#Finger Print Sensor

[sturnsdarling]

flashing lights

you and matt discover his new LED lights have a clap on/off option, and take full advantage of it.

vibe check: pure smut, back shots, dirty talk, small thing about pain kinda?, hard and fast just how we like it, softdom!matt

1k words

A/N: i saw this tiktok and....... we all know what Matt was thinking. his smirk will be the death of me bro im so serious

love and cigs, merc

Matt was stood behind you, hands gripping your ass tight as he rutted into you, skin slapping on skin, your moans filling the room. You were on all fours, ass up and face down for him, your back arched deep like a cat, putting you on full display.

With every thrust into your leaking pussy, his lights changed colour, the sensors reacting to the slapping sound Matts pelvis made as it hit the bouncy flesh of your ass. His grip on your flesh was bruising, his length near enough splitting you open as he fucked your tight hole relentlessly, lip tucked between his teeth as he groaned over and over again at the feeling, and sight, of you clenching around him.

"y'taking it so well, baby, so fuckin' well" Matt said, his tone rough but his words soft.

All you could do was moan in response, your cheek pressed flat against the soft fabric of his satin sheets, your whole body shifting against the bed as Matt pounded into you. You couldn't help but fuck back into him, needy to chase the feeling of his cock stretching you out despite the merciless pace he was setting into your sopping pussy.

Matt chuckled at your movements, his chest filling with pride at the sight of your ass jiggling against his hips, loving the needy whines that left your mouth as you rutted back against him, desperate for the euphoria he made you feel.

The room was alive, the coloured lights illuminating your fucked out face as it laid to the side, squished against his sheets, your mouth open wide and your eyes periodically rolling to the back of your skull.

"you like it when I split you open like this, huh?" Matt said, his tone faltering with every brutal thrust.

you nodded with a moan, eyes squeezing shut as your toes curled at his words.

"come on, princess...you know the rules" Matt tutted, squeezing your ass impossibly hard in his large hand.

you whimpered at the ache of his bruising fingers in your flesh, your pussy clenching at the pain, "yes, Matt, I love it"

Matt hummed at your obedience, "good girl" he drawled, just before placing a stinging slap on your ass, leaving his hand print over your fleshy cheek, your reward for being so good

He kept his relentless pace, stretching you out completely, dragging you back and forth down his lengthy cock, watching in awe how your sticky juices collected in a ring around his base, the colour of them changing with every slap of skin.

Your legs began to give out, your whole body starting to tingle as you slightly slipped down the bed, shifting away from Matt. He tutted, pulling you back up by your ass with a tug and situating you back, snug against his hips.

"where you runnin' off to, princess?" Matt said, leaning down so his chest was pressed against your back, nipping at your earlobe slightly with a hum.

you whimpered "don't stop", unable to string together a proper sentence in response as Matts hand found its way into your hair, tugging on the roots and pulling your head back taught.

He pressed his cheek to yours, still fucking into you, hitting that perfect spot inside you over and over again, "so fuckin' perfect, aren't ya?" Matt said, lips brushing over yours as his grip on your hair tightened, his tattooed arm straining as he kept himself hovering above your perfectly arched back.

His skin was warm against yours, and you could feel him poking a bulge in your belly as he bottomed out inside of you, rutting into you mercilessly, creating your own personal disco with every loud slap of skin. Your moans were almost drowned out by his, your piercing and begging cries for more being echoed by his deep grunts and groans, both of you unable to silence the noises you made as he fucked you.

The feeling was blissful, Matts plump, wet lips peppering sloppy kisses over your open mouth and rosy cheeks, his breathing staggering as he moved down to your shoulder, pressing your head down into the satin sheets whilst his perfect teeth sunk into the soft skin of your shoulder. His grip on your hair wavered, and in perfect opposition to his sharp teeth and heavy weight on you, he placed loving and tender touches across your head, soothing your messy hair down with a soft hand as he somehow also pressed you further into the sheets.

The warmth of your skin, coupled with the vice grip your pussy had on him, milking his cock as he pounded into you, and the sight of you, pressed against his sheets and taking him so well, made Matts head spin. His movements began to falter, and he knew that he wouldn't last much longer with your perfect pussy sucking him in like it was.

"you want it, baby? you want me to fill you up?" Matt cooed, pressing wet kisses over the bite marks on your shoulder.

"please, please, please" you cried, gripping the sheets beside you as you nodded uncontrollably.

Matt groaned at your begging, standing up right once more to set an unforgiving pace into your spent pussy. He laid slap after slap against your ass, the lights un-able to keep up with the sounds filling the room. You cried out his name, trying your best to fuck back into him but feeling limp under his touch.

With a few fast thrusts and a deep moan of your name, you felt Matts cock twitch inside of you, and he fell, heavy on-top of you, placing his head in the dip between your shoulders, moaning and whimpering as he lazily thrust into you, fucking the final remnants of his ropey cum into your sodden pussy.

You fell flat against the bed with a small, satisfied sigh, and the whole room went dark, the lights giving out just as the both of you did.

taglist: @sturniozalt@mattslolita@shaquilles-0atmeal@blahbel668@sleepysturniolo@le4hsblog @sarosfilms @joemamaaa42069 @2muchofaslvt @seluky10 @cherib3lla @jetaimevous @witchofthehour @sofieeeeex @ncm9696 @lovesturni0l0s @pepsicola-pussy @ifwdominicfike @dani-sturn @stupendousjellyfishpost @aesthetixhoe @sturn-rose @mattsnronebitch @chriscorqutte @elizasturn @ribread03 @st7rnioioss @maggieflms

[monst]

Day 3: Saving a Lantern

Sex pollen | Jason Todd

Warnings: 18+ content (MDI) Gn. Reader, Sci-fi, action, Dubcon (cause of the pollen), guided masturbation, Pre-relationship, Praise, mild possession kink (He wants you to be his so bad) Boomerang wielding reader, Fucking around with canon: Kyle Rayner, the controllers, and Effigy. You know how you have the main storyline and then there are small sometimes one-issue mini-series based on it? This is kinda written like a one-issue spin-off.

Wc: 8.2k 

    The explosion that rattles off to your left drops you to your knees. The air of the blasts skids you across the metallic floor, your body collides with the steel wall before you can right yourself—light sparkles above you, a plasma shot to the wall before you. The missed shot leaves a sizzling ring in the metal. That was close, closer than you’d like. You crouch around the corner, drawing your weapon from your belt. Gunfire clicks against the wall, the resounding bangs growing louder as your pursuers advance. You angle your boomerang around the bend and count the guards. 

     Too many. Your vision blurs with how quickly you observe your surroundings. The visor of your mask pings with potential solutions and you toss the boomerang. It soars through the corridor before impaling itself on the wall just before the guards. You don’t wait around for it to do its job, but the heat of the explosion still manages to lick at your back. You almost pass the hanger you were searching for in your haste, doubling back with a bounce. As expected, the area is empty. Regardless of your certainty, you clear the room. 

     As you get closer, your silhouette expands against the steel of your getaway capsule. The blinking scarlet lights startle you before the blaring alarm starts up. And you quickly tap the sensor by your ear. 

     “C’mon.” You tap your foot as static plays in your ears. “C’mon. That should’ve given you enough time.” 

     The timer on your screen has you reaching for the door latch. You hesitate and flip through a few more channels. “C’mon Jay.”

     “Yo!”

      ‘Thank fuck!’ You feel your shoulders drop from your ears. “Jeez, cutting it close aren’t ya Hood.” 

     “Handcuffs needed a specific key, Warden had e’m” You hear him grunt. “Where are you?”

     “EPR-13.” You shut the door behind you as the spacecraft powered on. The buzz of the engine vibrated the flashing console. You pushed your worry for its reliability out of your mind when your comms picked up Jason’s voice again. 

    “Turned on my location can you see me?” 

    “Yeah, according to the prints, all you need to do is take three lefts and a right to EPR-37.” 

    “No imma double back to the main chamber blow up their-”

    “Done, it’s rigged to blow as soon as we’re off the ship.” You only hear the clink of his footsteps before he barks out a laugh.

    “Can’t believe you set up explosives without me!” You bite back a grin at his enthusiasm, your fingers flipping over familiar-looking levers on the dash. “Have I told you how grateful I am that you joined Team Outcast?” With how busy the other members have been you’re tempted to tell him that it’s more of ‘The outcast duo’ as of late. 

      “Only about a thousand times this month.” You press down on the button that connects the pod to the mothership, the metal doors shutter as they expose the spotted ink of deep space.   

      “Well consider this a thousand and one.” You can tell Jason’s reached his escape pod when you hear the hiss of the opening door. “Talk to you later.”

      Your vessel shoots forward just as Vilgaxian guards pile into the hanger. They drop to the ground as you zip past, flames oozing from the exhaust. You peel away from the large ship, catching sight of another beam of red heading for the asteroid belt ahead. From behind you comes a blinding light, and turbulence shakes your vessel as you steer into the massive boulders. You kill the engine knowing not a single guard deployed. You don’t let the knowledge slow your momentum, the Vilgaxians are hardy and resentful. You have no doubt they’ll be on you two as soon as they regroup; if they haven’t sent out an APB already. 

    Red Hood is outside your pod before you're ready to step out. You triple-check the jet fuel levels on your boots, the tap against the metal door draws your attention and you see him give you a questioning thumbs up. You return the gesture before venturing out into the stars with him. You travel from asteroid to asteroid. Until you finally land on the one that answers back. The camouflage on the ship flickers, when Jason also lands on it. 

    Once inside you can finally breathe, a grin on your lips when Jason’s fist reaches out towards you. Your gloves meet in a powdery cloud of dust and you're grateful for the full coverage your suit allows. Jason then pulls out a small cylinder tube, pointing to it triumphantly. “And they said we couldn’t do it.” He scoffed. 

    “That’s cause the controllers obviously have ulterior motives.” You frown. “You really think this will be enough to clear his name?” 

    “Has to be.” He huffs. “Rayner doesn’t have much of a defense”

    “And we can’t get anyone to testify?” 

    He shakes his head no and pockets the video file. You unlatch your helmet and follow him into the navigation chamber. “Wouldn’t make a difference.” 

    “What do you mean?” 

    “Look for yourself.” You turned toward the monitor. On the screen was the broadcast of Kyle’s unfair trial. The lantern's fight with Effigy was currently being presented. The unmistakable green shimmery trail was left behind once Van Wyck was defeated, his unconscious form drifting off. 

    “..Yeah that doesn’t look good.” You took a seat as Jason made to peel out of the asteroid belt. The Vilgaxian's burning prison ship grew smaller as you reached the outskirts of the galaxy. Usually, you’d take the opportunity to marvel at the celestial bodies but you were reviewing all the facts presented thus far. “But shouldn’t the fact that they tossed him back on earth originally make this whole thing make no sense? Because if they’re viewing him as property then didn’t they discard him first?” 

     “They’re saying that it was the ‘incubation phase’. To let his new abilities manifest”

     “What a load of bullshit!” Jason agreed. 

    “Yeah, but at this point, it’s a mess of he said she said.” Jason’s palm laid flat over his chest, “But this is actual proof that Kyle wasn’t responsible for Van Wyck’s psychotic break.” 

     You’re both watching the screen when Batman speaks, unaware of the fleet zoning in on you. “This video only corroborates Green Lantern’s side of the encounter. As stated earlier, he came to confront the beings that took Effigy. And was subsequently met with hostility, during the very fight we’ve just observed you can see that Van Wyck’s faculties aren’t intact-

    “Objection! Are you saying that we damaged o-”

   You clicked your tongue in annoyance at the buffering screen. “Honestly, this whole thing could be over and done with if we could find the Spectre. It’s not like he killed Effigy.” You huff. “He can put him back together and let him speak 'cause he didn’t even agree to the experimentation in the first place!” At Jason’s silence, you pause your rant. You almost jolt out of your seat when the ship swerves sharply. 

    “Shit!” Jason’s jaw is tense, he can’t see them behind you. “Long-distance missiles?” 

    “Probably?” You click your seatbelt into place. “But they couldn’t have regrouped that fast!?”

    “Paid off,” he grunts turning the wheel to avoid another blast. You don’t think his assumption is too far off considering how far the controllers are willing to go to get their hands on Kyle. “Gonna jump hold on.” 

      You squeeze your eyes shut and prepare for the vertigo that always comes after a hyperjump. The engine whirrs in preparation causing electric blue flames to spit out of the exhaust, and you lurch forward. You're zipping through space and about to pick up momentum when something slams into the ship, with the right engine blown the hunk of metal veers off course. You’re not sure which is louder the robotic voice repeating ‘warning’ or your screams as the ship spins out of Red Hood’s control. 

      “We’re gonna land!” Jason shouts above the noise. 

      “Where!?” You peel your eyes open when he says ‘There!’ and you’re met with a rapidly approaching sphere. “Slow it down!” 

      “Trying” He hisses through gritted teeth, miraculously he manages to get the vessel parallel before you break through the planet's atmosphere. He’s got both feet on the brakes as you both speed towards the ground. The planet's vegetation comes into view and for a moment you think you're gonna splatter before you can clear Kyle’s name. The canopy trees get a trim while they try to slow your descent. And it’s just your luck that your seatbelt gives and you go sliding across the floor of the ship. 

     You find your footing but brace yourself against the emergency latch. You catch your name being shouted before the high-speed winds begin to lash your body. The air roars as you cling to the latch, and to Jason’s horror the hinges give and the door flies off with you.  

.

.

.

    It hurt. Your body that is, although now that you think of it hurt is such an insufficient word to use in such a precarious situation. Your knees threatened to buckle with every step, each advance causing you immense agony. Whenever the plants of your heels hit the ground it sends painful shockwaves throughout your body. 

Your lungs constricted in excruciating effort to keep themselves with even an ounce of oxygen. Scratchy wheezes escaped your lips as you tried desperately to fill the sacks with air. You could hear your red blood cells crying in agony begging you to stop, praying you’d give them the chance to do their function. But like hell you would. Stopping, even if for a moment would mean certain death. 

You were no longer running on adrenaline. You were running with grit, fierce determination, and one set goal. Live. You ran, ducked, and dodged through the dense forestry. But this wasn’t an epic written by Tolkien and the trees weren’t as kind as to part for your escape. It seemed as though they grew closer, probably angry about their haircut as they huddled together to hinder you, mocking you with their falling leaves as you occasionally collided with their rough exterior. 

Within a fraction of a second you slipped, the fortunate misfortune graced you with life as you saw feathers burrowing themselves in the wood where you had once been. Thankfully the thickets that slowed you also slowed your pursuers. The dense foliage was however still to their advantage as their laced arrows whizzed through the air. You felt tears prick at the corner of your eyes as you saw a bright light ahead. A light that signifies an open field. ‘Fuck!’

Without a choice, you were forced to continue your sprint up the hill and towards the open space. You knew death was certain if you crossed the threshold of trees. There would be no cover….. Why were you still running if your fate was certain? In the haze of such disheartening thoughts, you faltered and as a result, you heard a dreadful thud. Your shoulder had been hit with such force that it dropped you to your knees. Still, you persisted, crawling up the hill in hopes... In hopes…? 

