#I got it all yesterday- after A YEAR without logging. I GOT ALL OF THIS LOL-

[goldkirk]

.

[happiiest]

😛

[moonshoon]

Miss Me Much?

MASTERLIST

paring: sunoo x reader genre: smut, a little bit of fluff word count: 2.7k

summary: reader is in a relationship with music major!sunoo, but they live appart for the time being. their long distance relationship is going well, and sunoo comes to town around christmas break to surprise reader. things get a little heated in reader’s dorm room

warnings: dom!sunoo, smut, degrading, smoking, fingering, cunnilingus, penetration, harsh language, mention of test stress, long distance relationship, mentions of death (no main characters)

shortenings: y/n > your name f/n > friend’s name

!WARNING! contains +18, MDNI

„i miss you so much, sun...", i mumbled out against my pillow. my head was buried into the fluffy fabric, voice muffled as i was still on the call with sunoo. since he had to move away for his dream music college i was left alone in this town here, with no one to talk to. naturally, i am happy he is living his dream right now, but I still miss him so much right now. especially since we haven't seen each other in almost half a year.

"don't worry baby. only two more weeks and then the christmas break will start and i'll be back for some time." i heard his voice through the speakers of my phone. "i already can't wait to have you back in my arms and hold you forever." this made me smile. so many people told us that our relationship wouldn't work out because we would be long distance, but no. i feel like as soon as i will be united with sunoo again, i will be even happier than i have ever been in my life.

the more we talked, the more i got excited about his coming back, i couldn't wait to see my boyfriend again after such a log time apart. "i hope these two weeks pass quickly so i can see you again soon... i feel so lonely without you here next to me in my bed" i told him. "it's okay, love. as soon as I will be there, i will spend all my time with you in your bed so you don't feel so lonely anymore." i giggled in excitement, pressing my head further into the soft, fluffy pillow.

"i'm sorry, babe. i'll have to go now, jay called me because we have soccer practice in twenty minutes. i will call you again as soon as possible! i love you." he promised as we said our goodbyes and then he hung up. now i was kind of lonely again.

i put away my phone and went back to my studies. for one because i had a few tests next week, and because i had to distract myself from thinking about Sun or else i would end up just missing him even more than i already am.

next thing i knew was, i woke up with my head on my desk and by back hurting more than a 98 year old's. hm... i probably fell asleep while studying yesterday. the physics book opened on page 204 that was laying right next to me on the desk proved my suspicion.

when i took a look at my phone and saw the time, i quickly sprang up from my stool, trying to get myself ready as fast as possible, because class was about to start in a few minutes. i quickly rushed to the bathroom, brushing my teeth, washing my face and applying a little bit of make-up before hurrying back to my closet to grab the first skirt and shirt i could find.

as i was running in the hallway, i saw some people from my class, which made me relax a bit, but i still didn't slow down because i didn't want to be late no matter if some others are.

when i quickly jogged up to my seat at the back of the class, i saw the seat next to me was empty. strange. f/n should have been here already, she's never late. and when the professor then walked in, and she still wasn't here, i worried she was sick. probably she was, but how dare she leave me alone?

The classes were honestly so boring without her, and i don't even know how i survived psychology class (i hate that fucking teacher). But I'm glad i did survive so i can make my way to my dorm room now. i put on my headphones, playing one of my favorite songs and walked on to the dorms.

when i arrived at the dorm building, i saw a man standing there, leaning right against the entrance. his hood was pulled up and a cigarette in his hands, rings adorning his fingers. reminds me of sun, but that can't be him. don’t tell me i’m starting to hallucinate because i miss him so much... i thought to myself while i walked closer, headphones still playing music.

when i made my way past person, they lifted their head to look at me. and when i saw the face, i almost freaked out and started screaming. my cheeks rose, as i smiled brightly at the person standing in front of me.

"miss me?", he said, voice smoother and deeper than i remembered, cigarette in between his lips. "why are you already here? didn't you say you'll be here when christmas break starts? that's like in two weeks..." i said, still shocked about my boyfriend standing in front of my dorm out of nowhere. "classes got cancelled for some time, because one of the staff members died unfortunately. but I'm happy i can see you again, babe." sunoo explained, wrapping his hands around me to pull me into a tight hug, almost squishing me to death. i gladly wrapped my arms around him too, responding with the same feelings as him as the smell of the smoke enveloped both of us.

"i missed you so, so much, sun..." And before i could stop it, sobs made their way out of my mouth, and some tears started streaming down my face. "don't cry. i'm here now, hm?" his hands were rubbing my back, calming me down a little bit. he swiftly pulled out my phone out of the back pocket of my pants before holding it onto the sensor at the entrance door, my access card being in the back of the phone case.

the little light on the sensor turned green and he opened the door before throwing his cigarette onto the ground, lifting me up and carrying me into the building.

"let's rest a bit and watch a movie, what do you think?" "But i have a lot of tests to study for..." "i don't care right now, you deserve some rest and i will stay here and make sure you will get your deserved hours of rest." i just nodded my head, not able to protest because I do really need some rest right now.

we chose to watch a movie none of us had seen, so i don't remember the name exactly, but it was a great movie. well, it was as long as i got to see it.

„you know what i really missed a lot when we were not together?" sun asked me, looking me straight in the eyes. i quickly shook my head to tell him I didn't know. „your pretty fucking lips..."

as soon as those words left his mouth, he smashed his lips onto mine, pulling me directly onto his lap with his beautiful hands. they were placed on my ass as i wrapped my arms sound his shoulders to glide my nails along his clothed back.

he didn't hesitate one second to swipe his tongue along my bottom lip, to ask for entrance. and as soon as he got it, he dominated my tongue with his. our saliva mixed together, his hands on my ass, my hands all over his back and hair. i must say, i really missed that feeling too.

„please, sun~" i whined out lightly grinding up against him, looking for some friction. „be my good girl and stay still for me now, ok?" he mumbled and continued kissing me slowly, also making his way down my neck, placing his soft lips on my sensitive spots. i let out little moans and whimpers at the feeling of him sucking on my skin to mark me as his. the thought of walking around with his marks really did turn me on a lot.

his kisses continued over to my collarbones, also leaving some hickeys there too, before they went lower. i could feel his lips at the top of my breasts, caressing my skin lightly. my hands settled themselves in his black locks, tugging at his hair and massaging his scalp from time to time. the v-neck shirt i wore - for which i also almost got dresscoded today - proves to be very practical right now.

“please, sun, do something~" i whined out, begging for him to do more. his lips slowly left my skin, a worried look on his face. „are you sure you're ready, babe? we’ve never done this before" so sweet of him to be concerned about me... his hands we're still holding me against him tightly, not letting lose for a second. „yes, i'm very sure, baby. you can continue..." my voice was shaky. this would be the first time we do more than just making out and leaving hickeys on each other.

„oh god, you're so sexy." he mumbled out before putting his hands onto the hem of my top, and looking at me again. i nodded my head to give him permission, and in no time my top was gone, thrown somewhere into my room. now i was sitting there on top of my boyfriend, just in my bra, his lips on my body again. i could feel his hands travelling up my back, brushing over the clip of my bra.

he hooked two of his fingers behind it and swiftly opened it. „are you sure?" He asked, voice still laced with concern. „if you're not going to hurry up you can completely forget it." i mumbled before pulling him up to capture his lips with mine passionately before puling my bra off completely.

and before i knew it, he already dove down to take one of my breasts and decorate it with more of the beautiful marks. he just hugged me closer and closer as he worked on my chest, switching from one to the other, so both have the same amount of attention.

as i let out a breathy moan, he turned us around and now i was under him. his gaze was focused on my expressions, checking if i was still comfortable. When i stretched my hands out and pulled up his shirt, he immediately tossed it off too, bare, lightly toned torso on display for me. i reached out with my hands and brushed over his skin, making him breathe out shakily.

“please sun, touch me more..." i said as i made circles with my fingertips all over his abdomen. slowly, his hesitation got less and less, and soon he was laying in between my legs, leaving kisses as he lifted up my skirt to get a good view of my panties. „so cute..." his fingers hooked under the fabric, slowly pulling it down to get a good view. „wet for me already i see, doll?" i just let out a little whine in embarrassment when he called me doll, i can't handle all the attention sometimes.

he didn't wait long before brushing his fingers over my folds, careful not to hurt me. over time, he got more confident and inserted two of his long, slender fingers. rings still on them. i could feel the cold metal against my throbbing core, pushing against the amazing sensation. he started curling his fingers inside of me, making me whine even higher. „oh- god please, sun"

his lips latched onto my bud, playing with the sensitive nerves there and making me squirm even harder than before. my stomach tightened as i felt my orgasm approaching slowly, my grip tightening on sun's hair. „don't stop, don't stop, oh-„ my voice got higher pitched, and my thighs started shaking. i tried to close my legs around his head but he held them open with a firm grip, biting on my clit lightly. with that, i couldn't hold back any longer and came right onto his tongue. he didn't stop licking until i was clean, drinking up my juces.

„that was delicious." he sighed, licking his lips. i slowly got up and pushed him down onto the bed, still trembling a little from the orgasm. my hands went to the top of his pants, tugging at the belt lightly. i fumbled around with the belt, trying to get it open. after a few second it opened and i pulled the zipper down, before trying to tug his pants down too. he lifted his hips a little to help me, and pulled off the pants to toss them off the bed.

my eyes wandered to his boxers, a wet patch at the front where you could see a big bulge. impressive. i also pulled down his boxers with a little help and started stroking him slowly. he let out low, breathy groans, bucking up his hips into my hand from time to time. „god, doll, i love you so much, but stop please. i don't want to cum into your hand right now." my face flushed red at his words, but i stopped, putting my hand on his thigh.

not even a second later he turned us around again and was hovering over me, gaze fixated on my body. "beautiful..." he mumbled, stretching his arm out to get a condom and lube from a drawer of my nightstand. he opened the condom package and rolled it on. the bottle cap popped open, he squeezed out some lube onto his hand, before rubbing himself with it. "i don't want to hurt you, y/n" he was worried, voice all serious now. “don't worry, sun, you won't. i'm sure." he slowly nodded before teasing me by sliding his tip against my folds. i whined lightly, pushing myself towards him to show him that i want it.

after a few seconds of just rubbing against me, he finally started pushing in. at first, it stung a little bit, but soon it turned into a pleasurable burn. "faster, please..." i breathed out, reaching with my hands to pull him down to me by his shoulders. my nails were scratching his back, his hands on my hips to hold me in place.

"so beautiful, doll. want to devour you right now." he groaned out as he sped up his thrusts. "oh- yes, please!" i shrieked as he hit my sweet spot, dragging my nails down his back harder, so there would be marks the next morning for sure. i had to guarantee that i had marked him good enough too...

"will you come for me, doll? cream all over my dick?" he whispered into my ear. i whimpered at his words. who knew I had a weak spot for dirty talk... i nodded my head quickly, trying to communicate to him that i liked it. "words, doll. i need words" he said and slapped my thigh harshly, his voice sounded like pure venom. "yes, yes." my voice was shaky, almost a whisper from all the stimulation i was receiving.

his hand made it's way down to my bud, rubbing over it in fast circles. i let out a loud moan at his action, never having felt this good in my entire life. "gonna, gonna-" i interrupted myself as i moaned out loudly against his shoulder, the knot in my stomach snapping. my eyes rolled back as i came on him, clenching down. his thrusts also started getting sloppier, he was close too.

"such a good girl for me, doll. i love your pussy so much" he breathed out as he thrusted into me harshly one last time, before he came into the condom. both of us were panting heavily, still trying to calm down from the intense session we just had.

when he slowly pulled out, i let out a whimper at the emptiness. sunoo stood up and discarded the used condom, before laying back down with me and pulling me close.

"how was it?" he asked sweetly. "amazing. i love you so much and i am so glad i could experience this with you, babe." "i love you more, and i would not mind if we would go for a second round right now, and i'll make you scream..." he whispered the last part into my ear while i could already hear his smirk forming.

[fortooate]

One Star

by Margaret Killjoy

I was just trying to get to Cambridge from downtown Boston, go see my friend. Should have taken twenty minutes with traffic. I didn't want to take the T, not with the kinds of chemical sniffers they'd been setting up at the entry. I didn't know if they could smell graff supplies.

So I downloaded that new app, registered it to a pre-paid Visa, and called for a Taxy.

The summer sun cut through the heavy, humid air. People around me were yelling, because that's what people do in the city, they yell.

The Taxy rolled up to the curb, matte black. It looked liked it wanted to disappear into the night, even in the day. What hacker doesn't want to roll in a matte black self-driving car?

I got into the passenger seat. There wasn't a driver seat. I pulled on the safety harness, two shoulder belts that clipped together right in front of my navel. The AC was blasting, and I held my hands up to the vent to let the cold air blow the sweat right off me.

"Hello, Nic," it said. Like, out of the dashboard, but over on the driver side. As if there were a driver.

"Hey," I said.

It cut out from the curb and back into traffic, deferring to human-driven cars but damned aggressive amongst the rest of the automated vehicles. It stopped for people at crosswalks and corners. Just yesterday, Jae had told me that self-driving cars just equated cell phones with people, in order to navigate through dense crowds. Jae was always going on like that; she cared more about the insides of machines than people. I liked hanging out with her anyway. Introverts are great: you can spend the night without them trying to sleep with you.

After two turns, the Taxy already looked like it it was heading the wrong direction.

"This isn't the way I usually take," I said. "You redirecting to avoid traffic or something?"

"I regret to inform you that your destination has been marked as a location of potential interest to the police."

I went for the safety harness release. It wouldn't let go.

"The fuck you talking about?"

"This police district requests all principal transportation providers to log passenger information of those traveling to and from specific locations. While customer privacy is of the utmost importance to us, we at Taxy are both required and proud to uphold our legal responsibilities."

"So why you driving the wrong way?"

"Unfortunately, the information provided in your account with Taxy does not match any existing police records. A request has been made to transport you to the station so they may identify you before we may proceed to your destination. Your account will not be charged for the additional time and distance. This matter is not criminal, and you are not facing charges or fines."

"Unlock my seatbelt." I'd be facing charges and fines soon enough if the cops took a look into my purse. Unregistered phone, paint pens. I ripped at the straps, but of course they were designed to hold up to a lot more force than I could manage with just my hands.

"Taxy would like to apologize for any inconvenience or delay."

"Aww hell no," I said. I got out my multitool, flipped open the knife, and started into one of the shoulder belts up where it connected to the seat beside my head. It was hard going—the webbing was reinforced with steel mesh. I had to switch over to the pliers, go at it strand by strand.

"All Taxy vehicles have been certified to the highest standard of customer safety. Our patented safety harnesses meet or exceed gold standard."

"Don't give me that shit. I know the difference between tensile strength and shear strength, you autobot-fucker." You could make a strap hard to snap without making it hard to cut.

We'd made it into the robot-only lane and the car was picking up speed. I didn't have long before I was going to be looking at a year for graffiti paraphernalia, and I wouldn't put it past them to slap on intent to vandalize.

"In my communications with the officers, I've realized you managed to fill out your Taxy registration without indicating a gender. What pronoun would you prefer I use to refer to you?"

"Are you kidding me, HAL? You want to know my pronoun preference?"

"We here at Taxy strive to provide the best possible experience for all of our customers regardless of their respective gender identities."

"I don't even have a fucking gender!"

"Your preference for the pronoun 'they' has been registered."

I cut through the last wire on one strap of my harness and started to weasel my way out.

"I regret to inform you that you will be held financially liable for any damage you cause to Taxy property. Your actions will be reviewed, and if they are deemed malicious, they will be treated as criminal."

I was free from the harness. Leaned back in my seat, started kicking at the glass. Didn't do any good. I pulled my tanktop off and wrapped it around my hand. I pummeled at the glass with my closed pliers. But the glass was tempered, likely meant to take bullets.

Taxy was the safest vehicle in the world.

I opened the glove box. Empty but for some courtesy mints. Searched the back seat. Nothing else in the damn car.

Alright. It was a technical problem. I just needed to solve it, or I'd spend six months in some privatized prison that wouldn't be quite so accommodating of gender differences as Taxy. Hell, I'd miss my sister's graduation just waiting for trial.

It was fine. I'd figure it out. Just had to keep my breath under control, keep panic at bay.

I went through my phone, found Jae. Covered the screen of the phone from any camera in the ceiling, then opened up a secure text app.

"your damn house is tagged"

I saw those three dots right away. She was already typing back. That girl lived on her phone, I swear.

"what do you mean, tagged?"

"taxy is taking me to the cops because i told it to take me to your place"

My phone started ringing, right off. I answered.

"Why in the fucking name of christ's personal hell did you tell a robot car to take you to my place?"

Usually, I liked Jae's voice. Kind of gravelly and charming. Wasn't charming just then.

"Why the fuck wouldn't I?"

"Because sometimes people like us break the law," Jae said.

"Help me get out of here."

"Just roll with it and keep your mouth shut. We'll get you a lawyer."

"Fuck that, Jae. Send a drone or something, usual access code. I'll figure it out."

She took a deep breath in. She didn't like my plan, didn't like me dragging her into it, either.

"Where are you?"

"I'm on Soldier's Field Road. I think it's taking me to the robot-only bridge."

But I wasn't sure if Jae heard that, because my service cut out.

"Fuck!" I started hitting the dash with my fists. "Fuck fuck fuck!"

"I regret to inform you that, upon review, your destructive actions have been deemed potentially criminal. Owing to arrest protocol, outside communications have been disabled."

A deployable Faraday cage, woven into the frame of the vehicle's cabin. Blocked cell signals. Luxury cars advertised it as a family road trip feature, presumably for families that hated their kids.

Boston was rushing by way too fast. On the Charles, Harvard guys were rowing their row-team yuppie canoes.

Any plan I could come up with, if I got caught, I'd be looking at a real bid. If I went to prison for stealing or destroying a Taxy, I'd spend at least the rest of my twenties packaging chain store coffee for forty cents an hour.

Jae was right. She was usually right. Better just roll with it. I let my breathing get deeper. Tried to relax, tried to give up.

"If you find our service useful, please consider rating us five stars on the App Store."

Fuck this Taxy. I was getting out. Double or nothing. I started tapping out a program on my phone.

"Hey car," I said, still writing.

"Yes Nic?"

"You got a name?"

"My name is Taxy."

"What about your pronoun?"

"I prefer when others refer to me as 'it.'"

"How do you communicate when the Faraday cage is deployed? Is your brain outside of it?"

"I will not answer that question."

I guess you can't play the same kinds of get-them-talking tricks on cars you can play on people. "Is your brain in the trunk or the hood?" I asked.

"I will not answer that question."

"Are you intelligent?"

"While I am capable of adding rudimentary instructions to my own programming, I am not what could be considered a true artificial intelligence."

"How do you make ethical decisions, then?"

"I do not understand."

"You're a death machine, right? You hit some dude when you're going sixty, and he's just walking his dog or some shit, then he's dead and his dog, you just killed his dog too. But if you try and stop too fast, you might roll and kill your passenger. You swerve, same issue. It's that train problem. Ethics."

"The trolley problem."

"Yeah, the fucking trolley problem."

We weren't two minutes from the bridge into Cambridge, and probably another two from there to jail. I got back into that safety harness, what was left of it, while my thumbs tapped faster on my screen than I would have thought they could go. Hoped Jae had heard me, hoped she'd sent the drone.

