tip around it. occasionally, during his teasing, the bridge of his nose brushes against your clit, making you jolt from the unexpected sensation.

the overstimulation gradually melts into pure bliss, and soon you’re tightly fisting his hair to pull him impossibly closer to your cunt.

"good girl, just like that." he murmurs, pausing to press a loving kiss to your clit. "use my tongue, show me what you need." he adds. you respond with a pitchy whine, wriggling your hips to grind against his tongue when he lays it flat against your cunt. he makes no move to wrench your thighs open after they close around his ears again, squeezing him and holding his head in place.

your inner walls clench around nothing, pulsing from the constant feeling of his tongue circling, prodding, laving over your glistening folds. he groans when you give his hair a harsh tug, the vibrations hot against your core and sending his hips involuntarily jolting forward again.

if you weren’t already dizzy from pleasure, you’d be embarrassed by how quickly your orgasm builds up. it hits you suddenly, and you nearly sob as you reach your second climax of the day. nikolai moans, guttural and debauched, as he fervently laps at your drooling cunt. you’re too delirious to even try and push him away, stuttering breaths falling from your parted lips as he forcefully drags your orgasm out as long as he can.

finally, he detaches himself from your core and allows your legs to go limp. he sits up on his knees and carefully maneuvers them off his shoulders, chuckling to himself as you struggle to shift higher up the mattress.

your eyes immediately focus when you hear the sounds of fabric shifting, a soft whine leaving you after your gaze finds him. he pulls his shirt off, bunching the fabric slightly as he runs it across his mouth and chin, wiping it clean of your fluids. he tosses it to the side without a care and his eyes land on you once again.

"think you handle one more, принцесса?" he asks, motioning with his hand for you to lay back down. he’s hovering over you seconds later, his arms and legs completely caging you in. he leans in, breath ghosting over your lips. "i want to feel you clench around me. just one more, okay?"

you nod your head as the blissful haze slowly wears off, hands finding purchase on his shoulders.

for whatever reason, your mind suddenly drifts to the incident a week ago - when he was shot. your eyes leave his face and travel to his bicep, stomach clenching for a different reason when they land on the injury.

it was healing, no doubt; the wound had fully closed several days ago and was now on the mend, with fresh scar tissue already sunken into his skin. it didn’t seem to be causing him any pain, evident in the way he held himself up and manhandled you without any signs of a struggle. still, the image of him that day, rushing to your aid despite his injury and making sure that you were unharmed before allowing himself to be treated–

"hey, look at me." nikolai’s soft timbre cuts your train of thought off suddenly. he holds himself up on one hand as the other reaches for your chin, gently guiding your focus back to him. "no need to be thinking about that, любимая."

"yeah, you’re right." you nod again, hands trailing up from his shoulders to cup his face. "i should be focused on rewarding you for all that you’ve done." you add with an airy giggle, pulling him down to capture his lips in a fervent kiss. he licks into your mouth, and you can taste yourself on his tongue.

while he’s distracted, you let one of your hands slide down his torso, nails lightly scraping over his chest and abdomen. he groans into the kiss and you smile, reaching his belt. you unbuckle it one-handed, loosening it and going after his button and zipper next. your hand silently slips past his waistband, palming at his cock through his underwear.

he pulls back with a stuttering sigh, his forehead pressing against yours while his eyes screwed shut. you simply stare at him, admiring his reactions and drinking up the soft noises he was making. however, as your hand slips past the band of his underwear and wraps around his shaft, your smile drops and you realize something.

fuck, he’s big. not just in length, but in girth, too. you aren’t sure if he’ll even fit inside you.

you feel a warm breath hit your cheek as nikolai huffs at your reaction. "something the matter?" he asks, knowing full well what your problem is. instead of responding, you pump him from base to tip a few times, earning a low moan right next to your ear.

"i didn’t know you were so…" you swallow, suddenly feeling your throat run dry. "so, uh– big." your voice raises slightly at the end and you nervously shift under him. "i don’t think you’ll even fit."

nikolai hums, hips shifting slightly and a soft curse leaving him as your fingers wrap around his ruddy tip. "i’m sure you can handle it. you’ve done so well for me so far, принцесса." he sits back on his heels, forcing you to pull your hand back and watch from under your eyelashes as he removes his cargos and briefs. actually seeing his semi-hard cock did little to soothe your worry, though.

"you’re going to fucking split me in half," you sigh, practically drooling over the sight of his cock despite your protests. you’re transfixed as his own hand wraps around his length, stroking it until he was fully erect. "what a perfect way to die."

your body completely betrays your words as he positions himself over you again, legs spreading to make room for him between them. he grabs one of the pillows from beside your head and urges you to lift your hips, tucking it underneath to angle them slightly higher. he then guides his length to sit heavy against your wet folds before sliding it back and forth, letting it slowly coat itself in your arousal.

you both moan from the stimulation, his cock head perfectly catching your clit every time he pushes it forward. he lowers himself and presses another kiss to your slightly parted lips, swallowing your moans. "you can take it. feel how wet you are?" he whispers against your mouth, the strings of arousal clinging to his flushed tip every time he moves making it hard for you to disagree. "your pretty little cunt wants to be filled up, милая… doesn’t she?"

"please, nikolai…"

"tell me what you want."

"your cock," you whine and shift your hips, trying to rub against him. "want your cock– need it inside."

he stills your hips with a firm grip, pulling another frustrated whine and "please" from your lips. your complaints are immediately quelled when he shifts, teasing your entrance with his tip. you try to push up, to catch it on your folds, but you can’t even budge under his hands.

finally, you feel the tip push inside, sucking in a breath at the slightly painful stretch. he keeps moving until you whimper, halfway in. "look at you, doing so well…" he murmurs, eyes glued to the spot you met at. "just a little more, you can do it." he continues. one of his hands slides down to your clit and he presses it with his thumb in an attempt to relax your half-tensed muscles.

he keeps pushing in, inch by inch, giving you time to accommodate to the stretch. once he’s almost all the way in, he pulls his hips back, slowly, and thrusts back in just as slow. you keen, back arching, as his free hand leaves your hip to slide down your spine. it lands on the swell of your ass and he squeezes, kneading the plump flesh beneath his fingertips. you expect another languid thrust when he retracts again, only to have the air knocked out of your lungs as he suddenly snaps his hips into yours, sheathing himself fully inside.

"fuck– ‘s too big, you’re too big–" the sudden movement is enough to wet your eyes, inner walls clenching around his length like a vice. the pain was equally met with pleasure - you didn’t know if you were too full, or perfectly filled up. your lust-ridden brain was trying to convince you of the latter.

"you’ve already taken all of me." nikolai trails his lips down your jaw, reaching your throat. "i knew my pretty girl could do it." he beams with pride and presses a kiss to your fluttering pulse. the chaste kisses quickly turn into bites and dark hickeys being sucked into your skin, distracting you from the pain.

a couple seconds pass without any movement from him, giving the pain-pleasure mixture time to melt away into pure bliss as your cunt adjusts and relaxes around him.

"nik…" you whimper, hands clinging desperately to his broad shoulders. "need you to move–!"

his hand leaves your clit and rests next to your head, holding himself up as he slides out. he slams back in suddenly, hitting against the edge of your cervix and sending your eyes rolling back in your skull. a low exhale escapes him and he sets a moderate pace, pressing his hips flush to yours with every thrust.

