#Fillet Oh Fish | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

umathurwin · 2 months ago

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you know i love the thrill of the rush

jj maybank x f!reader; nsfw 18+

Summary: There’s a serial killer lurking around the island, and even though they’ve been sticking to Kook targets, you really wish your best friend would stop acting so strange. Is he on drugs… or selling them?

tags, warnings, and more on ao3!

“You’re wearing sunscreen, right?” JJ called from the back of the boat, and she wrinkled her nose.

“Yes. Mother.”

She kept her eyes squeezed shut but she knew he was glowering at her. “Well damn, my bad for not wanting you to get melanoma.”

The boat swayed under her, but as long as she wasn’t reading or wasted, it was quite relaxing. She’d jumped at the chance when JJ offered to take her out on the old dinghy to catch some rays while he did a little fishing.

She lay on the flat stretch on the front of the boat, towel under her to protect her from the wet fiberglass surface. The bikini she’d ordered online ended up having far less coverage than she’d expected—ideal for sunning and wearing around JJ’s sneaky gaze. It wasn’t too hot now that summer had eased off, his tunes had perfectly set the tone for their afternoon, and she was about to lull off to sleep.

Until a putrid smell hit her nose, and she curled up in disgust without trying. “Oh my God, JJ, what the hell are you using for bait?”

“Chitlins,” he announced gleefully, dipping the bucket into the water on the other side of the vessel to rinse the slime out.

She retched. “Smells a little too–” ack! “–fermented to be pig guts. Are you sure they’re not rotten?”

“No, I am not,” he admitted, reaching behind him for the pole and grinning when fish began swarming under the boat. “But if it works, it works.”

Unfortunately proving him right, the lure hadn’t been wet for five minutes before he was pulling in a gorgeous red drum. Small enough for JJ to easily wrangle onto the boat, thwack on the back of the head, and toss in the cooler. “Text Pope and tell him to rev up the deep fryer,” he announced proudly.

Y/N shivered, combing her hair back to tie it up out of her face. “Fine, but I’m complaining about the nightmare I went through to get it.”

“No problem,” he said. JJ reached in the boats seat storage, pushed aside a set of dark, crumpled clothes, and removed a roll of black canvas. He splayed it out on the vessel’s bench, revealing a row of blades, ranging from baby paring knives to needle-like filleters to thick cleavers.

She peered over the metal, coated in innards and blood stains galore. “Cool carrying pouch. Looks pretty handy.”

JJ’s head snapped over. “Did someone say ‘handy’?” he asked excitedly, and she demonstrated an aggressive, squeezing, pepper-grinding motion. “That’s traumatizing. Hey, dude, I totally forgot to clean these from last time. D’you mind washing these off with the Dawn in the glovebox?”

“How am I supposed to rinse them?”

Blink blink. JJ dramatically looked left and right outside the boat. “Surely that’s a joke.”

“The chum water?!”

He scoffed, rolling up the pouch again. “Fine. We can wait until we get back to the dock and use the hose there.” Then, after she turned back, “You’d never survive a trip with John B and I.”

“I’m not sure I’d want to!”

***

Y/N pushed open JJ’s front door without knocking. He wasn’t the type to lounge in the nude or masturbate outside of the bedroom, so she’d gotten used to barging in without any heads-up.

She toed her shoes off to the side and ambled to the kitchen. One hand pulled open the fridge and the other tugged her hair out of its knot atop her head. God, he needs to restock on beer, she thought, opting for a soda instead. The ticking clock on the wall caught her ear just as it passed 4:30. Her fingers drummed on the counter.

After knowing him so long, Y/N was more than comfortable hanging out at JJ’s house alone. She doesn’t intend to; if he’s out, she’s usually with him, and if he’s not, he’s sound asleep in his bed.

But that hasn’t been the case, as of the last few months.

Sometimes, like today, she’ll arrive at an empty place and have to make herself at home. More often, though, he was already there and randomly sprang up with a lame excuse to leave.

“Hey, I’ve gotta go run somewhere. I’ll be right back.”

Short, simple, and used a lot. It wasn’t exactly random, nor frequent, but always unexpected to her. They’d be watching TV together or eating a late-night snack and he’d get really antsy. Before she could ask if he was alright, he’d slip out and come back an hour or so later. JJ is a free man, he can come and go as he pleases, but she still side-eyed him peeling out of the driveway and wondered where he had to be so suddenly.

Y/N flopped on the couch, turning on the TV and setting it to Criminal Minds. Something post-Elle, pre-Ashley. He must’ve been out for ages, because the reruns had her in a deep sleep long before he returned to the house.

The front door opened, the wood crackling in the frame. The stomping noises that followed drew her out of the nap. Her first, panicked thought was that Luke was making a surprise visit before remembering the old bastard had disappeared to fuck-all Atlantic City months ago. It was just JJ.

She sat up on the couch, rubbing at her eyes to force the sleep out of them. “Hey, bud, ‘bout time you came back.”

When she adjusted to the light and finally got a good look at her best friend, she was left with more questions than answers. He stood dumbfounded at the door, like it wasn’t perfectly common for her to be at his house without him. What was even weirder than his demeanor, though, was his entirely-black outfit. From his long-sleeve shirt, to his jeans, to his lace-up boots. Was he carrying gloves?

“Bro, what is that get-up?” she asked, looking up and down at the clothes. He looked good, it seemed to give him a couple inches in height, but definitely wasn’t his normal look. “It’s stylish, can’t lie.”

He stared down at himself. “More subtle at night. You know how I hate attention.”

… Right. JJ carefully pulled the shirt off by the back of the neck and started shamelessly unbuckling his pants. “Can you do me a favor?” he asked, awkwardly sidestepping to the closet with his washer-dryer and dumping the clothes in the unit. “D’you mind getting me some, eh, brighter clothes out of my dresser?”

She nodded, skipping back to his bedroom as he continued awkwardly undressing. Any excuse to be nosy in his belongings.

The top drawer of his dresser had his undergarments, she remembered, but did he want any? She held the white t-shirt and basketball shorts in her hand, eyeing the drawer curiously before pulling it open. Wouldn’t hurt to grab a sock.

She found socks, alright. Along with hefty Ziplocs stuffed with white, flat pills, rocky snow-colored powder tightly wrapped in plastic, not to mention profuse amounts of marijuana in textured, vacuum-sealed bags.

Her jaw was on the floor. Hey, JJ liked to party, that she was well aware. But a lot of this stuff was out of both their wheelhouses, especially in this quantity. This was… this was the stuff Kooks did.

And that’s when it hit her. JJ’s a fucking plug! Duh, that’s where he was always going at random times—probably where he just got back from. Also why he started wearing inconspicuous clothing and why there’s about $5,000 worth of narcotics at her fingertips. She pushed the drawer shut without fetching any socks.

When she returned to the living room, he stood in his boxers, face softly illuminated by the nic between his lips.

“You look pale,” JJ noted around wisps of smoke. “Did you see the Victorian ghost in my room, too?”

“You’re funny,” Y/N stammered, pushing the new change of clothes into his arms and trying not to check his bare body out too much.

When she backed away from him like a rabid animal, he laughed. “No. Seriously. What sex toy of mine did you find in there?”

“JJ, I know what’s going on,” she spat out. How could he keep this from her?

His brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“Bro, I saw the drugs. I know you’re a dealer. Clearly with a clientele outside our tax bracket.”

The only sound between them was that stupid washing machine churning around his black clothes. JJ rotated through a few expressions (mostly confusion) before exhaling through his nose and grinning. “Guess you’d find out eventually,” he confessed sheepishly, eyes blinking up at the ceiling.

“Seriously,” she smiled back. “Why didn’t you just tell me? We’ve been smoking for years. You think I’m gonna judge you?”

“Nah, nah, just figured you’d turn me into the IRS for not declaring the income,” he joked, stepping forward to stick his fingers into her sides until she wriggled away. “Now, go pick something for us to watch while I go commando over here.”

“Gross!”

***

Good Lord, what has she walked in on?

Y/N dropped her backpack on the counter, untangling her keys from her fingers and taking in the view. JJ stood redhanded at the sink– literally, he was carefully holding one of his favorite t-shirts, a scarlet souvenir from their sophomore year homecoming game. The teal rubber gloves on his hands weren’t even the most bemusing part, no, that was the domed mask he wore in the comfort of his own kitchen.

“Question one,” she began, eyes flicking back up to his covered face. “Since when do you own dish gloves and N-95s?”

He scowled before realizing the stiff covering was taking the effect away and tugged it down over his chin. “Is it so hard to believe I clean sometimes?”

“Last week you wanted me to wash your Dexter Morgan cutlery with chummy water,” she said pointedly.

“Boat rules.”

“I’ve seen you make scrambled eggs in a dirty pan, and then eat them right from said dirty pan.” He had no retort. “What’re you doing, anyways?”

He bashfully looked back down to the shirt. “Got a little bit of a bloody nose last night,” he admitted, displaying the shirt and its tragic rusty splatters. It was pretty gruesome, but not shocking— she’s seen his face turn into a leaky faucet after a fight back in high school. If only blood actually dried red.

“And the PPE is for these dangerous chemicals I’m handling, obviously.”

The sole bottle on the counter caught her eye. “I wouldn’t use hydrogen peroxide on this. I don’t think it’s colorfast and it may bleach it. Do you have vinegar? You can scrub it with that, and if that doesn’t fully get it out, you can soak it for half an hour before washing it.”

He blinked and pulled the mask off his ears entirely. “Colorfast? What?”

Y/N lifted the soiled shirt and showed it to him. “The dye will bleed. Happens when it’s not high quality. Again, vinegar?”

“Uh, yeah,” JJ shook his head and reached under the sink for the dusty bottle of white vinegar. “How do you know it’s not good dye?”

“Because every white shirt you own is slightly pink, moron.”

***

JJ pulled open the door to the gas station, allowing Y/N to enter by ducking under his arm. The crisp air inside relieved their bodies of the humidity thickly swallowing the world. Goosebumps erupted down her arms and she rolled her shoulders back to shrug them away.

The cashier spoke loudly on the phone, entirely disregarding the two. JJ squinted at her; they’d gone to school with her way back when. Cass, or something. Her father owned the gas station and made her work some grueling ten hours a week, and she repaid him kindly by selling her underage Kook friends any vape they so desperately coveted.

He accidentally locked eyes with the cashier and pulled his sunglasses down over his face. Y/N returned from the fridge carrying an Arizona tea held tightly to her neck. “You look like a douche,” she said, lip curled in annoyance.

“I’m hungover.”

“You weren’t hungover outside. Just say you wanna look like a douche.” She perused over the candy options. “What are you getting? I’m thinking something fruity.”

“You’re always thinking about something fruity.”

“That’s homophobic.”

“How can I be homophobic? My bi–” JJ started, before Cass cut the both of them off.

“Do y’all mind? I’m on the phone,” she snapped, holding her palm over the speaker of her iPhone. “Sorry about that, girl…”

“Cunt,” Y/N whispered, grabbing a bag of watermelon Sour Patch.

The duo dropped their snacks on the counter, and Cass groaned. “Hang on,” she sighed dramatically to her phone, setting the device on the register. She lazily scanned the items, a couple drinks and some bags of candy. “That’ll be $19.55.”

JJ reeled, eyebrows shooting up from behind his aviators. “My ass. You scan everything twice?”

“No,” she said nastily. “If you can’t afford it, that’s not my fault.” The phone erupted in soft giggles, and Cass smirked as she picked it up and tucked it in her back pocket.

Y/N could tell he was itching to draw this out, and made pleading eye contact with him. He rubbed his nose with his thumb, reaching over to the multicolored row of Bics until he landed on a yellow one and wriggled it out of the display. He dropped it on the pile. “That, too.”

She rolled her eyes, scanning the lighter and reading out the new price, also doctored by some poverty tax she’d created on the spot. He paid, tucked his new purchase into his pocket, and grabbed the candy off the counter.

As they left the building, JJ loudly commented, “You’re right. She is a cunt.”

***

They made it back to his house with the snacks just as the OBX amateur sailor’s competition began, which unfortunately turned into local news once the sun set.

The sound of the washing machine hummed just under the television. It seemed to always be running lately, but she never paid it any mind. Sometimes it was a source of entertainment, like when they’d smoke copious amounts of weed together and watch the dark clothes swirl around in soapy water.

JJ grabbed the remote, turning up the volume until it got her to look up from her Switch, which she’d pulled out when the ship with the funniest name fell out of the top 3.

“Have you been seeing this?”

“... is still at large. Authorities state the killer has claimed the lives of six Figure Eight residents in the last three weeks. Victims have been found stabbed, mutilated, and even burned…”

“Some bastard is going around killing Kooks. What kinda fucked up world do we live in?” he tutted, re-silencing the TV and shaking his head disdainfully.

Y/N snorted. “Oh no,” she whined. “What ever will we do?”

“How offensive,” JJ pretended to scoff. “Don’t even care that people are dying.” He pushed his shoulders back, hands on his hips like a disapproving mother. “They can’t be graphic on TV, obviously. Y’wanna know what I heard the killer does? His techniques?”

Her attention to the video game disintegrated. “I don’t care about rumors,” she said, like she wasn’t tucking the device away in the coffee table’s underbelly.

“Rumors?! I have friends on the force,” he insisted. JJ has a loose definition of the word ‘friends’. “This is straight from the experts.”

“Tell me.”

“The killer sneaks into the house after cutting the lights. Locks all the doors so you can’t escape.”

He’s encroaching on her, face dark but a little teasing under it. “They say he uses some kind of knife, maybe a machete. Once he’s got you trapped, he cuts your throat so you can’t even scream. That’s when the disembowelment starts.”

His body eclipses any light from the kitchen behind him, leaving a shining aura around his frizzy blonde hair. He’s standing so still, but his eyes are fluttering all over her.

“Are you trying to turn me on?” she blurted.

His face brightened. “Does it turn you on? ‘Cause I have a Scream mask in my closet, and we can totally rol—”

“I was kidding!” she stopped him, pushing his thighs so he’d back away. It was always her job to pull the brakes on their banter, lest it go past a point of no return. “You know Voorhees is more up my alley, anyways.”

***

JJ scanned the e-ticket with the disinterested teenager working the booth. Another peeked into his backpack looking for firearms and waved him along without detecting the stash of blunts at the bottom.

He threw the bag over his shoulder and ducked into the festival grounds. His friends were already here– he was late, he hadn’t timed his tasks well, but at least they his favorite local band hadn’t gone on yet. He smacked a mosquito on his neck–so it begins. Hopefully Kiara brought that bug spray that smelled like triple sec.