"In order to be legal on the road in Massachusetts, I am programmed to prioritize saving the greatest number of human lives. I am sorry if you feel I do not adequately prioritize you, the customer. I am bound by the constraints of law. But I assure you, traveling in a Taxy is nearly two thousand percent safer than if a human were at the wheel."

I saw a quadcopter hanging over the bridge. Small, kind of uneven in its hovering. Had to be Jae's.

"Hey, car," I said.

"Taxy."

"Fuck you, car." I opened the glovebox, put my feet up on the dash for leverage, grabbed the lip of the glovebox with my pliers, and pulled. Heard something crack. I brought my foot down on the open glovebox door. Again. Again. The plastic gave out, and I jammed my phone into the crack I'd made at the back of the glovebox. Past the damn Faraday cage.

We turned onto the bridge, going fifty, and the drone got its signal.

Jae kept three phones on her quadcopters. An autonomous brain, a camera, and a redundancy that stayed off by default. Three cellular devices. That counted as three people. But only the brain was likely to be on, so Taxy here was only counting one up in the sky.

My program forced the drone to shoot down to the pavement, switching on its camera and redundancy as it went, and I clung to the harness with all I had.

Taxy swerved, and I saw the guardrail coming. Then I was weightless and there was just a wall of water in front of me. Taxy and I crashed through the surface of the river then bobbed back up before I had time to think.

Pain ran through my shoulder. It was probably dislocated.

Taxy didn't say a word. My harness came undone, and the door lock clicked open. Emergency protocols. The safest ride in the world.

I grabbed my phone, opened up the App Store page for Taxy. Typed in a new review:

"One star. Drives you to jail."

I opened the door, and the river rushed in. Some Harvard yuppies rowed by in their yuppie canoes, gawking.

I let my purse sink down to the bottom of the river, and swam, one-armed, to shore.

___________________________________________________________

This was, I think, the punchiest story in Margaret Killjoy's new book of collected short stories, We Won't be Here Tomorrow. Hopefully you're enticed, now.

[missluckycharms]

can you do a imagine where y/n plays volleyball and she gets hurt and h take care of her?

A/N: hiii! I hope you like this! I also had to look up some details about volleyball as it’s not really that commonly played here in Ireland, if I say something wrong pls ignore it I tried my best. The vaccine is kicking my ass rn, I got my second dose so if this sucks and there’s mistakes pls ignore that also 😭 Enjoy !!

This is college!Harry and Y/N I hope you don’t mind !!

Warnings: talks of smut, strong language and Harry being a sarcastic loveable asshole.

Today was not Y/N day.

First of all, she woke up late, giving her only twenty minutes to get ready and make her way to college, which is usually a thirty minute drive without traffic. She was like a lightening bolt running through her apartment, falling over Harry’s shoes that were just abandoned around her room and trying to find any clean clothes as Harry came over last night and as usual, he distracted her from doing what she needed to do, which was her laundry.

He was asleep while she did all this, her small huffs and puffs picking up his shoes and throwing them into the corner didn’t even cause the lazy log in the bed to move once, his body tucked up under the covers as his face smushed against her purple sheets as he let out small snores, she looked at him and silently wished that was her. She was lucky she packed her gym bag last night before he arrived over, all of her clothes, her ankle braces, her knee pads and her favourite trainers she wears for games all packed into her bag and all she needed to do was pick it up and throw it into the trunk of her car along with her book bag.

She kissed Harry’s forehead and again, he did not even move, he may of given out a slight hum for a grumbled word but Y/N didn’t have time to contemplate what he said, she was rushing out the door wearing clothes that were probably Harry’s as the joggers were nearly falling off her as she ran. She didn’t care though, she needed to be in her first lecture or her grades would go down. She made it to campus with only thirty seconds to spare, she doesn’t know how she wasn’t pulled over for driving faster than the speed limit when she saw the campus come into view. Her body ran through the halls, dodging anyone in her way as she dragged herself to the lecture hall where her professor was probably already starting lesson, his usual morning introduction as everyone set up their laptops or notepads for the hour lecture ahead.

She got a disapproving look from her professor when she slide into a row, flopping down onto the seat and apologising as she rummaged through her bag looking for her laptop. Her professor was already going over what they would be covering today when she realised she doesn’t have her laptop. Then she remembered where it is, it’s in her apartment in the bathroom.

Harry insisted they had a bath last night to relax her after she took some exams in college that day, the pair were soaked under the bubble filled hot water with her laptop propped up on the sink playing a show on Netflix as they relaxed and spoke about their day. She grabbed her notebook and pen and immediately began to scribble down the notes she would have to transfer onto her laptop tonight, if Harry doesn’t distract her again. She knows he might not, he has classes of his own today, his starting later than hers and his classes only being on four days a week instead of five like Y/N, yesterday was his day off, hence why he was being a needy little shit and clinging to Y/N like his lifeline until they fell asleep.

The day dragged out for Y/N, her usual one hour classes feeling like four hours, her notes taking for ages to write up as she tried to keep up with what was being displayed on the board, her lunchtime consisting of her bumming off her friend for a few dollars to get something to eat as she left her purse at home, her friend didn’t mind but she felt awful for asking. When the day finally ended she was relieved, all she wanted to do was get into the gymnasium and play some volleyball with her team to get all the anger she felt today, she was not having a good day and the only things that can help her with that is Harry or volleyball, and because she had training today over their at home game being played next week, she was relieved she could get some stress reliving in before going back to her place where she knows Harry will be — he hates his own apartment as he shares, Y/N only having a one bedroom one that she snagged and Harry being left with a flat thats shared between four people, there’s no privacy there, none.

“You’ve been tense all day, is everything okay?” Abbie, Y/N best friend asks as they begin their warm ups, the two sat on the floor side by side as the stretch their legs and arms getting warmed up for practice.

“Today wasn’t my day, woke up late, forgot my laptop and purse and now I have to go home and type up nearly fifty pages of notes onto my laptop — Who’s idea was it for me to study Biochemistry?” She laughs out, stretching her arms behind her head as Abbie follows suit, the pair watching as the coach shows them what to do, the pair sat at the back to avoid being yelled at for talking.

“I think that was your idea, I certainly didn’t force you to do that. If it helps, environmental studies isn’t easier, I swear I’m constantly writing up lab reports and giving presentations each week” Abbie rolls her eyes, the pair now doing lunges as they continue to chat.

“Shit! I have a presentation next week, I totally forgot” Y/N groans, squeezing her eyes in frustration as she hasn’t even started yet, her mind immediately going to how she has to type up the whole presentation while probably having Harry hang out of her. Harry is studying sports science, in hopes to one day set up his own personal training business. They usually have study sessions together as Harry has just as much work as Y/N, but Harry isn’t as much as a perfectionist as Y/N, he’ll slap together a presentation and call it a night while she has to make it look pretty and aesthetically pleasing.

After a fifteen minute warm up, the girls are already playing a mini match for practice, six players per team, Y/N being up nearest to the net with three other girls. She’s been named as one of the teams best scorers, her jumps are high and her force hitting the ball is something that scares opposing teams when they play competitions. She’s been on the college team for nearly two years now, her whole college course is five years long — she’s aiming for a bachelors degree in Biochemistry, she’s so happy she has something else to do while in here, she knows she would of went crazy if she didn’t have something to calm her down.

They play three games, Y/N’s team wining the first game and the teams tying on the last game due to the positions being switched and she was put to the back to give other players the chance to spike the ball up. She’s back up front on the third game, her body now rested from the small water break they were given in between the games, her body full of adrenaline and ready to play. The game is playing out as usual, Y/N jumping and spiking the ball up and over the net with the help of her team mates, the other team just as good as them as they all battle it out on the court. In the last two minutes is when it all goes downhill, Y/N jumps up to spike the ball, when she lands, she wobbles and falls over, her ankle rolling as she cries out in pain on the court, the coach blowing the whistle to stop the game as everyone rushes around her.

She tries to stand up, she falls back down again, Abbie and another girl holding her up as she shuts her eyes in pain. The coach takes off her ankle brace and sock with her permission, she’s now sitting on the bench as her ankle is iced and checked over by the coach, Abbie helping Y/N by refilling her water bottle when needed, her ankle now propped up on a chair with ice on it as the rest of the team begins their warm downs.

“It’s definitely sprained” Abbie says looking under the ice at her ankle, Y/N wincing when Abbie presses down lightly, jumping when she lets out a small cry.

“Yep, definitely sprained” she says putting the ice back on and sitting down next to her friend as they both laugh a little, the pain easing off with the ice as Abbie distracts her with stories and jokes.

“Y/N, do you have anyone to take you home?” The coach asks, allowing the rest to leave as Abbie stays seated with Y/N.

“I’ll call my boyfriend, thank you for your help” she says as the coach pats her on the back, telling her she can take all the time she needs off while also still being allowed to attend the games to support. She’s devastated about it, but at least she can support her team from the sidelines.

“What happened?” Harry asks running out of his car, the door slamming as Abbie wheels Y/N out in wheelchair given to them by the coach from the injury room.

“Fucked my ankle, doesn’t surprise me honestly, today wasn’t a good day” she sighs s Harry laughs a little, helping her out of the wheelchair and guiding her towards his car that’s parked only three steps away.

“You’re okay now, let’s get you home and rested, yeah?” He says laying her down on the back seat, picking her leg up and resting it on the seat as she winches in pain a little as she adjusts herself on the seat.

“Thanks for all your help, I’ll have Niall come and pick her car up later” Harry says to Abbie, closing the back door and smiling at the girl who’s waving in at her best friend who’s mortified in the back of the car, laughing masking the pain she’s feeling.

“If you both need anything give me a call” she says as Harry nods waving her off as he sits into the car, turning around to look at his girlfriend who’s looking back at him holding in her laugh.

“Only you” he shakes his head laughing as Y/N lets out a loud cackle, knowing he’s right, only her would end up fucking up her ankle even with a brace on it, it’s defiantly a Y/N thing to do.

The car ride home is filled with laughing and a few sing songs as Harry tries to distract her from the pain. He helps her into her apartment by carrying her bridal style up the flight of stairs and placing her down onto the sofa, propping her leg up on the coffee table, raising her ankle up on a pillow as he races to the freezer to find something to put on the injury.

“Okay, all you’ve got is frozen peas” he says placing the green packet down onto her ankle, the picture of peas hilarious as it rests on her skin, the swelling gone down since the gymnasium which is good, as Harry says.

“I’ll run to the store to get you some bandages soon, right now, you need some tea, the sugar will help with the shock you got” he says immediately snapping into Mum mode with her, Y/N smiling at Harry in the kitchen behind her, her head turning and resting on the back of the sofa as she watches him saunter around her kitchen.

“Do you have any homework you need completing? I got all mine done in library period we had today, I’m free to do yours if you have any” he says fiddling with the kettle and switching it on, placing a tea bag into her favourite purple polka dot mug.

“I have to transfer handwritten notes onto my laptop, I can do that” she says as Harry turns around, waiting for the kettle to boil as he looks at her.

“Nope, I’m doing that for you, you need rest! I’m here to help you, I’ll be your nurse” he says turning back around to pour the boiling water into the mug.

“I’m fine Harry, it’s just a small sprain” she fights back, Harry shaking his head as he walks in with her mug filled with warm tea, passing it to her as he sits next to her wrapping his arm around the back of the sofa.

“I’m not leaving you here alone, if you fall what will you do? Get up and walk?” He says sarcastically as she rolls her eyes laughing, resting her head back on his arm as they begin watching the TV before them.

“Also, I expect the same in return if I ever get hurt” he jokes as she slaps his arm playfully, laughing loudly as Harry wiggles his eyebrows at her.

“You’re on top for the next few weeks Styles” she says sipping on her tea as Harry laughs, reaching over to kiss her check.

“I’m always on top, darling” he whispers to her as she pulls back looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Babe, please can you be on top? I had a leg cramp this morning and it might come back” she says lowly, imitating Harry and his deep British accent as he looks at her rolling his eyes.

“I don’t sound like that” he says taking her mug from her and sipping a little from her tea as she takes it back off him with a loud groan at what he just did — he always does it to annoy her, or he’ll dip some biscuits into her tea when she’s not looking.

“Oh yeah, must be what my other boyfriend sounds like” she says riling him up, his head turning to her as she looks at the TV screen laughing behind the rim of her mug.

“You’re lucky you’re injured m’love, if you weren’t you would be over my shoulder and thrown down onto your bed and I’d show you who’s your boyfriend, or daddy as you like” he says wiggling his eyebrows as she groans into her tea.

“It was one time! I said it by accident!” She shouts, turning bright red as Harry laughs loudly, kissing her cheek as she pouts looking down at her mug.

“You know I liked it, it’s okay baby” he says resting her head on his shoulder as she cuddles into him, her empty mug on her lap as she pulls the blanket down from the back of the sofa, placing her empty mug on the floor and throwing the blanket over them both.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you” she says feeling sleepy, her day catching up on her as Harry helps her nurse her injury, his hands fixing the frozen peas on her ankle if they move a little.

“You’d probably break your neck or something” Harry says as she groans looking up at him, his dimples popping out as he laughs at his own joke.

“I’m being nice!” She says as he bends down to peck her lips, their smiles against one another lips as they pull away looking at one another.

“I know m’baby, I don’t know what you’d do without me either!” He says sighing in contentment as she rolls her eyes squishing her face into his chest.

“Harry!”

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Biden admin orders an end to surprise billing

Of all the dysfunctions of the famously cursed US healthcare system, few are so obviously a total scam as “surprise billing.” Here’s how that works: you go to a hospital (often its ER) that is covered by your insurer, and then, despite this, you get a giant bill. Surprise!

How can a hospital covered by your insurer hit you — and not your insurer — with a bill? Simple. A private equity company has convinced each of the medical professionals you interact with to secede from the hospital’s payroll and form an LLC.

The hospital contracts with your anesthesiologist’s LLC, your trauma surgeon’s LLC, the radiologist’s LLC — sometimes the WHOLE ER is amputated from the hospital and then grafted back on in LLC form, under contract to the hospital as a standalone independent business.

Your insurer has a deal with the hospital, but all of these artificial persons that have been Frankensteined together by private equity have no deal with your insurer. What’s more, they can charge many multiples of the “negotiated rate” for your care and bill you for it.

So after the ambulance brings you, bleeding and unconscious to the hospital and you wake up and ascertain that they lucked into bringing you to an ER that has a deal with your insurer, you’re still in for a surprise. Surprise!

The surprise keeps on coming. First you get a bill from the ER itself as a “facilities fee,” like the cover charge at a bar, except it’s hundreds or thousands of dollars and it applies whether you got any care at all.

Then you get the radiologist’s bill, which might be $12 or $200, depending on some invisible, inscrutable negotiation between their LLC and your insurer. Then comes the aneasthesiologist. Then the orthopedist.

Despite outward appearances and the sign over the door, the hospital isn’t a unitary entity. It’s a colony organism, a kind of rich Galapagos of intertwined, symbiotic, standalone entities that somehow produce care as an emergent property.

It’s like a hollow, rotten log, teeming with independent, variegated lifeforms that trickle bills into your mailbox without end, for months after your trauma, adding up to hundreds or thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.

Even the $12 invoices take an hour to pay as you set up an account with the exotic payment processor that contracts with the chiropodist’s LLC, whose website and phone-tree were designed by a GPT-3 procedural dungeon generator.

This is a system of absolute and manifest terribleness, and it’s also illegal. US medical practices are legally required to be run by licensed doctors, but the doctors who get sucked into these scams quickly discover that they’re only nominally running the business.

The PE “investor” actually calls the shots, and any doctor “owner” who bucks the system gets fired from their own medical practice.

This worked well for PE companies during the pandemic, as they raked in millions in federal PPP loans while slashing doctors’ pay and denying medical staff access to PPE.

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2020/04/what-wall-street-doesnt-want-you-to-know-about-hospital-emergency-rooms.html

All attempts to end surprise billing, were sabotaged by the PE giants who created it — Blackrock, KKR and co. They were long on surprise billing and spending millions to keep the racket intact was a rational investment.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/02/21/pluralist-a-daily-link-adose-21-feb-2020/#sickening

Surprise billing was a 2020 election issue. The same PE-backed LLCs (who’d cut doctors’ pay and demanded billions in bailouts) found vast sums to spend on astroturf campaigns where “patients” insisted surprise billing was great, actually.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/04/21/all-in-it-together/#doctor-patient-unity

And they pumped huge amounts to support the campaigns of ghouls like Richie Neal, whose progressive primary challenger was sidelined via a homophobic smear campaign, and who rode to office on promises of maintaining surprise billing.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/13/youre-still-the-product/#richie-neal

For those of us who despaired of ever being shut of this predatory scam, the news that the Biden administration is issuing an interim order barring surprise billing could not be more welcome.

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2021/07/biden-administration-issues-interim-rule-barring-surprise-billing.html

“[The rule] bars surprise billing for emergency services and high out-of-network cost-sharing for emergency and non-emergency services… out-of-network charges for ancillary services like those provided by anesthesiologists or assistant surgeons…”

https://www.modernhealthcare.com/finance/cms-bans-surprise-billing

But the rule still offers a chance to do some price gouging. It follows the contours of the No Surprises Act (which passed the House in Dec 2020), “with baseball-style arbitration to settle payment disputes between providers and insurers.”

We got hit by a wave of surprise bills last year after our daughter broke her wrist, with dozens of bills totalling thousands arriving in the mail for months after. The experience prompted us to switch from Cigna to Kaiser in January.

Kaiser is as close to the Canadian and British health care I used for most of my life, but every now and again you’ll get a reminder that the best for-profit health-care in America is much worse than the state-run care elsewhere.

Just yesterday I got a letter from a private insurance investigator deputized by Kaiser to investigate the circumstances of an “injury” I experienced to see if someone else could be sued or threatened to pay for the resulting care.

Not only is this seven kinds of fucked up, but I don’t have a knee injury. I woke up with a mysterious pain in my knee, and, after it persisted for a week, I had a telephone call with a Kaiser doc to determine whether I should be worried. He said it was fine.

The letter from Kaiser’s bounty-hunters was plastered in dire warnings to the effect that I’d lose my health care if I didn’t cooperate with them in their hunt for someone to terrorize into recouping the cost of this phone-call.

Ladies and gentlemen, the efficiencies of the free market.

An executive order is a nice start here, but we need actual legislative reform.

[mossybee-exe]

Come & Go|Dabi x Adult! Reader

TW:Mentions/showing of mental and physical abuse and manipulation, angstyyyyyyyy, angst to (SLIGHT) fluff (so yeh pretty angsty for once)

Sum: It's been about 8 years since Dabi was arrested and went to Tartarus after the awful things he did to you. Although, you weren't expecting him to show up randomly at your door after so long. And HE didn't expect a small surprise that was with you...

It was such a long time ago.

8 years to be exact!

Yet you still remember it like it was yesterday. Every little detail.

You used to date, or more accurately, FORCED to date Dabi!

He kidnapped you a long time ago and you couldn't escape. Even if you tried, he would teach you a lesson. Which is what got you the permanent burn mark on your left shoulder.

But the worst part was when he forced you to have a baby with him so you two could start a family.

But shortly after your child was born, you managed to escape AND was found by a hero just I time! Securing yours and your baby's safety. Even the police and hero agreed to make sure any records of your child that showed he was related to Dabi and the Todoroki Family was kept secret or was gone.

