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fkinkindagauche · 2 months ago

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There's A Devil Waiting Outside Your Door

This one is for @stmonstercalendar's first Monster of the Month, Krampus.

Rating: Mature | WC: 1091 | Tags: Mild sexual content, BDSM themes, Monsterfucker Steve Harrington | CW: Accidental voyeurism by underage characters (they stumble upon some brief birch rod spanking, but they get noticed right away and it stops)

Title from "Loverman" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

Lucas and Dustin were ready. Tonight was the night. They were finally going to obtain actual footage of the monster people had been seeing around Hawkins since the night of December 5th.

It started with a few terrified sightings by children. Dustin picked up the chatter on the police scanner Suzie had made for him. Parents were calling in reporting that their children had seen a very hairy man lurking outside their houses wearing horns.

The Satanic panic set in full force at that point, and more and more sightings were reported in the coming weeks. Always at night, and always in neighborhoods. Dustin ignored it at first, thinking it was just some sort of misunderstanding that got blown out of proportion.

But then Lucas had seen it. He’d been up late trying to finish a present he was making for Max in an attempt to patch up their most recent fight. He’d caught a glimpse of movement outside his bedroom window. When he looked up, a very large creature was walking through his backyard.

It was a bipedal, but covered in dark hair from head to toe, with large horns on its head. Its tongue was huge, lolling out of its mouth as it walked. It was whipping a tail back and forth, and Lucas was pretty sure its feet were hooves.

Lucas had tried to get to his Polaroid camera in time, but he couldn’t find it in the mess of his room. By the time he thought to wake Erica up and borrow hers, the creature was long gone.

Which is how Dustin and Lucas ended up outside on Christmas Eve, freezing their asses off as they followed large tracks in the snow.

The evening had started with Dustin listening in on a harried-sounding Hopper radioing his deputies. He was going to respond to a call about the creature in one of the nicer neighborhoods in town. Dustin called Lucas, and they rushed over to the house in question.

Hopper was long gone by the time they got there, but the tracks in the snow weren’t. Dustin and Lucas crept through backyards as they followed the tracks, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. The tracks didn’t approach any of the houses closely; the creature seemed to be heading somewhere with a purpose, just passing through.

Finally, the tracks approached a house, stopping right at the back door. Lucas and Dustin looked up, surprised to see they’d ended up at the Harrington house. Steve was home alone for Christmas, as usual.

“Shit!” Dustin whisper-yelled. “It came for Steve!” He reached into his bag to get his walkie, ready to call the rest of the Party over for a fight.

Lucas put a hand on his arm. “Hold on. It doesn’t look like it broke in.” He reached up and tried the doorknob. It was locked. “It just walked into Steve’s house and locked the door behind itself?”

“Maybe!” Dustin said. “It could be a smart monster.”

Lucas didn’t look convinced. “Something’s weird. Let’s see if we can find another way in before we piss everyone off by making them come out here on Christmas Eve.”

They walked around the back of the house, coming to the sliding glass doors that let out onto the pool. They looked into the house, and were greeted with a truly disturbing sight. Steve was bent over an ottoman, his naked ass in the air, as the creature hit him over and over again across his ass and the tops of his thighs with a stick of some sort of wood.

Lucas and Dustin both yelled before they could stop themselves, and the creature turned to look at them. It was exactly like Lucas had described - black and hairy with huge curved horns and hooves for feet. Its tongue was lolling out of its mouth as it glared at the kids.

They could hear Steve’s voice saying something, lacking the urgency they would have expected. A low rumble answered from the creature, and Steve stood up, grasping a pillow in front of himself.

He rolled his eyes as soon as they landed on Dustin and Lucas. Not the reaction Dustin was expecting. Steve opened the sliding glass door and put the hand that wasn’t holding the pillow on his hip.

“What the fuck are you twerps doing here?” he asked.

“W-we were tracking the m-monster,” Lucas stammered, eyes darting to the monster.

“Steve, do you need help?” Dustin asked, moving to go into the house. He wasn’t sure what he could do to take on the monster, but he’d try.

“No, I don’t need help,” Steve snapped. “I was having a really nice evening until you interrupted.”

Dustin and Lucas stared at each other, mouths gaping open. “But it was hitting you, Steve,” Lucas whispered.

“I asked him to,” Steve replied. “You’ll get it when you’re older. Maybe.”

“But - what is it?” Dustin asked, peering over at the creature.

“He is Krampus,” Steve said. “He keeps me company over the holidays. He found me here by myself last year, moping, and decided to come back this year so I wouldn’t be lonely.”

“So…” Lucas started. “You don’t need a rescue?”

“I only need a rescue from you two,” Steve said pointedly. “Please go do normal kid things for Christmas Eve.”

“Steve, we’re sixteen,” Dustin protested. He hated it when Steve called them kids.

“Can we get a picture before we go?” Lucas asked, remembering the whole reason they’d gone out tonight.

Steve looked over at Krampus, raising his eyebrows.

“Sure, why not?” the monster said. His voice was deep and rumbly, but he spoke perfect English.

Dustin scrambled in his backpack for his camera, handing it to Steve. Then he and Lucas came inside and clustered on either side of Krampus, smiling wide. Steve snapped the picture.

He handed the Polaroid and the camera to Dustin, and nodded toward the door. “Now, scram, assholes.”

Dustin and Lucas left in a hurry, whispering excitedly.

“Sorry about that. They can be a little protective,” Steve said, once the kids left.

“It’s fine,” Krampus rumbled. “Seem like nice kids.”

“I’m sure they’ve committed their fair share of birch rod-worthy offenses,” Steve joked.

“The birch rod’s only for you this year, baby,” Krampus said. “Wanna sit on my cock and watch It’s A Wonderful Life?”

Steve spent the rest of the evening full of Krampus, pressed back against the soft fur covering his body as Krampus repeatedly got him off. It was a wonderful life.

Divider by @steddiecameraroll-graphics

#steve harrington #monsterfucker steve harrington #st fic #stranger things fic #stranger things #krampus #steve harrington x krampus #bottom steve harrington #my fics

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thequietkid-moonie · 1 year ago

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Weak and naive darling

[ HEADCANONS ] [ 9S, Adam, Eve, Kokichi, Nagito, Kazuichi ]

[ NieR Automata ] [ Danganronpa V3 Killing Harmony ] [ Danganronpa 2 Goodbye Despair ]

⚠️ This contain a little bit of spoilers

Soooo sweeeeeet!! V-chan always make the best request ❤️❤️ I think i went a little too wild with this request, but I can't help it, you chose my favorites video games with an amazing prompt!!

Love u @frickingnerd ❤️ please enjoy

9S is always so curious about the world around him that he will always be happy to meet someone new, human or not it doesn't matter, even if you were a machine he will still be quite intriged by you

As he gets to spend more time and get to know better your personality 9S can't help but find it incredibly fascinating and adorable, he think that you are like how a human child would be and he can't help but want to be around you at all times. What started by fascination it quickly become an obsession, even a need to have you around or to know where you are at all times, is just that you are one of a kind and he can't help but be atracted to you and as he gets to know more about you a protective feeling towards you grows inside of him

Your naive personality matches perfectly with his inmense curiousity, he isn't more than a simple YoRHa unit, an scanner type, but with you he is more than that, is difficult to don't trust in the reliable and friendly 9S so is more likely that you start asking him whenever you aren't sure of something or even curious about something and that makes him feel inmensily happy and special, like if he is someone important, like if with you is were he belongs and he is going to protect that little paradise (growing a quite possessive over you, but he is good at hiding it)

You can be so sweet and adorable at times that it becomes even painful for 9S to be apart for you for so long, and since he will like to travel and explore the world with you he probably just end up bringing you with him around at all times, taking advantage on your naive personality and how much you trust him without even noticing, he is even insist that you should only trust him

9S has always been curious and with you it isn't going to be an exception, he wants to know everything he can about you, your past, your present and even what you want for the future, and even if you don't openly share it with him 9S will find out one way or another, so is for sure that at some point he will get to know about your past experiences with people that were just taking advantage of you and he hates it, he isn't easy to get mad but this is too much for him, he hates the thought of someone approaching to you only to fulfill their selfish desires, and he will hate it more if those memories makes you sad, although, as much as he hate it he will be more focused on comforting, also this experiences only feed his need to protect you and keep you close so anyone will dare to do something so terrible to such kind soul again, and with this he insist that he is the only one who is trust worthy, swearing on his life that everything he does is only because he wants the best for you

9S insist that he is the only one who is worth of your trust and that you should be wary of others, but the only one who is an exception to this is 2B, he tell you that you can trust her (just as he does), however even when he knows she is capable of protecting you and knows that she will do it for the care she has for him 9S can't help but worry over you and want to be with you, so most of the time you don't spend much time alone with 2B

9S is already pretty protective over you but you having such weak body just increases his worries, he wants for you to be free to enjoy all the world have to offer but the world is already too dangerous and you so weak, that just increases his need to be with you, even if you are already uset to constantly have little bruises and injuries for you how fragile your body is he isn't, and he probably will never get used to it, he does a big deal almost all the time but even when he could be panicing he is always able to help you, he had even learn everything that he can about how to help your injuries, how to fix all kind of injuries and seem to always be prepare

9S can be really energetic and excited to go in adventures with you but always treats you with care and even gentleness, you probably will never recive a harsh treatment from him unless he is in a lot of disstress and yet he will deeply apologize if it happen (even if it was an accident or you didn't get injured)

9S is already a little dependent of you for how lonely he was after meeting you, but before all the problems he had in the last fight of YoRHa and losing 2B he just breaks completely and his sanity becomes almost entirely dependent on you, his protectiveness and possessiveness only get worst and worst, here is when he is more probably to actually be harsh to you, he is so in the edge with everything that he can pass from screaming at you or at someone else for putting yourself in danger (even if it was for accident) to have a complete breakdown, apologizing to you and begging to please don't leave him, at this point you are the only thing he has in the world and he can't lose you too

Adam

Adam loves learning, specially about humans he is just so amased by it, so he won't really lose the opportunity to met someone new (specially if you are a human), it just only take him a moment to understand how it is your personality and when he does his curiosity only grows