When he caught eye of Y/N, she was waiting by the festival’s entrance, crouched under a tree. Her nose was buried in her phone, and he could tell when she received the I’m here text he shot her, because her head snapped up excitedly. She looked back at the opening act wrapping up, stumbled up onto steady feet, and jogged to him.

“Just in time!” she noted cheerfully. She reached up, throwing her arms around his shoulders and ignoring the sweat on his neck. “Ooh, you smell like gasoline. And…” She sniffed more, looking past the fumes and boy-smell. “Cut grass? Did you mow your lawn before you came here?”

“Kinda. Did some weed-eating,” he corrected. “I blame ADHD for the shitty time management, but I still made it and the yard looks decent,” he explained, lifting the base of his shirt to wipe the moisture off his forehead. When his eyes were covered, she stared dead at his toned stomach and the sunlight bouncing off the droplets collecting there. Why not, right?

“That took you forever. Did you get behind your house, too?”

“Behind the house? You want me to meet my fate with a copperhead? No, just had trouble filling up the gas tank without making a mess.”

“Copperheads aren’t lethal,” she muttered, then looked around at the food and drink stands. She nodded in that direction and he reciprocated, understanding.

Y/N skipped up to the bar, placing her hands on the soaking wet surface and leaning forward to get the attention of the shack’s manager. “Harvey!” she chirped.

“Hey!” the older man greeted, pouring two drinks for her without her even asking. “So good to see you. How’s your mom’n’em all?” They chatted, he waved away the cash she held out to him, and she beamed a smile before taking her treasures back to JJ.

But when she turned back, precariously carrying the two beverages, a large body shoved her to the side and she lost the top inch of both her drinks. She was ready to forgive, given the stranger admitted it was an accident, but this was not the case.

Local rich snob, friend of Rafe and company, Cole Parker. When he looked down at the shaken girl, he scoffed. “Out of the way, you fucking brat. Some of us can actually afford to buy our drinks.”

Her face burned hot as she scurried away, desperate to not catch the ear of any venue security who would dislike Harvey not IDing her.

“Hey,” she muttered to JJ, praying he hadn’t noticed.

The prayers were unanswered. “What happened?” he asked, still sizing up the situation. “What did he say to you?”

“Ignore him,” she demanded and shot a warning look. She pushed the beer into his hands. “C’mon, let’s just find Kiara and Pope.”

His hand squeezed the plastic cup into a misshapen oval at the sound of her voice catching. The tuning of the band’s guitars forced him to follow her, but he wasn’t ready to let this go. It’s unfair that he and his friends had to duck their heads and run whenever Kooks bite first.

Glancing back at the beer stand, Cole was already shouting at the young employee who brought him the wrong drink. What a prick.

***

Y/N thumbed the front doorknob, staring out onto her porch and the flooded yard. It was too dark to see how far the clouds expanded or how long the storm would last. She wished JJ was here– they’d hole up together in her room and watch House of the Dragon episodes, picking through microwave popcorn, jumping at the thunder until they both fell asleep. She let the door fall shut.

Her gaze fell down, attention grabbed by the front hall light’s reflection. A little ring of water had collected at the base of the door. A weary sigh escaped her lips– anyone who said they loved the rain never lived in a crappy house. She padded down the hallway to get towels out of the linen closet. It’s a temporary fix, but better than the water reaching her damn bed while she slept.

As she pulled the rattiest cloths from the back of the closet, the hall light snapped off, leaving her in icy darkness. Fuck, the stupid storm knocked the power out.

There was more towel than water at the moment, but it would pay off if the rain persisted. Once she was satisfied with the fabric arrangement she’d kicked around, her eyes trailed back up to the lock and deadbolt, both securely fastened.

Wait.

She hadn’t done that.

“Sneaks into the house after cutting the lights. Locks all the doors so you can’t escape.”

JJ’s words rang in her head and chills erupted over her body. Surely she was being foolish, right? The killer only targeted Kooks. Maybe, maybe she actually had locked the door and merely forgotten.

Regardless, she stumbled backwards from the door, bumping into one of the living room chairs. Wait, she shouldn’t blindly move backwards. Where was her phone? Should she call JJ? The cops? Nothing had even happened yet. Calling the cops because her door was locked, they’d think she was cra–

No, no, she was absolutely not fucking crazy because there was a figure standing right in front of the big window in her living room. Clear cut, a tall and slim silhouette cutting a man-shaped void in the rainy backdrop, it would be beautiful if her insides weren’t curdling and rotting within her.

Dear God, she wanted to vomit. Her mind flipped through everything she could do and came up with nothing. The doors were locked, God knows where her car keys are, it’d take too long to find her phone. The figure was only a good ten feet away from her. Tears sprung in her eyes— what the fuck does she do now?

The figure decided for her. “Run,” it said.

If the man in her living room had said ‘jump’, she’d ask ‘how high’. Her feet moved faster than her brain, to her disadvantage, because they did not take her in the direction of an exit. She skittered down the hallway to her bedroom, slipping on the floor runner as she bolted.

It didn’t matter, because the intruder was significantly faster than she and caught up in a matter of steps. He pinned her to the wall and she squealed before he placed a hand on her mouth, keeping her from crying out anymore. The man was drenched, still soaked from the rain, and he dripped over her body, her clothes, the floor.

A flash of lightning hit, briefly illuminating the Scream mask the intruder wore, and everything came together.

The bait, and the knife collection. The gasoline smell on his clothes. Fuck, fuck, her head was spinning. The drugs, that massive stash she’d found in his dresser— if he hadn’t been sneaking off to sell, then what? Were those trophies from his conquests? Like it wasn’t enough to just take their lives?

She felt so small under him, more than usual, until she realized he was actually wearing some kind of hefty boot that changed his height. It’s intentional, to throw off anyone who might see him near his victims’ homes. She wailed, but it was mangled behind her sealed lips. He removed his hand from her mouth and lifted the mask, revealing her bright-eyed, grinning best friend.

“Guess where I just came from.”

When nothing came out of her gaped mouth, he showed a gloved hand and dragged the thumb across his face. In the low light, she could see a dark streak painted on his cheek. Blood.

“Jesus fucking Christ, please tell me it wasn’t Cole Parker’s house,” she pleaded, fat tears rolling down her face.

“Wow. You are the world’s best guesser,” he noted. “C’mon, doll, don’t be upset. Remember how he treated you yesterday? Now he can’t do that to anyone ever again.”

She sobbed out louder, wiggling to escape his grasp. No use. “Please, don’t hurt me, please,” she babbled.

“Stop crying,” he snapped, then shook his head. “Shh, shh, I’m sorry. Look, I’m not gonna hurt you. I’d never hurt you. You’re my favorite girl in the world, y’know that?”

“Y- you made me wash the knives,” she bawled, and he had to stop and think back to what she was talking about. “And the t-shirt!”

He snorted. “Hey, you offered to wash my shirt.”

“But JJ, you can’t…” she trailed off, voice high and pathetic.

“What? I can’t what?” he demanded. “Get a little revenge on the people who’ve made our lives hell? Levels out the playing field, and I get to blow off steam.”

She was quiet, panting and staring up at him with bewildered eyes. He let her process everything, accept the huge revelation she’d just come to. Lightning flashed again, and they both held their breath in anticipation of the succeeding thunder explosion. The lack of power left the home eerily silent, no fans or appliances whirring to fill the emptiness. All that was left was the sound of her gasps slowly evening out.

“What if you get caught?” she asked meekly.

JJ’s smirk came back. “Sweetheart, I’m never gonna get caught.”

Her eyes narrowed. “How many times have you done it?”

It’s a challenge. She’s asking partially to check his credibility, sure, but there’s something else to it. Curiosity, her gaze shifting from scared and threatened to… intrigued. Maybe a little into it?

So he pushed back. He leaned down, getting close enough to her ear that the plastic mask he wore knocked on her temple. No harm in being honest now.

“Ten,” he whispered.

He felt her shiver under him, body arching instinctively into his own. “No, no, don’t tell me you enjoy that,” he shook his head mock-disappointedly. “You like the fact that your best friend is a murderer?”

Her head knocked back against the wall, eyes shutting guiltily as he drew out that last word. JJ’s hand raised, the soft leather connecting with her skin. He painted the same streak on her face that he bore, just so they’d match.

“I’m not sorry about Parker,” he said, daring to leave a kiss on her clean cheek. “I’d beat his fucking face in again, and again, and again. And anyone else who thought about trying me.”

She finally touched him, stopped cowering away like her brain told her to. Instead, she gripped at his wet, dark clothes and sought for zippers, hems, anything to get them off him.

JJ scoffed, unable to enjoy a moment without getting complacent to save his life. “Oh, now you want me, pretty girl? Now that you think I’m cold-blooded?”

“Always wanted you, JJ,” she whined, giving up and pulling his jacket up from the bottom. Her hands found contact at least with his torso, feeling the chilly skin and trying to warm him up. “Didn’t know you cared enough about me to do something like that.”

He lightly dug his teeth into the skin on her neck, having to crane down to reach in those stupid shoes. “You have no idea what I’d do for you.”

And she got a little confident. Her hand plunged down to palm roughly against the black denim covering his zipper. To her delight, he was caught off guard, groaning in pleasure and pushing his hips for more purchase. She shimmied down, pushing him away from her enough to fall to her knees.

JJ couldn’t believe what was happening before his eyes. He lifted his hand once more, bringing the leather-covered middle finger to her lips. She obeyed his silent command, biting the tip of the glove with her front teeth and pulling it off his hand.

She spat the glove onto her floor, metallic taste dancing over the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t care. His now-free hand entangled itself into her hair, tilting her head back to look up at him. “Such a good girl for me. Knew you’d understand.”

The button and zipper on his jeans popped open after some struggling from her, and she pulled down his boxers until his leaking cock was in her hand. He got lightheaded—fuck, his best friend of years, who just found out he’s been on a killing spree, is about to suck him off. Butterflies filled his stomach for the first time in ages.

Tentative at first, she held him in her left hand and guided the tip to her eager tongue. Her lips closed around him and his eyes rolled back into his skull when he realized how fucking good at this she was. She licked at the head while sucking him as far back as she could comfortably manage, and when her tongue perfectly found that one spot on the bottom, he audibly let out an “oh fuck”.

Is she touching herself right now? JJ slammed his still-gloved hand on the wood panel in front of him for stability. For a moment, his brain went on red alert thinking of the blood smearing on the wall but then she literally swallowed around his cock and he decided he’d hang a fucking picture over it for all he cared.

Enough was enough. He threaded his free hand through her hair and tugged her off, to her whimpering protests. “None of that. Ladies first.”

Together, they ducked into her bedroom, and JJ pulled the jacket and t-shirt off of his body. He’d continue this fully clothed if the threat of pneumonia didn’t loom over him. His boots and the other glove went too.

She waited for him, toes digging into the hardwood floor and hands wringing each other out. When he suggested she take her shirt off, she obeyed without thinking, and a blessed flash of lightning illuminated her body when her face was covered by the fabric. He stared hungrily—why not, right?

JJ tugged down his jeans, and when he was just left in his boxers, she softly gasped. His head snapped up. “S’that why you’d been doing so much laundry?” she asked, doe-eyed.

He laughed, pressing a finger to his lips and using the other hand to cup the back of her head. “C’mon, don’t think about my laundry right now. Don’t think about any of that. Think about this.” His hand dropped down to her covered mound, the only part of her body that had a bit of fabric on it. With his middle digit, he pressed in, right on her clit and her brain melted again.

JJ walked her backwards to the bed and she flopped down eagerly. He dropped down to be face-to-face with her panties, fingers running eagerly over the cotton covering her mound. He gathered the fabric and pulled it upwards, taut against her clit. She gasped, pushing down to meet his actions.

“Please, more,” she whispered, and he was happy to comply. Teasing was for people who had patience, and he didn’t have an ounce of that in his body right now.

JJ pulled down her panties only enough to get off one ankle. Maybe next time he’d keep the pair for himself, but he didn’t have a pocket available right now. A hand on each thigh, he exposed her to himself again, and wasted not a second pushing his face into her cunt.

She gasped, body arching away to keep him from where she was so sensitive, but his mouth followed. The only breaks she got were when he stopped sucking her clit to kiss around the rest of her pussy. His hips rolled into the mattress when she started making the best fucking noises, and he didn’t stop her when she held him in place with her thighs, or when she pulled at his hair with her wandering, desperate hands.

“Mm, you’re not so scary after all,” she noted, teasing smile on her lips. JJ pushed his middle finger inside her without warning and she choked on her own breath.

His eyebrow raised. “Fine. I can be a little mean to you.”

He withdrew himself and she curled up to him out of desperation. JJ tutted at her and motioned for her to flip over and her eyes widened. Before she could comply, he impatiently grabbed her hips and did it for her.

She started to lay on the bed, but he scoffed and pulled her up by the waist so that her back pressed against his chest. If not for his boxers, his cock would be perfectly aligned with her ass, but this was more than enough for him. His free hand dove down to keep dragging his wet fingers over her pudgy clit. She wasn’t going anywhere, not with the grip he had on her, but she still desperately clung to his supporting arm. His gliding fingers slipped right into her wet cunt, providing almost no resistance as he stretched her open.

Boneless. Head tossed back onto his shoulder, arms dropped in front of her, and JJ took this opportunity. The hand that wasn’t pushing two thick fingers into her hole snugly wrapped around her throat, tenderly keeping her in place as he threatened to draw a world-shattering orgasm from her while hardly trying.

“Y’like when I hold you like this, sweetheart?” he asked, lips buried in her hair. The soft breaths around his words ghosted the shell of her ear and goosebumps erupted on her skin.

“Pleasedon’tstopI’mgonnacum,” she cried, body tensing and warping back to touch him.

Her stream of babbling continued as her orgasm coursed through her, and JJ grinned smugly with the feeling of her swollen clit pulsing under his slick fingers. When her words slowed and so did her muscles fidgeting, he slapped her sensitive core. Can’t be too nice.

Still, he let her cool down, kissed on her neck and thumbed at her skin with the arm tucked around her. She finally tapped him when it was okay to keep going.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, ready to bend her forward, but she resisted and looked back at him. “Are you alright?” he spat out nervously, wondering if he’d been too rough or gone too far—

Nope. She leaned over the edge of the bed and fished through the pile of clothes that had been yanked off in his scramble to undress. His eyes narrowed, struggling to see what she was coyly presenting him, and his jaw dropped when he realized it was the Scream mask he wore earlier.

