#I don't want to pick up the wreck of a car crash so let's not give her the keys to begin with

[redwineconversation]

you (might) know ball, I know Aristotle (aka the Amandine Miquel dilemma)

Contrary to what feels like the majority of fans on Twitter, but maybe on brand for me, I'm not keen at all on the idea of Miquel being Lyon's next coach when the door slams shut behind Bompastor. So let's talk about why hitting the brakes on the Miquel to Lyon campaign is actually a good idea.

Should I put this under a read more considering how much I monologue? Probably. Did I? No.

There are two main things which deeply concern me about Miquel: her complete and utter lack of UWCL experience, and her management style. Let's pour ourselves a glass of wine and have a good and proper chat as though we are tortured poets.

I'm far too lazy to actually find this post, but in April 2022 ish I wrote something along the lines of "I truly do not care who [this team] fucks (over). I just want to win." That still stands. I want to win and I fucking hate losing. I cannot stand it.

And it's one of the reasons why I like Lyon, because there's always going to be - well, I say always, it should be as long as the core players are there - there's always going to be a part of them that genuinely hates losing, too. I need a team whose hatred of losing is greater than their desire to win. I need the thought of losing to keep them up at night. I need losing to change them.

And that mentality, right, it's not learned, it's innate in the purest sense of the term. Lyon are who they are because the thought of being anything else horrifies them. Just look at how much it bothers them when they get written off. This team likes to consider the UWCL trophy as being theirs. They will do almost anything to keep it.

That's not something you can coach. I don't think you can coach a killer instinct, I think it's either there or it's not. Monsters recognize monsters, or something, I guess. But the point is either a player already has a killer instinct or they don't. They don't become bloodthirsty halfway through their playing career.

The UWCL is different from league games. Coralie Ducher on OLPlay - who is a former Lyon player - said that the physicality is different, the tempo is different, the intensity is different. Lyon plays so well in the UWCL because they are used to it. They have been there many, many times before, UWCL games are muscle memory at this point for them. They know how to get the job done because they have done it.

Miquel however does not. She has not played in the UWCL. She has not managed a team in the UWCL. For me that is such a fundamental red flag, and I am so perplexed that people hand wave it away to the point of actually saying "the players can just bail her out" (I wish I had that tweet saved but also don't believe in outing people's social media, but that's another story). If your argument is the players can just bail her out while she learns on the job then Kang might as well just save some money and let the players coach themselves.

Has Miquel ever had to coach a game with as high stakes as a UWCL knockout game? No. We don't know what she is capable of doing, and again, it's unfair to put the burden on Lyon to find out. We shouldn't have to find out if Miquel can get Lyon past the semis against PSG, for example. Or, hell, even out of the group stages. I don't want to finish last in the group stage, or depending on the playoff games go, in qualifiers, and be knocked out of the UWCL and people come up with the excuse "it's okay, she's learning on the job." It's not up to Lyon to be the learning curve.

Bompastor's arrival as head coach has a pretty considerable anecdote to it, and that's that Vasseur, may the history books forget his name, literally drove the team head first into the fucking wall. The players didn't like him, the results weren't there, and he got kicked to the curb accordingly. Lyon was in such a state that Aulas brought Bompastor in because he wanted to save his favorite children. Bompastor already knew what the Lyon DNA was so she would be able to restore it. If Vasseur's damage wasn't what it was, then I am not sure Aulas would have appointed her as head coach.

So Bompastor already knew what made this team click, because she had been a part of it, so there wouldn't be that much of a learning curve. Her assignment was really just getting Lyon back on track, which she did in the 2021-2022 season but there are debates as to whether she did in the following seasons.

Bompastor knew how to handle big personalities because she is/was one herself, but she also lost the locker room this season for sure, and that's actually pretty significant. If Bompastor, who has the Lyon DNA, can't keep control of the Lyon locker room, then what guarantee is there that Miquel will keep it? What guarantee is there that Miquel will even be able to control it from the start? Her management career consists of bringing up academy players from a D2 team into a D1 team.

Great, and that's admirable, I like what's she done with Reims. But Reims is not Lyon, they're two completely different teams with completely different expectations and completely different players. Lyon does have some extremely strong personalities, even if their heart is in the right place. Bompastor knew how to handle it - until she didn't - because she knew how Lyon clicked. I don't think Renard, Hegerberg, Le Sommer, etc - they expect things to be done a certain way, and there is fierce resistance when it's not. Renard and Hegerberg pushed Pedros out because he wasn't challenging them enough in practice, and Pedros won a triple and a double with them. Trophies do not give you immunity in this team.

But let's get back to Miquel's management style, and true to form, this is another of my favorite soapboxes: Lyon is not a development club. I will die on that hill. It's my Sisyphus. If you want to be a competitive club, you have to get experienced players. You have to have players who already know how to get the job done. You don't win the UWCL with freshly promoted to the first team academy players. You win it by having players who have been there before.

Now, you can argue those players had to start somewhere, and I couldn't agree more. My issue is that it's unfair to put the burden on Lyon to be the "somewhere". I don't want to see what happens in a few years - I want to win now, because I am competitive now, because I am ambitious now. I don't want to lose. Send academy players out on loan, let another club be responsible for fucking around and finding out, let Lyon keep their winning heritage. That heritage will be lost if experienced players are pushed out in favor of developing academy kids.

Another argument I saw on Twitter, and one I strongly disagree with, is that if Miquel had Lyon's resources at her disposal, then the sky's the limit. it goes back to an earlier point - why should Lyon be responsible for Miquel's learning curve? If there was an intermediate club with bigger resources than Reims - like, say, AS Roma, or Ajax - then I think that would be a far better stepping stone. Otherwise it's literally handing Miquel the keys to a Maserati and hoping she passes her driving test in it.

'Miquel deserves a shot at coaching Lyon". No, respectfully, she doesn't. She did well against a - and I am being generous - good team. That cannot be grounds for coaching what was is arguably one of, if not the, best teams in women's football. You don't deserve a shot. You earn it from experience.

Or at least that should be the philosophy if you want Lyon to keep winning. Now, and in the future.

[httpiastri]

a quick snippet/teaser for the jeddah chapter!! <3 rlly wanted to write something quick abt him yesterday so i wrote this on the bus. hope you all have a lovely day and that you'll be sending all of your love to this cutie boy during the race 😚

(i needed someone to guide the reader for a sec so i used chris, i have no idea why. if don't know him then don't worry, he's not important for the story lol...)

series masterlist

you've never ever been to the ferrari paddock before, so as you stand in the middle of it, you have no idea where to go or what to do; this is completely new territory. thankfully, you got a vip-pass from ollie before he ran off for his pre-qualifying duties, so at least you have the privilege of looking like a fool inside of the paddock instead of right outside the doors.

a fool dressed in a red bull cap, even. great.

"you don't look like you belong here, miss," a voice rumbles from behind you. your heart stops in your chest, and you're ready to improvise an excuse or find an escape route when you turn around – but luckily, you're met with chris, ollie's manager, standing there.

"thank god you're here," you say, letting out a sigh of relief. "do you happen to know where ollie is?"

he nods, smiling. "he's borrowing carlos's room. it's right down the hall and to the left."

you quickly thank him, turning again and making your way down said hallway. the room is easy to find, the two big, red fives on the door sticking out among the white walls. you're glad to find it unlocked, but you still knock a few times before sticking your head inside.

"sweetheart? can i come in?"

ollie is sitting on a massaging table, elbows on top of his legs and head resting in his hands. his eyes are stuck on the floor, but you take his silence as a yes.

"i got your text," you say, tiptoeing inside and shutting the door behind you, careful to not make any loud sounds to scare him. "how are you doing?"

when he still doesn't answer, your heat rate picks up. is something really wrong?

you make your way over to him, hands finding his cheeks and softly tilting him up to look at you – and you swear you've never seen him look this wrecked before.

not after his worst crashes, not when he lost the rookie championship last year. once again, you've entered completely new territory, and your heart breaks at the sight.

"ollie, talk to me," you plead, biting back the pout that starts to form on your lips. it's so painful to look into his eyes, but you can't back down. not now, not when he needs you this much.

"i'm-" his voice cracks but he shakes his head, clearing his throat. "i'm so nervous, i don't know what to do."

it's like he's oozing anxiety, and his heavy sigh is like a stab in your chest. ollie, your usually so calm and collected boyfriend, is probably going crazy over this – you know him well enough by now to understand that he's definitely freaking out even more on the inside than what he shows or tells. "i get that. one hundred percent. but," your thumbs begin to stroke over the skin of his cheeks, along his jaw, and then finally across his eyebrows, to which his eyes flutter closed. "this is your dream. it's been your dream since forever, and now you finally have the chance."

ollie sighs, but nods. you're getting to him.

"and it's not just any car, it's a ferrari. do you realize how cool that is? do you realize how many people would kill for an opportunity like this?" you smile at the sight of him with his eyes still shut, eyelashes resting atop his cheeks, messy fringe covering his forehead. even like this, at his most stressed state, he's completely gorgeous. "you would've killed for an opportunity like this just 24 hours ago."

"but what if i ruin it?" his voice is barely above a whisper when he speaks, shoulders slumping forward. "what if i go out there and i'm shit, and then they realize what a big mistake they've done by even putting me in the academy? what if-"

"it won't happen." his eyelids slowly open and he looks up at you, seemingly not even the slightest upset that you cut him off. "you're too good to do that. you'll get in that car and it will feel like your second home, just like it always does."

finally, a small smile makes its way onto his lips. it's only been a few minutes since you came in, but he seems much more relaxed now, leaning into your touch completely. "i'll try my best to make you proud."

you pout. "i'll be proud even if you end up with a slower lap than your pole lap from yesterday."

a laugh bubbles from his chest and he stands up from the table, opening his arms wide and pulling you in for a tight hug. his heart is still beating louder than a drum in his chest when your ear is pressed up against it, and you're almost worried it will jump out any second now. but his breaths are much more controlled now, and his mind seems much lighter.

he presses a long kiss to the crown of your head, arms squeezing you tight. "go out there and show them, baby," you tell him.

and so he does.