“Agathana!” The shout was clear but you had no knowledge of the Mugoian language and with one final drag you were sent tumbling down the hill into the clearing. You lay upon the purplish grass and looked up into the sky for the last time you assumed. You wondered if Jason survived the crash, the smoke clouds left behind would put him just a couple of miles ahead. You hope he did. But, your eyes could barely remain open as you looked up at the various moons of the planet.

“Unnghh” the groan slipped past your chapped lips as you regained consciousness. Tears blurred your vision as you tried to peel them open. The biggest sun on the planet beamed brightly assaulting your vision with its warm rays. A breathless gasp left your body and with heavy limbs, you turned to your side. Laying on your back wasn’t such a great idea. You tugged on the broken arrow that had pierced your shoulder. Luckily it had snapped when you had laid to ‘rest’ and hadn’t burrowed deeper, but it wouldn’t budge. With great effort, you sat up and pressed your fingers into the front of your chest plate just above your collarbones. The audible click was met with a release of pressure as the armor split and fell off your torso. 

The arrow had pierced through your armor, however, the metallic-looking tip had barely scraped your shoulder regardless you knew it was responsible for your grogginess. Your brows furrowed as you observed your surroundings…

“What the” You winced, it felt as if someone was repeatedly poking your brain with a stick. You grit your teeth clutching your head to your knees waiting for the pain to subside. When the thumping became slightly bearable you began to reassess your situation. You felt your heart leap when you noticed the Mugoi just behind the tree line. You reached for your holster and grasped at air. 

“Fuck.” You sighed dejectedly. You must’ve lost it during the fall. You gazed at the lanky creatures warily, wondering why they hadn’t come down and killed you yet. Pale long fingers beckoned you closer. You scoffed and promptly flipped the tall alien motioning you to the treeline off. You had figured that something was holding them back. Hell, they weren’t even shooting at you… 

This did not bring you comfort. Your intent wasn’t death and you sure as hell didn’t want them to be picking their razorlike teeth with your fibula, but their hesitance was… Concerning, to say the least. Somewhere in this new territory, or on this field was something even the Mugoi were wary of. It wasn’t surprising. You recognized the planet, Jutangai, and it was bursting at the seams with undocumented danger. 

However, as far as your eyes could see nothing was alarming. The suns were just as warm as they’d been when you passed out and the purple grass swayed gently in the wind, the blades soft under your fingers. Everything seemed relatively normal, you even brushed off this planet's version of ticks off your legs… ‘So then why are they so scared…?’ 

You had laid there for what seemed like hours before you got to your feet. This alerted the Mugoi and they chattered amongst themselves. You paid them no heed even as they began to hiss and try to call out to you in their ungodly screeches. It was then that you noticed how there was no sound save for their collective yips. The air around you seemed to grow stagnant. 

An inexplicable chill shuffling up your spine. You moved but a step when even the voices of the Mugoi were silenced. You could hear the pounding of your heart but you couldn’t explain the fear that had begun to grasp at you. You took a shaky inhale and looked ahead, the field ended and from there, the forest continued. It was then that you noticed that something was very very wrong… The grass in the forest was green...

The ground beneath you rumbled, you swayed with the movement but remained standing. Odd protrusions poked up from the purple blades. They rose and fell slowly. Whatever was underneath the patch of earth had sensed your movement. The creatures weren’t near you but it was a long run to the tree line ahead. And even then you had no way of knowing if there were more Mugoi’s waiting for you on that side. 

You exhaled in relief as the ground flattened once more. You turned your head gazing into a couple of curious black eyes. ‘Great an audience’ you thought. You had no idea how quick the things underground were, your legs were sore and the path ahead was uncertain… 

.

.

         You buried your teeth into your bottom lip as you bent your knees to pick up your chest and back plate. You risked another move. This time you put your dominant leg behind you as you shifted toward the Mugoi’s. The ground bubbled once more and you inhaled sharply drawing your arm back.  

You threw the heavy piece like a frisbee and watched with bated breath as it soared through the air and landed close to the edge of the forest near the lanky beings. As soon as the metal bounced off the earth something broke through the ground…. It scared the shit out of you. And apparently, it spooked the Mugoi and they scampered away. The thing had around twelve very thick, very sharp legs. 

A hard shell seemed to cover its body but you could make out various milky eyes. To your relief, it couldn’t see but its legs pierced your armor with ease, its mandible chewing through the metal like paper. To your horror, more erupted from the earth. Some smaller, some... Bigger. While the creatures congregated around the protective piece you yelled at yourself mentally. ‘Run, Go! Now, Run!’ You hesitated, and rethought your plan, even if you threw the piece they could be on you in seconds. 

‘Think, Think, Think!’ You looked at your lower half. You knew what you were going to do. Hell, it was going to leave your flesh very vulnerable but you needed to somehow divert their attention long enough for you to reach the other side. There were so many that you knew some might follow you exclusively but it was a heck of a lot better than all of them on your tail. 

Once they were off you felt lighter and you were ready. You turned quickly and sprinted towards the treeline. You heard them take off after you and dropped a piece. You could hear it getting torn to shreds and tossed the other two pieces laterally. You didn’t dare to look at anything but the trees in front of you. Your heart was in your throat as you ran and you could feel the unnatural warmth of the creatures right at your heels. You felt one get close to nipping your skin and you pushed yourself to run faster.  

‘C’mon (Name)! C’mon! We’re almost there!’ Your eyes were wide with panic ‘Don’t fucking trip! Don’t trip!’ Tears rimmed your bottom lid as you heard one of the creatures growl very very close. Just as you burst into the tree line you turned around bringing your arms out in front of you. The ghastly being pulled its grotesque head out of its shell elongating its neck to snap at your arms with its foaming mandible. 

Your body crashed to the ground as the creature closed its teeth around your arm guards. You felt it give way and quickly brought up your feet. You kicked at it frantically screeching along with it as it pierced your flesh with its strong jaw. With a final kick, it was finally off of you. It wailed as its body touched the green grass of the forest. The thing quickly crawled back into the purple field while hissing at you menacingly. 

Your chest rose and fell hazardously as you tried to regain your breath. Your entire body trembled. You could feel the wet tears slipping down your neck onto the floor as you curled up and hugged your body into yourself. You lay there listening as the creatures creaked and croaked back into the earth. You allowed yourself time to calm down but every so often you shook and no matter how tightly you hugged yourself the shaking did not end. ‘Probably the poison? Was it even poison?’

The smallest sun had taken its place in the center of the sky and in the dimmer light of it, you allowed yourself to weep...

  “Jason.” You mumbled deliriously. Your body felt clammy, your skin burning but your body shivering. You felt as if you had a mouthful of cotton and your nose had decided to close port leaving you gasping pitifully through your mouth for air. 

“Jay don’t go” you whimpered. Your legs shook as you stood on them and your world rocked sideways while you grasped onto trees to search for him. But no matter how much you stumbled you couldn’t reach his voice. You could hear him loud and clear. He was calling for you. In your delusion, you continued your struggle. 

You traversed through snaggly thorns and tripped on veiny floors till your legs gave out. “Stupid limbs.” You groaned “He’s just up ahead….?” Your vision swam as what felt like lava traveled through your veins. You brought your hand up to your forehead, the heat of your forehead brought you out of your delirium. It was then that you noticed a secondary pulse in your being.

A whine passed through your clenched jaw as you tried to pry off your arm guards. However, you gave up on the task as your inflamed forearm pulsed. You were alarmed at how fast you had acquired an infection. “Guess that’s why the Mugoi stay away from e’m” You slurred while reaching into your pant pocket. To your immense relief, your hidden pack was undamaged. You wasted no time in pulling open the box and preparing the syringe. 

“I can’t believe I hallucinated Jason calling.” You mumbled feeling relief flood your system as the drug healed your body. “Alien medicine you are amazing.” 

You let yourself relax for a moment, you had no idea how long you’d been sick. It could have been a couple of hours or days. Standing to your feet once more you shook off the lingering nausea and figured that you should press on. ‘I need to find water.’ A terrifying growl made you grimace ‘And food…. And Jason’

You glared at the beams of light shuffling through the canopies as you trekked to where you hoped you’d find water. You hated planets like this, too many moons too many suns, and no way to tell how much time had passed. Fortunately, due to the medicine, the dull ache in your legs had subsided, although your arm still throbbed but nothing unmanageable. You rushed ahead when you heard rushing water. 

You jumped straight into the clear river, your lower extremities were soaked and they only sogged up further when your knees hit the squishy ground. You didn’t hesitate and dripped your hands into the water to drink. You didn’t worry about the contaminants of the water as the super drug was still in your system ready to wipe out anything potentially harmful. Once you had your fill you looked around. So far there was no immediate danger….

         There was a mountain straight ahead, the vantage point would probably help you locate your teammate. A rustle in the bushes had your shoulder hiking up to your ears. Before you could ready yourself for an attack a large figure burst from the treeline. You fell backwards into the water clutching the wet fabric of Jason’s shirt tight. “Oh thank fuck.” He breathed “I thought you… god, I thought you had” He trailed off, but the slight tremor you felt underneath your fingers betrayed his thoughts and fears. 

     “No.” You replied wetly. “But it sure was close.” His following laugh was ugly, and he kept you close when you both stood. 

     “I’ll bet.” He muttered. “Second night here I was taken by a bird with six wings. And I was almost eaten at least five times yesterday.” He scoffed. 

     “Well, they know a snack when they see one.” You joked. At your jest, you could see the tension melt from his shoulders. 

     “Haha.” He took a moment to look you over and you followed suit. Aside from a couple of scrapes, he looked fine. “What happened to your arm?”

     “Blind, twelve-legged spiders from hell.” He blinked at you slowly, then flicked his eyes around searching. “It’s fine they can’t leave the purple grass.” 

     “...Right.” He coughed. “Looks infected, we should head back to the ship.” To your relief, it wasn’t much further and it wasn’t long before you were sat in a cot Jason hovering over your arm in concern. 

     “I took some antibiotics, so the swelling should go down soon.” He nods and continues to clean your wounds. He’s wrapping your arm when you ask. “How long have we been here?”

    “Three days.” That explained your headache. “Comms?” He shakes his head. 

    “Still down. Haven’t finished the repairs but I’ve been switching channels on the monster.” Of course, the monster survived. The ‘monster’ is the biggest blockiest transmitter you’ve ever seen. Old as balls but probably the most reliable equipment in the Outlaw’s possession. 

    “And the trail?” Jason doesn’t hide his grimace, but his hand comes down on your head gently. “Don’t worry about that, get some sleep.” You want to ask, ask if Kyle’s now going to take Effigy’s place as the controller's pawn but he’s helping you lay down, and as soon as your head hits the pillow you're out. 

    You wake to the sound of sizzling metal. Your limbs pop when you stretch and as your arms are above you, you notice that the swelling on your arms has gone down. There’s a bottle of water on the table in front of you, next to that is a roasted fish. Your stomach growls and you take care of that before getting cleaned up. Finally feeling like yourself you make it to the control room. You see Jason fusing a panel. 

    “Morning!” You chirp. 

    “G’morning.” He grumbles, sliding out from beneath the console. “Feel better?” 

    “Mm. Thanks for the food.” You catch his smile before he has time to turn away. He grunts in reply and you almost mention how Bruce like that is. But you're quickly distracted by the sheet dangling where the door should be. 

     “Fuck.” You groan. 

     “Hn?”

     “The door.” 

     “Where is the door?” He asks. 

    “Oh don’t get me started.” You groan. He motions for you to continue, picking up the torch to continue working while you speak. “I wasn’t lucky to know where we were when we landed but landing in the middle of a Mugoi village was a dead giveaway”

    You put your hands to work, helping with the repairs while telling him about the fun chase through the woods. “It did cushion my fall but to be fair to them, Their very important-looking structure was kinda destroyed by the door.” 

     “We’re gonna have to fight them to get it back aren’t we?” He sighed. 

     “Probably… Maybe…” 

     “Great.” 

   While you both were making steady progress with the repairs, now that you knew the other was safe you were both more concerned with getting information. And, since a break was in order the two of you took the time to climb up the mountain. You avoided the steeper side of the peak, where you saw the six-winged bird Jason mentioned. “Wouldn’t the rocks interfere with the connection?” 

    Jason paused his hike to look back at you. “Usually but we’re running out of options.” He kept fiddling with the knobs as you climbed higher until miraculously a voice came through. 

    “Batman to the Outlaws come in.” 

    “B!” Jason exclaimed. 

    “It’s been days Batman… Maybe it’s time to give it up, they’re deciding today. We should be brainstorming not-” Whoever spoke was promptly ignored. “Batman to the Outlaws come in.”

     Jason adjusted the channel “Outlaws to Batman” He grinned. 

    “Red hood.” You hadn’t known Bruce out of the cowl for long but anyone could hear the relief in his tone. 

    “Hey.” 

    “Report.” Somehow you knew Batman knew that Jason’s eyes were rolling. 

    “We’re fine no need to ask.” he scoffed. “We’re grounded but we’ve got the evidence. Days before Kyle’s fight with Van Wyck, Effigy was spotted attacking the Vilgaxian’s prison ship. Soon after the controllers pick him up. Possibility of an exchange between them, as soon as we left their ship we were surrounded. Long-range missiles not typical for Vilgaxians.” 

    “Hm.” 

     You share a look with Jason but before you could question him, he was crowding you up against the side of the mountain and into a shallow crevice. “They’ve picked up our transmission.” You peek from around his broad shoulders, three ships have entered the planet's atmosphere and begin to scan the terrain. Rocks come into view when he presses you further into the space, your back meeting the cool surface of the mountainside. The radio is silent for a moment but you don’t comment on it too busy moaning in disgust. 

     You had placed your hand on the stone to support yourself but your palm had sunk into something squishy. The cool rubbery substance oozes between your fingers but you keep still until you hear Batman's voice. 

     “We’ve got another piece of evidence to declare. I’ve just received a video from one of our colleagues.” “Let us see it” “Not until it’s been properly analyzed we’d like to verify the authenticity of it first. Now if you’ll excuse me” 

     “He’s good.” You muse. Jason scoffs but doesn’t deny your claims. 

     “B They’re pulling back” You watch as they zip back into space and out of sight. 

     “Good. As soon as you're up and running I want that file uploaded. In the meantime, we’ll look for a paper trail. We'll send backup for you two just in case. This is exactly what we needed thanks, chum.” 

And he clicked off. 

    “Well… That’s that I guess.” You hum. You duck your head to hide your grin at Jason's reddening ears. He grumbles to himself his eyes widening when he notes how he's crowding you in. When he pulls away you're reminded of the icky goo, you curl your lip as you shake the slime-like substance off. “Yuck” you wipe it against the rock. “Eww, that’s nasty what is it?” 

    “Not sure.” He replies. “I came across it yesterday, tingled a bit till I washed it off.” You shrug and follow his lead, rinsing off your hand in the river and thinking nothing of it. Jason goes to spear some more fish while you work on getting the system running to send the clip. When he returns you switch. It doesn’t take long to fix what you need but it does take about an hour for the file to send. 

