#I do not know the man we've barely said three words to each other in the last decade

[maddy-ferguson]

i'm actually not a lesbian yes the concept of heterosexual sex disgusts me on paper but it appeals to me with a few select men. and that's how i've always felt but the lesbian masterdoc which was written by a girl who turned out to be bi got me. and a lot of other bi women with a preference for women. it's crazy to have that much influence when you think about it

[selarina]

Criminal

("I've been a bad, bad girl, I've been careless with a delicate man.")

-> Yuuji Itadori x Reader/ Sukuna x Reader

Content Warnings: aged-up yuuji itadori, smut, jealously, sibling rivalry, best friend's brother trope, no curses!au, jealously, rough play, possessive behaviour, somewhat toxic dynamics, childhood friends to fwb, bruises and hickeys, cooking, food & alcohol, love triangle?

Author's Note: this is what inspired me + criminal by fiona apple <3

Word Count: 2.2k words

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT.

You watch as Yuuji grapples and swings against Sukuna. There was always such a rough quality about him even if he was nearly an older replica of Yuuji. Rougher features, rougher voice.

You watch as the Yuuji manages to get the upper hand, pushing him down, knees first, into the brown dirt on the ground, his brows cinching in desperation and fury as he interlocks Sukuna into a headlock.

"Hey," you interrupt. "Aren't you two a little too old to be wrestling on the lawn?"

The two of them scramble, pushing each other away, as they manage to stand up.

Yuuji runs a hand through his hair, untangling the kinks as he chuckles. "Sukuna's definitely getting too old to lose."

"I was going easy on you, brat" Sukuna replies with a frown. "Didn't want your little girlfriend here to think she was with a loser."

"She's not—"

"He's not—"

"Yeah, yeah," Sukuna dismisses with a wave of his hand. "Say that all you want."

You frowned as your eyes scanned the older boy's face. A small patch of dirt was smeared on the side of his cheek.

"Hey, you have something," you pointed your finger trying to pinpoint the exact location for him.

He looked up at you, brows raised as he tried to rub it off. You can't help but think he looks like a lost child just then. The same guy you've seen wrestle men two times his size, a mere child fumbling against his own cheek.

"Here, let me just get it for you," you said, as you slinked your way towards him, getting a little too close than you needed to as you reached over to his face.

You slid your thumb across his soft skin, rubbing off all the leftover dirt. His brown-red eyes were looking into yours the whole time as you smiled.

"There, all clean." You quickly slid your hand back to your side.

"How's Osaka?" you ask, not bothering to create any distance between you.

"It's alright," Sukuna replies. "Been quiet and nice without the two of you bothering me."

"Well, we've missed you here," you say, a quiet jump in your feet as you do.

"Speak for yourself," Yuuji grumbles as he tries to pat the dirt off his slacks.

Sukuna's lips curl into a smirk, his eyes still locked on yours. "So what I'm hearing is, you're missing me?" he teases.

You chuckled, shaking your head. "Don't flatter yourself. I was just making conversation."

"Say that all you want," he says, for the second time today as the three of you begin to make your way into the house

-

Sukuna was the head chef tonight, commanding the kitchen as he barked commands at the two of you. Yuuji was in charge of cutting, while you, seemingly without purpose, plopped yourself on the kitchen counter, blabbering the time away.

"Why are you here again?" Sukuna grumbles halfway through the making of the meal, clearly frustrated by your loud, incessant banter with Yuuji.

"Rude," you say, showcasing full offense, in tone and in body language as you jerk away. Like his words were hot oil you were dodging.

"Well, I'm going to be around all summer. So if you have any plans of staying here. You should get used to this."

"You do know this is my house, right?" Sukuna retorts, his tone laced with irritation.

"Doesn't matter," you squint, a glint in your eye. "You're stuck with me."

Sukuna muttered under his breath, calling you a nuisance.

"Oh, come on!" You frown, pulling your legs up to your chest and resting back against the cold wall. "It's not all bad."

Sukuna looks up from his stirring just then, his eyes momentarily flitting to the bare skin of your thighs exposed by your crumpled skirt.

"Yeah," he says, his eyes meeting yours again. "It's not all bad."

-

Later that night, the house is quiet, but you hear the faint sound of the TV. You walk downstairs and find Sukuna eating a chocolate—a chocolate you distinctly swore you bought for yourself.

"Those are mine," you call out, stepping into the living room. "Stealing is a crime, you know."

"You literally eat and sleep on my hard-earned money," he says incredulously.

“I sleep on the floor,” you counter. “And I buy my share of groceries.”

“The brat makes you sleep on the floor?” Sukuna looks surprised. “No way.”

That is true. You don't sleep on the floor but you'll say about anything to win arguments so you continue, "So what if I do?"

He approaches you, his eyes serious. “A pretty girl like you shouldn’t be sleeping on the floor.”

You’re taken aback by his straightforwardness.

“Even if you are a nuisance,” he adds.

You purse your lips, about to say something when a voice startles you from behind.

Before you can respond, Yuuji's voice startles you from behind.

“You get your chocolate?” he asks, standing there with his hands in his pockets, looking ruffled. Your eyes are drawn to his toned muscles, visible beneath his tight-fitting shirt.

"Nah," you shrug. "Don't want it anymore anyway."

And then, the two of you make your way up to Yuuji's bedroom. The door shuts and in an instant, you're pressed against it. And you're come face to face with a seething Yuuji.

He looks pissed, to say the least.

It takes a second for him to act but he leans forward, his lips pressing against your own. Hot against your own lips.

He backs off after what seems like a long time. But he stays — inches away.

“Why do you do that?” Yuuji asks, his voice low. It's rhetorical, of course. He knows why you do, all too well.

"Why do you do that?" Yuuji asks, his voice low. It's a murmur more than a question. He knows why you do this. All too well.

His cologne wafts to your nose — citrusy and sweet, fills your senses, urging you to look away, to not drown in its familiarity.

You feign ignorance, batting your eyelashes. "Do what?"

He bends down again, his teeth biting into your bottom lip, slowly. Pinching down hard enough to make you groan.

“He’s no good,” he says as he backs off again. “You know that.”

And you do. You'd choose Yuuji over an impulsive shell of a man any day, but the game, the tease, has always been to your delight.

A smirk tugs at your lips. "So?" The question comes with an annoying intonation in your tone. Your hand trails across his chest, "I always did like the brooding—" Your fingers trail. "Impulsive." Another trail. "Leather jacket type."

It lingers now above his belt. But you're too slow. His hand catches yours firmly, pinning you against the door with a force and sound that makes you wonder if Sukuna can hear you through the thin walls.

He kisses you, deep and wet, in the way he knows you like, leaving you breathless. Normally, you'd wrap your arms around his neck, tangle your fingers in his hair to pull him closer, but your hands remain prisoned now above your head

He breaks the kiss, drawing back again, just enough so that his lips are hovering above your own. You open your eyes, pupils blown out with a certain haze he'd never get tired of seeing, blinking up at him expectantly as you wait for him to kiss you again.

But he doesn't. He hovers there.

He likes to tease too.

You've always had the upper hand in whatever the two of you seem to have. He knows this. You know this. Hell, it's the first thing his brother told him when he met you. But there are times. Times when he likes to balance the scales. Just to see what you feel like.

When you realize he's not going to kiss you, you lean up, trying to close the distance, but he moves out of reach at the last second, leaving you pouting. He thinks that seeing you pout is almost enough for him to give you what you want.

"Still interested in my brother?" he asks, his voice teasing but laced with something serious.

You take the cue. "Who again?" you reply, looking up at him with a dazed smile.

He grins, his grip loosening around your wrists. You lower your hands, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him down to you. This time, he doesn't pull away. He kisses you, feeling you against his lips.

It doesn't take much for him to have you desperate and moaning, a testament to the months of practice since that first time in Sukuna's dingy car.

His fingers find their way inside you, curling against the spot that makes your eyes roll back.

You struggle to stay upright, one leg bent awkwardly to make space for his arm, your hands clutching at him for support—one on his shoulder, the other pulling his hair.

You're dripping down his wrist, whining as you cup his face, forcing him to look at you.

You start dripping down on his wrist now as you whine. Your hand leaves his hair to cup in his face, to make him look at you.

His eyes, when they look up at you, are as dazed as yours, smitten in a way that makes your heartache.

Your thighs tremble, and you whine again, begging him to fuck you. He nods, urging you to jump, his hands gripping beneath your thighs as he carries you to the bed.

He moves you to your knees and thrusts into you from behind, hard and deep, with his chest against your sweaty back. You come with your cheek pressed into the mattress, barely able to mumble his name into the sheets.

Your hands loosen up against the sheet as he flips you over, pushing your knees up to your chest, as he slides back inside you.

He makes you come again, this time hearing his name leave your mouth clear and debauched — your hands laced with his, as he kisses you one last time before finally letting go.

-

You shower first. The hot water runs down your body, revealing new bruises and hickeys like invisible tattoos come to life. You trace them with your fingers, smiling.

You wrap yourself in a towel and peek out, the chill of his room slapping your face with overwhelming intensity.

"Hey," you say, as he looks up from his phone, lounging on the bed.

"What's up?"

"Pass me my clothes. They're in the red bag," you point to the large bag on the floor, your gesture languid.

He rolls off the bed, unzipping the bag and rummaging through it. "Anything specific you need?"

"Nah," you shrug. "Just shorts, something baggy for a top, and my underwear, please."

You close the door, leaving it slightly ajar, finding it too cold to stand by it.

Moments later, you hear a knock. You smile despite yourself.

"Come in," you say sweetly as he opens the door to walk himself in. "You know you were in me like minutes ago, right?"

"Doesn't mean I lose all sense of respect, you know" he replies.

You walk over, one hand clutching the towel. "You're still a dork," you muss his hair, taking the clothes from his hands.

He exits, smiling to himself now like a thirteen-year-old boy.

You look down when he's gone. Noticing the flimsy black shorts and blue underwear are yours. But the light red T-shirt isn't yours.

You glance at the items. The flimsy black shorts and blue underwear— are yours. The light red T-shirt, on the other hand, is not. Y

You put them on anyway, emerging from the steam, and tossing the towel onto the bed.

"Your turn," you say, the shower leaving you tired. You plop yourself onto the bed.

"I know you used up all the hot water," he mumbles, mainly to himself, as he heads into the bathroom.

While he's showering, you try to occupy yourself — replying to texts, sifting through his comics, tidying the bed. But then you get hungry, and you decide you want something.

You descend the stairs slowly, aware of Sukuna's tendency to pass out on the couch. You hear the TV blaring. He must be up, you think as you abandon your need for silence.

"Still up?" you ask, noting his presence without surprise.

"About to crash soon," he hears him from the living room. His eyes were not leaving the TV as you rummage through the fridge—cheese, mint, milk. You frown, cursing the lack of snacks.

"Here," a voice suddenly, from behind you. You turn to find Sukuna offering a chocolate bar.

"I don't understand. Did you un-eat my chocolate?" you ask, incredulous.

"Bought it when I got some beer, dummy," he rolls his eyes.

You raise an eyebrow. "I want the beer instead," you point to the can in his hand.

"You hate beer," he says firmly. "Threw up all evening and made us clean, remember?"

He smirks, seeing through your facade. “You just want it to spite me. No change there.”"

He's right, but you hide your smile.

"Alright," he says, relinquishing the can as his eyes land on your neck. "Enjoy, kid."

You swallow hard, heart pounding in your throat.

"Thanks," you murmur, making your way up the stairs again, with your free hand brushing the bruise on your neck.

[teyamsilly]

reader flinching during an argument w neteyam?

maybe he raises his voice or throws his hands up in expectation and reader misinterprets it and flinches, ofc he notices and feels super guilty, comfort after

deffered warrior

pairing: neteyam x omaticaya fem! reader tags & warning: reader is pregnant but not showing, a mom of one child, dad! neteyam, they're both aged up, angry neteyam, reader is so stubborn summary: with the sky people back, neteyam doesn't want you going out in the forest without his company. he's been extra protective of his family within reason, but you didn't like feeling helpless. you went to the forest without telling anyone, maybe you should have. index sempu - dad, muntxate - wife/female spouse, tawtute - human, nìftxan - so, ngäzìk - difficult, olo'eyktan - clan leader word count 3.5k

a/n spinned this a little hope you like it! i've been working on this for a while because i wanted to make sure it was good. enjoy <3

Because of the pregnancy, your duties as a warrior were temporarily suspended. It was frustrating that you were forbidden to participate in the raid. You were barely showing and still capable of fighting, but Neteyam insisted that you stayed behind. 

With the the sky people back, their attacks became even more ruthless and unforgiving. Their technology advanced which gave them the upper hand, but everyday you prayed to Eywa that she protects the people. Especially your family.