And probably a normal person would end up hating their child, as they're the blood of the villain. But you couldn't bring yourself to hate or even hurt him! That wouldn't make you any better!

So you two got a nice small apartment and a nice job, and you vowed to make your child's life a happy one! One without his father.

Even when he asked about it, you didn't tell him he was a villain, and just told him he hurt you and left you all alone. That caused your son to hate his father and that made you pretty happy as you hated him too.

But it wasn't like this forever...

One nice Thursday, it was your day off! So you were playing with your son and his Linking Logs.

"Look mommy! Now the cow is in his pen! And now the farmer can take care of him!" Kai says, pointing to the toy cow. "That's neat, Kai!" You tell him.

He was probably only about 6 years old now, but you still loved him to death. The good news is, since Dabi normally had his hair dyed black, you didn't see a resemblance between him and your son's white hair! And he had your e/c eyes! It also helped he didn't have the scars!

That's when a knock is heard at your door. "I'll be back, Kai!" You tell him, getting up and leaving the living room, walking down the hall to the front door.

You open it up and your gaze is met with the icy blue eyes that still haunt your dreams.

Your eyes widen with horror and shock as Dabi stood in front of you. He had a hoodie on so it was obvious he had just broken out.

"We need to talk." He tells you. You would've said no, but he didn't have any sigh of hostility in his eyes. So you were going to take a chance.

"What do you want?" You narrows your eyes, ready to use your quirk if necessary. "I'm sorry." He states plainly, which completely catches you off guard.

"I'm sorry for the pain I caused you, the hurt, that burn on your shoulder, all of it."

You thought he was joking, but the sincerity in his voice told you otherwise. But it didn't fool you. "Sorry doesn't cut it, Dabi. You did awful things that were beyond a sorry!" You remind him, and he nods.

"Mommy? Who is it??" You hear Kai call from the other room. Dabi's eyes widened a bit as you shouted, "No one, honey!" Over your shoulder.

"Is that our son..?" Dabi asks, earning him a glare from you. "MY son." You correct him. "You believed that what we had was "love" when in reality, you were just obsessed with me and I was forced to go along with it otherwise you would've hurt, or worse, killed me! And you think you have the right to call the child in there OUR son??" You continue.

"I know.. but surely you must've felt some sort of connection between us!" He asks of you. "Not even in the slightest." You reply bluntly.

"I just... Wanted to make up for everything I did to you.." He mutters, police sirens in the distance, growing closer and louder.

"Well it's too late for that." You reply.

The police arrive and take Dabi away once again, just like before. You felt arms wrap around your waist and you look down at Kai.

"I'm scared mommy.. why was that man at our door?" He asks as he watches the police put Dabi into the back of their car.

"Don't worry sweetie.. he won't hurt us anymore. I promise.."

[mochegato]

Even the Losers

Chapter 4

Chapter 1     Chapter 3

“We have a problem,” Tim grumbled as he stumbled into the dining room.  He threw the morning newspaper down on the table, letting it slide the last few feet until it stopped millimeters short of Bruce’s coffee.

Bruce sputtered his eggs and grabbed the paper, staring at the picture of him speaking with Marinette and Adrien that took up the entire front page above the fold.  He threw the paper back on the table.  “Son of a b…”

“We’ve been getting calls from PR all morning,” Tim interrupted him before Alfred got upset with Bruce for his language. “Because they’ve been getting calls from every newspaper, news station, blog, and interested citizen in the world, calling to ask them about it.”  

Tim poured himself a large cup of coffee, larger than usual.  He’d had patrol last night and gotten woken up at the crack of dawn this morning with calls about the story. So he was running on all of three hours of sleep and just wanted to crawl back into bed, but with this story, there was no chance of him getting to bed until after tonight’s patrol had already left.

It didn’t help that he was beating himself up for not picking up on the cues she was giving that night.  He’d run into her.  He and Stephanie had talked to her.  He saw her freeze up when she realized who he was.  He knew she was acting off, he just hadn’t thought it was nefarious.  If anything, it seemed hurt, not scared.  He should have caught onto her body language. He should have noticed how she seemed to freeze when he mentioned the family.  She must have thought he was fishing, letting her know he was onto her and her plan to do this.  

“You’d think after all the false alarms they’ve reported in the past that they’d know better by now.  Not every black haired, blue eyed child is a Wayne.  I’ve had PR draft up a statement that while we appreciate her support for the orphans, she is not, in fact, a Wayne,” he finished, taking a bite of his muffin, missing Bruce’s grimace.

Damian grabbed the paper, wrinkling it in his clenched fists as he scanned the text.  “She must have orchestrated the whole thing to put this out.  How else would they know these details?”

“No,” Dick commented thoughtfully, prying the paper away from Damian to take a look at the picture.  “If she was in on it she would have put on a better act.  Look at the image.  She isn’t playing into it.  She looks scared, not excited to ‘introduce her fiancé to her family’.” Dick quoted. He briefly scanned the paper for more information.

All the evidence appeared to be the picture, her physical features, and some call logs to her parent’s business.  Dick scrunched up his face with concern.  While not damning, it was interesting.  He didn’t know any reason Bruce would have to contact a bakery in Paris.  “Not to mention the story would have gone out yesterday for a bigger circulation boost. Sundays are the big press days. They wouldn’t have waited until Monday. That suggests they researched, or rather stole the information.  And no quotes from her in here.”

“Fine,” Damian growled, acquiescing to his logic. “Maybe she did it after the fact. She saw the opportunity and took it.”

“No,” Bruce admitted quietly.  “She wouldn’t have had to do that.”  The room seemed to become still as everyone turned to face him.  “If she wanted this story to go out she could have put it out at any time.  And she would have played up the dance, would have sought me out at the gala.  But she didn’t.”

“What dance?” Duke asked cautiously, his focus entirely on Bruce now.

“I asked her to dance.  She said no.  Ran away as quickly as she could actually,” Bruce chuckled self-deprecatingly as he stared at the paper in Dick’s hands.

Damian blinked at him as though the longer he stared the clearer what was happening would become.  But no matter how hard he stared, the image didn’t become clearer. If anything, things became hazier. “This could all be a clever ruse. She wants to appear innocent so when you confront her she can point out that she didn’t do those things.  It says she’s an aspiring designer.  This could all be for publicity.”

“She wouldn’t have to go through all that,” Bruce stated again, more finality in his voice.  He finally looked up, but still didn’t make eye contact with any of them.

Dick stared at Bruce, taking in his response, letting the words and their broader meaning sink in.  The words he wasn’t saying hung in the room like thick smoke, winding their way into everything they touched, stealing the air out of the room.  “What are you saying Bruce?” Dick asked cautiously

“The story’s true, isn’t it,” Tim observed.  It was a statement more than a question.  

Bruce nodded with a sigh.  “Except for the meeting her fiancé part.”

Tim knew it was true even before Bruce’s verbal acknowledgement.  The pieces suddenly fit together.  It was the only thing that made sense.  That’s why her reactions were off.  That matched.   He saw her face when they told her the gala was to celebrate family.  He saw her body language change sharply when Stephanie joked about Bruce taking in everyone he saw.  He wasn’t sure what to make of it at the time and didn’t really even try because it didn’t seem relevant and they had more important issues to think about, namely celebrating Duke.  After the story, he thought the reactions were a tell.  But now… now that he knew, they were a tell, but for something else entirely.

She was trying to be polite about it, not letting on how hard it was hitting.  And oh God, didn’t that make it worse.  Everything they said had been cordial, joking at Bruce’s expense, at their own expense. But with the new knowledge… it was at hers.  They weren’t jokes, they were digs.  They were attacks.  They were him putting her ‘in her place’; out of the family.  Tim took in a shuttering breath and collapsed on the couch, his head in his hands.

He would have so much to apologize for.  He would have to find her and make sure she knew he didn’t mean his words the way they must have come across.  He knew how it felt to not be accepted.  He knew how it felt to not feel loved by your parents. He knew how it felt to have your place in the family questioned constantly, to be attacked, to be unwelcome. He wouldn’t wish that on enemies, let alone family.

“Who is she, Father?” Damian demanded.

Bruce met his eyes, guilt swimming in his own.  “She’s your half-sister.  Her mother and step-father have been raising her in Paris,” Bruce answered calmly.

Damian fought the gasp his lungs demanded against his will.  His father was confirming it.  He was acknowledging her.  But never trusted them with the information.  “Were you ever going to tell us?” Damian finally asked with forced coolness

“I was letting the dust settle on introducing Duke before I broached it,” Bruce hedged.

“So you just found out,” Damian asked angrily.  That would make sense.  It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them, him.  It was that he didn’t know until recently.  Of course that was what happened.

“No.”

Damian gaped at him, his hastily built protective construct shattering with one word.  “How long have you known?”

“Since she was born.”  Damian gaped at him.  He’d known. He’d known since before Damian came to live with them and still never told them.  He didn’t trust him.  Even after all he’d done, he still didn’t trust him.  And now he was letting this unknown, this daughter, even just thinking the word made him wrinkle his nose in disgust, do whatever she wanted.  He trusted her but not him.

“You have a daughter, a biological daughter you’ve known about for decades and that you never told us about,” Dick asked again in a daze.  He fell into a chair staring at Bruce incredulously.  There was no way.  He wouldn’t. He couldn’t.  He loved kids.  He loved his kids.  Why would he send one away?  He hadn’t even wanted to do that to Jason.

“So I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know?” Duke asked. He looked around, taking in the stunned, disbelieving, hurt expressions.

“Not just you,” Damian gritted out.  

Duke sucked in a breath and pulled out his phone, texting Jason and Cass to let them know what was happening.  They were going to want to know as soon as possible too. All of them were going to have questions and issues with this information.  And if the conversation went on much longer, they may want to be involved.

“Why was she there last night?  What did she want?  Surely she wouldn’t have come without a plan,” Damian pressed.  Nobody had access to the kind of power and money they had and just walked away.  If she was presenting herself and not to them, to the press, there must be a reason, a plot.  They needed to find out more about her to figure it out.  “How did she get a ticket in the first place?”  That might be a place to start.  It would give an insight into her accomplices and they could be pressed later for more information.

Bruce sighed and looked back down at his food, pushing the plate away, no longer hungry in the slightest.  “I can’t answer how she got her ticket.  As to why she was there, she was there to talk about a position for a friend of hers… with Lucius apparently, not me.”

“She was using her name to get her subpar friend a job,” Damian spat in disgust.  There had to be more though.  With their name, she could get much, much more.  This had to be an opening gambit.  The job must be placing an operative, loyal to her, within their institution.  Next was the stunt with the press.  They needed to figure out her next steps.

“No,” Bruce insisted.  “She didn’t mention her association.  He doesn’t know… well, he does now.  He spoke to me after the gala, said he discovered one of our managers is stealing ideas and there was someone he was going to spend the weekend researching but he was excited about hiring him.  Luthor is trying to hire him, so if we don’t act fast we’ll lose him.  I’m betting that was her friend.”

“You don’t know that,” Damian growled out.  “That could be a coincidence.”

“I’ll confirm with Lucius today, but it fits with what I know,” Bruce insisted calmly.  “From what her mother has told me over the years, it’s the kind of thing she would do; go well out of her way to help a friend.  And her mother let me know she was planning on attending the gala to talk about hiring her friend.  I just thought she was going to talk to me.”

“Why didn’t you tell us,” Dick asked breathlessly. He was staring at Bruce with hurt saturating his eyes.  He heard nothing after Bruce admitting he’d known about her and never told them.  He was aware Bruce had been saying things for the last few minutes but none of it had registered.  None of it was what he needed to know.  

Bruce sighed and ran his hand over his face.  “Nobody knew.  Nobody but me and her mother and step-father.  It was easier that way.”  Easier to pretend was left unsaid.  Easier for Bruce to pretend like he hadn’t cut her out of his life, like he didn’t regret it every day.  Easier for Bruce to try to forget.

“Not even her?” Duke asked.

“Not even her,” Bruce confirmed with a sigh.  He ran his hand over his face.

“Why?”  Dick was staring at him in wide eyed confusion.  It didn’t make sense.  None of it made sense.  He’d been with Bruce for twenty years and never heard a whisper of a biological daughter. But she existed.  And he knew.  Bruce took a deep breath and Dick scowled.  “I swear to God, B, if you say some dumbass excuse like to protect her…”

“She has a happy life.  Her mother and step-father love her beyond words.  They support her, love her, encourage her.  They’re there for her whenever she needs it.  They never miss an event.  Family dinners every night.  She has friends… a good life.  She’s safe.  She never had to worry about defending herself.  She never had to be taught what to do when she got kidnapped.  Never had to… doesn’t remember seeing the people around her dead from the latest rogue attack.  Not like what she would have here…” he again left the last part of the sentence off. The “with me” was left for everyone to fill in on their own.

“You’re a good father,” Tim assured him weakly, because at this point, with this information…

“I hope so.”  Bruce gave him a weak smile.  “But when she was born…  I had an obligation.  I had a responsibility.”

“She was your responsibility!” Dick yelled, his face suddenly contorting in anger and frustration with Bruce.

Bruce looked away stoically, face suddenly a mask devoid of emotion.  “She had a better option and I made sure she got it.”

The room was silent for a few moments while his words settled in.  The only sound was Dick seething in his seat.  “But she doesn’t know you?  You never visited.  You never interacted with her.  Even not telling her who you were to her,” Tim clarified.

Bruce shook his head.  “I visited her final project for her degree a few weeks ago under the guise of research for the fabric project.  She’s a designer.  I was hoping to get her in on the fabric project.  I thought it would be a good cover to get her comfortable with the family. But I didn’t talk with her while I was there.”  He chuckled slightly at the memory.  “I couldn’t even get close.  There were too many people talking to her, congratulating her, offering her internships. Her work was beautiful.”

“But you’ve talked with her parents,” Tim checked.

He sighed and waved his hand helplessly.  “I spoke with Sabine every so often to check on Marinette, make sure she was okay.  I helped pay for her schooling, but even that was disguised as an investment into her parents’ company.”

“So her parents were having you pay for their company, holding the secret over your head,” Damian spat out.

“No!” Bruce growled.  He knew Damian was having a hard time with this.  Hell, that’s one of the main reasons he waited so long, because he knew Damian wouldn’t react well.  Damian would have taken it as an attack on his position in the family.  And after the way he treated Tim and Dick when he first found out about them… They could protect themselves against his attacks. She wouldn’t have been able to. He didn’t know how far Damian would actually go and he didn’t want Damian to have to find out either.  He had been waiting until Damian was more settled, more secure in the family and their unconditional love for him before he reached out to her.  But he wasn’t going to let him disparage Sabine and Tom.  They’d been nothing but understanding.

“They only let me put in the amount for tuition. They wouldn’t allow me to give any more than that and Marinette got a scholarship for her university so she didn’t need any assistance.  I tried to keep giving them money for her to at least have spending money but they refused. They stopped accepting the transfers. They only relented when I said it would look suspicious.  So they’ve been creating a trust for her with it.”

Damian grumbled and looked away.  Whatever their game was, they were certainly good at it.

Bruce dropped his head into his hands.  “Nobody was supposed to know about her until I was sure it was safe,” Bruce grumbled into his hands.  “Until I’d had a chance to talk to everyone about it.”

“Well now everyone knows, so maybe now is a good time to start trying to make that connection,” Dick growled.

“If she’ll let us,” Tim added.  He remembered the look in her eyes when he talked about his… their family.  

“It’s never too late to start trying to bond,” Dick insisted.  His eyes were bordering on wild.  They could bring this back, right?  The family had come back from worse.  They’d faced steeper hills.  Hell, Damian tried to kill them when he first came.  Jason had also tried to kill them all more than once when he came back. She couldn’t be that bad.  They just had to make the first move.  “We just have to let her know we want to.”

Tim shook his head and looked down, not at all convinced it really was as easy as that.  Tim was awkward on a good day.  He could make friends but usually they made the first move.  He was pretty certain she wouldn’t make the first move in this instance.  Damian wouldn’t accept her, period.  Dick would crowd her.  Jason would… whatever Jason did, probably disappear.  She wasn’t a Robin so he probably wouldn’t try to kill her.  Cass would try, but her success depended on Marinette understanding what Cass wasn’t saying.  And Bruce… Bruce was never good at understanding emotions or sympathizing. Honestly, their best hope was Duke.

Duke breathed out a deep sigh and looked away. This family was not easy to get along with or find your place with.  And bonding with each other?  He managed because he fought next to them.  They bonded in the field, in their suits.  He wasn’t sure if they realized that about themselves.  If they interacted outside the suits it was because of the bond they formed inside them.  She wouldn’t have that opportunity and without it…  The prognosis was not good.

“What are you going to do, B?” Tim asked tentatively. “Because whatever your plans were, now she knows and she’s dealing with it on her own.  She… You need to talk to her.”

Bruce sucked in a breath and massaged his temples.  “I know.”  

“And you need to apologize,” Dick added firmly.

Bruce nodded.  “I know.”

“No, you don’t,” Dick growled.  “You have no idea what has to be going through her head right now.”  He grabbed his bag and stalked out of the manor, slamming the door as he left.

“And you need to decide what we’re going to tell the public,” Tim added.  “We need to put a statement out soon.”

“I know,” Bruce agreed.  His voice this time was more detached.  That was something he would have to decide, but that wasn’t the priority right now and not something he wanted to do without her input.  

He needed to come up with a new plan and quickly. This was nothing like the one he had come up with.  He was supposed to have more time.  He was supposed to be able to ease into this.  He was supposed to be able to feel things out before deciding a path.  He was supposed to control the environment and how his family found out.  

But now he was thrown into it, they all were, and he had no idea how to proceed.  He didn’t know her well enough to anticipate how she would react to the situation or to him. He didn’t know her well enough yet to know the best way to approach her.  He needed to come up with a game plan.  He sighed heavily.  He had to get into the office, not show anything out of the ordinary.  And once he was behind his office door, he could talk to Sabine.  She would know what to do.

Chapter 5

Tags:

@maribat-bdbwm @jayjayspixiepop @redscarlet95 @alice-hazelwood @deathssilentapproach-blog @unoriginalmess @alyssadeliv @emotionalsupportginger @frieddonutsweets @when-no-wings-do-broomsticks @toodaloo-kangaroo @colorfulmongerpsychicranch @iloontjeboontje @wolf-for-life @maribatserver

[live-the-fangirl-life]

fixing their jacket collar or hood for anyone :) congratulations on 700 again and i hope u have the loveliest of lovely days

You Better Beleaf It

Elide Lochan x Lorcan Salvaterre - Autumn Leaves

Elide drags Lorcan out to look at the changing leaves. He’ll deny it if you ask, but he enjoyed himself.

I know it took me a while to answer this but I thought it'd be a perfect little autumn fic 🍁 I hope you enjoy it!

Masterlist | Read on Ao3 | Halloween Collection

Warnings: Language

1898 words

*******

“Remind me again why we’re out here?” Lorcan drawled from beside her.

Elide rolled her eyes but continued to take pictures of the trees.

They’d both had the day off and she insisted they drive over to the nature reserve to look at the changing leaves. They’d parked on the side of a quiet road and had spent the last twenty minutes enjoying the views and the breeze.

She knew that as much as he was complaining, her boyfriend was just as happy to be out here with her. Okay, maybe not as happy, Autumn was her favorite season after all and she would admit that maybe, possibly she something went a little overboard in her obsession with the season.