"fucking hell–" he lifts his head from your bruised neck. "so tight, feels like heaven–" his voice is strained, guttural groans and sighs lacing each word. your nails dig into his shoulders, head spinning each time he buries himself inside.

the bed shifts and creaks with each thrust, headboard rhythmically knocking against the wall. you were certain that anyone walking past your door could tell what was going on - and, fortunately, you also couldn’t bring yourself to care about anything other than nikolai’s cock bullying your insides.

his other hand, still firmly gripping your ass, travels to the back of your thigh. he holds it for a moment before he bends back from you, compelling your hands to find purchase elsewhere. they end up fisting the duvet again, with one being interlocked with and pinned under his own a second later. he pushes your thigh forward, lifting your leg until it can settle on his shoulder. his hips roll into yours again, the new angle making you tremble and moan as his cock reaches that much deeper.

your other leg joins soon after, being manhandled until the backs of your thighs were pressed against his chest. deeper, deeper, deeper, you swear he’s trying to force himself into your womb like this. "it’s like you were made for me," he says, breathless. you whine as you clench around him again. "you want me to cum inside, hm? fill you up so nice?"

he leans forward, pressing your thighs to your chest and literally folding you in half - a mating press, you faintly realize through the haze. "i’ll fuck you until you’re full– dripping with me for days, принцесса. and, once that– ah, fuck– once you’re empty, i’ll just fill you up again."

you can barely register any of his words, heartbeat thumping wildly in your ears and moans spilling from your lips. his cock is pulsing inside you, perfectly timed with the constant fluttering of your inner walls. he’s pressing closer to you, your chests separated only by your trembling thighs. "maybe i’ll fuck a baby into you– you’d probably like that, wouldn’t you? breeding you, stuffing your needy cunt with my cock, leaving you full of my cum and a child–"

"you’d be a pretty little housewife, принцесса. could fuck you whenever i want, take care of you– shit– say the word, and it’s yours. anything." his thrusts are animalistic at this point, fucking into you like he’s intending to breed you. based on his rambling, you think he just might be, too.

his lips find yours and he kisses you. the painful knot in your abdomen clenches tight, stomach flipping when you finally get to hear the obscene noises of his cock fucking into your wet heat. every movement creates a new sound, and it’s the sweetest song he’s ever listened to.

"'m gonna cum again–" you manage to whine against nikolai’s mouth, breath fanning over it as you pant and gasp for air. "cum on my cock– please, pretty girl. i need to feel it."

his encouragement is what sends you crashing over the edge, the coil in your stomach snapping as a loud moan of his name spills from your lips. the pleasure racks your body from head to toe, eyelids fluttering closed and stars blurring behind your vision from the intensity of it. your cunt clamps down around him and he groans, hoarse and gravelly.

"good girl, that’s my good girl– my принцесса, always listening so well." he growls, cock still buried deep inside as he roughly works you through your release and chases his own.

"inside– please, fuck, i want you to cum inside–" you beg and paw at him, squeezing his hand tight. the pre-cum drooling from his tip is eagerly welcomed by your core as it attempts to milk him dry, the constant pulsing of your sweet walls rapidly pushing him closer to his own peak.

"i will, i will." he moans as his thrusts start to lose rhythm, his hips blindly rocking into you. "going to cum deep inside your needy little cunt, give her exactly what she needs."

he finishes with a deep groan of your name, burying his cock as deep as it possibly could go. warmth floods your core and your cunt greedily sucks in every last drop of his, quivering around him while he continues to fuck you through his high.

his pace gradually slows down to a stop, and nikolai nearly goes limp on top of you. he’s careful not to crush you under his weight, with his sweaty forehead pressed against your own and unsteady arms holding his body just barely above your trembling form. the two of you sit in a brief silence as you catch your breath, a small whimper escaping from your throat when he carefully unfolds you from your position.

your hand caresses his cheek softly, knuckles travelling along his jaw. your gaze finds his again, and you mirror the fond smile that crosses his features.

"i love you."

it’s a whisper, a sigh that accidentally slips from you while admiring him. you immediately regret it as an unidentifiable emotion swirls behind his eyes, and you fear for the worst. nikolai doesn’t immediately answer, either, leaving you to worry as your heartrate spikes and pounds against your ribcage.

his fingers brush against the side of your face. thumb running across your bottom lip, fingertips trailing from your chin up along your jaw, warm palm cupping your cheek. he slowly leans in, and you’re suddenly reminded of the night in the cabin four weeks ago. except, this time, his lips brush against yours gently, as if they were made of glass, before pressing against them in a tender kiss.

he pulls away after a few seconds and peppers your cheeks, mouth, and nose with little kisses, making you giggle and lightly shove at his shoulder to get him to stop.

"i love you, родная." he utters quietly against your kiss-swollen lips. "never question that, no matter what may happen." his palm tilts your head forward and he presses a kiss to your forehead, still smiling against your skin.

nikolai treats your body like it’s silk as he shifts you two into a more comfortable position. you end up snuggled into his side, with your head on his chest above his steady heartbeat and a comforting arm holding you against him. your hand rests on top of his chest, as well, firmly grasped in one of his.

this is probably the most comfortable you’ve been in… well, your entire life.

"you know what i realized earlier, nik?"

he hums, fingers absentmindedly playing with your own. his eyes were closed, breath deep and slow as he fought the urge to fall asleep like this.

"i could have given you a blowjob a week ago, all you had to do was ask."

his eyes immediately snap open, and you devolve into a fit of giggles against his chest as a heavy sigh leaves his lips.

translations:

принцесса (printséssa) - princess

милая (milaya) - dear/darling

любимая (liubimaya) - my love/beloved

родная (rodnaya) - no direct translation; way of addressing one’s closest family/relationship

taglist: @sofasoap , @rohansregret

[ikamigami]

About Sun's death flags

I think that people got that wrong.. I mean I've seen that people were saying (mostly on Discord) that Sun won't die.. Sun's death is a red herring.. etc.

But the thing is that I think that they forgot about some really important lil crucial detail..

Who said that villain will be the one to kill Sun? Or who even said that anyone else will kill Sun.. accident or not..

Many people either don't want to see or just simply ignore that one important detail..

I think that the one who will kill Sun is he himself.. or more likely he'll attempt to do that but fail.. and end up being either in a coma or severely damaged..

Show still is hinting that Sun is suicidal.. - most recent episode them playing russian rullete with a shotgun.. cause why Sun is the one who is playing and he seemed to be curious about what will happen if he'll die.. silly little guy *giggles*

Or another one - them reacting to animatics.. I'm talking about when Sun was in Ruin's dimension.. and like I said Sun didn't even care that Ruin's Monty could've kill him.. he didn't hacking care...

I bet that they chose that animatic because it had not only hallucinations mentioned but also one of the major signs that Sun is suicidal..

Also I don't believe that Sun is doing "oh so great".. like even Earth sees that he's hiding something but she doesn't know how to help him without causing more damage.. - "I care about you".. she says also that he and Moon can talk to her about their issues..

Like come on.. Is Earth really the only one person that sees that there's something "off" with Sun..

But like I said on Discord.. Earth can't be the only one who cares about Sun cause it's obvious that she doesn't know what to do..

I'm glad that she's pushing Moon to deepen his bond with Sun.. cause it doesn't seem that good tbh..

Like Moon is hanging out with Solar a lot.. it's not a bad thing.. but the way they seem to treat Sun isn't the best.. they both often times say that Sun is dumb to his face and think that Sun can't help with things.. like it's obvious that they treat him more like a "do this, bring that" way.. they don't seem to rely on him.. "he's dumb" so they don't need him for planning..

And I'm 100% sure Sun notices that..

Also like I said I think that Sun was really ready to kill himself.. but Eclipse showed up and he needs to take care of a threat cause he feels responsible for Eclipse's existence in the first place and don't want for his family to deal with problems he caused in the first place...

Also now that Moon has a good companionship in Solar's person and Earth and Lunar have each other.. they also have Monty and Foxy.. and they have on their side Castor and Pollux.. And Earth and Lunar can take care of the Daycare..

Sun realises that.. he isn't needed anymore.. and they would be better without him cause he causes so many problems.. if it wasn't for still existing threats hanging over them..