      You get an incoming call while Jason’s working on the ship’s exterior. Kori’s vibrant green eyes are the first thing you see when you accept the call. “(Name)!” 

     “Kori Hi!” You swirl your head toward the doorless entrance to call Jason in. “Jay!” He comes rushing in as soon as you call him, seafoam green eyes scanning the area for any immediate threat till he sees Kori and Bizarro on the screen. 

     “Oh.” 

    “What not happy to see us?” You can hear Roy’s laugh in the background. “Art how long till we reach Jutangai?” 

     “Two days? You two can hold out that long right?” 

     “Of course.” You grin. “I can do two more days of fish you?” Jason snorts. 

     “This whole lantern thing is crazy.” Roy sighs. 

     “Tell me about it.” Jason frowns. “(Name) and I think they want him because he can host Ion.” 

     “Whose Ion?” Artemis asks. 

     “Long story,” Kori interjects. 

     “We do have time.” You’re sharing goodbyes with Bizarro when Kori begins to tell Artemis of the cosmic entity. You slump back into your chair when the call ends. 

      “I’m beat.” 

      “We’ve already done our part, we can take a break.” So you do, you spend it chatting about what Jay was doing during the time you two were apart. He’s telling you about a giant mantis he fought but he pauses his tale when you yawn. “Boring you?” 

       “Nu-uh.” You yawn again. “Just tired. I wanted to take a shower before bed but with how cold that water is” 

       “I got the water heater fixed last night.” You jump to your feet eager for a hot shower. “We’ll put a pin in this, I wanna know how you got away.” You don’t see how his eyes follow you when you leave the room. 

        You stay under the spray for far longer than you anticipated, you were relaxed and the hot water paired with the water pressure has you practically melting. By the time you come out, Jason’s gone from the control room, you don’t see him in the small kitchen, the bedrooms, or storage. Out of concern, you can’t fall asleep, you sit on your cot Jay’s book in hand as you debate on going out and looking for him. ‘What if he’s hurt? Maybe the bird came back?’ You are about to spring to your feet to find the man when he comes through the door. 

       His face is flushed, sweat causing his shirt to cling to his muscles. You’re only mildly ashamed for ogling, but worry overrides the feeling. He steps towards you, his body heat radiating off him in waves. You are about to question him when his fingers pinch a wet strand of your hair. “Y...You okay?” 

      “Yeah, Just needed some air.” His voice is rough. “G’night.” 

      “Good night?” You don’t press him but you do fall asleep bewildered. 

. 

.

.

    He’s good as new the next morning, He’s working on the jagged scrapes along the hull of the ship. You want to ask, but you're not sure how to. You mull over how you’d approach him while you test the repairs. You’re prodding at a couple of cables when you start feeling angsty. You are not sure why but heat begins to pool in your lower belly. And your skin itches to be free from the confines of your clothes. You rest your hot cheek against the metal of the ship walls but it’s stuffy in the ship. 

     You press your thighs together feeling your core pulse. ‘Maybe a dip in the river will cool me off’ You muse. You push past the fabric ‘door’ and Jason quirks a brow at your rushed out. “Need some air!” You throw a  “Going to the river for a swim.” to let him know where you’d be. He doesn’t pay much mind to it, only telling you to stay safe while he gets back to work. The main sun moves a couple of inches across the sky and he figures he should join you, and cool off a bit. 

      On his trek to the river, he thinks back to last night. The odd fire that filled his loins. He’s had thoughts about you before but the way in which he was consumed the previous night didn’t seem quite normal. Maybe foreign subs-

      “Hnngh” He paused at the sound. He was close enough to see the river, your head peeking out from behind a rock. When you whimpered again he heard his boots hitting the earth. He was next to you in seconds, eyes roving over your form to find out where you were hurt. 

     “Are you” The words died in his throat. “..Okay.” He quickly averted his eyes, but the image of you with your hands between your thighs was already burned into his retinas. While a million thoughts raced through his head most of them along the lines of you being as attractive nude as he’d imagined. The one that rang out the clearest was ‘Last night.’ The same thing had happened to him. He cleared his throat remembering how long it took for him to finish. Your broken moans pulled him from his analysis. 

     “J-Jason.” You whined pitifully, it felt wrong, the way his stomach swooped at your tone. 

     “Y-Yeah?” 

     “I can’t” You whimpered, he chanced a look at your face and his heart sank. Your brows were pinched, your lips wobbling as tears cascaded down your cheeks. 

     “Can’t what sweet thing.” He frowned and reached out to wipe your tears pausing when he thought of the possibility of recontamination. ‘The thing on the mountain?’ 

     “Cum.” The air was knocked out of him. 

     “J-just keep doing what you’re doing b-” He paused before he could call you baby. You weren’t his no matter how he felt. “Just keep going I’ll.. I’ll be at the ship sorry.” 

     He was about to get up from his knees when you wailed “No please stay! Help me.” He couldn’t. 

     “I can’t your not, We’re not.” He blew out a long line of air. “You are under the influence of some type of aphrodisiac, you should be fine if you cum a couple of times.” He felt the tips of his ears burn at his words. 

     “M’ not asking for you to touch me.” You gasped, the wet sounds of you playing stimulating yourself were getting harder to ignore. But your words caught his attention. He was caught between being hurt and confused. How’d you want him to help you? 

     “Jay please.” Your voice was going to haunt his dreams. “Help me!” 

     “H-how?!” He breathed, his eyes not moving any further than your chin. 

     “I can’t get off without…”

     “Without?” 

     “..Asmr.” You mumbled. 

     “Asmr?” he parrots. “What do you-

     “Ugh! Just talk me through it!” His cheeks bloom a cherry red at your ask. 

     “O-okay Um, shit.” He holds his breath for a couple of seconds to settle himself. “Okay. I want you to keep doing what you’re doing, mm yeah just like that but not so fast. Go slower for me sweetheart.” He bit his lip at your shaky okay. 

     “You like that?” It’d be easier if he could see but once your head was clear he wasn’t sure you’d appreciate that. 

     “Yeah, Jay feels good~” 

     “Yeah?” “Mhm” “Wanna be good for me?” At your teary yes! He asks you to go faster and press a bit harder. 

    “God you’re so sweet, you just do what you’re told huh?” 

    “Yes! Only for you! Ah! Jason~” He knows you’re just saying that. But if he only knew how much you wanted him to. 

     “For me? Then cum for me. You can do that, right? Cum all over your fingers for me.” You do just that your sex dripping from your release but the fire in your veins is still scorching. 

     “M-more Jay need you to Mmm fuck! Tell me you wanna fuck me!” Oh, he does. He really does want to. And while he knows he shouldn’t his calloused palm cups your cheek tenderly, his thumb pressing your chin up so that your hazy eyes can look into his. He doesn’t look away from your face, watching your lashes flutter with each word. 

      “Of course, I wanna fuck you baby. I’d make sure my baby feels real good. I’d kiss these perfect lips” He dares to brush the rough pad of his thumb on your lower lip. “Till you’re dizzy.” He whispers. 

       “Gasping for me and gripping my hair as I lick down your pretty neck.” You mewl eyes shutting as he paints you a picture. “You’ll be so sweet for me right?” 

       “Yeah promise”

       “Promise?” His deep voice grumbles the words and you rut into your hands with a repeat of the word. “Hmm, then you’d have to stay real still for me as I explore that gorgeous body. I wanna lick you everywhere, gonna kiss and tease you till you squirm.”

       “Please!” 

       “Don’t gotta beg sweet thing, I’ll give you everything, my fingers, my mouth my tongue my cock all yours. Just tell me how you want it.” 

       “I’d want you inside.” You gasp. 

       “Then I’d have to go down slow, get you nice and wet with my tongue, stretch out that pretty little hole so you can take me. Do you want it nice? Slow and deep, or do you want me to stir up that sloppy hole hard and fast?” 

       “Shit! Jay!” You see him through tears, the pressure in you winding tight with each word. “Yes!”

       “Which one?”

       “B-both! Wanna be yours.” Your breath hitches and one of your hands leaves your body to grip his forearm. Your nails bite into his skin when you cum again. Jason lets out a shaky breath when your mouth drops open in a soundless moan. He hasn’t looked down at you once, but your face and voice are doing it for him. He doesn’t touch himself, he painfully hard but he’ll let it go down. He thinks you’re good now and you feel his grip on your face loosen. 

     “O-one more, s-still feels hot.” And while yes, your body is still heated it’s not so much due to the aphrodisiac. He can feel your breathy pants against his fingers and he wets his lips willing himself to stare into your glassy eyes. He can do this, watch you fall apart one more time for him. ‘Just one more’ His dick was so stiff that it was becoming uncomfortable. 

     “Wanna be mine huh? You want me to put my thick throbbing cock into your tight little hole? Gonna let me cum inside? Make you mine from the inside out?” You hissed out a string of yeses. No doubt raw from the overstimulation. “Mmm yeah fuck need you to milk my cock with your perfect hole, gonna make you all sloppy and loose and have you thank me for it, show you how much I lo- want you, get you all drunk off my cock” He feels your hand speed up and he continues “You won’t want anyone else right?” 

      “No! Just wan’ you.” 

      “Just me?” You nod “Gonna be all mine.” 

      “Yeah, all yours!” Your voice cracks a tiny bit and your cum for the third time with his name on your lips, your body slumping over the cool rock as you catch your breath. Jason’s still cradling your face, his eyes glued to your shiny lips. He doesn’t know when he leans in, you don’t know when it happens either. But his rough lips press against your softly, the lightest of pressures but it leaves you more breathless than his filthy words had. Your eyes snap open when you feel him pull back, his pretty seafoam eyes are wide, his lips parted. He wrenched back looking vaguely horrified as if your lips burned him. 

     He doesn’t turn around when you call his name. He’s avoiding you. Or are you avoiding him? You sort of feel like you may have taken advantage of him. That last one you didn’t really need it maybe you’d pushed to far? Or maybe he knows you like him and he’s pulling away? What if he only sees you as a friend?! What if this changes things? What if he kicks you off the team? The what-ifs follow you into fitful sleep. Unbeknownst to you the what-ifs plague Jason throughout the night. 

     He’s devastated, because how could he take advantage of you like that? He has no right to kiss you. You were under the influence, you were saying whatever. What if he ruined things and you want to leave the team? What if you never wanted to speak with him again? And while he likes the rest of the team he’s not complaining about it being the two of you most of the time. But after today will you even feel comfortable being with him alone? Was he too obvious? Did you know? 

    You both looked wretched in the morning. Lack of sleep was apparent as you wished each other a stilted good morning. He worked silently on the hull while you finished up inside. The nerves were killing you and the incoming call did nothing but grate them. 

     “H-Hi Biz.” Bizzaro furrowed his brows at your expression. “Couldn’t sleep.” You lied, it didn’t look like he believed you. “What’s up?”

      “Bad news! We’re a minute closer!” He beams. 

      “Oh, That’s great!” 

      “Don’t tell red him.” He waves at you before cutting off the call. You steel yourself and walk outside. Jason almost drops his tools when you come to stand behind him. He readies himself, determined to hear you out. 

      “Bizzaro says they’re an hour away.” ‘Oh.’ He wonders if that’s what you want. To pretend it didn’t happen. But you don’t leave and before he can turn around and tell you he won’t mention it your apologizing to him? “I… I’m sorry.”

      “What?” This time he does drop his torch. “Wait? Why are you sorry I should be the one apologizing?”

      “The thing wore off after the second orgasm- Huh? For what?” You ask. 

      “What do you mean for what?” He frowns. “Kissing you. Huh?!”

      You both gawk at each other for a moment before one of you snorts and the other laughs. 

      “I like you,” Jason confesses. 

      “I like you too.” You smile. You’re both smiling at each other until you hear the six-winged bird screech in the distance. “We um.. We should probably get back to work?”

      “Yeah.” He watches as you quickly shuffle over and is stunned when you press a kiss to his cheek before you can skirt behind the curtain door into the ship he catches your hand. His gaze flickers down to your lips and you don’t need any further invitation. Sure you’d probably have to have a proper conversation about whatever this was but for now his lips against yours were enough. 

.

.

  The rest of the Outlaws touch down an hour later, the first one off the ship is Roy who throws his arms over both of your shoulders “I guess we have two things to celebrate!” 

    “How could you possibly know?” Jason asks. 

    “I didn’t” He grins. “You just confirmed it.” 

    Kori flies out of the ship and squeezes the three of you into a hug. You hear the breath get knocked out of Roy when Bizzaro joins and you all wait for Artemis to reluctantly join. “Group hug!” 

    It isn’t long before you are all sitting around a fire and Artemis is telling you about how the Guardians of the Universe opened an investigation on the Vilgaxians. “Turns out they really just wanted him so that they could trap Ion” 

    “So how’d the infiltration go?” Kori asks Jason. He’s telling the redhead trio about your quick mission while you chat and chug beers with Bizzaro. 

    “Not been long” He huffs. 

    “Yeah, it has.” You sigh, you're pleasantly buzzed watching as the campfire light reflects off the faces of your friends. While you like being a duo with Jason there's just something about having the whole gang present. You grabbing another drink when Roy spots your arm. 

    “What did that?” 

    “A blind, twelve-legged spider from hell.”

    “Oh, this I have to hear.” When you finish, Kori snaps her fingers “It’s a Kn’vg!” You all butcher the pronunciation when Roy claims it’s his turn to tell a story about a close encounter with death! While Roy yaps Jason's hand reaches yours tentatively and you curl your fingers around his. You’re glad that although everyone sees how you're now leaning into each other no one says anything about you two. You know they’ll ask but not right now, not when this thing between you is still so new. Your friends continue to chat into the night that is until Artemis snorts at Roy’s tale.  “No way that happened.” Jason tucks you under his arm as the shit show begins. 

     “It did” he frowns. 

     “Is this one of those and everyone clapped moments?” Kori asked. 

     “Sounds real.” Bizarro huffed his arms crossed over his chest. 

    “It is.” Before Roy can properly defend himself Jason tosses out a “Bullshit!” 

    “What?! You mother fucker! You were there?!” 

.

.

.

        The next morning you catch Jason's eyes and look away. His smile is shy when he says good morning, you're wrapping your arms around him to pull him into a hug when you hear someone ask.

“Hey, where's the door?”

“I drew a map!” You exclaim, you all group around it. “Here is the purple field and there’s the Mugoi village, the door should be right in the center.”

“Biz can not fly and get it.” He shrugs. 

“No I can get it, I want to see the Kn’vg creatures.” 

“We can all go,” Kori suggests. Roy straps on his trick arrows before taking the map and heading off in the direction of the lavender field. 

“The first one to it wins!”

“Hell yeah!” Jason takes off after him after latching on his hood. Kori and Bizzaro speed off and Artemis has already caught up to both Roy and Jason promptly tripping them as she passes. You shake your head at your team but strap on your boomerangs all the same.

“Wait for me!”

  You'd have to talk with Jason later, have a real serious conversation about this, you know the two of you. But right now, you needed to get to that door before your maybe-boyfriend and friends. 