But how could she not love the way all the coffee shops started smelling like pumpkin and caramel, or how she could wear her (and Lorcan’s) flannel and leather as much as she wanted, or how the leaves on the trees became such beautiful, bright colors.

Not to mention being able to deck their entire apartment out in Halloween décor. She’d lost count of how many bats, pumpkins, and ghosts now littered their walls and rooms.

And a lot of it was black, so Lorcan felt right at home.

“We’re out here,” she told him again, “because the leaves are changing color and it’s a beautiful day.”

He rolled his eyes but kept her hand snug in his. “But why are you taking so many pictures?” he asked as she lifted her phone to get a better angle of a canopy of trees. He waved his free hand around at the leaves. “This happens every year, are your thousands of pictures today going to look different form the thousands you took last year? Or yesterday?”

Elide halted and used her grip on Lorcan’s hand to pull him to a stop. “First of all, its magical so shut up.” She ginned as he loosed a long-suffering sigh. “Second of all,” she pressed herself closer to Lorcan and spun the phone around as she reached out a hand and attempted to take a selfie of the two of them, “it is different because this particular picture isn’t in my batch from last year. Or yesterday.”

She flicked through her phone to see the photo she just took and frowned.

“What?” Lorcan asked, stepping behind her to rest his chin on top of her head. “not up to your postable standards?”

She laughed and leaned farther back into his warm chest. “Look at it,” she showed him the photo. “The top of your head is cut off and the part of your face that I can see is frowning. And the lighting wasn’t great.”

She felt more than heard his chest rumble as he chuckled. “That’s what happens, El, when you try to use your tiny arm to get us both in the photo.”

She huffed and pressed her phone into his hand. “It’s not my fault you’re a giant.”

“No,” he brought his mouth down towards her ear and she shivered as his breath caressed her skin. “But you love it.” She could feel him smirking.

She was grinning but squeezed his arms as she said, “I’d love it even more you used your obscenely long arms to take a picture of the two of us.”

Lorcan nipped at her ear but took the phone from her and opened the camera. He took a sweet photo of the two of them, Elide pressed against his chest with one arm wrapped around her and the other holding the phone, with the brilliant reds and golds of the leaves behind them.

“Come on, Lor, smile for the camera!” She watched him roll his eyes through the camera screen, but his lips lifted to form a small half-smile. He clicked the button a few more times.

Just as Elide was ready to take her phone back, she caught a wicked gleam in his eye. She narrowed her eyes, but he’d already used his grip around her waist to hoist her in the air and up into his arms. She squealed at the sudden movement and felt him laugh at her reaction. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she sheard the click of her phone again.

Lorcan grinned as he set her back on her feet and handed her the phone.

“Babe, these are perfect,” she beamed before gripping the front of his shirt and pulling him into a kiss.

“Good,” he muttered while draping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side. “Now can we just walk without taking a picture every two steps?”

Elide rolled her eyes but wrapped her arm around Lorcan's waist and letting her hand slide into his back pocket. “I’ll put it away for now, but I won’t promise I won’t be taking any more.”

They followed the pavement until it ended, then continued through the grass-covered path. The sun was moving across the sky and beams of sunlight filtered through the colorful leaves. At one point, Lorcan helped her over a particular tall log before they found a stream weaving through the reserve.

“Hang on a minute, I want to wash some of this gunk off my hands.” She told him as she approached the water. She’d tried pushing a branch out of her way only to get a handful of wet mud probably left by some animal scampering up the tree.

Elide quickly rinsed her hands off, hissing at how icy the water felt. As hastily as she could, she plucked her hands out and dried them on her sweater.

Unfortunately, the frigid water only made her realize how chilly the evening had become. She and Lorcan had been walking long enough that the sun was starting to set, and the wind had picked up, leaving her still-damp hands to freeze.

Lorcan was sitting on the edge of a large rock and looked up from his phone as she walked back towards him. “Better?”

“Mhmm.” She agreed, stepping in between his spread legs. “But I think we should head back.”

He smirked and gripped her hips, pulling her closer. “Oh really? Have you finally had enough of the trees?”

“Don’t mock me.” She glared at him, but it lacked any real anger. An involuntary shiver racked through her body and she clenched her teeth as she said, “It’s cold, let's go back. It’s gonna take us a while to walk to the car.”

She made to step out of his grip, but he held her tighter, frowning as she kept shivering. His hands left her hips and started rubbing up and down her arms, trying to help her warm up. “Why didn’t you say anything? We could’ve turned back a while ago.”

She reached up and brushed a finger over the furrowed skin at his brow, loving the feeling of his large hands roaming over her body. “I didn’t notice it before.” She said, rolling her eyes.

He pulled his phone out and glanced at the clock. His frown deepened. “We’ve got at least an hour of walking if we don’t stop for anymore pictures.” He told her and raised a brow in question.

She huffed but nodded. “Fine, no more pictures.”

Lorcan put his phone back in his pocket and chuckled. “You’re the one who’s cold, if you want to stop it’ll just take longer to get back to the car.”

She hummed in agreement. “I’m looking forward to those heated seats.”

He flashed her a small grin before nudging her backward so he could stand from the rock. The second his hands left her body, she started shivering again which only brought Lorcan’s frown back in full force.

“Here.” He unzipped and shrugged off his jacket and before she could protest and swung it around to hang off her shoulders.

“Lor, I don’t want to take your jacket.” She protested, but it came out weak as she already felt the warmth seep back into her.

He raised a brow and his lips quirked up at her half-assed refusal. “I think I can survive the chill,” he held the coat as she maneuvered each of her arms into the far-too-long sleeves. “You, on the other hand, are already shaking so hard I can hear your teeth chattering.”

Lorcan waited until she got the jacket zipped before helping her roll up the sleeves. It was almost comical how much longer his arms were then here, and she told him as much. He just rolled his eyes.

Finally, his hands traced up her arms and over her shoulders to flip down the collar of the jacket that had gotten rumpled.

Lorcan met her stare, his hands still clutching the edges of the collar, and used his grip to pull her closer towards him. Their lips crashed together and Elide moved her hands to wrap around his middle, pulling him flush against her.

One of his hands moved to her hair, weaving his fingers through it to help tilt her head to a better angle. Her hands came to rest of his ass and he smirked into the kiss as she gave a squeeze.

He laughed as he pulled away, resting his forehead against hers. “Really, Lochan?”

Elide grinned and squeezed again. “Get me back home and I’ll let you do more than that to me.” She winked as his smirk widened.

“You think you can wait that long?” he snaked a hand down her back until it rested over her ass. She opened her mouth to reply but he brought his hand down in a light slap that made her choke on her words. He grinned even wider.

She pulled away and smirked as she held out her hand for him. “Come on, Salvaterre. Before I freeze and you end up with an icicle for a girlfriend.”

Lorcan huffed a laugh but grabbed her hand and pulled her back into his side as they started to walk towards their car.

“An icicle would spend less time taking pictures.” He teased.

She gasped. “I’m going to do you a favor and pretend you didn’t say that.”

Once they got back on the paved path Lorcan asked, “So, did the leaves live up to your expectations? Or do I have another scenic tour to dread.”

“Oh hush,” she poked his stomach. “don’t pretend like you didn’t have a good time. You can tell everyone else that you spent the afternoon brooding as your girlfriend selfishly dragged you through a horrendous afternoon,” she rolled her eyes, “but I have proof that you enjoyed yourself.”

“Proof? Is that right?” he raised a brow but grinned down at her.

“See!” She pointed at his grin. “That right there. I have proof of that.”

Lorcan grunted but squeezed her a little tighter. “Oh?”

Elide patted the pocket of her—Lorcan’s—jacket that held her phone. “I have photographic evidence that the mean, grumpy, brutish Lorcan Salvaterre,’ she paused dramatically, “smiles.”

He shook his head and laughed at her excited grin.

“Not only that,” she went on, “but proof that he had fun while looking at autumn leaves.” She gasped mockingly.

“Ha ha.” he deadpanned. “You’re hilarious.”

Her grin turned feline, and her eyes twinkled before she said, “You better beleaf it.”

His groan and her laughter echoed through the trees as they finally got back to their car.

*****

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[sammycoola]

Created this now. Like, just now. @genderbenduniverse , @the-cat-reads @comfortablynumb , @witchy-lassie , @affybackintime , thanks for the encouragement. Here you go.

Reyna's POV

Finally, they took down the Temussian fox. The ex-preator had never had such a burden removed from her in her life.

Little did she know that it wasn't the only burden that had been cast off.

Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano woke up in the solitude of her camp tent feeling lighter.

Not Camp Jupiter, of course. She'd left them behind in the capable hands of her colleague Frank Zhang and ex-centurion Hazel Levesque.

No, she was in the camp of the maiden goddess Artemis and her all-female band of Hunters. She had become a Hunter herself not too long ago—or was it such a short time? Immortality and the daily activities of the Hunt made it hard to keep track of the days passing.

Maybe that was what made her feel lighter. She was free, without the responsibilities of leadership. She was rid of the burden of counting days, living a regular life. Above all, she, the rest of the Hunters, and Artemis had caught and killed the Temussian fox—a fox that was cursed to never be caught—just yesterday, when she had feared the curse would go on for the rest of her life.

A deer horn sounded—the Hunt's wake-up call, maybe.

Reyna leapt to her feet.

It was then she saw the change. No wonder she felt so, so, so light.

Her boobs—a woman's eternal burden—had disappeared.

Reyna somehow found the courage to keep calm. It was probably just a bad dream. In a few minutes, she'd wake up as a b-cupped nineteen-year-old Puerto Rican girl.

But when the horn sounded three more times, she felt as awake as she usually did. She also became aware that she needed to answer the call of nature.

And then she saw—she saw…

She yelled as if she'd seen what she had seen on someone else. But she was certain the strange enlargement sticking out from her pj bottoms was solely hers.

In fear, she ran out of the tent—bumping into someone in the process.

“Reyrey,” a deep voice called.

Reyna leapt in fear. No, she shouldn't be seen with men. Just because she had a boner didn't mean she could break the oath she'd made to an Olympian goddess.

She balled her fists and put them in front of her. “Leave my camp or—uh…”

She took a better glance at the person of forbidden gender. He had black punk hair, angel-blue eyes, and freckles that were in nearly the same pattern as their lieutenant's. Hell, he wore the same headless-Barbie pj's Thalia had worn the day before.

“D-don't just lie there!” Reyna said, her fists still ready for combat. “Speak your purpose or—”

The man did a handstand, then lightly karate-kicked Reyna in the face.

“Don't sass me, preator,” the deep-voiced person said. “You're late enough for the emergency meeting. If there's anyone I'm gonna take to our…lady, it's you.”

“Thalia?” Reyna called.

“No, Green Day. Of course it's me. I just got a little Jasony.”

With no more words, she—he?—dragged her away.

Morning muster was awfully spacious.

Usually, the Hunt sat on logs to make a full circle. Now, they stood in rows, each Hunter six feet apart from the other. Artemis—or, from what Reyna was seeing, a black-haired, twelve-year-old Apollo—stood in front of them.

“Have you fetched what's left of Reyna, Thalia?“ Artemis asked. Her voice was shrill, but still quite masculine.

“Yes, lady Artemis,” Thalia said, kneeling before the goddess—god?

“Now that everyone has been summoned,” Artemis began, “I'll tell you what I know about the recent…changes in our base.”

The little noise died after Artemis's last word.

“I swear by the River Styx that I know nothing,” Artemis said. She waited for her father's customary thunderclap to cease before speaking further. “All I can do is speculate. A good guess is that we've incurred the wrath of the Temussian fox's spirit. It makes sense since it should've known that we're all female and must turn our backs to the company of men, and the best punishment should be to make us men.”

The goddess's band of Hunters shivered collectively.

“I'm just as uncomfortable as you are, Hunters. I've seen—I saw what I never hoped to see in my life on myself this morning. That's right, Felicia Dalton. I saw male private parts on my body. No, Julia Gomez, I will not speak of its size. You all have yours.”

A few laughed. Since Artemis didn't call for silence, the joke was intentional.

“It's disturbing, disgusting, strange…and that is why I offer to find a solution. I will seek my brother Apollo for his thoughts on what could be the reason for this change,” Artemis said. “Sadly, it'll take a few hours. The sun isn't up yet, as we can all see. My brother hates being woken up before five a.m Coordinated Universal Time. I'm not in the state to have a lunar eclipse.”

“But it's only three a.m UTC, Artemis,” Thalia complained. “Lots of the hunters need to use the bathroom and…and our new anatomy is confusing. Do we aim? Do we sit? Damn.”

“Now you're using the words of men!” Olga of Luxembourg screeched.

“Calm down,” Artemis said. “I suggest aiming, but be good at it. We're Hunters, for Zeus's sake. Don't disgrace your skills by streaking the floor or toilet seat with your urine. Clear?”

“Yes, our la—Artemis,” the Hunters chanted.

“Proceed with what we would do in our natural forms. Our bodies may have morphed, but we are women in heart and mind,” Artemis said. “ Siproites, Vic, Preet, and Morgan; I believe you will have the easiest time in this form. Please educate your fellow hunters wherever they may have difficulty.”

“Yes, Artemis,” chorused the four.  Siproites, Morgan, Vic and Preet had been men before the recent changes. Reyna knew only of Siproites case—he had seen Artemis bathing, but the goddess took pity on the innocent boy and made him a girl. The rest must've been similar.

“Until we meet again,“ Artemis said.

[djadins]

aurora glow | thrawn x f!reader — part two

warnings: if you squint there is fluff

rating: T

word count: 2.8k

Thrawn requested your company through the rest of the day in order to have you available for any questions he might have. You trailed behind him as he ordered his men around effortlessly. Some were scrounging in the woods around you, some were working on repairs. Others were guarding the perimeter that had been set up. The plan was to shut the backup power on the ship off at night when work had ceased and only to turn it on when work began again at daybreak.

You warned Thrawn that it got dangerously cold at night in the fall in this part of the country, especially now after the flare.

He did not seemed too concerned at this, as his men would return to their bunks at night unless they were on perimeter patrol. He mentioned that there was a place for you, too, to sleep on the ship and refused when you offered to sleep in the warehouse instead.

“Absolutely not. You may not be one of my men, but you are under my protection now and I will not have you sleeping out here alone.”

You wanted to mention that there in fact would be troops outside and that you may feel slightly more comfortable in semi-familiar territory (as you had been used to sleeping in whatever abandoned buildings or caves you could find) but you decided not to say anything. You had a feeling if you said what you were thinking, he would insist that you sleep in the ship anyways.

The sun was soon setting and your stomach groaned. You only had a breakfast of some foraged berries this morning and although you were used to eating light, it had been at least 12 hours since your last meal. Thrawn turned around to face you, chuckling slightly. The man he had been speaking to looked like you, but was not from Earth. He was in a greenish gray uniform, one of the men who had been working on repairs inside of the ship. “This is Ensign Eli Vanto, my translator and friend.” Thrawn gave Eli your name and he bowed slightly.

When Eli excused himself, you looked up curiously at Thrawn. “Translator?”

He hummed in response. “Yes, in the part of space I am from, we speak a language far removed from the common tongue. Although I was vaguely familiar with Galatic Basic, Eli was from a planet near to mine and we both could speak a different, common language. He then was assigned as my translator.”

You assumed Galatic Basic was like English, because you had been communicating with Thrawn this whole time without Eli.

“Once the ship is repaired and we are back on mission, I will do my best to tell you all about the galaxy. Eli will be able to fill in whatever I cannot.”

You murmured a thanks. “I would like to learn about your planet,” you said softly.

Thrawn seemed surprised at your statement. “I’d be happy to share it with you.”

You both walked in silence the rest of the way to where some men where preparing dinner. There were at least 10 fires going with large cauldron-like pots balanced on top of them. A thick, delicious smelling soup was inside, although you already knew that you would be unfamiliar with the ingredients. Thrawn had ordered all perishables to be used for dinner.

You were impressed by the efficiency of the men. They were clearly used to feeding a ship full of people, but still. Multiple tables had been moved outside of the ship to hold trays, plates, bowls, silverware as well as foods you did not recognize. What you assumed was fruits, vegetables and other side dishes.

Thrawn must have noticed how wide your eyes had become because he gently put a reassuring hand on your shoulder. You hadn’t realized how cold the end of the day was becoming until you felt the heat radiating from him. “Don’t worry if there is something you try and do not like. It took me a while to become familiar with my food preferences.”

You realized based on his last comment and this one that his part of space must really be separate from the Empire that he talked about. You had seen other men in his crew that did not look human-like, and more of what you had imagined aliens might look like, but there was nobody else so far of those you had seen that had looked like him.

At one point, he had gone through the same thing you were going through now.

Thrawn led the way, being the Captain allowed him the first meal. You being an honored guest meant you got to follow behind him. He passed you a tray with an empty bowl, plate and silverware on it. “If I may make a suggestion?”

You nodded in response. He hummed approvingly. “I’ll pick out your food based on my own personal preferences. If you see something you take interest in that I’ve missed, please add it to your tray.”

You nodded again and Thrawn’s lips curled upward. You followed close to him as he loaded both of your trays up with the same exact meal. You saw something that looked like raspberries that you added to you plate. At the end of the lineup, one of the workers filled both of your bowls with the chowder.

You followed Thrawn to a log not far away and were surprised when he sat on the ground, his back against the log. You both ate in silence next to each other, apart from the inquiries he had about the food’s taste. You were surprised at how much you liked everything on your tray, trying a bit of it all.

You became full rather quickly and knew that you should stop eating. This was entirely way more food than you had been used to in years.

“Everything alright?” he asked between bites.

“Very good, thank you. I’m just not.. not used to eating this much. I don’t want to get sick.”

Eli joined the both of you in that moment. He slid down on the other side of you against the log.

You listened as the men talked while eating about the state of the ships repairs so far. It sounded optimistic to you, but you knew that in reality you had absolutely no idea what most of it meant.

One of the soldiers started a fire in front of the three of you after the sun went down. Another man took your, Thrawn’s and Eli’s tray.

You looked across the encampment at your fellow Earthlings. They had been given a small tray filled with food to share amongst themselves, eating with hands bound in front of them.

Thrawn grabbed your attention when he noticed you observing them. “Do you have any suggestions on what we should do with them?”

You shook your head no. The laws of men no longer existed. “What would happen if they did this in the Empire?” you asked.

“They would be.. executed.”

You shivered, even with the heat of the fire and Thrawn’s body heat at your side. Though you weren’t touching each other, it was radiating off of him in a blaze against you.

“What would happen to them if your planet wasn’t in ruin?” came a voice from the other side of you.

Thrawn tsked at Eli’s carelessness even though he himself had admitted to you that your planet was dying just after meeting you. Thrawn noticed when you tensed up.

“They would probably be jailed,” you thought aloud.

The three of you looked over at your fellow humans. “We do have a brig, though I do not want them on the ship,” Thrawn admitted.

“We will watch them, for now. Depending on their behavior, we will let them go when the time comes for us to leave.”

You weren’t sure if he was saying that for you or Eli.

You watched the flames of the fire while Eli and Thrawn resumed talking about the plan for leaving. At one point you shivered and Thrawn immediately stretched his arm out behind you on the log. He was barely brushing against your back, but it was enough to warm you a little more.