The fact that events seem to repeat - slightly differently but still.. and the fact that Sun remembers everything.. and knowing the show things will go downhill.. and Sun will 100% blame himself for this.. cause if he remembers but still wasn't able to help or stop bad things from happening once again then what does it say about him..

The answer is simple.. it would mean that Sun is a failure and that he truly is awful..

I think that the show is going in this direction.. it won't happen soon.. but I think that this is it...

[writerofadream]

Fortune favors the Bold ⛓

TDI!Duncan x Juvie Bestfriend! Reader ⛓

Chapter Eleven: Shoot me (Do it)

(I skipped 'Up the Creek' because it mostly focused on the Screaming Gophers, and when it did mention the Killer Bass Duncan barely was in it)

All you know about today's challenge is that you are going to make it as dramatic as possible, is what you told yourself. Today was friday, and you were going to be on your medicine. So today's story will be told from Duncan's point of view.

----

Duncan always thought the way her body processed her meds was interesting, because her mood always changed right away.

He watched as Chris handed her the two tiny pills and she swallowed them quickly. Your teammates were looking at you both confused. Suddenly her body did this strange little shudder and she broke out into a smile.

"Today's challenge is all about survival." Chris explained. "We're going hunting." The man smiled cheerfully holding up a gun. "That's more like it." Duncan smirked and gave his (girl-) friend a fist bump.

"Isn't that a paintball gun?" Harold asked. "Why yes, Harold. It is." Chris shot him rather quickly. "So we're not killing anything." Bridgette asked sounding dissapointed.

"No. This is the first ever paintball dear game ever. So finish up breaky and I'll give out teams in the woods." Chris pointed at Owen who had finished off his teams can of beans.

When all of you guys finally got into the woods and Chris announced the game. There'd be 'hunters' and there'd be deer. Each team would be split of both. Duncan, Y/N, DJ, Courtney, and Sadie were deer.

Duncan complained but quickly shut up when she looked at him in his costume and giggled. "Looking cute, bambi." Her fingers booped him on the nose. "Cute to you, mean to anyone else." Duncan muttered a blush forming on his pale face as he pulled her in by the waist.

Chris gave the deers five minutes to hide from the hunters.

So everyone dispersed quickly.

Duncan had a realization as he and you both trudged through the woods. Chris had done this type of challenge on friday just to put the team at a disadvantage. Chris wanted her to be high as the clouds so she'd freak Duncan out.

But Duncan didn't scare easily.

"Hey, darling?" He asked as they both silently walked by a pond in the woods looking for any hunter. "What's up, cutie?" Her eyes flickered to look at him.

He didn't like it when she took her meds because he didn't know what was real and what was fake. But he wanted you to take your meds because you looked at peace for once.

"Real or not real: there's something between us?" He muttered. She gave him this smile and he wanted to hit her. "Whatever between us is realer then the sun shining on a sunday morning, baby." Her teeth shined as she laughed.

----

|Trending on X right now|

#peetaxkatnissirl

#southernsweetness

#nicetoyoumeantoeveryonelse

#djxy/nplatonically

#theydeserveeverything

----

The day progressed pretty calmly to say the least which Duncan was thankful for. Almost no one shot at them, only Owen tried a few times but luckily for Duncan, his girl and him were a scary duo.

He and his girl sat on the grass, your back leaning against his chest as his arms slithered around your stomach.

Her voice was coming out but he wasn't even listening to the words, he was listening to the sound. Her voice sounded like a song he'd listen to every day if he could.

---

It tooks about two hours until he felt her body relax. Since everyone at camp was so loud he was keeping track of who was in the lead. So far, it looked like you guys were going to win... by a lot.

Duncan smiled to himself as he gently layed your head onto the grass. He remembered the first time he had played a game with guns, accept it was real guns.

Russian roulette was always fun.

Four years ago

Duncan was thirteen. He had been diagnosed with paranoia, anxiety, as well as DDD. He certainly was an interesting boy to say the least. The first juvie center he stayed at didn't give him his meds, so he acted insane.

"Alright new-blood, let's see if you've got what it takes." James threw the gun to the young boy who put it against his head without flinching. He clicked a bullet without blinking.

"My dad started me on russia roulette when I was five, try harder." Duncan smiled.

The game ended, the killer bass had won and Heather lost her shit on Beth. Duncan noticed that her meds were wearing off once he saw how drained she was acting.

She was quiet, and she nearly collapsed on her bunk when the team had finally returned back to the cabins. Courtney must've noticed the worried glance Duncan had given the girls side of the cabin because she whispered.

"We'll watch over her." She smiled kindly.

So that night, Courtney had directed a tired Y/N into the bathroom to change and wash your face, as Bridgette layed you on her cot putting a trash can beside you in case your body reacted poorly from your new change in your meds schedule.

Which it did.

The cameras caught Sadie holding your hair back as you dry heaved into the can. (#girlsprotectgirls was already trending on X)

---

"I hope you know how obvious you are, man." Geoff grumbled as he watched Duncan smoke from the window. Duncan smirked flipping the boy off. "I have no idea what your talking about." Duncan smiled.

[roanofarcc]

PROJECT SUNSHINE CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR → ON THE LAM

summary: steve harrington x oc

when another product of Hawkins National Laboratory escaped a long-survived nightmare alongside her sister, she crashed into one unsuspecting teenage boy and dragged him deeper into the dark mysteries that made up their hometown.

word count. 4.1k || masterlist

warnings: cannon typical violence, child abuse, horror, gore, and depictions of mental illness. parts of this story were written pre-season 4 release. cannon divergence.

previous chapter ← → next chapter

Tagged: @sattlersquarry, @leptitlu, @two-sides-samecoin, @adaydreamaway30

Sunshine expected something explosive, the gritting of teeth and slamming of Calum’s body against one of the brick walls that sandwiched them inside an alley. The admittance from Calum that his father was Brenner’s partner was no different than picking up the loaded gun in Kali’s coat pocket, placing it in her hands, and fixing her finger on the trigger. 

However, Kali stood still. There was no expression on her face, no indication of violence, not even the pulsing anger she held inside the dead man’s apartment they had just been in. For what felt like a century, no one spoke. Calum looked confused, Kali remained a paused figure, and Sunshine held her breath. 

The sound of a police siren snapped them all out of it. Kali’s eyes fell onto the crumpled note in her hands, spotted red with the blood of the man who had wanted to help them, despite aiding in the Lab all of those years ago. 

“Kali…” Sunshine started, the pit in her stomach turning. 

“This guy's place isn’t far,” she said, much too calm for Sunshine’s liking. Explosive anger and vicious outrage were one thing, silent rage was something else entirely.

Kali didn’t wait for Sunshine or Calum to say anything before she started walking, pushing her hood up and hiding her hands in her pockets. Sunshine cursed under her breath and tried to wipe any trace of blood from her face. On her sweater, it looked like an odd pattern. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest and kept her head ducked as she followed after Kali. Calum wasn’t far behind, rushing to catch up once he realized they were going to leave him. 

“You didn’t answer my question,” Calum pushed, and Sunshine wanted to push him to the ground for his own sake. 

Kali kept a quick pace, not even sparing a look back at him. “Of course, I knew him,” she replied with a flat tone and coldness on the back end. It caused Sunshine to shiver. 

“I’m trying to find him. Or, well, I was. It’s…it’s complicated at the moment, I guess-” 

“I hope you find him before I do,” Kali said simply. 

Calum sputtered, clearly feeling the effects of Kali’s frozen tone. “W-Why?” 

They turned a corner to a street full of small homes in a neat row. Kali stepped into a park that sat on the opposite side of the street from the houses and stopped once she found a picnic table in a secluded corner, shielded by budding trees. 

As she took a seat, she said, plainly, “Because I’m going to kill him.” 