[dominimoonbeam]

Audio Script - A4A Car Crash Meet Cute

If we're not in peril, are we even trying to fall in love? I wrote this a while ago and would love to put it out there for audio artist to pick up if they're interested but I'm not really sure how to go about that, so we'll start here! <3

You're welcome to record this script but please give me credit and a link so I can listen too! And, you know, don't put it behind a paywall. But if you want to pay me to make you your own scripts, you're welcome to contact me. <3 <3

Audio artists be warned, I seem to make a lot of background sound notes. Good luck, brave creators! I believe in your sound magic! tags: car accident, minor injury, definitely could have died, meet cute in peril, older siblings friend

Car Crash Meet Cute

[cracking trees]

[muffled radio glitching]

[muffled engine running]

[rain patter]

[all sounds waving in and out before focusing]

[creaking trees as the car slides a little more]

[voice muffled from outside the door] Hey! Hey, can you hear me?

Are you awake? Can you hear me?

Don’t move! You’re going to be okay.

Hang on, I’m going to open the door slowly…

[door creaking open, wet forest sounds]

[breathing hard] Hang on, okay? Don’t move until I figure out… Shit…

Hm? No, I wasn’t in the car that hit you, but I saw it… When you went off the road and into the trees, I thought… Well, I thought you’d gone right off the mountain.

No, you’re not going off the edge. I’m getting you out, okay? It looks like these trees are holding the weight of the car but…

[creaking/snapping trees, radio cuts out]

I don’t think we can wait for help…

[creaking trees]

I’m going to reach in and undo your seatbelt, okay? I don’t want you to move yet.

[breathing close]

[seatbelt click]

[car groan]

[still close] Okay, I’m going to count to three and you’re going to hug me.

[laughs a little] Yeah, I climbed all the way down here just to trick you into hugging me. I’m going to count to three and then I’m pulling you out of the car, okay?

[car groan and trees crack]

Shhh, it’s okay. It’s okay.

One.

Two.

Three. [sharp inhale, pulling listener out of the wreck and falling to the side]

[tree snapping and car rolling off a cliff]

[heavy breathing, rain patter]

Are you okay? Yeah? [smiling]

Does anything feel broken?

That’s good. You’ve got a cut on your head there, but you look okay. Can you wiggle your arms?

And your feet?

Great. Can you stand?

Take it slow, I’ve got you. We’re not in a hurry anymore.

Don’t-Don’t look off the drop… [worried, listener realizing they almost died] Yeah, if you’d gone over… But you didn’t. You’re okay.

Hey. Look at me.

You’re okay.

Do you want… Is it okay if I hug you?

Yeah? Okay. [hugs] Deep breaths. You’re going to have a great story to tell when you get home tonight.

[laughs a little] Yeah, I’ll give you a ride. I’m not going to run all the way down here to pull you out of a car just to leave you by the side of the road when we climb back out.

Do you feel up to walking? Okay, but if anything starts hurting or you feel sick, let me know, okay? We’ll stop.

Yeah, I called for help on my way down but I lost connection and we’re almost at the top of the pass, I don’t know how long it’ll take for someone to get out here. When we get closer to the road, I can call again and find out, but you’re going to get cold if we wait around down here for help.

[laughs] Okay, you got me, I’ll get cold too.

[walking, foliage rustling and rain drops] Just straight up this way. Your car cleared us a path.

Saved you? No. I did what anyone would have done.

Okay, yeah, anyone but that asshole that knocked you off the road and then kept going…

No, I didn’t get the license plate, but I got the make and model. We’ll file reports when we get to the road. Don’t worry.

So, where were you headed?

Really? Looks like we live in the same town.

All your life?

Oh no… That means we have to know some of the same people. What was our name?

[laughs] Are you related to Alex? No! The notorious baby sibling?

Oh, you are definitely notorious… I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you. I mean, you’ve grown a lot. I think the last time I saw you, you were a freshman in high school.

Alex was painfully clear about none of us being allowed to even talk about you, let alone look at you. One of our friends said he thought he saw you at a café once and Alex sprayed him with a can of beer and kicked him out of the apartment for a week.

It doesn’t matter that it’s been years since high school. Alex is weirdly private about family stuff and super protective about you.

You really didn’t know?

But you knew about that bully you had freshman year, right? Yeah, that junior that kept pulling your hair and pushing you…

You thought he just stopped one day on his own?

Well, yeah, he apologized… After we threw him in the pool. Alex went on a fucking rampage that year to make sure everyone knew to leave you alone after we graduated out. You seriously didn’t know?

[laughs] That’s hilarious.

I wonder how much trouble I’ll get in for this… I mean, I am saving your life—

[half-joking] Oh, yeah, when I tell Alex this story, I’m definitely saying that I saved your life. Imminent peril. If I didn’t touch you, you would have died. That’s the only way I’m going to survive this too.

[losing their smile] Hey… Are you okay?

You’re shaking. The adrenaline is probably wearing off… Here, [clothing rustle] take my jacket.

You’re limping… Does your leg hurt?

Stop for a second. Let me get a look. I’m gonna touch your leg, okay? Tell me where it hurts.

[sympathetic hiss] Okay. I don’t think it’s broken…

No, you probably shouldn’t keep walking on it. We’re not too far from the road. How about I give you a piggyback?

[laughs a little] Yes, Alex will be pissed, but we’re way past that. I hugged you. I might be executed for my crimes.

What? [laughs harder] No, you’re not too heavy. Oh my god, come here.

[picks them up and starts walking again]

[far off siren]

Huh, looks like I don’t have to call again.

We’re almost there, hang on.

[smiling] You want my number? Oh man… you’re going to hate when I remind you about this but… you don’t seem to have your phone on you so I’m pretty sure it’s—

Yeah. With the car. Gone. Definitely gone.

[sirens closer, rain patter on the road] We made it.

No, I’m not going to leave you here to wait for the emergency crew.

Come on, you can sit in my car and warm up. We’ll wait together and I can drive you to the hospital when we’re cleared to go. [car door]

You are definitely going to the hospital. You drove off the side of a mountain…

No, it’s no trouble. There’s nowhere else I need to be.

[laughs] No, it’s not because Alex would be angry if I left you here. I’d rather wait with you and, honestly, I’d like to drive back with you.

[turning on the heater, low music]

[ladysomething]

I feel like we always get Charles crashing and leaving Max to pick up the pieces so how about Max crashing and Charles is a wreck that ends up outing them

ok my first thought here was OBVIOUSLY Charles stopping his car and running over to Max, but that's such a cop out lol.

my next was his radio message being played worldwide.

but my third and final is the race being red flagged and absolutely nobody telling him who it is that crashed (the team would know they're together) and Charles finds out when he parks the car.

Charles would drop everything, there's no way he's continuing the race even though it does continue on once it's confirmed Max is still alive. So Ferrari tell him he has to get back in the car, but Charles tells them to go fuck themselves and rushes into Red Bull to find out where Max was taken.

There'd be a commotion when Charles gets there, because they don't want to let another driver into their garage while a bloody race is about to start again, and this commotion would be filmed and you can hear Charles saying, "That's my boyfriend/husband, tell me where they're taking him!"

Charles waits for hours for Max to get out of surgery, and then hours more for Max to wake up, and then eventually once Max does wake up he has a complete and utter meltdown because Max scared him so badly and he can't lose Max, too.

Maybe Max was hurt badly enough that he can't race for a while and he has to go through physical therapy, and maybe Charles refuses to leave him while Max is in recovery. Or maybe Max can never drive again and Charles tries to race for a while but eventually he can't stand leaving Max behind and he quits.

Or maybe Max CAN race but is now a little terrified to get in the car and Charles is by his side and giving him pep talks the whole time.

hm that's kind of where my ideas run out, I won't lie. maybe my imagination muscles is overused now haha.

but keep sending prompts for me to plot out if you'd like, and I'll get to them eventually!

[nowoyas]

Boiling Point 2: A Watched Pot - Miguel O'Hara/Reader (NSFW)

First - Next - M.list - Ao3

A/N: yeehaw I didn't forget

Summary: The game is on, and you begin your very important training.

Warnings: masturbation, strong language

Word count: ~3400 words

It is the evening you have decided to re-train your discipline, with or without a dominant partner, and you need to figure out what the fuck you're thinking.

I mean, sure, it's perfectly fine to tell yourself that you'll get your discipline back and posture in the general direction of the source of your recent car crash into hornytown, but you do need to ask yourself what any of that actually means. Yeah, you were disciplined before. If the guy you were with told you not to touch yourself, you didn't touch yourself. But you had no problems doing that because—and this part is key—you really didn't feel like it all that much.

So, really, the issue was never that you were disciplined and now you're not, it's that you never needed to be disciplined before and now you don't know what the fuck to do with yourself.

The obvious answer is this: set ground rules. Set some sort of challenge for yourself so that you know where to begin and what to do to train yourself so you stop wrecking your shit and doing stupid things, like overheating your entire vibrator collection and letting some totally original asswipe of a villain punch you through a wall just to feel something.

So you sit down with a pen and a notebook and you brainstorm until you come away with a list of restrictions and a purpose. You debate on keeping the list itself with you, as a reminder, and eventually decide that, no, you’ll write it up on your whiteboard. A nice little reminder. You need to be able to see what you’re doing, after all. Wouldn’t very well do if you forgot, would it?

When it’s written up, you step back and give it a glance-over, nodding to yourself in satisfaction.