Nutxe watched his father putting his cummerbund on followed by his leather armguard. Neteyam was preparing for another rally to stop the humans from creating their own space to live in. They were getting too close, and their preparations have been getting quick. Because of it, he's barely home and only coming back to his wife and son asleep.

"Sempu, how hard will it be this time?" asked Nutxe, eyes wide from curiousity.

"It doesn't get easier, 'itan," sighed Neteyam. He managed to pull a smile for his child, and placed his hand on top of his head. "We will do everything to stop them," he reassures.

Nutxe nodded. "I know. You'll defeat them because sempu, uncle Lo'ak, and grandpa are there!" he cheered as he raised his fists.

You laughed from where you were standing. After hearing his father's accomplishments, Nutxe admired him greatly. You'll always hear him saying he wants to be like his sempu one day, and protect you from danger.

Of course, he got the idea to protect you from the man himself.

Neteyam only chuckled. He approached you, and you handed him his bow and arrows. You couldn't help but inspect his warrior look with envy. It's been a long time since you've worn your own cummerbund, and the feeling of adrenaline was missed.

"I am still strong enough to fight," you said. You made sure to keep your voice low from Nutxe's big ears.

Neteyam exhaled before he pursed his lips momentarily. "We've talked about this, muntxate. You are with child, our child," he emphasised with a frustrated look. "I want you out from the field."

You hissed, "I feel helpless! I wouldn't be the first woman pregnant there."

"Munxtate."

"Your mother went to war with you inside of her. I don't see why I cannot be there."

He shook his head. "I don't want to argue about this with you anymore. I don't want to leave like this, please."

Both of you stared into each other's eyes intensely. Neteyam waited for you to back down, your eyes were full of determination that he almost felt like you would go against him. Eventually, your eyelids drooped, showing your defeat.

Neteyam couldn't help let his grin show. "See me off?" he asked softly.

"Always." You managed to crack a little grin, which was enough for him.

As the three of you went towards the edge of High camp, Nutxe shifted on your hip and Neteyam's hand rested on your back. There were already warriors staying by there ikrans as they waited for their Olo'eyktan's signal. Jake could be seen standing beside his ikran, speaking with Neytiri about the raid.

"Grandpa!" yelled Nutxe.

Jake turned his head to the voice, and his lips broke into a smile that was rare to see lately. With the tawtute's back, it was difficult not to worry each second that they striked back with an even callous defense. But he can't hold back the joy he sees from his grandson.

"Came to see your grandpa and grandma off, bud?" he opened his arms for the boy.

Nutxe jumped off from your arms and dashed to his. Jake groaned when he lifted him up, complaining about how heavy he had gotten. Neytiri laughed, her finger tickling the boy's chubby stomach which earned her a fit of giggles.

"Look at you, so big," cooed Neytiri.

Nutxe smiled, "I cant wait to be taller. I want to be tall like sempu."

Jake gasped, offended, "What about me?"

He shook his, a mischevious smile on his face. "No."

Neteyam chuckled at his father's playfulness. Nutxe truly is a blessing from Eywa, he brought joy everywhere with him in the midst of this war. The burden of being Olo'eyktan had gotten heavier, and the bags under Jake's eyes only turned worse. He was relieved to see his father relaxed even for a little while. 

"Dad," called Lo'ak as he approached them firmly. "Tarsem and his unit is on the way to tail the humans."

Jake nodded, his playfulness was now gone. He put Nutxe on the ground, and the boy went to your side. He turned to the warriors, telling them to get ready. As a parting gesture, Neytiri gave you a squeeze on the shoulder.e, before she headed to her ikran.

Nutxe patted his uncle's hands and smiled at him, "Good luck, uncle Lo'ak."

Lo'ak returned the smile, placing his hand on top of his head. "Thanks bud." He gave you a nod before he left to his own ikran.

Neteyam kneeled down to his son's height. "Watch mama for me?"

His eyebrows were pinched together as he nodded with determination. "Yes, sempu!"

"I will see you when I get back." Neteyam pressed his lips on his forehead briefly. He stood up, looking at you. 

You nodded, "Be safe."

"Always."

The raid was successful again. There were less injured warriors compared to the previous raid and they managed to avoid casualties this time which made the each Omatikaya beam with pride. It brought hope that they could defeat the tawtute, and maybe leave their home alone.

Although, that didn't stop them from being vigilant. 

You were in the Tsahik's tent along with Tuk, rearranging the herbs that were not in their usual spot. Since you were reprived from your duties as a warrior, you searched for other ways to help the clan. Mo'at offered you to help her aid injured warriors which you did not decline. Your skills as a healer weren't as great as your athleticism, but it was better than nothing.

Nutxe was off with Spider and Kiri in the lab. You and Neteyam didn't mind that your son was getting along well with the scientists. They were loyal to the na'vi, and it always reminded you that Jake was once human. You cant take that away from Nutxe, not that you ever intended to.

"Is it all done?" asked Tuk. She sighed loudly, laying down on the mat as she stretched her arms and limbs.

"Yes," you hummed. Counting the number of bowls, you noticed that one was nearly empty. Yalnabark was most commonly used amongst injuries since they sting less, Kiri suggested this to her grandmother and they have used it ever since. "Oh, we're almost finished."

"What?!" Tuk immediately shot up from her position. She groaned once she saw the bowl you raised to show her. "We can't go out to the forest at this time. The party is still inspecting the area to make sure there aren't any surprise attacks."

"I will check my tent if we have some. I'll be back, Tuk."

Satisfied with Tuk's nod, you exited the Tsahik's tent and walked to yours. Unfortunately, the situation stayed the same: yalnabarak was nearly finished. 

An idea came into your head, but it was something that you knew your mate would go against. However, you cant just stay and rely the work on other na'vi. There was no way you would make yourself a liability.

You attached your comm's around your neck and tucked the ear piece in your ear gently, just in case things were to go wrong, which you prayed that it wouldn't come to that. You hang your satchel over your shoulder with your bow and arrows in your hand. Exhiliration filled your body at the thought being able to travel around the forest.

The air caressing your face made you sigh. This must what Lo'ak felt everytime he was going behind his parents' back. It was envigorating, but you felt guilty going against Neteyam. What he doesn't know wont hurt him, you tried to convince yourself, but there was that conscious part of yourself constantly telling you that it was wrong. Pushing those thoughts away, you let your ikran fly down and landed on forest ground.

As soon as your feet touched the ground, you searched for the necessary herbs to make yalnabark. They weren't hard to find if you knew where to search. The herbs were always close to the Link Shack which was one of the reasons why the medicine wasn't often used.

Since the RDA returned to Pandora, the Shack has been deemed unsafe and off-limits. Their chances of returning the area were highly probable. But when silence met you and the lone sounds you could hear in the forest were chirping insects, you sighed in relief.

Your satchel was almost filled with herbs you collected. It would be enough to aid the injured people for a while. Your arm was outstretched to pick out another leaf, but your eyes stopped on the muddy part of the ground. 

A fresh footprint. 

"We've got a na'vi here!"

The day continues to be quiet since the successful raid. Neteyam and Lo'ak were in the air, inspecting for any suspicion. The oldest frowned when he could see the damage that the humans brought to his home, trees were broken and what was once green and nature were destroyed.

"Nothing," said Lo'ak with a shrug.

Neteyam turned his head to him with furrowed eyebrows until it hit him that he was talking about the humans. He nodded. "Let's go back."

They turned their ikrans to the direction of their home. Silence fell between them, but comfortable, as they headed back home.

"Nete-"

Neteyam's ear twitched when he realised the voice came from the comm's. He pressed his neck where the speaker was, he spoke, "Muntxate?" 

The worst possible scenarios started forming into his head. You never used your comms before, promising to him that it would only be used when something was wrong.

"Neteyam, I am being attacked! Near the Shack! There is three of them!"

His heart sank. Realising you had gone behind his back, he let out a growl. Lo'ak looked at his brother questioningly. "Bro, what is it?"

"My mate is in trouble. Three avatars by the Shack." Neteyam's ear were pinned against his head, his jaw clenched. His hand gripped the handle of his ikran's halters tightly, mentally praying that she would be okay. And that their child would be fine.

You hid behind a tree, hugging your bow close. Leaning slightly to the side, you noticed an avatar walking slowly through the trees, his rifle pointing straight ahead. You inhaled deeply and drew the string of your bow until it touched your nose and lips. Your arrow was directed straight to the avatar. 

You drew your fingers back, releasing the arrow, which penetrated his skull. 

"Na'vi!" his partner yelled. Bullets roared through the woods, and you assessed it as an indication to flee. Without glancing behind, you forced your feet to run faster than the wind. Jumping from one branch to the next.

A scream escaped your lips when the branch you jumped on rattled from a big explosion, causing you to slip and fall. Your body hit large leaves, slightly softening your fall but hurt nonetheless. You whimpered, feeling pain course through your body. Immediately, your hand flew to your stomach. "Please, great mother," you whispered with tears in your eyes.

Large footsteps entered your ears. Hope surged through your body until you looked up only to realise it was one of the avatars chasing you. His smirk sent shivers down your spine. He pressed the speaker on his neck, saying, "I got her."

His face wrinkled in anguish as he groaned, just as he prepared to take another step towards you. His corpse dropped forward right in front of you, and you stifled a sob as you realised who was responsible.

"Muntxate," Neteyam exclaimed. He felt loose after seeing you harmed on the ground; he felt as if he would rip each of their limbs off for doing this to you.

You sobbed, "Neteyam."

He knelt on the ground and hugged your form closer to him as he quietly listened to you weep. He trailed his hand to yours, which was resting on your belly, and kissed your temple softly while whispering soothing words. 

Neteyam couldn't tell whether you had injuries from where he used to stand, but now that the glowing light from the plants reflected your body… he could see bruises and blood. Neteyam pursed his lips, holding you tighter against him. What could have happened if he didn't arrive on time.

"Last one killed." He heard Lo'ak voice from his earpiece. "I've notified dad of this, he said to find whatever's useful on them and bring it in. He'll meet us as soon as we land in High Camp with grandmother to make sure your mate is okay."

Neteyam removed one of his hands and used it to press the button on his neck. "Copy. I will see you by the ikrans."

"I hear you. By the way, the second avatar was dead while I was making sure there aren't any more surprises. It was a straight shot to the skull. Your mate must've done this, she does have the best aim despite being in sticky situations."

Chuckles were heard through the other side, Lo'ak was clearly elated by this but Neteyam couldn't share the same feeling. 

"Can you stand?"

The gentle tone of his voice resonated in your ears. You only nodded as a response because you were afraid that your voice would betray you. You felt ashamed that it had come to this, even after he warned you. 

You stood up as Neteyam stood close to you, his arm extended just in case you felt unwell. "I came here to collect herbs for yalnabark. It was nearly finished," you explained, only gancing at his eyes for a second before looking away.

Neteyam's gaze transferred to the satchel, it's contents spilled out. He sighed deeply and grabbed the satchel, picking up the herbs and putting it back in. "We will talk once we go back home."

You felt like a child who was about to get scolded by a parent. Lo'ak's amused grin didn't help make you feel better. Just like Neteyam, you scolded him for getting into plenty of trouble back when you were just teenagers. So, forgive him if he found the situation a little bit amused.

When you got back to High Camp, Mo'at was already there to check your wounds and she brought you to her tent immediately. Tuk and Kiri were already there to assist her. The youngest sully was quick to apologise and blamed herself for not being with you, but none of it was her fault and you made sure she knew that.

Tuk did not have the responsibility to take care of you because you are a grown woman who is capable of making her own decisions. And you are mature enough to accept the consequences.

Questions about the baby quickly came out from your mouth. It was the first thing Mo'at did, checking the baby. She felt your heart racing against her hand. The beating of your heart only slowed down to its normal rate when you she told you the baby is fine, but you needed rest to make sure.

Neteyam was there the whole time, watching his sisters apply medicine to your wounds whilst listening to his grandmother intently. You met his gaze, and you could tell he was relieved but disappointed at the same time. 

Fortunately, Nutxe dozed off in Jake's hut while he was with them. Neteyam stayed behind you on the way to the tent you both shared. He looked at the scratches on your back, his fury building with each glance, until he forced himself to turn his head away.

As soon as you entered your tent, you crossed your arms as you faced your mate.

"What were you thinking?" he hissed.

"I told you why, did I not?" you sassed.

He shook his head. "You do not get to act like this, not after you went behind my back. You did not even say a word to anyone!"

"I thought that it would be quick."

"You thought wrong," he seethed. "I told you so many times that this is for your own safety. Why wont you just listen? Do you not see that this is my way of protecting you?"