Adam is completely fascinated by your personality, specially because this world is really hostile and in war, he can't entirely understand how you have such personality and he just want to find out, at some point he even thought that it could be a facade, the posibilities and curiosity only grows more and more until it reach the point where it isn't just curiousity but an obsession too, and even when he noticed his feelings he just accept them with open arms

Adam finds incredibly fascinating your personality, he can help but laugh softly at how naive you are, once winning your trust (because he is going to win your trust) he can tell you anything and you will believe him, although he isn't going to take advantage of that he just knows what is the best for the two of you and that is what he tells you

Adam is pretty possessive over you, not really wanting for anyone to be able to enjoy of your company aside from him or Eve (and still he always reminds Eve to be kind with you), and his possessiveness only increases with time as he get to know more about you, your past experiences with people that only take advantage of you make him angry in a whole new extent (is probably what make him get to know a new intensity of hate) but he doesn't let you see that, instead just ask for details of your experiences

Although, when he get to know about those past experiences he find it an opportunity rather interesting, he was mad at those people but more than doing something himself he tried to teach you about anger and hate, he explained to you how those people only saw you as an easy prey and taken advantage of you, and the more you deny it the more cruel he becomes with his words. He will only stop until you finally start hating those people or can't take it anymore, in any case his obsession will grow a little more, satisfied at some extent with the results (not matter how you react at the end, but he will feel bad if he end up making you feel sad) and yet this will only make his feel the need to protect you

Adam found incredibly interesting how weak your body is, he was intriged by it at first but it quickly start to be troubling for him because he hates the idea of you being in danger, he had grow to love you so much that everytime you got injured it bothers him in a way that he hates seeing you in pain, and since you are so weak and easy to get injured it reach a point where Adam can't just get away from you for so long because he start to feel anxious about you (even if you are with Eve he can't help but worry). As time pass by Adam will just end up keeping you by his side at all times, besides he loves having you around

Adam will not leave anyone have the oportunity to find, not matter if is an android or a machine, not even if is another human, whoever dares to even just get close to you is quickly vanished by him, Adam can't just take the risk of something happening to his precious little darling, or someone trying to ruin the image you have of him, he can't have that neither. However he prefer to don't be violent in front of you, and whenever he does he apologize to you for such horrifing show but it was necesary (sometimes he just ask Eve to do it, leaving him to have fun and do whatever he wants to the prey)

Adam is always gentle with you, with his touch and words, his protectiveness grows so much that it reach the point where he doesn't let you do almost anything, he does everything for you and is always by your side, he is taking care for you no matter what you two are doing and almost all the time he holds your hand and guides you, he sometimes even talks to you in a soft voice. Adam treats you like if you were a porcelain doll that could break at anytime, but he does it out of love

Adam is incredibly fascinated with humans, even with death (since he can't actually die), however the only thought of something happening to you and losing you terrified him to the point that he will rip apart in a second anything that can threat your life, without a doubt, even if that destroy his own body, he will find a solution later anyways (no matter if it was an accident or even if it was his brother, although he will just punish him because he still loves his brother)

Eve

Eve doesn't care much about you at first, for him it was enough having at his brother and meeting you wasn't a big deal (unless was his brother who introduced you to him), however he slowly start to show more and more interest on you because his brother is always busy, he slowly start to talk more about you and spend more time with you and yet it doesn't take much time for him to become completely obsessed with you

Eve likes your naive personality, he finds it rather interesting and adorable, Eve is a killing machine, he had born only to protect his brother from the androids, not that he mind but you are always so sweet and gentle with him, always asking for his opinion and hearing him carefuly, even when the smart one is his brother you even look up at him and can tell that you admire his strenght at some extent and that always makes his heart melt

As well, one of the things he loves the most of you is that you never say him no, his brother is too busy with those books and never had time for him even when he had eat all those apples, but you don't have the strength to say no even if you want, he doesn't notice when you aren't as interested or excited as him but it isn't like he mind it, he will just take your hand and drag you wherever he wants

Although, he has always been bother for how weak you are and how easy you get injured, he hates that whenever you two are hanging out or playing around most of the time you have to stop because you have hurt yourself, but he hates more seeing you in pain or being sad for being a burden to him, Eve always scold you and sometimes even raise his voice whenever you trip or get a little injured but seeing you sad by it aches his heart and end up apologizing, he always does the same and he always tell you to be more careful next time even when he knows that it would happen again because you can't help it

Eve doesn't think much of you being weak, and probably even clumsy, he just scold you like always, but something changes on him the first time he sees you seriously injured, seeing your human blood runs or your machine system exposed through an injury just trigger him in a way that nothing have done it before, not even with his brother, somehow it makes him realice how weak you actually are, how easily he could lose you and that makes him a little paranoid (and he will be even more worried if you are a human since Adam had already tell him that you probably are the only one of your kind that is still alive)

Suddenly Eve is reading and asking his brother all he can about medical information or engineering to be ready to any posibility that could happen, Eve is so scare that he gets completely ready to stop a bledding and treat a broken bone, or to assemble and change parts of your machine body (even if you are an android, he will find a way to get that information) because he is scare of something happening to you

You are his entire world, you and his brother are the only thing that matter to him, also Eve had born to protect and he is planning to do so, he isn't going to leave your side ever again, no matter where you go Even is following close behind, ready to protect you from anything and everything

Something else that will trigger him a lot is the fact that you have been taken advantage of in the past, when you tell him about your experiences he doesn't understand much at first and it has to be Adam who explain to him that those people just were playing with you for their selfish desires (because you decided to trust them and don't think bad of their actions) even if that means putting you in danger or even humiliating you, and Eve can't bare the thought of that happening to you, if those people are in this land you can be sure that he will hunt them down, if not he will hold that anger with him

From that day Eve just become fierce with wanting to protect you, he is always keeping you close to him and is trigger by every little posibility of threat, anyone who dares to comes close to you (that isn't his brother) is already a threaten for him, even if are docile machines they have to do as little as gently touch you for a moment for Eve to rip them apart and turn them into dust in a second, but he will try to hold back a little if it makes you uncomfortable or sad

Eve is dependent and desesperate, even when he is completely violent and doesn't hesitant in using anything to kill and destroy anything that can hurt you he still love you, when he is mad he can raise his voice and take your wrists pretty harsh but still is pretty obvious the fear that holds his voice or the tears that threaten to fall from his eyes everytime something happens to you, and even if it wasn't obvious enough his inmense fear and sadness it becomes even more obvious whenever he hugs you as if his life depended on it and his voice cracks while begging you to please don't leave him, he doesn't know what he will do if you leave him one day

And all of this only gets worst as he lose his brother, aside from you Adam was the only things for him, you and Adam were where he belongs and his only reason to be alive, but now that Adam isn't here his fear of losing you only increases, and his need to protect you too

Kokichi Ouma

Kokichi will never say that what he felt was something like love at first sight, although since the start he was immediatly atracted to you, he just knew you will be someone funny to mess with. It doesn't take him much time before he approach to you and introduce himself just as how it doesn't take him much time to notice how naive you are, however he will be kinda surprised and even distrust of you for that, you could easily be pretending and that is why Kokichi takes it as his personal goal find out whatever you are trying to hide

Kokichi feels an inmense curiousity that quickly grows as love and obsession without noticing, and, of course he deny it and even it frustrated him, he wants to be mad at you and he want to proof that your kind and naive personality is nothing more than a facade, so with that excuse in mind he justify to himself why he insist so much on being with you and wanting to know everything of you

As time pass and he gets to know you better is when he finally accept that you are being sincere with your innocence and naiveness, and it only take him a second to fall in love harder for you for it, he just adores so much how naive you are and he is going to take advantage of that

Kokichi is pretty possessive over you but don't like admiting it, he wants all your attention and take advantage of your naiveness to get it, saying a lot of jokes and always saying things that made he seen like an amazing and smart person person, someone funny and lovely tricking you on wanting to be with him all the time (trying to turn things so his need of having you near can go unnoticed at some extent). As well, he makes sure to win your fully trust to have a better control over you, making sure to been seen as the person you can trust the most and the only one you should trust, making sure you heard everything he say to you

Kokichi isn't just possessive, he is also dependent, he is easy to get jealous when you are spending time with others, feeling like them are trying to steal you from him, and, as well one the things Kokichi wants the most it is to be seen as funny for others and have fun so he is easily trigger whenever the good imagine you have of him is threatened or whenever you show a little bit of negative feelings towards him

Kokichi has no shame while taking advantage of your naiveness, however he doesn't want anyone else doing it, what lead him to be a little paranoid and protective over you, he is keeping a close eye to whoever dare to get close to you, even if you don't tell him he will, soon or later, find out about your bad past experiences with people who took advantage of you make him furious, you are just so inocent and sweet that it almost hurt knowing what happened to you, it even make him feel ashame of taking advantage of it too (but he swears that it was everything for innocent fun and to protect you), Kokichi is really mad about this but it would depend on you if he decides to take revenge over them, depending in your reaction to that situation and what they have done to you, it would be expressed as simple but cruel jokes to him going to Gonta or even Maki and convince them that those people are dangerous and a threaten for your safety so they would teach them a lesson

Kokichi probably make some jokes about how weak your body is and even when he laugh deep down he is terrified, at first he thought it was funny how this actually matches your personality but as the time pass and he realice that you are so weak that getting injured is a common thing for you he can't help but be scare, he had grow so dependent of you that whenever you are injured he feel like is the one that has being injured, but he won't show it, let alone in front of others

Kokichi makes sure to carry with him some band-aids and other things to help you with your injuries and always insist on taking care of them personaly, he always brush it off with jokes but in reality everytime it happens his heart race and he panics a little, he is the one treating your wounds as a way to calm down and try to convince himself that you are alright

Everytime you get a deep injury the worry is more obvious in his face, he doesn't have the head to try and hide it when he is panicing about your safety, you are the only important thing for him (even more than his orgsnization) and the thought of losing you scare the hell out of him. If someone dares to hurt you on purpose Kokichi will not doubt on take the matter in his hands a make that person pay for what they have done