Estimated delivery date for new toy: ??? end of next week? The site said 7-10 days from date of shipping, but it doesn’t ship immediately. We’ll go two weeks from today’s date to be safe.

- no orgasms until the new vibe arrives

- touching, playing, thinking, etc. allowed IF not to completion

- you do NOT need a dom to discipline you. literally just stop being so fucking horny.

- suffer.

For good measure, you add a line a few inches down and sign your name in big, flourishing swoops, as though that's sealing a contract with yourself. Stupid, there's no witnesses. This would never hold up in a court of law.

...actually, the exhibitionist in you kind of wants to know how that would work out.

Besides, from time to time you like to think that the spider that made you is carried with you. She's done enough for you, anyway. Probably definitely died by now. You don't think spiders live that long. Either way, she’s your witness.

So you cap your dry erase marker and close up your notebook and neatly slide it back into its place on your bookshelf. Luckily, you don't ever have people over, so it's not like anyone will be seeing your totally innocent contract. Maybe you should have worded it in such a way that you can spin a different web about it, just in case.

...nah. You'll leave it just like that. When you get your toy and emerge triumphant from two weeks of self-imposed orgasm denial knowing that you do NOT need any extra discipline, thank you very much Mister Miguel O'Hara, middle manager of worlds, you'll take it down and put some over-inspiring quote up in its place or something.

You scroll down the tab opened to a new toy shop you're trying out, seeing as your previous go-to sold you a nearly two hundred dollar vibrator that barely made it through one rough month with you (you should really follow up with them on a refund or a replacement or something, actually) and take your pick of their wares. Maybe this site will have vibrators that aren't made for weak vanilla bitches who only need to cum once to the thought of their boss before they're satisfied. Couldn't be you.

Hey, maybe you'll call in sick to work and have a marathon once you've kicked this challenge's ass!

...nah. Better not. Miguel would catch word that you're off work and somehow find an anomaly to sic you on. Not to mention, you’d probably fucking break the new one again at that rate.

Once you've placed your order, you update the contract with estimated delivery dates, and settle in for a nice night in.

Let the games begin.

~

It is day one of your new lease on your sex life, and this shit's easy.

Who ever thought this would be difficult? Just don't masturbate. Do something else instead. Scroll social media or something. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am, you're so fucking disciplined it's unreal. Who needs to prove anything to anyone? You certainly don't.

This morning, you took out the trash and said farewell to the final remnants of your last toy lost to Miguel O'Hara's unfair physiology. You went to work, did your job perfectly fine, and went out to patrol the streets. When you returned, you returned to find that the garbage pickers had come and taken the bags away. Good riddance.

(You didn't hear this from me, but you only checked your email twice today for a shipping confirmation from the shop. You're so fucking good at this.)

~

It is day two of enacting a contract with yourself to be more disciplined and less horny, and your toy still has not shipped.

I mean, it's not really a big deal. You've got shit to do and all. It's now the weekend, but crime doesn't actually stop regardless of when you clock in and out of work, a fact which you're honestly very happy with. I mean, imagine if you never got to close down shop for an hour while someone beat the shit out of some comic book wannabe in the streets outside your office? Unsustainable, to say the least. And sometimes, you get to go beat someone up directly after a really obnoxious phone call, and honestly? That may be the only reason you haven't been fired yet.

So, you spend the morning chilling out, get lunch, and just as you've finished getting ready to head out for a neat little patrol, someone drawn in a suspiciously out-of-place art style launches past your window.

Perfectly punctual! This is great! You slide out your fire escape and give chase, launching yourself anomaly-ways with a hoot. It's only after you're already face-to-face with the guy that you think to let someone know what's up, but then you're being launched backwards so you don't really have the chance. Dammit.

Anyways, you've got this, so you really just need Miguel to take him back once you've kicked his ass, and—

Oh, speak of the devil. There he is launching through a portal directly at the guy, and there's you following up to join him.

It's practically a dance by now—you swing to catch up, use a web to pull this abstract motherfucker up and prevent him from causing issues with traffic. It takes precious little time to deal with him, and once he's sent back, you resign yourself to being dragged back to HQ to report in and probably hear something about how you should have called HQ to let them know about the anomaly.

"Did you plan on calling in the anomaly, or were you just going to try to handle everything yourself?" Miguel asks you the second the problem is dealt with.

Fucking called it.

"I literally had my hand on my wristband when you showed up."

"I didn't see it." He shrugs.

You can't help but roll your eyes. Part of you wants to be a brat. You gently remind yourself that being a brat only works if you're actually with a brat tamer, and you have no confirmation that Miguel would. You know, as if you had a chance with him anyway. He's married to his screens. (It’s a really good setup, so you don’t blame him.) "I did, though. He just kind of showed up outside my apartment, so I followed. Best to reduce collateral first, right?"

He sighs. He does that around you a lot. "Right."

See, this shit's easy. He's right in front of you, and you're telling him about the two minutes you had with the villain before he showed up, and your mind is on the topic at hand. You are present, and you are disciplined. You took no stupid hits during that fight. You're fucking fantastic.

...he's really pretty, though. Effortlessly, even. You think it’s the way he carries himself.

"So, hey, I already ate, but do you want me to bring you something to eat? I know that was like, more sunlight than you've gotten in the past month."

He raises an eyebrow at you. He does that around you a lot. "I do eat on occasion, you know."

"I do know! That's why I'm offering to bring you something. You're busy a lot and should probably eat more than you do."

"I'm fine," he says finally.

You quirk a little smile and turn to leave. "Fine, fine. I'll surprise you, then. See you in a few! Thanks for the assist!"

Okay, so maybe bringing him food is, among other things, an excuse to leave the room right now immediately and also a reason to come back, once you've wound down from the adrenaline of the fight.

But, consider this: shut up.

You return with a box of food for him, quietly leave it on his desk just out of his immediate line of sight, and sneak out of the room before he can tell you no.

When you're home, you decide that you owe it to yourself to chill out a little more. You did good! You got the guy! You did a nice thing for the very attractive person at HQ! Your mind only wandered a little! You didn't even let your voice kink take over your brain when he spoke to you!

So, you scroll mindlessly. A nice, restorative pastime that only has positive effects on your mental health.

And goddammit, your mutual put porn on your dash again.

You sigh, you stare at it too long, and you try to keep your mind off it. You really, really do.

~

It is day four of the contract, and your new vibrator has finally shipped.

Great, too, because it was definitely not starting to get difficult. You usually hang around HQ on Sundays, if nothing's going on in your own dimension. You like being helpful, so you keep yourself on standby.

Standby is a nice thing to be on. You get to hang out with other Spiders, learn from the others at HQ. Sometimes they've got cool tricks to show you, or you run into less experienced Spiders and get to teach them something fucked up they can do with their webs. Rarely, Miguel actually leaves his little Spider-cave for food or to track someone down. More rarely, you actually catch glimpses of him when he does, which is how you find yourself chilling out with one of your favored Peters and pretending like you're not looking at his ass.

What? It's a nice ass.

...you wonder what he'd do if you just grabbed his ass one day. You're kind of tempted to try.

(Probably have to punish you. Probably growl a little bit. Probably bend you over and—)

Anyway, this shit's easy. Looking at a hot guy's ass does not break your rules, so you let yourself peek when he walks by and play it off when you get called out on it by a teasing Peter. I mean, it doesn't exactly work, but at least playing it off looks better than openly staring at your collective boss's ass and not even pretending you weren't.

Keep telling yourself that, anyway.

~

It is day five of your quest to be more horny and less disciplined, and—wait, that's not right.

It is day five of your quest to be more disciplined and less horny, and your dreaming brain has fucking betrayed you.

You dreamed that you actually grabbed his ass. You dreamed that he turned on you.

You dreamed of Miguel taking you back to his cave with him, and demanding answers for your behavior, and you dreamed of pushing him over the edge until he yanked you over with a well-placed web and spanked you back into your place. You’re not usually that into spanking, but that did not stop you from waking up with a damp heat between your legs and the urge to do something about it. You indulged yourself, in the time it took you to wake up, and then, by the time you were really conscious, you had to rip your hand out of your sleep shorts, lest you prove Miguel right. And you’ll be fucked if you ever prove Miguel right.

…wait.

Okay, so look. You stopped. You didn’t cum. You’re doing a good job. You wash your hands, get ready for work, carefully adjust your suit underneath your work clothes, and get through the day.

~

It is day seven of this bullshit, and you are starting to get tired of this story format.

More than that, you’re tired of this story. You tried to distract yourself with reading, only all your books are about vampires, so that only got you thinking even more because the POV character got bit by a vampire and it was so well-described and so horny and you’re very horny and moderately-described now.

You get called in, because of course you do, and you see his stupid face, because of course you do, and you’re desperately torn between pissing him off to get him to flash his fangs your way and being relieved that he’s not angry enough to speak clearly.

You are decidedly not relieved. The knowledge that they are there is enough, and you have every intent to hump your pillow when you get home like some fucking teenager, knowing damn well that it’s never enough for you.

Sleep-deprived, and you move to leave, but no, it never works that way, does it?

“[name]. A moment.”

Fuck.

You dally a bit with a sigh. “You’ve got to have better things to do with your time than badger me for details I already gave you.”

“You’re going to be off for the next few days.”

That’s worse, actually. Your hackles raise on instinct, and you turn to glare at him. “What? No! I’ve been doing a good job, haven’t I?”

You hate the stern way he looks at you. He’s an enigma, one you’re still trying to learn when you’re not too busy being infatuated with him on every other front. It’s difficult to tell what’s stern and what’s just his beautiful resting bitch face, but you’re leaning more towards stern. “You’re doing too good. It’s concerning.”

You are floored. You are aghast. You are fucking flabbergasted.

“You told me to be more disciplined?”

“Is this discipline?”