You turned aside, growling. You were already exhausted from being treated like a child. "I am not weak. I am still capable of standing without hurting!"

"Muntxate, this is not about your incapability." Neteyam pressed his palms against his eyes as he shut them tightly. He looked at you, annoyed. "You are carrying our prrnen. That should be enough for you to stay put."

"You forget who you are speaking to," you hissed angrily. "I am recognised as one of the strongest warriors along with you. Unless, my state makes me a liability, I should be-"

Neteyam suddenly took quick steps in front of you. You blinked, surprised at his stance but you didn't back down. He snarled, "I said no. Whether you like it or not, you will stay. I will tie you against a rope if I must."

"You are not Olo'eyktan yet," you scoffed. "I do not take orders from you!" 

You moved away from him, but he grabbed your forearm with his grip tight. You glanced at his hand wearily before looking up to his eyes, it was full of fury. "Nìftxan ngäzìk. If you do not want to be treated like a child, do not act like one."

Breathing heavily, you yelled, "I am already treated like one, skxawng!" 

Neteyam abruptly raised his arm, causing you to close your eyes and inhale sharply.. He pointed his finger to the exit of your tent, his gaze stuck on it. "Those demons have gotten stronger. They-" 

The words died on his mouth when he saw how you cowered with his touch. He released himself off you, his guilt consuming him. He can't believe he did it– that he let his rage get the best of him. He took a step back, his breath unsteady. "No, muntxate… I was not going to hit you. I would never."

You nodded, pressing your fingers to your temple before cupping your face. "I know, I just…" you sighed. Neteyam heard you sniffle, but it was muffled from your hand. You removed them for your face, and hugged your body. 

He watched your body language, because the last thing he wants is you to be scared of him. He only raised his arm to point outside but you thought otherwise. Neteyam would hate himself forever if he had caused anything for you to assume that.

Relief washed over him when you reached out to him, holding his hand. He trailed his other hand to your arm softly before he held your elbow, carressing it.

"I do not like thinking that I am not there to protect you," you revealed. Tears pooled into your eyes as you looked up at him. "What if something happens to you? What if it will be too late to save you? What would I do?" you croaked out.

"Nothing will-"

"You do not know that." You shook your head. "We need you, Neteyam. And I get scared everytime you go out there. I beg the great mother to protect you always, to watch you because I cannot."

Neteyam held your face, his thumbs caressing your cheekbones. "Nothing will happen," he pressed, his gaze loving. "Because I'm not only doing this for my people, but for you and Nutxe. I will protect my family with all my strength and I cannot do that when I'm dead." 

A tear left your cheek when he leaned his forehead aginst yours with a grin present on his lips. "I will always come home to you, muntxate," he promised.

You pouted, "You should. I will haunt your soul if you dare to leave."

Neteyam laughed.

"And I'm sorry for leaving without telling anyone. I thought it would be simple."

"I know. What matters is that you are both okay."

You smiled as you pushed yourself against him and pressed his lips with yours. Neteyam wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you closer until your chests are touching each other. A moan escaped your lips when you felt a hand squeeze your cheek.

Neteyam pulled away slightly, his breath fanning your lips as he spoke, "Good thing Nutxe is with my mother and father." His eyes heavy with a look you became so familiar with. You said nothing and roughly kissed him making him groan.

Great mother, how long has it been since you let this man devour you?

support banner by @cafekitsune <3

[the-possum-writes]

[Day 1 & 2] Double Penetration

Character(s): Finn and Fern Tags: NSF/W, Gender neutral pronouns, AFAB reader, use of pet names like "babe", cursing, PIV sex, anal sex, anal fingering, pwp (porn with little plot) Word count: 1766 Synopsis: Finn and Fern are helping you move into a new place as you try to get over your ex, one bottle of liquor later and Fern came up with an interesting idea.

"Aaand that's the last of them." Finn announces as he places the final box on the countertop of your kitchen, barely finding the space to sort it out between the multitude of boxes scattered around with either decorations or kitchen appliances.

"It's about time! I bet that if we stacked every box in here they'd be as tall as a mountain. Why do you need so much shoes and porcelain figurines anyway?" Fern complains as he carefully lowers the box he's carrying in the living room before plopping down on the singular couch.

 "I don't tell you how to live your life, Fern." You stuck your tongue at the grass man as you walk past him, carrying your own box full of plates and dining utensils as you place them at the kitchen countertop. It's been a month since you broke off with your ex and moved out to a different home, it's kinda dusty and unkempt but you have the two best helpers in all Ooo to make the transition much more smoothly, atleast as smooth as things can go before Fern breaks one of your porcelain figures.

Finn is the next to walk inside the new home, this time carrying two boxes to the living room despite the complaints from Fern. "Take it easy big guy, PB is gonna flip if she sees you straining  that new arm." He's heard more than enough scolding from the princess to care more about it than Finn does.

"So what? Are you gonna tattle?" Finn smiles between crooked teeth.

"I don't have to when she sees you're struggling to put it back on."

"Alright that's enough guys, it's time for a break. We've been carrying boxes all day so let's celebrate my new house with a drink." You announce as you walk in the room with three drinks to share. The rest of the time you three just chat and catch up on day to day life but halfway through your drink you feel your phone vibrate, your face morphs in disgust as you recognize the phone number. "Ugh, it's him again." You said outloud as you put your phone on mute.

"Your ex?" Finn pipes up. "I thought you would've blocked the guy already."

Fern scoffs. "Maybe because they're hoping he’ll apologize and they’ll fall back in his arms." Fern snickers which only upsets Finn even more.

"What the hay man, there's no way I'm going back to a cheater." You defend, almost offended that he considers you'd do such a thing.

"Hard to believe. He's a shark dude after all."

"Yeah, what about it?" Finn asks with a sense of naivety.

"Well you know what they say about shark dudes, they come with two prizes." To emphasize his point he holds up two fingers as if doing a peace sign.

Fern cackles when Finn swallows his drink with a grimace, meanwhile you look away as you drink yours in silence. You now regret bringing them alcohol, the three of you are adults but there's something about adding alcohol to the mix that just make the two of them so much more brash and bold- more than they normally are.

"So what... that doesn't make him special." You grumble under your breath, just enough for Fern to pick up.

 "What was that?"

"I said that doesn't make him special, snakes and other reptile humanoids have two dicks! It's not like I ever managed to enjoy them at the same time-" your eyes went wide at the sudden outburst, the brothers shared your surprised expression but while you were burning with embarrassment Fern had a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Huh, really?" You could feel your face grow hot as Finn eyes you curiously, Fern however leans forward with an indecent proposal.

"Would you like to?"

"Fern!" Finn butted in as he smacked him in the shoulder.

"What? They're single now aren't they?" You can hear them argue between each other under hushed tones, acting as if you're not sitting in the same room as them.

 "I'd like to, but not with him." You said out of the blue, leaving the two adventurers silent as they share a look before directing their attention to you, casually sipping at your beverage as you gather the bravery to make a request from your two closest friends.

The thought itself was enough to warm you up more than the single bottle of alcohol did in a winter day, the moment Fern brought up the idea and you gave then the green light they had their hands on you within seconds. With Fern it was the most obvious, he kisses you and grabs onto your butt and thighs like a starved man as if he was wanting this for a long time. Finn however was cautious at first, caressing you with delicate touches as if he was handling the wings of a butterfly before letting himself rub your shoulders and hips like a rough clay pot. 

"Hey Fern, you wanna take the front or the back?"

Fern hums a bit in thought, rubbing his thumb over the side of your hip as he eventually decides. "I'll go in the back, so I can pop your anal cheery." he whispers that last part before biting the sensitive side of your earlobe.

"Alright, you know how to prepare them?" Finn makes sure before getting comfy on the couch and guiding you on him.

"Yeah, yeah I know the basics."

Fern removes himself from you as he went searching for something in the kitchen, in the meantime you kept yourself busy with Finn, removing his shirt and being careful with his prosthetic arm in general. The gasp that escapes your lips at the sight of his exposed dick had him grinning to himself, when Fern came back with your coconut oil he found you  stroking the now erect cock of his human counterpart which was now dripping with pre.

"What's wrong babe? Does my bro's size scare you a bit?" Fern says with a small laugh. "You know, the face isn't the only thing we share~" he admits with a small laugh.

"Fern, cut it out you're gonna scare them." It's now Finn's turn to laugh.

You take a break from playing with Finn when you feel a pair of fingers rubbing and poking at you from behind, you turn back to meet Fern's eyes and remember what brought you in this mess. This ever growing desire to be filled up by these two adventurers.

They eased you up by using their fingers, with Finn fingering your pussy with his human hand while Fern took the time and patience to get your puckering hole comfortable, in between they joked between each other about how "what good boy I am." Most likely referencing some inside joke they have but honestly you were too busy getting turned on by their hands to care. By the time they got an orgasm out of you, you were already taking three fingers from Fern, good enough but he believed you could do better.

"Glob, I can't hold on any longer. I wanna feel you." Finn exasperates as he drowns himself in your kisses.

"Go ahead, they're almost ready back here." Fern states.

"What do you say babe, you want me yet?" Finn asks tenderly.

"Yes. Oh glob yes, I want you Finn. Both of you." You turn back to give Fern his well deserved attention as well. But in between that kiss Finn slipped himself inside of you as you cry out briefly at the suprise of have something thick and warm inside of you. 

Finn also crys out at the sensation, his grip strengthening around your hips.

"How does it feel Finn?" Fern taunts as he speeds up his own pace.

"Ohhh glob, oh glob! they feel perfect. I feel like I'm gonna come if I move an inch deeper." He moans.

Curiosity and lust seeped in the grass man, by the time you took four fingers without trouble he covered himself in oil and spit, aligning himself behind you as you start trembling. Fern kisses your shoulder as he pushes himself with a bit of resistance, murmuring sweet nothings into the shell of your ear. "Try to relax babe."

By the time you did, they did everything in their power to rock your world. The three of you were a mess of groans, whines and gasps. Swaying back and forth as they took turns thrusting into you, grabbing and rubbing anything that was in their reach, your ass, your thighs and your hair.

"Fuck- you're right Finn they're perfect, look at em taking my cock like they were made for it."

"Told ya, I could die a happy man buried in this puss." Finn sighs like he just drank water after being stranded in a desert, he dwells himself deeper in your cunt until he’s basically bottoming you out and his ballsack makes contact with your lower labia.

You were at a loss for words at the pleasure the two of them were providing you, they always butt heads with eachother during adventuring but when they work as a team they can accomplish many things, like the absolutely mind shattering orgasm that crashed onto you without warning. Both of them groan at the sudden tightness, with Finn rubbing your clit so you could ride it as much as you can.

"That's it… just like that…" Fern speeds up his pace he chases his own high, soon followed by Finn who was growling at the closeness of his own climax.

"Glob dude, I can't hold it any-"

"I want it." You whine, still overstimulated at the two of them using you like a fleshlight. "Fill me up, pleeeease~"

It was the final straw that had both of them coming inside of you until it was gushing from the crevices of your hole when they popped their softening cocks outside of you, grimacing at the sensation and the viscous cum seeping down your thighs. You plop on Finn in an instant, feeling how exhausted the whole thing left you, you can deal with the bruises and the stickiness between your legs later, right now Finn's comforting hug and smell has you shutting your eyes as you say. "Give me five minutes."

"Take all the time you need babe, we'll handle everything right Fern?"

"Speak for yourself." Fern nods as he rubs the sleep away from his eyes. "But yeah, you can count on us babe."

[changbeansss]

Winter falls

Pairings : Bang Chan x reader

Genre : Angst

Warnings : Mentions of break up, crying, Chan is referred as Chris in the whole story

The first snowflakes of the season were falling gently outside, turning the bustling city into a serene winter wonderland. Inside your favorite café, the warm glow of the fireplace contrasted sharply with the cold reality you were about to face. You sat across from Chris, the man who had been your world for the past three years, feeling a mix of dread and sorrow.

Chris reached out and took your hand, his touch as familiar as the falling snow outside. His brown eyes, usually filled with warmth and joy, were now clouded with sadness. His soft curls framed his face, making him look even more vulnerable in this moment.

"We need to talk," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

You nodded, already knowing where this conversation was headed. You had both been avoiding it for weeks, hoping that the inevitable could somehow be delayed or, better yet, avoided altogether.

"I got the job offer," Chris continued, his eyes searching yours for a reaction. "It's an amazing opportunity, but it's in South Korea. I can't turn it down."

You felt a lump form in your throat, the reality of his words hitting you like a cold wind. "I know," you replied, your voice trembling. "I knew this day would come, but I didn't want to believe it."

Chris squeezed your hand, his eyes pleading with you to understand. "We've always known that our dreams might take us in different directions. I never wanted this to happen, but it's my career, my future."