No one could smack the glee out of him. He took the mask and pulled it back over his face while she got back in position with her ass up. JJ aligned himself once more, gliding the silky tip against her entrance. “Fuck, doll, you’re so wet. This all for me?”

“Mm, who else?” she purred, slyly turned towards him.

Fuck, he’s really starting to rub off on her. He had to pretend that the tight grip on her ass was to be sexy and not steady himself. He’s never been so nervous lining himself up– this was her, after all.

Air sucked into his chest when he glanced down to see himself disappearing inside her. It was dark, thank God, because if his view was even the slightest bit clearer, he’d finish instantly. She parted around him so hungrily, like she was pulling him in by his cock. The grip he had on her hips tightened and he resorted to straining a look at her face dug into the bed sheets instead.

Every roll of his hips rang out a new slap around the bedroom. JJ smirked at the delicious noise. “So wet, fuck. Can’t tell if it’s you or me.”

It was both of them. Droplets still covered his thighs even after removing the clothes, and the sound of their legs colliding combined with the sounds of her own cunt. Her legs shook as he continued to assault her pussy, the din spurring him along.

Her second orgasm came crashing over her unexpectedly, pulled from her body with ease as he kept his rhythm splitting her open.

After she came, all bets were off. His pace lost its rhythm at the same time he completely lost his cool and the only thing on his mind was how long he could’ve been stretching her open on his cock. The whole time they’d been just awkwardly checking each other out and shacking up together, and now every fantasy he’s been tormented with is a reality. JJ pulled his cock out and painted her back with cum, body spasming and rough ohfuckfeelssogoodsweetheart muttering spilling out of his mouth.

Y/N’s spent body collapsed onto the bed, disregarding the mess he’d just made. Ever-so-polite JJ used his wet t-shirt to wipe her down before joining her, but both were too fucked-out to care about proper clean-up. Before she could fall asleep, though, he had something important to ask her.

“Hey, sweetheart? When I reset the fuse box, can I use your washing machine?”

#jj maybank smut #i know you whores love ghost face so here’s my rendition of it #jj maybank fanfiction #jj maybank #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank x you #jj maybank x y/n #jj x reader #jj x you #jj x y/n #outer banks #obx #obx4 #outer banks smut #outer banks fic #obx netflix #umathurwin writing

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watarfallar · 2 months ago

Text

More incorrect quotes because I lost my sanity in that desert

Grian: Standing next to sunflowers always makes me feel weak like ‘look at this fucking flower. This flower is taller than I am. This flower is winning and I’m losing.’ Scar: Wow, you are not ready to hear about trees.

Grian: We'll talk about this later. Scar: Fine, I won’t be listening.

Scar: Look, I’m glad everyone’s on the same page. Scar: But it’s the last page in a book titled “we’re all going to die”. Grian: That’s not even clever.

Grian: I made lightly fried fish fillets for dinner. Scar: Grian, It’s 1:15 am, what the fuck. Grian: Do you want the lightly fried fish fillets or not. Scar: Well, I mean yeah. Grian: So come downstairs while they’re still hot. Scar: Wait, you just made them? Grian: Yeah, I wasn’t tired so I decided to make lightly fried fish fillets. Scar: Say lightly fried fish fillets one more time Grian.

Scar: I type how I think. Grian: Odd that you type at all then.

Grian: Why can't any of you ever clean up after yourselves? Scar: I have a person who does that for me. Grian: Yeah, ME. Scar: I'm glad you agree.

Scar: Can we get a birthday cake? Grian: It’s not your birthday. Scar: The cake won’t know!

Scar: You're ignoring all your problems. Grian: I know. Scar: You also know it's an unhealthy coping mechanism? Grian: I'm ignoring that fact as well. Scar:

Grian, to The Squad: None of you know what propaganda is, do you? Scar: I think it’s when a British person takes a good look at something.

Scar: Oh shoot! Scar: Excuse my vulgarity. Grian: I’ll let it slide.

Scar: I’m going to hell. Grian: Probably. Scar: I'll pick you up? Grian: nodding Carpool.

Scar: Hey, it’s your turn to wash the dishes. Grian: I’ll wash the walls red with your blood. Scar: Okay, but before that, wash the dishes. Also, use soap this time.

Scar: Okay, if we can't do it by sheer force, we'll do it my way. Grian: But your way is sheer force!

Grian: I'm going to take a shower, I'll be right back. Scar: Why are you telling me this, I don't care. Scar, right after Grian leaves the room: I miss them already.

Grian: Are you this rude to everyone?! Scar: Yup. Scar: Don't think you're special.

Scar: Punch me in the face. Grian: …Punch you? Scar: Yes, punch me, didn’t you hear me? Grian: I always hear ‘punch me in the face’ while you’re speaking but it’s usually just subtext.

Grian: Why are you on fire? Scar: This is just how my day is going.

Scar: Hey Grian, have you seen the photographer? Grian: Nope. Have you seen the meat tenderizer? Scar, confused: What? Grian, grabbing the meat tenderizer out of the drawer: No reason, cute girl things!

Scar: Why would I flip my shit about that? Grian: Because you flip your shit about everything. Scar: Well, will you look at this. Here is my shit, and yet it remains unflipped. Just sitting there on the skillet, getting burned on one side. It’s a miracle.

Grian, ordering coffee: I’d like a light roast. Scar: You're kinda ugly.

Grian: You might not know this, Scar, but I am a flawed person. Scar: I do know that.

Grian: You remind me of the ocean. Scar: Because I'm deep and mysterious? Grian: No, because you're full of salt and you scare people.

Grian is shopping with Scar Grian: Can I get a silenced pistol? Scar: If there’s one on sale.

#grian #gtws #incorrect quotes #desert duo #scarian #enjoy💜💜💜

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a-forgotten-member · 1 month ago

Note

[Delphi carries her lunchbox into the news room of the school like she does everyday, sitting down next to Harper.]

@delphi-sees-all

[Harper's having what's possibly the biggest fish fillet Delphi has ever seen]

Oh, hi!

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meowmeowmeowmeow4x · 11 months ago

Text

Dark Blue Moon and the Suffering Sun Chapter 4

Damian's face twisted in disgust at the offending object.

Phantom's quirked in confusion. He nudged the massive striped bass towards the smaller siren. "What's wrong?"

"I am a vegetarian." Damian huffed. "And it's raw."

"Oh. Uh, whoops." Phantom shrugged. "I don't know how to break it to you, dude, but, like... There's not much better to eat out there."

Damian glared at him. "I would rather starve."

Perhaps he was being too stubborn. With a buffoon of a companion such as this, the situation was better treated as a survival scenario than a mere mission. Damian was no fool. Vegetarianism was a luxury afforded to those with the food abundance to choose.

That, and it had been a solid sixteen hours since his last meal. His tail felt sore and aching in a way he hadn't felt in years. His stomach growled and groaned, demanding something to fill it.

The last time he felt a hunger like this was when he was still in the League, when they sent him out on weeks long missions where he starved under moonlight and ate birds and rats to survive.

"Come on, Damian, you need to eat something." Phantom cajoled, as if his puppy-eyed look could ever match that of Richard's. "And the seaweed's not gonna sustain you. Believe me I tried."

"Are sirens obligate carnivores?"

"No, but-"

"Then tell me why I cannot sustain myself off of kelp and seaweed?"

"Dude, those things have literally no calories in them."

A valid point, but just because he was right did not mean Damian had to cede the point so easily. "Is the siren species so primitive as to not have cultivated plants in order to sustain their population?"

"I literally don't know how to answer that dude. Do I look like an ambassador or something to you?"

Damian frowned.

"Look, it's getting late and we'll need all the rest we can get. I promise it doesn't taste that bad. We'll try and work something out tomorrow, how's that?"

Damian sighed. "Very well, but only because I very my life, thank you very much."

"Thank god for that..."

Damian unwrapped himself from his tail, and approached the poor fish. "I am terribly sorry, fish. I will not let your sacrifice be in vain." He muttered.

He looked up to find Phantom with a small knife, cutting up the fish into messy fillets, like this was the first time he'd done so. Peculiar. Surely he had lived off fish his entire life, and had deboned many before this moment.

"Just so you don't get poked in the mouth by a bone or two. Those things suck."

Phantom offered a strip of meat. Shutting his eyes, Damian took the food, and shoved it into his mouth, chewing minimally before swallowing.

The taste was... acceptable.

More than acceptable. perhaps.

It would be a shame to let the fish's death go to waste.

...

Damian sank his teeth into the side of the fish, eyes almost rolling into the back of his head from the taste.

Some time later...

Danny floats back into the cave, a handful of kelp bundled up in his arms. "Hey Damian, look I know this situation sucks for you, like in every way, so I went out and got some greens for you, just so it's not all meat and- Wait, Damian?"

The boy in question slept fastly, his fins gently drifting back in forth in the small currents caused by Danny's entrance. His head was slumped against the bass he'd brought in earlier, little strips of fish still stuck in his teeth.

Now that he wasn't making faces and being angry at Danny, he was honestly pretty cute.

Danny wiped some of the bits of meat off Damian's cheek, careful not to scratch his soft scales with a misplaced claw. Despite being so small, Damian managed to chew through a sizable portion of the fish that was easily half his size or more.

Setting the child's body to the side, and draping a small blanket over him, Danny set to finishing off the rest.

He hoped everyone back home wouldn't worry too much. If the GiW boats didn't clear out by tomorrow, then they were in for a big problem. He and Tucker were working on making waterproof earpieces, but they weren't ready yet, and his waterproof phone had been left in his room when he'd rushed out to get Damian back. That meant no communication with Amity Island whatsoever. No way to get in contact with Bruce Wayne, and no way for his friends to know he and Damian were ok.

He was really in over his head, wasn't he?

The morning came with a very loud wake up call.

"YO BABYPOP!"

Danny jolted awake and bumped his head into the nearest desk overhead. "Who's attacking us?!"

Beside him, Damian jerked himself into a defensive stance (or as close to one as he could manage.)

The curtains of the cave were pushed open, allowing streams of sunlight to stream in and blind the boy with its glare. Peeking into the cave was the head of one Ember McClain, a vicious grin plastering her face.

"You never told me you got a kid!"

Damian chirped indignantly.

Danny sputtered. "Whawhwh Wh Wait a second!"

Ember pulled out of the cave, and squealed. "Yo Kitty! Dipstick's got himself a kid!"

A woosh of water rushed past, and Kitty's neon green and teal scales showed themselves. "Omg! Phantom aren't you like fifteen? What the heck?!"

Danny blushed deeply teal. "He's not mine I swear!"

Ember pushed Kitty out of the way. "Oh my gosh he's so tiny. Who's the lucky woman?? Or man??? Phantom what have you been getting up to without us?!"

Damian hissed at him from behind Danny's shoulder (when did he get there?) "Begone, harpies! And cease your accusations! I would sooner perish than be related in any way to this incompetent fool."

Ember trilled in adoration. "He's so freaking adorable. Where did you get him, Babypop? An orphanage??"

Danny would've done a spittake, if he was above water. "W-what?! Dude, literally where would even find an orphanage around here?"

"Did his parents dump you on him like Johnny was?"

"Uh I'm not even gonna question that."

Ember clasped her hands to her mouth in scandalous shock. "No way, did you finally turn to the dark side and kidnap him?"

Damian piped up again, gripping on Danny's shoulders with his unsheathed claws and rising higher. "Nonsense, I claim no familial relationship with this person, not by blood, law, or emotion. He is as close to me as any stranger would."

"Ouch Damian. I literally saved your life."

Ember and Kitty chortled and shorted. They clutched their bellies and lead against the walls of the cave. "It's just... PFPFTT Phantom you total scoundrel, ahah!"

"Yeah yeah, look I gotta get this kid back to his dad on Amity, and quick. He's probably losing his mind over there."

Kitty gasped. "So you did turn him."

Danny shushed them. "Don't scream it out for the whole ocean to hear!"

He rushed out the entrance of the cave and shooed them in, covering the doorway up as they entered.

"Look I'd really, really rather you guys keep this on the down low. This is kind of a huge deal right now." Danny said.

He turned to Damian, still perched on his shoulder, his little tail brushing against Danny's ghostly white sail. "Is it ok if I tell them?"

"if it will convince them to vacate the premises."

"If you have to know, Damian's the son of some ultra rich guy. Skulker got him for whatever reason, and I was forced to turn him."

"Dude, Skulker went for a literal child?!" Ember clenched her first, likely hiding her extending claws. Right, Skulker was a bit of a touchy subject for her. "Of his own kind, no less?!"

"That's fucking low, girl."

"And now the GiW are going crazy too. Probalby got a huge donation or whatever. We're just waiting untli they go away so I can get Damian back to his dad, without any dissections. That also means none of you guys should be going near the place either."

"Pfft, too late for that."

Danny froze. "Who did they get?"

"Relaaxx, Dipstick. I was just preparing another concert, only for like fifty boats to show up out of fuckin' nowhere. Luckily I heard them before they saw me, but come on! I was miles from Amity at that point!"

"Miles?" Damian whispered.

Danny felt the same way too. They were only increasing their patrols now, shit.

"It's bad enough that the rest of the Pod are freaking migrating. We haven't migrated in years!"

"Yeah, actually, Phantom you wanna join us? I know you have this whole, err, thing, with Amity Island, but we hardly see you. And Johnny's been itching for a rematch."

Danny looked over his shoulder, to where Damian was lost in thought. This might have been the first them he'd seen the kid not glaring.

"Thanks for the offer, but I need to get Damian home. It's my fault he's like this, and he's got a whole family out there waiting for him."

"Don't you too?"

Danny swallowed a thick of water. He did have a family, a family that was probably going crazy. But at least part of that family, and his friends, knew he could take care of himself, knew that he was a siren, knew that the water was his element. Damian's family didn't have that luxury.

"We'll figure it out."

The girls shared a look, and shrugged. "The offer still stands, Babypop. Oh, and i'll be sure to fuckin' dice Skulker next time i see him, lying, cheatin' bastard.

For a moment, the boys watched the two siren teens' trailing tails, before they turned a corner and disappeared.

"Gotham."

"What was that?" Danny asked.

"If Amity Island is inaccessible to us, then we have to go to Gotham."

"Isn't Gotham-"

"On the East Coast? Yes, it is. It's our only option."

"That's thousands of miles, and you can't even walk!"