Kinktober2024|Masterlist

[seoulmatez]

꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ 𝒞𝐻𝐸𝐸𝑅 𝒰𝒫 𝒞𝒜𝒩𝒟𝒴

info ⭑ suna rintaro x reader. 1.4 wc. sfw ﾉ fluff ﾉ reader is a bit sad

note ⭑ inspired by a scene from the webtoon comic act like you love me!

there’s a guy who comes into your work every wednesday—after the rush of high schoolers who stop by following their tutoring sessions but before it’s late enough for you to clock out and call it a night. he hums in acknowledgment every time you offer him a cordial, customer service “welcome” when you hear the motion sensor bell ring. his movements are predictable now and, as much as you try not to, you catch yourself following him with your eyes as he strolls down one aisle where he grabs a bag of jelly candies (the flavor alternates every week) until he disappears behind the tall, stocked shelves. he always emerges by the fridges where he grabs his usual energy drink before making his way to the counter.

over the span of the past several weeks, the formal utterances you’re required to deliver have evolved into fledglings of conversations. the phrase “did you find everything okay?” is eventually ditched and traded in for more personable questions, ones having to do with his choice of candy or the character printed on his hoodie. he smiles when you ask—not the kind that meets his eyes, but a genuine one nonetheless. when you hand him his change, he’s always sure to tell you thank you and offers a two-fingered wave before taking his leave.

the interactions between the two of you give you a short moment highlighted by something other than boredom during the five-hour shifts. he’s far from a friend, barely an acquaintance, hell, you’re not even sure what his name is—all you know is that you like seeing him.

today should be no different. it’s wednesday, it’s after ten, and the store is deafeningly quiet—too quiet for your liking, truly. you normally wouldn’t mind listening to the low of whispers the refrigerators and fluorescent lights, but the silence allows your mind to wander and it keeps going back to that godforsaken text; one that you wouldn’t have seen until after work if you had kept your phone in the back like you were supposed to.

we should break up. things aren’t working anymore.

“what an asshole,” you say out loud to yourself, wiping the stray tear from your cheek with the sleeve of your shirt. the prick didn’t even have the decency to do it properly—to say it to your face. he’s not worth wasting your tears on, at least, that’s what you’ve been trying to convince yourself for the past ten minutes. but it’s easier said than done. no matter how much you want to be unaffected by this, you’re hurt.

you would have been better off leaving your stupid phone in that stupid, unused breakroom.

you can feel another wave of sadness coming on as the automated bell chirps, signaling the arrival of a customer. with a deep, shaky breath, you turn your head in the opposite direction of the door to hide your tear-streaked face. you’re too busy hurriedly dabbing away at your eyes with the sleeve of your shirt that you forget to greet the customer—the one that happens to be your favorite regular. that much doesn’t go unnoticed by suna.

the absence of your typical “welcome!” makes the corner of his lips turn down. it’s worrying, he thinks, how reserved you are tonight. he used to find your enthusiastic greetings a little strange—how could someone be so chipper working the night shift as a cashier? but now given its absence, suna is starting to realize that, at some point, he’d gotten used to it. he’d even go as far as saying he prefers it.

his grayish-yellow gaze lingers on you as he makes his way down the aisle filled with sweets, but you never meet his eye. reluctantly, he looks away from you to what he came here for. his eyes scan over the selection of jelly candies in search of which flavor he wants this week. he usually picks whatever he has a taste for, but some other factor is swaying his judgment. his hand comes to hover over the lychee ones—he’s sure you said those ones were your favorite. lithe fingers pluck the pack from its box before he’s off to get his drink.

he can see you through the glass of the fridge door as he aimlessly reaches for the cold can. your head is tipped down, eyes glued to the counter in front of you. that’s weird, too, he thinks, fingers finally grazing the tab on one of the cans. on any other day he comes in, you’re mindlessly staring off into space or not-so-discreetly scrolling on your phone. suna knows it’s probably not his place to think so, but something’s definitely wrong.

he knows that much, but isn’t quite sure what to do about it.

nothing, he supposes. you’re not his friend—he’s a customer and you’re an employee. he has no obligation to do anything about your dampened mood, so why is he thinking so hard about how he can cheer you up?

suna tries to shake the thoughts from his head as he approaches you at the checkout. he sets his things on the counter, unknowingly staring you down to see if you’ll make eye contact with him. he’s almost sure you won’t but, surprisingly, you drag your eyes up from the surface to meet his.

they’re puffy and red, like you’ve been crying.

suna isn’t well-known for his ability to comfort others. in fact, he’s incredibly awkward around people when they cry—and you’re no exception. is it better to ask what’s wrong or try and help take your mind off whatever’s bothering you? he doesn’t know the answer to that question, so he simply musters up a tight-lipped smile, one he’s sure is a little inappropriate given the circumstances, but he’s not sure what else to do. you offer him what you think is a smile in return, but all suna sees is the slight wobble of your lips.

the scanner in your hand beeps twice before you read out the price from the screen ahead of you. suna fumbles around his pocket for the money he had stuffed in there earlier. the thousand yen banknote he passes to you is a bit crumpled and you would have laughed if you weren’t feeling so pathetic. the register rings as you open it to fish out the money you owe him.

closing the drawer with one hand, you hold out his change with the other. suna is stuffing the currency back into the pocket of his hoodie when you speak for the first time since he had come in. “have a nice night.”

the familiar sound of your voice, despite its scratchiness, causes suna to perk up. though, his shoulders slump when he realizes you’ve ducked down to busy yourself with something behind the counter. his feet feel like blocks of concrete, weighed down to this spot. he can’t leave without doing anything. he knows that you’d likely prefer to be alone right now, but he only needs to stick around for a few seconds longer before he’s out of your hair.

you don’t rise from your crouched position until you hear the automated bell that signals the man’s departure ring. hiding away after ringing him up might have been a little unprofessional but the thought of crying in front of him was too humiliating for you to even risk letting it happen.

you sniffle as you stuff your hands into the pockets of your uniform vest, eyes wandering to focus on anything but the source of your sorrow. unconsciously, you tilt your head down to look at the counter. there are pops of color against the white surface; four individually wrapped lychee jelly candies—the same kind that guy had just bought. your favorite.

you peek out the window to see if he’s out of sight yet. you’re relieved to see he hasn’t made it far, maybe a couple squares down the sidewalk. his hood is pulled over his head now but you’d never be able to miss those eyes. with a grin plastered on his face, he points at you and then tips his chin up with the same finger. keep your chin up.

in his other hand, the pack of candy he’s holding is torn at the corner.

your eyes begin to water as you breathe out a laugh, your lips tugging up for the first time tonight since you’d read that text. the tears threatening to spill over your lashline aren’t the same as the ones you had already shed—they’re tears of gratitude, the kind you cry when you can’t effectively express how thankful you are through words.

swallowing the lump in your throat, you pull one of your fists out of the pocket it resides in, sticking your thumb up and mouthing a silent “thank you.”

hihi~ sua here :3 ! thank you for giving this a read! if you enjoyed, please consider reblogging and/or leaving a comment! much love from me to you ❤︎

[holderoftheg-r-a-i-l]

giant mechs hc dump under the cut. some are silly, and some are. very sad.

- some times someone will ask Ivy a question and instead of her voice they get a text-to-speech voice because the info is from a data download instead of her reading it

- Jonny sleeps with a weighted blanket. if he is sleeping in the same bed with someone, they will usually roll him up in the weighted blanket because if they do not, they will get kicked in the face from his flailing

- Marius spends a lot of time in the cockpit with Brian. Partially because he's fascinated with the control panels (he only knows what a few of the buttons do) but also because Brian tends to hum while he drives and it's calming.

- Raph keeps a catelogue of plants & substances from every system they visit. Ivy helps her categorize them. when they leave a system often the two of them can be exclusively found in the labs or library for several days as they sort & label plants, drugs, ect

- Tim has spent a lot of time studying whatever notes he can cipher out of Dr Carmilla's works. he spends a lot of time tinkering to try to create more mechanisms. he blames himself for Berties death since he convinced him to enlist, and even though bertie is long dead he still wants to learn to build a Mechanism, just to prove to himself he could have saved him if he had time

- Marius absolutely will hand someone his arm if they ask for a "hand" with something. this has ended in him getting shot more than once

- Jonny enjoys laying his head on Brian and listening to his heart beat, imagining it's his own. He has sworn Brian to secrecy (everyone already knows)

- occasionally ivy's brain will crash and she has to reboot. originally this freaked out the others but they're used to it. they will fuck with her while she's out of it. once a reboot took several hours and she woke up and every inch of her face was covered in stickers

- in order from best cooks to worst- ivy, Nastya, Marius, Raphealla, TS, Brian, Jonny, ashes, Tim.

- ashes & Tim are both natural heaters and are usually in the middle of a cuddle pile on colder planets

- Brian doesn't technically need to breathe and enjoys walking on the bottom of deep bodies of water to see the creatures below. he does have to make sure he gets all of the salt water off so he doesn't rust tho

- no one is letting the toy soldier back into the aurora, it just exists where it believes it should (because it's needed, narratively important, or because it believes it will be funny). only aurora knows this, the others believe they keep accidentally letting it back in. this also means toy solider is *incredibly* good at startling others by just appearing in corners or behind doors.

- Jonny is missing the finger prints on one of his fingers from a bar fight, where he narrowly missed losing the whole finger.

- Tim has some knee damage from living in the tunnels during the moon war and while the mechnaizing has helped some, occasionally uses a cane

- Ashes has nerve damage in thier lower limbs from the flame damage

- Marius sometimes gets phantom pains from his missing arm

- somwtimes Brian turns all of his sensors up because he forgets what feeling actually alive feels like. his processor has limited ability to process things like warmth or pain so they just feel like echos of the real thing. he gets jealous sometimes of the others. everyone else can *feel* thier hugs. he's even jealous of TS. it can't feel like him, but it also doesn't remember what it felt like before. he's even jealous of the others feeling pain because at least it's more than just dull flashes that thier brain attempts to imitate as feeling

- ashes is Brian's favorite to touch/hug/cuddle with purely because they run hotter so it's easier for his sensors to pick up the temperature difference (so it feels the closest to hugging did before mechanizing)

- Brian hates the zero grav zones on the aurora & avoids them if at all possible because they remind him of his time before mechanizing (aurora knows this and will shuffle corridors around if she knows where he is going to avoid low grav areas)

- sometimes Tim will just. turn off the sensors in his eyes for a bit. usually when he's over stimulated. sometimes when he's tinkering on something he knows well and someone keeps bothering him. sometimes it's because someone keeps trying to get his attention and "sorry I didn't see you my eyes were off" is hilarious

[gravitycavity]

[Preview] Sunshine - Chapter 5

Hey guys! Thank you for your patience while I write chapter 5. This chapter might take longer than usual, so I wanted to give you all a longer-than-usual preview to make up for it. I hope you enjoy it!

For context, Pomni and Ragatha are in a ballroom inside of the haunted mansion. They're locked inside and looking for a key to escape, but aren't having very much luck. Having tried everything, they decide to take a break.

Also Ragatha is sitting in a chair. Pomni found her a comfy one :)

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

The long, dusty boxes that Pomni had already sifted through still laid in a messy pile beside the antique chest. Pomni never was very good at putting things back where she found them.

Sighing, she opened the nearest one and cautiously unfurled the bulky scroll stored inside. A series of small, perfectly-cut holes stretched across the yellowed paper. Some existed in isolation, while others were grouped together into long lines — as if a leaf-munching insect had eaten its way through the fragile material.

Pomni’s tonge prodded the inside of her cheek. “Ragatha? You said you played the…” her gaze flicked aside, “...violin, right?”

“Violoncello.” Ragatha deadpanned. “Why?”

“Well, I was just wondering — since you’re a musician, do you have any clue what these weird rolls of paper are for? They seem related to the piano somehow, but…”

“I thought you would never ask!” Ragatha gasped, clasping her hands together. “Those funky bundles of paper are called piano rolls!”

The redhead had responded to Pomni’s question in plain English, but the baffled look on the jester’s face suggested otherwise.  

Ragatha continued. “Back in the day, these were used to play piano tunes without the need for a human performer. Each one plays a different song when loaded into a player piano.”

“Player piano…?”

“Oh, right. Sorry!” Ragatha shuffled her feet, “That’s a special type of piano that plays itself. I’m not quite sure how it works either. But back to the topic at hand — see those little holes cut into the paper? Each one represents one music note. As the roll slowly unfurls, a sensor reads them and tells the machine which keys to strike.”

“Ohh…” Pomni ran her fingers across the parade of perforations that spanned the scroll. Slowly, she nodded. “...So it’s like a music box?”

“Now you’re getting it!” Ragatha beamed. The look on her face as she watched the concept click in Pomnis’ head was a painting of pure joy; was it any wonder that she had worked as a teacher prior to her captivity? 

Pomni sighed. She planted an elbow on the old chest and cradled her cheek against her palm. “Your students must have loved you...” 

“Well, I did receive my fair share of apples.” Ragatha shrugged. “Never had to pack a lunch.”

“Wait, seriously…? That’s a real thing?”

“No. Not really.”

A silly smile teased its way onto Pomni’s lips. Heart stumbling, she turned away, fingers unconsciously fiddling with the old chest’s loosened lock. “S-So, um, is there anything else you can tell me…?” 

“Nah — telling is overrated. In my classroom, I always liked to take a hands-on approach.” Ragatha said. She admired the antique instrument seated on the far end of the stage. “There’s a player piano right there. Why don’t you give it a whirl, Sunshine?”

Pomni felt her whole body melting, all the way down to her soul. Sunshine. She was putty in the ragdoll’s hands. 

“S-Sure thing! I’ll find a good one!” Just about tearing the lid off of the antique chest, she rifled through its tightly-packed contents with purpose, scrutinizing the faded titles printed on each box. She didn’t recognize a single song, much less any of their long-dead composers, so it was anyone's guess as to what the music would actually sound like. She may as well have just swiped a roll at random — and, as a matter of fact, that’s exactly what she did. 

Pomni set the bulky scroll inside the automatic piano after a bit of clumsy fumbling — and more than a little help from Ragatha. With the flip of a switch, the paper started spinning, and the premier notes of a lofty, leisurely tune stirred to life beneath the ballroom’s vaulted ceiling. 

Pomni’s fingers drew circles on the mechanical piano’s smooth, wood grain exterior. For a moment, she forgot where she was, utterly fascinated by the simple elegance of the century-old contraption. 

It was funny. The long-forgotten piece it played, humbly subtitled ‘a ragtime two-step’, had set her up to expect something more peppy and up-tempo. As the piano roll steadily unfurled, however, the melodic constellations impressed upon the paper sang a far different tune. 

It was the type of jaunty music one would expect to accompany a silent film, just…polished. Refined. All of the musical tropes of the era were present — the driving bassline, the active, syncopated melody — but the piece’s dignified pace and finely-crafted harmonies would have sounded out of place in a rowdy saloon. 