You nodded, tears welling up in your eyes. "I understand, Chris. I do. But it doesn't make it any easier."

Silence hung heavy between you, the weight of unspoken words and shattered dreams pressing down on your hearts. The café, once a place of joy and laughter, now felt suffocating.

"We can't do long distance," Chris said finally, his voice breaking. "It wouldn't be fair to either of us. We deserve more than that."

"I- I know," you whispered, tears now streaming down your face. "But how do we move on from this? How do we let go when we both know we can't?"

Chris leaned across the table, brushing away your tears with his thumb. "I don't know," he admitted, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears. "But we have to try. We have to give each other the chance to find happiness, even if it's without each other."

The words were like a knife to your heart, but you knew he was right. Holding on would only prolong the pain, making it harder to heal.

"I love you, Chris," you said, your voice breaking. "I'll always love you."

"I love you too," he replied, his voice filled with anguish. "More than anything. That's why this is so hard."

You both stood up, the finality of the moment crashing down on you. Chris pulled you into his arms, holding you tightly as if trying to memorize the feel of you. You clung to him, not wanting to let go, but knowing that you had to.

Outside, the snow continued to fall, covering the world in a blanket of white. It was as if the universe was offering a fresh start, a new beginning, even though it felt like the end.

As you walked out of the café together, you knew that this was the last time you would be together like this. The streets were quiet, the only sound the crunch of snow beneath your feet.

"Goodbye" Chris said softly, his voice barely audible above the silence of the night.

"Goodbye, Chris," you replied, your heart breaking with each step you took away from him.

You walked away, each step feeling heavier than the last. The cold winter air bit at your skin, mirroring the pain in your heart. You knew that moving on would be impossible, that Chris would always hold a piece of your heart.

As you reached your apartment, you looked back one last time. Chris was still standing there, watching you with a look of utter devastation. You gave him a small, sad smile, knowing that this was the end of a beautiful chapter in your life.

Inside your apartment, you collapsed onto the couch, the weight of the breakup finally crashing down on you. The snow outside continued to fall, each flake a reminder of what you had lost. You knew that the road ahead would be long and difficult, but you also knew that you had to find a way to move forward, even if it felt impossible now.

Winter had always been your favorite season, but now it would forever be tainted with the memory of your heartbreaking goodbye to Chris.

[wintaerbaer]

things we don't say: part 5 TEASER (kth)

banner credit: @itaeewon

summary: Three years after graduating college, everything seems to be falling into place for you: stable job, cozy apartment, and a long-term boyfriend with a ring box hidden in his desk drawer. But when a mutual friend makes a remark that your best friend of nearly two decades is clearly in love with you, you realize that life may not be as simple as it seems.

pairing: Taehyung x Reader (with some VERY brief Seokjin x Reader and Yoongi x Reader)

rating: 18+

genres: best friends to lovers, idiots to lovers, slow burn, angst, fluff

word count: 721 (for the teaser; full chapter is expected to be 8-10k)

chapter warnings: weddings!, feelings, seventeen is here now because i fell into a rabbit hole and needed fill-ins, jimin kinda ruins everything, jk is relatively well-behaved, kissing?!

a/n: given that it's been the craziest time of year for work (and i may be focused on a jk oneshot rn), i figured i'd throw out a teaser since it's taking me longer to write! i'm heading into my job's off-season soon though, so i'll have more time to write and will aim to have this next part out by end-of-year :)

PART 4 // SERIES MASTERLIST

You look up to find Taehyung's eyes gazing steadily down at you, a small but confident smile playing on his lips.

"Dance with me?"

And in spite of the unease that had plagued you only moments ago, you don't hesitate to let him wrap up your small hand in his large one and lead you to the dance floor. His palm settles on your lower back to pull you in close, and maybe it’s the proximity or the intoxicating smell of his cologne that weakens your resolve, but you find the words spilling out.

"Did you get her number?"

Taehyung looks at you quizzically, brow furrowing in confusion. "Whose?"

"The woman at the bar."

His face relaxes as he realizes. "Oh, yeah. I did."

"Good." You manage a smile. Why does it feel so hard? "It really is…good you're getting back out there. Are you going to ask her on a date?"

He laughs, mischief in his eyes. "I don't think her fiancé would like that." And now it's your turn to look confused.

"Her fiancé?"

"I met the two of them through Hoseok a couple times so we've chatted. Nice people." He nods his head, and you look over to see the woman now dancing with a man not too far from you. "They just got engaged, and she knows I'm a photographer so she asked if I'd be interested in doing the wedding. I said I'd call her this week to talk about it."

"Oh." You can feel your face flush, but there's no doubting the relief that floods through you. And Taehyung surely notices, grinning down at you in amusement.

"Were you jealous?"

"No!" you say, but perhaps a little too quickly because Taehyung laughs, his fingers applying a gentle pressure to your back to pull you closer.

"I'm here with you," he murmurs matter-of-factly.

You shake your head at him. "It's fine, Tae. If someone catches your eye…like I said, it could be good—"

"I'm here with you," he repeats, more firmly this time. He releases your hand for a moment to tuck a stray curl behind your ear, and you have to look away. You spot Hoseok and Sunny swaying together in the middle of the dance floor, pressed closely together and smiling at each other like they're the only two people in the world. What it must be like to have someone look at you like that, you think, to hold you like you're something precious to be cherished. You had thought Jace made you feel that way, but now, watching your friends gaze at each other so delicately, so in love, you're no longer sure he even came close.

"What are you looking at?" Taehyung's voice rouses you out of your thoughts, and you suddenly notice his hand has drifted a little higher to where the back of your dress dips down low, exposing your bare skin.

Trying to pass off the shiver that involuntarily runs through you as a nod, you gesture at the newly married couple. "They're so good together."

Taehyung follows your line of sight, watching Hoseok lean down to murmur something in Sunny's ear that makes her giggle and press her face into his chest. "They are."

"Can you imagine loving someone like that?" Your voice is a bare whisper as if the words slipped out of their own accord, like a wish you didn't even realize you were making.

Taehyung's fingers splay at your spine, gently tugging you in until your hips are bumping his. Startled, your eyes snap back to him, breath catching in your chest. He's gazing at you intently, but as opposed to the intense fire that you've seen from him at times, there's only a deep warmth to his brown irises that you're not sure you've ever seen before. He looks at you with softness, with both a sense of familiarity and wonder that can only be attributed to your many years of companionship, and you see it all swimming behind his eyes—every day spent together seeking refuge from your families, every stupid childhood fight, every time you comforted each other through the bad days. And before you can deflect, can explain away the question as a rhetorical slip of the tongue, you hear his answer come out on a breath.

"Yes."

[garvalhaminho]

forgot to post my thoughts while reading the first chapter of tlkof as someone who has only ever read tda and tid (translated from chaotic portuguese)

thais??? who??

dru likes learning by understanding how things work, relatable (SHE'S LITERALLY ME)

she's learning about downworlders and can ask magnus for help, but specifically cristina (the diva who loved studying faeries!!), mark and helen (icon) and kieran and i love that for her 💞 like yes give her one thing she can take advantage of

SHE'S GOT HER MOTHER ELEANOR'S JACKET !! I REPEAT SHE'S GOT HER MOTHER ELEANOR'S JACKET !!

not her dyeing her hair black (ate)

"thais always looked glamorous in her gear" 🤨 no look i know friends can find each other pretty and beautiful etc but when it's ya literature.....it's usually the censored version of "hot as fuck" JUST SAYING

DRU IS 5'3 YAAA WE'VE GOT THE SAME HEIGHT (i think, i'm not american)

i already love dru and thais's friendship 🫶 they match each others freak

dru trains to forget everything she's gone through 😭

oh already the preppy guys and fuckboys (mason hardcastle)

"dru and thais didn't need to ask each other; they knew already they'd be a team" awwww i already know i'm gonna love their friendship

paige ashdown when i see you in the street (no but like an ableist and fatphobic bully? i'll fight that fucker with my bare hands)

thais speaking portuguese in the middle of nowhere i love it

OH AND THE FUCKBOY IS HER EX AND HE SUCKS, if it was me and i had classes with him i'd literally throw myself off a bridge

dru inventing "sex crocodile",,, she's too iconic i fear

"nothing scared [dru}. nothing in a movie, anyway." babygirl 😭 i remember her like mentioning how she liked horror movies but the horror depicted would never be as bad as the real life horror she's experienced

dru still talks to kit 😭 no like imagine your sister still talks to your situationship of two weeks from three years ago, i'd jump off a bridge (yet again)

"there's no danger. we're on academy grounds" famous last words

"she tugged gently at a dangling lock in her friend's hair" THAT'S LITERALLY A MICROTROPE IN ROMANCE MOVIES

"she cursed silently, imagining every bad word she could think of and some she was pretty sure she'd just made up." let dru say fuck pleaseeee. just once. as a little treat, she deserves it

"she wondered for a moment if she should mention that her brother, mark, was the consort of the unseelie king" not her trying to use her connections

ASH SHOWING UP AND HUMILIATING THE LITTLE FAERIE MEN 😭 he slayed i fear

no yeah he's literally royalty he's literally a prince (get that bag girl!!)

dru thinking that ash's eyes were like the sea glass julian loved......oh how i love this family

"'how do you know my name?' she demanded. his eyes narrowed. 'you must be joking,' he said. 'you've forgotten? you can't have forgotten.'" of course she's forgotten a random guy she was with for two minutes three years ago, she has a life, YOU'RE just a SIMP

ash getting yelled at and reprimanded by his daddy or whatever but still literally helping his crush and sending her away to safety 🙏 and your man can't even text you back

julian and emma leaving london to take care of their child drusilla blackthorn

OH AND JULIAN'S GONNA NEED A LOT A THERAPY AFTER THREE BOOKS OF HIS KIDS GETTING THEMSELVES IN TROUBLE

he didn't even sleep during the three nights she was missing 😭

i fear i might become thais/dru shipper under the right circumstances

[sunnyie-eve]

7 | Jealously

Series: Uttermost Lifestyle

Paring: Johnny Knoxville x Original female character

Word Count: 1.4k

Warnings: none

| MASTERLIST |

"Sexy mama is finally here!" Chris whistles as I pull my shirt off leaving me in my light pink with hot pink hearts bikini top with my tight black shorts.

"So I wasn't a sexy mama wearing my oversized T-shirt?" I ask crossing my arms.

"You're always a sexy mom but a really really sexy mom when you show off." He winks before eyeing my chest moving his eyebrows.

"You're lucky I'm comfortable with you or I'd fuck you up." I wrap my arms around him.

"You wanna fuck me? Okay then." His hands go to my butt picking me up so I wrap my legs around his waist. "We'll be a few minutes! We're gonna go make beautiful love to each other!" Chris shouts out to everyone making me laugh.

"In all the time of knowing each other... did either of you do or see each more than friends?" Dave asks us as Chris still holds me.

"We've talked about that and no we've always seen each other as just super close friends." Chris pats my butt.

"That are super comfortable with each other." I kiss his cheek.

"So you've fucked?" Bam starts to laughs.

"No." Chris and I say together.

"I think the most thing we did that 99% of friends wouldn't do was shower together to save the water that was about to get shut off." I dig into my mind.

"That's the most out there one." Chris agrees.

"So you two have never even kissed?" Wee-man asks.

"We have." We say together as he puts me down.

"Like peck kiss, kiss, or like kiss kiss?" Johnny decides to join the conversation trying to make eye contact with me but I wouldn't do it.

"All above. To giving your grandma a kiss to full on touchy steamy make out." Chris shakes me by the shoulders.

"And that was when?" Johnny crosses his arms.

"Her 23rd birthday." Chris thinks.

"Three years ago." Johnny nods his head walking away moody. I had no idea why he was acting like that last weekend he went on a date with some chick. Then got upset with me when I said she was walking around in barely anything with Caiden in the same room.

"What's the mood change for?" Chris eyes me.

"Excuse me." I leave going in Johnny's direction. "Why so suddenly moody?" I ask him.

"I don't know what you mean?" He turns his back to me.

"Really? Earlier we were chatting and laughing then you hear I've kissed Chris in the past and now you have your back turned to me."

"Three years ago you two were touchy while kissing... and I'm not supposed to be jealous of y'all relationship/friendship?" He walks us away from people.

"What kinda of touchy are you thinking of because it was just this." I run my hands along and and that was it. "And jealous?! There's no need too. You've gone on dates since that day and had a girl stay the night."

"At my house." He adds but can tell he wanted to take it back.

"Yes but it's technically our house till I move out. I help you pay bills, get food and other things when I could be saving to get my own place." I take a long pause, "We're friends, Johnny, and you've been making that clear so there's no need to be jealous." I give him a small smile before walking away.