"Would you rather we stay here, waiting for the GiW to approach us and kill us both?"

Danny clenched his jaw. Damian was right, wasn't he.

"The only way to reunite me with Father is to go to Gotham. They will not be expecting us there."

"How can you be so sure?"

Damian dislodged himself from Danny's shoulder and floated in front of him. "Because they are unaware of the sirens' power of transformation, am I correct?"

"Good point, but wait, how did you know that?"

"I did some cursory research before coming here. The prevailing theories put forth by the supposed 'experts' on the matter asserted that sirens eat their human victims, with no mentions of turning. They have no reason to believe I am not dead., and no reason to suspect any siren activity in Gotham."

"And you're ok with that. Thousands of miles of swimming in the endless ocean full of things wanting to eat you?"

"Are you not?"

"Ok ok, calm down." Danny had to chuckle though. Rich as this kid may be, he was definitely not spoilt enough to sit still and wait for his dad to save him.

"And the fastest way to get to Gotham is via the Panama Canal." Damian puffed his chest out in what was probably pride. Danny stared at him, dumbfounded.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Have I ever jested to you before?"

"No seriously. The Panama Canal. You realise that place is monitored up and down, right? Literally the moment we get spotted, the locks are gonna, you know, lock down, and then we'll be stranded and sitting ducks to be chopped up by the GiW."

"That will not be an issue. You possess the power of camouflage, do you not? And again, they will not be expecting us in Panama, so they will have no reason to bring any sonars there."

Danny wanted to bang his head against the wall. This idea sounded so stupid, but not stupid enough that it was unfeasable.

"In addition, you said it yourself. Your negligence resulted in my permanent loss of humanity, so it is your responsibility to do whatever you can do right your wrong."

Shit. Came with being the son of a businessman, didn't it? This kid was guilttripping the hell out of him and Danny could honestly not say he didn't deserve it.

"Fiiiine. We're going to Panama."

"Excellent." Damian grinned. "Let us leave immediately."

Danny could only pray that none of the 50 things that could go wrong, did go wrong, but when was his luck ever that good?

No, instead, Danny strapped in whatever supplies he had laying around in the cave. To Panama we go...

#dpxdc #danny phantom #danny fenton #damian wayne #merman #merboy #dcxdp #angst #vegetarianism #damian vs fish #the fish wins #ember mcclain #mer!danny #mer danny #mer!damian #mer damian #mermaid au

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pjsk-headcanons · 2 months ago

Note

( ship-ish ask ‼️ polyjump kinda implied)

mmj has a segment where the chat gets them to quote things they found funny from each other, this leads to such wonderful chats as

airi: so one time haruka opened the door, and without saying anything else, (now trying her hardest to mimic haruka) someone in my class called me their friend, everything is working out today. ..so good afternoon everyone. (no longer mimicking haruka) what the... clover was that?

haruka: it was important news.

minori: i agree with haruka-chan!

airi: then you won't mind if i tell the chat about when you ran up the stairs yelling loudly that you lov-

minori: maybe i don't agree with haruka-chan

shizuku: oh, minori-chan once came up to me and said that i looked so wonderful and that im very nice and that she was shocked to be allowed to witness my presence~

minori: yeah...

airi: you're not even fighting it??

haruka: shizuku once said that airi was like one of those birds that throw bird spikes off buildings and use them to make their nest.

haruka: she did not elaborate on what that meant.

shizuku: she is though...! it's cute and it's just like her! she likes to act-

airi: stop there...

minori: "i'll make you a salmon fish fillet if you don't tell haruka-chan about what happened." i still don't know what that was about...

airi: ....

haruka: ....airi, what-

shizuku: oh yes~ i remember that! you didn't tell her did you?

haruka: ⁉️

‎

#pjsk #prsk #project sekai #headcanon #mmj #mmj hc #polyjump #polyjump hc

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writinganon1 · 15 days ago

Text

Soap the toned-down version 💪

A thought was thinked. Thunk? Idk

@cokoweee cut out what i didn't think the peeps here would vibe with. but ur other anons make me think I prolly would have been fine lol

oh yeah, a shameless self plug is in here too coz I thought it was silly

The pot on the stove simmered, onion and garlic sautéing, filling the kitchen with a pleasant aroma. She stirred it absently, looking over her shoulder to the lab where Othello had locked himself all day. She needed a way to get him out. He’d disappeared sometime yesterday and had only emerged to eat dinner and sleep for a few hours at night.

She’d allowed it at first. He was working on something again. She hadn’t seen him put so much effort into something since a few months ago when she’d needed her wristband updated.

But this was new.

She’d never seen him quite so devoted to a project in the year he’d been living with him.

It didn’t matter though. She was going to drag him out no matter what it took.

Pouring broth and rice into the pot, she turned the burner down to medium to let it simmer. Grabbing butter and herbs she placed them neatly on the counter before marching to the lab.

The door opened with a shudder, purple light flickering from the center of the room. It stopped as soon as the light from the hallway filtered in. Othello shoved something under a blueprint, grabbed a small screwdriver, and began fiddling with a small object.

Idiot.

“Watcha workin' on?” She asked, hand placed on his shoulder as she began to massage out the knots in his muscles.

He stiffened slightly, “Nothing! Nothing at all to help you.” He hunched over the table, tail flicking nervously as he covered the blueprints for whatever he was working on.

“Mmmmmmm” She pressed her hand harder against his shoulder. “Then you won’t mind coming to eat dinner with me?”

“Ken I-”

She set her chin on his shoulder, turning her head so her mouth was flush with the side of his head. “I’m sure whatever you’re working on can wait.” She murmured, pressing her lips to his neck.

His pulse quickened against her lips as he placed a hand against her head. “I’m sure you’re right.”

“Thank you.” She smiled, grabbing his tail and yanking him off the chair.

He screeched, throat bobbing as he clicked his jaw, limbs sprawling on the floor as he fell.

Leaning down to his level, she gripped his hair and lifted his head. “You’re washing your hair after this.”

“Yeah, yeah whatever.” He laughed, waving her away. “But-”

“I wash your hair, got it.” She said letting go of his hair as she stood up.

“WHAT THE HE-” His words fell short, muffled by the ground as he slammed into the floor again. “I hate you.” He grumbled.

“I know.” She trilled, grabbing his tail and dragging him across the floor to the kitchen.

He clawed desperately at the floor, trying to gain some footing before giving up and going entirely limp. She slowly hauled him across the tile, angry hisses broken by clicks filling the air.

“What are you doing?”

“Mm’s Friday.” He mumbled against the floor.

She kicked his side, earning a low hiss as he pushed himself off the ground with a huff.

“Can we swim after this?” He asked, hauling himself onto the counter as he looked at the stove. “Because I yearn for the water Ken. YEARN.”

“We?” She, feigned shock as she placed the pan back onto the stove and waved him over. “C’mon, you’re helping.”

“I have no idea how to cook that.” He said, throwing his hands up.

She rolled her eyes. “And yesterday you forgot where the dishwasher was..”

“One time! I forget to load the dishwasher ONE time!” He jumped off the counter throwing his hands into the air as he walked over to her. “One time!”

“Mhm. Cut,” She said placing a cutting board, a fillet knife, and a large tilapia in front of him.

“Right then.” He said, chopping off the fins and tail of this fish. “Now what?”

She guided the knife along the long side of the fish. “Now you get the guts out.” She said, reaching in and removing pink masses of flesh. “You can throw those away, can’t make anything with the-”

He gave a quick thumbs-up as he snatched them off the table swallowing them whole.

“Gross.”

“Pretty good actually.”

“Alright.” She sighed, chopping the head off.

Turning the fish, she slid the knife down its body, opening it to reveal the meat inside. Carefully gliding the knife across the rib bones, she separated the bones and set them on the table before grabbing a pair of tweezers and extracting the pin bones.

Othello sat quietly, occasionally twitching from his perch on the counter. “Can I have those?”

“Gotta cook it first.” She mumbled, not looking in his direction.

“You don’t have to cook bones?” He argued back, plucking them from the plate and stuffing them in his mouth.

She turned wide-eyed as he crunched. “Genuinely why would you do that.”

“Good source of calcium.” He shrugged, face twisted in confusion as if he had done something completely normal

“YOU COULD JUST DRINK MILK?”

“Milk is gross.”

“YOU JUST ATE BONES.”

“And they were very tasty.” He smiled, a small squeaking noise just behind the words.

She turned, her face brightening. “What was that?”

He rolled his eyes. “You’ve heard it before.” He paused, a smile creeping over his face. “You should start drinking more milk though. Might help with your height.”

Whipping around she marched over to him, grabbing his hair and pulling him down to her level. “Von Ryan, one more word out of you about that and I will find a way to drown your stupid turtle head.” Taking a breath she returned to the stove. “ And the weird noise you made? Not usually low enough for me to hear.” Sprinkling the tilapia with salt and pepper she carefully added the fish into the simmering oil. “Can you get started on the butter? Everything you need is in the bowls on the counter. Just mix it and it should be good.”

He nodded, adding the chopped herbs and spices to a small bowl and mashing them together until they became a smooth paste. “Now what?”

“See that pot on the stove?” She said, pointing to a purple-lidded pan. “ Put that in the oven. Twenty minutes and take it out to stir it before it goes in for another twenty. When it’s done, put some butter and cheese in there.”

“Yes ma’am.”

She flipped the fish over, the skin flaking against the spatula. “Anything else you want? I think this is good for me but you usually eat more.”

Humming quietly he rummaged through the fridge. “Think I’m good,” he mumbled over his shoulder.

“Mkay, go ahead and set the table then wouldja?”

She watched his fork screech along the plate as he struggled to pick up the tilapia. He chased the bite for a few seconds before setting his fork down seizing the fish in his hand and swallowing it whole.

“You act like you were raised in a sewer.”

He looked up, wiping a smudge of sauce from his mouth, frowning. “Well I hate to break it to ya but….”

She rolled her eyes, finishing the last few bites of the meal. A flicker of movement caught her eye. “Othello.” She snapped.

He turned wide-eyed, nail still dug into his arm.

“Stop scratching at that shed or I’ll get the mittens of shame.”

“Nooooooooooo. Anything but those!” He screeched, pushing against the table.

She paused, thinking for a moment before smiling. “Tell me what you’re doing in the lab for so long today and I’ll keep the mittens in the drawer.”

“I haven’t been working that long.” He protested, tail twittering against the chair.

“You were gone when I got up and this is the first time I’ve seen you all day.” She said pointedly, a fork aimed at his face. “You’ve been doing this all week.”

He shrugged “…The roots of invention are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”

“It’s 7:00! The door’s been locked. I couldn’t get in. Sheldon kept getting in my way.” She pressed, leaning forward. “Don’t bend Aristotle’s quotes to hide.” She added as an afterthought.

“Aristotle would have wanted me to finish,” he said snottily, snout pointed to the roof as he stood.

“Well, Kendra wanted to see her husband at some point during the day today.” She snapped back, ring slamming against the table as she shot up.

His eyes widened and he slowly moved his gaze to her. “Well, maybe Kendra’s husband was trying to do something nice for his wife.”

“Kendra had no way of knowing that!” She scowled. “She didn't know anything about why her husband wouldn’t answer her texts.” She paused, taking a breath as she shrunk into herself. “Kendra’s husband should give her at least a little bit of information before he disappears for a week without a word.” She whispered.

He softened and moved closer before whispering back. “But then Kendra’s surprise would be ruined.”

“Whatever.” She groaned. “Just tell me next time ahead of time before you close yourself up in that stupid lab.” She leaned into his side. “It was just me and Mr. Nubbins all week. He doesn’t exactly talk back. If you would just tell me before you go off and leave me so I can come up with somewhere to go… Or at least people to see.” She gestured vaguely to the empty subway station. “That’d be great because I’d rather go back to the farmhouse for a week with Sagi than stare at these ugly concrete walls.”

“How was I supposed to know- “ He paused, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her barely above the ground as he hugged her. “Sorry I didn’t-I wasn’t - why didn’t you say something?”

She shrugged against his arms. “You were always gone when I woke up and by the time you did come to bed, you always fell asleep before I could say a word. You’d just assume I was already asleep and lay a hand on my shoulder before you passed out.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You should be.”

“I won’t do it again.” He promised, holding her closer.

She pressed her face harder against his side as his tail curled around her calf. “Why do you do that though?” She asked, words muffled by his plastron.

“Hmm?”

“The hand thing. It’s every night you have to have your hand on my shoulder or my arm or chest or stomach, my anything.” She looked up, eyes meeting his. “Why?”

He froze, tilting his head slightly. “To make sure it’s real.” He took a deep breath. “Sometimes it feels too good to be true, ya know? After everything that happened. It’s easier to fall asleep at night when I can feel the heat radiating from your body, the pulse beneath your skin, the steady beat of your heart.”

She cocked her head. “If that’s so important to you, why haven’t you spent any time with me this week?”

He grinned. “Because sometimes, making something for someone you love is almost like being there with them. Anticipating their reaction is worth a few days of work.”

“Not for me.” She huffed “I didn’t get any of that. I got left alone.”

“Ken, I’d never leave you alone.” He murmured, pressing his snout to the top of her head “As a matter of fact, you’re coming with me.” He said, a smile creeping into his voice.

“Huh?”

He hooked an arm around her middle, effortlessly hoisting her up, and began walking to the old convenience store he’d turned into a large pool.

She shifted her weight so it wasn’t around her stomach full of food and let her arms dangle. “I don’t have a bathing suit on.”

“I know.” He laughed, cheekily smiling down at her, tail whipping back and forth.

“No! No, No NO! Nope! I just washed these!” She screeched, kicking against him in a futile effort to free herself.

Her weight shifted ever so slightly as he used his free arm door to the pool opened with a shudder and she flailed, kicking as he brought her closer to the water.

“OTHELLO VON RYAN IF YOU DROP ME IN THERE I WILL MURDER YOU!”

He stopped, looking down to her, a stupid smile on his face.

“What?” She snapped. “Plotting how you’re gonna do it?”

“Nope.” He grinned wider. “I was just thinking that if you killed me that’d be another felon for you.”

Her eyes widened as her mouth fell open, -“Wait!”

His tail wagged as he set her on the edge of the pool. “A few more of those and you can run for president!” He said snarkily, contorting his face into a smirk and bobbing his head. He raised a finger and straightened up. “They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats.” He pointed his finger to her, “You! Have you ever eaten a pet?”

“I think you need to look at a map.” She mumbled taking off her socks and dipping her feet into the water.