Nagito Komaeda

Meeting Nagito is more probably to happen either by your hand or because of his luck and in any case he will imediatly put down himself, it doesn't even matter if you are talented or not because since the start Nagito can see that you are a hopeful person, what makes him grow obsessive pretty quickly

Nagito is convinced that you are a person who is destinated to bright with an inmense hope and, even when he see himself undeserving of even being in your presence he can't help but want to be around you, and he is really stubborn so he grows clingly pretty quickly

Nagito is really smart so it won't take him much time before understand your personality, naturaly naive and sweet and, in his eyes, that only makes you more hopeful, that naiveness only increases your bright hope making you even more perfect, for what it also make him even more unwhorthy, so for a while he will be stuck between wanting to go away from you because he probably will only bring you misfortune but at the same time he just grows more dependent of you, Nagito has lived all kind of terrifing events and someone like you, so sweet and naive, is all he needs what it lead to be even physicaly painfuly to be far from you. He will stuck between going away but being clingly at times and it won't stop until you reasure him that is okay for him to be around you (what will only feed his delusions and obsession with you, starting to actually believe that you are some kind of angel)

After meeting you Nagito's purpose on life is to help you reach the greatest hope, that is why for Nagito he is for you to use as you please and he doesn't hesitant on telling you so, but is more likely that you doesn't think much of it or that doesn't take it with the intensity he is expressing it, Nagito knows this, he is aware that you are too naive for all this mess but that is something that makes you special and he wants to protect that, Nagito doesn't take in consideration if this could bring you problems because in his mind he will be always there for you, to serve you and protect you, that is why he start to be overprotective over you, he doesn't let anyone try to corrupt your inocence

Nagito isn't an idiot, he know that people would try to take advantage of your naive personality and he wants to prevent that from happening, even when he knows that despair always brings a bigger hope the thought of you suffering from something so horrible as despair makes him feel sick, so when he gets to know that people used to take advantage of you (or even still do it) he is shocked, he take it as if he had failed you (even if he haven't met you yet at that moment), it would depend in how bad this have affected you to if he will try to take revenge on them, and probably have a mental breakdown over it (what, of course, will worsen his protectiveness)

He is already on the edge with you being in danger for your naive personality, but you also having a weak body only worsen his anxiety and worry for you, is already painfuly for him to see whenever you are sad or hurt (even if it is emotional), but being physicaly injured only make him worried sick, everytime he sees you with an injury, even a little scratch, he panics and the more it happens, the more little injuries you get, the worst he get, to the point that the fear of you dying doesn't let him sleep at night

Nagito end up trying to shield you from everything, it even reach a point where he is babying you, doing almost everything for you and walking in front of you to serve as a shield if something comes too close to you. People can thing that he is being overdramating but for him is the minimun he can do for you, and if it happen that you get injured because of his bad luck he will blame himself non stop, he will have a mental breakdown over it but one that not even you will be able to help him, he feels like he deserve to die for injuring you (even if is something small) but at the same time dying it would be a too pious of a fate for what he have done

Nagito is so on the edge, worring for your safety at all hours of the day that he, soon or later, will end up kidnapping you with the excuse of being the only safe option to asure your safety, and, even when he sees himself as nothing more than trash he will do everything in his power to assure your happines and help you bright in the biggest hope, he will investe every little thing he owns (even his life) on assuring your safety and happiness

Kazuichi Soda

For Kazuichi is love at first sight, since the first moment he lays his eyes on you he is completely mesmerize by your beauty, he feels his heart go faster and his cheeks warm and yet he is eager to aproach to you, Kazuichi tries really hard to aproach to you to be able to meet you

Kazuichi is pretty delusional, in Kazuichi's eyes you are the perfection itself, even before getting to know you and he treats you as royalty and he looks up at you as if you were an angel, and your naive and sweet personality only feeds that delusions. Even before getting to know you Kazuichi has the thought that you are pure and innocent, he sees you as incredibly pure so you actually so naive only confirms what he thought of you and even increase it, he thinks of you as an angel

Kazuichi is clingy and incredibly obsesive, is almost like he actually can't stay away from you because doesn't see why he should be away from you, even if you aren't physicaly there with him you never leave his mind and it could reach the point where if he spend much time away from you he can't even do his work for how much you are occupying his mind (not that he is complaining)

Also, Kazuichi slowly becomes more and more possessive and protective over you, is just that Kazuichi loves you too much that he hates when others are too close to you or when you put too much attention to others rather than him (he complains but never blames you), he slowly convice himself that he is the only one who can treat you the way you deserve to be treaten and that others can be a threaten, and he can't let you be in danger! Although, since he isn't too good at fighting he just opt to always be with you and save you from danger in different ways

Kazuichi already feels the need to protect you from anything and everything but getting to know about your past experiences with people that just wanted to take advantage of you make him furious, he knows pretty well how it is to be betrayed like that and it trouble him a lot that you had been through that too! (although, it may take him a little to comprehend how things were when you tell him about it, specially if you say that it was nothing), thanks to this Kazuichi grows a little paranoid, not wanting to let anyone get near you for fear of that person wanting to take advantage of your innocence, what lead him to monopolize you more and more with the excuse of protecting you

You being so weak has a doble efect on him, in one hand it only feeds his delusions of you being some kind of angel and only reasure him that you are one of a kind, completely perfect and special, but it also make him grows a little paranoid about your safety, fearing and thinking that everything can hurt you (what is only comfirmed by you being easily injured) and make him more and more possessive and protective, those ideas together leave him to reach the point where is practically babying you, doing everything for you (as long as you let him, or well, when you finally give up and leave him because he is stubborn and will never stop insisting)

At first he didn't thought much of your injuries, yes he worries about them and probably thinks that someone had hurt you on purpose, but if you reasure him or ask him to calm down he will do and try to don't think much about it (what is difficult for him since the thought of it just stucks in his mind), but at the more injuries you have his just patient runs out and is when he start to get paranoid, he has the need to protect you and since he is dependent of you he can't risk something happening to you!

Kazuichi grows wary of almost everyone and is quickly to confront anyone who do as much as push you, immediatly raising his voice and accusing that person of trying to hurt you and won't stop unless you insist enough (but he won't exactly calm down)

Kazuichi will never dare to lay his hand on you, if he ever hurts you intentionelly will only be in his worst nightmares (and even if it was a dream he feels guilt), he is always looking after your safety so if he ever end up hurting you by accident he freaks out imediatly, he is stuck between feeling like the worst person in the world, feeling like he doesn't deserve forgiveness, and don't really understanding or accepting that it was him who hurt you and try to find a culprit, although his reaction will depend in how bad he had hurt you, the worst the injury is the worst he react

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badbatchposts · 11 months ago

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Quiet Corners of the Galaxy

Happy Bad Batch Eve! I'm obsessed with the new season but the content isn't coming out fast enough so I felt like I needed to write my own.

Tech's not dead and Crosshair rejoins the team partway through Season 2 after Mayday's death rather than being imprisoned by the Empire, but this is otherwise canon-compliant. No Season 3 spoilers.

Fic Summary: While on a routine mission for Cid, the Bad Batch encounter a woman fleeing from the Empire. Crosshair suspects her seemingly free-spirited, nomadic existence is actually a cover for something else, but struggles to keep his attraction toward her in check as their personalities and ideals clash.

Chapters posted 1-2x weekly!

Chapter One

“We will be landing on the outskirts of the city ruins shortly. Scanners indicate that it is abandoned, but there is an Imperial outpost located ten klicks East, in the next valley over. This should be a relatively simple operation: make our way to the city center, locate the cargo, and return to the Marauder.” Tech was at the controls of the ship as usual, setting them down in an open, overgrown area where the ruins of the city—little more than rubble and scrap now, haphazardly heaped stoneworks and scorched earth where once there had been homes, streets, marketplaces—were fewer and further between. The remaining members of the squad did their final checks of their equipment, adjusting armor and securing weapons as the hatch hissed open. Wrecker was the first out.

“Woah. What happened here?” The largest member of the squad looked around incredulously. The destruction was not recent; a thick layer of soot, grime, and overgrown weeds was evidence of the neglect that the ruins had been left to. It did not seem that anyone was deeply interested in rebuilding.

Tech had the answer, as always. “A particularly destructive battle toward the end of the war. The city was occupied by Separatist forces. Citizens who were unable to evacuate before the droids moved in were held in a makeshift camp on the North side of town. Luckily, this means that many of them made it out alive once the Republic regained the territory. Their homes…were less lucky.”

Crosshair, Hunter, and Echo followed the pair down the ramp. “What cargo could there even be left to recover in all this?” Crosshair asked skeptically. His voice, as usual, dripped equal parts disdain and boredom.

“Cid’s intel says mostly expensive droid parts,” Echo intervened. “The town had a factory. When the Separatists occupied it, they planned to begin shipping the parts off-world to help with production of their army. The Republic moved in too quickly for them; the factory was destroyed, but the crates were being housed underground awaiting cataloging. As far as Cid’s source knows, they’re still there.”

Hunter looked thoughtful. “Anything to worry about with that Imperial outpost, Tech?”

“Doubtful,” the other replied, examining his datapad. “The cargo is not significant enough to merit their attention, and forces are largely dedicated to patrolling a nearby spaceport, where it would seem most of the refugees have relocated.”

Hunter nodded seriously. “Alright then. Crosshair, get a good vantage point on the hilltop where you can keep an eye on us and any activity from the outpost coming our way. Everybody else, let’s locate that cargo.”

Their forces divided, the rest of the squad beginning to pick their way among the ruins toward the city center, while the slender sniper hiked in the opposite direction. The hills were dotted with trees—not heavily forested, but enough cover for him to dig in and wait. Soon, he crested the peak, settling in at a good vantage point where he could watch the outpost in the middle distance through his scope. Activities at the facility were regular and rhythmic; troopers on patrol, units coming and going from the nearby spaceport. Nothing extraordinary.

“In position. All clear,” he reported over his comm.

“Acknowledged,” came Hunter’s reply. With any luck, the others would retrieve the cargo within a number of hours. He waited, patient and disinterested. He was good at waiting.

Some time later, his comm crackled to life again with a status update. “Cargo located.” It was his turn to acknowledge their progress. For a brief moment, he thought idly about whether he preferred missions like this one—smooth, uncomplicated, if a little boring—or those where everything seemed to go right to shit. At least, he smirked to himself wryly, the latter required more significant use of his skills.