"What's the problem?" Ehren asks as I stop next to him.

"A little bump in the road with Johnny at home." I making him chuckle.

"No longer in the honeymoon phase?"

"Was there a honeymoon phase?" I ask him.

"Well I can see it. You two are cute together." He pats my back walking away.

Suddenly my ass is smacked and I look at Bam trying to keep a straight face. "It was Ryan's dare." He says as Ryan stands on the other side of me.

"Love y'all." I swing my arms hitting them in the crotch.

"Fuck you." Bam elbows my in the boob making me groan with them. "It's only far." He adds so I nod my head.

When it was time to start filming, Johnny was gonna try to go down the ramp on a skateboard. I knew he wasn't gonna do well so when he falls I hiss as he hits the ground.

"You gonna take part?" Bam asks me.

"Yeah, it looks fun." I laugh putting my hair up.

"Wait." Johnny stops me and Jeff gives me knee pads and elbow pads.

"Really?" I hold them.

"To keep you safe." Johnny smiles.

"I don't need them." I drop them.

"Alex, please just to be sure." He picks them up putting them on me.

"I can skate unlike you Johnny..." He just looks at me. "I'm not wearing a helmet or elbow pads." I take those ones off.

"Fine. I just want you to you have something. I don't want or wanna see you get hurt." He cuts my cheek slightly leaning down till his phone rings. "Ash..." It was the chick he brought home.

"I'm used to being hurt." I take my knee pads off and join the others.

They tell us that they were just gonna keep filming everything then will pick the ones that are the best.

"Ladies first." Bam motions for me to go.

"Alex, put some pads on please." Johnny comes over getting off his phone.

I roll my eyes then go down the ramp before going into the lake, I melon grab my the board while doing a back flip then land in the water. As my head comes up everyone was cheering for me. Walking out of the lake Bam runs up picking me up jumping up and down chanting my name.

"That was hot." He kisses my cheek making me giggle. "Two reasons. The trick and a lot of cleavage." He adds making me punch his chest.

"See, I didn't need padding." I smile at Johnny as I pass him.

We all take turns doing things in the ramp just having a good time. "Alex, come here mama." Bam motions me to go up so I get a head start then run up the ramp.

"What up?" I ask squinting my eyes cause the sun was in them.

"Go down holding hands with me." He hands the other board.

"Just go down holding hands without fucking each other up?" I ask.

"Then before we get in the lake you wrap yourself around me." He smiles and I try picturing it. "Just trust me. If we fuck up we get good footage either way."

I think it over then say fuck it making Bam happy. "Like you said good footage either way." I get ready with him. "We're gonna fail." I just knew it.

"Well fall on me to soften your blow. I'm volunteering myself for you." He says making me laugh.

"Thanks Bam."

We get ready to go down and as we went forward Bam pulled my hand slightly hard making me get off my board then him. We tumble then coming to a sudden stop slap if the floor. In the fall Bam's and I heads hit each other pretty hard actually making me wish I wore the helmet.

"I told you." I groan touching my head as I laid in his chest.

"You got a hard head." Bam groans as some guys come to check on us.

"Me? Your head bounced off the ground then hit mine." I say getting up without help then help him up.

"You guys okay?" Dave asks us.

"I'm good." I shake it off.

"Same, I can say I've had Alex on top of me." Bam jokes getting up so I punch his arm.

I walk it off rubbing my head and Johnny walks up to me. "I know, I know. I don't wanna hear it." I groan not looking at his face.

"How bad is it hurting?" He asks stopping me and touching my head.

"Slowly going away." I remove my hand and he carefully rubs my head causing me to close my eyes.

"How about now?" He asks so I hum. When I feel lips lips against my forehead I open my eyes. As he moves back he gives me a smile, "All better." I break the eye contact and walk away to stand alone and watch others.

I randomly get the dumb idea to try the red wagon after Steve-O failed. "Alex no." Jeff tries stops me as I sit down on it. "It didn't work the first time."

"I still wanna try." I say so he just lets me do it.

"Alexandria..." Johnny says coming up but I make Jeff help me go. As I go I lean so make the cart not turn off like it did for Steve-O. I get up the plop into the water.

"I did it!" I cheer for myself.

[the-whispers-of-death]

Someone New? No...

! ! ! THE TAGS HAVE SPOILERS ! ! !

Hehe. :)

Word Count: 846

Vikram grumbled as he got the news his brother wasn't going to make it dinner tonight. He looked at the poor soul who gave him the news, his best friend Ashok.

"What do you mean he's going somewhere else for dinner?" he asked Ashok. crossing his arms and frowning. His mind went to all of the possible scenarios for why his younger brother wouldn't be coming over like he usually would and his nose scrunched up in displeasure. "Does he have a date or something?"

"He does actually," Ashok said, surprising Vikram. He was sitting on the couch, staring at his phone since it was still in his hand after he checked his texts from Mohandas. "But he didn't want to tell you it was a date."

Vikram's eyebrows furrowed at that. "Why wouldn't he want to tell me it was a date? I'm not as overbearing as I used to be."

He didn't think he was overbearing at all after his healing journey, but perhaps he was biased. So he chose the safer wording option, just in case.

Fariz joined them in the living room, sitting on the couch next to Ashok. It was just the three men in the house, along with the two of their sons downstairs in the basement per usual. Everyone else was out and doing their own thing before they'd come back home for dinner.

"Oh," Fariz said, having peered over Ashok's shoulder to look at the texts from Mohandas. He read them quickly before humming. "Yeah, I see why Mohandas didn't want to tell you."

"What?" Vikram sputtered in disbelief at that and moved forward as if to also see the texts. He glared at Ashok when the shorter man moved his phone closer to his chest so Vikram couldn't see. "Come on, tell me why."

Fariz and Ashok looked at each other, having a silent conversation on whether they should tell Vikram or not. There were a lot of sighs and hums before they both nodded.

Fariz looked at Vikram and patted the seat next to him, waiting until he sat down to tell him what was up.

"The guy Mohandas is going on a date with is 37."

Vikram's eyes widened at that, surprised at the age gap.

It was a ten year difference considering Mohandas was twenty-seven. Thus, it was a large age gap and of course Vikram wouldn't like that, this was his baby brother!

Ashok quickly said, "See, this is why Mohandas didn't want to tell you. He knew you'd get your knickers in a bunch."

Fariz and Vikram looked at him weird for using the word "knickers." He had never used that word or phrase before.

Ashok huffed and crossed his arms at the weird look.

"Look, we've been living in the UK for so long, of course I picked up some of the lingo. And this isn't relevant to the conversation."

"Why did Mohandas tell you, Ashok?" Vikram asked, now grumpy that his brother felt he couldn't tell him who he was going on a date.

Ashok shrugged, not truly knowing why. "I suppose he wanted someone to at least now where he was going and who he would be with. And before you ask, the guy's name is Manish."

He thought for a second before his eyes lit up and pulled the phone away from his chest to look at it.

"Mohandas sent me a picture of the guy. Apparently he was a U.S. Navy Corpsman for a while, but I've never seen him before."

Vikram and Fariz looked over as Ashok showed them the picture of the man, both of them taking in the sight.

In the picture was a man with russet brown skin and dark brown almond-shaped eyes. His face was scarred by a huge blade wound on his left cheek which healed improperly, causing the scarring to look terrible. He had black hair which barely went past his ears and had streaks of gray through the strands of hair.

"His eyes look haunted," Vikram grumbled. He kept staring at the picture, thinking he knew this man.

Manish... A Corpsman... He knew this man, somehow. But the only Corpsman named Manish that he knew was...

It couldn't be.

He turned to Fariz and asked, "Can I have your phone? You're the only one who has whatever that social media platform is called—Facebook?"

Fariz gave Vikram his phone after unlocking it and opening the app Vikram was talking about. "Who are you looking for?"

Stone typed in the name he hadn't thought about for a while: his mother's name. He waited for the search page to load and then clicked on her profile.

He found the answer he was looking for on the most recent post. A post detailing that her son who was previously thought to be KIA was found alive after twelve years of being in a Iraqi prisoner campsite. He scrolled down the post to find the picture of said son.

The same son who was the man in the picture Mohandas had sent Ashok.

MDNI & Reblog banners made by @/cafekitsune

Look, I had to do it. Manish has been trying to be secretly alive since... Well, since Cerberus was created. I'm thinking he's only alive in the Ranch AU though because I want him to only be alive in the Ranch AU.

Requests are open! Please look at "Rules for Requesting NSFW" before requesting anything NSFW!

[nataliealynlind]

queen america sentence starters

episode 5: psychological warfare

"do you know how many times texas has threatened to secede?"

"so important everywhere"

"he has all the vibes of a sash chaser"

"i really hate meet and greets"

"she may seem nice, but that's only because she's good at this"

"she has this ability to make every person feel like she's speaking only to them"

"you will not hang out with that girl"

"she can't keep wobbling around like some baby giraffe"

"when did rich people get together and decide kitchen islands needed to be 30 feet long"

"everything okay? you just seem ... happy"

"she's not the type to change her schedule for family"

"don't let her start messing with your eyebrows or nothing"

"we've been literally telling everyone how you used to work here- you're our claim to fame!"

"they're being really strict with you, huh?"

"i had to get totally naked for a spray tan"

"but on the upside- my ass looks awesome"

"my parents definitely miss having you over for dinner"

"no matter what happens, when all this is over, we'll be here waiting for ya"

"hopefully- hopefully- who knows what'll happen at nationals"

"you should just be so proud of yourself for making it to state level"

"you're late- is there a boy or something?"

"i'm sorry are you under the impression that we're friends who joke about their personal lives with each other?"

"for the record- i'm allowed to be late. you're not"

"are you using the literal meaning of the word science right now?"

"walk across the goddamn room"

"makes it look like you're in a gap commercial"

"you want it to look like you're so goddamn beautiful and graceful that the person looking at you might think they're hearing the music in their head- that maybe you inspired the music into existence"

"maybe you inspired the music into existence"

"however bad you think you are multiply that by three"

"i hate the thought of being stuck on a boat with a bunch of strangers"

"she probably just wants to spend time with you"

"i'd like to put you on a boat where you can't run away from me"

"i really like you... a little bit"

"do i need to explain further or do you still not understand the logic?"

"don't pretend you don't know what i'm talking about"

"this may shock you, but i don't remember every conversation we've ever had"

"those were important conversations"

"you enjoy it too much- until you don't"

"you are such a little idiot sometimes"

"you'd be miserable- all three of you"

"he'd really be a terrible father, wouldn't he?"

"and you my sweet girl, would be a terrible mother"

"like i said back then- people like you and me- not meant for parenthood"

"the yellow's gonna make (name) look like a skinny little banana"

"i know what it is i'm asking why you're wearing it?"

"i don't really drink-"

"well you will tonight"

"the prep schools in dallas played the prep schools in tulsa"

"plus a bunch of us went to camp together"

"you have my full attention"

"okay i'm not that needy"

"we were barely even together to be honest"

"and you didn't try to push her down a staircase- good man"

"it wasn't with the right person, but it's still my kid you know?"

"regardless of what i think of her mother, which is very little"

"you're a very nice man"

"you look terrified- it's okay- this room is terrifying"

"those guys- they look so judgmental"

"who's that pillow for- it's so tiny- why would anyone want a pillow that small"

"let's start over- i'm name- this is my parents house- i have nothing to do with how they decorated it"

"if you need anything- like- at all- call me, okay?"

"it's not like i'd have sex with your dad to get in your head"

"girls do that?"

"she was taking pictures of you and name in the hallway"

"this whole process is crazy- and lonely... we need friends"

"i'm glad i'm not the only one who thinks that"

"to me all of this sorta feels like a vacation in a very different life than mine.

"i'm almost scared to want any of it too bad."

"oh my god i bet you were so cute in your little outfit"

"listen to me- this is a launching pad. you just have to play the game."

"look at 90% of news anchors in every major city. what do they have in common? pageants"

"i'm not good at this stuff like you are. i don't know how to say the right thing all the time."

"i wasn't born good at this- i trained for an embarrassingly long time."