“It was funny!” He protested.

She shrugged. “It’s funny to make fun of the orange man, not nearly as funny to not know where your wife is from.”

“…I was raised in a sewer.”

“You were raised in America.” She corrected.

“I thought you were born here?”

She nodded. “Born here in New York, but my parents raised me there for as long as they could afford to, back in Indonesia.”

His face twisted in thought as he slipped into the pool. He looked to her face and she nodded. His eyes lit up as he dove under the water, the walls echoing the squeaks and trills as he swam.

Smiling softly, she let herself relax, shoulders loosening as she kicked at the water. A streak of green raced beneath the surface, almost faster than she could comprehend. It wasn’t often she came in here with him. She could swim, but it wasn’t exactly a passion of hers.

He swam laps around the bottom of the pool, seemingly exhaustless, before slowly floating to the surface, only his snout visible. She watched for a moment longer to ensure he wouldn’t go back to his crazed swimming. He floated lazily, occasional pockets of air bubbling from his nose, not a hint of movement elsewhere.

Pulling her shirt over her head, she slid into the pool, the water flowing around her body. The green flash immediately appeared next to her, his eyes just barely above the water. He raised his eyebrows.

She shrugged and held out her arm. His lips quirked up and he grabbed her waist.

“I thought you just washed those?”

“I took my shirt off.”

He didn’t respond, simply dragging her to the middle of the pool.

“Aye! I can swim.”

He stopped, turning to her. “If my memory serves me correctly- and it does- tell me that you said that at the lake.” Staring pointedly, he smiled. “And then you nearly drowned.”

She spluttered, words stuck on her tongue.”Uh”

“That’s what I thought.” Letting her waist go he waited for a moment to make sure she stayed afloat before flipping to his back, patting his plastron. She climbed atop, flattening herself against his chest as he floated.

Latching her arm around his neck, she relaxed completely, letting her body fall limp against his plastron.

Her foot hung off his side, water lapping against her ankle. “Othello?” She whispered after a moment.

He hummed, the vibration rumbling against her torso.

She traced the side of his face, fingers stopping where his ears would be. “You would look nice with earrings.” She murmured.

“Thanks but I don’t-“

She groaned, taking her hand from his face and letting it fall into the water. “Ugh, your earlobes are uncircumcised.”

“I don't have earlobes, Ken.”

“I’ll find the tape tomorrow.” She said after a beat of silence.

He laughed, jostling her slightly. “I’ll do whatever you say. You think I’ll look pretty? I’ll try ‘em on for your sake.”

She smiled against his plastron. “I know.”

Time ticked by slowly. There was nothing but the beat of their synchronized heartbeats, gentle waves, and their intertwined bodies.

“I had a dream last night that I was on a walk and four dudes tried to steal my bag.” He said suddenly. “But I didn’t have any bags so they just took my bō.”

“Thanks for telling me, bud.”

“Anytime” he shrugged.

She paused, frowning slightly.

“I have other dreams too. The other day I dreamt that I was in a pool of jello.” He shuddered. “It was so sticky Ken. So sticky.”

She shook her head. “It just occurred to me that you might have never had one of the dreams I’ve been having pretty often.” She said, words muffled against his shoulder.

“Which is?”

She paused, finger sweeping arcs over his neck. “Kids.”

“…Oh.” He turned, taking her in his arms as he swam to the edge of the pool deck. He set her down gently, placing his head on her thighs, arms wrapped around her bare waist.

“Not like us, having kids. Like I assume that’s how it happens I guess but- ugh I don’t even think that’s possible.” Curling her torso around his head, she let her body weight fall against him. “But I have dreams where I give birth to a little girl. Ya know? She looks just like me. And I raise her and I love her.” She put her hand around his neck, gently tracing the soft skin of his throat.

“You’re there too. It’s nice. And it’s not always the same girl. My dreams sort of, rotate I guess? There’s one that looks like me, one that looks like you, and one that’s a mix. Just depends on the night.” She sighed. “But then I wake up and suddenly my picturesque life is gone, and I don’t have a child to hold.”

She tensed, tightening her grip on his neck. “And it’s so stupid because despite it all I’ve still got you. But my arms have never felt so empty without someone small to hold. And the child I raised for years?” She took a deep breath, her emotions threatening to boil over. “She’s gone, Dee. I don’t even remember her name. But you know what’s even worse? Sometimes I wake from those and you’re not there. You’re off tinkering in the lab and I’m alone.”

She pulled away, gently lifting his chin before cupping his cheeks. “The bed has never felt colder than when I wake up from those dreams. It makes it feel as if all of this-“ She gestured to the walls of the pool. “Isn’t real. Because I wake up and I’m slammed into a reality where she was nothing more than a figment of my imagination.”

He didn’t say a word, merely looked into her eyes, hugging her closer. “How often do you have those dreams?”

She shrugged, looking towards the middle distance. “It depends.”

“Elaborate.”

“Well, you’ve been pretty much MIA all this week, so I’ve been a little lonely which always makes the dreams more intense.”

“I’m sorry.” He murmured against her chest. “Anything else?”

She shrugged. “Hormones are all outta wack which always makes my dreams more vivid.”

“Oh, ya know what that makes a lot of sense!”

“What’s that supposed to mean!”

“You always get kinda mopey and anxious when you ovulate.” He grinned, his eyebrows waggling. “But sometimes it’s a little more ~fun~”

“Ugh”

He threw his hands up. “Hey, all I’m saying is that I never initiate anything like that. I leave it up to you.” He shrugged. “That particular time is when you usually go for stuff like tha-"

“Are you tracking my menstrual cycle?” She burst out. “Because if you are, that's actually insane.”

“Not on purpose but we share a bathroom, and.” He paused, “I have a decent understanding of the cycles… so.”

“I’m actually a little scared not gonna lie.”

“April gave me a very in-depth lesson when I was younger after I found her curled in the fetal position on my bed one day.” He frowned. “Now that I think about it she might have been exaggerating to make us do things for her.”

“Oh, she definitely wasn’t exaggerating. Periods are a living hell. You bleed outta ya coochie for like a week while your uterus decides to punch your insides.”

He pulled away, face twisted. “ I’m gonna go get more stuff.”

“Oh! That’s why you have little heating pads and Midol here!”

His eyes widened. “Did you take those pills? They haven’t been used for like years; they’re most definitely expired.”

“I checked. I threw the pack out but I was kinda wondering.”

“Yeah, it was because of April. We left stuff for her in the bathroom and we always had a stash of chocolate and ice cream for her.”

She looked to him, “You should, like, I dunno, start doing that again.”

“I’ve already asked Drax to pick some stuff up.”

She laughed, throwing her hands into the air “Thank you thank you thank you!”

He smiled, resting his face back on her thighs. “ I’m the best. I know. But about that dream.”

She sighed. “Not much to say. Just feels a little weird I guess.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Come to bed?”

He wrapped his other arm around her. “ ‘Course Ken.”

She ran her fingers through his hair. “I forgot you knotted your hair into an absolute mess!”

He grinned sheepishly as he shrugged. “Shower?”

“Lord knows you need it.”

He hummed in acknowledgment. “Can we stay like this a bit longer?”

“Yeah.”

She worked her hands around his head, gently untangling the knots he had created as she hummed. She stopped, fingers working through a tangle.

“Hmmm?” He looked up, eyes locked on hers.

She laughed, a malicious grin on her face.“So you can boat!”

“THAT'S NOT HOW I WORK!”

“Explain to me the definition of a boat then.”

He scowled. “ A small vessel propelled on water by oars, sails, or an engine.”

“Ah hah!” She lifted one of his arms up. “ You were using your arms to propel! BOOM! A BOAT!”

He pushed her away. “ My arm is not a pole.”

“Whatever you say, boatman.”

She screeched as his arm flew out, hooking around her middle and throwing her into the water. Spluttering, she floated to the surface. “Guess I touched a nerve there huh?”

“I am not a boat, and I am not a pool toy. I am an object not to be reckoned with!”

“Whatever you say bud.”

He sighed and lifted her out of the pool. “Let's go.”

“Give me two seconds to grab my stuff and we’ll be right as rain.”

He hummed in response, hoisting her over his shoulder.

“-Hrk-“ She slapped his shell. “Put me down!”

He didn’t ask another question, simply lowering her dot the ground. “You good?”

She scowled, “We had dinner like thirty minutes ago! No, I am not ‘good’ to be thrown over your shoulder like a bag of flour!”

“Sorry.”

The water fell from the shower head, steaming the room. She poured lavender bubble bath into the water, stirring it with her hand. Satisfied with the temperature, she turned off the faucet and went to find Othello.

He was lying on the floor of their bedroom again, a heating lamp balanced precariously on his dresser. His fingers twitched briefly before he chirped quietly.

Smiling, she used her foot to kick at his side.

He startled, hands splaying to the side, his bottom jaw hitting the bottom as he clicked angrily. “How dare you attack me in my hour of sorrow!”

“That was not an attack.” She kicked his side, “Get up or I’ll drag you there. You can pout about whatever you’re sad about later.”

Groaning he got to his feet and grabbed the lamp as he shuffled to the bathroom. “I’m taking this.”

“What happened to your yearning for the water?” She laughed, following him to the next room.

He grumbled, almost too low for her to hear, and whipped his head around. “Well, I can’t swim in a BATHTUB!”

She pointed to the tub. “In.”

He shot her one last look before slinking into the tub.

Placing the lamp above the tub she patted his head. “Good?”

“Yea-” He paused, suddenly noticing the bubbles. He frowned, looking up at her. “Why?”

Rolling her eyes she handed him a bar of soap. “Wash.”

He ran the bar over his arms twice before handing it back to her.

“That’s all you’re going to do?”

Nodding he sunk a bit deeper into the water. “I washed.”

“Absolutely not.” She flicked his head. “You really were born in a sewer you disgusting worm.”

“We have been over that fact, yes.” He said somberly.

She threw a bottle of body wash at him. “Lather it between your palms and then lather it into your skin. Deeper clean, lasting scent”

Nodding slowly he rubbed the soap between his hands until it foamed before working it into his skin.

She gave a quick thumbs up, grabbing her brush and conditioner from the tub side. Rubbing the conditioner into the worst knots, she yanked her brush through his hair.

“OW!”

She whacked the top of his head again. “Don’t be dramatic it wasn’t that big of a knot.”

“You nearly broke my neck!”

“I could break other things.”

He turned around, a faint blush creeping up his neck. “Be gentle, it’s my first time.”

Grabbing his hair she tilted his head back, making eye contact with him. “I’ll do what I want.”

“I know.”

She let his hair go and worked her way through the tangles.

They sat in comfortable silence, the occasional churr breaking the quiet .“Hold on, I gotta get the shower head to get this out of your hair.”

He didn’t say anything, just watched as she climbed on the tub wall to grab the nozzle.

She turned the water on, letting it flow over his head when he suddenly moved.

“Do you want to hear about something?” He didn’t wait for her to respond. “Yeah, you do. Ok, so there's this family, right? And they are like celebrities in their little world.” He waved his arms, tilting his head. “And they all have powers. And there's this whole prophecy telling them that they’re going to save the world. But when they go to save the world, all of them-”

She cut off his sentence by spraying the shower head into his face.

“I- Are you trying to waterboard me?” He managed after a moment.

“I need you to stop talking about that for a sec. You’re moving your head and I can’t properly wash it.”

“Oh.”

“You can keep talking just maybe about something you’re a tad less passionate about.”

“So basically the whole thing is a retelling of Greek stories. Like all of the characters are derived from Greek myths. And while most of them don’t interact in mythology, they do here. And then, the main character's best friend is named after a Greek constellation! But of course the-” He paused, tensing.

She took her hands off of his head. “I thought you wanted to talk?”

“Well, I can’t exactly form sentences when my head is being used as a gearshift.”

Patting his shoulder she planted a small kiss to his head. “Good thing we’re done.”

She climbed back onto the tub wall, hanging the shower head back on the hook. Turning, she hesitated slightly.

Othello took it as an invitation, grabbing her bare waist and dragging her into the water.

She gasped. “Wha-”

He hugged her, wrapping his arms around her body and pulling her close. “Hi.” He whispered against her ear.

“Hi.” She whispered back, leaning into him.

His hands crept up her beck slowly, savoring each inch of skin they touched. Her shirt pooled around her, his hands forcing the fabric away from her. He crossed his arms against her, left hand on her right shoulder and pulled her close.

Water dripped nearby, echoing across the bathroom walls. The sound rippled outwards, meshing with the sound of their breathing. A perfect symphony.

She melted against him, reveling in the closeness of their bodies. How sweet it was to be so close to a lover.

He tiled her chin up, mouth parted slightly.

A small nod.

He lowered his hands to her hips, lifting her barely out of the water, kissing her gently. She leaned closer, her lips pressing into his.

He faltered, breath hot against her face. She wrapped her legs around his waist, head resting against his shoulder.

Lowering his head, he planted feather-light kisses against her neck. She tilted her head, inviting him closer. He moved down her neck, pressing kisses against her skin. Stopping barely above her collarbone, he shifted her to rest higher against him.

He kissed her like there was nowhere else he’d rather be, lips traveling along her skin. He lowered his head, resting against her chest.

“I love you, you know that right?” He murmured, breath tickling her wet skin.

She hooked an arm around his neck. “I know.”

He stalled. “It’s just that I don’t think you quite understand. I don’t think there's enough words in the world for me to explain just how much you mean to me. I can never tell you enough. There’s always a part of me that wants to give you more.”

Unhooking her legs, she turned around to face him. “You’ve given me more than I could ever ask for.”

He shook his head, “It’s not enough.”

She frowned inching slowly up his lap. “Maybe for you.” She kissed his mouth, hard, hands tangling in his hair as she pressed herself closer. “But you are what I want.” She pressed a kiss to his neck. “I’ll never ask for more.”

Smiling he placed a hand on the small of her back, the other against her waist, finger rubbing circles against her shoulder. “I love you.”

She leaned against his chest. “Come to bed?”

He sighed. “I have to finish something, Ken. " He stuck out his tongue. "Also, you taste like soap right now.”

She nodded slowly, “You know how it goes in the shower. I’m gonna get ready for bed then.”

“Wait!” Grabbing her arm, he pulled her back. “I know this isn’t everything you do for a shower. I don't feel as soft as you do. We can finish this and then I’ll finish my project for realsises.” He stopped, leaning back so she could look at his face. “ I can wait until tomorrow though if you want.”

“We can finish this, but only if you come to bed before one.” She smiled. “I’ll be waiting.”