When he heard the screeching sound of failing engines and saw the dark plume of smoke trailing behind the ship on its downward trajectory, all he could think was that the galaxy must have been listening in on him.

It crashed down northeast of his position, the impact of the wreckage echoing out across the valley. The response on his comm came through almost immediately.

“What the hell was that, Crosshair?”

“Downed Imperial shuttle. Drawing attention from the outpost now. Get moving.”

“Well, with any luck that’ll keep them occupied long enough for us to get outta here. Stay outta sight,” Hunter replied. Crosshair shifted his scope from the troopers mobilizing at the outpost toward the crash site, just in time to see a woman emerge from the ship, coughing in the smoke. He had expected a detachment of troopers to come stumbling from the wreckage, not a lone woman. She was human, silver haired, staring back at the shuttle with a look halfway between rage and despair. She slammed her fist against the ship’s hull in frustration, and he smirked a little as she winced, rubbing her hand in pain. She ducked back into the ship, emerging momentarily, pulling a poncho over her head as she strapped a blaster to her hip and pulled on a pack.

He scanned the area around her as she began marching south from the crash, glancing furtively in all directions. She was heading on a trajectory that would intersect any moment with two troopers on speeder bikes. She was moving too slowly, limping a little. This should be interesting, he thought dryly. He was sure the Empire were very welcoming to unauthorized crash landings of stolen shuttles near their facilities.

When the woman and the troopers came face to face, he could only imagine the dialogue accompanying the silent pageant he could see through his scope. The woman slowly raised both hands, throwing a flattering, charming smile at the troopers. She thought she could talk her way out of it, he reasoned. So the flash of the blaster bolt caught him by surprise when she snaked one of her hands behind her head, grabbing a concealed weapon off her shoulder, and fired off a shot.

“Is that blaster fire, Crosshair?!” Hunter demanded over the comm.

“Not mine,” he replied calmly.

“Then who?!”

The round had caught one of the troopers in the chest, toppling him off the speeder bike. The woman took advantage of the confusion to dive for cover behind a tree, exchanging fire with the remaining trooper. What she couldn’t see, of course, were the other half dozen Imperials making their way toward her position. Any moment now, she’d be surrounded.

“Status?” Crosshair queried over the comm.

“Making our way back to the Marauder.”

The woman managed to get a good shot in on the remaining trooper, and he toppled to the ground. However, just as she made a dash for the speeder bikes, two green bolts flashed by, wrecking her getaway vehicles and forcing her to dive once more, losing the smaller blaster. She recovered quickly, unholstering the larger piece at her hip and taking shots at the oncoming troopers as she ran for cover again. It was pointless, he thought. She didn’t stand much chance of escape, alone, on foot. Not this close to the outpost.

From his vantage point, he could see the troopers fanning out, boxing her in. She had the hillside to her back; the elevation would slow down her retreat, even if she could keep up enough cover fire to out-maneuver the speeder bikes. And—the only part that mattered to him—she ran the risk of drawing Imperial attention to the adjoining valley before they finished loading up the marauder.

However, before he could further consider the implications of her retreat, he saw her move to fire off another shot from around her cover. In the brief moment she was exposed, a blaster bolt from one of the troopers clipped her side, propelling her forcefully to the ground. She was close enough for him to hear her strangled cry at the hit, echoing out against across the valley. She scrabbled backwards in the dirt, blaster thrown out of reach. One of the troopers swung off his speeder bike, approaching her slowly as he took aim. They weren’t planning on taking her prisoner. He couldn’t hear whatever words they exchanged, just see the snarl on the woman’s face before her features calmed, peaceful, as she closed her eyes before the inevitable.

Crosshair dispatched the trooper closest to her, expertly, just before the Imperial could squeeze to pull the trigger. He followed it up with three more in rapid succession, the troopers falling dead before they could hope to locate the sniper’s position or find cover. The final two, he saw with some surprise, were caught off guard by the woman, who had managed to crawl over to her lost blaster in the confusion.

She was attempting to limp her way over to one of the abandoned speeder bikes when he caught up to her.

“Stay back,” she warned him, eyes glinting as she aimed her blaster at him.

“Are you even sure you could ride one of those things by yourself right now?” He drawled back at her.

“Of course I can,” she snapped. As if to prove it to him, she gripped the handle of the first one she came to with her left hand, knuckles white, right hand steady as she kept her blaster trained on his chest. She swung her leg and mounted the bike. He watched her grip on the handle loosen as the shock and pain caught up to her, her eyes rolling back in her head as she collapsed.

Next Chapter

#the bad batch #star wars #clone wars fanfiction #clone force 99 #bad batch #the bad batch fanfiction #tbb crosshair #clone trooper crosshair #crosshair x oc

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nerdraging4point0 · 10 months ago

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Scorpion and the Scales // Chapter Ten // PolyAU

Tropes and Tags: why choose romance, MF, MFM, MFMM, instalove, too much sex, tattooed musicians, polyverse, friends to lovers.

Content warning: 18+ only minors DNI. PinV, PinA, oral (f!recieveing, m!recieving), threesomes, light BDSM, voyeurism, exhibitionism, partner sharing, jealousy, angst.

Taglist(click to be added): @ladyveronikawrites @synthetic-wasp-570 @beaker1636 @thesazzb @itsjustemily @vinyardmauro @circle-with-me @tearfallpixie @poisongirl616 @shilohrosechicken @th0ughts-pr4yers @meliferafaerie @letmeadoreyoux @latenightmusiclover @transparentwitchnightmare @cookiesupplier @concreteemo @emofangirl02 @rumoured-whispers @somebodyels3 @jakeygvf21 @dominuslunae @sunsshinesunny @jilliemiw86 @h0rr0rqu3en @yournecessaryevil @bloody-delusion-expert @mortallyuniquepeach @missduffsblog @cncohshit

Seven AM and I feel like it's too early for this.

My body is still buzzing from the quickie Chris and I shared just a few hours ago. He had surprised me by arriving in Denver a day early, unable to wait any longer before seeing me. We had planned to simply meet at the airport to catch our flight together to Los Angeles. I clocked out of work early, verified my vacation time and spent the night wrapped in his arms, making up for lost time.

For the first time in ages both Noah and Chris weren’t out touring somewhere halfway across the country or world from me, and I was taking every advantage. A whole week in Los Angeles, just the three of us.

Chris stood nervously behind me in the airport security line, fidgeting with his clothes and bouncing from foot to foot. He hated to fly and I knew his anxiety was in overdrive. I turned around and took his hand, pulling him into my arms. Even without shoes, he towered over me as I stood on my tiptoes to give him a soft, reassuring kiss. We stepped up to the security scanner and I breezed through, the green light flashing to indicate I was clear. Chris started to follow but was stopped by the attendant.

“Sir, your hat,” she said politely, gesturing to the cap sitting atop his faded purple locks. He sighed, quickly glancing around before reluctantly removing the hat and handing it over. She rolled it between her hands, almost curiously, before returning it. Chris hunched his shoulders, trying to hide the unusual hair color that he was still keeping secret from fans. I couldn’t help but giggle as the attendants stared at his purple hair, making him even more self-conscious. “You can put it back on after you go through the scanner,” the attendant assured him, handing back the hat.

He stepped through and the green light signaled he was free to proceed. Chris hastily jammed the cap back on his head, concealing the dull purple hair that he was clearly not yet ready to reveal publicly.

We gathered our things from the conveyor belt and headed to the gate, settling into our seats as we waited patiently for our flight. I rested my head on Chris's shoulder, hoping to catch some extra sleep before takeoff. But my phone buzzed with a new notification and I smiled to myself, thinking it could only be one person—Noah. Opening the screen, it wasn't who I expected. Instead of Noah's name hovering over my text box, it was my boss Laura with an urgent "Call me, please." I dialed her number quickly, thinking there must be something wrong—maybe issues with lab results or a broken machine that needed replacing. I was on vacation and shouldn't be dealing with work matters, but I tried to be helpful when I could.

Laura answered after two rings with her usual professional greeting. "Hey Laura, it's Eve." I licked my dry lips, trying to prepare for what she might say.

"I understand you're on vacation and I hate to do this now, but it's been decided unanimously by the supervisors that we are terminating your employment, effective immediately." My heart dropped and I felt the color drain from my face, my mouth hanging open in shock. My stomach knotted like I might be sick. I couldn't speak—I didn't even know what to say if I could. Laura continued, "In the last few months you've taken a lot of time off..."

I found my voice again and cut her off. "All of which was approved vacation time."

"Yes, but it's been a distraction to other employees nonetheless. I understand you'll be on vacation this next week, but when you return I'll need your keys and badge left at the front desk. Your belongings will be packed for you to pick up."

I feel utterly defeated and dejected, unable to muster a response or plea as I received the dreaded news that I had been let go from my job. The abruptness of the call left me reeling, struggling to process the sudden loss of my livelihood. As the phone slips from my limp grasp, a wave of despair washes over me. My mind races ahead to the implications - how will I pay rent that is due next week without my usual paycheck that I had been depending on? Where will I find another job quickly enough to avoid falling behind on my other financial obligations? My thoughts spiral into darkness as the full weight of my new reality sinks in. I feel rudderless, cast adrift with no clear path forward and no idea how I will keep my life afloat. I sink into the chair, the soft leather offering little comfort. I feel lost in a haze, unable to cry or speak, just staring blankly ahead as the terminal bustles around me oblivious to my suffering. Chris gently tucks my hair behind my ear, voice full of concern and care as they try to meet my vacant eyes. But I cannot respond, still stunned into silence and immobilized by the news that my world has just been upended.

The boarding call for our flight crackles over the airport intercom, the gate agent's voice announcing that first class passengers are now welcome to board. Chris gently nudges my arm, his calm voice breaking through my anxious haze.