"you'll get better- and then life can be whatever you want"

"oh no i've had 11 shots- this is what i'm like when i'm hammered"

[popculturebuffet]

Mutant Month: The Marvel Super Heroes: Dr. Doom's Day!: Hawkeye is an X-Man Now (Patreon Review for Emma Fici)

Hello all you happy muties and welcome one and all, wether you fly, shoot rays out of your eyes, make pasta in your nose or your heart can shoot an all inspiring ray that teaches people how to truly love themselves and then explodes them inside out, all are welcome for a celebration of 60 years of the strangest heroes of all, the outlaws, protectors of those who hate and fear them, those undergoing a fall, the uncanny, astonishing, amazing, dark, immortal, red, blue, gold, black, and green, the

As I haven't remotely hid on this blog but will repeat for newcomers, I love the x-men. Their my faviorite superhero team and are easily my faviorite franchise in comics, with spinoffs from New Mutants, to X-Factor to X-Men red all ranking among my faviorite comics ever. I love these characters dearly and haven't covered them nearly enough on here so I decided to celebrate the 65th anniversary with mutant month... and while we're a few months late due to moving and such, this month happening was never in doubt and wills tand as a yearly celebration of all things x.

So to kick this off we've got an odd little note in x-men history, one I wasn't even aware of till asking my good friend emma what animated apperance of the x-men she'd like to cover.. and finding out their first wasn't on spider-man and their amazing friends like i'd thought but much earlier, on a show known for awesome theme songs, shoddy animation and not much else. Yes folks before costarring in the friendly neighborhood, before all the 90's tastic spandex, before 2000s teenage angst and awesomeness, and before the last gasp till a revivial of said 90s spandex, the strangest heroes of all became the allies for peace and teamed up with one of the first mutants to combat the greatest evil the world had ever known on a barely animated marvel cartoon. Also hawkeye was there. So join me under the cut if i've peaked your intrest as we inter the limitedly animated world of the sub mariner and his allies for peace on the marvel super heroes!

The Marvel Super Heroes wasn't just the first animated apperance of the x-men, but the first marvel animated series PERIOD. Create din 1966 and running for 65 episodes (with each episode having three chapters to it but seeming to tell a complete story). The series was made on a budget somewhere BELLOW a paperclip and a piece of string, a singular bottle cap. They simply scanned the actual comics, barely aniamted them, added some effects and for lip movements used Syncro Vox. For those unfamiliar with it Synchro Vox was a super cheap effect where they cut out the characters mouths and had real human mouths recite the words. And if you say "Well jee whiz jake that sounds like a styigan nightmare from the deepest depths of my subconcious" then your right on the money. There's a reason it didn't outlast the 60s.

As you can imagine this .. looks pretty bad and it's better ot just read the actual comics. The actors TRY, they do, but static, barely perserved images on a screen just can't match the panel work in the original jack kirby art. Congradulations Marvel Super HEroes, you found a way to somehow make JACK KIRBY ART not work. I hope your proud.

It's only lasting impacts are , and i'm completely convinced of this, serving as the inspriation for this incredibles short

At first I thought it was cheap animation in general but knowing now this cartoon uses synchro vox and seeing this cartoon again.. yeah. Good on you crew for doing such an incredibly deep cut and making it work on it's own.

The other is the theme songs. The theme songs for the most part slap.

YOu'll also recognize the Iron Man theme song as they used a jazzy instuermental in his film. And given it's the best of the bunch it's easy to say.

There's two themes missing from this. The first is the shows theme itself. Which is... a lot.

I mean they did get namor down pretty down pat.

So kudos. Speaking of Namor his absence from that montage kinda speaks to him as a whole. As doe shis theme being a bit.. less than the others

It's not bad, but you get they just didn't quite have Imperius Sex Machine as defined as the other 4. Captain America at the time was a man of action, who fought for the people and was a symbol of all of america has to offer. Iron Man was a playboy who kept people at a distance. Thor is a god full of the majesty and wonder that brings, and Hulk.. well okay Hulk's theme is just goofy but damn if it isn't fun and still gets the point across. But namors is "Look at him ain't he powerful. He rules a kingdom. So for those less familiar with the prince of the deep who might of missed wakanda forever, a quick recap: Namor started as a golden age super hero, one of Timely, the future marvel comics, first, and one of the big three of his day with the human torch, a diffrent one than the one who'd later flame on with the fantastic four, and Captain America. LIke most timely heroes he vanished to the sands of time for a while. So cue the Fantastic Four and the true birth of the marvel universe. And since Marvel coudln't just let their bigger names of days past simply lie around, they put the human torch moniker on our boy johnny storm. And once the fantastic four proved to be the hit they were, they decided to bring him back via this book to test the waters.

It's a clever return too: Naturally the person to bring namor back is Johnny Storm, the new human torch and spirtual successor to the original who Namor famously battled in the golden age. Johnny was a teen at the time and ran away from home eventually ending up at a homeless shelter.. and finding NAMOR. Turns out since wwII (an increasing gap but unlike most in comics one that dosen't need to be handwaved as Namor is immortal), namor lost his memory and grew a beard. Johnny uses his power to burn it off

And unable to convince namor he's a freaky fish guy dunks him in the bay. The good news is this brings Namor back. The bad news.. is this brings namor back, who sees his kingdom in ruins and wages war with the surface. The four are able to mostly repel him, and Namor ends up taking a liking to JOhnny's sister Sue. These became his primary character traits: wanting to lash out at the surface, and wanting to nail Reed Richards girlfriend and later wife. Seriously just a few years later the guy buys AN ENTIRE FILM STUDIO when he hears Reed's gone bankrupt simply to try and win her over. As other books sprouted up he'd appear in them, mostly to punch the hero or be courted by various supervillians to team up with them as he was the hottest guy in prom. And that's where the decision to make HIM the 5th pillar of this show really makes me tilt my head. Namor isn't a TERRIBLE character. He's not one I like a lot, but it's simply because outside of his stint with the x-men, where both Matt Fraction and especially Kireon Gilleon really nailed him down: arrogant, but not without honor, powerfula s hell and knows it and while certainly willing to go after someones partner does so because he senses a lack of passion. Dosen't make it okay. Also as seen above it shows his tastes are wide, varied and awesome.

The problem is most of the time he's just an angry fish man with a pretty standard power set and a fairly boring kingdom. Wakanda forever completely redesigning it really helped the MCU version.

But just thinking of the remaining superhero books they could use while fantastic fours rights were elsewhere, as were spideys, they still had ant-man and the x-men. (The avengers were around but were largely saved to adapt in cap and iron man's shorts). I get it to a point: Ant Man had recently been canceled and X-Men.. weren't exactly a hit.

See the early x-men adventures.. aren't great. Their not terrible, there's some good ones as i've read them, and it's not exactly a big secret in the x-men fandom or marvel fandom as a whole that while the CONCEPT for the x-men was great: a new evolution of mankind with powers, that next step being largely teens and young adults struggling to control them.. but Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had no idea what to do with this. Stan 100% created the concept of mutants so he wouldn't have to make up an origin for every superpowered villian or hero. You can only use good ole radation so many times before people catch on and Thor, Cap and Iron Man all had super unique origins that coudln't easily be replicated. The most they could do thor wise is bring in another god from another mytholgy with herc.

But it was at it's core just weaker versions of the kinds of stories he told elsewhere and fell HEAVILY into

Ant Man baffles me as while yes, his book was canceled.. they still had a WHOLE series to mine stories from with interesting visuals. He was still an avenger and he and jan played off each other decently when it didn't fall into Smilin Stan really not knowing how to write women.

SO I KINDA get it as Namor was more the default.. but it still felt like a weird choice given they didn't have mcuh to work with where he wasn't the villian and actively seemed to refuse to adapt any story where he was. IT was just an odd choice to pick someone who at the time was mostly an outright villian and most of whose character arc from that was in books they woudln't use.

So when you have to use WHATEVER you can, what do you do? Well if your this show.. you do something profoundly bonkers and hilarious.

The Actual Episode:

So.. this episode is a mighty marvel frankenstien's monster.

NO not him. He wasn't around yet. NO this episode is clumisly stitched together from two diffrent ff issues. Fantastic Four #6 and Fantastic Four Annual #4

The first makes sense as it features Namor teaming up with one of marvel's best villians who they apparently could use in both shows: Doctor Doom. They simply had to replace who his nemesis were. And that of course is where our futuraly uncanny x-men come in, simply slapped into the baxter building and given the ff's reputation and relationship fighting doom. Oddly they woudln't actually fight doom during the 60's like everyone else. Eventually though he did leading to this awesome cover

Granted FF writer at the time John Byrne didn't like the story because Doom was tricked by X-Men enemy and my boy arcade and tried to retcon it but that's a story for another day.

Point is the X-Men hadn't fought doom.. but given they were more generic superheroes at the time having them step into the ff's roll actually makes a lot of sense. And they even had some panels they could use from the x-mens series of them battling namor.

Yeah for some weird reason they decided instead to mash this story.. with FF Annual #4, the wedding of Sue Storm and Reed Richards. An issue that I haven't read but i'm bound to cover eventually for my annual February superhero wedding special

It is famous enough for me to have the gist though: Sue and Reed get married but this being a superhero comic, some action gets thrown in. In this case Dr. Doom decides to gift them EVERY SINGLE AVALIABLE SUPERVILLIAN in the marvel universe. That's not hyperbole. Pretty much every villian who could from street level guys to the big bads like Kang showed up to try and beat the shit out of the ff.. but this being the wedding of two public super heroes, every super hero in the marvel universe short of spidey (who didn't seem to show up, loner that he was). IT comes off at least from a distance as a big old celebration not just of the happy couple but of how much the marvel universe had grown.

As a result though the first half of this episode is just a lot of fighting and feels really disjointed esepcially once the ff #6 adaptation kicks in as there's never really any resolution to the "all the supervillians are given a subconcious signal to fuck with my arch enemy's wedding day. " part of the plot. Or here it's because the X-Men are getting a major award. Which is nice given how their usually treated.. but for some reason here their called "the alliance for peace".

Look if you had to rename the x-men, and why on earth would you even back then at their weakest, why not the peace patrol, the peace posse, Cyclops and those other 4, the Beast Brigade, the Merry Mutant Marching Society, Not-The Fantastic Four, The Fantastic Five, The Sesnational Six, Uncle Charlie's Funtime House Band, Scotty Dosen't Know, The Teen Angels, The Alps, The Marvels, The Recess Monkeys, Code Yellow, The Mutants, XX-Men, The New Justice Team, Fruit Punch, We Hate you Please Die, Hated and Feared, Diaper Time, Stars and Garters, or Suck it Erik? Did they only have 5 minutes? I did and I came up with all of that, so how.

At any rate the first few minutes is just a lot of fighting. Again they HAVE an issue with namor. I get not wanting ot use all of it: Wanda and Pietro were still in the brotherhood of evil mutants at the time and it was back when Magneto was less "one of the most complex, compelling and awesome characters ever" and more "Dollar Tree Doctor Doom". But you HAVE PANELS OF THESE CHARACTERS FIGHTING NAMOR

There's also some with beast. So there was more than enough to do that and still use bits from ff #4. Just have doom narrate he's having mole man attack them. Instead once the fighting stops most of the x-men vanish, widdling down to just xavier who, thanks to using the wedding panels, is in his best baby blue prom tuxedo.

Oh and instead of just angel and professor.. we also get the greatest of all x-men, king of kings. Hawkeye. Yes for no reason other than they could crop other characters out easier probably, Hawkeye shows up a lot in the second act and is implictly a member of the defenders of peace. So in this reality, playing Mephisto's Advocate, either Hawkeye's a mutant with super sharp aiming ablities, or Hawkeye came to the X-Men to tie one of them up to prove he could join them instead of the avengers and Xavier was like "Fuck it come on in bud."

The rest of the ep is.. fine. Namor is asked to team with dr doom, then is betrayed by doom. We do get some awesome over the top stuff as Dr. Doom needs to use the grabber to pull the x-baxter building into space. So namor SWATS MEOTRS AWAY then chases Dr. Doom and ethan hawke into space and somehow survivies. IT's the cheesy kind of fun I want

So yeah.. for a first x-men in animatoin apperance this is pretty bad. Their barely featured as a team, Jean hardly gets to do anything, and it's two stories that just don't work together welded together. We have to assume at the end new york just.. burnt to the ground because Dr. Doom left all the other super villians int he world on. Or like the actual story the watcher just said "Fuck this' and ended it. Either way it's a pretty bleh episode and even the weird as hell way the x-men are used dosen't give it much of a recomednation.

Thankfully next up in x-men month we have something a bit more fitting as it's time for one of the greatest x-men stories of all: God Loves, Man Kills. Thanks for reading.

[aquadestinyswriting]

How Far We've Come

Summary: A quick look back at how all the main adventurers started their journeys in Destiny's New Servants to how they ended it.

Words: 936

Tags: @druidx @homesteadchronicles @flashfictionfridayofficial @asher-orion-writes,@warriorbookworm, @odysseywritings, @blind-the-winds, @thesorcerersapprentice,@writeblrcafe, @ashiru, @writeblrcafe

Warnings: None

Notes: These vignettes are quite short and I didn't include Aurianna or 'Arry as they're technically side characters. Thannan was also left out because he joined the group so late, he never got a chance to get much development (also... word count)

Celestia still resounded with the sounds of battle as the last of the demons and assorted gods of domains antithetical to the plane were pushed back to their homes. 