Here in the ballroom, though, the old-fashioned tune was right at home — at least, that’s what the haunted furniture seemed to think. 

Looking impressed, Pomni tapped her foot, wholly oblivious to the perplexing scene unfolding behind her. “Hm. Not bad.” She remarked, turning to face Ragatha, “To tell you the truth, I actually kind of ohmygodwhat’sgoingon—”

Pomni stumbled backwards, then forwards, then backwards again into Ragatha’s chair. The ballroom’s inanimate denizens — the one-hundred-odd tables and chairs scattered across its marble floor —  moved all on their own, dancing in time with the mellow melody. A backing band of squeaking wood and clinking plates added a percussive flair to the player piano’s charming, just-slightly-detuned sound. 

Ragatha, for her part, was busy cracking up at Pomni’s complete and utter bewilderment. With a quick breath, she managed to compose herself. “Well, when in Rome…” The ghost of a giggle still lingered in her tone as she offered up her hand to the crumpled heap of a woman at her feet, “Shall we?”

Pomni let out a mousy squeak. “H-Huh?” She flinched, head feeling light, dots flitting across her vision, “But—”

“Come on. Don’t make me beg.” Ragatha batted her eyes, “It’s unladylike.”

Pomni blushed. She couldn’t argue with that. Without a word, she swallowed, shuddering like a frightened animal as she reached for Ragatha’s pretty hand.

Her fingers curled snugly around the ragdoll’s plush, doughy hand. Both women’s palms — one big, one small — fit together perfectly.

Pomni slid her other arm behind Ragatha’s back, powerless to stop the little whimpers sneaking out of her as she lifted the lightweight woman into her arms. For a moment, their faces were close enough to feel each other’s warmth — and it took every ounce of restraint Pomni had to resist asking: ‘Can I please kiss you?’.

With a brief, peppy fanfare, the music transitioned to a new section; the enchanted furniture, as if controlled by a single mind, adapted its routine in perfect sync. 

“I, um…” Pomni’s heart sank at the sight. This stupid furniture was making her look bad. “I don’t really know how to dance…” She winced the thought, and then at the sight of Ragatha’s grave injuries, “And even if I did, how are we supposed to—”

“Shh.” Ragatha’s thumb glided across the back of Pomni’s hand. “Just…hold me. Please.”

Pomni exhaled. 

Holding her dolly close, the jester closed her eyes, synchronizing her trembling breaths with every other downbeat. Her foot matched the two-step’s gentle pulse, and before she knew it, her whole body was swaying to the rhythm.

Ragatha nestled her head against Pomni’s chest; a blissful sigh escaped her shuddering smile. The tension in her body dissipated note-by-note, phrase-by-phrase, as her darling rocked her back and forth, here and there, to and fro. 

[leahrintarou]

☠︎︎ DAY TWO: EDGING FT. KUROO ☠︎︎

☠︎︎ WARNINGS: desperately horny kuroo, sub!kuroo, fem reader, teasing, reverse pleasure, y/n gives, kuroo recieves.

☠︎︎ WORD COUNT: 1.2K

"y/nnnnn!" she groaned at the sound of her boyfriend repeatedly calling her name over and over again. this has been going on for the past seven minutes and each time, she'd adjust the volume of the tv to a higher setting.

slightly rolling her eye's when kurros voice followed after his own footsteps making its way down the staircase, he called her name once again. "y/nnn, i could've been dying and you're just ignoring me"

she only turned a deaf ear to kuroo's pleas, making him lazily slouch onto the empty space of the sofa. he gently grabbed her wrist and placed her relaxed digits over the growing erection hidden under the fabric of his shorts.

he placed his own palm over y/n's hand, applying some kind of pressure. "i'm hard and you've been ignoring me so, now that i've gotten your attention, the least you could do i make me feel good.. right?"

y/n's eye's slightly widened, hesitantly turning her attention towards kuroo. "and you ask for my help by sounding like a stuck record and calling my name every five seconds?" y/n's fingers slightly adjusted against his gradually hardening erection causing a sharp breath to pass through his teeth. "well, it got me what i wanted, didn't it?".

"trust me, you're not gonna want this"

"whatever you say, pretty" y/n hummed to kuroo's words, knowing that his cocky demeanor will soon melt into nothing with a couple of sensitive touches. she suddenly applied an immense amount of pressure onto his print, feeling the grip of kuroo's own palm slightly tighten around her hand.

using her unoccupied hand, she removed kuroo's grip from her occupied one, giving him nothing to actually grasp onto other than the throw pillow that rested next to him. y/n made swift movement's, sitting up and hurdling a leg over his thighs, now straddling his figure.

she heard the staggered sigh leave her boyfriend's lips, signifying his usual impatience. examining his sudden, lust filled expression, y/n decided to shift her position, to rest her clothed core against the length of kuroo's erection. he let out a small whine at the pressure that was suddenly applied, and it only became drawn out when y/n swayed her hips to meet his own.

"you've been louder than this before, you trying to keep your pride?" with her word's, kuroo uncontrollably tightened the muscle in his abdomen, the line between accepting his guilty pleasure and keeping his cocky facade suddenly becoming a blur.

y/n reached beside her, taking the tv's remote into her hold, aiming it at the sensor to adjust the volume to zero. "w-what was that for?" he asked through staggering breaths, his movement suddenly becoming uncontrollable. "i wanna hear you"

she slid her hand under the hem of kurro t-shirt, resting her palm against his waist, feeling satisfaction due to the way he shivered slightly from her touch. she carefully rubbed her thumb against his warm skin, leaning down to place small kisses to his neck.

kuroo only tilted his head a bit, giving y/n more access. with the hand that rested under his shirt, she parted from his skin and assisted kuroo with pulling the restricting fabric over his head. "fuck, this isn't fair, y/n"

"you're the one who wanted my help" y/n smiled before placing chaste pecks onto kuroo's chest, she practically felt his heartbeat quicken against her lips. he whined at her expected response because, afterall, he knew y/n well enough to know that she would never have an intimate moment if it didn't include teasing the living soul out of him.

but today, y/n did feel generous enough to give kuroo at least a small bit of satisfaction. hooking two digits into the hem of his sweat-shorts, she teasingly pulled it down, just enough to expose his v-line. placing small taps to the muscles indention, she let out a hum when she saw his veins become more prominent in his arm when his grip tightened onto the throw pillow.

"you're loving this, aren't you, tetsu?"

"quite the fucking opposite, your teasing feels unbearable when it's anywhere but-" kuroo's words stopped when he felt y/n firmly palm his restrained erection. "here?" she finished his sentence. kuroo couldn't manage to fathom a reply since his voice was occupied with a low moan.

y/n finally pulled down kuroo's shorts, leaving the loose hem to rest on his mid-thighs. when y/n finally looked up at him, she placed a small kiss onto his lips before mumbling a quick apology. "for what?"

"you'll find out soon enough"

y/n focused her gaze to kuroo's now complete erection. she finally realized why he was being so needy and impatient. he was desperately in need of a release and it was evident by the way he stiffened into her fist when she wrapped her hand around his member. he let out a breathy swear, lazily leaning his head back and onto the sofa's perimeter. "more"

y/n made fast and smooth movements with her wrist, jerking kuroo into her tightly wrapped fist. his hips uncontrollably contorted and bucked upwards, making y/n place a firm palm to his pelvis, lessening the intensity of his movements. "y/n-fuck"

small incoherent babbles fell from kuroo's lips, the last set of curses coming out as a silent plea when his erection jerked in y/n's hold. y/n immediately released her grip around kuroo, he let out a whine of frustration at the lost pleasure. his breathing was unsteady and tears were resting on the hem of his bottom lashline when his eyes shut tightly.

the liquid escaped from their place, slowly drifting down his facial structure. y/n leaned forward before placed her lips next to his ear. "i told you, you wouldn't have wanted this" she mumbled. a sharp breath once again passed though his teeth.

"y/n..just- please let me cum"

to be quite honest, y/n did feel a bit bad due to the fact that he'd been actually quite patient despite his words. kuroo didn't touch himself, he let y/n hear all of his pleasure filled noises, and he tried his hardest to keep himself together.

rewrapping her hand around kuroo's painful erection, she used her thumb, swiping it across his tip to spread his precum around the entirety of his member, hips bucking against her palm. "y/n...i'm s-sensitive" he said through hitched breaths. letting out a hum and nodding at kuroos warning, y/n continued her previous movements, wrist moving gracefully to please him.

this time, the pressure of her palm against his pelvis was a bit lighter, causing his hips to visibly buck into y/n's fist. kuroo was practically positive that y/n would only continue the cycle of working him up just to forbid him from releasing but, a sigh of relief left his lips at y/n's next words.

"tetsu, you can cum now"

kuroo's hips repeatdly bucked with every stroke of y/n's hand, she had no choice but to reapply the heavier pressure on his pelvis to keep his bucking hips, slightly steady. letting out whining moans of y/n's name, he felt satisfied when he felt the warm liquid pump from his tip and onto his tensed abdomen.

his watery eye's looked up to y/n. she was focused on the liquid that slowly drooled down the back of her hand, still pumping his softening member til he'd let her know that he was satisfied enough. kuroo lifted a shaky hand to grasp y/n's wrist, stopping her movements so he wouldn't suffer from overstimulation.

"you're no fun" she said through a sigh when her hand was removed from his member.

"and you're too much fun"

[bitchfitch]

Abandoned bunkers were a common sight. The bombs dropped so long ago that even the most paranoid communities had left them to rejoin the larger population on the surface one or two generations ago.

Abandoned bunkers that hadn't been picked clean by scavengers like Lino were a different story entirely.

He crept through the eerily quiet halls looking for whatever might be worth taking. The lights flickered on as he triggered their proximity sensors. The place was finely decorated to look like the homes of the wealthy who lived before the war. Crown molding covered in cobwebs, statues caked with dust, paintings who's varnish was so yellow you could barely see the image beyond it.

Lino pulled the strap of his cross body bag a little tighter. The off white marble floors were pristine. His own muddy boot prints being the only source of filth. The floor cleaning bot must still be functional.

The doors to this place had been wide open. Maybe it was only recently vacated? The air didn't hurt, the circulation and vent systems were still doing their jobs all these years later. It was pleasantly cool with none of the humidity or mildew smell that came from broken climate controllers. It was still serviceable when so few other bunkers were. He'd need to return with tools to strip the mechanisms for parts.

Those might be the only thing worth the effort. Pre war art had value, but everything was so heavy he'd only be able to carry one delicate piece at a time... The math on that effort to return ratio wasn't favorable. There had to be more. Something of actual value he could pay his dues with today.

He stepped into what was once a massive living room. The ancient, rotting, couches were pushed up against the walls, side tables and other bits of decor piled atop them to make more space in the center for the army of... Mannequins? Dolls? Scarecrows?

They were made from torn down tree branches, dried plant matter, and hope. Haphazard creations meant to display the clothes they wore. Beautiful dresses, finely tailored suits, ensembles that blurred the line. Each one constructed as a masterpiece of form with no eye given to the horribly clashing colors found within their materials.

Lino didn't know who they would fit.

No one looked like That anymore. Two arms, two legs, a single head atop a neck connected to a straight back. He was the most 'classic' looking human he had ever seen, but even he wasn't the right shape for so many of these.

It was a shame really.

It meant their only value was in the fabrics they were made from.

Lino pursed his lips, looking from the one garment that Might fit him to the mirrors hung either side of the faux fireplace. Luxury and fine items that exist just to be beautiful weren't unheard of concepts anymore, they just weren't things he had ever had the money to know. His leader had told him he would have been beautiful if he'd been born into one of the higher families who could have afforded to decorate him and sell him for his 'classic' looks. The leader offered him that wealth once. If Lino would just dye his albino white hair and let the surgeon remove his extra arms, the leader would have gladly decorated him themself.

He wasn't going to dismember himself to be pleasing for another. He was fine. Constantly living on edge, scouring the lands for any tiny scrap of value left over after so many other hungry scavengers had done the same before him. He was fine. He didn't need to be beautiful to survive.

The dress was shiny and silky smooth when he brushed his fingers along the stormy grey fabric. The fabric from all the other garments would pay his way for the month probably... He was the only person who knew this dress existed.

He didn't need to be beautiful to survive.

He undid the fastens around the dress form's neck and lifted the piece off, laying it over the form's shoulder before shucking off his own shirt. The dress was meant for someone taller than him, his muddy boots and damp pant cuffs would ruin it. Those went off next, then his discolored socks that he didn't want to see poking out beneath the hem, all were dropped in a messy pile beside him. He pulled the dress on as he stepped away from the filth of his own garments and towards the mirror.

The dress was backless. The side hems brushed the bases of his extra arms. It was too big. It would buy his dinner for weeks. Lino didn't want to look in the mirror, but when he did his gut twisted.

He looked gorgeous, the contours of the bodice following the lines of a body he often felt too scrawny to be anything other than awkward looking. The collar was pleasantly firm against the front of his throat, not tight, but present enough to make him feel it every time he moved to find a new angle. Even his extra arms were made to look right in it. The back of the collar came down in a slight point that fell perfectly between his misshapen shoulder blades. It was too big, but it was clearly intended for a woman who looked like the models of before. His longer torso and flat but broad chest meant he'd only need to take in a bit around his hips for it to look perfect... Even the skirt being meant for someone a foot taller than him wouldn't be a problem, it just looked like a fine train. He couldn't stop smiling. Guilt ate at him. He didn't need to be beautiful. He was wearing so much money. The panels weren't even pieced, the skirt alone had to have more pristine bolts in its gathers than most saw in their lives.

It was just a dress.

He twirled in front of the mirror to make the too long skirt flare out around him. His bare feet padding on the hard stone, his own reflection distracting him, his guilt making him focus in on the price something so beautiful would go for if he could just make himself destroy it.

Lino didn't hear the breathing until it was already too late.

A scrambling form shot around the corner, its growling tearing through the still air as it launched towards Lino with more speed than something so twisted looked like it should be able to.

Lino was so grateful his fear response had always been flight. He bolted to the side, the badly mutated man careened into the mirror, shattering it across its massive shoulders. Lino didn't look back. He could hear the man panting and snarling like an animal as it gave chase. Its hands pounding on the stone as it dragged itself behind him. He could hear it gaining on him. The door was in sight. Would it follow an intruder out of its home? Lino had to hope not. The threshold was under his foot. A harsh tug at his skirt. He came crashing down, his jaw knocking hard against the concrete porch sent his head spinning with painful disorientation.

"Auth Code 1756" The man spat. Lino had thought him too far gone with his mutation to be person enough to speak. The bunker beeped in response, something mechanical thunked. Gears ground.

Lino kicked, his leg was grabbed. He turned to see the featureless face of his assailant for a split second before it was blocked from view by the closing door.

Lino's vision whites out, he heard screaming. The man was still holding him trapped by the leg when the multi ton hunk of metal shut atop it.