He grinned. “I can do that.”

She watched as he climbed from the tub, water dripping from his hair. Following behind him, she froze as he grabbed her waist.

He gave her a lopsided smile before pushing her back.

She gasped as the cold tile slammed against her wet back. A cool breeze coiled around her legs, sliding her arms and spilling over the back of her neck. “Eh?”

His eyes locked onto hers, fingers tracing the outline of her body. He moved closer, breath tickling her shoulder. “I was being serious.” Lifting her hips, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I can wait until tomorrow if you need.”

Shrugging, she broke away from the wall and pulled on a pair of dry pants. "Whatever works for you. Turn around real quick."

He shut his eyes, and she yanked her wet shirt and bra over her head, pulling one of his discarded hoodies over herself. "Let's go get you all soft and purdy."

He churred against her skin. “My favorite pillows.”

She swatted at his head. “Hold still, I’m trying to do stuff here.”

He melted closer to her. Clutching at the pillow behind her back, he eased his hand beneath the pillow to press a hand to her back.

Opening a bottle of unscented lotion, she mixed it in her hand with the lavender-scented oil until it became a homogeneous mixture. She spread it evenly between her hands before smoothing it over his shell.

He twitched slightly at the touch, relaxing again as she massaged in into his skin.

“It smells so good.” He whispered against her chest, a quiet churr hidden beneath the words.

“It smells like me.”

He nodded. “That’s why it smells so good.”

There was silence again. Just the warmth of their bodies pressed together as she worked the mixture over his dry shedding skin.

“Did you know I was meant to be a weapon?” He mumbled quietly, looking up.

“No?”

He shrugged against her. “Yeah, I was meant to destroy the human race or something to save Yoki or something like that.”

“You are really bad at your job” She laughed. “I’m not even fighting back or anything and you’ve made no move against me.”

“Thank you for that.” He grumbled. “Would you rather I fulfill that prophecy?”

“You and your prophecies. You seriously have got to stop reading that book I think it’s messing with your brain.”

He smiled. “It was written by a psych major, so it’s supposed to do that.” He looked up again. “Ok, you gotta tell me a story from your childhood now.

“Hmmmmm. When I was younger and my dad remarried Jason’s mom I didn’t like him coming into my room because he wasn’t really my brother at that point, he was just some kid. So to keep him out I created a monster named Allen and we were best friends, but he told me that he hated Allen and if Allen ever came in the room he would eat him.”

“Did it work?”

“Yeah. Or at least until our parents found out and then I got in trouble and they told me I couldn't do stuff with Allen to scare him anymore. But Jason was still scared so we had a really big going away party for Allen so Jason would no longer be tormented by what I had created.”

“I am frightened.”

“Good.” She grabbed the toothbrush by the side of the couch and scrubbed at the loosened skin left over from their bath.

He melted against her immediately, an odd noise emitting from his throat.

“What’s that?”

“I actually had no idea you could hear that.” He replied simply.

“Ok, but what is it?”

He shrugged. “Purring.”

“You’re like a little cat! You and Mister Nubbins need to hang out more!”

“ I am not going to ‘hang out’ with the nasty street cat you found.”

She pouted, “But he’s so cuteeeeee.”

“I prefer you to him.”

Placing the toothbrush back behind the couch, she patted his shell. “I’m done, I’m gonna go find Mister Nubbins and give him the love you refuse to.”

“Mmmno.” He tightened his grip on her back. “You’re warm. Stay.”

“Let me sit up a bit?”

Nodding he pushed himself up and scooted over to let her get up. As soon as she settled in, he wrapped his arm around her thigh, resting his head against it.

She grabbed her phone from the side table, taking out the camera, and snapping a quick picture.

K- He told me he was a force to be reckoned with about an hour ago

C -He’s such an idiot sometimes I swear

C- Wanna see Cassy jr?

K- IS THAT EVEN A QUESTION?

She smiled at the video of Casey teetering around the farmhouse, Cali hunched over one of Casey’s stuffed animals. The video beneath her blurred and she rubbed at her eyes, the day’s events hitting her slowly

“Tello?”

“Mmmm?”

“I’m two seconds away from falling asleep right now.”

He sat up, maneuvering her to lay across his legs. “I’ll be right here.”

“I don’t even know why.” She hooked an arm around his waist, curling her head against his plastron as she drifted off. “I didn’t do anything.”

He ran his hand through her hair. “Sometimes it be like that.”

“ 起きろケン” ( wake up Ken)

“Eh?”

He planted a kiss on her head. “Wake up, I finished.”

She pulled herself off his chest, face twisted in confusion.

Smiling he put her hand over her eyes. “It’s a surprise, you have to see it all cool.” He explained.

“Ok?”

Removing his hands, he revealed a small purple bot.

“What is that?”

“Turn around.”

She complied, twisting so the back of her head was facing him.

“What do you want?”

“To go back to bed.” She grumbled.

He laughed quietly. “Soon, but what kind of hairstyle do you want?”

“I dunno a bun?”

The bot lit up, light purple before he placed it on the back of her head. Strands of her hair moved, pulling into a messy bun on the middle of her head.

She turned around, eyes wide. “That’s why your hair was a mess!”

He nodded sheepishly. “It took a lot of tries to get it right.”

“Thank you.” She crashed into him, holding him in an embrace.

“Course.”

“Bed?”

He scooped her up bridal style and carried her to their room. Laying her gently on the mattress he went to grab the heating lamp from the bathroom, attaching it above his side of the bed.

She watched slowly, extending an arm out.

He set a new blanket down, smoothing it over space before climbing into bed, and curling up next to her.

“Are you getting sick or something? You’ve been attached by the hip to that lamp all day. And the added blanket isn't helping your case.” She murmured, pressing herself closer, tracing the faint outline of his backpiece before planting a small kiss along each of the scars.

He turned, facing her, hooking their ankles together, arm draped over her side. “Mmmmnno. It’s just getting colder so I’m sleepier than usual. And my stupid annual shed came earlier this year so I’m actually dying over here.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

He shook his head. “It’s fine, just a bit itchy.” He gave her a quick squeeze. “Good night Ken. I’ll see you in the morning.”

She smiled. “Will you remember where the dishwasher is tomorrow?”

“One time Kendra.” He mumbled against her hair. “ One time I forget to load the dishwasher. How long are you going to hold that against me?”

“As long as we’re together.” She whispered.

“Forever then.” He whispered back, breath tickling the top of her hair.

She placed her head against his carapace, ear placed above his heart, listening to the constant rhythm. “Forever,”

if you get any of my references I LOVE YOU

i'm gonna go eat popcorn now I think

@crowleys-pockets ( you can read this one before I show you the other one tmmr. DON'T LOOK AT THE OTHER DOC TILL I'M AT UR HOUSE)

The day I get 100 notes on any of my fics is the day I start writing kendratello 🥵🤤😩 scenes by the way

JOKIN jokin jokin I’m jokin!

Maybe

#also I was like OUT of it today and ended up medically high #so i wrote a poem #ill give someone a cookie if any of you can figure it out what this is about :)#She calls for me only when she shouldn’t #Her voice an echo in my head #When she knows I can’t be near.#Her silken skin and warm warm arms #Her sheets tousled perfection.#Or less often #a pristine picture of grace #Waiting for me to dig my fingers in to ravage the softness of her skin.#I hesitate.#Here?#Now?#She nods #spreading the sheets and drawing me closer.#We were made for each other #She insists #A perfect fit #I walk past #This is no time for foolery #The tickle of her silken skin flirts across my legs #Beckoning me closer.#You are my purpose #without you I am nothing #What am I to deny her identity?#My resolve cracks and I fall against her.#She opens her skin to me and I don’t hesitate.#I am no better than a man #Paige writes

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unmaskthewriter · 1 year ago

Text

Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You {Arthur Morgan x GN!Reader}

Summary: Arthur realizes he’s in love with you.

A/N: As suggested/requested by @photo1030 . I apologize for the delay as I’m packing for travel and also I just got into Read Dead online for the first time all while completing RDR1 (first time) and RDR2 (second time). I know you suggested a different song/title but I couldn’t stop thinking about Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You by Frankie Valli. also did just watch Jersey Boys this weekend so that could be why. Anyways, despite it all, I hope you enjoy.

Warnings: none, just pure fluff as requested <3 except for Karen threatening to commit violence on Sean 👀

Word Count: 650+

It was nearly evening as Arthur returned from the bank robbery in Valentine. As the sun sank lower in the sky, it created a beautiful array of colors on the water. He approached the savings box behind Dutch’s tent, placing half his take into the box. Micah sat with Bill and Javier at a table, talking them into yet another round of Five Finger Fillet.

“You’ve taken nearly all my money!” Javier whined.

Mary Beth and Tilly were sitting in their tent, working on laundry and clothes that needed mending. Karen was sitting alongside Sean around the campfire, a bottle of whiskey in her hand.

“Ah, c’mon lass, just one kiss!” Sean leaned closer to Karen, pointing to his cheek as she looked on, disinterested.

“Only thing you’ll be getting is this bottle over your head if you don’t quit your beggin.” Karen warned, taking a swig of the whiskey. Sean only laughed.

“Where would I be without ya, Miss Karen?” Sean questioned, to which she rolled her eyes.

“Dead, hopefully.” She mumbled, looking away from the Irishman.

“Oh, don’t play at that, lass. Ya know ya love me.” Sean teases the young woman.

Arthur ventured throughout camp in search of you. On a typical day, you were often around the campfire either listening to Javier’s music, or talking with the girls at their tent. He wandered out to the lake, leaning against a tree at the edge of the wood line. He lights himself a cigarette, taking a long drag as he watches on.

You were standing in the water, barefoot, with your pants rolled up to your knees. Jack sat nearby, making a necklace with small, coral flowers. Too focused on the line in the water to realize Arthur’s presence, Jack giggled as he looked at Arthur. The gunslinger only held a finger to his lips, smiling softly as the cigarette dangled there.

“I know I’m not quite the fisherman as I talked myself up to be. It’s okay, you can laugh.” You tease unknowingly. Arthur’s heart skipped at the sight, something he didn’t think possible. Prior to this evening, Arthur always believed he’d belong to Mary, even if she had moved on and married someone else her father approved more of.

Though now, seeing you there in the water while the setting sun reflected off of you and gave you this wonderful glow… all thoughts and dreams of Mary vanished in that very moment. All he could feel in this moment was a strange swelling of his heart when he looked at you. Now, Arthur never considered himself romantic but in this moment, doing something as simple as fishing and barely doing that gave him this light, fluttery feeling in his heart, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in quite some time. As you stepped out from the water, you turned to see Arthur standing there.

“Oh!” You held a hand over your chest, startled. You relax as you put the fishing rod away, “Didn’t see you there. How’ve you been?” You ask as Jack stands and gathers the flower necklace he had made.

“Good… was wondering what you were up to. See you’re teaching him all you know about fishing.” Arthur teases as he steps forward, putting the cigarette out beneath his boot. A blush creeps across your face as you look away, trying desperately to avoid his gaze.

“Don’t think I know too much on the matter, Mr. Morgan.” You admit shyly. Arthur’s lips part to speak, only to be interrupted by the child.

“Let’s go, I’m hungry!” He insists, now standing between the two of you, “Can you swing me?” He questioned excitedly. You look to Arthur who nods to you in return.

“Anything for you.” You ruffle the boy’s hair. Each taking hold of the child’s small hands, you and Arthur swing Jack gently between the both of you as you return to camp, like one happy family.

#red dead redemption 2 #arthur morgan #rdr2 #red dead redemption #arthur morgan x reader #fluff #no angst #this time #rdr2 fanfic #jack marston #tilly jackson #micah bell #mary beth gaskill #javier escuella #bill williamson

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smoothielenny · 2 years ago

Text

ʟɪʟʏ ᴘᴀᴅ

Ao’nung x Fem!human!reader

Summary: (Y/n) is adopted by the Sullys after her mother’s sudden death. They had to flee the forest and move to Awa’atulu for safety. Everyone are hostile to your family, but they’re more hostile to since you’re a human. Even with these situation you always held your head high and don’t let them get into your head.

[one•two•three•four•five•six•seven]

It was the first time they saw a sky person, which is you. They were glaring at you as if you’re are some monster. It didn’t bother you much, you’ve experienced something similar back in the forest though it didn’t last long. But you figured this one would be.

Your brothers and sisters are required to practice with Tsireya and Ao’nung. Though you could join, your mother, Neytiri, didn’t allowed you. She is very worried that you might drown and such. So she gave you a different task instead which is to help her do some chores. You were a bit bummed about it, but you then thought that you’re spending time with your mother. So it’s not all bad.

“Mom, what is that?” You pointed at the basket with fishes and clams. Neytiri added some bought-home teylu. “It’s a gift for the Tsahik. For letting us stay.” Though the first time Neytiri and Ronal met they were ready to tear each other’s throats, It seems that she is still grateful.

“Is that so? Can I give it to her?” Your voice is filled with excitement. You just wanted to do something, you’ve been bored for the past few days. Contrary to your excitement, Neytiri is worried. She knows that Ronal might not like a human near her and might do something to you.

“I’m sorry (y/n), but I don’t think that would be a good idea.” You frowned from her words. She didn’t like seeing you look sad, her little baby girl. “Well I guess you can, just be careful alright?” Your frowned to a big grin. You thank her and hugged her tightly. She returned the hug and pat your head.

You carried the basket, hopping on your way. Across the village, you saw your brothers and sisters swimming. Lo’ak struggling was entertaining. You laughed at the sight of him falling off the ilu. You continued to walk to the Tsahik’s Marui. You know knocked to let her know that some is here.

“Come in.” You took a deep breath and entered. Ronal turned around and saw you. You smiled at her while she gave you a slight glare. You already felt nervous by her presence.

“What do you want?” Her slight piercing toned made you look down. Mother’s right, this must be a bad idea. “Oh um, I just came here to give you a gift. From us, we are grateful you let us stay here.” You set the basket on front of her and went back to where you were standing.

Her eyes widen for a bit. She looked at the basket, some fish, clams, and a bag of teylu. She took it and put it near the other food she got. She look at you, up and down. A nervous smile released from you. “It’s no problem. It’s merely my duty to help someone. You may go.” You bowed at her and left. She take a look at the basket again. She grabbed that bag of teylu and smelled it. She took a bite. She’s a bit addicted.

You went back to your marui, your brothers and sisters are already there, taking a break. Neteyam noticed you going in, “Hello, baby sister. Where did you go?” He stand up, giving you some snacks. You ate some.