Standing on the edge of a small crater near the shore of the celestial sea were the heroes who had made such a victory possible. Each looked to the others, marvelling at what they had all managed to accomplish in the relatively short time they'd been working with one another. Each of them thought back over the journey they had been on, reflecting on the people they used to be and the heroes that they had become since.

Elowyn

Elowyn cast around frantically for a way to get above the crowd for a better view of what was going on. There were times that being a woodling was a detriment, and this was one of those times. She taps Alphonse’s leg,

“Let me get up there. I need to see what’s going on and try to get these people to calm down.” she tells him. Alphonse shrugs and allows the shorter woman to clamber onto her shoulders. As she starts to order people to evacuate in a more orderly manner, she spots, out of the corner of her eye, two hulking figures storming up the canal, throwing boats and barges to either side as they go.

~*~

Elowyn shook her head at Ionah’s words to her,

“Not naiive, just ever optimistic in some twisted sense. I can’t help but remember how things might have gone. I don’t know you well - I didn’t get a chance - but I know that, at some point, there was Goodness in you. Nobody is so far gone that they can’t come back, not even you.” Ionah laughed at her,

“I was damned a lang time ago. I just simply chose to embrace it.”

Elowyn could barely believe what she was hearing. She truly believed that no one was beyond saving at this point, but how could she get through to someone so broken?

Meredith

Meredith glowered at the ash that was the ghoul who had interrupted her quiet drink. She glances over to the watch officers who had caught the creature, who were having a heated discussion about the woodling going into the sewers alone. She motions to the pile of ash,

"Seein' as that one was headin' doon there, I might as well come with." She said, "There's never just the one, and ye'll want a cleric to help deal with them." She offered. 

~*~

Meredith breathed a sigh of relief as Elowyn coughed raspily and held out her hand,

“I’m so glad that’s so much nicer than the last time I died.” the currently polymorphed woodling wheezes. Meredith chuckles as she pulls her friend to her feet,

“Ye didn’t get any time, hen.” she quips, rounding on the the remaining demons with an angry snarl.

Felix

Felix wrapped his arms around his knees and hugged them tightly. If only he had been strong enough to actually cast anything useful, then maybe Elowyn wouldn't be…. The gnomish man choked back his sobs. Self pity wasn't going to get them anywhere, but what could he possibly do that would be helpful?

~*~

Felix stared at the ginormous pyroclastic dragon and the drakes flying in front of it. The gnomish sorcerer smiled slowly as he cast his spell and began to speak,

“No! You’re the one who should tremble, because I am YOUR DOOM!”

Harbinger reeled back, his scales cracking under the unexpected force projected from so small a creature. Felix's grin widened further as all three draconic creatures fell out of the sky.

Quentin

Quentin yelps in alarm as a sword point is almost driven through his midsection by the woodling woman he had been quietly trying to make his way past,

“Hey, hold on, I’m a friend!” he exclaims, only to receive an annoyed glare from the woman and several of her companions. He bows his head, keeping his arms raised,

“Apologies, an introduction is in order. Quentin Goldenrose, tracker and scout at your service.”

~*~

Quentin groans as his friends are regaled about stories of his youth by his sister,

“Seriously, why do you insist on doing this?” he asks plaintively. Elowyn shrugs as she takes another bite of food,

“It’s an older sibling thing.” she replies, “Just relax and enjoy this. We probably won’t get another chance to do it again for quite a while.” she points out. Quentin quirks an eyebrow at the woodling woman, but can’t find any fault with her assessment.

Snotgrut

Snotgrut frowns in confusion as Elowyn speaks to the goblins the group had captured the previous night. Second chances? What on earth would these idiots do with a second chance? He stays quiet, observing the situation. He doesn't quite understand what the woodling wants to happen, but it seems to be working… kind of. Maybe there's something to this 'mercy' thing.

~*~

Snotgrut hefted out the sword he'd acquired when he'd last visited Arborea. Now that the plainly evil half of him had been destroyed, it didn't seem right to hold onto it any more. The goblin glanced up at the blade and froze. It was glowing.

"Was it doing that before?" Felix asked innocently. Snotgrut whimpered,

"No." He replied, voice small, "It's never done that before." His ears drooped as he continued staring at the blade, the slow realisation of what the Emerald Dragon had 'gifted' him with finally sinking in.

The adventurers smiled at one another, they’d all come a long way. Now it was time to hang up their weapons and get some well deserved rest.

[prettyboykatsuki-moved]

everywhere we've been | b. katsuki

✫ tags ; a/b/o, alpha!reader, gn!reader, omega!bkg, scenting, kissing, confessions, v fluffy other just general omegaverse nonsense

✫ wc ; 1.3k

✫ a/n ; i don't want to talk about it. and if anyone says anything abt this ill cry

✫ synopsis ; bakugou hates most alphas. you are the third exception

Bakugou's gotten so many lectures about instinct at this point in his fucking life, he could probably recite each one from word of mouth. All of them bog down to the idea of being careful.

"You're still an omega, Katsuki. You have to be careful, even if you're a hero."

Bakugou hates the notion entirely. Everyone can go fuck themselves. He's a grown ass man, and he doesn't give a single shit about anything related to being an omega. He avoids the subject all together, in interviews and in life. When heats come, he takes a week off and leaves it at that.

He doesn't accept any shitty alpha courting gestures because most of them suck. And there's really nothing Bakugou hates more than some half-assed creep insistent on becoming his mate.

He doesn't take any shame in being an omega. He's still the goddamn best, still number two on the pro-ranks. It shouldn't matter to anyone else, and it hasn't yet. His outstanding capabilities are highlighted. He's always been one to subvert peoples expectations.

He hates most Alpha's, though. A whole fuckload of them are cocky. Bakugou enjoys making them submit, it brings him great pleasure to see them fold and crackle under the pressure of his intimidation. He can only stand like three total, and Deku barely counts.

You're the most recent addition to the list of alphas he can tolerate.

And you're another barely. Bakugou met you in a fucking fabric store, buying lame nesting shit he needs. He's picky about the materials on his skin so buying online is a hassle. Most fabric stores with nesting shit are full with omegas and beta's for obvious reasons. He figured you were another beta. He figured all the omegas just flocked to you cause you were so damn friendly.

The first time Bakugou figured out you were an alpha was when he came into the store and smelled something intense.

Rain. Like the earth after a rain shower, deep and rich and heavy. It was borderline intrusive. The store normally smells mild, other omegas don't smell like much to him.

But it was so potent. So intense, he couldn't help but track you down. There you were at the fabric counter, frantically putting patches over your neck that did little to cover anything up. Bakugou let out a shaky inhale, and then looked at you.

"Hey, Bakugou."

"What the fuck is that smell."

You gave him a mild smile before chuckling sheepishly.

"Uh.. me? I guess. I worked out before coming and I guess I -? I don't know but my patch isn't doing much to cover it up. Boss said it was fine, but people keeping giving me weird looks."

Bakugou stared at you for a long, long while.

"You're an alpha? You fucking soggy bastard?"

You paused then laughed at that. Nodding.

"Surprised?"

"Fucking.. obviously. Who wouldn't be. Shitty Alpha."

Bakugou pins most attraction on instinct. His weekly visits to the fabric shop for new, soft things to take home had become something of a routine. But he's never felt like that before. That weird fucking feeling that stirred in his gut. The repetitive of what you were to each other.

He makes more excuses to see you. Eventually you say he can see whenever he wants, outside of work. Normally, something like that would make Bakugou irate.

But it's you. So it doesn't. He just sort of accepts it. Like it's the most obvious choice in the world for him to be making. He texts you when he's free, and you come see him.

But you never cross any boundaries. You don't court him or even suggest the idea, never comment on his scent or how he looks. When weeks pass because of his heat, you merely send him some food and a note to take care of himself. You just join him for dinner sometimes and walk him back to his apartment and smile just barely.

And you're funny. You have a wit to you that Bakugou doesn't resent. But you never take that patch off your neck, never act like a shitty alpha like he expects you to. Like he's almost waiting for you to pull the rug from underneath his feet.

It never comes. Months pass and you're still the same as you are.

He blames everything on instinct. When his omega yowls more and more for you, he can't help but be angry with it. Be upset with his body for wanting something so bad, to clinging to the scarf you lent him and sleeping with it for days.

Shitty fucking beta-passing alpha. Bakugou hates you so much for making him like this.

__

"You're distressed."

Bakugou's eyes snap to you immediately, scowl twisting in upset. You look the same as always. A plain expression meshed with mild concern, hands in your pockets. He seethes.

"What the fuck do you know?"

You pause momentarily, shrugging.

"You smell distressed."

Bakugou freezes.

"You can fucking smell me?"

You pause, looking at him for a while before laughing. He swallows something thick in the back of his throat. Something in him feels like it's on fire. It's so fucking lame. He hates it.

"Yeah. You don't wear blockers or anything. Why're you so surprised?"

And he wants to scream at you for being so stupid, but his mouth goes dried. You're right, and it's obvious but there's more to it then that. You look a little amused, but not all that concerned and that pisses him off worse.

"B-because, you fucking shit! You never say anything about it."

Another pause, this time much longer. You grin slightly.

"Did you.. want me to say something about it?"

"Fuck you," He deflects, heat creeping up his neck. He can feel the flush, the tips of his ears turning pink. "W-what the fuck do I normally smell like? How would you even -"

"You normally smell sweet. Kinda smokey." You say, non-plussed. He freezes. Bites down the urge to ask if you like it or not. He wants to ask so fucking bad it's killing him.

"Don't all fuckin' omegas smell sweet to you? Shitty, useless alpha."

You laugh this time. Your hand reaches over to him, and he doesn't flinch from the touch. You twist some of the blonde between your fingers. You lean forward, so close to his neck. And take an inhale. His whole body goes into shock.

"You smell like honey-blossoms, oranges, and a campfire. Like a camping trip." You say, pulling back to meet his eyes. His expression narrows, lower lip trembling.

"You fucking dick - "

"It's good. Nice and sweet, omega."

The praise runs over his whole body like a shock. When you pull away, you're grinning. Hands in pockets and relaxed. And something in Bakugou snaps, grabbing you by your collar until you're faced with him. A growl rips from his throat, and you grin. Cocky bastard.

"If you fucking breathe around another omega or smell them like that, you're dead meat." Bakugou grits. You dickhead. "Was this all part of your shitty fucking plan?"

You shrug.

"You didn't seem like the type of omega who wanted me to court you first, but I'd love to court you." You say. Something in him soothes, as much as he's agitated. There's some semblance of relief, almost immediately.

"Distress is gone." You say, soft and bright. He slams you into the wall a little harder and you laugh.

But his grip weakens when you grab his wrist. He watches you, eyes growing nearly watery when you carefully removing whatever patch was there to cover your scent. The smell of rain floods his lungs in a fit. You smell so good, he's drunk off of it immediately. You grab him by his wrist, pulling him into you.

Your rub your scent onto him with a soft hum. His whole body goes ragged with relief as you coo at him. He could cry. Stupid fucking instinct. Stupid fucking feelings. Everything smells like rain, and something rumbles in his chest.

"Shitty alpha."

"Just the worst." You agree mildly. When he pulls back, faced with you - he can't help but lean in. You press your lips to him soft, wiping tears from his cheeks. He hates you, he swears.

"Wanna come inside?"

He huffs, breathing in more of you.

"Yeah."

[triflesandparsnips]

So I saw this post by @ipomoea-batatas about Stede Bonnet becoming "a competent pirate by fully understanding and harnessing his own particular brand of lunacy" -- and I went a bit feral.

Because I think we've already seen the start of it.

Okay. Izzy Hands, right? And his very first meeting with Stede.

All anybody knows about this Bonnet guy is that (1) he and his crew have run aground, and it evidently wasn't on purpose because (2) instead of doing repair work or cleaning the hull while beached, the crew are just running around blowing shit up and loudly listing fish--

AND YET (3) these same people, lead by the unknown, untested Captain Bonnet, have managed to capture English officers.

You know who else Izzy knows who can pull off that kind of bullshit? Who looks mad as a hatter and half distracted by whether the clouds look more or less like lunch foods, and is nonetheless "legendary" and the "most brilliant sailor" he has ever met?

Yeah.

But there's only one Blackbeard out there, so whatever this Captain Bonnet's deal is, it's probably accidental, or they're just not getting the whole story, or whatever. It doesn't matter much. Izzy and his landing party don't even bother to engage beyond asking Buttons for some info-- they just buy the officers out from under Bonnet and head back to the ship, and that should've been the end of it until they all ran into each other at the Republic or, failing that, the gallows.