"Pumpkin, we gotta go." I rise unsteadily to my feet, my legs trembling beneath me like a newborn foal's. Chris's strong arm wraps around my shoulders, steadying me. "Easy, baby. Take it easy," he murmurs. We shuffle towards the gate, and I grip my carry-on bag with white knuckles as the agent scans our boarding passes. Crossing the jet bridge, I feel completely overwhelmed and disoriented. The dull roar of the idling plane engines reverberates through the tunnel, mingling with the clicks and beeps of equipment being loaded into the cargo hold. As we step into the hushed, plush cabin, the flight attendants greet us with practiced smiles. Chris gently takes my bag from my numb fingers.

"Sit down, baby. I got this," he says softly, stowing my things in the overhead bin. I sink into the buttery leather seat, drawing my knees to my chest and slipping off my shoes. My heart pounds as the reality of leaving everything I know behind finally hits me. In just a few hours, my old life will be thousands of miles away.

A few hours of a quiet tearful flight later I am moving through LAX headed to baggage claim with Chris taking long strides behind me to keep up. Noah stands there waiting for us, shades and ballcap on, solid black ensemble covering his obvious tattoos helping him blend into the crowd.

I force myself into his arms pushing him back, hearing an ‘oof’ as I hit his chest and wrap my arms around him. New tears poured out of my eyes. He wraps his arms around me, a hand resting at the top of my head.

“They fired her, just before we boarded our flight this morning.” Chris explains and I feel Noah’s grip tighten. “I’m heading to get the bags.” Chris disappears to our carousel to grab the rest of our things while I sob into Noah’s chest.

“Easy, swertheart. I got you. I’m here.” With puffy red eyes and tear-stained cheeks, I cling desperately to Noah in the bustling airport, seeking comfort and stability after the tumultuous events of the morning. Tucked under his arm and Chris right at my back we head out to the thick air to the parking garages.

The humid air clung to us as we made our way across the parking garage, the pungent smell of gasoline and damp concrete filling my nose. Chris walked closely behind me, protective and alert, while Noah led the way to where he had parked the sleek black BMW he had rented for the week. Despite the melancholy that still clung to me, I couldn't help but smile when I saw the luxury vehicle, its polished paint gleaming under the fluorescent lights. When Noah popped the trunk, I instinctively moved to grab my suitcase from Chris so I could load it myself, but he swiftly rolled it out of my reach.

"Nu uh," he chided gently.

"Not today, princess," Noah added with a playful slap on my ass. "Get in the car, we got this."

The freeway and tall buildings pass by in a blur as I alternate from watching the scenery and seeing my two boys conversing in the front seat about their shared memories from venues they both performed at. Chris at some point took off his hat running a hand through the faded locks before putting it back on, Noah chiding that he needed to fix it, he looked ridiculous. The teasing between them was adorable and it lifted my spirits.

At this point I knew the way to Noah’s like my own home, so when we missed the exit I sat up with a little unease.

“Noah, we missed the exit.” I say pointing back to where we should be going.

“Not yet, baby. Have a surprise planned for today.”

As we drive along the coast, the late afternoon sun glints off the waves rolling gently onto the sand. Noah maneuvers the sedan expertly down Culver Boulevard, past the quirky shops and cafes. I gaze out at the funky murals and street art that give this part of LA its eclectic vibe. As we approach the freeway overpass, the road curves and merges seamlessly into Lincoln Boulevard. Up ahead I can see the iconic lifeguard towers and palm trees swaying over Venice Beach.

Noah glances at me in the rearview mirror and I give him a little smile. As we get closer to the ocean, I can't wait any longer. I roll down the window and breathe in deeply, letting the salty sea air wash over me. It's refreshing and energizing. I rest my cheek on my folded arms and let my hair blow freely in the breeze. With my eyes closed, I can almost taste the briny tang on my lips. I lose myself for a moment in the sound of the crashing waves.

We pull into the pier deck parking lot and I can already see bustling crowds of people headed to the pier. The sound of seagulls and waves crashing against the shore fills the air as families, couples, and groups of friends make their way eagerly toward the attractions. I can see the towering ferris wheel looming over the boardwalk, its brightly colored cars circling slowly as riders take in the stunning views of the ocean and coastline. I am absolutely dying to get on it next. The three of us pile out of the car, Noah's hands resting gently on my shoulders as we wait for Chris to gather his things. He tucks his phone into his pocket and opens the back of the trunk, rummaging around to find his suitcase.

"Didn't expect beach day," he murmurs, searching through his cosmetics bag until he finds his sunscreen. He rubs it thoroughly onto his face, applying just a little more to his fingers before coming over to me and gently massaging it into my nose and cheeks. He places a soft kiss on my forehead when he's done, a sweet and caring gesture.

Noah locks up the car wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me to his side. I look over my shoulder to see Chris towering just behind me a reassuring smile and a wink before throwing on his own sunglasses and popping a piece of gum into his mouth.

The delicious aromas of sizzling burgers and shrimp wafting through the seaside air make my empty stomach growl impatiently. Noah notices my hungry gaze wandering toward the restaurants, looking around over his shoulder as he drags us back to a restaurant we passed a few steps back.

Seaside on the pier is beautiful with cute whicker chairs and tables inside the dining room for a relaxed feel. The breezy, nautical decor provides a perfect complement to the views of the sparkling ocean just outside. Noah gets us a seat on the upper balcony so we can all still see the ocean and hear the commotion outside - seagulls calling, waves crashing, families laughing. Perched above the boardwalk, we have a prime vantage point to gaze out over the water.

As I eagerly peruse the menu at the beachside cafe, I grow concerned that there may not be many vegan-friendly options for Chris. I'm not entirely sure if Noah is aware of Chris' dietary restrictions, but thankfully when the server arrives, Chris orders the pier vegan burger and fries without hesitation.

Meanwhile, Noah opts for the classic fish and chips plate, while I practically salivate reading the description of the fish tacos and cannot wait to devour them. We finish our seaside lunch and immediately head for the bustling boardwalk arcade nearby. After an hour or so of intense competition on the quarter games, we decide to move down the boardwalk towards the towering ferris wheel. While waiting in line, Noah spots a nearby funnel cake vendor and buys an oversized plate piled high with the powdered sugar-dusted fried dough.

He playfully pinches off a bite-sized piece and taps my cheek, signaling for me to open my mouth so he can gently place the sweet, decadent morsel on my eager tongue. As I savor the treat, something in Noah's expression shifts ever so slightly as he glances over at Chris. When I turn to see what has caught his attention, I notice the flame in the glass-encased candle tattooed on Chris' neck flicker subtly in sync with his throat muscles tensing as he swallows hard.

As we step into the gently swaying ferris wheel car, I nestle close to Noah, feeling his strong arm wrap around my shoulders. I kick off my sandals and curl my feet into Chris's lap, leaning my head against Noah's chest as the car begins its ascent. A hush falls over us as we rise higher and higher above the sandy beach, the crowds and noise fading into silence. Through the window I watch the people below shrink smaller and smaller, becoming mere dots on the landscape. Up here, it's just the three of us suspended in the sky, with nothing but the whispers of wind and the slow revolution of the wheel. Noah's heartbeat thrums steadily under my ear while Chris's fingers trace idle patterns on my bare ankles. We don't need to speak; the quiet companionship and closeness is enough.

After a few more revolutions, the ride attendant helps us out of the car. Noah stops by a souvenir vendor purchasing a few more gifts, teasing it will be great to bring back for Nick who is all the way back home in Virginia. As we wait for him to wrap up Chris pulls me in, wrapping his arms around my waist and interlocking our fingers as his head rests on my shoulder.

“How are you feeling, pumpkin?” he asks, placing a small kiss on my neck.

“Better.” I offer. He hums in response.

“Anything I can do?” I shake my head as Noah approaches us again, my eyes scan the boardwalk and I spot the perfect photo backdrop - the ferris wheel looming colorful behind us, the sun melting into a pool of pink and orange on the horizon. I flag down a passerby and ask if she can take a photo of the three of us. Noah and Chris stand on either side of me, their arms encircling my waist. I wrap my arms around them in return, pulling us together. As the camera shutter clicks, our smiles reflect the warmth and joy of this perfect beachside evening spent with my two favorite people in the world.

Chris’s POV

As we drove down the freeway late at night, the city lights zooming past in a blur, I glanced over at Eve in the backseat. Her face was illuminated by the bright screen of her phone as she furiously typed out text after text, her thumbs flying across the keyboard. I wondered who she was messaging so intensely, especially with both me and Noah in the car with her. Noah kept his eyes steadily on the road ahead as he drove us back to his house, the long day finally catching up with us. Our bodies were drained and our stomachs pleasantly full after Noah had taken us all around the city, stopping at the best hidden gem restaurants and little shops.

While we were at dinner, I had taken a moment to shoot a quick message to my friend Susie, who helps me manage a rental property I own back home. A few years back, I had leased a couple apartments in a building, using one unit for visiting friends and family. But with several new Airbnbs popping up in the area lately, my extra apartment hadn't been getting much use. I texted Susie asking about the condition of the vacant unit, and she replied saying it was in desperate need of a deep clean and some updated decor. I immediately started pinning ideas on Pinterest, sending them over to Susie and urging her to spruce up the space.

I hadn’t mentioned it to her before, but I had thoughts about her moving in with me, just wasn’t sure how to approach her about it. Now, with the loss of her job, I hoped to offer her the apartment as soon as it was fixed up. I hadn't mentioned anything to Eve yet though. After my last communication blunder involving her and Noah, I knew I needed to discuss the idea with Noah first this time, before saying anything to Eve.

We wind through the Hollywood hills, the road snaking back and forth as our car climbs higher. The houses begin to thin out and get further apart. I crane my neck back to look in the backseat and see Eve has her head resting on her hand, her eyes closed as she fights sleep. The smooth motion of the car is gently rocking her. Outside my window, the view opens up to showcase the sprawling city below, its lights twinkling in the dusky evening. After a few more turns, we end up in what I assume is Noah's driveway. His house is modern and sleek, all sharp angles and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the glittering metropolis. It looks expensive, like the type of luxury home only a movie star could afford. I look left and right at his neighbors' houses. They all have high fences and perfectly manicured yards - not one matching the style of another. It's so different from the east coast and the rows of colonial homes that are carbon copies of one another, with matching white siding and black shutters. Out here, each mansion seems intent on outdoing the next with its unique architecture and lavish details. The Mediterranean-style villas we passed earlier are now far below, their orange tile roofs standing out among the jumble of steel and glass in this exclusive neighborhood high in the Hollywood hills. Noah's house is the most striking yet, looming large with its concrete and steel construction perched precipitously on the hillside.