“I delivered something to the Tsahik.” He tilted his head, “To the Tsahik? What did she do to you?” He leaned checking some bruises and such. You calmed your brother letting him know she didn’t do anything. Your brother was a bit skeptical, but believes you.

Your mother then called Neteyam asking him to help her make food. He walk to her and started filleting the fish. You look out the marui, watch the water’s wave. It is gorgeous, you’ve never been near water except some ponds in the forest. Your late mother showed you a pictures of her and your grandma on a beach making sandcastles. So you’re excited that you can experience something similar here in pandora.

“Mother, can I walk near the shore?” She looked at you then think about it, well you haven’t gone out unless your mother and father tells you to. She nodded and says yes. You smiled and hugged her leg, “Thank you, mother!” You hoped out of your marui, excited to go out.

“Do you think it’s a good idea?” Neteyam asked his mother. Neytiri continued to make the fire. “She’s hasn’t gone out, I want her to experience it too.” Neteyam just slowly nodded.

You walked near the water. You felt it wetting your toes, its cold, but you like it. You followed the line patting the water and the sand. Twirling around, oh how happy you are feeling something like this. Giggling every time the water hits your ankle.

Those giggles of yours distracted a young man. Ao’nung, son of Tonowari, saw you enjoying the water. For some reason this made his heart flatter. Seeing you enjoy his home, he’s somehow glad.

He supposed to hate you, you’re a sky person. You’re supposed to be an enemy. But he doesn’t feel any aura like that around you. You’re appearance made you look like a flower. Your white dress following your twirls, spins, anything. This boy is catching feelings for you.

“Brother! Brother! Are you listening?” Ao’nung turned around to see his sister, both hands on her hips, “you’re not listening at all.” She pouted.

“Ah yeah, sorry what was it again?” Ao’nung gathered some fishes from the fishnets. Tsireya noticed you faraway.

She look at his brother with a smirk. “What’s with that face?” Ao’nung looking irritated.

She giggled, “Who were you staring at?” Ao’nung’s ear stiffened.

“I’m not staring at no one!” Ao’nung cheeks started heating up. This made Tsireya laugh more.

“You like her!” Ao’nung greeted his teeth, “Am not!”

He does, but his in denial. He groaned feeling irritated about this feeling. But mostly irritated by her sister’s grin looking at him. He rolled his eyes… and look back to you again.

You picked up some shells and examining them, you’ve never seen a shells like these before. You like how pretty they look, shiny, smooth, colorful. You took some and carefully put them in your small weaved basket.

“Heeeey.” Tsireya’s hand waving in front of Ao’nung’s eyes blocking you from his view. He hissed at his sister, “calm down brother, you can stare all you want later after lunch. C’mon father is calling us.” He rolled his eyes and walked with her.

To be continued…

#avatar 2009 #avatar way of water #aonung #avatar x reader #aonung x reader #aonung x human reader #aonung headcanons #avatar fanfiction #avatar #avatar headcanons #avatar 2 #avatar ao'nung

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izzytheloser12 · 10 months ago

Text

~~~Since yall like the other incorrect quotes i've made more~~~

Kaito: I just learned a way to get stuff on the cheap. Steal it!

~~~~~~~

Akako: Dracula had it right, sleep all day, live alone in a castle, and explode into bats to get out of all social situations.

~~~~~~~~

*Yusaku goes shopping with child Shinichi*

Shinichi: Can I get a silenced pistol? Yusaku: If there’s one on sale.

~~~~~~~~~

*kaito and Aoko are having a sleepover*

Kaito: I made lightly fried fish fillets for dinner. Aoko: Kaito, It’s 1:15 am, what the fuck. Kaito: Do you want the lightly fried fish fillets or not. Aoko: Well, I mean yeah. Kaito: So come downstairs while they’re still hot. Aoko: Wait, you just made them? Kaito: Yeah, I wasn’t tired so I decided to make lightly fried fish fillets. Aoko: Say lightly fried fish fillets one more time Kaito.

~~~~~~~~~

Ran: Truth or dare? Shinichi: Truth. Ran: How many hours have you slept this week? Shinichi: Shinichi: Dare. Ran: Go to sleep. Shinichi: I don't like this game.

~~~~~~~~~~

Shinichi: Being gay is a constant battle between "I wish to sit on a window bench with my lover, our legs tangling as we listen to the birds" and "Hey, let's go throw rocks at fascists" and I think that's very sexy of us. Kaito: If the window's open and you time it right, you can do both.

~~~~~~

Kaito, trying to flirt: So, you come around here often? Shinichi, confused: I mean, this is my house, so yeah.

~~~~~~~~~

Shinichi: Did Kaito just tell me he loved me for the first time? Heiji: Yeah, he did. Shinichi: And did I just do finger guns back? Heiji: Yeah, you did.

~~~~~~~

Hakuba: I asked Heiji out. Kaito: Oh, I’m sorry. Hakuba: Why? Kaito: Well, I assume they said no. Hakuba: No, they said yes. Kaito: Really? Then I’m sorry for them.

~~~~~~~~~~

Shinichi: Fight me! Kaito: gets on one knee and pulls out a ring Kaito: Fight me for the rest of our lives.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Hakuba: Regular soda is too sweet! Kaito: Diet soda has a weird after taste! Hakuba: No! Ugh, oh my god. Diet soda is THE BEST! It doesn't have sugar! It's SPICY! Kaito: It has other weird stuff in it! I'll take REGULAR sugar in my REGULAR soda! Hakuba: It's SO SWEET like it's a dessert though! Diet feels more like a drink! Kaito: I'm going to physically attack you. Hakuba: Which is better, Shinichi? Shinichi: Oh, I usually drink water! Kaito: Wha- NO! Hakuba: DISGUSTING!

~~~~~~~~

Sonoko: Seriously, I have no idea what to do. Sonoko: Oh, wait! Yahoo! Answers.

~~~~~~~

Sonoko, texting: Answer your phone Ran, texting back: Wait a minute, I can’t find my phone Sonoko: Understood Sonoko, 5 minutes later: You’re a terrible person. You know you’re killing me. You’re killing me, Ran.

~~~~~~~~

Kazuha: Valentine’s day is just a consumerist holiday that holds no real value other than drive people insane buying heart shaped chocolates for their significant others and pos- Ran: I wrote you a poem. Kazuha, already crying: You did?

~~~~~

Kazuha: Due to personal reasons, I will be fucking sinking to the bottom of the ocean in a large metal box. Sonoko: Did Ran say 'I love you' and you said 'Thanks'? Kazuha: THE REASONS ARE PERSONAL–

~~~~~~~

*Shinichi is babysitting Ayumi*

Shinichi: Come on, you need to go to bed. Ayumi: Mr. Snuffles says that I can stay up as long as I want. And that you need to die! Shinichi: … Shinichi: What the hell, Mr. Snuffles—

~~~~~~~

Shinichi: When I first got my autism diagnosis, my first thought was “woah… it’s canon” and I think that maybe thoughts like that is why Haibara made me get tested.

~~~~~~~

Haibara: Why are we friends? Conan: Poor decisions on your part.

~~~~~~~~

Akako: I don’t care what anyone thinks about me. Aoko: Ok. Akako: Wait, why such a muted reaction? Did that not sound cool?

~~~~~~~

*after Yukiko and Shinichi got into a fight*

Yukiko: OKAY, YOU KNOW WHAT?! TIME OUT! GET ON TOP OF THE FRIDGE! GET UP THERE! Shinichi: Climbing THIS HOUSE IS A FUCKING NIGHTMARE!!!