He’s hard to piss off. Not for anyone else—he has firm opinions and knows what’s best, and you never really want to piss him off for any reason beyond seeing him go a little feral at you, so you take extra care to actually just listen to him, aside from the small quips and quibbles of the day-to-day. Right now, though, you want to piss him off. You are vibrating with horny energy and affronted energy and genuinely just Energy, so with your fists clenched, you turn up your nose at him. "I don't know, you tell me." Okay, that's good. It's mildly flirty. You are winning at Being a Brat.

"I'm sure you do know. Discipline is not what I would call throwing a fit at being ordered to take care of yourself. It's definitely not stomping your feet at being told no."

"I am taking care of myself! I am balancing work, sleep, eating regularly, bouncing around the multiverse and my own dimension, and I'm not even complaining about anything!"

"You are actively complaining. To me. Right now."

"Because I don't understand why you're punishing me for doing a good job!"

"Trust me, you don't want to know what an actual punishment would look like from me."

Oh.

You quite do, actually.

You are grateful for the dim lighting Miguel keeps, grateful that he's not likely to notice the sudden flush to your cheeks. If he does, he's more likely to take it as anger, anyhow.

"Go home. Get some rest. It's obvious you haven't been sleeping enough."

"T-that is really rich, coming from you!"

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean that the only proof I have that you ever eat or leave this room is sometimes I bring you food and it gets eaten. You take care of yourself, and I'll gladly take care of myself."

"Are you trying to strike up a deal with me?"

"Is it working?"

"No."

You hum, feeling the thrill of gaining ground. He's turned away from you, proving that you're right.

"Look, Miguel, we'll both get dinner and get some sleep, and tomorrow morning, the multiverse will still be here, intact, because you are not the only person who can handle yourself and I am not the only person who can handle mine, and—"

"If you would please shut up, I will go eat food."

"Good."

He scoffs. "Already blowing it."

Infuriated, you open your mouth in retort, then slam it shut. You turn, and you leave, and try not to let his voice echo around inside your empty head like a Windows screensaver.

~

Miguel's voice echoes around inside your empty head like a Windows screensaver, because Miguel’s voice does not care what you are or are not trying to do for your sanity. Every time it hits a corner, you switch between scrolling your phone in frustration, fingering yourself in frustration, and refreshing your package tracker in frustration. Nothing moves or changes, and you are still thinking about his threats to punish you, still thinking about whether he's actually getting good rest, still considering the idea that maybe as part of his you-mandated self care routine tonight, he has gotten food, gone to wherever his bedroom is (likely somewhere hidden in the depths of HQ), and also resorted to lazy masturbation.

You know better to do more than dream, though, so you are stuck with the knowledge that he is not, that, knowing him, he probably waited for you to leave HQ and immediately turned back around to go back to his comfortable dark room, his comfortable monitors, and his comfortable total lack of self-care.

Still, a Spider can dream, and right now, you are dreaming of his cock.

You are rubbing small, slow circles into your clit, two-fingered, and you imagine what he must look like. Healthy fantasies dictate that he's probably only a little above average, so that's what you try to imagine when you think of what he must look like fisting his cock. Your mind conjures the sound of him groaning quietly into a too-large room, the sight of his face, flush with desire that only darkens his handsome features.

It is only a daydream in spite of the late hour, and your imagination can only wander so far, but you allow yourself to think of his fangs flashing as he sighs into the motion, allow yourself to speed up a bit as you imagine him doing the same. He'd be thick, he'd work himself up to an inadvisable pace that you can barely match. He rarely cares for himself, and you imagine that'd translate well—not to desperation, but to desire that bleeds into demand.

It is, after all, quite difficult to tell when a request is an order when it comes to him.

Your body sings as you get close, and then you open your eyes just a little bit, and you see it. The fucking whiteboard.

Mournful, you yank your hand away and slam your face into your pillow.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Tags: @deeplightgarden @idonthaveanameideayet @dusstory @roxannarichie @vegas-writing-den @cooch1ecruncher @bluepeanutharmony @yohoe-hoe

If you’d like to be added to the taglist, shoot me an ask or let me know in the notes what you’d like to be tagged in! (All content, all nsfw content, all content for a specific character, all content for a specific fandom, etc.)

[gaykarstaagforever]

I've never liked James Bond movies, other than like two of the Pierce Brosnan ones, and only now because of nostalgia. They're boring when chases aren't happening and too long and his gadgets are unjustifiably impossible and the villains are idiots with stupid schemes, and no one ever just shoots the bastard, leaving him to constantly get out of situations by deus ex machina or blind luck. I don't know what people want from these movies, what makes the "good" ones good or the "bad" ones bad, or why anyone is invested in any of this.

That said, I just watched what is, to me now, the one genuinely good Bond movie: 1973's Live and Let Die.

Bond fights a technologically-advanced drug-dealing voodoo pimp / Caribbean island dictaror, whose evil plan involves giving away a billion dollars of heroin for free. And this plan also involves him somehow successfully killing like 4 secret agents, plus, oh yeah, voodoo and tarot magicks are probably actually real?

This feels like white people mistakenly deciding they know enough about Black people in 1973 to make a movie about their world, and it is exactly as problematic and insane as you'd expect. And I loved every minute of it.

Such gleeful stupidity, done with such a straight face, is a beauty to behold. There is also a 10 minute sequence that is just Smokey and the Bandit, complete with a fat racist idiot Southern sheriff and incompetant Louisiana state police, who get their cars completely destroyed in slapstick comedy wrecks where people crash off ramps into bogs but no one ever gets hurt.

...Except this came out 5 years before Smokey and the Bandit, and maybe the same weekend as the similar White Lightning, so I have no idea who was stealing what from whom. I guess 1973 was just the year to start making fun of Southern law enforcement with funny car accidents.

I'm not complaining. I love this crap. It's just such a specific thing for multiple creatives to seize on at exactly the same moment. I suppose art, like voodoo, is endlessly mysterious.

I got the impression this movie is a critical pariah and was a flop, but neither is true. It made tons of money, and while people in general didn't and don't like Roger Moore as Bond, it seems most people enjoyed the frenetic weirdness going on here.

This was Moore replacing Connery, who set the iconic 1960s Bond bar. Like, hostility to anything new and different was inevitable. I don't feel strongly about Connery's Bond either way, because a lot of those movies are impossibly slow and his charm doesn't redeem them. So I like Moore here. He seems like he's still figuring out how to do the character his way, but that is also inevitable. But he's drool and wry and unflappable, and any lack of charm is fine, considering the movie is far more about jumping from one ridiculous situation to another at a break-neck pace. Bond is really just along for the kooky ride, and Moore manages that.

I love the cars and the costumes. This is peak early 70s, so everything is big and bright primary colors, from the cars to the collars and neckties, to the platform shoes and afro wigs. All the suits have vests. VESTS! The villain dresses his henchmen in bright bluejeans with scarlet polo shirts tucked in. They look like Target associates went rogue. It's beautiful.

Any more analysis of the plot than I've already offered is pointless, because this is a Bond movie. So even at peak wannabe-Blaxploitation goofiness, he's still boldly walking into obvious traps, inappropriately trying to trick certainly-evil women into sleeping with him, and solving every problem with a gimmick watch and desperate flailing that somehow knocks people out.

I don't know why anyone bothers setting elaborate traps for him. Just send a guy to pick him up. He'll know exactly that you've done that and get in the car anyway. That happens twice in this movie! And the same guy is driving!

The watch in this one has an industrial-strength magnet in it, and also the face spins and acts like a tiny buzzsaw. And, fine. That's the right kind of stupid. But how the hell does all that work on tiny watch batteries? I can't forget about that, which is why Bond movies aren't for me. And it makes Bond look bad, because anyone with that watch could probably do exactly what he does. ...Except probably the thing where he uses the magnet to undo the zipper on a woman's dress. That's very specifically a Bond thing, the cheeky predator.

But he's not the only incompetent gadabout, here. Most of the story takes place in the US, and he's working with the CIA. And they are AT LEAST as bad at everything as he is. But they don't have magic watches, so I guess that's why they keep getting stabbed, and poisoned by voodoo snakes, and have to call him in, to do whatever the hell this is:

Jane Seymour is also here. She is a possibly biracial? tarot witch who has virgin powers, and is owned by the Black villain. She gets manhandled and molested all the time, especially by Bond, and his deflowering of her is a major plot point.

As I said before, there are some problematic things going on here.

But the whole affair is so earnestly cheesy and high-energy that it's hard to find fault. They were going for schlock, and they schlocked it. James gets cornered by a hundred people doing a deadly swamp voodoo ritual that involves human sacrifice and a magic robot, and after some of them charge him with machetes, he responds by blindly firing into the crowd and murdering a bunch of them. This culminates with him getting captured by the villain for like the third time, and the guy acts like all this was just part of his plan.

Then Bond wrestles with him a little near a shark tank, but kills him with a Looney Tunes device. 1960s Batman showed more restraint than this. The Austin Powers movies barely referenced this one, because it is already a parody of spy movies. It is a thing of messy, stupid brilliance.

If you don't like Bond movies, this is the Bond movie for you. Everyone can get a laugh out of this, even if they're only laughing at it.

(Also the theme is the best Bond theme ever, but everyone already knows that. It opens the movie with naked women dancing around flaming skulls. That alone probably makes it the best Bond movie.)

[hymemena]

Sadderday Lyric Sentence Starters Part One

Feel free to change pronouns as necessary, and remember to specify muse for multimuse blogs.

CW: General angst, self-deprecation, abandonment, abandonment issues, mental health, anxiety, smoking, drinking, blasphemy, death, cheating, lying, depression

—

Mike Krol - Fifteen Minutes

"What if I told you that the world was gonna end and you had 15 minutes to spend with me or your friends?"