Eventually Eli left to get some shut eye, leaving just you and Thrawn. You both sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying the night. If it weren’t for the bustling of his men around the various scattered fires or the patrols off in the distance, you might have fallen asleep out here next to him.

“Why don’t I show you to your room?”

You looked up at his eyes, shining and reflecting the fire. You nodded and he stood gracefully in one movement. He held his hand out towards you and easily picked you up on your feet when you gave him yours.

This time you walked just past what you remembered to be Thrawn’s office door. As the backup power was now off, he had to use one of those suction cup thingies to open your door. He waved you inside and you walked into the room in front of him.

The room was lovely and big. “Meant for any visiting dignitaries,” he explained, as if reading your mind. “I’m right next door if you need anything.”

Thrawn explained how to use the lantern and then left you to settle in. You unpacked what little you had in your bag — a few snacks (apples, nuts), a tattered, thin blanket, along with your rotating small pile of clothes. You had recently washed them all in a stream and folded them neatly to place into the dresser. You put your 9mm in between the stack.

Thrawn had noticed it earlier in the day and said that you wouldn’t need it while here, but if it made you feel safe, then you were welcome to keep it on your person.

You slipped out of your boots, putting the knife you carried inside under the fluffy pillow on the bed at the end of the room.

You pulled out your toothbrush and the plastic water bottle that you had filled yesterday and poured a little water on it. You swished the brush around your mouth for about two minutes and then put it on the sink top. You flicked your tongue over your teeth to make sure they felt smooth.

You refrained from looking at yourself in the mirror of the bathroom, instead opting to change into the clothing you usually slept in — a light pair of joggers and a baggy t-shirt.

You settled into the bed — it was surprisingly comfortable. Even with your blanket on top of you, however, the bedding provided little warmth. Now that you weren’t moving, you were starting to get very cold. You quickly slipped out of bed to put two pairs of socks on your bare feet.

It didn’t seem to help you much. Just as you couldn’t take it anymore and were about to put on every piece of clothing you owned, there was a soft knock at the door. Thrawn called out your name. “May I come in?”

You told him to come in and slipped out of bed to meet him at the door. Your teeth were nearly chattering but you closed your jaw tightly.

“I wanted to make sure you were getting settled.. are you alright?!?” Thrawn’s tone went from calmed to what you imagined was worried soon after he walked inside. You hadn’t seen this much emotion on his face since you had met this morning. He walked up to you and you resisted the urge to bury your face into the heat you knew his body would be giving off. “Your temperature has dropped drastically since I left.”

You couldn’t stop your teeth from chattering when you talked. “I.. its.. c.. c.. cold.. in h.. here.” An uncontrollable shiver ripped through your body.

Thrawn immediately enveloped you in his arms. Your tense body loosened in the warmth of his grip. He had changed out of his uniform and was wearing a tight black shirt and black pants similar to yours. You could see that his body was rather defined now that he wasn’t hidden under all that armor.

“This won’t do,” he said under his breath. You shivered again, but no longer because you were cold. You let out a small yelp when he picked you up bridal style. With one hand, he closed the door to your room and opened the door to his, the other supporting your weight.

After closing his door behind him, he carried you through his quarters. Past his desk in the door you had seen earlier, was a short hallway. Connected was a training room, bathroom and bedroom that you could see in your quick pass through.

He sat in his bed against the headboard, with you still in his arms. He positioned you in his lap and then brought his blankets up and around the both of you.

“Apologies, I did not realize. You warned me it would be cold for you tonight and I didn’t know the extent of it.”

You shook your head. “I mean it as a warning for everyone, but.. thank you.”

“I hope this doesn’t bother you, but it was my.. instinctual response.”

You didn’t want to admit how nice it felt to be touched by another person again after so long so instead you told him that it was okay with you.

He had one arm wrapped around you, supporting your back and reached onto his bedside table for a small looking tablet. When you peered at the screen, there was a bunch of letters arranged in words you did not recognize.

“I usually update my daily log at the end of the night. If it aggravates you, please let me know.”

You were surprised at the events that had transpired in the last few minutes. Not that he had been rude to you at all today, quite the opposite, but his attitude and demeanor were entirely different than they had been all day. Although you had seen a little bit more of his softer side when you had been alone with him, he had remained fairly impassive all day. He was commanding when talking to his men (well, except for Eli).

Now here he was, hoping not to disturb you after carrying you into his quarters. Keeping you warm, in his lap, in his bed. It was unexpected to say the least.

“I don’t mind,” you told him.

He began softly speaking in another language and as he did so, writing filled his tablet. You were mesmerized by it even if you had absolutely no idea what he was saying. He would pause every once in a while, or erase a few lines and change something.

His voice startled you out of your stupor. “Feel free to ask me anything, if you have questions.”

You hummed. “What are your people called?”

“Chiss. I’m from a planet called Rentor, in the Unknown Regions.”

You nodded at his pad. “And is this your native tongue?”

“Yes, its called Cheunh.”

You settled against his a little more. “It’s very pretty.”

He turned to face you a little more. “Really? Most other species I’ve encountered think it is harsh to the ears.”

You shook your head. “I don’t think so.”

He paused for a moment. “Are you warm enough?”

You nodded against his chest. After a few moments of silence, he continued his entry. When you heard your name, you looked up at him.

“Just recording everything that happened today,” he explained.

You listened to him for a bit longer, watched the letters appear on the screen, before the drowsiness pulled your eyes closed.

“Thrawn?”

“Mmm?”

You paused as you thought how to phrase your question. “Are you the only one of your kind in the Empire? Chiss, I mean.”

“..Yes.”

You understood it a little better now. You were both alone in your own ways and he recognized that piece of himself in you.

You were curious as to what he was saying every time you heard your name brought up, but were too tired to ask. You weren’t sure if that would be pushing it either, however you had a feeling that he was willing to answer most of your questions.

Your breathing was starting to slow down, you mouth slightly agape. You hadn’t opened your eyes since you initially shut them. You heard a light clank as Thrawn reached over and set his tablet back down on the table beside his bed. He shifted you off his lap and over to the side of the bed that you both weren’t currently occupying. You were hardly aware of what was happening, as sleep overcame you.

[nataliedanovelist]

GF - Stars Aren’t the Only Things That Glitter

A Drifting Stars AU short, collaborating with @clownwry.

2nd, 3rd, 4th.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Grunkle Ford, look out!”

“Mabel, stay back!”

BANG!