[softquietsteadylove]

I have another idea (sorry if this is too spammy, please tell me if it's too much) also sorry if this one is a bit dark, my life long love of true crime is showing. so human au, Thena and Gil have been married for years, Thena has a history of mental health problems but specially seeing/hearing things that aren't there so when she starts talking about someone following her that nobody eles can see people are skeptical, until one day she goes missing, the police don't do much at first because she's a grown woman but then letters start showing up from someone who claims to have her, Gil is frantic trying to find his wife and he feels like he's slowly losing his mind, maybe a hopeful yet open ended end with potential to be expanded. Damm this one is long, sorry

Gil crouched down behind the shrubs as another car passed. He knew very well he could get in a lot of trouble for this. Technically, the cops were supposed to be doing this.

Well, the cops were supposed to be investigating his wife's disappearance. What he thought they were doing was instead standing around with their dicks in their hands talking about how 'wives leave their husbands all the time without explanation'. They didn't know Thena. And they didn't know him either.

And he was damn sure they didn't know Kro. He had mentioned that Thena had an abusive ex-boyfriend who was obsessed with her, but they didn't care. All they saw was that Thena had a diagnosis of schizophrenic episodes. It was more than enough for them to write off her reports of being followed as paranoia.

Gil moved closer to the house. He had been watching for days.

If this bastard was going to stalk Thena then he could do the same. He had watched Kro, watched when he left the house--seldom. Watched what he did when he did go places--always for basic needs like food, never anywhere else. If he had a job, it was remote, or he had quit it to become a full time freak and kidnapping felon.

It started with Thena saying she was being followed. And he had tried to catch a glimpse, but he had never managed to get a look at what she had seen. But she said it wasn't a vision, that she knew what those felt like and this was different. She said it was tall, and that it was watching her.

It certainly sounded like Kro at the time, and the letters confirmed it was him, as far as Gil was concerned. They were printed computer paper, generic and untraceable. They said things like 'I have her' and 'she's mine now'. Cops didn't have proof it was from him, or even about Thena.

Gil knew better. It was the way someone obsessive and possessive would talk about someone. It felt like Kro, saying to her now-husband that she was his, her ex-boyfriend's, again. According to the cops, Kro had an alibi which eliminated him as a suspect. They hadn't even held him for 24 hours.

Gil stuck his finger into the crack of the window being left open. He had found a day when they were left open and stuck a twig in the slider to keep it from latching. It sounded insane, he knew. He was behaving criminally. But he didn't care what he had to do to get Thena back.

He pushed the window up, slipping through slowly. He had done his research. He knew that there was no alarm system because he had a creepy looking dog walking around. The dog would trip any motion sensor that was active.

Said dog lifted its head. It looked like a malnourished, mangy thing. Gil pulled the chicken out of his pocket. If this thing was supposed to be a guard dog, it wasn't very well trained. It hadn't even barked before he tossed the dog toy full of chicken at it. It was some kind of special puzzle, supposedly it would keep a dog busy for hours.

He moved slowly and carefully. The house had a basement, there were little barred windows on the front at the base and the rest of the houses on the street did too. If Thena was anywhere, he had to assume she was there.

"Thena?" he whispered. He was pretty damn sure Kro was upstairs doing his remote work in a home office at the far end of the house.

It was almost foolhardy: man kidnapped a woman and was arrogant enough to leave her two floors down from him all day and night?

"Thena," Gil whispered again as gently twisted the basement door handle. It wasn't even locked. He glanced down, it was pitch black, depriving Thena completely of any comfort. His steps were careful, he didn't want to make the stairs creak too much.

He walked down carefully. He had no proof Kro wasn't just sitting down here, lying in wait for him. And worse yet, he had to be ready for what he might find. He didn't think Kro would hurt Thena, but he didn't have proof that he wouldn't.

"Thena," Gil whispered again. He looked around, hoping his eyes would adjust. Those little windows must have been blacked out as well as barred.

"Gil?"

His heart leapt. He reached in his pocket for his phone. Pulling it out he swung it around with the flashlight on. The basement was actually not so bad, at least more than a dirt floor cellar. His gut twisted, "Thena."

She squinted, although he moved the light away from her, just lighting the corner of the basement that was hers. She was handcuffed to a support post, seated on what seemed to be an old mattress. It looked like the blanket she had been given was one for the dog, and the pillow was somehow worse than that.

"Okay, sweetheart, it's okay, I'm here," Gil rushed, kneeling down and immediately reaching for the handcuff. He had looked this up too, purchasing a cheap pair with keys online just in case.

Thena lurched forward, barely able to hold herself up enough to bury her sobs into his chest.

"I'm here, I'm here," he repeated, stroking her hair. She was in the same clothes she had been wearing friday. It was 37 hours later. He must have gotten her right as she was coming out of her office and before Gil had pulled up to the curb. It was such a slim window.

"Gil," she whispered into his hoodie. She dug her fingers into it, but her nails were bloody. She had tried getting the nail to which her cuffs were attached out of the wooden column. "He told me he would let me go if I promised to leave you."

"It's okay, honey, I've got you," he whispered. Of course this psycho wanted to play some sick game like that. He probably would have let her go, too. Nothing had been proven to link back to him yet, and he knew very well that no one would believe Thena about it.

He didn't have to have her. He just needed no one else to.

Gil rubbed her wrist, which was red and raw from her struggling. He pressed his nose to her hair, "sweetie, did he hurt you?"

"No," she whimpered, to at least some of his relief. "He hasn't touched me. He said he would let me out of here if I told him I never loved you."

Gil had read up on that. Kro was a narcissist, he needed to feel in possession and control. He wanted to know that Thena couldn't be with anyone else the way she had been with him. But they had been married for five years by now, in comparison to the year and a half she had been with Kro, including courtship and the lengthy process of Thena changing all her contacts and moving as far away from him as possible. Only for him to follow her here.

There was no use wondering about it. Gil pulled his hoodie off and wrapped it around her. "Have you been down here since friday?"

She nodded, barely conscious as he threaded her arms through the sleeves. "After work..."

"Did he give you any food or water?"

She shook her head again as he zipped it all the way up. "He would only come down every few hours to check if I was ready to give up."

Gil held her cheeks. He did his best to smile at her instead of crying. "And you never broke. That's my Thena."

She sighed as he kissed her forehead. "Take me home."

"Okay," he whispered. He pulled out a mini bottle of water, just enough to keep her conscious. He also pulled out a baggy with two pills. "Here y'go."

It wasn't an immediate concern, but it couldn't hurt to get her medication into her as soon as possible. Thena took them instinctively.

"Can you walk?" Gil whispered to her. This was the next step he had prepared for. There were a few different actions to take depending on her answer.

She shook her head. Even if he could have gotten her on her feet, she was weak, hadn't eaten or slept, and Kro had taken her shoes.

"Okay," he resolved. He buttoned the cargo pockets of his pants again and crouched down to get Thena in his arms. It was ideal to be ready to fight if he had to, but he wasn't about to sling his wife over his shoulder like old laundry.

Thena pressed her head to his chest as he lifted her.

"Let's get you home, sweetheart."

"You're not going anywhere!"

Gil froze. Thena was in his arms. His phone in his shirt pocket was still the only source of light. Kro was at the top of the stairs. He didn't seem armed, but Kro was 6'5" and decently muscled in his own right. He didn't think he needed a weapon. "It's over."

"It's not," the monster growled at him. He didn't even sound human. "Put her down."

Gil held her tighter as Thena buried her face in his neck. "She's my wife, Kro."

"She's a liar!" he bellowed at them and charged down the stairs to the bottom. "She said she would never get married and she lied!"

Who would want to marry a beast like this? Gil backed up just a step. "That's enough."

"Put her down!"

He really did match the description. Thena had said that a figure had started following her. That it was massive, way higher than six feet, shadowy and lurking around corners to follow her. And none of her visions had ever looked as monstrous as this man did now.

Gil did, but only so he could keep her away from him. He set her down on the mattress again, as much as she tried to cling to him. But he turned around, swinging his fist wide in the hopes of getting him in the face.

Kro did stumble back, but he was far from done.

Gil charged at him. If this was really going to be a fist fight to the death, then he was prepared for that, so long as Thena didn't get hurt in the meantime.

Kro snarled at him as they back into one of a few shelves scattered around the room. Junk and a few loose tools clattered to the ground. Kro clawed at his back but Gil slammed him into the shelf again.

He heard Thena cry out behind him as Kro tossed him away. He tried to stand but Kro sent him into another shelf, this one with paint cans. "I'll kill you!"

"Go to hell!" Gil yelled back at him. He grabbed whichever paint can he could swing, even an empty one. It did the job at least. He scrambled past Kro to Thena. "Go, run, I'm right behind you, go!"

"Gil, no!"

Gil hissed as Kro found his dropped phone and shined the light in his eyes. Next thing he knew, something that felt an awful lot like an empty paint can was colliding with his head. "Shit!"

Kro landed one hell of a punch to his jaw.

"Gil!"

He tried to stay on his feet. He couldn't see and his head was screaming at him. But he came here for a reason: for his wife. "Thena, run!"

His vision was just barely starting to bleed back to him. He could see Kro's massive silhouette. He got his hands up, ready to fight, when a flash of silver arched through his vision.

Thena connected the hammer with Kro's skull so solidly it was audible. She was breathing heavily, probably lightheaded. She looked at Kro's body, watching to see if it moved at all. Then she looked at him.

Gil eyed Kro as well, but he was out like a light. A hammer to the head was hard to beat, he honestly wasn't even sure if he was still alive. He looked at Thean, "sweetie, it's okay."

Thena stumbled back, dropping the hammer. She looked at him, "a-are you okay?"

Gil dragged himself to his feet. He wobbled a little, his knees being worse for wear (he wasn't young anymore). "I'm okay, are you?"

Thena moved numbly, stumbling into his embrace again, still looking at Kro. "Is he alive?"

"I don't know," Gil stared, even as he pressed his lips to her forehead again. "Let's get you outta here first, okay?"

Thena nodded, letting him herd her towards the stairs. "What do we do now?"

He had committed a crime, breaking and entering to get his wife back like this. Although maybe they could get lucky considering Thena was just defending herself against a certified psycho. Either way, he was leaving with his wife. "I don't know. You don't have to worry about that. We're just going to get you home."

[gumnut-logic]

It started with a bang.

Lots of bad things start with a bang, but this one wasn’t obvious.

A stray meteor hit Five. Wasn’t the first time, doubtful it would be the last, but Brains had built her strong enough to resist the majority of non-dinosaur-extincting rock events.

Most of them.

This one got through.

It was tiny, but it was enough to mess with some critical systems and it had both a worried Scott on the line and Brains jumping up and down as both John and Eos hurried to make repairs.

Virgil asked John to come down, but he chose not to.

Apparently his ‘bird needed nursing and Virgil, if he was honest, could respect that.

He really wished he hadn’t.

Being on the more paranoid end of the spectrum considering International Rescue’s history of getting the not so lucky end of anything, Virgil checked in with his space brother every half hour.

For the next twenty-four.

John was sympathetic until about the eighteen-hour mark. After that, he became snarlier each time Virgil poked him.

“Virgil, the damage has been repaired.”

“Humour me.”

“Why?”

Why? Virgil wasn’t sure, but he was sure that he needed to check on his brother. “Because it is my job.”

“Then maybe you should check your own readings because you are being beyond ridiculous.” And John cut the connection.

Great. He’d pissed John off – never a good thing to do.

But half an hour later, Virgil prodded him again. “John, report.”

“I’m fine, Virgil. Go to bed.”

Virgil peered closer at his brother’s hologram and frowned. “John?”

“What?!”

Virgil’s fingers darted over the sensor readouts from his brother’s spacesuit. “How are you feeling?”

“Annoyed. If you don’t stop this, I’m going to ask Scott to stop you from doing this.”

“Go for it.” He frowned at the oxygen saturation stat. “You sure you are feeling okay? Eos, can you give me an atmospheric reading on Five?” The numbers were all good, but something felt wrong.

Something had his hackles up, but he couldn’t identify what.

“All atmospheric reading are within the expected range, Virgil. John needs his rest, why are you continuing to disturb him?”

He stared at his brother floating far above. “I’m not sure, Eos.”

John rolled his eyes. “Then get back to me when you are.” His brother cut the connection.

Virgil sat back in his father’s chair. Maybe John was right. Maybe he was just edgy because of the meteor collision, a reminder of the brutality of space and his brother’s vulnerability so far above them. Maybe it was time for bed.

He lasted another hour before he commed John again.

“Virgil, whyyyy?”

Again, he ran his fingers over the sensors, again they tried to reassure him everything was okay.

But nothing was okay. Virgil was sure of it.

He just didn’t know what or why.

“I’m coming up.”

John stared at him. “What? Why?”

“Can’t I drop in to see my brother?”

“It’s 3am!”

“I’m a night owl.”

“I’m going to kick your ass, Virg. I’m tired. You’ve been bugging me for hours. Leave me alone!” The comm line cut again.

And Virgil’s hackles hit orbit.

John never called him ‘Virg’.

Ever.

“Eos?”

It took a moment. “Yes, Virgil?”

“Could you please lower the elevator?”

“He doesn’t want to see you.”

“Too bad. I need to check on his health.”

Eos didn’t answer.

“His health is important, Eos.”

Another long moment where Virgil considered waking Alan or Scott.

“Lowering elevator.”

There was no clarity in Eos’ voice as to her opinion but she was doing what he requested and that was all that mattered.

Half an hour and several layers of atmosphere later, Virgil was thankful for whatever sense that set him off.

He found John floating aimlessly in the central hub of Five. Above the vista of the planet, the holographics system was displaying a three-sixty view of family photos.

Scott grinned at him from the east, a baby Allie from the south pole, his father from the north, Gordy dressed in squid-print swimwear to the west and their beloved mother smiled her familiar smile from somewhere near Africa.

Virgil’s own picture took out South America next to Grandma in the South Pacific.

“John?”

His brother startled. “You! What do you want?”

Virgil eyed him. “Eos, can you give me those atmospheric readings again?”

“Yes, Virgil.” She rattled off the necessary numbers.

Unfortunately, they did not match the portable air sensor Virgil held in his hand. “Your readings are incorrect, Eos. Run a diagnostic.”

There was a pause as John continued to frown at him.

“Diagnostic complete. There are no errors in the sensor network, Virgil.”

“There is a contaminant in your air supply, John.”

“So you finally found an excuse for being annoying.” His brother flipped mid-air and stared up at the hologram of their father. “You hear that, Dad? Virgil finally has a reason for driving us all insane!” That last was shouted in Virgil’s direction along with a glare.

Virgil ignored it.

“John, I want you to come down to Tracy Island.”

“Why?” It was belligerence itself.

“Because you aren’t safe up here. And I miss you.”

“How can you miss me when you never leave me alone?!”

Virgil pressed his lips together and hit his comms. “Tracy Island, we have an Alert Gold.” The command would wake Scott and probably the rest of the house. It was an alert designed to help protect their most remote family member.

“You’re kidding.”

“No, John, I’m not.”

And John burst out laughing. “Do you ever hear yourself?”

Virgil didn’t answer.

“Obviously not. Other wise you would be insane by now. Or you would nag yourself to death.”