Sunshine sighed and rubbed her forehead where an ache had been growing all day. 

Calum looked shocked, bordering on mortified. “What? Y-You can’t-” 

“I can,” Kali cut him off. “Him and Brenner, and everyone else who worked in the Lab deserve something much worse than I can give them. But when they’re dead, they can’t hurt anyone else.” 

That was hard to argue with, no matter how much Sunshine wanted to fight her twisted set of morals. 

Calum looked to her, maybe for help or to tell him Kali was joking. But just as the Russians and Upside Down had been no joke last summer, this too was too real. Sunshine said nothing; she had nothing that would help either one of them. 

“Look, I-I know what my dad was a part of was fucked up. But I’m looking for him to give me answers to why he did it. There has to be some sort of…some kind of reason he did what he did. There has to be more. You can’t just kill him!” 

Kali’s gaze hardened, causing Calum to shrink back. “No one is changing my mind. I don’t care that he’s your father. I don’t care if it’s wrong,” she looked to Sunshine. “I never asked for help to follow through. This is my way of taking back what they took from me. I wouldn’t suggest getting in my way.” She tilted her head just slightly, narrowing her eyes in what Sunshine thought looked like concentration. Suddenly, Calum let out a gasp as he fell backward off of the picnic bench and into the grass. 

“What are you doing?” Sunshine rushed out. 

A drop of blood started to fall from Kali’s nose; she was using her abilities to make Calum see something that wasn’t really there. 

“Kali, please,” Sunshine pleaded, but she didn’t stop the illusion. Calum stayed with his back on the grass, swatting away something with frantic movements and panicked yelps. In pure frustration, Sunshine grabbed a hold of Kali’s hand, breaking her concentration at the sudden contact. In reflex, Kali twisted her arm and grabbed hold of both of Sunshine’s upper arms before shoving her as hard as she could, sending Sunshine to the ground alongside Calum. 

For a moment, Sunshine noticed the same frightened animal-like expression that she had once gotten, back before she was used to people touching her with no malicious intent. Kali didn’t seem to have that; she was still reeling from years of abuse that created a hard shell around her. 

“Oh, God,” Calum moaned. “What the hell, man.” He sounded on the verge of tears, confused and frustrated. 

Sunshine sat upright, combing down her flyaway with a huff. She looked at Kali, whose expression faltered back into something Sunshine couldn’t read. 

“I’m sorry,” Sunshine said, and Kali’s shoulders stiffened. “Can we just talk about this?” 

“Talk? She just said she’s going to kill my dad!” Calum protested, scrambling to his feet, still swatting at his clothes. “What did you do? W-What was that?” 

Kali sat back down on the bench, her jaw clenching when she looked at Calum. Sunshine knew she saw it too, the shared resemblance he shared with his father. It was hard to look past, even if Calum wasn’t his father, nor was fated to be like him. They still were family; Calum still wanted to talk to him and try to make sense of what he had done. He wanted an answer that would make his father seem less of a monster, but Sunshine knew any answer Dr. Miller could come up with wouldn’t be enough to justify his actions. 

“We’ll talk to this guy after sunset,” Kali said, ignoring Calum’s question about her abilities. “You said you still had questions.” 

Sunshine slid back onto the bench, her fingers cold from the breeze and spotted with dried blood. She hid them in her slightly oversized sleeves and sighed. “There’s someone that keeps coming up in my dreams. I know a lot of different people who worked in the Lab; they came and went. But he…he sticks out.” She explained him the best she could, a tall, pale, man who often watched over them inside the Rainbow Room. She didn’t recall him speaking to her much, only little conversation here and there regarding the games she was playing or the puzzles she was trying to solve. Out of everyone who worked there, he was among the kindest, gentle-spoken, and never grabbed at them. He looked at them with understanding instead of disdain. Sunshine never got his name, but she remembered he spoke the most often with El; however, when she had asked her sister about the man, she had no recollection of him. It was like he only existed inside her head, but she wanted to know if Kali remembered him. 

Kali seemed to think deeply for a moment, both of them ignoring the grumbles from Calum before he sat down quite dejected that his concern was dismissed. Sunshine felt bad, she did, but she was trying to get Kali’s mind off of murder at the moment. 

“He sounds a little familiar. There was someone, a man who often joined me in games of chess when I was new…” she trailed off, a slightly pained look twisted up on her face before it was steeled. “He talked like Brenner. Always saying what I could do was a ‘gift.’ That I remember, but that’s it.” 

Kali leaned forward on her elbows, the sky behind her slowly shifting to evening-melting colors. “I still don’t get what remembering will get you besides more pain.” 

“Maybe,” Sunshine said, her fingers twisting her necklace. “But I want to make sense of things and make sense of myself. I don’t want to-”

“Become like me?” Kali said. That wasn’t entirely Sunshine’s concern. She was scared of snapping, of hurting the people she cared about because she was so intensely wrapped in anger and age-old pain she couldn’t make sense up, but that haunted her dreams. If she untangled all of the webs inside her head, she thought she could make something neat and beautiful of herself, something normal. She wanted to resolve her anger, so she never took it out on anyone undeserving. She wanted to move on and live a little life free of troubles and ghosts from her past. Was that possible? Sunshine had no clue, but she’d try. 

“No,” Sunshine replied. “I just don’t want to lose myself, I guess. With a clear head, I want a fresh start.” 

Kali laughed short and bitterly. “Yet, you’re going to take the bus back to Hawkins tomorrow morning.” 

“I have a family.” Sunshine felt defensive, her cheeks warm and jaw lightly clenched. “I have people there that I can’t leave, yet. But I don’t plan to stay there forever.” She didn’t need to justify that to Kali, but a part of her felt the urge to. She just wanted her to understand the obligation Sunshine had to the members of the party left, who only had a few people left to look after them and who knew just what they had been through. There wasn’t a chance in hell Sunshine would walk away and leave the kids to fight for themselves. 

Kali let out a breath that was visible in the dropping temperatures of early spring but said nothing. 

Instead, it was Calum who piped up. “Wait, you aren’t going to kill the guy we’re about to talk to. Are you?” he said, changing the topic of conversation. 

“As long as no one beats me to it.” 

Three children and a woman were in the next room, a quiet agreement made between Kali and the man they had come to talk to, per Sunshine’s request. She wasn’t sure why she assumed the man would be alone; maybe she hoped everyone who had worked at the Lab ended up sad and alone. But they didn’t; they lived plentiful lives, and Sunshine didn’t like how bitter that made her. 

“Look, you kids-” 

“Don’t patronize us,” Kali snapped. He seemed much less fearful of the gun in her hands like he’d stood there before being threatened. “Answer the question.” 

The man, Craig as he had introduced himself, sighed and briefly closed his eyes. 

Sunshine chewed down on her lip, listening to the faint talking of a mother to her children who all were confused as to why Craig insisted on talking with three teenagers. Her mind was working double time trying to listen to his answers and think of a way to get Kali to not kill him one room over from his family. Did she think someone like him deserved a fresh start? No. But he already had it and taking it away at that point would do nothing but put them all on a watch list and hurt his family who had done nothing to them. 

“Yes. Dr. Brenner and Miller contacted me. I declined their offer as well. I’m happy here and I-I…” Craig stuttered before he stopped himself. Kali's intense gaze made him shrink just slightly before he met Sunshine’s eyes, the lesser threat. “I didn’t know what I signed up for in the beginning. I was fresh out of school and recruited.” 

“They tried to recruit you again,” Kali said. “What for?” 

Craig had a scar across his forehead, white and faded but still visible. Sunshine found herself looking at it rather than his eyes. 

“I wasn’t given details, just a vague letter.” 

Kali stepped forward, leveling her gun with the scar on his forehead a couple of feet away. “What did they want with you and others who worked in the Lab?” Her voice was stern, leaving no room for avoidance. 