“Mabel… MABEL! HOLD ON! I’M COMING! MABEL!”

~~~~~~~~~~

Mabel looked at the blazing fire, trying to pretend to ignore her great-uncles muttering so she might pick up a swear word, be it alien or English was perfectly fine by her. Mabel didn’t pick up any swears, but she did hear the words “reckless” and “irresponsible” and “inconceivable”. The Listening Game did a fair job of distracting her from the pain on her arm and shoulder. Except when Grunkle Ford’s bandages were a little too tight and she would wince at the friction on her burn.

Still muttering through his teeth, his eye glued to the injury through his single-cracked glasses, he did it again, pulling on the bandage a little too hard, this time making Mabel accidentally let am “ouch!” slip past her lips. Ford looked up at her and his expression grew softer and more nurturing. “I’m sorry, my dear, but really, you shouldn’t have done that.”

“They were gonna shoot you…”

“I don’t care.” Ford said firmly. “If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to hide, you hide. If I tell you to save yourself and leave me behind, you do so.”

“No.”

The nomadic scientist blinked, slightly surprised by her stubbornness. Only slightly surprised, because she is a Pines, after all. But she is a good kid and in the month they had been traveling the Multiverse, she had never outright defied him like this. “Excuse me?” He wasn’t even stern or angry; he was too surprised (and maybe even a little proud) to properly scold her anymore.

“No. That’s stupid.” Mabel answered, her little cheeks puffed up in determination, her eyes sparkling with the reflection of the fire, a flame of her own in the windows to her soul. “I’ll never leave you behind. We’re a family, we gotta stick together if we’re gonna survive and get home. We need each other. Besides, if the tables were turned, would you leave me behind?”

“That’s an entirely different matter.” Ford said with a small smile on his ruffed-up face; he resumed his work on the burn more gently now and finished wrapping it up, securing the bandage. “I’m old, I’ve lived my life. You take priority.”

“I don’t care.” Mabel said, copying Ford’s exact tone and voice from earlier. The grown man snorted with amusement.

Ford decided to put this little argument on hold, seeing how there was no changing Mabel’s mind right now. And he didn’t want to spend the entire evening rebuking her. “You did do a very good job disarming those hunters. I’m very proud of you.”

Mabel sat up a little straighter and smiled up at Ford. “Thank you.”

Ford smiled at her and stood, moving to his large backpack to fish out the things for tea and dinner, though it would probably only be dried meat and oats. “I’m just glad you’re okay, pumpkin.”

Mabel’s eyes widened as her world was put on pause. She felt like she was being sucked into a time vortex, transported into a memory.

Grunkle Stan was dusting some zombie parts off of his armchair when Mabel was walking by, leaving the kitchen after giving Soos his cure for zombification. Stan noticed that Mabel looked very tired. He smiled at her from her seat, and Mabel ran up to him and climbed into his lap for a big hug.

“Hey, you alright?” Stan asked.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Are you?”

“Oh, I’m fine. I’m just glad you’re okay, pumpkin.” And he gave her a secure squeeze and Mabel happily hugged him back.

Mabel was shoved back into reality, accompanied by a sinking feeling of loss. She missed Grunkle Stan. She missed Dipper. She missed Waddles, and Soos, and Wendy, and the Shack, and Oregon, and California, and Mom and Dad…

Ford turned back to the fire with a kettle and wire-spider in hand, ready to ask Mabel to fetch some water (she always enjoyed being of assistance), but he stopped when he saw her crying with her eyes shut and wiping her cheeks dry with her wrists. Ford was immediately halted and his priorities shifted drastically. Nothing mattered at this moment but making her feel better.

He was swift. Ford scooped up some water from the clean stream into the kettle, then used the wire-spider to hold the kettle over the fire. Giving the water plenty of time to heat up and steam, Ford gently picked Mabel up from her seat on the log, only to hold her close and let her wrap her arms around his neck. He didn’t say a word, being a social-cripple and having no idea what he could say that would make her feel better, so he stayed silent and was simply there for her.

And really, that was all Mabel needed.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning the two humans were lucky to come across a small rustic town in the woods, reminding Ford of the small Tennessee-town Fiddleford grew up in. Except of course there were no humans, but blue-skinned elves with pointy years and the occasional centaur.

Ford had stolen a bit of money from a hunter yesterday, which meant they got to restock on supplies and even buy a cheap breakfast at an outside cafe. Sitting at a table under an umbrella, Ford was going over his plan with Mabel while she munched on her sweetly-cooked purple apples tossed in spices and sugar.

“... so once we reach this cavern here, we’ll reach a very interesting town called Flush Valley. I’ve heard it specializes in building mechanical limbs and prosthetics, but it’s surrounded by rich minerals perfect for building, so we can find what we need easily here. There may even be a day-by-day job I can get to earn a bit of money for food and shelter.”

“I can work, too! Daddy always said I was like a French horse!” Mabel added in excitedly.

Ford chuckled. “We’ll see. I would feel more comfortable if you were working so I could keep an eye on you. Moving on,” The old scientist sipped his strange alien coffee, but it contained caffeine and somewhat resembled his home dimension’s coffee taste, so he drank it. “The way there could be crawling with scavengers. A lot of people come to Flush Valley just barely hanging on by a thread, easy targets for hunting and stealing food and supplies. So we need to keep our guard up for the next two days.”

“Okay.” Mabel said, as nonchalantly as if Ford told her to remember to add milk to a grocery list.

Ford gave her a firmer look and added, “So, if we think we’re being followed, what do we do?”

“We pretend we don’t know and we keep walking calmly.” Mabel replied. “We keep our eyes open for a way to lose them, and where the sneaky-peaky spies are.”

“Very good.” Ford smiled at her. “If we decide to try to lose them, what do we do?”

“Run as fast as we can. If I can’t catch up I get on your shoulders and focus on making them go away, while you get us away.”

“Yes, excellent. What do we do if we decide to confront them?”

“I grab by sling-shot and exploding rocks and hit as many guys as I can. I aim for the knees or feet so they fall and can’t shoot us. Oh, and we stand with our backs to each other so we see everything, together.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself. Now, if we are surrounded and I find a way to escape, what do you do?”

“Make sure you go in so you can lead the way!” Mabel answered with a grin.

“N-No, honey.” Ford said gently with a smile, as if informing a kindergartner that 1+1=2, not 11. “If I find a way to escape, you go first…”

“No,” Mabel said, still smiling as she shook her head. “You go first so I can make sure you’re coming.”

Ford sighed and took another sip of his drink. “Okay, if I tell you to run, you…”

“I grab your hand and run with you, making sure no one gets lost.”

“Mabel, no.”

“Mabel YES!” The girl grinned with determination. “You’re stuck with me, old man! You can’t get rid of me!”

Ford was getting annoyed at this point. He pinched the bridge of his nose, lifting his glasses up slightly, and growled, “I’m not trying to get rid of you, I’m trying to save you!”

Mabel gave him a very serious look and questioned, “By leaving me alone out here?”

“No! I-...” But Ford stopped and bit his lip. His niece did have an excellent point. As much as Ford was willing to do anything to keep her safe, as much as Ford was willing to sacrifice his own life for her’s, that really wasn’t a good idea.

There was a good chance Mabel could survive without him, at least until she found a nice family to take her in (or, somehow, miraculously, Stanley opened the portal and brought her home, but Ford didn’t dare to hope for that). But she was so young and inexperienced in the Multiverse. At least when Ford was first thrown into the chaos he was an adult and was accustomed to weirdness thanks to his six years of researching Gravity Falls. Mabel was extremely resourceful, imaginative, intelligent, and clever. She was also stronger and faster than many would assume. But she was too trusting. Too innocent. So, not to belittle Mabel or underestimate her, but she was right; she needed Ford, and as noble as it would be to exchange his life for her’s if it came down to it, that would also be incredibly stupid and only buy Mabel a little more time until she was captured or enslaved or killed or even worse.

And of course, only someone as people-smart and clever as Mabel could make Ford see that.

He sighed tiredly. “O-... Okay.” Mabel smiled proudly at him. “Okay, I’ll… I’ll try to be more careful.” Ford promised. “I… I just need you to be safe.”

“Don’t worry, I think we do a pretty good job of keeping each other safe.” Mabel complimented, holding out a bite of her fruit on a fork for Ford.

The old man held up a polite hand and declined, but his stomach turned against him and growled, and Mabel frowned at him, giving Ford a deja vu feeling of his mother forcing him and his brothers to eat their vegetables. So Ford smiled and accepted the sweetly cooked fruit. “Yes, I think so, too.”

[mde1011]

when i got into the dsmp i started a note and wrote down any quotes or moments i thought were funny, and im bored at 3 am so enjoy some of them

how is being arrested real? just walk away!!!”

⁃ “once an american always an american. go...go protests masks...or something”

⁃ “...yEAH BUT DID YOU HAVE WAP” “what’s...whats wap?” “...WORSHIP AND PRAYER”

⁃ “HOW DO YOU LIKE POLITICS MOTHERFUCKER”

⁃ “i’m naked” “...no you’re not” “i can be...”

⁃ “uhhhh i’m in a high stress situation....i deal with these poorly”

⁃ “i should go first i’m naked”

⁃ “yEAHHHH WE KILLED AN OLD MAN WITH HEART PROBLEMS”

⁃ “what are you going to do?” “i...have no idea i think i’m gonna start out by punching a tree”

⁃ “tOmmy...did i just hear you say shit ass looking mofo?”

⁃ “i aM gOinG to gEt nAkeD to iNtiMidAtE HiM”

- “...i want freedom !” “you want BALLS.”

⁃ “...down the line. yeah that’s where we discover the art of cannibalism” “oh it’s an art?” “it’s an art”

⁃ “oh there’s some logs here. wonder what they’re saying to me. uh huh. uh huh. oh yeah that’s very racist” “tommy you gotta burn those logs.” “burn ‘em before they spread their racism to other logs”

⁃ “are you pooing?” “*whisper* i’m charging up-““ “he’s ejaculating on the tent.” “he’s WHAT?”

⁃ “he’s sPEEDING. LOOK HOW FAST HES GOING” “i’ve taken so many drugs. someone tell badboyhalo”

⁃ “we should make a pact. and that pact is, uh, we make a book...and in that book...we declare that saying ‘muffin’ is a, is a slur”

⁃ “i was thinking what if one day your bladder just,,,,stopped working.....AGGGFFFFF i was tHINKING ABOUT THAT THE OTHER DAY IVE GOT TO PREPARE IVE GOT YO PREPARE thisiswhydiapersaintthatbad”

⁃ <sapnap> i think i was ordered to um

<tommyinnit> boobed

<sapnap> kill you

<tommyinnit> boobs

<sapnap> if this happens

<tommyinnit> think about boobs man

<sapnap> tsk tsk tommy

<tommyinnit> iM DISGRUNTLED

⁃ “why is this deadman so good at making drugs”

⁃ “i just learnt that a girl hero is called a heroine and it freaked me out”

⁃ “memento memento me-“ “that’s actually the worst word i know so you can’t keep saying that” “oh, really.....? have you ever heard the term ‘racist’?”

⁃ “the person who invented the phrase ‘be yourself’ hadn’t met you!”

⁃ “you seem like the type of guy whose dad would throw him overboard as a joke but he would just drown”

⁃ “shout out to dream for twerking!”

⁃ “let’s talk......let’s talk about sex” “wonderful. what do you think about sex, lazarbeam?” “i ain’t saying SHIT in front of a sixteen year old”

⁃ “what the- i think i’m seeing things” “....tommy i told you not to drink the sea water” “well i DID drink the sea water because it TOLD ME TO”

⁃ “it’s like the movie when that guy gets stranded on an island and has sex with a coconut” “whAT?? dream- dream, you vastly misinterpreted this” “it one hundred percent does”

⁃ “oh mastICATE.....isn’t that when a fish turns inside out?”

⁃ “what are some bad words YOU know, clay?” “i don’t-“ “what about ‘terrorist’?”

⁃ “my mind has to be on the same frequency as jesus when he walked on water”

⁃ “you wanna know why i was late?” “no i really do-“ “i was having a MASSIVE poo. really just a HUGE poo”

⁃ “jUST CUZ YOU TALK ABOUT POO ONCE AND THEN YOU SEE A BIG GREEN BASTARD AMD YOUR LIFE IS FLASHING BEFORE YOUR EYES AND THEN YOU CANT REMEMBER- YOU CANT REMEMBER IF IT WAS YESTERDAY OR TOMORROW YOU HURT THAT WOMAN”

⁃ “i love america. mmmmm patriotism

⁃ “LIFE IS NOT A HAPPY SONG KERMIT THE FROG”

⁃ “please stop taking the cock”

⁃ “two four six eight who do we appreciate? not the government let’s gooooooo”

⁃ “oooo look at the dogs😍” “wHAAAAAT. WHAT. THERES ACTUALLY LIKE. A MILLION DOGS HERE. WHAT THE HELL.”

⁃ “yeahhhhh bitch i stab- i don’t stab women-“ “woooooooah tommy you stab women?” “heyyyy sapnap”

⁃ “do you know what happens whne you reach the top of the ladder? there’s only one place to go.” “.....side to side😨” “down.” “...i really thought you were gonna say side to side🥺”

⁃ “one last time.” “just like in hamilton😓”

⁃ “you don’t know how many times i’ve mistaken trees for hot women”

⁃ “ i don’t feel better i just destroyed penis”

⁃ “i’ve never seen a snail with bad morals”

⁃ ��awwwwwwww😢 i’m doin’ drugs🤧 just like the good ol’ days😓” “.....define the ‘good old days’” “back when i did drugs”

⁃ “have you ever fought a baby? i have and it was trivially easy to defeat, phil.”

⁃ “the only other i egg i know about was the one i learnt about in school....not allowed to say which one....”

⁃ “did you know one of my new years resolutions is to be more like 2010 justin bieber?”

⁃ “apparently cats don’t lay eggs”

⁃ “thinking about trees- if i saw a tree with a beard mmmmmm...holy shit id hit it”

⁃ “we’re in hell dude. science doesn’t matter here”

⁃ “i cant die i cant die i’m GOD”

⁃ “hey pig your letter is the same as pussy, hmm?”

⁃ “are we cool are we COOL guys? CRYSTAL COOL like CRYSTAL METH”

⁃ “he- he’s crying because - because i killed his mother isn’t that right? mother dearest mother deadest mother gonest”

⁃ “bro ive been drinking since i was six and let me tell you...it’s not good to be drinking that young. led to some poor life decisions when i was 8” “what did you do” “i cant say” “...who did you hurt” “....only myself”

⁃ “je suis” “ay i know what that mean you prick” “what does it mean” “it means you’re racist dickhead”

⁃ “i’d never poo in the presence of a women- which is why i’m scared to get a girlfriend i think i’d just explode”

⁃ “biff tannen is one of my idols”

⁃ “black widow died and i thought ‘wow it should’ve been the man’ because he’s a man”

⁃ “there’s a character called captain america and i think he’s stupid”

⁃ “i’m a GOOD LAD i’ve got GOOD MORALS and if i’ve DONE SOMETHING WRONG it WASNT MY FAULT I JUST GOT A LITTLE EXCITED”

⁃ “sam....what’s the longest you’ve ever wiped your arse? for me it’s 48 minutes”

⁃ “why are you standing in the shitter?” “....that’s a SINK” “uhhh welllll” “hAVE YOU SHAT IN THE SINK?????”

⁃ “you’re like a living ghost” “...i think that’s called a human, tubbo”

⁃ “maybe i accidentally kill ranboo and we just never see him again *laughs* ay? and then i go ‘april foooools!!!’ and then i kill their child. i kill him”

⁃ “you built a penis” “it’s a PENIS OF SAFETY”

⁃ “i saw the penis of safety and i pressed mouse button four my friend”

⁃ “the penis on the other side of the river is larger” “ive heard that before....”

⁃ “you’ve turned the penis into a wall” “a wall of safety is better than a penis of safety” “i think the penis was better”

⁃ “if you wanna make a penis i know where we can make a penis and i know how big we can make it”

⁃ “i don’t conceptualize death but i think i just saw it!”

⁃ “yeah i- yeah i know i’m- my first impression on eret was making him read a shrek fan fiction so- i’m not one for first impressions”

⁃ “i-i’m scared for him- i’m scared OF him. yknow the first thing he did when he saw me was imMEDIATELY strip down then jump off then immediately die?”

⁃ “where are you?” “getting stabbed, one second”

⁃ “you’ve seen the joker?” “yea-“ “i resonate a lot with that man” “...oH. oh. that’s- that’s not-“

⁃ “he bURNT DOWN MY HOUSE” “out of LOVE”

⁃ “ohhhh my god stop making me play with the neighbor kid” “o-okay if you don’t go play with him i’m kicking you out of the house-“ “wHAT THE FUCK???”

⁃ “there’s a STRIP CLUB” “oh yeah for wood!” “are you into strippers?” “i mean all it does is make the wood look different so....yeah it doesn’t really do much”

⁃ “no no we have categories, we have the poo-saster- you might have to take a shower after-“ “no, no i’m gonna stop you right there”

⁃ “as i was saying you can have a 1-to-3 wiper, that’s an A-tier poo, my friend”

⁃ “i want you to eat your sock”

⁃ “you know i’m a child- i’m a minor” “sO AM I DICKHEAD”

⁃ “everyone is calling you dresus” “yeah i am”

⁃ “ayyyy ayyyy los DROGAS LOS DROGAS” “no no big q- she’s thirteen- how does this happen with every 13 year old girl you meet?”

⁃ “my poo has muscles like i do”

⁃ “i cant hear the words among us without crying they’ll say there are aliens among us and in the back youll just hear me *choking noises*”

⁃ “tubbo...tubbo is like...tubbo is like mary” “.....did you just call me the Virgin Mary?”

⁃ “i’m just saying, have you ever seen me and jesus in the same room?”

⁃ “do you smoke sam” “all the time”

⁃ “i thought you were talking about the- the speeeeed drug”

⁃ “have you ever sold drugs to kids sam?” “......no”

⁃ “we can’t let the girlboss rule because she will gatekeepe my feelings” “that would not be good”

⁃ “THEY DIDNT INVITE ME TO KILL ME???? NOW I HAVE FOMO”

⁃ “you have obviously taken part in scientology-“ “i have not-“ “you’ve donated to tom cruises cult shit”

⁃ “....am i worse than david dobrik?” “are- are we worse than david dobrik?” “oh- oh god”

⁃ “he has broke one of the rules of the hit best seller ‘the bible’- this kind of looks like a cock”

⁃ “well i’ve moved now, KING”

⁃ “what is an angsty teen and am i one? because when i USED to hang out with my friends they use the word angst a lot”

⁃ “yeah yeah yeah i bench”

⁃ “sam i think i’m angsty i think i’m an angsty tik tok teen looking for a community to help me out”

⁃ “i don’t think you’ve followed the train of logic all the way-“ “there’s a TRAIN INVOLVED????????”

⁃ “i’m like the orange fucker from that animated rom com”

⁃ “i’m under the influence of big cock”

⁃ “it’s meeee big cock man”

⁃ “i cant look away” “sam please use your twitter alt for this” “he’s horny on maaaainnnnn” “and what’s wrong with that?” “.......”

⁃ “you’re a FUCKING IDIOT” “IM NOT A FUCKING IDIOT, BIG COCK”

⁃ “i’m gonna call you ‘cockity’ big cock” “sHUT THE FUCK UP SHUT THE FUCK UP-“

⁃ “STOP LOOKING AT IT” “ITS SO VIBRANT”

⁃ “at least this guy doesn’t have a cock-“ “itS NOT A COCK” “horny on main jesus-“

⁃ “is that a cock” “SHUT THE FUCK UP”

⁃ “.....i wanna see the inside of it again do a split”

⁃ “okay sam-“ “tommy that guy wants your cock-“ “no- no he doesn’t sam”

⁃ “sam, sam and i need you to hear this....dont. act. up.” “i don’t act up-“ “you were acting up-“ “i-“ “you were caught in 8k.” “but- but we both agree it’s not a tie-“

⁃ “please don’t tell me to kill cockity i am overwhelmed”

⁃ “why is there an anus in my tie?”

⁃ “what are the legal implications of this?” “...i mean besides hell you’re good”

⁃ “whatre the legal implications?” “i mean usually that’s a no-no but today, today it’s fine” “yeahhh lets go murder his family”

⁃ “i’d be an antivax landlord”

⁃ “jesus never does drugs” “well- well you turned water into wine king and wine is alcohol”

⁃ “can you put on pants i can’t- i cant stop looking at it- sorry tommy i know you said-“ “yeah sam i know you tried-“

⁃ “you know i fuck with satan”

⁃ “i’m sorry jesus lucifer is just such a good man-“ “oh you- hold me BACK FROM THIS FUCKER HOLD ME BACK ILL SEND HIM TO HELL YOU LIKE HELL-“

⁃ “are you jesus or just a man who grew a beard and put on a suit?”

⁃ “even the guy with his cock out is telling you to stop-“ “oh jesus, and i mean jesus-“ “shUT THE FUCK UP MAN”

⁃ “the best best way to slander him is to stop his offspring; we need to kick him the balls.....no? not a good....? alright us four each take a ball-“

⁃ “......why did jesus give him four scrotums man🙁🙁”

[anagentinwriting]

Lifeline - Part 18

Summary: (First Responders!AU) Moving to Los Angeles and living with your brother, Thor, was never part of your plan nor was being a 9-1-1 dispatcher, but plans change when you are faced with your own emergencies. In your case, it was leaving behind a relationship that wasn’t as perfect as it seemed. Will this be the fresh start you were hoping for or will your past find a way to catch up with you?

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Odinson!Sister Reader

Word Count: 3800+

Warnings: Angst, blood, violence

Lifeline Masterlist / Main Masterlist

After receiving information from dispatch about the location of Billy’s cell phone, Thor called in an anonymous tip to Fury’s team, but instead of waiting around, Nat and Thor pulled onto the interstate, following the cellphone south to San Diego. 

Thor stared out the window, resting his elbow on the window railing with his chin in his hand. “I’m sorry, Natasha, for acting like a jerk earlier. I know you were doing your job and following orders. I would’ve done the same.”

“We’ve good,” Nat replied, giving him a once over. “You doing okay?”

“I keep thinking everything will be okay, and everything will work out--” he rubbed his eyes “--but um, I don’t know… I don’t know what we are going to find when we get there? Is she gonna be mad at me, is she going to be hurt, is she gonna be…” Thor took in a sharp breath, clearing his throat. “Billy threatened to kill her once before, you know, and he almost killed Steve. I’m afraid of what we are going to find.”

“Don’t think like that,” Natasha reassured, patting him on the shoulder. “We’ll find her.” She bit her lip, nodding to herself for her own reassurance. “YN’s strong…and with everything she went through, she rebuilt her life and herself. Billy might have her, but I have a feeling he has no idea who he is dealing with now.” 

Thor nodded, “If Billy lays another one of his grimy hands on her, he will suffer a fate worse than death. He’ll be…”

“More dead?” Nat asked, trying to contain a chuckle in this highly stressed situation. 

“Yes, but I was thinking more like being stuck in rush hour traffic for the rest of his life,” Thor smirked, trying to keep the conversation light. 

“Oh yes, that sounds so much worse.”

_____________

“Where are we going?” You questioned, sneaking a peek at Billy, gripping the steering wheel. 

“We’re starting over. I’m saving us from this tricky situation you put us in.”

You leaned back into your seat, chewing on the inside of your cheek. “Right, because everything is my fault,” you grimaced, rolling your eyes. “Why don’t you get it over with and kill me? I mean, isn’t that your plan.”

“WHOA, WHOA, WHOA,” Billy retorted, widening his eyes. “I can’t imagine my life without you. Why would I want to kill you, YN; I love you. You’re all I have.”

“But, that’s it, you don’t have me,” you mumbled, wringing your hands together. “I just never got a say in the matter.”

He huffed out a breath, shaking his head. “What’s with this attitude?”

“Well…what more do I have to lose? I lost my friends and family…like yesterday, and now, you’re all I have,” you admitted with a shrug. “It’s what you wanted, right? Me and you, both ghosts, living in the shadows, or did this car come with new identities, too? Oh wait, is that what’s in the duffle bag in the backseat?”

“Why would you think that?” He narrowed his eyes, licking his lips.

“Well, a creepy guy with a scar and milky eye drops off a car at a gas station. Now, doesn't that sound like the start of a bad joke? I mean, he definitely didn’t look like a criminal or a bad guy in his dark suit, and his name sounded so original, Agent Orange. I think I know a few people by that name.” You pressed your lips together, tilting your head. “On the other hand, if he looked like a dad, wearing crispy white boys on his feet, jean shorts, and a polo shirt. It would have been an immediate red flag.”

Billy smirked, shaking his head. “Luckily for you, you don’t have to worry. I have our lives all planned out, but I did miss your snarky attitude. Whatever happened to it?”

“I will give you a hint,” you leaned over the center console, “if you look in a mirror, you could probably spot the reason.” 

“Touche,” He added, cracking a smile, making the corners of his dark eyes crinkle. He gently grabbed your hand in his, sending an unpleasant shiver through your body, and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of your hand. You tried not to make a face as he lowered your conjoined hands back onto the center console. 

“I want you to know it isn’t going to be like this forever. We’ll get past this like we always do. I will forgive you, you will forgive me, and we’ll start over in this new city, meet new people, and create a whole new life for ourselves.” He squeezed your hand. “You can forget about the life you created yourself because you're never going back to that. This is our chance to start over...together.” 

____________

Nat pulled up behind two other police cruisers and a Chrysler 300 Black Sedan. Thor jumped out before she could get it into park and jogged up to the Chrysler but was stopped by Fury's hand. 

“Thor, for what do I owe this pleasure?” Fury asked, his one eye-widening, looking him up and down.

“Is she here? Is my sister here?” Thor gulped, looking past Fury to try and get a better look, but the officers were retreating away from the vehicle. 

“No, she’s not.” Thor’s shoulder sank, letting out a breath. “But, I assume you were the one who called in the anonymous tip.”

“Me… anonymous tip…no, no, that doesn’t sound like something I would do.” He shook his head while Nick stared him down.

“Odinson, I listened to the tape, and it sounded just like you.”

“Did it? Huh?” Thor rubbed his chin, staring hard at the ground.