Noah helps with the bags as I pick up Eve following him through the door, carrying her through the front door like she is my new bride on our honeymoon. Her eyes turn to the entryway and she squeals in my arms tightening her own around my neck like a boa. As I step over the threshold into the expansive open concept living room, Eve gasps and squeezes me even tighter, her excitement palpable. The space is modern and luxurious, with huge glass pane balconies that flood the room with natural light. My eyes are immediately drawn to the far wall, which is dominated by an enormous flat screen TV that looks like it was built right into the wall itself. But the true showstopper is the gigantic circular bed that sits prominently in the middle of the room, draped in neutral linens and piled high with plush pillows. It looks like something out of a fancy hotel suite, big enough for a whole family to comfortably lounge.

Eve is utterly enthralled, still clinging to me as her wide eyes dart around the room, taking it all in. "Do you like it?" Noah asks, though the answer is clear from Eve's overjoyed reaction.

She nods her head sliding from my grip to run over to the oversized bed that easily envelops her as she jumps into the soft duvet and pillows squealing.

“What’s this?” I stand perplexed, having assumed I would retire separately to the guest room for the night. But Noah's sly grin and conspiratorial pat on the back imply he has other plans in mind.

“Sleepover. That’s what.”

#bad omens fic #bad omens fanfic #bad omens fanfiction #bad omens rpf #noah sebastian fic #bad omens smut #noah sebastian smut #Chris Motionless fic #Chris Motionless smut #ricky olson smut #ricky olson fic #miw band #miw #chris motionless #chrismotionlessfanfic #motionless in white fanfiction #motionless in white smut #polyverse

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itsstraykids · 1 year ago

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🗡🖤☠️ / 🌸💕🎀 the duality of changbin for @changbeens (zoom in for details)

Ho ho ho!🎄🎁 I'm sorry to inform you that even though today (christmas eve) is in fact my birthday, i am not actually han seungwoo. I AM your secret santa though! Hope you like this gift--since i'm not a digital artist, i actually made this in real life out of (mostly) skz album scans. and brought it to fedex for the world to see because my scanner wasn't big enough 😅

as we know, changbin's duality is no joke so i tried my best to capture his emo/soft boi dynamics. it was super fun to make, and it was also really fun getting to know you over the past few weeks! wishing you and yours a very merry christmas! - ur secret santa ✨💝

#stayblrsecretsanta23 #createskz #staysource #stray kids #skz #changbin #seo changbin #art #my art #stayblrsecretsanta2023

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doahaesunshine · 4 months ago

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Chapter 12

Chapter WC: 2576

Tags

The frog, the frog, the frog.

Master List | Prev | Next

July 15

Twenty-eight weeks and two days…

Any sane individual would have given up and moved on by now, but Seungcheol’s sanity was slipping. He would never admit that his determination had bordered on full blown paranoia and it didn’t go unnoticed.

It started back in January when he refused to attend the funeral. He didn’t see a point in seeing an empty casket get lowered into the ground, even if his family begged him. They meant well – and Seungcheol knew this – but no amount of closure or peace was going to stop him from searching.

After he had confronted his friend’s father about staging a suicide, Seungcheol was filled with endless questions. First of all, why was the father okay with staging the scene? Next, why was there no body? And finally, what the fuck does ‘you don’t understand the forces at play’ mean?

The majority of Seungcheol’s free time was spent scrounging up any information at the town library. He started practical, digging up every missing persons case in town via the library’s digital scanners, but the only person in the local news was Seokmin Lee, the first friend he lost. Another article mentioned an unusual earthquake that nearly wiped out the town, the natural disaster causing the river’s current to shift and strengthen.

Seungcheol turned away from the scanners and moved onto the computers. The public databases would offer more than local news. Missing persons cases were plentiful, but the added detail of it being on Christmas Eve helped narrow it down greatly. Four years ago in New York, a young man by the name of Vernon Chwe went missing in the city. His little sister said that he went to hang out with some friends and he never came back home. The poor family thought he ran away, he was only 21.

On the other coast there was an incident in Los Angeles, California that took place on Christmas Eve 2014. A married couple were found dead in their estate; they had a son, Joshua Hong, but his body was never found. The police concluded that it was a robbery gone wrong and the family suffered because of it, none of the suspects were found guilty.

There were a few other missing persons during the month, but reports the day of Christmas Eve only happened every two years. Seungcheol saw a pattern the more he researched, the only problem was what he was going to do with that information. They were all freak accidents or people disappearing into thin air. He had a foolish thought, one that would end up in nothing, but his curiosity had to be satisfied.

Seungcheol opened up a new tab and searched local urban legends. The first link was a forum dedicated to his small town, but everyone had an online tag or was anonymous so none of the names were familiar.

its.ya.boi.19 : Some people said they’ve seen a woman walking on the bridge alone at night. They said she dresses in all white and lures any men that come across her. I think she drowns them… Hi~Welcome2Chilis : I heard it was a man Dr.Pepe : Sounds like bullshit ur.mom.rated.E.4.everyone : I think its legit. I saw something on the bridge at midnight. But it didn’t look like a person… Dr.Pepe : That’s so stupid. ur.mom.rated.E.4.everyone : No! Think about it! MERMAIDS Hi~Welcome2Chilis : It’s a river… the_G.O.A.T_69 : i mean times are changing. what if they moved to the rivers because of pollution??? Dr.Pepe : Do you proofread your posts? the_G.O.A.T_69 : i don’t need to “proofread” and i believe the guy. you ever hear of sirens?

Mermaids? Sirens? What even was a siren?

Seungcheol returned to the search bar and typed in: What is a siren?

He pulled up the Wikipedia page and read through it.

In Greek Mythology, a Siren is a human-like being with an alluring voice. Old stories tell of Sirens luring sailors to their deaths by attracting them with the Siren’s song. Sailors became enthralled, steering their ships onto rocky shores resulting in a shipwreck and the crew's demise.

A mythological creature? Ghosts were one thing, but fish people who lured humans to their death by singing? Inconceivable.

So here Seungcheol was, walking along the bridge at nearly midnight, waiting to see if anyone would show up. The fairy lights were gone, only the dull yellow street lamps lit the path, making it difficult to see out into the water. A chilled breeze blew past Seungcheol causing a shiver to go down his spine, he should have worn a coat.

He stopped in the middle of the bridge and checked his phone, the time was midnight on the dot. Lifting his head from the device he looked around, scanning the area to see if anyone had appeared. Nobody was here but him, not surprising…

Sighing deeply, he grasped onto the railing of the bridge and looked out into the dark, murky water. He chuckled at his own stupidity.

“God, I’m an idiot… Maybe I really have tipped over the edge.”

He stretched his back and with an exhale, he stood up straight from the railing. A big yawn escaped him, strong enough to make him squeeze his eyes shut and when he opened them, he saw a figure. He blinked his eyes in disbelief, but no matter how many times he closed and reopened his eyes, the figure was still there. Seungcheol was no longer alone on this bridge.

Just as the forum described, a woman, or man, Seungcheol couldn’t tell from this distance, wearing all white. At first he thought the person was wearing a sheer outfit, but as he focused on the figure he saw that their legs faded into nothing. A ghost. Great, this is exactly what he needed right now.

Slowly, Seungcheol approached them, not wanting to scare the spirit. As he approached the figure, more details came into view. Their hair was a dark blue, almost black and their skin was fair with a slight glimmer, but that could be from the fact that this person was see through. Once Seungcheol was within reaching distance, the white cloaked figure gracefully turned their head to him.

They were beautiful. Long, elegant features were perfectly sculpted, creating a face that anyone would be charmed by. Their eyes were a deep blue, akin to the midnight sky and Seungcheol found himself getting lost for a moment.

“You can see me?”

The figure’s lips did not move but a calmly, modulated voice eased into Seungcheol’s mind. He flinched as it breached his senses but he stood his ground.

“Am I not supposed to?” Seungcheol asked, not knowing what else to say.

The spirit mildly smiled as a small laugh rang through.

“That means I was successful…”

Seungcheol cocked a brow at the statement. “Successful? What do you mean by that?

“I wished to communicate with this side of things and here I am.”

As amazing as this interaction was, and even though Seungcheol was thoroughly enthralled by this individual, he knew gawking wasn’t going to get him any answers.

“I want to ask you something…”

There was no response, but the spirit gave Seungcheol their full attention.

“Are you a Siren?”

Another laugh bled its way into Seungcheol’s mind.

“No, I am not a Siren… I am a Diviner.”

“You’re saying that as if I know what you are talking about-”

“All of you humans have such a funny way of speaking. You sound just like the others.”

“Others?” Seungcheol’s interest was piqued, but he was so confused and didn’t have any idea what was going on or why this was happening.

“This river must have some sort of connection to the Arcane. It keeps pulling people in and the Weave led me here.”

“Arcane. Weave. Things I do not know. Please speak in words I understand…”

Another pleasant smile spread across their delicate features.

“You really do talk just like them…”

Seungcheol huffed out a deep sigh. “Please stop being so cryptic. I came here looking for answers about my friends. If you know so many humans then maybe you know Seokmin or Y/N. Those names ring any bells?”

The spirit’s face softened, their eyes turned solemn and their smile disappeared. Anyone would be able to read that expression, this Diviner knew something.

“If you know something, please tell me. Both of them are my friends, my family .”

“Oh-” The raven haired figure turned their gaze away. “You must be Cheolie…”

Seungcheol’s eyes widened, tears threatening to fall as he furrowed his brow. “How-” His throat started to constrict as the tears started streaming. “How do you know that name- My name?”

The spirit gingerly reached out to Seungcheol, but flinched as something else caught their attention.

“Shit…” They said under their breath. “I have to go now- Return to this spot when the moon is full. I’ll have more time then- I promise.” Their image began to flicker.

“Wait! The next full moon- I don’t even know your name!”