“Another Lab, if I had to guess. They found what they were good at-” Kali stepped forward in a hasty, rage-filled burst. She pressed the gun against his forehead. Sunshine was only a second behind her. 

“Kali,” she said close to Kali’s ear as calmly as she could muster. 

Maybe it was annoyance at Sunshine’s interference with her “missions” or a tiny thread of reasonability that had finally come over Kali, but she seemed to listen to Sunshine enough to step back with a deep breath. Most likely she knew they’d get no answers if she killed Craig in a fit of rage. 

“I am just statin’ the truth. I don’t approve, didn’t at the time either. But I had just gotten married and needed a job. Besides, getting out of a government contract like that was a nightmare,” he continued. 

“You know what else was a nightmare?” Kali hissed. “Being taken from my home and experimented on for years.” 

He was too caviler, too okay with the role he played. It made her stomach turn as she thought about Ivy, about Three, about all of the kids who never made it out, and those like Kali who never found a home after escaping a nonstop nightmare. For a moment, Sunshine clenched her fist as her palm felt hot with anger. But she extinguished it before her abilities got the better of her. 

“We were under orders-”

“You were a coward.” 

Craig shrugged, not disagreeing. “I was, but not anymore. Whatever those men are up to, I’m not a part of it. I don’t plan on ever being a part of something like that again. I learned my lesson.” 

“Have you?” Kali asked. “Because to me, it doesn’t seem like you feel bad at all for any of it.” 

Something shifted in his expression, a mix between his own burning anger and a look of memories flickering across his mind. He was remembering something. How Sunshine knew that she wasn’t exactly sure, it was just something she could feel. 

Her memories assaulted her often, and that same ghostly look probably overcame her as well. 

“Believe me, I can’t lose my eyes without seeing…” Craig shuttered as if the memory was shaking him with a kind of violence Sunshine knew all too well. It was curious. 

Sunshine took a step forward, her fingers hovering just above the gun as if she was quicker than Kali to pull it away if she threatened to shoot. “See what?” she asked. 

Craig’s fingers rubbed harshly against his forehead, which was weathered with worry lines. “That night,” he began, the words seemingly thick in his throat. “God, I’ve never seen anything like that. I-I know things happened inside that building that were…” He looked between Sunshine and Kali, trying to think of a word that properly encompassed what had happened to them and every other child, but there was not one; Sunshine hadn’t found one yet, at least. 

“That were awful. I know I was a part of that, to an extent. But after that night…after seeing whatever monster had done that, I quit. I left that building and I never looked back.” 

Sunshine furrowed her brows. “The Demogorgon?” There were plenty of monsters inside the Lab, but the only one not in the body of a man was the Demogorgon that was unleashed the night she and El had escaped. While she didn’t know the details of what the monster had done before it escaped into the woods and stole little Will Byers from his own home, but it would be enough to make someone jump ship. Some people could stomach experimenting on children but drew the line at monsters from other words. 

Unfortunately, Sunshine and her friends had faced both, and she wasn’t sure they were done doing so. But they couldn’t run away because their lives were in Hawkins, unlike the man in front of her. 

Both Craig and Kali looked at Sunshine with confused expressions. “It’s, uh, a monster. Did you see it inside the Lab?” 

“I didn’t see anything but the bodies. So many bodies. So many kids…” He shuttered once more, closing his eyes. 

The only kids inside the building that night were El and herself. If anyone had died that night, it would have only been Lab workers. If there were kids Sunshine didn’t know about when she escaped, Hopper, Joyce, and Murry would have known shortly after. 

“When did you leave?” 

“Uh, God, it feels like a lifetime ago.” 

Kali narrowed her gaze, readjusting her grip on the gun. “Answer her question.” 

“‘78…no. No, it was ‘79.” 

Sunshine took an uneven step backward. 

That was years before they escaped. She didn’t have the greatest concept of time inside the Lab, only a vague understanding of how old she was because of Ivy and afterward because of a sheet of paper she hid in one of the ceiling panels in her bedroom where she marked off each day she was there. She didn’t understand what he was referring to, but she racked her brain for an answer. The only bodies she had seen were Three’s and Ivy’s after they were dead or nearly dead. 

She had more questions, a million more which she thought she’d have the chance to ask because the man seemed rather unphased by Kali’s gun and Kali hadn’t yet learned where Brenner and Miller were operating. 

But they never got the chance. 

For the second time that day, a bullet came flying out of nowhere. It split the window on the side of the house, raining glass down upon everyone standing in the living room. 

Sunshine gasped loudly in surprise before Kali grasped her arm and pulled her onto the carpeted floor. She hit the ground with all of the air escaping her lungs. The sound of breaking glass rang in her ears, filtering everything else out in a horrible echo. 

For a disorienting moment, she stayed down, eyes squeezed closed until the sounds of the world came back to her. 

Calum ran in from where he begrudgingly kept watch outside and the wife of Craig flew into the living room with her eyes wide and frightened. 

“Oh, my God!” the woman screamed, running to her husband. Craig still sat on the couch still, aside from his hand holding the side of his face as blood seeped out from his pale fingers. 

Sunshine scrambled up from the ground and ran forward toward the man. She grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and tried to hand it off to his wife. 

“Why? Why did you do this?” the woman cried, looking at Sunshine with bloodshot eyes. 

Sunshine’s mouth was dry as she tried to press the blanket up against Craig’s bloodied hand in a weak attempt to stop the bleeding from the fatal wound in the cheek. She felt his blood soak the fabric, sinking onto her skin. 

“It wasn’t us,” Kali answered for Sunshine, peering out the window from the side. “I told you; someone is after all of them.” 

The wife wailed but seemed more enraged as Craig’s eyes fluttered closed and slumped back against the ruined white couch. She lashed out toward Sunshine, shoving her to the ground with messy, blurry-eyed waving hands. Sunshine groaned as she landed on her back for the second time that day. 

Craig’s wife’s chest heaved. “Get out! Get out of here!” She was scared for her life and her children, and Sunshine felt her fear in each frantic kick and shove. 

“What the hell is going on? Calum cried. 

Sirens sounded somewhere far off in the distance and Sunshine’s chest felt so tight she couldn’t breathe. 

Kali used her combat boot to kick the woman off of Sunshine, but not hard enough to seriously hurt her. Craig’s wife cried against the carpet while her kids called from the next room. Guilt chewed at Sunshine, digging its sharp teeth deeper into her skin. Tears welled up in her eyes as shallow breaths escaped her lips. 

“We have to go!” Kali said, shaking Sunshine’s shoulders. “You have to go.” 

Sunshine’s mind was fractured into too many pieces of worry and problems stacking up, but she focused on Kali for a moment. “N-No,” she sputtered out. “You have to come with us. Come to Hawkins. You’ll be safe there a-and we’ll figure this out.” 

“Hawkins is not my home,” Kali replied, tugging Sunshine towards the door and leaving the now-broken family behind. 

“But it can be,” Sunshine said. “It’s different. It’s better now. Please, Kali. We can go back and figure out where Brenner and Miller are. I promise everything will work out; it will.” There was nothing Sunshine wanted more than to find a happy ending for all of the kids of the Hawkins Lab who were left. And while she didn’t come to Indy with the full intention of convincing Kali, knowing what El and the twins had said about their other sister, but something inside of her urged her to bring Kali back. It felt important, urgent even. Maybe it was simply the adrenaline and panic in her veins, or maybe that was what Sunshine had wanted all along, not just the answers to her memories. 

Kali looked like she wanted to fight, but there was something different in her eyes, something that almost looked scared. 

Sirens sounded louder. “Guys?!” Calum’s voice grabbed their attention. 