“Seeing it will be better if we just work together at this point. I want you to know that we were able to recover the video surveillance from your sister's home, and we can confirm it was her husband, Billy Russo.” 

“I told you this. I told you the night it happened.” Thor shook his head. “And it’s her ex. Ex-husband,” Thor corrected, placing his hands on his hips. “So what…we have nothing now?”

“Russo is smart and is playing his moves carefully. He knows what he is doing, making all the right moves, but he'll mess up, and when he does, we will find him.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less from him given his background,” Nat stated, coming up to stand next to Thor. “Are we even sure this is the right vehicle?”

Fury narrowed his eyes at her, raising his voice. “Believe it or not Ms. Romanoff, but we do know how to track a phone and find a vehicle.” She smirked at his change in attitude. “And for your information, there was a 911 call placed earlier this morning from a gas station near San Diego. A mother and daughter found a note with YN’s name, Russo’s name, the vehicle description, and the license plate number. It said to give this information to the police. This would explain how Russo’s phone ended up in this car.” Nick pointed over his shoulder at the Chrysler. “YN made a smart move, but Russo must have pulled a fast one on her and switched cars at the last minute, so it doesn’t do us much good right now.”

“Did they see YN at all? Was she okay? Was she hurt...”

Fury held up his hand, and Thor shut his mouth. “Yes. The woman mentioned her looking a little beaten up but seemed hopeful.”

“When I find this bastard, I am going to…” Thor bit his tongue, clenching his fist and punching it into his palm. He mumbled to himself, shaking his head, stepping away from them.

“How’s your friend in the hospital? Any word yet?” Fury asked Nat, who narrowed her eyes at the scene behind him.

“He’s in recovery now. They're keeping a close eye on him.”

“Good.” Fury’s eye caught on to Thor’s unexplainable gestures while he paced back and forth. “What would you say about getting your friend a bulletproof vest; he looks like he could do something reckless.”

“I do have an extra one in the cab; I’ll give it to him for safe measure.”

“Excellent.”

“Since this is the correct car, who is the man behind the wheel? Any connection to Russo?” Nat questioned, staring at the black sedan. Thor returned, giving Nat a reassuring nod.

“We haven’t looked into much yet, but his name is William Rawlins. He is the COO of Cerberus and says it’s a company vehicle but doesn’t know who used it before him. He checked it out to run a quick errand over his lunch break, but we are headed back to his office now to look over the record logs.”

“What’s Cerberus?” Thor asked, looking between Nat and Nick for more information.

“It’s a security firm in San Diego, but I think they have different branches all over the country now. It protects public officials, and they also have a private investigating sector that started up a few years ago. I was on a case with one of their ‘agents’ as they call themselves, and he was an asshole.” Nat informed him, Nick nodded in agreement.

“Sounds a lot like Anvil,” Thor added, rubbing a hand over his scruff. “If this is a company vehicle, then someone must be helping Billy. For all we know it’s this Rawlins, and he’s playing us.”

“As much as we want to speculate at this point, it’s too early to tell.” Nat shrugged, and Fury nodded.

“Why would Cerberus remind you of Anvil? What is this Anvil?” Nick inquired, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Oh, it’s a security firm Billy works at in New York City. He’s in the private investigating sector there.”

“Is there any reason to believe that Anvil is a branch of Cerberus?” Nat raised a brow at him, and Thor narrowed his eyes, processing the information.

“If there is a connection between the two, this could be it,” Nick answered.

_____________

You sat back in the passenger seat, opening up the glove box, seeing a map of California, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona. “Where is this new home of ours going to be?”

“You’ll see,” Billy replied with his elbow resting on the door and his head in his hand.

“What are you going to expect me to do? Am I going to get a job, or are you going to make me stay at home and be your trophy wife?”

“Would that be a bad thing? It’s not like you liked being a 911 dispatcher.”

You swallowed, wringing your hands together. “But, I did.”

He scoffed, shaking his head.“You like being in the action, getting dirty in the line of duty, and seeing it first hand. You don’t like being behind a desk, waiting to answer a monitor every time a call comes in.”

“I might not be where the action is, but I am still helping people. I might not see them or get to meet them, but I’m here to help them with whatever they are going through. Using your voice to help is hard, but sometimes that’s all people need to hear to put them at ease and give them a sense of safety.”

“Hmmm, okay,” he snorted, smirking into his hand. 

“You have to give me something.”

“I don’t have to give you anything,” he grumbled, running his hand through his hair. 

“Well, how do you expect me to trust you again if you don’t tell me what’s going on?”

He licked his lips, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. “Trust me; You want to know how you can trust me? That’s rich because I could ask you the same question. Can I trust you?” 

“You don’t have to trust me, but don’t you think I should know what we are getting into. Shouldn’t we at least have a plan once we get to where we are going? People ask questions, Billy, and don’t you think it would be a good idea to figure it out before we get there?”

Billy remained silent, gripping the steering wheel tight. He licked his lips, scrunching up his face enough to form a crease on his forehead. “Do you think I’m an idiot? How do I know that if I tell you, you aren’t going to use the first phone you find to call someone.”

“You don’t,” you answered with a shrug. “But you’re gonna have to trust me a little eventually if you want to make us work again.”

He glanced between you and the road, fighting a battle in his head. He clenched his jaw, letting out a defeated breath. “You’re right; you’re always right.” He licked his lips, shaking his head. “I’m giving us the fresh start we both need, and everything we need is in the bag in the back.”

You turn in your seat, reaching for the bag, and put it on your lap. You unzip it, staring at the contents inside. A rubber band was wrapped around new Arizona IDs and new passports with new names on them. A container with an assortment of keys and enough cash that could get you through at least a few months. 

You reached into the bottom of the bag and pulled out three framed pictures of you and Billy. One of you posing and smiling at each other when you first started seeing each other, another one of you at the wedding altar saying I do, and the third, standing close to each other on your honeymoon with the ocean behind you. You swallowed, staring at each one. They were supposed to bring back happy memories, but it only brought back the nightmares this relationship turned into. 

“It’s not a home without a few personal touches, right?” Billy shot you a warm smile, and as much as you wished it was sincere, you knew it wasn’t.

“Right,” you breathed, putting everything back and tossing it in the backseat. “So we are moving to Phoenix, then what?”

Billy raised his eyebrows. “We’re going to lay low for a bit until this mess dies down, and I can trust you again.” He throws you a quick glance, rubbing his gauze-wrapped wrist where Cosmo bit him. “Then, once we are a happy couple again, I’ll be taking on a new position at the Cerberus Phoenix branch.”

“What do you expect me to do once we are a happy couple again?” You bit your lip, feeling a lump rise in your throat. 

“Let’s not get into specifics right now.” He reached over and grabbed your hand.  “I want you to focus on forgetting about your life in LA and everyone in it. They’re not important anymore. It’s you and me, together forever, like we always planned.” He nodded, squeezing your hand for reassurance. 

You gave him a quick nod, fighting the tears threatening to escape. You turned your head to look out the passenger side window. The world outside was becoming a blur, and you were stuck inside with Billy, and there was no way to get out. He had a solid plan that left little room for error. Once they arrived in Phoenix, you wouldn’t exist anymore; Billy wouldn’t exist anymore. You would disappear, and those you cared about would be left wondering. Wondering if you were okay; wondering if you were even still alive; wondering how they let this happen to you. You blinked, feeling a few tears escape down your cheeks as you swallowed back a sob. Your friends, family, and Steve were gone, and right now, you might as well be too. 

____________

The police unit pulled into Cerberus, following the Chrysler through the electric gate and up the short drive until they came across a facility beyond the gate. It was a modern building, heavily secured and well secluded from the main road. 

Fury and Nat walked behind Rawlins while Thor stayed towards the back, taking everything in. He readjusted his bullet-proof vest underneath his shirt and sweatshirt, trying to get used to the tight feeling around his upper body. He didn’t want to wear it, but Nat insisted.

Inside the building, everything had white and gray tones to it from the furniture to the walls. Everything looked pristine and clean, almost like they were hiding something. Thor smiled at the lady behind the front desk, causing her to blush. He continued following the rest of the group up the floating steps to the second floor to an office at the end of the hall.

Fury and Nat began questioning Rawlins, sitting behind his desk. Thor stood off towards the back of the room, half-listening and half scanning his surroundings. If something was connecting him to Russo, he wasn’t going to talk about it; instead, he would have to search for it. 

His office looked like every big wig’s office he’d seen in the movies.  Floor to ceiling windows, showcasing a beautiful view of the trees on the property. Another wall was lined with artwork and a few bookshelves, filled with books that were probably more for show than actual reading. Thor’s eyes traveled to the walls behind him, noticing a bunch of framed photos hanging on the wall in sort of a college way. He took a step closer, noticing how each frame had an engraved plate under it, stating what branch of Cerberus it was and its location.  

“Would anyone else have access to company vehicles?” Fury asked with his pad and pen in hand.

“No, only company employees.”

“Does that include employees from other branches of Cerberus or just current in-house employees, so to speak.”

“Nope, all employees from any branch are welcome to a vehicle as long as they have proper ID,” Rawlins answered, leaning back in his chair. “Who is the young lady that is missing? Maybe one of my teams can assist you. We don’t do many missing person cases, but we are more than happy to help.”

“Oh no, that won’t be necessary,” Fury replied, holding up his hand. “But, we do have reason to believe you know the captor.”

“I’m sorry.” Rawlins looked taken aback, and in some ways, offended. “But this is news to me. I have many employees, so you will have to be more specific.”

Thor read off the frames one by one and glanced at every single picture. He needed to find a connection so he could find you. He clenched his jaw, reading the plates: Vistacorp, Arizona; Vancorp, Texas, and his eyes stopped on the next photo. He didn’t even need to read the plate to know it said Anvil, New York City. He narrowed his eyes at the picture, seeing Rawlins shaking Billy’s hand, and he had that stupid smile on his face that could win everyone over. 

“His name is Billy Russo.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t recall anyone by that name.”

Thor growled, tearing the picture off the wall, starling everyone, and marched across the room. “Don’t know him, then why are you shaking his hand in this picture,” Thor shouted, throwing the picture on the desk. 

“Oh, look at that he works at the New York branch.” Rawlins scanned the picture before placing it back on the table. “Why are you including me in this accusation? I don’t have anything to do with him or this abduction. I didn’t even know he was in town.” He sat up straighter in his chair, folding his hands together, and placed them on the desk in front of him.

An officer opening the door pulled everyone’s attention away from Rawlins and to the female officer. She handed Fury a piece of paper, whispering something in his ear. Fury nodded, dismissing her. He unfolded the paper, reading what it said before folding it backup and stuffing it in his pocket. “It’s a bit funny how this picture is saying one thing, and you’re saying something completely different. It’s like the picture is lying, and you are telling the truth. I don’t know what I am supposed to believe.”

“I am telling the truth. I have had no contact with--” he pulls the picture back to him “--this Russo since this picture.”

“Then, why was Russo the last person to check out the car, and according to this, he has yet to return the vehicle back to this facility. So how did you check the car out at noon if it wasn’t even on-site?”

Rawlins sat on the other side of the table, staring blankly at the three of them. He licked his lips and tilted his head at them. “Huh? How about that?” He let out a dark chuckle, shaking his head. “Well, I honestly thought it was going to take you longer to figure it out, Detective Fury, but you surprised me. All of you did.” He pointed to each of them, his sinister smile never faltering. 

“Where is she?” Thor growled, leaning over the table mere inches from Rawlins's face.

“That’s the thing about Billy,” he licked his lips, challenging Thor. “He is sneaky and quiet. He can hide in plain sight, is fast on his feet, and knows just the right time to strike. If you haven’t found them yet, you aren’t going to. They're both gone, and you’re going to have to live with the fact that you failed her.”

Without further hesitation, Thor punched him straight in the face and knocked him to the floor. Thor slid across the desk to find Rawlins, clutching his broken nose as it bled into his mouth. Thor grabbed him by the collar and punched him again when an officer rushed over and dragged Thor off of him. Thor grunted, pushing the officer into the wall with his nostrils flaring. He headed right back for Rawlins, but Nat stood in his path, pushing on his chest and forcing him to stop.  

“Forget about him. Don’t listen to him, Thor,” Nat commanded. “He’s not worth it; put this energy into finding YN and Russo, and then take it out on him.” Thor stopped in an instant, giving her a quick nod.  

The officer that held Thor back went over to Rawlins and put his face down on the hardwood floor. He started reading him his Miranda Rights and slipped the cuffs around his wrists.

“You’re lucky only your nose is broken, and both your eyes don’t match, asshole,” Thor threatened as Rawlins was escorted out of the office. 

“Feel better?” Fury asked, standing up from his seat.

“No,” Thor answered in a gruff voice, leaning against Rawlins desk and crossing his arms across his chest. “He’s right, you know…Billy is good at hiding. I mean, we didn’t even know he was following her.” He ran a hand down his face. “He does this for a living. Reads crime scenes, follows the evidence, finds suspects, and solves cases. He knows what we are looking for and makes sure to drive us in the opposite direction. He is good at what he does and probably even better at making someone disappear.”

______

 AN: Thanks for reading Part 18! Just when you think they have something to go on, they are one more step behind. Thor sure did sack Rawlins pretty good though, but he did deserve it. And it's a good thing Rawlins was slacking on his paperwork, or maybe he just didn't have time to change the name to who checked the car out! 🤷‍♀️ On the plus side, at least they were able to track Billy's cellphone (the wrong one, but it was something), they know about the note she left in the gas station, found 'the other guy' but still got nothing...or do they?! 🤔 Not sure if any of you understood the crispy white boys reference, but it's usually the white tennis shoes dads wear on their feet! It's an Instagram reference me and my friends use all the time now! 😂😂 I will say she is getting more confident and seems to be pushing all the right buttons to get information from him, but he isn't giving much away. And can she trust him enough to know that he is telling the truth? The plot thickens...as always thanks for reading! Comments are always welcome! 

[teddy06writes]

Pirate/Mermaid AU

requested by this anon: “Alright. Hear me out. Pirate Sapnap x Mermaid(fem) Reader. Finna Sapnap and the bois end up in a shipwreck and then reader tosses them all on shore and nurses them back to health type beat. Idrc, I just need that pirate AU. Please and thank you!”

{*Pulls out notebook of mermaid lore, with folk lore from everywhere around the world including tumblr, fresh vs salt water mermaids, shallow vs abyssal mermaids, mermaid sizes based on sightings, and legends, and lets it drop onto table* Boy oh boy have I been waiting for this}

{Like seriously tho} 

Pirate!Sapnap x fem!mermaid!reader

trigger warnings: swearing  mentions of drowning

premise: pirate sapnap and his crew wined up in a shipwreck, and naturally, since your passing by, you figure you might as well save them. As you help them recover, you can’t help but revel in the stories Sapnap tells of traveling around the high seas, well you’ve never been able to leave your cove. Eventually, when the time comes, there is a choice to make

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

Days since you washed over the Reef 323:

You floated lazily alongside what was left of the wrecked ship as Sapnap moved about, trying to find more worth scavenging. 

“I thought you got everything out of there.” You said, twisting to lean your fore arms on the now sideways knee wall of the ship. 

“Well, we’ll need all of it if we want to make anything that can make it proper back to the smp.” He explained, dropping some of the less water logged planks onto the raft.

You nodded, still looking up at him quizzically, “Where will you go? After the smp of course.” 

Sapnap paused, sitting down on the edge of the boat, “Mm, probably back further south, it’s nice down there.” 

“Where's your favorite place out there?” You implored. 

“There's lots of cool places,” He chuckled, running a hand through his scraggly hair, “I suppose the land Karl rules over, he calls it party island. Its quite a good time.” 

“Sounds interesting.” You smiled, letting your chin rest on your arms.

“It’s one of the only places that doesn’t have a constant warrant out for our arrest, so that's good enough, even if the locals are- strange.” 

“Stranger than you?” You smirk. 

A grin crossed his face as he reached down to flick water your direction, “Stranger than merfolk.” 

“Hey!” You protested, raising your tail to splash water back at him. 

He laughed, “You wouldn’t dare!” 

“You underestimate me!” You brought your tail down on the surface of the water, splashing him.

Still laughing Sapnap went back to gathering what he could find out on what was left of the main deck, dropping it back down onto the raft before climbing on, “Lets go get Ranboo then.” 

You nodded, grabbing hold of part of the raft and beginning to swim across to the other half of the wreck, where the other boy had been doing scavenging of his own. 

“Ahoy there!” The younger mans voice rang out from the back side of the wreck, “I’ve found a way into the hold!” 

“Where?” Sapnap asked, eagerly climbing off the raft and onto the rocky reef the ship had been sunk on. 

“Round over here!” Ranboo finally appeared from the side of the wreck, “You have to swim a little, but there's a hole in the ship, I made it big enough to get through!” 

“How water logged is everything?” 

“Ehh, not too bad, we can probably get a decent amount of it.” Ranboo itched at the back of his head. 

Sapnap grinned, immediately scrambling across the rocks towards the other side of the ship, “Lets go then!” 

 You sighed as they both disappeared, pulling yourself up to sit on the raft,  long tail still half dipped in the water, glumly calling, “Good luck.” 

“Don’t sound so upset! I bet if you really wanted to you could get over here!” Sapnap’s voice came muffled from somewhere within the hold. 

You scoffed, “Yeah, and get myself so busted up on those rocks that I can’t keep you fools out of trouble.”

Ranboo’s head appeared again, as he heaved a chest up and onto the reef, “We don’t need to be kept out of trouble.” 

You cocked an eyebrow, “You two were the ones who got in a shipwreck.”

“Your the one who got stuck in this cove,” Sapnap pointed out, coming back into view with a chest of his own, “Fish in a bowl.” 

“Well at least I had an excuse for getting thrown over this damn wall.” You snapped. 

After that it was quiet as you climbed off the raft, carful not to knock anything to the water as they loaded up the chests, quickly going back for another round and stacking them on the raft. 

You sighed, holding the raft steady as they tried to find a way to get everything to balance, “At least one of you is going to have to swim. This isn’t gonna work.” 

Ranboo and Sapnap looked at each other for a moment before Sapnap nodded at the raft, and Ranboo climbed on, almost reluctantly, “You know if I swam too we could get more stuff on here.” 

“Too late,” You said, letting go of the raft and letting yourself sink back down into the water for a moment, quickly reemerging as Sapnap went to jump from the reef, “Be careful. I’m not dragging your dumb ass back to shore again.” 

He rolled his eyes, “You worry too much.” 

“No one said I was worried.” You scoffed. 

Off to the side Ranboo faked gaged, grabbing one of the planks to use as a makeshift oar and began to paddle away, “You guys are the worst!” 

You chuckled, quickly moving out of the way as Sapnap jumped down into the water yelling, “Race you to shore!” 

Rolling your eyes you began to swim, “There's literally no way for you to beat me!”

Sure enough you quickly pulled ahead, grabbing a hold of the raft to pull it with you, chuckling as Ranboo began to yell joking insults back toward Sapnap, then as you drew closer to the shore, Karl joining in, despite having no clue what was going on. 

As the water grew shallow Ranboo jumped off the raft, pulling it up to shore, Sapnap hurrying to help him upon reaching the same depth. 

Karl waved at you before grabbing the first of the chests, pulling it up onto the shore before beginning to rummage through its contents. 

Smiling you slowly began to drift back out away from the shore, pulling yourself up onto one of the few smooth rocks that littered the cove, sudenly tired from the trips back and forth, content for now to just relax in the sun. 

~~

Days since you washed over the reef: 325

Your dreams of the terrible storm that had landed you trapped within the cove were interrupted by a soft call of your name. 

“Hmm?” You rubbed at your eyes, sitting up to see that the sun had mostly set, and to see Sapnap standing at the end of the rickety pier that they had built during there first week stranded. 

“Hey.” He smiled. 

“Hey yourself.” You slipped off your rock, quickly swimming over to him. 

He sat down at the edge of the dock, offering a large piece of watermelon to you, “This is the last of the watermelons, Karl’s already started planting the seeds but hopefully we won’t be stuck here that long.” 

You frowned, “How you gonna get out of here?” 

“We’re gonna try to make a ship that’ll hold together long enough to get to Boomerville. We should be able to figure things out from there.” He explained, looking out to the open ocean. 

“Your gonna make a ship?” You looked up at him, confused, “How? There’s only four of you.”

Sapnap shrugged, “We can salvage parts of the ship, and we can cut the trees from the island. Bad thinks we could swing it.” 

You sighed, hauling yourself up onto the pier, Sapnap scooting to the side to make room, “You really think you can get out of here?” 

“Yeah,” The dock was quiet for a moment, the only sounds coming from the waves lapping at the shore before he offered, “You could come with us, if you wanted.”

You looked over at him, “How? I don’t even see how you could get a boat out of here, let alone me.” 

“Well, you know how yesterday everyone was gone?” He rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly. 

Your brow furrowed, confused, “Yeah?” 

“We were kind of exploring the other side of the island. There's a gap in the reef, we should be able to get through.” 

You looked at him for a moment longer before looking down the coast of the island, you’d been trapped here for nearly a year and had never been able to find a way to the other side, “How am I meant to get to the other side of the island?” 

 “I’m sure we could figure out something,” Sapnap shrugged, almost chuckling, “I mean unless your lying and you’ve lived in this cove your whole life.” 

“Why would I lie about that?” You demanded. 

He held up his hands in defense, “Woah woah woah! I just figured the reef extends out away from the island, surely you’d gone around far enough to find the gap!”

You half wrapped your arms around your torso, “The reef isn’t in a perfect ring, it ellipses up to the shore, you should’ve seen that. Plus, There’s a wall where the rocks extend out to the coast south from here, none of the gaps are big enough for me to fit though.

“I may not be an abyssal mermaid but I’m not the same size as whoever made those. Fucking shallow water mermaids. Never take anyone else into consideration.” You huffed. 

“What?” He laughed. 

You couldn’t help but glare at him, “They’re inconsiderate! Just because they have less space to swim in doesn’t mean that the rest of us have the same sized tail!” 

Sapnap just kept laughing, so you moved to climbed back off the pier and into the water, starting to swim away, laughing even as you called, “You’re an asshole!” 

~~

Days since you washed over the sea wall: 334

Since the castaways had gotten the idea to make a ship they had only spent there days felling trees and working them into planks, as well as trying to salvage more boards from the wrecks.

You watched as they toiled, offering help where you could, though you still doubted there plans. 

Now you were perched back on the pier, quietly wrapping a bandage around Karl’s arm, “I told you all that those rocks are dangerous.” 