~~~~~~

Akako: Honestly, I am so evil. So full of darkness. I feed of the souls of the living I strike fear into- Aoko: You sleep with a teddybear. Akako: He’s my sECOND IN COMMAND IN MY ARMY OF DARKNESS!

~~~~~

Kaito: As top in this relationship, I think we should- Shinichi: I can't believe you're pulling rank on me.

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vodika-vibes · 9 months ago

Note

😌 idk if my first request for a fox x reader went through but i’ve been reading a lot (ofc whats new) and uh uh I found I really love fics with CX-2 (Clone Assassin) aND SO, to my favorite SW writer I ask;

How bout a soulmate au with CX-2 (?) Could be a bit of angst with a happy ending, and everyone is just wondering how reader could be with him after all the things he’s done (uh im getting sunshine!reader x grumpy character vibes)

dont have to write this! i just would love to see some more cx-2 fics after reading one just now lol also im down the rabbit hole again that its cx-2!tech whose been reconditioned, do what you feel is best but i just love that theory bc I’m a firm believer too that tech never died 😌

Protective

Summary: For a long time, your parents feared that you didn’t have a soulmate. Until, one morning, you woke up and found a wild dog curled up next to you on your bed. You named him Noir, and the people around you quickly learned that he was fiercely protective of you. However, after Noir kills an Imperial Officer after he threatens, you have no choice but to go on the run.

Pairing: CX-2 x F!Reader, background Tech x Phee

Word Count: 2799

Warnings: None

Prompt: Soulmate AU - soulmates have spirit animals representing each other.

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: So I wasn't able to get the angst to work, largely because I wasn't in an angsty mood. Also, as much as I love the CX-2 being Tech idea, I had a different idea for this fic, so I hope you like it!

“What d’ya have there, Noir?” You ask as you return to the small hut that has been your home for the last three months and crouch in front of your oldest companion.

Noir’s tail wags rapidly as he nudges something in your direction.

You gently rub his head, then carefully pick up his offering, “Oh, it’s a fish. Did you find dinner for us, pal?”

Noir releases a happy yip, and you laugh softly, “Good job, Noir.” You stand and carry the fish over to the rough kitchen to divvy up the portions. Most of the fish will go to Noir, while you’ll prepare your portion with some seasoning that the Wookies traded with you.

Three months ago, Noir slaughtered an Imperial Officer who threatened your life. You’ve always known that he is fiercely protective of you, and you knew that there was a chance that he would kill again if you were threatened.

The first time it happened you had still been a child. Your uncle tried to kidnap you, and Noir reacted violently.

That time, the authorities just nodded and said it made sense, that your uncle had bad intentions. Neither you, nor Noir, were punished for the death of your uncle.

The Empire is much less understanding.

You had no choice but to take Noir and flee from Coruscant.

The pair of you bounced from planet to planet for several months and then were offered a safe house on Kashyyyk, in the Shadowlands far below the treetop homes of the Wookie people.

It’s not easy.

You are, at your heart, a city girl. Hunting and survival skills do not come naturally to you. Luckily, you have Noir. He really is the greatest equalizer.

If not for him, you’d have died several times since you moved into the small hut.

The biggest downside to this whole situation is the knowledge that you’re not likely to ever meet your soul mate.

Well, unless your soulmate is a Wookie, you suppose.

Carefully, you fillet the fish on your cutting board and toss the large majority into Noir’s bowl, the rest is set in a bowl of marinade and shoved into the fridge.

At least you have electricity.

Sure, you don’t have a holo, but you do have a radio that allows you to keep up to date on the current events, and, much more importantly, listen to books while you fight to keep the Shadowlands from reclaiming the hut.

You’re about to flip the radio on, when Noir releases a low growl.

A growl low enough that your hair stands on end.

You turn your gaze to Noir and see that his ears are flat against his head and his teeth are bared. Spooked, you reach for your belt and grab your blaster, and then you nudge the door open.

Noir slinks out of the hut and, cautiously, you follow him.

The forest is silent. Eerily silent.

You scan the forest around you, not that you expect to be able to see or hear anything. It’s enough that Noir is still growling as though he’s on the verge of attacking.

There’s a rustle in a bush, and you lift your blaster, only to lower it as a small, curious-looking creature ambles out. It’s red, black, and white, and you’d almost think it was a raccoon if not for the colors.

Noir is still growling like there’s a threat, but he’s ignoring the small creature, which is still ambling towards you. It stops at your feet and raises on its hind legs, and you crouch to get a better look at it.

When Noir first appeared in your bedroom all those years ago, no one was sure what kind of animal he was. Not even the zoologists at the local university were able to determine a species.

So you spent a lot of time as a child flipping through various animal encyclopedias. And, while you’d never claim that you had a perfect memory, this little creature does look familiar.

“You’re a Red Panda, aren’t you?” You murmur as you lightly stroke the soft fur on top of her head, “Your kind isn’t native to Kashyyyk, how did you get here?” What’s more is that she’s soft, as though someone’s been taking care of her, though based on the scarring around her ankles, she’s been chained up a lot. “Are you someone’s pet?”

The red panda climbs into your arms and promptly falls asleep, nuzzling her face into your neck. “Well, you’ve clearly been socialized. Maybe I can do something about the scarring.”

Your head snaps up as there’s more rustling and Noir’s growl lowers.

Five Stormtroopers stumble into the clearing, “There it is!” One of them says as he points at the Red Panda in your arms, “Get it!”

You stumble backward as they lift their blasters and Noir launches himself at the Stormtroopers.

You’ve always known that Noir was quick. Quick and with a strong bite, but the last time you’ve seen him move this quickly was when you were a child. He manages to kill three of the Stormtroopers before they recognize that he’s a threat.

The fourth and fifth, however, turn their blasters on him.

And, for a moment, you think that you’re going to watch Noir die.

You only think that for a moment, as another man emerges from the forest. He’s clad in black armor, much unlike the stark white armor of the Stormtroopers. And you watch as he uses a blade to kill one of the Stormtroopers from behind.

You watch as he and Noir work in concert to kill the last of the Stormtroopers.

And then you watch as Noir jumps up on the man, his tail wagging faster than you’ve ever seen before. The armored man seems surprised at how friendly Noir is, and, to be honest, you are too.

He’s so friendly with the armored man, in fact, that you can’t help but think that Noir is the representation of said armored man.

“Noir,” You say, drawing the attention of both the wild dog and the armored man, “His name is Noir.”

It’s kind of hard to read him, seeing as he’s wearing a helmet, but you’re pretty sure that he’s staring at you. “Ka’ra.” He gestures to the red panda in your arms, “She’s been a prisoner her whole life.”

“That explains the scarring,” You walk over to him and pass him his spirit animal, a small smile crossing your face as Noir drops to his paws and bounces around you. “I have some medical stuff, to wrap her scars if you want.”

He’s quiet for a long time, and then nods once, “I’d appreciate that.”

You lead him into the hut, and motion for him to take a seat anywhere while you dig around for the first aid kit.

Once you find it, you set it on the table and open it to dig through what you have left. “You know, you don’t have to leave your helmet on.” You note lightly, “This is a pretty safe place.”

The man hesitates for a moment, then he nods once and reaches up to pull off his helmet.

You’re genuinely surprised to see that he’s a clone. He looks like every other clone you’ve ever seen, dark hair, dark eyes, dark skin…though he does have some nasty scarring along the side of his face.

He’s handsome, you decide as you focus back on your medkit. He kind of looks like Noir, if you squint.

Though, now you have to wonder if you look like his Ka’ra.

“Ah, here we go!” You pull several rolls of bandages from the bottom of the kit and some scar powder. “If I remember correctly, this needs to be added to water, and then the bandages need to soak in it for a bit before we apply them—” You mumble under your breath as you flip the bottle and squint at the instructions.

“What’s your name?” The man asks.

You glance at him and introduce yourself absently, before you squint at the directions again, “What’s yours?”

“...CX-2.”

You pause, “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’ve never actually met another person with a soul animal before.”

“It’s rare, then?”

“One of the rarest soul bonds.” You agree, “The only one that’s more rare is the teleportation one.” You stand to grab a clean bowl and fill it with water before placing it on the table.

“I have a brother with the teleportation soul bond. He vanished one day, never saw him again.” CX replies as he watches you.

“Well, there are a lot of you.” You reply as you add some of the powder to the water and stir it in.

He doesn’t answer for a moment, “What is a human doing on Kashyyyk?”

“Ah…well.” You pause, “Noir killed an Imperial Officer who threatened me.”

CX stares at you for a long time, and then his lips curl up into an amused smile, “Good.”

You shoot him a puzzled look.

“He’s as protective of you as I would be.”

“Yeah, well…he is representative of you, right?” You reply with a small shrug.

“I didn’t expect you to be so calm about it,” CX notes, “You do realize that I’m an assassin, right?”

You start unrolling a roll of bandages, “When I was about eleven years old,” You say quietly, “My uncle tried to kidnap me from my bedroom. Noir,” You nod at the wild dog who is gnawing on a bone, “ripped his throat out before he got me out of the living room.” You look at him, “Why should I be afraid of you?”

CX looks startled for a moment, and then a quiet laugh falls from his lips, “I suppose you have good reason to not be afraid.”

You shrug, “I would prefer it if you didn’t assassinate people anymore, but I’d also prefer to not live in a hut on Kashyyyk, so—” You shrug again, and finally drop the bandages into the water.

“What would you have me do instead?”

“Mm, you can join the Rebellion?”

“Ick.”

A laugh falls from you, “I mean when the Republic was still standing, I never had to worry about Republic Officers threatening me. Within a month of the Republic turning into an Empire, I was threatened by an Imperial Officer.”

“...I suppose that it fair.”

“I’m not going to make you do anything,” You say lightly, “We can stay here if you prefer.”

“We?”

“Well, I assume that you want to stay with me?”

CX gazes at you silently, “I want you safe. So staying does make the most sense.”

You meet his gaze evenly, “I’ll definitely be safer with you, compared to away from you.” You agree.

CX is silent for a long moment, “Mandalore.”

“Beg pardon?”

“There’s a group of former Commandos who have a compound on Mandalore. They’re housing clones and their families.” He explains, “We’ll be safe there.”

“How do you know that?”

“All of the Clones know it.” He says, “Well, save for Alpha Prime, I suppose.”

“How are we supposed to get there?” You ask with a tilt of your head.

“I have a ship.”

You grin at him, and then pull the bandages out of the water, “I think it’s a great idea.”

It takes three weeks for you and CX to get to Mandalore, and it takes even longer for CX to prove that he’s not an active threat to his brothers. You’re not able to help with that, but watching him interact with you does a lot to earn him some goodwill.

You like your new home, it’s not Coruscant, but there is plenty of room for Noir to run around and get spoiled, and he does get spoiled. Not quite as much as CX’s Ka’ra, but pretty close.

Surprisingly, CX is somewhat clingy. When he’s in the same area as you, his arms are around you, or his hand is in yours. You kind of have the feeling that he’s a little touch starved, so you don’t mind it.

On this particular day, you’re lounging in the sun, watching Noir and Ka’ra play together, while CX is sparring with Ordo (only the Nulls aren’t hesitant about sparring with CX, which is sad, but understandable).

You enjoy watching him spar largely because he tends to spar shirtless.

You’re allowed to be a simple woman when it comes to your soulmate, right?

“Watching them again?” A familiar voice pulls you out of your musing, and you tilt your head back to look up at the familiar man approaching you. “You could join them.”

“Hardly, if Ordo so much as scratched me, both Noir and CX would rip him to shreds.” You pat the ground next to you, “Have a seat, Tech. No need to hover.”

“He still wishes to be called CX?” Tech asks as he sinks to the ground next to you.

“It’s his choice.” You reply easily, “How was your physical therapy?”

“Painful,” Tech replies, matter-of-factly, “However, my healer believes that I am getting to the point where I will no longer need to see them.”

“That’s something. Are you thinking of reaching out to your brothers? Or your soulmate?”

“I am…unsure.”

“Oh?”

“I died.” He says bluntly, wincing as CX manages to flip Ordo onto his back, “I died, and my soul bond is weaker than it was before.”

“I assume your doctor has an opinion on that.”

“Of course. He says that I just need to reach out to Phee.”

“Why haven’t you?”

Tech anxiously adjusts his glasses, “What if she has found someone else?”

“Do you really think that she would?”

“...she is a beautiful and clever woman. Any man would be lucky to have her—” Tech starts.

“You’re borrowing trouble, Tech. You need to call her.”

Tech opens his mouth to reply but stops as CX jogs over.

You smile up at him adoringly, and offer him his water bottle, “Having fun, love?”

He smirks, “Ordo is bitching because I managed to flip him. So we’re having a round two.”

“Of course you are.”

He flashes a tiny grin at you and crouches so he’s able to kiss you quickly before he jogs back over to the sparring ring. His training was so different from his brothers, you can tell based on the scars covering his body, and based on the fact that he’s not quite as solid as Ordo and the other Nulls.

Not that any of that matters to you.

You love him as he is.

“It does not make sense to me how someone as kind as you ended up with someone like him,” Tech admits, “He intimidates everyone, and lashes out when pushed.”

“I’ve never been afraid of him.” You reply with a small grin, “Even when he killed someone in front of me, even when he loses his temper.”

Tech shakes his head, “I believe I understand.”

You tilt your head curiously.

“You are just as insane as he is.”

You aren’t able to help that laughter that bursts from your lips, “I suppose,” You say through your giggles, “that’s one way to view it.”

Tech flashes a crooked smile at you, and then gets back to his feet, “I am going to go send Phee a message, and hope that she forgives me. Enjoy your ogling.”

You fling a handful of grass at him but don’t deny his accusations.

The spar ends an hour later after it gets too hot for them to continue, and CX makes his way to your side, dropping onto the ground next to you. Immediately his arms slide around your waist and he presses his face against your neck.

“Did you have fun?” You ask as you card your fingers through his curls.

He hums in response, his arms tightening around you, “I’m glad that you don’t mind coming to these.”

“I enjoy watching you spar.”

He pulls his face away from your neck, “You enjoy watching me do anything.”

“You are ridiculously handsome.” You shift in his grip slightly so you’re able to press your hands against his cheeks, “I’m a lucky lady.”

“Mm, is that right?” CX asks as he leans in and presses his forehead against yours.

“You’re all sweaty,” You whisper to him.

“So maybe we should go home,” He offers with an arched brow, “You can wash my hair for me.”

A giggle falls from your lips, “Deal.”

CX grins at you, and crashes his lips against yours, knocking you back onto the grass.

Everything isn’t perfect, CX still needs gene therapy to remove the enhanced aging, not to mention regular therapy to help deal with all of his issues. But so long as you’re together, everything will be fine.

You won’t allow for anything else.

#star wars #tbb #star wars au #vodika vibes 650 event #cx-2 x reader #star wars fanfiction #x reader fanfiction #f!reader fic #answered asks #soulmate au

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halfmoth-halfman · 1 year ago

Text

karma is a cat purring in my lap

Pairing: Mob Boss!Price x F!Reader Word Count: 1.3k Warnings: very minor spoilers for designer dress, mention of animal death, a cat with a vendetta Disclaimer: I do not own modern warfare or any of the modern warfare characters. A/N: oop the cat drabble got a little longer than i expected but oh well i had fun with it

The cat is a wretched creature made of a vicious hatred that could rival only the Devil himself.

A spiteful little thing so eager to sink its fangs into every inch of flesh it sees, and Price has to wonder how Roach got it into the manor in the first place.

They try to lure it out from the corner it’s tucked itself into, try to coax it from where it lounges just atop one of the massive bookshelves, but every attempt is met with hisses and swipes of those streets-sharpened claws. When the cat decides it’s finally had enough, it resorts to slinking across the higher shelves and knocking off the thickest books it can find. The heavy tomes land with a loud thud every time until one falls onto Soap’s face and blood bursts from his nose.

They let it be after that, resigned to allowing it to nest atop that bookshelf where it watches them almost smugly.

Rudy tries to tempt it away at the end of the day, shaking a bowl of freshly filleted fish and ground meats in the cat’s direction. The cat watches him, tail swishing back and forth against the spines of the books it’s perched upon, but it never moves.

Rudy gives up after half an hour, leaving the bowl behind in a frustrated and defeated huff.

Roach checks on it the next morning to find the bowl empty, curiously looking around the room for any sign of their tiny intruder. It isn’t long until he spots the meat-smeared paw-prints trailing into the kitchen, and when he follows them—

—Roach has never seen such a mess, bits of food smeared across the table, the chairs, even the windows. It’ll take forever to clean properly, and Roach wonders if the cat actually ate any of the food before it turned the dining room into a meat-based Jackson Pollock painting.

A small chirp catches his ear, and he turns to find the cat sitting in the doorway, head tilted, paws licked clean, and whiskers twitching. It chirps again, almost like it’s…laughing at him? Surely it couldn’t—

Roach takes a step forward and the cat turns to run with lightning speed, taking its place back atop its books.

From there, the cat’s behavior only worsens.

It only acts at night when everyone is asleep, picking its targets at random; a suspicious display of intelligence that sets the house on edge.

Ghost is its first victim, waking up early in the morning to find his bedroom door cracked open and his collection of masks lying in shreds on the floor. He storms through the manor searching for the culprit in a blazing fury only to find the cat lying in front of the fireplace in Price’s office on a bed of shredded cloth. The cat darts away the moment Ghost catches it, evading him with surprising nimbleness to disappear into the manor.

Alex is a repeat target, much to his frustration. It’s following him, he thinks, but every time he checks his surroundings there’s no sign of it. Yet it somehow always manages to appear whenever Alex decides to eat, knocking something over to distract the man only to take a swipe at his plate the moment Alex looks away. Alex cleans five meals from the dining room rug before he goes to Price.

The cat never stops in its journey of torment. It chews König’s socks and boots until they’re deformed and soggy, sneaks into Price’s closet to tear at his clothes, steals Valeria’s jewelry to hide it in the houseplants, and screams at the top of its little lungs outside Alejandro’s room at random hours in the night.

They have to do something, but they can’t get the cat to leave. It outsmarts them at every turn, disappearing into crevices of the manor they never knew were there.

Price doesn’t care how it’s handled, whether they choose to let the cat live or get rid of it another way. He gives his people free rein to deal with it how they see fit with only one exception: keep the cat away from Canary.

Their relationship is so precarious already, and he wants her only focus to be on recovering. The last thing she needs is this tiny demon to ruin her clothes or destroy her meals.

The next day is spent with a manhunt for the cat.

They search every corner of the manor, leaving no stone unturned and no room unchecked. Every inch of the manor grounds is scoured in search of the hellion, but the cat seems to have disappeared. There’s a small murmur of disappointment, but mostly relief as they conclude that the cat must’ve finally tired of them and run off.

Price finally relaxes the tension from his shoulders, weaving through the manor halls to check on Canary.

He’s never been a cat person, and this kind of nonsense is exactly why. If he’d had his way they would’ve taken that damned cat and–

“Are you warm enough?” Canary’s soft voice drifts out of her room, a light, happy tone that Price hasn’t heard from her in so long.

Her door is slightly open, and Price inches toward the gap to peer inside. He’s careful not to make too much noise and startle her, not wanting to disturb her in any way. Not if she’s having a good day.

He’ll just check on her, and then he’ll leave.

“Oh, what a big stretch!” Canary coos.

Price nearly trips in his steps, catching himself at the last minute.

Who is she talking to–

Oh.

When he peeks inside, he spots Canary in bed, lying on her side to face the door. She’d see him easily if she were to look up, but she’s too preoccupied with the cat sprawled on its back in front of her. Legs in the air, it bats softly at her wiggling fingers as she pokes and rubs its belly.

The cat rolls onto its stomach, lazily crawling up the bed until it reaches Canary’s face and gives her a gentle lick on the nose.

Canary laughs softly, and it’s the best thing Price has heard in months. He’s craved that sound for so long, begging every higher power for her to find something to bring her joy again.

Canary shifts to lay on her back, the cat immediately curling up on her chest and nestling its head under her chin. She softly strokes along its head, a gentle smile gracing her face.

Price lets out a small, contented hum just quiet enough for Canary not to hear, but the cat’s ears twitch. Those wide, watchful eyes snap open, staring straight into his soul.

He’s never seen a cat glare before, but he’s certain he has now. It looks downright threatening, daring him to come closer and disturb their little sanctuary.

He understands now. This isn’t some random stray that decided to make the manor their home. This is the answer to his late-night prayers, his pleas for Canary to be happy once again. She’s been handed a new friend, a creature to give her the affection and comfort she so desperately needs, but they have been delivered a harbinger of retribution. Canary is too healed to try and give them the karma they deserve, but this cat has proudly taken up the job for her.

Somewhere in the world, a finger's just curled down into the palm of a monkey's paw.

Canary shifts, a small wince as she moves her head too quickly and the bandages catch.

The cat purrs loudly, nuzzling as far into her as it can, and Canary’s wince slowly turns to that stunning smile Price has missed so much.

Price has never been a cat person, and will probably never settle with the future havoc this cat is sure to wreak, but if that possessed creature is able to bring Canary even a small amount of solace?

He’s willing to try.

#captain john price x reader #captain price x reader #john price x reader #price x reader #captain john price #captain price #john price #price #modern warfare #modern warfare 2 #mw fics #moth writes

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