“Fine!” Kali relented, throwing her hands up near the back door of the home. She shoved it open and all of them hurried out. “I’ll go back with you but only to figure out a way to find them. That’s it. The only home I want is my own and they took that away from me.” 

Sunshine wanted to say something, something comforting but she could feel blood on her hands and a gunshot in her ears. Her world was dizzying that she wasn’t even sure she had heard Kali right. But they made a plan anyway before Kali split ways to find them a ride back to Hawkins. 

While Kali left to find them a ride, Sunshine and Calum found themselves in an alleyway where she had promised to meet them. All of the gross fear and anger bubbled through Sunshine’s veins to the point she couldn’t hide it under her smooth skin and soft exterior. Instead, it flooded her palms, bringing light to them that she threatened Calum with. A part of her felt bad about the fear in his tense muscles, but a larger part of her wanted him to stop. It may not have been his fault they ran into each other in Indy, but with him came an unraveling thread that he felt a sick need to pick at. He couldn’t stop and Sunshine couldn’t stand it. 

Two men were dead. Her necklace was gone. Kali had agreed to come back to Hawkins under false promises that Sunshine couldn’t keep. And Dr. Brenner and Miller were possibly up to their same old sick experiment. If there were other kids out there in danger, Sunshine wanted to help, but she had no idea where to even start. That’s why she needed to get home where she could talk to the people she trusted without hesitation to come up with some kind of plan. 

She wanted to cry, and after a tense moment of holding her illuminated hand to Calum’s face, that feeling washed over her anger like a sudden tidal wave, sending her floating back to the shore of reason. Stumbling backward, she curled her fingers into a fist and let a couple of tears fall from her eyes, hitting the alleyway gravel. 

Calum stood motionless, his face twisted up in a million different emotions. They had no time to exchange any words before a car pulled up, stopping quickly with its headlights turned off. Kali threw open the passenger side door from inside and gestured for them to hurry. 

With minor hesitation, Sunshine raced towards the car and Calum followed a couple of steps behind. Once they both closed their doors, Kali stepped on it, weaving through the alleyways and backroads of Indy until she hit the highway, leaving the mess in the rearview mirror. 

Sunshine leaned her head against the window, feeling the cool glass against her hot cheek. Her shaky, stained hands folded themselves on her lap after trying once more to reach for her necklace that was long gone. But at least she was heading home.

[ysabelmystic]

My friends and I are rewatching a bunch of Christian films from my childhood and we completed the original Left Behind trilogy the other day. Here were my observations

I do think it's funny that the plot essentially begins with GMOs. GMOs are bad because more people being fed means world peace and globalism. That is bad.

"I'm Buck Williams and I'm standing in a wheat field" is now doomed to be repeated within my friend group for at least the next two years.

The antichrist's name is Nikolai Carpathia. He has the accent of a guy mimicking a Russian accent. This feels on par with JK Rowling naming her one Asian character "Cho Chang".

The character names also include (aside from the aforementioned antichrist and Kirk Cameron's character) Rayford Steele, Chloe, and Patty. Somehow it has the aura of a porno.

Despite the only demographic to be exclusively raptured is children under the age of 10, this fact is pretty much ignored.

Kirk Cameron's character (Buck) confronts police officers who are shooting at looters and teenagers for lacking compassion. By today's standards, this is woke propaganda.

I'm pretty sure the prior thing is to show that Buck is a good and pure soul who just needs to read a Bible to be fully redeemed because how else can you have a non-Christian protagonist in a movie like this. Or maybe this is to show that he's misguided and worldly. However, despite being a hot, sexy, prolific journalist, the movie also points out that he is a virgin.

The alleged romantic tension between Buck and pilot-not-porn-star Rayford Steele's daughter is painful to watch because Kirk Cameron will not kiss anyone other than his wife. There's a lot of awkward side hugs and leaving room for Jesus. Given that they end up getting married later, this is amusing to me.

These movies really want you to know two things: World Peace Is Bad, and Jews Are Bad. There are direct plot points specifically about converting Jewish people to Christianity so that they cannot usher in the rule of the antichrist.

I think it's really funny that, despite TV and the internet existing during the time this series takes place, the connection between the rapture prophecies/fanfics and The Fucking Rapture is only discovered by our protagonists and a handful of other random guys. I think a mass disappearance of certain branches of Christianity and children would provoke some kind of doubt and curiosity, but no. That's bad for plot. Instead, the whole world goes straight to "y'know what? Let's just get rid of all religion at once. Forever." This is because all other religions are made from faithless heathens who just really hate Christians, and since there are no longer Christians, they no longer have to Do Religion. I guess.

I also think it's funny that the main characters, though they themselves were convinced to convert because of the rapture, do not use the rapture as a means to convert the masses. They jump straight to bunker church and secret Bible brigades. When they do successfully convert others, it is either by trotting out the tired, "YOU THINK THIS WORLD WAS AN ACCIDENT???" Case for Christ nonsense, or basically threatening their victim with damnation.

Case in point, Rayford Steele talks a guy out of suicide by reminding him that he will never see his wife and child again if he goes through with it. Suicide = Straight To Hell.

There's a scene where the antichrist like... tries to "test" Rayford Steele by revealing his uber spoopy ghost face and seeing if he reacts. Because I guess the uber spoopy ghost face only works on believers. Te uber spoopy ghost face is his figure showing up in infrared, then his face stretching out cartoonishly, and his eyes turning black. This scared me as a child. It is the second funniest part of the movie.

Also, the title of the second movie being "Left Behind: Tribulation Force" is giving big "Electric Boogaloo" energy.

The antichrist reveals of the evil Global Community organization to the protagonists by handing them a piece of loose leaf printer paper with a logo that I would've made in the computer lab in 2005. This is done to the tune of sinister and dramatic music. This is the funniest part of the movie.

The third movie begins with the introduction of The President. It was previously stated that the president had been raptured. There was no mention of presidents up until this point. I know the line of succession exits but it really felt like they just forgot.

Oh yeah...the Pope was also raptured because he was secretly protestant.

Buck marries Rayford Steele's daughter at the same time Rayford Steele marries a random blonde lady. It feels weird and icky, which is furthered by the fact that the now married daughter will henceforth be referred to as "our girl" by both of these men for the rest of the movie.

We also had to stop the movie several times due most of the female cast consisting of skinny white blonde ladies. We could not tell the difference between any of them except for by their eyeliner. If she wears dark eyeliner, she's a whore.

Due to the plot involving the release of a virus that mainly only affects Christians, this film was definitely the most fun to dissect.

The virus is stored in badly CGId glowy green goo bottles, which for a series that has tried very hard to be serious, was awfully cartoony.

This movie does not give a fuck about the protagonists. This movie is about the president. I'm pretty sure this is because the protagonists, who are Christian, are no longer allowed to commit murder. The president is not a Christian, so he gets to use a gun.

The president has random warehouses to do casual interrogations in wherever and whenever he wants. It is clear that the creators were really struggling to make due with the set.

We know the antichrist is bad because he wants to take everyone's nukes. The president's main goal in this movie is to keep the nukes.

Back in the side plot, it turns out that the Christians are getting infected with green goo disease because the antichrist hid it in their Bibles. As the protagonists drown in guilt, the suspense of the plot really starts to fall apart. Their entire goal is to Get More People Into Heaven, and in this series, reading the Bible will automatically make anyone a Christian (the Bible's words cannot be resisted). If anything, they just fast-tracked a bunch of people into heaven, and they no longer have to endure the next seven years of apocalypse.

We should've all watched these movie pre-COVID. The only person who wears a mask and gloves is the antichrist. The protagonists also mention avoiding vaccines and relying on God/sacrificing themselves instead. This movie predicted 2020.

The super advanced green goo virus has an instacure antidote. Fucking red wine. This seems like a helluva lot of oversight to hand the "drinks red wine as part of religious rituals" group a virus that can be instacured by red wine.