John didn’t mean it. He was under the influence. At a guess, there might be a leak in the thruster assembly, leaking oxidiser into Five. But why the sensors hadn’t picked it up…

“So are you going to tie me up and strap me to a bed because I don’t meet your standards of what I should be? Trample me until the numbers add up correctly?”

“John, Virgil is trying to help you.” Eos’ voice rang like a bell throughout the station.

John flinched. “So, you’re on his side now?”

“I wasn’t aware Virgil had a side.”

John grunted and glared his brother again. “You’ve infected her with your nagging.”

“We are just concerned about you. You are not yourself.”

His brother closed his eyes and shook his head.

“Thunderbird Five, status?!” Scott’s voice practically screamed a combination of worry and command over comms.

“You told! Dobbed me into big brother so he can nag me, too! Why can’t you all just leave me alone?!” John pushed off from the wall and threw himself towards the exit.

Virgil caught him mid-air.

It was a mistake. John was in his native environment. He flipped and slipped out of Virgil’s grasp. The engineer grabbed at his brother and missed as John used him as a launch point to finally reach the exit.

Before Virgil could regain his equilibrium, John had slammed the airlock shut and sealed him in.

Damnit.

“Eos!”

“Working on it.”

What could be stopping the AI from unsealing an airlock was a growing concern.

Dad glared at him from the ceiling.

“Thunderbird Five, answer me!”

Virgil drew in a breath, thankful for his uniform’s standalone air supply. “There is an atmospheric contaminant present in Five’s life support systems. I’m guessing we have an oxidizer leak from the thruster assembly. John is…not himself. I’m working on it.”

“Do you need Three?” In other words ‘can I come up there and join you before I melt from worry?’

“Give me ten and ask again.” He flicked off comms. “Eos, any luck?”

“I have contained him in his sleeping quarters, but you will need to hurry as he is currently attempting to override my program.” The speaker gave a little squawk and went silent.

“Eos?”

The airlock suddenly hissed open.

Virgil didn’t hesitate. He was through the exit and throwing himself after his brother without a second thought. He grabbed a spare helmet along the way. It was time to end this.

He found John yelling at the ceiling and pulling a control panel out of his shower cubicle. Why he thought that was a productive thing to do, Virgil didn’t know, but since Eos hadn’t said a word since, it was concerning enough.

The airlock to John’s quarters unsealed at his touch and Virgil slipped through, sealing it again behind him.

His brother didn’t look up from what he was doing. “So the brat let you out, did she?”

“John, you need help.”

“What I need is silence. No more nagging from annoying brothers. Didn’t you guys get the hint when I moved up here in the first place? All my life it has been the four of you in my ears, always bugging me. Now I’m in space and I still can’t escape you. Why can’t you leave me alone?!”

Virgil swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. “We care, John.”

“Only enough to satisfy your own concern. Not how I feel having to listen to all your caterwauling.”

He’s not himself. It became a mantra echoing through Virgil’s head, but a little voice asked if it was really the truth.

“I can’t believe that.”

“No, you wouldn’t.” John continued to rip electronics out of the wall of his shower.

“What are you doing?”

“Silencing the dawn.”

“In the shower?”

John finally looked up at him but his smile was eerie. “No better place.”

“Then I’m going to have to stop you.”

His brother snorted. “You can try.”

Virgil didn’t move immediately. Instead, he pulled up a schematic on his HUD and confirmed the wiring behind the shower unit. Most of it was innocuous, but one of the main power distribution relays was nearby and that relay supported the main computer. There was sense in John’s statement, of an extreme kind. Taking out Eos by taking out his Thunderbird.

He had no idea what kind of logic was churning in his little brother’s brain, but he had to stop this. He had to get John’s helmet on his head and his body and brain off the cocktail of whatever was in the air.

Virgil pushed off from the wall and barrelled into him. John saw him coming and leapt ceiling-ward. Virgil anticipated the move and compensated enough to grab his brother around the waist.

Virgil had the brute strength, but John had flexibility. Virgil’s only chance lay in hanging on.

So he did.

And John did not like it.

At all.

“Get off me!”

He struggled, shoving at Virgil’s arms. When that didn’t work, he tried to knee his brother in the gut.

Virgil grit his teeth and in return, wrapped his legs around his slippery space-suited brother and began climbing him inch by inch, to get that damned helmet on his head.

John yelled in his ear. Tried a few moves that Kayo, no doubt, taught him. The bruises were beginning to mount up and yet, Virgil still hung on.

John wasn’t himself.

Not himself.

The proof was in the fact he hadn’t yet really employed the solid and attacker-crippling techniques Virgil knew his brother was fully capable of. Instead, they spun around in a totally uncoordinated tumble hitting walls and furniture until Virgil was able to get enough of a grip on his brother to shove his helmet on his head.

The helmet hung loose as John took the opportunity to jab him in the ribs as a result and for a moment Virgil thought he was going to lose his grip and hence the battle, but he managed an extra push and his brother’s suit engaged, automatically switching to its portable air supply exactly as it was designed to do in an emergency.

Virgil continued to cling to his brother to keep that helmet in place long enough to do its job. It earned him an aching kidney and some creaking ribs, but eventually John stopped struggling and fell quiet. A glance through the plexiglass of his helmet and Virgil found John’s eyes scrunched shut.

“John?” Virgil’s voice was hoarse. His belly had taken a beating, literally. Thank goodness for his baldric and all the equipment that came with it.

“V-Virgil? God, my head.” John groaned, his gloved hand scratching at his helmet.

Virgil let out a breath and drew his brother closer. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.” He brought John’s head down to his shoulder and held him safe in his arms. There was a need to grab the medscanner. He…he would do that in a moment. “Tracy Island, can we take you up on that offer of a pick up?”

“Virgil, launching now. What’s your status?” Scott was all worry and clipped syllables.

“We’re okay.” He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on John’s shoulder. “We’re okay.”

-o-o-o-

[la-principessa-nuova]

when i left my awful last job to go back to my previous job that was better, i decided that it would be best if i continued to boymode there and waited to come out until after i was settled back into working there

Why I Decided to Wait

the main reason for this was that if i was going back to my old team, it’s not like i’m getting a fresh start or anything, so i would have to do the whole coming out thing and deal with people who knew me before getting used to my new name and everything.

so i figured i’d rather deal with that separately from onboarding and getting up to speed on projects and stuff.

i also wanted to wait until i was out to my whole immediate family, because it’s one thing to be like, “sorry dad, i told mom first” and another thing to be like, “sorry dad, you’re literally the last person i know to find out.”

and then there was the potential complication of the hiring process since i’d started off by talking to my old manager about openings in that department rather than going through the company website, so it wasn’t quite as easy as if i just applied with my new name like i was a new candidate who had never worked there before.

Unforeseen Consequences

Then I found out I wasn’t going to be on my old team, but another team in the same department. This took away a lot of, but not all, the benefit of not going the standard application route, as I now had to adapt longer term to a new team rather than quickly slipping back into the flow of things.

It also means that now I have a bunch of people who didn’t or barely knew me, meeting and getting to know me as my deadname and wrong gender. It means doing a bunch of introductions with the wrong name and having to judge how accepting my new team seems.

I also didn’t realize how much more the misgendering would bother me at this job than my last one, and that’s because I was barely in meetings where I was an active participant at my last job, so I mostly worked alone, joined a meeting said nothing beyond “hello”, if even that, and kept to myself. And when I did interact with people I was mostly a solo unit being the only developer, so I was rarely grouped with others, making it a very occasional misgendering situation.

But now it’s “Good morning gentlemen, how are you guys doing today?” And everyone wants to show kindness by using your name all the time, so instead of “Hey, good morning,” it’s, “Good morning, <deadname>”. Plus just being in larger groups it’s way more common to need to say my name to indicate speaking to me or stuff like that.

And with more casual conversation time comes more people doing things like gender essentialism, like in the ice breaker the other day where one of my team members shared her theory about how she thinks men prefer salty snacks and women prefer sweet snacks. I know it’s BS, especially because my mom puts salt on her salt and complains about things being too sweet constantly, and i even kind of realized afterwards that i only thought salty because i was classifying sweet snacks mostly as not really being snacks, but still it just stung to hear the gender essentialism out of nowhere in a work meeting.

And now that I’m back in a position where I have a reputation and fairly high ranking among the developers in the department (not like we get scored or something weird like that, just like only a handful of people are at my level or higher in the department), I now have this additional worry of the effect coming out will have on that very intangible reputation/respect that I’ve built up over my cumulative 5 years here.

Oh yeah, and one final thing: every time I sign onto my computer. I put my fingerprint on the sensor and it shows my full deadname and signs me in. And this hurts so fucking much. Like even though I know it’s just showing the name associated with the account associated with the finger print, it feels like it’s scanning my DNA and determining me to be that guy. After every break. Ugh…

[roboticsappreciationsociety]

by Adam Zewe, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

"Imagine grasping a heavy object, like a pipe wrench, with one hand. You would likely grab the wrench using your entire fingers, not just your fingertips. Sensory receptors in your skin, which run along the entire length of each finger, would send information to your brain about the tool you are grasping."

"In a robotic hand, tactile sensors that use cameras to obtain information about grasped objects are small and flat, so they are often located in the fingertips. These robots, in turn, use only their fingertips to grasp objects, typically with a pinching motion. This limits the manipulation tasks they can perform."

"MIT researchers have developed a camera-based touch sensor that is long, curved, and shaped like a human finger. Their device provides high-resolution tactile sensing over a large area. The sensor, called the GelSight Svelte, uses two mirrors to reflect and refract light so that one camera, located in the base of the sensor, can see along the entire finger's length. The work has been published on the pre-print server arXiv.

In addition, the researchers built the finger-shaped sensor with a flexible backbone. By measuring how the backbone bends when the finger touches an object, they can estimate the force being placed on the sensor.

They used GelSight Svelte sensors to produce a robotic hand that was able to grasp a heavy object like a human would, using the entire sensing area of all three of its fingers. The hand could also perform the same pinch grasps common to traditional robotic grippers."

[thepayloadisgay]

i'm a different anon, but since you want to talk about genji, here's a prompt: what do you think are genji's opinions/relationships on characters other than hanzo? your choice of which characters

Always here to talk about Genji tysm.

Gency, Genyatta, Ramji below the cut.

(sorry they just kinda devolved into small relationship dynamic drabbles sobs. hope u enjoy anyway)

Genji and Mercy

(note: I've written extensively about Gency in the past. I think my opinion on their relationship has changed a bit lately. Or maybe this is just another vein to their dynamic I wanna explore :3)

She was the first thing he saw when he woke up. Eyes ragged. Everything ringing with a halo. Blurred. Missing edges.

He didn't want to see her again for days, but he had to. The manual to his blueprint; fixer to his malfunctions; fucking hand to hold when he couldn't get up off the floor.

A shadow he wanted to cut off. A new normal that was nothing but there.

She was patient, if stern. Kind, if insistent. Beautiful, if weathered, weary.

Genji started to look more one day. A day he couldn't remember it just became. He asked her a question that wasn't about his body, what happened, what's going to happen. It was about her. She'd stopped what she was doing and struggled to answer.

The next time he noticed, she stood closer. Her laugh making him swallow. She wore glasses when she forgot her contacts. They made her eyes smaller. Hoops in her ears. Matching necklace, bracelet. Stupid jokes that made no sense. Interests that bored him. Stories that made him listen. A voice that lulled him. She smelled of coffee. Sometimes when it was late, cigarettes. Her hair, rose.

Genji hated roses. But he wanted her.

"Let's test your sensors," she'd said, holding his hand palm up, pen poised.

Before she'd pressed, pen clattered to floor, discarded. Genji touched palm to the base of her throat, fingers spreading over clavicle, knowing beneath it was more than just bone.

"Genji-" A whisper. Reprimand.

He'd looked up, curious, his thumb the shape of her throat. Her eyes, closed.

She ran colder than he'd expected. An effect of her nanbots as she played god within, without. Whatever it was, he felt a shiver for the first time since waking up something else. And he wanted to feel more.

More.

"I can feel a pen."

Angela ran a finger along his hairline, along the stairway of scars.

"I want to feel you." Closer, that the words had stuck to Angela's lips, never let go. "-you-"

"Just tonight." She'd said. She'd lied.

And lied again.

----------

Genji and Zenyatta

"I haven't seen you all morning."

Genji draws the whetstone along his blade, again. A mirror. Sharp enough to slice a breath. Too long since it had cut anything. But he still saw blood smeared at its edges, caught at the tip, smudged in what was left of his prints.

Sometimes.

For a while it had been clean. A reflection of his mind, growing soul.

"Couldn't sleep."

Zenyatta lowers from his hover, taking a seat on knees beside Genji, palms to knees.

"Your eyes do look, heavy."

"I know you're kindly saying I look like shit."

Zenyatta turns his head. "Hmm."

Scratch of the whetstone.

Hum of Zenyatta's orbs. Two, hover Genji, and he barely notices. just a normal comfort now that gravitate towards his melancholy. Scorching away the weight so it's easier to walk, stand, or simply, breathe.

"Some of us have learned a mimic of your sleep, here," begins Zenyatta, the sound of Genji's whetstone rhythm, rhyme, "a sort of deep meditation. Even a dream."

Geni glances to the side, only his eyes visible this morning, his faceplate security. Comfort.

"What do you dream of, master?"

Genji knows there's a smile. "Oh, that would be telling."

Genji keeps drawing his whetstone, but the motion's slow. His shoulders sag. Eyes, dull. A slow sigh and he uncrosses legs, stretching them across the ground, wiggling sore ankles, unmoved for hours.

"Sleep, Genji."

"What?"

The orbs around Genji circle once. Settle above, humming something Genji feels is warmth, want.

And soon, he's closer beside Zenyatta, head lolled against shoulder. The metal, edges, softened by the shawl draped, as if expectant. As if this has already happened before.

"Maybe we'll both dream, again. And compare...notes."

"Maybe." Is the last thing Genji says, a weight against Zenyatta, a hand on his master's thigh.

----------

Genji and Ramattra

"Why do you care so much about what they think?"

Ramattra. Cross legged, at ease as an emperor throned, dancing one of Genji's shurikens between his fingers.

Genji secures his faceplate, headplate, running a finger along a nick in one the ears, ignoring Ramattra.

"I mean," flicks the shuriken again. Genji almost snaps it out of his hand, "you are hideous. But humans -never mind their opinions- matter nothing."

"Why are you talking to one, then?"

"Are you one?" Flick.

Arm half in hoodie, he stops. Stares at one of the cracked mirrors he'd bought from the villages below after much encouragement from Zenyatta. There's no eyes that look back. Face, obscured. Hair, beneath. There are limbs, four. But humans aren't the only bipeds around here. He breathes, though. Eats. Drinks. Dreams (they do too, they say). Fucks (you're not alone in that, boy).

He could be human in that mirror.

He could not.

Genji pulls the rest of his hoodie on, cats with swords and lasers. There's holes in the wrists he's made for his thumbs. It's stretched from when someone else tried it on.

"You want me thrown off Shambali because I'm human," he snaps his head to Ramattra, "yet you question if I really am one."