“It’s Minghao…”

After the name was uttered, the image of the white-clad spirit dissipated and Seungcheol was left with hundreds of questions. If he was being honest with himself he didn’t even believe that any of that really happened. A ghost on the bridge? That could not have been real, but the spirit, Minghao, spoke to him.

Seungcheol looked up at the night sky to gaze upon the moon. It was crescent shaped, but it was only a sliver. He unlocked his phone quickly and went to the browser search bar and typed: When is the next full moon?

The phone screen read August 1st.

On the bright side, he had sixteen days to compile a list of questions. But holy shit sixteen days seemed so long when you had to wait on someone else's behalf.

Morning approached faster than Seungcheol expected, the insomnia stunting his sleep and causing him to stay up countless nights. In total he slept two hours last night and was suffering, but it was nothing coffee couldn’t help. Besides he was on a mission and it started with meeting up with his friend’s father.

There was a local old-fashioned diner that served breakfast, Seungcheol decided that if he was going to bombard his friend’s father with questions, he may as well treat him to good food. Thankfully, the diner was mostly empty, save for a few regulars and the occasional commuter looking for a quick cup of coffee.

Sitting by the window, Seungcheol observed the people passing by on the street while spacing out. The past few interactions with his friend’s father had been strained to say the least. There were so many questions in Seungcheol’s mind already and the added confusion of ‘ You don’t understand the forces at play’ made his head hurt. The last time Seungcheol saw the man he was told to ‘not go looking for trouble’ but Seungcheol was a magnet for trouble. Being the oldest of his former friend group, he was in charge of keeping the others out of trouble but that meant he knew where to find it as well.

“How’s it going, kid?” The usually chipper voice of his friend’s fathers voice was now somber.

“I’m doing fine…”

A long sigh left the man’s lips. “You don’t have to lie to me, Cheol.”

Silence filled the space between the two men, the only words spoken were their orders and nothing else. When the food was served, the waitress could tell the tension was high so after placing the dishes down she bolted. Eating was easier than talking, especially when the food was good.

“I know you didn’t invite me out for breakfast, Cheol…”

Seungcheol looked up from his plate. “I’m not trying to hide that fact.” He placed his fork down to sip from his coffee. “I just want to know what happened…” Leaning in, he lowered his voice. “I know they didn’t kill themself…”

There was a moment of pause. “Seungcheol…”

“Please just tell me the reason…” Seungcheol’s round eyes welled with tears, but he refused to let them fall.

“I wish I could, I really do.” Even their father’s eyes reddened. “But I can’t.”

Every time Seungcheol asked his friend’s father the same question, he was given various versions of the same answer. It was always a ‘I can’t tell you’ or ‘You don’t want to know’. He was never given a straight answer.

“Please, you’re basically my father and Y/N is like a sibling to me. I need to know-” Seungcheol choked on his words. “Why did you stage a suicide? Why was the casket empty? Why am I seeing apparitions in the middle of the night telling me they saw Y/N?”

“What did you just say?”

“Ghosts, man. I’m seeing fucking ghosts!” Seungcheol raised his voice and a few of the customers turned their heads to spectate his rambling. “I swear I’m fucking losing it-”

“Cheol, stop.” The father that Seungcheol considered his own met his gaze. “Go wait outside, let me pay the bill.”

“But-”

“Just- Go cool off.”

Seungcheol obeyed the older man and walked outside while he wiped his tears away with shaky hands. He inhaled deeply and exhaled the breath after holding it for a moment, his heart was out of control.

The door opened once more. “C’mon, Cheol- Let’s walk and talk…”

Walking side by side, the two men followed the road to the bridge. It was still morning so the lamps were off and the overall atmosphere was different. Instead of deep, dark water that seemed to have no end, the river was slightly murky with fish visible just below the surface.

“Is this where you saw him?”

Seungcheol turned his attention away from the water. “Huh-”

“The apparition or ghost - is this where you saw him?”

Answering with a nod, Seungcheol took another moment to breathe. “Yeah- I didn’t just see him though, we talked.”

The older gentleman sighed and massaged the wrinkle out of his knit eyebrows. “I was really hoping to keep you out of this just like I did for my child. I tried hard to be a good father, I really did, but the others kept ruining it.”

“Others? The ghost I spoke to? Or is there more than one?”

“Cheol, he wasn’t a ghost, he was an-” His sentence was halted. “He- Ming-” Blood trickled from his nose as he struggled to speak. “Shit- After all these years…”

Seungcheol held onto the older man’s arm to support him. “Hey- Are you alright?”

“Yeah- There are just somethings I can’t talk about or else this happens.” He pointed to his nose.

“I know who you are talking about. Minghao, right? He called himself a Diviner .” Seungcheol rambled everything he remembered from the previous night.

“I physically can’t answer your questions, Cheol- All I can tell you is that if you want to continue searching, be careful.”

After a quick nod, Seungcheol helped the older man to his car and paid him back for the meal even after arguing. He watched as the older man drove off to ensure he got onto the road safely and once the car was out of sight, he entered on his own.

“Great, more questions…” Seungcheol muttered to himself before putting the keys in the ignition and starting the car.

To join a tag list, please comment on the Fallin' Flower Master List!

@reiofsuns2001 @shinwonderful @starstrawb

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airaconnect · 11 months ago

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#obd scanner #ev market

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andmaybegayer · 6 months ago

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Last Monday of the Week 2024-08-19

Tech companies will give you six interviews and think it's normal.

Listening: Got introduced to Skiltron who unfortunately I don't like very much. I'll see if it grows on me but not quite my speed, which is a shame because normally "metal and it has bagpipes" would have me from minute 0.

This is a metal band that does a bunch of Celtic-y sounds so they are, of course, from Argentina.

I think that this goes too far away from what I'm coming to metal for, their vocals are too clear. Strip out the vocal stem and I think I would like this a normal amount, but the clean vocals pull me out of it. You don't have to go full croak for it but at least growl a little.

Reading: Started up on The Tyrant Baru Cormorant which about ⅕ of the way into the book already feels like I'm getting to the end of a book which is a good and normal sign that everything is going to be smooth sailing for the remaining sections of the book, I'm sure.

Baru is so fucked all the time it's incredible, like, you can see at every point how she just cannot keep herself from playing into the Masquerade's hands because she owes all her power to things she wants to destroy.

The story is very careful to not linger too long on all the horrible things she's doing to herself and others which means that while they're not hard to spot, you feel much more like you're inside her head where these things are the price you pay for the power she wields.

The setting of "sailing around in frigates but with essentially 1920's medicine" kinda rules.

Watching: Watched Blade (1998) which is a great deal of fun. If you can't ignore old CGI you're in trouble but otherwise it's over the top in a really enjoyable way.

Masquerade settings are a lot of fun, I kind of mentioned this in the John Wick entry, the idea that there is a secret parallel world overlaid on the real one scratches some good itches, I need to find more and more diverse kinds of masquerades.

Some motherfuckers always trying to ice skate uphill! Perfect metaphor.

Also more Gundam, up to like, e32? They just got back to space for the first time since arriving on Earth. I think that sometime around Odessa I went from kind of enjoying Gundam to really thinking it's doing something special. It's really dedicated to keeping you off-balance and throwing these very thorny situations and questions at you, even as a show that has to completely ignore a bunch of its deepest questions in order to be a children's toy advert.

Playing: Picked up KSP for a couple hours, I keep on not playing it long enough to do anything interesting so I'm completely ignoring time, I'm allowed to fast forward as much as I want to make missions happen. Trying to "fill time" often kills my desire to do missions, since even a simple mission can require hundreds of days of in game time and even if you have a whole lot of orbital admin within like, Kerbin and Jool systems those only use a couple days at a time.

Built some resource scanners and chucked them at Eve and Gilly, want to try and set up a fuel refinery base on both to operate a fuel interchange where you can launch crew from Eve and refuel in orbit with fuel more economically harvested at Gilly to account for the stupendous fuel expense of leaving Eve. Busy trialling re-entry of a little rover thing for scouting ground sites

Making: Made a bunch of progress on the LED driver, writing to flash storage, updated webui, but it is currently getting stuck after running for an hour or two and I cannot figure out why. Some of these issues seem to be more power delivery related rather than actual issues so it might be time to actually set up regulators and power supply for this thing.

Tools and Equipment: You can just put cups of water in the fridge to cool down. No one can stop you. I've been filling up my Tumblr Colour Of The Sky cup with water and fridging it to help keep cool.

#last monday of the week #Bandcamp

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monster-rinds · 18 days ago

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Chapter 1: Not a woman

I used to be pretty good at pretending to be human.

But my confidence in that skill irreparably crumbled with the wink of a sharply winged eye.

My hand was passing a box of tampons over the laser scanner when it happened. And while it wasn’t just the weird context that did it, that was the situation that sent my mind spiraling through a set of inappropriate responses. Why wink right then?

I was also enduring Christmas music half a month past Halloween, and had memories of two of my coworkers talking during our last break about how nobody really knows how to recognize flirting. The conversation had coursed through a pop psychology evaluation of different neurotypes, including ASD, ADHD, BPD, C-PTSD, ASPD, and a few others, very briefly, with one of my coworkers saying that since they were autistic they had always felt alien amongst other humans and that for them it was worse. Except, according to the other coworker, studies had shown that it didn’t matter your neurotype. Everyone was equally bad at it.

The coincidence of having Cassy and Ayden’s words bouncing around in my head, competing with “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande, while holding a box of tampons and receiving a wink from a customer I had never met before, kind of twisted my sense of self a hundred and thirty-seven degrees off from the axis of my place in the world.

I felt my face flash the sort of rictus grin I’ve seen on Cassy’s face fairly regularly.

And the customer stuck their tongue out at me, pushed up against the white of their teeth, nose wrinkled.

And then.

And then, to my utter horror, I held up the box of tampons before putting them in the bag, and asked, “Got any special plans for these tonight?”

This was back during the time I took a job at Hayward Groceries, in Gresham, Oregon.

This was probably one of the more laid back types of retail jobs you could have at the time. If grocery is considered retail. Selling food and household items to people tends to be easier than electronics or cars or music or whatever. You just check out their items, bag them, take their money, and chat a little bit. Giving them their receipt puts a nice cap on the interaction, and then you move on to the next one.