WW3 starts. Somehow, this does not cause a nuclear winter.

The antichrist discovers that he can force-choke people.

The president suicide-bombs the antichrist's tower in order to "slow him down". Given that the antichrist cannot be killed and cell phones exist, I have no idea what exactly that was supposed to do.

As someone who grew up fully believing that Obama was the antichrist and Muslim (which is conservative for "literally a member of Al-Queda/ISIS").... and Black but they didn't say that part out loud), it was interesting in retrospect to watch this movie unfold. The president in this movie is a Black, non-Christian man who is initially for world peace, but then converts to Christianity and suicide-bombs the antichrist. We all have different interpretations of this, but we do agree that they would not have made that specific set of choices today. That said, my interpretation is the correct one /hj

[artemis-fowl-incident-report]

What if Angeline was the main character?

For this, the most glorious of AU days, here is my contribution:

An alternate universe where both Artemis Fowl the first and second were on the Fowl Star, both going missing after the ships explosion, and both kidnapped by the Russians.

Needless to say, Angeline would have done more than break down. She would have snapped. She would have gone into a complete nervous break down, with Butler and Juliet unaware of how to help her. Butler was left behind on the orders of Fowl Sr to protect his wife, since they reasoned Artemis II would be safe with him.

In this nervous break down, Angeline begins to hear voices, whispers in the dark that threaten to drag her down with them. But over time, she begins to understand what they're saying. They whisper of ancient battles, of fairy kings, of being buried deep below the ground for the sake of protecting their people.

Angeline has the old martello tower at the edge of the estate dug up, revealing the Berserker gate.

Her madness validated, Angeline throws herself into research of these magical beings, determined to find a way to get her husband and son back. Such research would no doubt send red flags to the LEP, who order Holly to go investigate. Angeline and Butler have several run ins with this strange creature over a series of months, until they're captured and Angeline is mesmerised into revealing her motivations. This is around the time the goblin gangs start using batteries for their guns, the humans and fairies making a deal for each others help.

By this point, Angeline has learned enough about fairy magic to start wielding it herself, becoming the foremost expert on rune magic, a largely abandoned form of magical research by the people since they favour the ritual.

So, when Opal and Briar decide to start a revolution, stopping Angeline from getting to her loved ones, she does more than just stop them. She uses her new power to burn Koboi laboratories to the ground (so obviously, her mental health is doing so well you guys).

Once they get Artemis original and Artemis delux version back, Angeline (and frankly the other two as well) takes a lot of time in therapy. Her husband and son are different now, closer, more emotive. But they're still the dastardly people she remembers. Angeline, however, is not the woman these two left behind. She's more wild, dangerous, cruel, and they worry about her.

The fairies would have happily had nothing else to do with Angeline, if not for the slight issue of the Demons of Limbo. Angeline hasn't told her family much of what happened to her since they were away and worried that they would think her mental health was getting worse. So she simply goes to investigate these issues with Juliet, saying she's visiting friends.

Upon meeting with Minerva, Angeline sees her less as an rival, but a potential student, negotiating to teach her all she knows of runes if they worked together. Billy Kong didn't exactly like this idea, since he wanted to kill all the demons starting with No1. So, when Angeline manages to escape with the Demon, Minerva is kidnapped and taken to Tapei 101

Artemis's one and TwofastTooFowl however are tailing her through all of this. Butler has refused to speak on the situation, but they know somethings off with Angeline. They follow her to Tapei and, once again, Artemis II gets Holly to take him, No1, Qwan, and the bomb out where they are lost to time.

The next few years are truly distressing for Angeline and Artemis Sr, to lose their son so fast after being reunited. This is made all the harder by soon after learning that Angeline was pregnant with the twins.

Of course, Artemis returns, and things go back to some kind of normal. Angeline teaches both her son and Minerva how to use runes, and they find they have a decent relationship with the fairies, helping where they can.

But then something happens with the berserker gate. Someone tries to open it. Turns out Opal didn't die in the fire and has been simply biding her time. Unbeknownst to her, however, Angeline had already found a way to let the spirits free, reasoning that she owed them that much for helping her find her family. Opal tries to berate the woman for this, but its pretty hard to argue with such a powerful sorceress when your head is encased in a magical block of ice.

(I genuinely only thought of this idea today, so let me know what you think)

[fakescenariosbeforesleepblog]

What would you do for a Ghost? Pt. 2.

They were looking at you, expectant, waiting for an answer, you were contemplating the idea, debating on what to do, after a few moments you sighed and looked at them.

- I'll do it, I'll help you. If this is the way I can help, then I'll do it, I'll take the risk. Follow me please.

You walked to a hidden door in your office, it was just where your security cameras were, you let them in, they were already preparing the microphone, you were looking at the three man when you felt a hand taking yours, you found yourself with Simon's eyes, he was worried, even if he tries to not show it, you knew him, you smiled at him.

- you don't have to do this, we can't find another way...

- Simon, it's fine, I want to help you, I owe you this! You saved me once, remember? Now it's my time to pay the debt.

- You don't owe me nothing...

- I still wanna help, let me help you.

He squeezed your hand softly and you did the same. Soap approached and Ghost let your hand.

- Alright... Ahhh... Sorry, I think Ghost didn't introduce us, I'm soap

- I'm (Y/n),

- nice name, well (y/n) put this on your... It can be your hair or your dress, you can decide that.

- okay. Stay here guys, you can check every interaction in every room, window, and door around this place, this is my personal security room, feel free to use it.

The phone rang again, you ran to it, fixed your hair, your dress and looked at the boys once more before leaving.

You walked to the VIP zone with a bright big smile, you found the man ghost has been following.

- Welcome Sir! Sorry, the phone call took me more time than I expected. What can I bring you?

- Hello little one, it has been a long time, you already know what I like to drink, please.

He took your hand and kissed it, that Russian accent, all the 141 can recognize it. Ghost is tense, nervous, angry, anxious and jealous? Why do you let this guy call you like that? Why are you allowing him to kiss you?

- The Best vodka is for my best client, are we waiting for more people or will it be only you tonight?

- Three more, darling.

That's all he said, you were quick, you came back with a few bottles of vodka and three glasses of ice, served.

- can I offer you something else Sir?

- why all this formality (y/n)? We've known each other for a long time, am I wrong?

He got up and Caressed your check running his finger all over until he stopped on your lips, you felt anxious running through your body, but did your best to keep yourself calm and give a small step back, creating enough distance between you and him.

- I'm sorry V, you're right, how are you? What have you been doing? You disappeared for a long time.

- Ahhh (y/n), I feel excited, I wish I could give you details but you will see, you will know it soon, but at the moment I can just tell you how happy I am to see you after all these years.

- I hope so, I'm glad you're back in town...

- (y/n) tell me something, are u single? You're so pretty for being single.

He barely looked at you, but you blushed, you couldn't stop thinking about Simon, he was listening to the conversation, you shouldn't be worried, you're just friends, no?.

While you were talking, Simon and the team were listening, but Soap was still curious about you and ghost.

- So, Lt. How did you and (y/n) meet?

- I helped her.

Simon and those simple answers, he knows that wouldn't be enough for Soap.

- did you help her? To do what or with what did you help?

Simon sighed, focused on you and his target.

- She lost her parents and old brother, somebody killed them, I found her escaping from the people who were following her, she was injured, I was walking to my house when I listened to all that noise, I saved her life and took her with me, when she got better she thanked me, gave me her number and the club's address, after that I started to visit her here, she talked to me about this place, the clients who visit it... That's why I thought we would obtain information here.

That's all he said. Soap didn't talk, so he turned to look at him, just to notice everybody was paying attention to his story.

- Was it love at first sight?