"Would you take the first bus over to my house? Or would you take the last plane over the west coast?"

"It was over and done before we had a start."

"It goes on in my head."

"What if all the stars came crashing through the ground?"

"Would you believe me?"

"Would you believe me and come home and sit back?"

"I can't do this by myself."

"I guess we don't even need to use the phone."

"I don't need your answer, I'll be spending it alone."

Candi Carpenter - Nervous System

"I lie to my doctor about how much I drink and smoke."

"They ask about my income and level of education."

"In the Middle Ages, they used to do this thing called trepanation, a procedure where the surgeon drills a hole into your skull to let the evil spirits out and take the pressure off. The precursor to lobotomy before neurobiology."

"I have a nervous system. I'm nervous all the time."

"I'm just a cannibal eating myself alive."

"They say that life's a party, but I've always hated parties."

"I imagine a car wreck every time I touch my car keys."

"I don't want to go anywhere."

"When I check the captcha box that says I'm not a robot, I'm lying to myself and I'm lying to my laptop."

"I wonder if Sigmund Freud turned into his dad, too?"

AJJ - Rejoice

"God's ears are stitches!"

"Rejoice despite the fact this world will hurt you."

"This world will kill you."

"This world will tear you to shreds."

"Rejoice because you're trying your best."

"The bed you sleep in is burning."

"The sky's fucking falling!"

"Your father's been calling."

"You will not survive."

"You'll never make it out alive."

The Orion Experience Feat. ORION & Linda XO - The Queen Of White Lies

"I like the way you make me feel like I could be the number one game in town."

"All those pretty words you say to me, they pick me up whenever I'm feeling down."

"I know you're just a white witch putting that spell on me."

"You know I love the punishment, so keep telling me that you love me."

"Look deep into my eyes, say there's no one else above me."

"I'm the King/Queen of Fools 'cause Baby, you're the Queen/King of White Lies."

"You're like the Cheshire Cat."

"There's a devil that resides behind your smile."

"You've got them diamond eyes, they hypnotize your unsuspecting victims with style."

"I know I'm not the one and only game you're playing."

Citizen Soldier - I Hate Myself

"I wish that I had somebody to call when I am not okay."

"I wish that I had anyone who cared when I am in that place."

"I wish I could have a mental breakdown without turning my life into a ghost town."

"More than anything, I wish somebody loved me as much as I hate myself."

"I wish somebody listened as much as I go through Hell."

"I wish there was a person that would miss me when I can't leave bed."

"I wish I wasn't stuck sharing my secrets with these made-up friends."

"I wish I could be honest."

"These days, it's hard to have faith."

"The more I speak, the more I see just how alone I really am."

[judgementdaysunshine]

Lyric Prompt list

"You gotta let me inside even though it hurts don't hide the broken parts that I need to see" - Whatever it takes by Lifehouse

"Don't you know that I'm alive for you" - Mother Father by Journey

"I don't care what clothes you wear it's time to love and I don't care" - Find a way by Safetysuit

"When you left I lost a part of me it's still so hard to believe come back baby, please cause we belong together" - We belong together by Mariah Carey

"Out of all of the girls you're my one and only girl ain't nobody in the world tonight" - You and I by John Legend

"Meet me in outer space I will hold you close if you're afraid of heights I need you to see this place" - Stellar by Incubus

" I would like our world to change it helps to appreciate those nights and those dreams but my friend I'd sacrifice all those nights if I could make the earth and my dreams the same" - Higher by Creed

"I'm waiting I'm waiting for you" - Milk by Garbage

"Honey there is no right way so I fall in just a little oh a little bit everyday with someone new" - Someone new by Hozier

"The more that you say the less I know wherever you stray I follow I'm begging for you to take my hand wreck my plans" - Willow by Taylor Swift

"It's always half and never whole cause you've begun to feel like home what's mine is yours to leave or take what's mine is yours to make your own" - Look after you by The fray

"My love is deep inside my heart don't let it crash and fall apart my love is deep you have to know I never want to let you go" - My love is deep by Edvin Marton

"I finally know just what it means to let someone in to see the side of me that no one does or ever will" - I'd come for you by Nickelback

"She's talking to angels counting the stars making a wish on a passing car she's dancing with strangers falling apart waiting for superman to pick her up in his arms" - Waiting for superman by Daughtry

"Tell me did you sail across the sun did you make it to the milky way and see the lights all faded and that heaven is overrated" - Drops of jupiter by Train

"You'll change your name and change your mind and leave this f'd up place behind but I'll know I'll know I'll know I'll know" - Christmas Kids by Roar

"What do I have to do to try to make you see that this is who I am and it's all that I can be" - Good Enough by Lifehouse

"Life keeps us runnin chasin and fallin but we won't let go when the world keeps on turnin our hearts are hurtin but we won't let go" - We won't let go by Black Stone Cherry

"You've been scared of love and what it did to you you don't have to run I know what you've been through just a simple touch and it could set you free we don't have to rush when you're alone with me" - I feel it coming by The Weeknd

[arobinwithoutbatman]

((Okay lets get going! I believe I'm up to... Knightquest Crusade Volume 1. I am... so concerned about everything.))

Jean Paul still being an absolute menace as Batman, I see

...a pair of cowboy twins? Robbing the same bank? Not knowing the other was there? Admittedly that's kinda funny

Oh Jean Paul is 100% walking headfirst into his programming, he's not resisting like he think he is

*Did you fucking brick up Tim's way into the Cave?!*

...he's gonna crash into a train?! That's gonna completely wreck Batman's reputation!

-----------

I'm so glad Mrs Mac is an actual good woman

Awwww Tim got his special provisional!

Bruce and Alfred are still in Santa Prisca?! Jesus...

A train robbery and Tim's breaking into the cave

...I see that jawline... and that grin... *fuck off, Clown*

Ugh, Tim really can't win and Jean-Paul has officially lost it and no longer considers himself a human

----------

Robin #1? Huh.... might have to alter my reading list...

...he snapped out of it? At least enough to stop hurting Tim though now Tim is understandably very cautious and doesn't want Jean-Paul anywhere near him

Tim has his own car now tho. I always thought he Redbird was a bike tbh

Oh! He's still with Ariana, cute

Awwwww he's taking her to his school's dance! And talking up her talents and dreams, what a gentleman

...I spoke too soon. Tim inserted his whole foot into his mouth by getting snappy about cars. You're doing a shit job of hiding the fact that you really want to drive your secret vigilante car

...oh hi Arthur Brown. Oh! That means Steph will be turning up soon!

Boyz? ...fuck me, that alone is making me feel old. This issue came out in... 1993?

And now Tim's been mistaken as one of the 'Speed Boyz'

---------

Oh shit right, Jack is still missing

Awwww still calling his girlfriend when he can~

...wtf is Alfred doing in England? I thought he and Bruce were in Sants Prisca?

Oh good! There's a good lead on Jack! And the Redbird can look after itself, thank goodness

Tim is such a little shit in his head, I love it and wish he had the confidence to say some of that out loud

------

Back to 'Batman'

Tally Man... that's a new one

I'm not sure an isolation tank is the best thing for you, Jean-Paul. That kind of sensory deprivation can be pretty peaceful for some but in your specific situation? I have a feeling it would only make things worse

Again, I'm not sure I like the route of his meditation but it certainly reveals a lot

And Tally Man is seeking more debts

...Jean-Paul hid his isolation chamber... in the warehouse that Tally Man's target happened to be using. And neither of them realised until this Johnny *found the fucking tank and shot it?!

--------

Okay cool, Jean Paul having more System bullshit that's only making his headspace *worse*

Tally Man has a bone to pick with... debtors?

Ah. He killed the previous Tally Man as a 12 year old and was treated to adult jail because everything sucks in comics

Aaaand Jean-Paul's switched to calling himself Azrael. This... isn't good

-----------

Lunch break

---------

Jean-Paul... buddy. DOn't do it. Don't go on an actual crusade through Gotham

Insider knowledge... admittedly clever but jfc JP

Okay... so now there's someone who JP could have become and potentially is becoming

Okay cool, mobsters being taken out, Gordon suspects Bruce isn't under the cowl and JP is just getting worse. He doesn't care for the detective work that's necessary to the role, he's just here for a fight and it's such an easy way for the System to worm in and corrupt everything in his head. Which I suspect is exactly what's happening

---------

...holy shit, JP's rambling actually worked?!

And now this Mekros is all confused

---------

Oh the Trigger Twins are back

JP, don't frame this as not wanting Tim in danger. You don't understand the partnership and you think he holds you back

Car chase on the train tracks, okay

And they're dealt with... OH FUCK OFF CLOWN, YOU AND YOUR STUPID LONG HAIR

-----------

Damn. Christmas again. Which means it's been... a year since Bruce got his back broken?

Oh hey Mr Freeze! Was wondering when you would turn up

--------

Oh? Catwoman issue?

Oh! Selena is with an eco group? And they've never noticed that she's not around when Catwoman is? Incredible

So looks like JP and Selina are gonna meet

These environmentalist guys are so... 90s stereotypical

---------

Hm.... JP might have a little crush~

Lol he totally had dirty dreams about her~

And he's got it wrong and once again proving that he's not great at the detective side of things

Huh. She's immediately guessed that there's someone else under the cowl

Oh dang, she really called him sterile

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

Gotta say... I definitely prefer the sleeker black look over the purple sprayed on look

Though it does add to the disguise funnily enough. From a distance, she looks naked and either you're gonna look away or you're gonna stare too much at her boobs and pay little attention to her face or what she's doing

And now you've gone and framed Catwoman because you don't know how to do the detective side of things or investigate and put an entire section of Rainforest at risk

--------

"Undersexed sanctamonious dolt" that's one hell of a description and absolutely implies that she knows Bruce would've gone for her and treated her like a gentleman. And also confirms that he goes along with the flirting

At least he listened and they fixed things

[zachsgamejournal]

PLAYING: Burnout 2: Point of Impact

Got my new Pixel 7 Pro. Wanted to see if I can play PS2 games (specifically Timesplitters Future Perfect), but after playing Riptide all week I was feeling nostalgic for some classic console racers!