"You say your heart beats," another flick of the shuriken, but this time towards Genji who catches it between two fingers, "but it wouldn't without all that metal, wires and wonder that makes me."

The shuriken sinks into the wood beside Ramattra's head, but not before it nicks a line of his face, a scratch through the purple.

Just, enough.

"I bleed, you don't."

Ramattra laughs. It's music. "And where exactly do you still bleed?"

It's a question that needs no answer. It's a taunt that wants one.

He doesn't know when Genji got here, foot to Ramattra's knee, and he leans forward, picking the shuriken from beside his head with a ting.

"You want to find out?"

Ramattra wonders how hard he can stretch that throat before it snaps; those thighs before they pop; how much he really does need left, to breathe, to bleed, be-

[thelittleghoul]

Hi there. It's always nice to see more people in the agere tag. I wanted to ask if you would be able to write a story with 2007 tmnt Raph and Mikey. Raph comes back from patrol and is very injured so Mikey tries to patch him up and Raph ends up regressing. Please and thank you

Hi!! So I don’t know how to write for 2007 I haven’t watched the movie BUT!!! I can make it non specific to a certain tmnt show/movie!! Love the idea btw 🩷🩷

Mikey helping an age regressed Raph

Notes: non specific tmnt version, age regression, oneshot, Mikey and Raph only, no x reader, fluff, tiny bit of angst at the start

CW: Injury, medical supplies, slight cussing

Rain was crashing down in New York City, the sun had already fallen and danger was sure to arise in the late hours. Mikey had chosen to stay in the layer for the night since there was no alerts of any serious danger (yet) and the other three brothers were confident in there abilities to take on this nights patrol without him. Mikey was sat reading comic books in the main living area when Donnie’s sensor went off that someone was entering the layer, Mikey sat up thinking he’d see his brothers walking back in soaking wet from the cold rain but to his surprise and dismay, he saw a a limping and cut up Raphael.

“Woah dude what happened to you out there?!” Mikey said rushing to get Raph off his feet on onto the couch. “Ambushed by the foot clan. We were stopping a robbery and they came out of nowhere, guess we were too loud beating up those morons huh?.” Raph said slightly chuckling at his joke but quickly wincing in pain instead. “Yea I bet you guys were bad ass.”

Mikey was Donnie’s second in command for medical in the family although he can be dense, he has a big heart for his brothers which is a important factor for taking care of people even if it’s just physically and Donnie knows that. With wanting to care for his brothers (and having Donnie’s printed manual) he was actually a pretty good nurse in the family. While Raph sunk into the couch for comfort, Mikey brought over the first aid kit pulling up a chair to start his work.

“Leo and Donnie are-“ “There fine. I was tying up one of the robbers outside while Leo and Donnie were in the building, the foot clan came out from one of the alleyways and jumped me.” Mikey took out the rubbing alcohol and cotton balls his thoughts clumped up with worry and melancholy. “Don’t panic dude I can work miracles, call me doctor do it right.” Raph rolled his eyes “How about I call you doctor dumbass?” “Not cool man.”

“Good news you’re not gonna die.” Mikey said in a chirpy voice. A short time passed of cleaning and patching wounds which helped Mikey’s distressing thoughts settle down. He locked up the first aid kit getting ready to put it back into its rightful place untill he heard Raph softly say.

“…tank you”

Mikey looked back at Raph questioning his word choice to see the man in red playing with the ends of his bandana. “Finally I get a little apprecia- OHHHHH.” Mikey quickly stored the first aid kit and grabbed a blanket for Raphs bed. He also snatched one of his fidget toys from his bedroom drawer. He headed to the tiny Raph laying the blanket ontop of him and placing the soft toy into his hands. His eyes lit up as he brushed his fingers on the soothing texture and babbled in glee. Mikey moved the chair closer to him grabbing one of his comic books that was lying on the ground. “Want a bed time story little dude?” “…mhmm.” Raph muffled tucking himself into the covers. “One Spider Man comic coming right up tiny bro!” Mikey started flipping to the first page but before he could start reading Raph stook his hand out to stop him.

“You a good bwother.”

“You too little guy,” he smiled and began to read the first page.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

This soft robotic gripper is not only 3D printed in one print, it also doesn't need any electronics to work. The device was developed by a team of roboticists at the University of California San Diego, in collaboration with researchers at the BASF corporation, who detailed their work in a recent issue of Science Robotics. The researchers wanted to design a soft gripper that would be ready to use right as it comes off the 3D printer, equipped with built in gravity and touch sensors. As a result, the gripper can pick up, hold, and release objects. No such gripper existed before this work. "We designed functions so that a series of valves would allow the gripper to both grip on contact and release at the right time," said Yichen Zhai, a postdoctoral researcher in the Bioinspired Robotics and Design Lab at the University of California San Diego and the leading author of the paper, which was published in the June 21 issue of Science Robotics. "It's the first time such a gripper can both grip and release. All you have to do is turn the gripper horizontally. This triggers a change in the airflow in the valves, making the two fingers of the gripper release."

Read more.

[whatgaviiformes]

Fic: G-forces

Another prompt fill! For @drileyf​ who asked for:

Thanks to @onereyofstarlight​ for the extra science help because I am not smart enough to write John. :D it’s all still my fault though

Post SkyHook - season 1, episode 11  Characters: John Tracy, Gordon Tracy Genre: Angst, Episode filler Words: 1.3K

John can still taste the metallic on his tongue. While his suit had taken the brunt of the G-forces in effort to keep his blood flow stable, it was designed with the flight from Thunderbird Three and the ascent via the space elevator in mind, plus a few extra safety features because it was designed by Brains. What it was not designed for was 25Gs of nauseating, tunnel-visioning, muscle-straining centrifugal force pressing on his all too human body. And helmetless as Scott on his first rescue, John had gotten a bloody nose from it.

He’s fine though. His ears stopped bleeding ages ago.

His heart hurts. It’s a pain that radiates out from his chest, and, yeah, he remembers clinically that it was normal for his heart to compensate to get the blood flowing efficiently through his body when under immense strain like that. Strain that, for the record, is far from normal. But there’s something different all together in the remnants of the hummingbird flutter under his skin – like its moving so fast he can’t even feel it past the intense ache that expands across his breast.

If he were a different man, he might believe that his heart had beat itself into oblivion and he was in some sort of demented version of what Hell might be – then again if it were Hell, maybe demented was par for the course. But no, he is a logical sort, and facts show his heart is still there somewhere past the pain. The monitor is telling him so. Plus he’s been through training enough – not for 25Gs - to know what residual heart stress feels like.

He's fine, though. Granted, there’s a fog over his brain, and his hands are cold – but these are all temporary things.

He wasn’t in danger. Much.

He’s ready to go home.

John’s fine with hospitals when he’s on the other end of a comm line telling them to expect rescuees inbound, less so when he’s the one needing care. The coffee is terrible - not that they’d give him any – and he hates the sludge of his brainwaves. He respects the people, those who are just as familiar with lack of sleep as his family of IR operatives, and with a similar vein of an immense desire to save others. Make a difference in the world.

His breath hitches when he thinks about, a laugh that quickly turns to a grimace. Veins. His feel like they’re pumping lead.

And there’s nothing to really look at in a hospital. The walls are too white for him, the smell too clean. He misses the rainbow of Five, because his home is not as colorless as one might think. She not just silver against the black of the void; even Virgil couldn’t argue the orange and green lines built into her glass panes, the array of holoscreens that held his charts and sensors and communications, the subtle shift of light in the stars he studied easier up  above the atmosphere. And that’s without considering the massive planet outside his window, giant, bright. Blue so deep he could drown in it without ever touching water, and firm rock and earth freckled with a network of electricity that triggered the sparking of his own synapses. There were times John would look out from his home, at his home, and feel like he could hold all that was precious in his palm, align the overlap of her tectonic plates with his hands and hold her together where fault-lines met lifelines.

Fingers as frozen as they are, he glances down at his hands when they twitch, past the IV in his arm, past the band around his bony wrist and the print of his name and blood type, and there a familiar set of fingers curl into his hospital blankets, not touching his own, but close and barely out of reach with something holding them back from closing the last of the distance.

Probably respect for John, which means a lot because the hand belongs to his most tactile of siblings and he can feel the restraint radiating from the clenched knuckles. John blinks, and Gordon’s watching him, his eyes bright, but his expression knowing as he takes in his face and realizes John’s finally caught up with the fact he’s there.

“Where were you?” his aquanaut brother asks, the corner of smile quirking upward knowingly.

“Holding tectonic plates together.”  John’s surprised by how lethargic his own voice sounds when he speaks, and maybe if he weren’t being medically drugged to all hell first, it would be poetic. He likes words, and also math, and poetry is really just mathematic words, so maybe he went into the wrong field. Fields, with an s.

“Maybe try to hold yourself together first, yeah?”

“FAB.” It’s instinct to respond with their code, though, John’s usually the one giving the suggestions and his brothers are the ones confirming said suggestions. “Why are you here?”

“My brother’s in the hospital,” Gordon answers dully. “I’m not sure where you expected me to be.”

It’s a valid question. John’s not sure the question came out right based on the way Gordon won’t meet his eyes. He just keeps looking down at his hands, still out of touching distance. And that’s the thing, isn’t it? Gordon’s not looking at John, but he’s not looking at anything else either while describing the different rescues Alan and Scott and Virgil are all out performing. They can’t be there, so Gordon is. 

And Gordon doesn’t do hospitals. But he’s here.

From G-forces to a different type of G-force – Gordon force. It comes with a side of sunlight and sarcasm usually. But he doesn’t look so happy at the moment.

“John.” Gordon’s knuckles are turning whiter than John’s sheets, and he looks uneasy as the name tumbles out.  “What were you thinking?”

“Hmm?

“Do you know how far a human can freedive? No? It’s only sixty feet. Past that and you want to start wearing gear to handle the pressure below the water. I know they’re different, but Five spun and you hit twenty-five Gs. That’s more than four-thousand pounds of weight, John. It’s like if I went freediving ten-thousand feet below sea level. Do you know what that would’ve done to me?”  

He knows. John’s trying not to think about it, but apparently the haze in his mind is making it impossible to push down the image of his younger brother’s body contorting under that kind of immense pressure and becoming crushed with the air violently pulled out of him.

“I can’t do the math that quickly,” he says quietly. “But you can.” Gordon’s ears turn red, and his smile turns flat, as he glares at John through a thick layer of hurt in his brown eyes. “You knew,” he accuses. “You knew all along and you continued to let it happen anyway.”

“It was a calculated risk,” John admits slowly.

“That’s the wrong answer.”

“What would you have had me do? Let them fall?” 

“Not throw your life away, that’s for sure! Again, for the record,” Gordon growls. “Did you think about moving Five, or asking Eos to slow down the rotation, or maybe putting your helmet on first, ‘Scott’?”

None of those are bad ideas, and the truth is he’d been trying to get to his helmet, except…

“Everything just happened so fast.”

“I know that.” Gordon sighs deeply, visibly recenters himself with a shake of his head and tries again. “I know. But, John, this is the second time in a manner of weeks. I’m concerned about you.”

“Gordon,” he reaches for his hand and grasps it tight. Gordon’s hold is stiff with anger and surprise at first, but slowly his fingers relax, trembling, while John urges him to understand. “I’m not trying to put myself into harm’s way. If that’s what you mean. I’m sorry I scared you.”

“Just…” He squeezes his eyes shut. “I don’t like seeing you here.”

“I don’t really like being here to be honest.”

Gordon shakes his head and smiles softly at him. “At least we can agree on that.”

[freetheshit-outofyou]

First, I applaud their efforts to stop senseless violence, even if I personally think it is as much wasted air as thoughts and prayers. The "Lightguard system" is a non-starter, it will make things much less safe than the actual confrontation itself. Here is their "proof of concept" clip.

First, we're in 2023 not 2003 lets make this a little more presentable and less like a high school digital project.

I'm speaking as someone who spent a career as an LEO and in the military, when I make these observations I'm not just shooting from the hip as it were. This clip shows the offender dropping their gun and running away blind, and the clerk looking back at your system lovingly, two problems. 1. Your clerk would also be blinded, thus rendered defenseless to anything that follows on. Light of this magnitude is all encompassing, it will bounce off every surface and it will blind in all directions except for maybe directly behind it. The light will not care if the person is looking at it or away from it. Everyone recovers from this kind of event exposure differently, the criminal may recover before the clerk. 2. The very last thing you want to do when someone is pointing a gun at you is to shock them or surprise them. There is a greater than average chance that the activation of your system will scare the criminal causing them to shoot reflexively. Now you have a clerk who had a criminal pointing a gun at them shooting blindly. As I said, good in concept, but practical application may need a little more attention. Also see strobing firearms lights, strobing crowd control and Laser dazzlers systems. As for "Smart guns", where to start? One of the two companies mentioned LodeStar, admits the fingerprint sensor may not be the most effective means to unlock the firearm for use, think your phones finger print reader and how often it fails. So they added a PIN pad AND a near-field communication signal to increase the probability that their concept would work. They had to put a finger print reader, an electronic signal receiver and a freaking PIN pad in the weapon. That tells me two things, the tech is so bad that they had to put multiple systems together to TRY to ensure the firearm would work most of the time and if you are putting your life on the line hoping all of those gadgets work when you need them too you are already dead. LodeStar says their firearm's will start at about 895.00 or about 355.00+/- more than your standard Glock 19 Gen 5. Every time I type LodeStar I hear... "Not so fast Lonestar!" from Spaceballs (1987), I digress. The other company, SmartGunz, is marketing towards Law Enforcement with a side market to everyone else. Their concept requires an RFID chip to make the firearm work, Oh, but there's more. Their concept only works on a 1911 style firearm, it will only work if the user depresses the grip safety WHILE ALSO WEARING A FREAKING RFID GLOVE to activate it. I don't know about all y'all but I don't often walk around or sleep with a glove on like I'm Michael Jackson.

Sorry Mike, I still love your music. On 8 July 2021 the firearms were projected to cost 2,695.00 for LEO's and an astounding 2,995.00 for all the rest of us peasants. I say "US" because I am no longer an LEO and can't get their gracious discount. On 12 July of that same year Tom Holland, president of Free State Firearms, LLC announced that the cost for pre-orders would be 1,795.00 for LEO's and the low price of 1,995.00 for everyone else. As far as 1911's go that is the cost of a Colt Gold Cup Trophy or a Dan Wesson Valor 1911 without all that tech to get in the way of you saving your own life. It's also the cost of 3 Glock 19 Gen 5's or or 3 Palmetto State Armory "PA-15 16"NITRIDE M4 CARBINE" 5.56mm riles. With all that said, these technologies are not in place to make the end user safer, they do nothing to address violent crime, it only lays the burden on the person who at their point of most need, when their mind is in survival mode, it adds roadblocks to their chances of survival. SIDE NOTE: A German company named Armatix came out with a smart gun in 2014, soon after people figured out that with magnets on the sides of the firearm it would bypass the guns radio signals and allow anyone to use it, it was pulled from the market there soon after.