Gaz broke the silence with his question, Soap laughed and then stopped after looking at Simon's eyes.

- I didn't say that.

But In fact, he fell for you from the moment your eyes met his.

- yes but I think all of us noticed the way she looks at you, no... Soap? Price?

- Yes.

- affirmative.

Even the Captain agreed, maybe it is time to confess the feelings he has for you, more than ever before, because now his target, his enemy, is flirting with you.

Suddenly a conversation in Russian caught everybody's attention. They're focused on it. But ghost is focused in the way Vladimir Makarov is holding your waist.

You're too busy trying to be as close as possible to the conversation and be helpful to ghost and his team that you didn't notice how Vladimir is holding you.

- I'm glad you're back in the game Makarov!

- thank you, everybody worked hard all these years I can't be more pleased, I have to confess I'm also excited for what comes soon, without setbacks, am I right?

- indeed Sir, is all ready, the subway routes, I brought the map with me, just in case you want to check everything is in order.

- Good, let's check it quickly, but first, my dear (y/n) would you be so kind to bring us more vodka, please?

You smiled and kindly nodded at them and walked away. You were picking up a bottle and softly you whispered on the microphone.

- if someone is still in the security room, focus all the VIP cameras on the table you will have a clear view of the map they were talking about.

You went back with the bottle and new glasses, you were ready to leave again when Makarov took your hand.

- Don't leave darling, we actually were talking about you.

Your heart froze, an overdose of adrenaline was running through your body.

- Is it true this place is yours young lady?

- Oh... Yes sir, familiar business, I'm the last of my family though... So indeed I'm too young to run this place but I do my best to honor all the sacrifice my family put on this place.

- I must admit you're doing a great job, I like it, actually I was telling Makarov I would love to have a private event here to celebrate him. What do you think? Would that be possible?

- for sure, Vladimir is one of my best clients and an old friend of my parents, will be a great honor to me.

Makarov took your hand and you tried to avoid eye contact, continuing with the conversation and ignoring the interaction between you and him. The night ended quickly, you went back to your office and once you were sure no one would Interrupt you, you walk to the room with the guys, they thanked you for the help, they finally introduce themselves since Ghost forgot to do it once again, he was quiet, observing the interaction between you and the team, without saying anything, they were ready to leave, just waiting for ghost who asked you to talk in private.

- Simon, what's wrong? You've been quiet... More than usual.

- sorry about that, I wasn't sure about bringing all of them here, put you at risk, a lot of things ran into my head when I saw Makarov close to you... Flirting.

- I have to admit I was afraid, but thinking about you and that I was helping you, calmed me and made me feel brave, Si... I think I have to tell you, I... I love you Simon.

You didn't dare to look at him, you felt like you were doing something bad, but then his hand found yours, you looked up at him, he was staring at you with those soft eyes, His other hand caressed your cheek, he took off his mask quickly, before you could realize it, you were kissing, was a passionate kiss, with a taste of whiskey but sweet too, it was better than you imagined all this time. When he stopped you was already missing the taste of his lips and the touch of his hand on your cheeks.

His raspy voice provoked shivers through your whole body, he finally confessed what he feels.

- I love you too, I love you, I love you.

«Lt. We need to run!» He put the mask on again and looked at you, he gave you another kiss but this time in your forehead.

- I have to go, but I'll be back, we will talk about this, I promise you.

You smiled at him and hugged him, you wanted to live under his skin to never separate from him, but he was right, he needed to go.

- Okay, we'll talk about it, I'll be waiting for you Simon, I will be here.

- Makarov will not live long enough to put his hands on you and will not be able to flirt with my girl ever again, I'll take you to a proper date, I promise that too.

You laughed and squeezed his hand.

- Go, save the world Lt. And please come back to me.

[catchyhuh]

Well part 6 made it obvious that besides French and Japanese Lupin can talk at least in English, Italian, Russian, Spanish, German, Turkish, Korean and Dutch (gosh, he's good, I'm jelly).

What languages do the others know? I have some headcanons about Goe, but I'm curious about your ones!

well, the short of it, for all of em really, is: “do i need to learn this language to continue living for the next month? yes? ok let’s learn some conjugation.” so it’s less about which specific languages and just HOW many they know so much as how do they go about the process of learning/how do they USE the language once they’ve learned it so. IT’S A LOT

and uh also they all tend to default to japanese but you probably knew that LET’S GET INTO THE LOT

jigen:

jigen knows the least out of all of them, mostly because he. does not talk to many people. he’s an unintentional perfectionist about it in just that one sense; if he’s communicating, he wants to be SURE he’s understood, no room for misunderstanding

of course, that doesn’t mean he’s a slouch. i’m sure he can still speak, listen to, read AND write at least ten more languages than you and i can, minimum. BUT STILL, he just doesn’t want any room for misinterpretation, none whatsoever. so usually, he lets someone else do the talking, or he attempts to get by with whatever he and the other party can understand. it’s kind of funny because his stubbornness with this means a lot of times the gang will purposefully leave him to flounder, because THAT’S WHAT HE GETS FOR NOT WANTING TO REMEMBER SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS “no ice in my drink please”

because of this, he’s most proficient in READING in other languages. there’s no need for input on his end, and he can get a hang of sentence structure AND the words themselves, so there’s no embarrassment later. so particular about these things

fujiko:

the only one who can speak a language better than she can understand it being spoken to her. like jigen, she mostly learns by just reading it, (sometimes by rereading a book she already knows, so she already has an easy guide to go off of) so trying to decipher someone TALK talking at a conversational speed is. a different beast

uses the whole multilingual thing as more of a novelty than a necessity. like it’s a party trick to her. like she's a translation dictionary in the flesh! ask her how to say purple in danish! wanna know the word for cookie in malay? if you want to know how to say “penis” in 30 languages, fujiko will frown and go “c’mon. grow up." ...but she'll still answer since it’s actually still just ‘penis’ in like five different languages anyway,

this is mostly because she weaponizes the “you don’t think i can understand x language, but yes, i can, and i can hear you calling me stupid while i’m standing right fucking next to you. you will regret this in time”

goemon:

absorbs foreign languages the fastest, which is hilarious because he’s always the most stubborn about wanting to just speak his first language. i mean it’s goemon, you probably saw this coming! 

has since softened on the concept, not because of a “loosening of his personal principles,” but rather, he saw how damn DIFFICULT it made things for the average person he interacts with for two seconds of his life. it was initially easy to hold onto it, until he saw the poor waitress grin apologetically and say she was so sorry she didn’t understand. then he softened. a BIT. if you know even a smidge of japanese he’s expecting it from you. 

wore a t-shirt that said COOL GUY in big, obnoxiously american letters once for a disguise. burnt it when the operation was over. lupin has five pictures of it. goemon allows the records to exist because he is, objectively, a COOL GUY

zenigata:

the funny thing is you’d ask him about it and he’d get kind of sheepish. like, yeah, he knows (he pauses to count on his fingers for a second) 23 languages but he’s not REALLY good at most of them it’s just like a thing for WORK it’s not like he’s REALLY got them down--

again, it’s the fault of that freakish hypercompetence that comes up for rule of funny. if he’s just getting off the plane and he realizes he’s left his gloves at home and is desperately trying to find a pair, no, he can’t get through in the slightest. but if it’s LUPIN involved, oh buddy if there is an ELEMENT of DANGER AND/OR LUPIN, he just breaks out entire sentences with almost perfect pronunciation and everything, to the point the other people in the room wonder if he was faking his issues earlier. and the answer is no, he wasn’t, he just didn’t have the proper motivation. NOW he does, and NOW he can speak fucking perfect indonesian, just because!

also kind of sort of treats it as a party trick the way lupin and fujiko do if he’s in a good enough mood (but you actually do get hints of that in the show, like that one little part 3 bit!) so that’s fun