And then.

This fuckin' dude.

Who is wearing half of an incredibly expensive tailored outfit in the middle of the fucking jungle. Who's clearly got no fucking clue what to do with a blade, since he's got his knife brandished off to the side, leaving his center completely unguarded, and also it's a fucking knife. Against three professionals with swords and fucking guns.

This guy. Has just jumped pigeon-toed into Izzy's path and essentially proclaimed himself to be the elusive Bonnet.

(There are bows on this dick's unscratched high-heeled shoes, Izzy thinks. And he's just said the word "trifle" five fucking times.)

So yeah, Izzy figures he can cross "secretly clever" off his list of possibilities and chalk up all of Bonnet's successes so far to blind luck and a rich man's fancy. And that being the case, Izzy has the time and inclination to have a bit of fun and give this idiot a warning while he's at it. He spends a happy minute seeing if he can make the fop scream, faint, or blush his way back into the bush with a bit of swordplay and a lot of bared skin.

The man does, in fact, gasp. But he doesn't run. And instead of screaming or covering himself up-- or, fuck, even relying on some gentrified insult that would give Izzy the excuse to just kill the guy-- this absolute asshole raises his eyebows and fucking compliments him.

And Izzy's mouth is running on automatic, already going with the tee'd up line he'd had ready for this fuckwit when he inevitably said something classist about peasants or whatever-- except that's not what Bonnet had said, was it? and-- the fuck was that noise?

"Do you hear that?" says Bonnet, cocking his head and looking wide-eyed in the opposite fuckin' direction of the sound and just, like, electing to ignore the sword pointing at his chest. "I didn't know this isle was haunted."

It's clearly a diversionary tactic, just as it's clearly one of Bonnet's crew out in the forest. Izzy knows how this shit goes, he's seen Edward do it often enough.

(A strange thought slouches indistinctly into view behind Izzy's other, more pressing concerns.)

But for all that it's definitely a crewmember out there, Izzy can't deny that Bonnet's-- weird. Compliments. Sticking his ground. Those fucking shoes.

It's distracting.

(The thought is starting to make its way to the forefront of Izzy's mind, but its trenchcoat and enormous polyester wig are preventing him from identifying what his hindbrain has figured out well before his conscious brain has.)

Out in the real world, Izzy's sword doesn't drop, but his eyes do turn away for a moment, even though he knows he fuckin' oughtn't. He course-corrects-- goes with his gut, and decides to call Bonnet's bluff.

"It's obviously one of your men," Izzy says. If Bonnet had enough people for it, he wouldn't have stuck himself as bait. Fuck, he probably wouldn't have bothered with a fuckery at all, just surrounded the landing party and been done with it. The only logical scenario is that Bonnet doesn't have the resources to actually overpower Izzy's party--

But then--

Then why try at all?--

(The strange thought has started to use its elbows to ruthlessly shove its way to the front. The wig is lost in the shuffle.)

Captain Bonnet raises his brows again, eyes now tight on Izzy's. "But is it?" he says.

(Away goes the trenchcoat. There's leather underneath.)

"Yes it is," says Izzy.

Bonnet, despite Izzy's sword still pointed at his fucking chest, actually leans forward.

(Closer now, the thought says, "Izzy, Izzy, Izzy.")

Bonnet's eyes are wide, unblinking as he says, "But is it?"

("You know me," says the thought, and it sounds amused, and bored, and it's walking right past him and moving until it's looking out of this new captain's eyes, and--)

Izzy breaks. And after a bit more theatre, Bonnet wins.

Which could be fine, maybe, if Izzy'd been bested by another Blackbeard... but he wasn't. Stede fucking Bonnet is nothing like Blackbeard. Never mind the fuckery-- that was amateur theatricals, that's all. And certainly never mind the madness-- just a pampered rich boy who managed to make Izzy Hands blink.

Reason enough to hate Bonnet right there. Because if Izzy Hands has to confront the idea that someone silly and stupid with more money than sense can do exactly what Blackbeard does, but backwards and in heels with bows on them, then he'll have to confront some grim fucking truths about how exactly Edward has become a "legend" and what it means that Izzy was fooled by it for so very, very long.

[barelytolerabled]

Part 09

Spencer Reid x fem!Reader

Summary: The team's breakthrough in the case and your personal breakthrough as well.

Warnings: none

previous | next

Spencer and you arrived at the BAU office a little later than usual, both of you looking slightly disheveled and with a tell-tale glow on your faces. You had spent the night together, finally giving in to your intense attraction and shared passion.

As you walked in, Derek greeted you with a smirk. "Well, well, well, look who decided to show up. Sleeping in, were we?"

Spencer felt a flush rise to his cheeks as you tried to brush off Derek's comment with a laugh. "No, we just got a little caught up last night," you said, giving Spencer a knowing glance.

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Caught up, huh? I bet you did." He leaned back in his chair, his grin growing wider. "So, what was it like, Reid? Was she as wild as she seems?"

Spencer felt his face grow even hotter. He couldn't believe Derek was teasing him like this in their work place. "Derek, please," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Can we just get to work?"

Derek chuckled. "Sure thing, man. But you gotta admit, this is some juicy gossip. I bet the whole team will be talking about it."

You rolled your eyes. "You're impossible, Derek," you said, shaking your head. "But for the record, Spencer was amazing."

Spencer felt a rush of warmth spread through his chest at your words. He was glad you didn't seem embarrassed or ashamed of what you had done.

Derek whistled. "Well, well. Looks like we've got a little love connection at the BAU. Who would've thought?"

All of you three laughed and settled into your morning routine, but Spencer couldn't shake the feeling of embarrassment and vulnerability. He knew he and you would have to be more careful from now on, especially with such a sensitive case on your hands. But at the same time, he couldn't help feeling a sense of contentment and joy at finally being with the woman he loved.

“Agent in my office”, Hotchner called you suddenly out of his office.

Hotchner motioned for you to come into his office as he closed the door behind you. He took a deep breath before speaking, trying to hide his concern.

"Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something," he said, his voice low and serious.

Your heart started to race. You had a feeling you knew what he wanted to talk about, but you weren’t sure how to respond.

"I've noticed that you and Spencer have been spending a lot of time together," Hotchner continued. "More than usual, I mean. And I just wanted to check in and make sure everything is okay."

You felt your face flush with embarrassment. You knew that your feelings for each other were obvious to anyone paying attention, but you hadn't expected Hotchner to bring it up.

"We're just working on the case," you said, trying to sound casual. "You know how it can be, long hours and all that."

Hotchner nodded, but his eyes were still fixed on you. "I understand that," he said. "But I need to make sure that there's no conflict of interest, no favoritism."

You swallowed hard, feeling a lump form in your throat. "There's not," you said, your voice barely above a whisper.

Hotchner leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "Look, I need you to be honest with me," he said firmly. "If there's something going on between you and Spencer, I need to know about it. It could compromise the investigation and the team."

You took a deep breath and met Hotchner's gaze head-on, you couldn’t lie to him. "There is something going on between us," you said, your voice steady. "We've been trying to figure out what it means and how to handle it, but it hasn't affected our work or the case."

Hotchner studied you for a moment before nodding slowly. "Okay," he said. "I appreciate your honesty. But I need you to keep your personal feelings separate from your work. Can you do that?"

You nodded, feeling a sense of relief wash over you. "Yes, of course," you said. "I understand the importance of keeping things professional."

Hotchner gave you a small smile. "Good," he said. "I trust you to handle this situation with maturity and responsibility. But if anything changes, I need you to tell me."

You nodded again, feeling grateful for Hotchner's understanding and support. You knew that navigating this situation with Spencer wouldn't be easy, but you were willing to do whatever it took to protect the team and your work.

The BAU team was gathered around a conference table, examining the evidence from the latest crime scene. You felt your heart racing as you listened to the details. The killer had left a clue this time, a piece of fabric that could potentially lead them to him.

As the team discussed their next steps, you felt a sense of determination wash over you. You knew that you were getting closer to catching the killer and bringing him to justice. You obsession with the case had taken a toll on her mental health, but now you felt a renewed sense of purpose and had understood that you weren’t alone.

Suddenly, something caught your eye. You leaned in closer to the fabric and examined it more closely. It was familiar to you, but you couldn't quite place it.

"Wait a minute," you said, interrupting the conversation. "I think I know where this came from."

You quickly pulled out your phone and searched through your old childhood photos. You found the picture you were looking for, a snapshot of you as a young girl wearing a dress made from the same fabric as the clue they had just discovered.

"I had a dress made from this fabric when I was a little girl," you said, showing the photo to the team.

"The killer is targeting girls who remind him of me.", Spencer said quietly, taken aback.

The revelation sent shockwaves through the room. Everyone was stunned, but they knew that this was a breakthrough in the case. With this new information, they could narrow down their search for the killer and hopefully catch him before he struck again.

You felt a weight lift off your shoulders as you realized the significance of your discovery. You had always felt like the killer was haunting you, but now you had a chance to confront him and put an end to his reign of terror.

As the team began to formulate their plan of attack, you took a deep breath and felt a sense of calm wash over you. For the first time in a long time, you felt like you were in control of your own life.

Later that day you were sitting on your couch, staring blankly at the TV, when you heard a knock at the door. You got up to answer it, and were surprised to see Spencer standing on the other side, looking slightly frantic.

"Spencer, what's going on?" you asked, as you let him inside.

"Hotchner just talked to me about us," he blurted out, his words tumbling over each other.

Your heart raced. You knew that your relationship was a risk, and you had been worried about when and how your team leader would find out.

"He talked to me too, what did he say to you?" you asked, your nerves starting to fray.

"He just wanted to make sure we're not jeopardizing the case," Spencer said, finally catching his breath. "He's worried about favoritism and conflicts of interest."

You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding. "Well, that's good news, right?"

Spencer shook his head, his eyes filled with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. "No, it's not good news. It's embarrassing news."

You couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess we should have been more discreet, huh?"

Spencer let out a nervous laugh, and before long you were both laughing hard, the tension of the situation melting away.

"I can't believe Hotch had to talk to us like we're a couple of teenagers," you said, still giggling.

Spencer shook his head, his lips quivering with amusement. "I know, right? I feel like we're back in high school."

You continued to laugh, feeling the weight of the situation lifting. You both knew that your relationship was going to be a challenge, but for now, you were content to laugh off the awkwardness of the moment.

[satellitesfilm]

i think it's really important to point out how mike was raised before we talk about how he was to both el and will. karen and ted wheeler are married, we've barely seen them argue, have a nice house, money and seem at peace with each other. they may even love each other, after all they have been married for many years and have three kids together. they are, however, most certainly not IN love. we have seen them both and, honestly, if i didn't know it, i would think they're friends. mike (and nancy) didn't grow up with a wonderful love story to look up to. they didn't have an idea of what romantic love was actually like - and you can't even blame them for that. they grew up watching their parents, who had an easy relationship, comfortable, familiar. they thought that was what love was actually supposed to look like.

mike's relationship with el, in my opinion, is kind of like that. mike can't get himself to say 'i love you' (same as nancy with steve), can't have an actual spontaneous moment with her (this isn't even about byler, you just need eyes to realize how awkward each and every single one of their interactions were. el completely out of character and mike forcing almost every word he said), and is, very likely, terrified of feelings he doesn't understand. with will, however, his entire body seems to relax. he's not tense anymore, he looks and talks to him in a way that he seems to save for will and will only. he feels safe with him, he can be himself with will. like will is mike's safe place (same as with nancy and jonathan).

i genuinely think he doesn't quite realize what his feelings for him are until after the van scene - maybe even more, because man is he oblivious (i mean will literally said "you make her feel like she's not a mistake at all" and el had said "you think i'm a monster" hours before that?) he doesn't understand those feelings, but he does realize that they're strong. and persistent. he doesn't understand what those feelings are because he never saw the most important (or significant) adult relationship (his parents) have those feelings for each other. mike being with el has, so far, been safe, easy, familiar, comfortable, expected. mike being with will is everything but those words. mike with will is kind of what nancy found in jonathan. nancy found those feelings she may not have had with steve in jonathan. i think something similar may be happening to mike. he's terrified of it, so he just pretends that everything's the same, that nothing has or will change.

i think there's also an important connection in what mike and will say to each other first in lenora and then in the van. when mike apologizes to will, he says "it felt like i'd lost you" and then will says "she's scared of losing you, just like you're scared of losing her" (although we know will was not talking about el, but about his own feelings). i think mike doesn't see that will is trying to actually tell him, but i do believe he gets the feeling that those are will's feelings, not el's - not only because of the painting, but because he knows will. and he looks at him like that and it's just. love, you know?