Of the Burnout series--Burnout 2 isn't even the best one. I think it's basically a tie between Burnout 3 and Paradise. There's some other B3-era Burnouts I haven't played (like the 360 version), but I feel pretty confident in my appraisal.

Burnout 1 was interesting. Plenty of racing games had to offer what Burnout did, but the slight focus on crashing and building a boost-bar with dangerous actions made it feel pretty unique. I remember the original's cars being pretty bland. They were solid-colored, unexciting rip-offs of popular car types. But the slight deformation on the cars might it more exciting than the average racer--which just had solid cars collide with a flash of sparks and then you moved on.

Burnout 2 improved the game in every way: graphically, gameplay, and presentation. Watching my friend play through, I definitely felt it was more exciting and fun. I think I played a few races, but it was mostly him. I remember him holding a burnout-combo for over 1 lap. He practically burnout-boosted the entire race. That was cool!

I ended up buying Burnout 3 and it blew 1 & 2 away. The cars were much more interesting looking, the graphics were far more detailed, and the SFX made the experience far more exciting and intense! Then there was the crashing: WAY BETTER! Burnout 1 had car models that deformed slightly, Burnout 2 had a little more destruction, but Burnout 3 had cars that would fold and crumble in half--with glass, sparks, and debris flying every where! It was crazy! On top of that--wrecking other cars was a key mechanic...

Burnout 1 & 2 allowed opponents to wreck, but there's little one could do to influence it. I even tried to just now to bump and push other cars and it was like trying to redirect a train of its tracks with a leaf blower. But B3 let you disrupt an opponent's controls with a bump, or side swipe them into a wall, oncoming traffic, or other obstacle. And you were celebrated and rewarded for this! So not only were you battling the track and traffic, but you literally battled the other racers. It was fantastic.

Anyway--I'm not sure why Burnout 2 attracted me when there was a better game available. There's something about those bland-but-fun PS2 classics that tickle my nostalgia nerve. Because I've been playing Riptide Renegade on Mobile, I've been really pumped to play some classic-fun racers. And since I got a new phone, I was interested in trying out its emulation capabilities. Mostly I'm impressed.

Emulation on Pixel 7 Pro

I was a huge fan of PS1. So when PS2 promised to play PS1 games, awesome! I became a huge fan of PS2. So when PS3 promised to play PS1 & PS2 games: AWESOME! Unfortunately Sony abandoned BC. I thought they would correct that with Playstation Now for PS4--but they totally dropped the ball and haven't quite picked it back up.

When my original PS3 with BC died (after 8 long years of daily play for many hours) I wasn't sure how i was going to play PS2 games. And it's been a long struggle to figure that out. I had hoped the Pixel 4 XL could handle it--but not quite. (At least not Timesplitters: Future Perfect.) I've got a PC that can handle the emulation now, but I love the convenience of using my phone (I don't have a desk or designated PC play space. So it can get awkward setting up my laptop.)

I was able to get Timesplitters Future Perfect working with 4x resolution by switching to Vulkan backend. It's been great so far!! I tried getting Burnout 2 to work on AetherSX2--but it fails to recognize the disc. I've tried to mess around with the regional bios, but it's not getting me the results I want. So tried it out for GameCube with the Dolphin emulator (which has generally been a more pleasant emulation experience in the past).

This version worked. The game ran well at 4x until I got to the highway track. Framerate dropped to 45 fps and the audio chugged along with it. Wasn't great. I switched to Vulkan backend and everything got a little bit better. But the highway tracks still cause slowdown. Not sure how to fix it, but almost every other track runs at a smooth 58-60 fps.

How's it play?

The game requires a "training" section. You have about 6 exercises to go through explaining how to build the boost meter and do burnouts. When this game first came out and I was a high school teenager, the hand-holding that reminded me of Gran Turismo's license tests was kind of exciting. I thought, Wow--how cool that they've spent production time to teach you and pull you into the experience. Now I'm like, "Just let me race!"

Riptide Renegade, like many modern racers, teaches the core mechanics in the first race. It's a 5-10 minute experience of going through a first race. The game pauses and explains a feature, then encourages you to complete the feature. Compared to the tutorial of Burnout, it's not so invasive and is over quick. There's lots of loading in Bunrout 2, so loading each tutorial feels more laboring than it should be.

But then you start racing. The cars are just "unlocked". No purchase necessary--though you have to beat further challenges to unlock more. That's not so bad, but I miss games that give you cash even if you fail, meaning that if you fail long enough you get to buy something new. But then again, Burnout's approach makes getting new cars less grindy.

The cars control ok. Burnout 1 had really stiff cars. These feel better. But still not as nice as Burnout 3 or Paradise. The crashing is exciting enough, but not like the latter games. It's interesting, you only race 3 opponents. I'm guessing this is due to technical constraints. But the game does a good job of keeping the races intimate. While I was able to pull ahead in many races, the AI is always just behind. And if you fall behind, they don't leave you too far behind. It keeps the racing exciting and fun.

I did notice after barely holding first place with 2 laps that were about 1 minute 15 each, somehow I still came in first with an abysmal 1 minute 40. Maybe it'll get harder later.

The point of playing this was just to feel some nostalgia and test out my emulation capabilities. But I'm considering playing through. I don't know...there's plenty of Riptide left and I've got many other games on my list.

[tapesfrom1980]

patience , sean diaz

in which daniel keeps taking y/n’s attention away from sean and he gets salty

pronouns: she/her

sorry this is so long !

growing up, sean and daniel got used to living without their mom. of course, a small part of them still missed her despite her leaving them and starting a new family.

esteban fulfilled both roles for the boys, and they felt lucky to be able to have him as their father.

but sometimes, even as little kids, there was always a small part that wished they had their mom like every other kid at school.

when sean met y/n, it felt like she kind of made that feeling go away. she had a natural mother instinct and was always protective. when she and sean started dating, daniel saw her as his second mom in a way.

"daniel, clean up your mess. y/n is coming over and i don't need her tripping all over your shit." sean rolled his eyes. daniel couldn't even be offended because of how excited he was that y/n was coming.

"i'm only doing it for y/n, not for you." the small boy said cockily as he picked up his crayons and papers. sean simply rolled his eyes while scrolling through his phone.

"hey diaz." y/n opened the door with a big smile. esteban loved and trusted her enough that he let her have a spare key. he was glad sean had someone like her in his life. he could tell she was a good person.

"hi mi amor." sean smiled shyly as he walked over to give her a quick peck.

"y/n!" daniel ran from his room to give y/n a hug.

"my favorite diaz brother! i missed you so much!" y/n laughed as she kneeled down so daniel could give her a big proper bear hug. sean wanted to say a petty remark to that but he was in a nice mood so he didn't. at least not right now.

"what are we gonna do today?" daniel yelled into y/n's ear as he hugged her neck tightly with his eyes closed.

"let's ask your big brother danny. what do you have planned for us for tonight my beautiful boyfriend?" y/n grinned as she got up, daniel still at her side.

"well, i was gonna say me and y/n were gonna watch a movie. alone." he emphasized as he pulled y/n into his side lovingly.

"what about me?" daniel pouted, his smile fading.

"how about this, after me and sean finish the movie we can watch whatever movie you want and we'll eat your favorite snacks." y/n suggested.

sean already wanted to say no but he knew he couldn't change y/n's mind.

"okay! i have to finish my project anyway." daniel grinned. "you're the best y/n!" daniel yelled out as he ran to his room, shutting the door.

"he's stealing your attention from me." sean jokingly complained.

"aww don't worry seanie, you'll always be my number one baby." y/n teased as she pecked his cheek.

"yeah, yeah." sean waved her away despite his rosy cheeks, making y/n smile.

"i thought i heard you come in y/n." esteban smiled as he came in.

"hi mr d, how's the car going?"

"good actually, i just hope sean here doesn't wreck it a week after i finish it for him."

"oh come on, i am not." sean remarked with an offended tone.

"don't worry, i'll be in the passenger seat to make sure he doesn't crash it before we get out of the driveway." y/n teased.

"okay i think that's enough." sean rolled his eyes at his girlfriend.

"okay okay, i just wanted to say hi to y/n before i went back to being enslaved to that car. your poor old man is getting too old for this you know." he joked as he grabbed a glass of lemonade.

"i'm sure one of these days sean would be more than happy to help you mr diaz." y/n gave sean an accusing finger wave in his face.

"yeah, yeah."

"sure hope so. and again, y/n, call me esteban. mr diaz makes me feel like a grandpa."

"right, sorry esteban." y/n smiled shyly. he waved her off with a smile.

"i won't bother you guys, just do me a favor and keep an eye on daniel and that he doesn't burn down anything else."

"always papito." sean laughed.

"love you, have fun. but not too much fun please."

"okay dad i got it." sean looked away embarrassed.

"come on loverboy, let's go watch that movie before daniel changes his mind."

"yes please."

y/n and sean spent the next 2 hours and a half watching the movie they had settled on. they were warmly cuddled up together in a big fuzzy blanket and a bowl of popcorn and sprite cans.

of course, daniel had been barging in here and there but for the most part he kept his word and waited till they finished their movie.

"i can't wait to get more private time like this with you in the future." sean spoke. y/n frowned, knowing what he meant.

"we can always have our own little private moments like this mi vida, you're not gonna live with your brother and your dad forever, cherish these moments now before it's too late." y/n said as she played with his hair soothingly.