And when I say that I took the job, I mean I walked into the business one day, logged into one of the registers, and started working the till.

How I did this doesn’t need to be known. I might need to do it again someday.

It seemed like a good idea at the time, and the way that I did it meant that I wouldn’t have to worry about any sort of paperwork or taxes. Of course, I didn’t get paid, but that didn’t matter to me. I was there to help and talk to people, and the job gave me the opportunity to do that.

And as my eyebrows raised themselves in question, my left hand hovering the box of tampons over the pride-striped reusable grocery bag, my right hand reached for the next item to ring up. A bottle of red wine.

“Oh, you know,” the customer began to say, “I’m thinking of a nice marinade overnight.”

“Ew!” blurted the customer in line behind them.

And while this was funny, and not unusual for working a counter, and we all laughed at it, all I could think was that no one had ever winked at me before.

If you take a tired clerk and put them into an unusual social exchange, something slightly off script, their reactions are likely to be even further off, as were mine. And that is one of the genuine joys of working with the public in a relatively quick paced environment.

And nobody noticed that I wasn’t an actual employee. Everyone else got paid the same as before. The workload was shared by one more cashier. The business was able to handle more customers without having to pay for the extra work. And there weren’t any complaints.

It was a minor deception, really. And one that was accepted by everyone.

And so, during this era of my life, I was having a pretty good time, and I really enjoyed getting to know my coworkers and some of the regulars.

And the events of this exchange, beyond the wink, weren’t really bothering me.

Had no one, in my entire existence, really ever winked at me before?

A wink was a conspiratorial gesture, as I understood it. It could have been flirting, but it could also have been something else.

It’s pretty intimate. It implies there’s some sort of shared knowledge. Or so I’m told. I’ve seen it occur in movies as a gag, a lot, where the communication breaks down completely and the person being winked at really doesn’t notice or doesn’t know what it’s about. It’s pretty clear that it’s understood that for a wink to be meaningful, both parties have to be expecting it.

And I hadn’t been expecting it. Why should I? I’d never been winked at before.

Which is kind of bizarre in and of itself, but I figured there was a reason for that. I didn’t really know anybody. Or nobody knew me. Nobody ever really could.

And then I’d made that rictus grin before I could take control of my face. Like Steve Martin cringing at his character’s own foolishness while facing the camera that caught his antics on film.

And I’d gotten a silly conspiratorial smirk in response? From this person I didn’t know?

I couldn’t see anything about us that we had in common, except maybe our sense of fashion and general gender expressions. And for me, those things are very superficial.

Had they seen past my guise somehow? Did we have something deeper in common?

I didn’t sense anything. Not that I’m particularly good at that.

While everyone was giggling over the disgusting little conversation about tampons, I finished ringing them up and bagging their groceries, putting the wine in its own paper sack before slipping it into the bag. Then, as I handed them their receipt, I leaned forward, brow furrowed, and asked a question quietly.

“What was the wink for?” came out of my mouth in a near whisper.

Taking the receipt and hefting their bag from in front of me, they shrugged and tilted their head to the side and said, easily, “Your reaction. I just wanted to see if a hunch was right, and it totally was. Have a great evening, Synthia!”

I have a name tag. It says “Synthia, she/her” on it. So it was pretty reasonable to assume that's my name.

Once, one of my coworkers asked me about the spelling and I told him, “My dad wanted to name me Moog, but my mom objected.” Everyone had laughed.

I don’t have a dad. Never did.

Without learning their name, I waved at the customer and said, “Oh, goodie! You, too!” And then turned to the next one.

And most of the rest of my shift went just fine. Externally. But internally, I was a wreck.

What had been that person’s hunch?

Was I making more of it than I should because the wink had been so new to me?

Or was I actually in danger of being discovered and outed?

If you’ve ever had to hide something big about yourself for a long time, you can probably understand my concern. Small things seem bigger than they are, especially when they happen for the first time. And there is a lot at stake, after all.

I’d been discovered and outed before, but not with a wink and a smile.

And now I was reviewing my own reactions and my tenacity to ask directly about the wink, and I was feeling like I’d given a lot away. It felt like my facade had slipped, and I’d reacted more according to my nature than to my wisdom and experience.

I didn’t think I’d behaved particularly inhuman. But I hadn’t matched the behavior of my recent past very well.

I’d been doing so well, too.

This worry irked me so much that when I was hanging up my apron and name tag in the back with Cassy, after work, I asked her, “How often have other women winked at you?”

I decided, for the purposes of this question, that assuming the flirty customer had been a woman was the shortest method of filtering potential answers to something useful to me. They certainly had not appeared to be a cisgender man.

Cassy frowned, and replied, “My friends and I do it a lot? But strangers? I don’t know. Sometimes? Why?”

“It has happened to me only once. Today,” I told her. “During checkout.”

“Did you get her number?”

“No?”

“OK, but she knows where you work. So there’s still a chance of a second date,” she said.

“Second…?” I started to ask.

“I’m joking. But she might have been a lesbian!” Cassy explained. “Tell me more. How did you react? Did you wink back?”

“I grimaced, like this,” I demonstrated.

“Oh, yeah, OK. I get it,” she replied. “How’d she respond?”

“By sticking her tongue out against her upper teeth and wrinkling her nose in this way that is usually cute,” and I demonstrated that.

“That is phenomenally cute on you, Synthia,” Cassy snickered. “Has anyone told you you’re really good at imitating other people?”

“But you didn’t see her do it,” I pointed out.

She shook her head, “I don’t need to. You’ve got my grimace down perfect, and I’ve seen you imitate Ayden when you don’t realize you’re doing it. You’re a natural!”

“Ah.”

“Seriously, Synthia, you’re a riot when you relax,” Cassy said. “At least, you are from my autistic perspective. Tell you what, I bet she just clocked you as on the spectrum.”

“Weird,” I said. “I did ask her why she winked.”

“Well? What’d she say?”

“That I confirmed a hunch she had by my reaction,” I replied.

“Well, then, that’s definitely it,” Cassy said.

“Autistic women wink at each other?” I asked, genuinely incredulous. The behavior didn’t match the stereotypes I’d heard about.

“Oh, of course. Especially if we’re lesbians!” Cassy dismissed my question with a wave. “Sometimes we don’t know when it’s not appropriate to wink. Come on, you should know this.”

I bit my lip and made an “mmm” noise.

She looked at me out of the side of her eye and admonished me, “Sweetie. Darling. Synthia. OK, we’re not all the same, but you can’t tell me you’re not autistic. I mean, there’s a reason we’re friends.”

“Maybe I am,” I suggested. I’m not. I wouldn’t mind if I were, but I’m not. I can’t be measured meaningfully in that way. But I could see the role I was playing in this conversation and I let it happen.

“Oh, OK,” she said, nodding and pushing her hand toward me. “I’ll eat my apron if you’re not. But that doesn’t matter. You’re autistic enough, and she probably thought you were. Especially if you flashed her my grimace.”

That did make me feel a bit better. A plausibly deniable reason for the exchange. So, I said, “OK. Thank you.” But, to get a bit more out of her, I added, “I don’t feel autistic, though. How would I know?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “It’s a whole bunch of things, big and small. Watching so many people able to do things you can’t do, but not knowing why. Being able to do things that nobody else can, and not feeling like you’re even human because of it. That sort of thing.”

“And that grimace makes me look not human like you?” I asked, knowing full well what autism was and that my feigned concern was meaningless. Cassy was definitely human. I just wanted a little more conversation. Though, I really was also worrying away at my sense of self and whether my facade was still good.

Cassy laughed. “You’re fine. It was harmless. And, hey, maybe you’ll see her again and make faces at each other some more,” she said, walking toward the door. “It’ll make the day go faster!”

“Yes,” I agreed.

Cassy turned to me and squinted, “Synthia. Wanna go to Shady’s with me and Ayden? It’s dark and quiet and they’ve got great drinks.”

“I really need to eat dinner,” I told her. “Sorry.”

“Well, they have food,” she replied.

“I can’t eat their food,” I explained. Well, I could, but it wouldn’t suffice for me as a meal. But I would never tell anyone that.

“Of course! Come after you eat?”

“Maybe…”

“Well, OK. See you there if you come. We’d love it if you joined us some time,” she said carefully.

“Thank you,” I said.

And then I walked home.

Cassy’s explanation really did make me feel better about the whole day, but now I couldn’t get another thing out of my head.

Even while I had been talking to Cassy, I had felt off. And watching myself respond to her I could see myself saying and doing things I wouldn’t have done before. Or, not doing things I would have done before. It had been as if I’d already accepted her model that I was autistic, even before she’d suggested it, and had subconsciously followed a script based on my preconceptions of what that meant. Or my observations of autistic characters on T.V.

I’d had a flat affect and said things in a matter of fact fashion instead of my usual quippy repartee. Which is fine, as far as humans behave. There are plenty of humans who do that. Just not me, usually.

Something was off about me. And even if it wasn’t enough to be strange or alarming to anyone I knew or met, it was enough to make me wonder what was going on. Normally, I have a lot more control than that.

And there was still the slight chance that the customer had not clocked me as autistic or queer or anything normal like that.

I found myself staring at the sidewalk as I proceeded to my wooded lot between Elliot and Linden streets. Much less aware of my surroundings than I usually pushed myself to be, I actually almost walked through a couple of red lights. And this startled me.

Both times, I did look around up and down both sets of streets and up at the sky, to make sure I hadn’t missed anything else.

And then I kept going.

And by the time I got home, to my wooded lot, which I don’t know if it’s legally owned by anybody in particular, I was looking at the sidewalk again, deep in thought. Thinking the same thing I had been thinking when I’d left Hayward Grocery.

And I just habitually turned toward my woods, and then I looked up and turned, and did my usual thing of letting my gaze follow the path of a car as it drove by. To let me scan my surroundings without looking too obvious about it. Though I'm sure I failed this time.

And there, standing on the sidewalk before me, where my eyes landed after following the car, arms at their sides, pride-striped grocery bag in hand, head cocked slightly to the side, was the customer. Grinning.

#teratovore #web serial #original fiction #writeblr

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