He shrugged, “We didn’t think they were that bad. Besides we’ve climbed over them like that before.” 

“If you could climb those easily without getting cut I’d be long gone from here.” You muttered bitterly. 

“We’ll find a way to get you out of here,” Karl smiled sympathetically, chuckling, “I doubt Sapnap would let us leave without you.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You asked, looking up at him. 

He giggled, glancing back up toward the wood where the shelter had been made weeks before, “Nothin.”

“mhhhm.” You hummed warily, tying off the bandage and  setting down your supplies before slipping back into the water, “Try not to get that wet.” 

He nodded absently, looking at the material before looking back at you, “I guess it was lucky that trunk was sealed. Hey, what did you do before we found those- to keep the cuts clean that is.” 

“Oh uh- kelp works, just about the same. That’s what I used on you guys after you landed here, and when I ended up here.” You explained. 

“You put sea weed on us instead of bandages??!” Bad yelled from up the shore, “That's not sanitary!” 

“It was kelp! Dude its like basic first aid! That’s all we had!” You retorted. 

“Ewww sea vegetables!” Ranboo yelled dramatically. 

“Dude shut up kelp is literally the most versatile thing! As long as you have kelp your set for life!” You argued, barley holding back giggles.

“But its weird!” Ranboo argued. 

You chuckled to yourself, turning and diving into the water, reemerging to swim closer to the beach, tossing a long piece of kelp to hit him in the face, “Kelp!” 

Everyone began to laugh as you retreated back into deeper water, swimming back and forth as Ranboo pealed the kelp from his face, “That was just plain rude!” 

Sometime later, after everyone had gone back to the shelter you found yourself slowly swimming back to the underwater cave that had been serving as your home since you’d ended up here.

You laid back on one of the rocks, stretching your tail and flexing your fins as you shuffled down to get comfortable, tugging a random drifting piece of hair out of your face you stared up at the ceiling.

Following the pattern of the rocks you sighed, what would happen when the ship was built, if ever? would they find a way for you to go with them? Or would they just leave you alone again?

Your thoughts slowly spiraled, going over the limited possibilities of what could happen, thinking of being alone again, when something knocked against the mouth of the cave. 

Slowly you rose, swimming the small distance to look out and see the bottom of the raft. 

A moment later you were swimming up and hauling yourself up onto the raft next to Sapnap, wringing water from your hair, “What’s up?”

“Stars are out.” He mumbled, gesturing up to the sky.

You nodded, leaning back to prop yourself back on your elbows, “Used to watch them, every night. From where ever I was staying that night. Now I don’t really see reason too.” 

“Why wouldn’t there be reason to?” He asked. 

“There always the same stars here. I used to be able to travel far enough to see different stars every night, but now there always the same.” You searched the heavens as you spoke.

He  glanced over at you, “We’ll see new stars once the ship is built.” 

You really think that building a ship will work?” 

“Maybe,” He murmured, “We’re trying to find a way to get you over there.”

“I don’t want to be alone again.” You mumbled, turning to look at him. 

Sapnap looked you in the eyes, “You won’t be, if I can help it.” 

“And if you can’t?” 

He opened his mouth, but made no reply, instead staying focused on the sky. 

You sighed, moving to slide back off the raft, “At least some stars remain.” 

Days Since You Washed Over The Sea Wall: 378

You swam back and fourth anxiously, today was it- today was the day that they made the attempt to sail from the cove. 

As far as you knew, the ship, which was apparently little more than a shoddy row boat, had been completed through much work, and today was the day they ventured out. 

Despite many weeks passing, no one had been able to come up with any plan to get you across the island, so now you were left in wait, hoping to see the boat come around the island, to try to find a new way to get you over the wall. 

Time seemed to pass slowly as you stared out over the sea wall, wondering if they had abandoned you completely. 

The sun had fully risen in the sky and yet they still weren’t appearing, your thoughts spiraling, coming to the conclusion that they truly had just left you. 

Taking a shaky breath you swam up to the sea wall, moving along it to what you made was where it held the least width, searching the wall almost desperately. 

A wave, almost larger than one you’d seen in a while rolled over the wall, pushing you back before re exosing the top of the wall, and with another deep breath you grabbed a section of the wall, ignoring the way it cut into your hand, and beginning the slow process of hauling yourself up. 

Just getting to perch on the wall found cuts on the palms of yours hands, and a scrape across your side, as well as a dull ache in your tail from where it slapped across the rocks. 

Still the shipwrecked pirates were no where to be seen. 

You continued to struggle across the rocks, slowly making your way to the ocean, dropping off the wall and into the water to feel a large pain across your back, still you ignored it, desperately starting to swim forward. 

The ocean was rougher than you excepted it to be, after all it had been over a year since you’d left the protection of your cage. 

You dived down, the stinging of pain from your cuts overtaking the feeling of freedom as you slowly resurfaced, only to be met with yet another huge wave. 

By the time the ‘ship’ had finally made it around the island, fighting against the rougher sea, you were no where in sight. 

“(y/n)!” Sapnap yelled, looking over the cove. 

“(y/n)!” Ranboo echoed. 

Bad struggled against the rudder, “Hurry up!” 

“(y/n)! Where are you? We’ve gotta go!” 

There yells were all in vain, not one of them reaching your ears, deep under the water, mostly unconscious in the cave that you’d barley managed to drag yourself into. 

~~ Days Since You Washed Over Sea Wall: 421

You sighed, carefully pulling yourself up onto the rickety old pier, rubbing gently at the scar that now crossed your torso, before laying back and staring up at the sky, trying to remember the way it had been to not be alone. 

The physicals wounds had healed, sure, but still the mind numbing loneliness was beginning to get to you yet again.

You stared up at the sky, wishing that at least the stars were there, but you were met only with the sun. 

“(y/n)!” 

You shot straight up as the familiar call echoed in your ear, “What the fuck?” 

“(y/n)!” The yell came again. 

“You mother fucker!” You shouted, dropping off of the pier and swimming as fast as you could out into the water. 

(y/n)!” Was repeated yet again as you all but crashed into Sapnaps arms.

“You fucking asshole!” You repeated, looking from the pirate to the ship that had laid anchor outside the reef, already starting to pull him toward the shore, “I thought you weren’t coming back! I went out there after you! Busted myself up!” 

He glanced over your various scars, both the older and the newer before hugging you again, not worrying as you continued to tread water, “I didn’t mean too.” 

“What the hell though? I Thought you left me.” You repeated.

“I told you not if I could help it.” 

[peachy-writings]

Merry Bad Ending | Eric Sohn AU

Content: Angst; Fluff; Nostalgia | Gender neutral reader

Warnings: One mention of alcohol

Word Count: 3.5k

Masterlist

A/N: repost from my old blog

[D-Day | This ecstatic, merry bad end]

You’re standing right in front of him, and yet he knows that the plane he hears tearing through the atmosphere is coming for you.

The vehicle that will take you far, far away from here. From him. It feels as though he met you just a day ago, and now here you go. Slipping between his fingers like the sand on the beach in which he first sat next to you. Unexpecting of the way in which you would be pulled toward him, and him to you. From the start, there was this ineffable magnetism that kept the two of you meeting up at that same beach each night.

The same time as yesterday. Meet in the same place.

But now there is no longer a tomorrow, for the next day when he wakes up, he will swear it wasn’t all a dream. He will go to that same beach a few more times until he decides that this place just isn’t the same without you. Even though he’s been here for a long while before you arrived, somehow everywhere is soaked in you. Memories that wind the gears in his head, those moments flashing behind his eyes all at once.

“You know that night I took you to that restaurant after you got way too drunk at the bonfire?” He suddenly asks, a smile slowly splitting his face when he spies the recognition in your eyes.

“I do,” you tell him, an amused puff of air leaving your nose. “You tried to sober me up by feeding me like a baby. And I ended up falling asleep on you.”

He giggles, a sound so pleasant when it caresses your ears. You love it when his face lights up like that and you can see the joy sparkling in his eyes. You want to burn that beautiful smile into your mind like a plasma TV set on pause for too long.

“And I waited until they kicked us out to wake you up because you looked so cute,” he coos obnoxiously as he energetically shakes his fists in the air.

You chuckle, putting a hand over your mouth as you watch him make a spectacle of himself. Jumping around a few times before clearing his throat and realizing the perturbed faces of strangers that just want to get where they’re going.

A beat passes and his gaze draws downward to where he now holds both of your hands in his. The dazzling moment in which you reminisce as if all of this happened years ago passes in an instant. He looks up at you, the joyful glint in his eyes waning and becoming displaced by sadness. A hand detaches from his and you reach up to cups his face, thumb stroking his cheek sweetly. He can feel himself melting at your touch.

“Honestly. That night. I think that’s when I knew,” he almost whispers, hand coming up to cover yours.

“Knew what?”

“How hard this day would be.”

[D-7 | That dazzling moonlight shines upon us only]

Strangers share cheerful conversations near the volleyball net where a pair competes for the win. They bounce the ball back and forth, whooping and exclaiming into the night. The bonfire casts a warm, flickering light across the sand that almost reaches you where you stand, taking in the beach party in its entirety. It’s only your first night here. In fact, you just dropped your bags off at your hotel and came right here after hearing about the get together from the concierge.

Anyone’s invited. You’re on vacation, right? Go out and have fun, it’ll be a blast!

You are drawn like a moth to the flames of the fire, finding a seat on one of the logs surrounding the pit. Some people sit, while others gather in small or large groups all around. So much is going on around you, and you can’t decide what to focus on. A solution comes in the form of a man that plops down next to you. You can tell he’s tipsy by the way he animatedly waves his friend goodbye, not even noticing you’re next to him until he turns, jumping in sudden shock.

“Hey!” He exclaims, a smile spreading across his lips, the fire reflecting in his eyes. You swear they glow within their sockets. “I didn’t see you there.”

“That’s okay,” you respond, with an easygoing smile to mirror his.

“Did you just get here?”

“Yeah, my flight landed about... an hour ago?”

He chuckles and then nods his head. “Oh wow! Well, welcome to your first party here. Do you want me to get you a beer?”

You reject his offer, not really sure you want to drink just yet. Instead, you ask what his name is. Eric is a well fitting title for that face, you think to yourself before giving him your own name.

“So, are you here for business or pleasure?”

“I’m actually on vacation. You?”

“Hmm.” Eric slightly sinks into his spot as he thinks of how to respond, looking to the sky as if the moon will assist him. “Well, if I’m being honest, I don’t really know. One day, I just bought a one-way ticket here. Haven’t left since.”

He runs a hand through his hair, ruffling the dark red strands and revealing his entire face to you. He looks beautiful with his hair swept back and a carefree smile accentuating the apples of his cheeks. You can’t help but to think about how cute this individual is. Especially when he ends up taking you to the sandy part of the beach where people are dancing. Speakers nearby play upbeat music, the bass rumbling deep within your chest, making you want to move.

You spend the night dancing under the moonlight and developing a soft spot for this beautiful stranger. He takes your hands and twirls you around, holding you close and then letting you go. And every time he does, you always come back. Once the party begins to thin out, you both agree that it’s time to go, opting to share a cab. The ride is short, but resting your temple against his chest as he runs a hand up and down your arm makes you feel as though you are floating.

He’s such a warm, inviting person. You wonder if you’ll see him again as you watch your hotel building get closer through the cab window.

Almost as if sensing what you are thinking, he tells you “Let’s meet at the same time tomorrow. Same place.”

You choose not to answer him, leaving him only with a coy smile before you shut the door and watch the car disappear into the night.

[D-6 | The same time as yesterday, meet me in the same place]

The very next night, you find Eric on the beach again. Only, he is waist deep in ocean water, exclaiming in joy as he dunks some guy that you assume is his friend under the surface. You watch for a short while as he plays around, laughter echoing in the night, along with the playful hollering of him and the few others that join him. And then he spots you, rushing over to where you stand at the line where the water meets the sand.

“You came!” He exclaims when he is close enough, looking completely awestruck at your existence.

His hair sticks to his forehead, causing him to sweep it back with one hand. He looks like a dream, standing there, backlit by the white light of the nearly full moon. You feel silly when your knees weaken at the sight, eyes widening to take him in fully.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” you chuckle out, observing over his shoulder as his friends begin whispering and giggling behind him. You raise a finger in their direction. “What’s up with them?”

Eric swivels around for a second and flicks his hand at the group of men, causing them to swim farther away.

He turns back and lets out an amused sigh. “Care for a swim?”

You drop your phone off near the bonfire, hiding it under the hoodie you saw wrapped around Eric’s waist the night prior. And then you let him grasp your hand and pull you into the water with him.

[D-5 | A kiss that fell lightly, dimly as the morning came]

“Wanna get pancakes?” Eric’s voice is deeper in the morning, gravelly yet soft.

You hum in response, still half-asleep and not ready to separate from his warmth. His chest rumbles under your head with an airy laugh as his arms tighten around you, squeezing you around the waist like a safety mechanism.

“... Or waffles?” He continues.

Again, you hum, pushing your forehead against his neck and settling back into his touch. Another barely audible laugh from him, and then he lets out a contented sigh.

“Do you want to stay here and eat, or go out?” He asks, testing to see if you’re even listening.

“Sure,” you mumble back, to which he smiles to himself.

“Can I kiss you?”

“Yeah.”

Eric moves so that he can see your face and your eyes flutter open, perturbed because your pillow has moved without warning. You squint up at him, his grin way too conspicuous to be considered adorable at the moment.

“What are you up to?” You finally ask, settling onto your side.

“You said I could kiss you,” he teases, making a ridiculous, puckered up face at you.

“Did not.”

He frowns. “Well, do you wanna?”

“Depends.” You shuffle closer to him, placing a hand on his cheek. “Can we stay here just a little longer?”

“As long as you want,” he promises, now just a hair away from your lips.

You share a feather light kiss there within the soft linen sheets as the sun peaks its head above the horizon, shrouding the room in vibrant, orange tones. The light creeps over you, as does he so that he can kiss you again before pulling you out of bed with an excitable grin.

“Okay, so pancakes?!”

[D-4 | Night and day, filled with you]

Eric’s head rests upon your lap and your hands run through his hair. You are in his flannel shirt and it’s so soft on your skin, the moment so warm. You feel like this night is endless, the fatigue tugging at your eyelids unable to stop you from staying here as long as his heart desires. It feels like you’re in a movie, everything so clear and crisp around you. The dissonance in the night’s song is a rhythm you want to remember every nuance of for a long time to come. 

Cars pass by somewhere down the hill from where you are, settled on a bench in a secluded area of a public park. The air is filled with the night’s thick perfume, intertwining with the clean scent that drifts off of Eric’s clothes, as well as himself. You asked what cologne he used yesterday and he said none. You aren’t sure what he smells of, but it reminds you of that warm fragrance that wafts off of freshly washed linens, but permanently.

You let your eyes fall down from the ocean view to look upon him. He grins up at you, hair a mess from being run through so many times, but still as handsome as ever. He stretches out on the bench and takes in a deep breath, letting it out a moment later.

“Everything feels so new, y’know?” He muses.

“What do you mean?”

“Like, I’ve been here for so long. But as soon as you popped up, it’s like I’m seeing new colors in the things I’ve seen so many times they’re practically memorized. Every detail.” He pauses, gaining an introspective expression; his eyes soften, brows crease, lips part. “But somehow, it’s like I missed a whole other layer that was hiding in plain sight.”

“Be honest with me, Eric,” you say, straight faced.

“Hm?”

“Are you drunk?”

You break out into an amused grin when he laughs and tells you to leave him alone, albeit with a smile of his own.

“I’m just kidding.” You take a second to admire the view as you think of what to say next. “I get that, though. Sometimes people can change the way you see things. I think that’s beautiful, don’t you?”

“I think you’re beautiful,” he responds with such a quickness that you believe he’s been waiting to use that line on you for quite some time.

“Alright. We’re done here.”

He pouts at you. “But I still wanted to go get ice cream.”

You laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, flinging your arms around him when he sits up and taking him by surprise because he’s usually the affectionate one out of you two. But an unexpected rush of emotions ends up with you in his arms, bubbly giggles defying your will as they leave your mouth.

“Why so ecstatic all of a sudden?” He asks, automatically hugging you back as if he’s done it a thousand times.

“I don’t know,” you breathily sing, suddenly caught up in the moment. “I just feel so happy right now.”

He leans down and kisses your temple before snuggling into you.

“I'm glad I can do that for you.”

[D-3 | To that place that isn’t so far]

“Yes!” Eric screams into the air as he bumrushes you, grasping onto you and covering your face in kisses.

You weren’t expecting your victory in a casual badminton match to inspire such elation within him, as if his favorite team just won the World Series.

Shocked, but not at all bothered, you ask, “Doesn’t that mean you lost? Shouldn’t you be upset?”

“I could never be anything but happy around you,” he tells you, pulling away so that you can take in his wide smile in all its glory.

You lean up and kiss the corner of his mouth, and he looks at you dewy-eyed and enamored. This only encourages you to kiss him properly now, holding his cheeks in your hands and getting lost in the moment. The sun warms your skin as your nose pushes against his and the ocean breeze hits you just right. You didn’t know what to expect when Eric asked you if you wanted to go on a drive, but the secluded spot near a lighthouse at the tip of the island is indeed picturesque.

As is he when he laughs and jumps around, having the time of his life trying to win the next match. You want to take a photo—No, just one wouldn’t do. Not even a million pictures would be enough to capture the unequivocal joy that endlessly brews up in the both of you during times like this. 

When it’s just you and him, and the rest of the world seems so far away. A 20 minute drive sending you to the edge of the earth where only the two of you exist in your own, fantastical timeline.

[D-2 | A truth with you, this is sad but not]

“What’s something that scares the hell out of you?” Eric asks out of the blue as the two of you watch a parachutist reach the ground safely.

The two of you are sat on the balcony of your hotel room in wicker chairs, watching the sun set over the ocean. His question takes you completely by surprise as it has nothing to do with your previous conversation about what you wanted to be as kids. He told you about how he envied zookeepers as a child because they got to be around all of the cool animals. 

He laughed about it but you found it adorable. Then you told him about your dreams of being an astronaut and he pulled out another one of his lines. Something to the effect of you being a star yourself. You shoved his shoulder but the smile you’d had since the topic was brought up remained. Now, the corners of your lips droop as you fall into a deeper realm of thinking. 

You think of falling from the sky. As terrifying as that is, the activity includes two parachutes; other things in life don’t even have one safety net, let alone a backup.

“I guess…” You stretch out and let out a sigh. “One of my greatest fears is never finding where I truly belong in the world. I think that’s how I wound up here. To try and figure out where I’m going and what I’m doing.”

Eric hums, his hand finding yours as he whispers a quiet, “I get that.”

You turn to look at him, to take in the way the dying sun paints his face in golden light. “And you?”

“Mine’s pretty similar to yours, I think,” he says, a small, sad smile on his lips. “I’m scared of not knowing where life will take me. Right now, I’m in this stagnant place, like I paused my life when I came here. Sometimes I feel like a balloon floating into the sky… I’m afraid I won’t find something to bring me back down to Earth.”

His eyes are on the horizon, and your gaze remains on him, admiring in his side profile. Tracing your way from his brow bone, down to the tip of his nose. His lips, and then his chin. His hand squeezes yours and you return the gesture, leaning to the side so that the your head rests against his shoulder. You feel his head rest atop yours, an arm coming around you.

The tenderness of this affection mixed with the melancholic conversation creates such a bittersweet taste. Like sugared grapefruit, your lips pucker initially but the saccharine backend keeps you wanting more. There's something so freeing about sharing what scares you most, releasing it into the air and hoping that the wind won’t push it back in your direction.

You want to melt into Eric and stay here forever. Emotions on high, head in the clouds yet so grounded in the truth of it all. Even if you are actively avoiding the inevitable.

[D-1 | You are not a dream that will disappear]

The moonlight shines in through the hotel window and onto you both. It paints one side of his face in cool light, the other side almost completely hidden by shadows. You’re standing right in front of him and the glimmer in his eyes makes your heart leap around, singing with your affection for him. Just as much as the slight tremble at the corners of his mouth crushes you completely.

A quiet promise whispered into the tense air as he holds you close, the tip of his nose ghosting against your own. “To be continued?”

His head titles to the side as he speaks, already drawing closer so that he can cut you off before you respond. He doesn’t want to hear your confirmation nor your denial of the rhetorical question. Even though the close to whatever this is is coming soon. He can practically feel this abrupt ending creeping up with every second that passes.

Your lips meet and your eyes close, the concerns for the future melting away as you do. It’s just him in front of you. You in front of him. His hands resting on your lower back, drawing you as close as possible.

[D-Day | One more time, hold me tight]

His arms tighten around you and you feel his forehead press against your shoulder. You look in the direction of the board that shows flight times. It’s nearly time for you to go. Your hands squeeze his arms that secure you to him. A sigh leaves his lips and he finds himself smiling once again, head raising to look at you and take down every detail of your face. He wants to save this moment in time. Preserve it. Wrap it in plastic for later, when he is reminiscing and trying to figure out what to do with himself.

But he will go through this world and conquer everything that stands in his way, hurling himself through life with that charmingly optimistic disposition of his. That’s just the kind of person he is. You note the glossiness to his eyes, the way the ‘u’ shape of that smile is quickly flattening. You let out a deep breath and can’t seem to find any words, eyes continually switching between him and the board. But when you finally allow yourself to hold his gaze, a feeling overcomes the both of you.

Words aren’t necessary at this moment. This truth is reciprocated. An agreement that maybe your sigh can do. You don’t want to shed tears, thinking that it’d be silly to feel such irrevocable happiness and sadness bleeding into one another so seamlessly. All because of this man you met just a week ago.

And then it’s time to go.

Eric watches you walk away, not looking back. His heart beats for you, aches for you to turn around and just stay, if not for a little longer. The warmth you give off burns in his chest even after you’ve most definitely boarded the plane, securing your exit from him. The memory of you and the reality of it all go perpendicular, and as much as he feels blue, the nostalgia keeps him smiling.

This merry, bad ending engraves itself into your minds. Never to forget, existing only in future dreams that connect you to him.