"yeah i know. i just wish i could have you all to myself more often." y/n smiled and looked away shyly.

"you'll always have me to yourself, i wouldn't want anyone else's attention." she reassured.

"but daniel is your brother, and he's 9. be a little less harsh on him my love." she kissed his head.

"yeah i guess so, i'll try."

"thank you." she squeezed his torso.

"I FINISHED, CAN WE WATCH MY MOVIE NOW?" daniel came running in excitedly. sean had to physically contain his sigh. he promised himself he'd keep his word and have more patience with his little brother like he had told y/n.

"of course baby, what movie do you wanna watch?" y/n smiled warmly at daniel.

"secret life of pets!"

"oh come on enano. we've watched that a million times already." sean groaned.

"hey, y/n said that I could pick the movie now." daniel said smugly. "right, y/n?"

"oh yeah for sure, secret life of pets it is captain diaz." y/n tried to hold in her laugh at sean's expression.

"great! i'll go make us more popcorn." daniel said excitedly. "for me and y/n by the way, sean. you don't deserve more popcorn because you're mean."

y/n covered her mouth as she giggled at the two boys.

"jokes on you assface, i'm already full."

"sean!"

"i'm gonna tell dad that you called me that." daniel huffed.

"okay tattletale."

"sean eduardo diaz. apologize to daniel and help him with the popcorn right now." y/n crossed her arms.

"why do I have to apologize? he's the one hogging the popcorn." sean crossed his arms too.

"you're the older one here sean, you don't call 9 year olds assfaces." she looked at him with a glare.

"fine, i'm sorry for calling you an assface enano." sean apologized, standing up to go help daniel with the popcorn.

"apology accepted." daniel smiled smugly at his brother.

"move over, you're too short to reach the shelf where the popcorns in."

"am not!"

"are too."

"y/n!"

the girl looked at the two boys with a cheesy smile. they were her world and she was glad that by meeting sean she didn't just gain a boyfriend, but a new second family.

BONUS: BLOOD BROTHERS ENDING

PUERTO LOBOS , MEXICO

"danny, pass me 4 eggs please." y/n looked at now 15 year old daniel who was sitting on the counter watching her cook.

"of course." he opened the fridge and scanned around for the carton of eggs. he turned his head to the left and noticed now 23 years old sean backing up with his hands raised.

quietly, he closes the fridge and signed y/n to stay quiet. y/n looked at him in confusion till she also noticed sean.

in less than 2 minutes, daniel had scared off the gang members away with his powers. y/n didn't like when daniel used his powers for more violent stuff, but at times like that she understood.

"you guys okay? they didn't touch you at all?" y/n asked as she examined their faces. she held onto sean's face as she looked everywhere for a possible bruise or scratch.

"it's fine y/n, you know i have my little brother here to protect me." sean smiled proudly at daniel. daniel rolled his eyes at him but still smiled cheekily.

"okay, i just don't like when you use your powers like that." y/n frowned as she grabbed daniels face too checking for anything. daniel chuckled and shook his head.

"i know y/n i'm sorry, but i promise i only use them when it's necessary." he reassured. he was happy that he and sean were lucky enough to have her with them. extremely lucky. he saw her as his mom by that point.

"alright, go wash your hands please. you two are gonna help me finish dinner." she said, pecking both of their cheeks as they groaned. they were terrible cooks, the boys were just lucky y/n was the only one who was actually willing to learn more about cooking for the sake of all three of them.

"love you boys."

"love you too y/n."

[mossybee-exe]

Injury & Broken|MHA Boys x Injured! Reader

The MHA Boys Reacting to a break I and you injured from it!

TW:Angst to fluff

A/N:All UA kids are aged up to being pro heroes and I will do a separate one with the villains.

Izuku Midoriya/Deku

The poor boy didn't even know that someone planned a break in to his house! He just kissed you goodbye and the little bump housing the bun in the oven, and headed off to work for the day. He wasn't getting back til late that night so the villain had the time.

Apparently he had been stalking Deku for a while and really wanted to get to him! He knew this was the right course of action!

So while you were happily cooking dinner as Deku was going to come home in about an hour, you hummed while stirring the pot of soup, only stopping once in a while to rub your baby bump.

"I get it. You're excited to eat but it's not ready yet! And we can't eat until dad is home!" You tell them before a loud crash from the living room gets your attention.

-

Deku pulls up into the driveway of his house and turns off the car, getting out. He excitedly headed towards the house but his smile faded and he stopped once he saw the front window broken.

Panic started rising in his body as he rushed inside, almost swinging the door off it's hinges. The horror that displayed in front of him made his heart drop.

The house was COMPLETELY wrecked. Living room trashed, sofa slashed, TV broken, the soup spilled on the kitchen floor, pictures broken, etc. "Y/N!" He shouts as he frantically looked around the house for you. He eventually came to the baby's room and tears pricked his eyes once he saw you laying on the pastel pink floor bleeding.

Deku quickly ran over to you and called the ambulance.

-

When you awoke again, Deku was happy to know you would recover and that your child was unharmed. You also told him everything that happened which he then told the police.

"Don't worry baby, I won't let him or anyone hurt you ever again. I swear it."

Katsuki Bakugou/Dynamight

Oh if someone ever get the guts to attack the person Bakugou loves more than life, then heaven help you once he goes home to see you hurt.

Fans can go to extreme measures when they end up loving someone too much. And that was the case with this one woman who was a fan of the pro hero Dynamight, who happened to be your boyfriend.

She believes he should love HER not YOU! So she planned on sending a message.

You were playing with your puppy in the living room until you heard a loud banging on your front door.

-

Bakugou arrives back at your shared apartment and goes to unlock the door when he found it was already open. He walked inside and his eyes widen when he sees the whole place completely trashed.

That's when he saw your dog dash out from underneath the table whimpering and barking at Bakugou. "Dai! Where is Y/N?!" Bakugou asks panicked. Almost as if he understood him, Dai led Bakugou to the bedroom and he found you lying on the bed in a pool of your own blood from your legs, arms, and side.

He immediately ran over to you and called the ambulance.

-

He was happy to hear that you would recover an was even happier when you opened your eyes, finally waking up to look at his worried yet angered crimson eyes.

"I will murder whoever did this to you. I don't care if I'm a hero! No one does to you! NO ONE!"

Shoto Todoroki

This man made a promise when he married you, was that he would always protect you and never hurt you like his father did to HIS mother.

But the one day he couldn't be with you was the one where that promise was broken.

He had ran out to the pharmacy to pick up his daughter's medicine. You two have twin daughters, a red haired and white haired baby girls. However the red haired one Ren was sick.

You were at home right now making some soup, having help from your white haired daughter Rei. She was placing the already cut up carrots into the pot you were stirring.

But then a loud set of footsteps get both of your attention.

-

Todoroki drove home as fast as he could as he finally found the medicine he needed.

Once he arrives, he stares at disbelief and confusion at the open door leading to the house. And the worry only escalated once he ran into the house to see it completely trashed.

"Daddy! Daddy!" He hears Ren calls out as she ran out of the hall closet and towards him, tears streaming down her face.

"Ren! What happened?! Where's Rei and mother??" He asks worriedly. "Momma protected Rei and me, but now she's hurt! She needs help!" Ren explains and he quickly follows Ren to the kitchen where you layed there, a knife sticking out of your gut.

You had passed out from the pain and you kept the knife in otherwise you'd bleed out faster. Todoroki quickly kneels down to you before looking at his daughter.

"Ren! Go call the police and then go to your bedroom!" He tells her and she nods, running off.

-

Your husband and daughters were happy to know you would recover and visited you in the hospital after you woke up.

"I promise I'll make up for this! I don't want to lose you!"

Ejiro Kirishima/Red

He was so heartbroken when he had to leave you while you were still recovering. You recently got back from a mission where you got pretty hurt.

You were discharged from the hospital but was told to rest up for another day or so to be sure. Unfortunately Kirishima could be there to help you out but you reassured him you would be okay.

So reluctantly, he went off to work. But he kept checking up on you every hour to be sure you were okay.

You were sitting on the bed reading a book with your pet rabbit Cream next to you.

However, both you and Creme are alerted when a thud came from the kitchen downstairs, followed by a hushed, "Crap!"

-

Kirishima finally got home, having gotten off early, and walked into the house only to find the whole place trashed.

"No.. no no Y/N! WHERE ARE YOU?!" He yells as he dashed upstairs to see you sitting up against the wall with phone in hand, having called the police as you bled out. Creme kept sniffing you to make sure you were okay.

-

It pained him to see you back in the hospital bed, despite how the doctors told him you'd be fine. "Her recovery will just take a little longer now." He repeated in his mind.

By the time you woke up, he was already in tears.

"Don't worry Y/N. I promise I'll take work off to protect you and help you! I swear my life on it!"

Keigo Takami/Hawks

Poor bird boy has already been so worried about you cuz he's been forced to leave you alone for weeks after he had to go on 2 missions, so he hated leaving you just for a patrol!

But you tell him he has to and that you'll be fine so he eventually agrees and goes to work.

While he was gone you decided to go and take a shower so you do so.

After you were done, you had a towel wrapped around your hair and around your body as you walked over to the closet to get changed.

That is until you felt a heavy impact on the back of your head before everything went black.

-

Hawks was so happy to finally spend the weekend with you! He even got a bucket of KFC chicken to share on his way home.

He happily lands on the balcony with he bucket in hand and slides open the glass door. "I'm back Dove! And I got us some chicken-" He calls out only to stop talking and drop the bucket when he sees your state.

You're lying on the ground with blood trickling out of your head and your white towels stained with red blood.

He ran over to you and shouted your name before dialing the ambulance.

-

He cries tears of joy once he hears you'll recover and he holds your hand tightly once you wake up in the bed all bandaged up.

"I swear I won't leave you alone like that ever again! I swear, Dove!"

Shota Aizawa/Eraserhead

Aizawa always did whatever he could to keep you out of the media so you won't get hurt.

But unfortunately villains have ways to figure out who people are, and one in particular paid a hacker to figure out who you are. Once he learned you were dating Eraserhead, he knew exactly what do to!

So he waited til Aizawa was gone at UA, then made his move to his house which he also found from the hacker.

Meanwhile you were sitting on your knees on the living room floor as you played with your guy's cat Sushi and his cat toys!

"Aw you're so cute Sushi! Yes you are!" You said while petting him, having him leans into your touch and purr.

But both of you jump when you heard the front door suddenly slam open.

-

Aizawa was driving home from UA now, ready to see you and Sushi as he headed his students' papers before heading out for the evening patrol! But all of his happiness disappeared once he saw your guy's house door missing, having been kicked down on the floor inside.

He ran inside to see the rest of the house in a even worse state!

Suddenly he heard wailing and he ran to the kitchen to see Sushi hiding under the counter wailing. He ran over and picked him up, petting him comfortingly. But then a thought passes his mind.

"Where's Y/N??" He asks looking around frantically. Almost as if Sushi read his mind, he hopped out of Aizawa's arms and lead him to the bathroom.

His eyes widen in horror as he sees you lying in the bathtub bleeding out while on the wall was written "Watch your back, hero" in blood which he hope wasn't yours.

He quickly pulled out his phone and called the police and ambulance.

-

He sighs of relief once the nurse tells him you'll recover to full health in a couple of days and that the police found the villain who had broken in and hurt you.

Now you saw him beside your hospital bed as you woke up.

"Don't ever scare me like that ever again! I love you to much!"

Hitoshi Shinso

He never liked leaving you alone, especially after hearing that a villain in the neighborhood had been breaking into houses!

But you told him you'd be fine, being a pro hero yourself, so he went to work.

But one night, you couldn't defend yourself.

You decided to have gone to be early, since Shinso wouldn't be getting home til really late, so you climb into bed.

Only until you hear shuffling from under the bed did your eyes shoot open wide.

-

It was around 12 in the morning did he get home and park the car in the apartment complex parking lot. Afterwards he walks up and walks into the door. But his eyes widen when he sees the place trashed, and to see you bloody and bruised on the couch.

"Y/N!!! No!" He yells as he ran over and shook you shouting your name before calling the ambulance.

-

He let out a sigh of relief when you woke up. The nurses told you that you'd recover by tomorrow, so he wouldn't need to worry. But when you looked up at his eyes, you couldn't help but see worry in his eyes.

"You're coming to work with me from now on when you're off work! I can't afford to see that again!"

[lulamadison]

prompt #118

Thanks to everyone who sent one so far! It is now the weekend, so if anyone wants to send me a prompt to fill with a little Lawrusso ficlet please do 😃

Here is the prompt list (Completed: 16, 20, 65, 110, 118)

Prompt 118 is “this isn’t adrenaline, i want to spend my life with you.”

This one ran much longer than my other fills 😉

*

The car came to a rest, rocking on its three remaining wheels, as steam hissed into the cold night air from the smashed radiator.

“Holy shit,” Daniel gasped, his hands still wrapped around the wheel so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. “Are you OK?”

“Forget about me, man. Are you OK?” Johnny asked. “It's your side of the car that's smashed up.”

Daniel took stock of himself, noting that the only pain he felt was a slight twinge in his knee. He'd twisted it as the car spun through the air after blowing out a tyre on the drive back from picking up Johnny at the bar where he'd had drinks with Bobby.

“Yeah,” Daniel said. “Yeah, I'm fine.”

“OK, so you wanna let go before you break your own fingers?” Johnny asked as he leaned over and placed a hand on top Daniel's.

“Huh,” Daniel said, suddenly realising the death grip he had on the steering wheel. He peeled his stiff hands away from it, then watched as Johnny gently kneaded his fingers in his own hand.

“I think we need to get out of here in case it goes up in flames,” Johnny said, still keeping hold of Daniel's hand.

“Yeah,” Daniel replied. “I need to call a tow truck and get the car taken back to the dealership.”

“What's left of the car, you mean,” Johnny said, as he popped his door open. “Does your side work?”

Daniel pulled the handle, but the door creaked and stayed closed. “No, its jammed.”

“OK, follow me,” Johnny said, as he climbed out, then reached back inside and offered Daniel a hand.

Daniel grabbed hold of Johnny, then climbed out over the centre console and out into the street.

“Oh my god, Johnny,” Daniel gasped as he saw the car. “Look at this! We should be dead or at the very least injured.”

“Yeah, but we aren't,” Johnny said, grabbing his hands.

“I can't believe we didn't die,” Daniel said, feeling his breath coming in sharp gasps as he looked at the crumpled front end of the car that was smashed beyond repair.

“Daniel,” Johnny said, crowding into his space.

“What?” he asked, finally tearing his eyes away from the wrecked Audi.

“Breathe,” Johnny said softly.

Daniel looked at him, suddenly feeling the panic that had overtaken his body and he noticed how his hands were shaking, even though Johnny was holding them tightly.

“You need to do that Miyagi-Do breathing shit and calm down,” Johnny said, as he pulled Daniel's hands towards his own chest. “We're both still here, not a scratch on us.”

“Sorry,” Daniel sighed.

“It was a hell of a crash. I'm pretty sure we were flying at one point,” Johnny replied. “You're just in shock is all.”

“And you aren't?” Daniel asked.

“I've got so much Banquet inside me I doubt I'd be shocked if I stuck my finger in a socket,” Johnny said with a grin.

Daniel let out a laugh, but underneath it all his mind was running a mile a minute.

He and Johnny had only been together a few months, but they'd almost lost each other because of one stupid tyre blow out. One accident, that's all it would take, and this new thing they had going on that Daniel had been craving for so long could be wiped out in an instant.

“Will you marry me?” Daniel asked.

“Whattttt?” Johnny asked, his voice high pitched.

“I'm serious,” Daniel said. “I want to marry you. We took all this time to get to this point and I don't want to waste another second of it. I love you, Johnny, and I never want to be without you ever again.”

“Hey, c'mon, you know this is just the adrenaline talking,” Johnny said. “We've just been through something traumatic, so you're not thinking straight.”

Daniel let out a huff of laughter. “When haven't we just been something traumatic in the last couple of years?” He raised an eyebrow and asked, “How many times have people tried to kill you recently?”

“Twice,” Johnny admitted, still holding Daniel's hands against his chest.

“This isn’t adrenaline,” Daniel said, as he disentangled one of his hands and pressed his palm to Johnny's cheek “I want to spend my life with you.”

“You know I want that too,” Johnny said softly.

“I'll show you I'm serious,” Daniel said, as he took a step away, then lowered one knee to the floor

“Oh god, no, LaRusso, don't do this!” Johnny said. “You'll never get back up without help.”

“Johnny, will you marry me?” Daniel asked, as he knelt on the damp road.

“Daniel!” Johnny said sharply, as the sound of sirens echoed through the night air.

“Sounds like someone called 911,” Daniel said, as he took Johnny's hand. “Do you want the LAFD and the cops seeing me propose to you like this?”

“Will you get up!” Johnny said.

“You better say yes now. They'll be here any second,” Daniel said with a grin. “Do you want me to ask the LAFD to be witnesses at our wedding?”

“LaRusso!” Johnny shrieked.

“All it takes is one word and this will all be over,” Daniel said.

“Yes!” Johnny shouted, as he got down on his knees and pulled Daniel into a kiss. “I'll marry you, OK?”

“You will?” he asked, hardly believing his ears.

“Daniel, there's nothing I want more than to spend the rest of my life with you,” Johnny said quickly. “I just thought maybe it'd be me who did the proposing or ya know, that I wouldn't have glass in my hair and desperately need a piss while it was happening.”

Daniel let out a laugh. “You had a lot of beer.”

“Yeah, I did,” Johnny replied. “And all the times I imagined one of us proposing, it never included me having a wet patch on my jeans, man.”

“Go find a bush,” Daniel said, letting out a laugh.

As Johnny jumped to his feet, Daniel held out a hand and asked, “Will you help me up?”

Johnny stood for a second, then said, “Actually, you know what this kinda looks like?”

“I don't know, will you help me up before the cops get here?”

“I dunno, man,” Johnny said with a grin. “If I leave you on your knees till the cops get here it'll look like they caught you giving me a blow job.”

“Don't be an asshole, Johnny,” Daniel hissed. “Help me up!”

“Maybe I like the idea of the entire Fire Department thinking you were doing that,” Johnny grinned.

“Johnny!” Daniel shouted, as he waddled across the road on his knees. “Help me up!”

“Gotta go find a bush, Daniel,” Johnny said with a laugh. “I'll be right back.”

“Johnny!” Daniel shouted. “Johnny! JOHNNY! Ugh... What a dick!”

*

[chaoticforever]

Under His Protection | Yandere Eddie Diaz x Male! Reader

You awoke with a splitting headache, the dim light in the hospital room was a little too bright for your sensitive eyes. 

You reached up to rub your head with one arm as you swore softly, blinking your eyes open slowly. It was then, you realized you were in a hospital. The one place you didn't want to be. 

Just as you sat up, a male who you presumed is the doctor entered the room, a pleased expression on his face. 

"Glad to see that you're awake, Mr. L/N." He spoke as he picked up the clipboard and lifted one of the pages up before looking up at you with a smile. 

"I'm glad to be awake too, Doctor." You replied with a smile of your own, "Um, what happened to me?"

"Do you remember anything at all about what happened before you woke up?" 

You knitted your eyebrows together as you tried to recall any memories of what happened before your eyes lit up upon recalling what had happened earlier. 

You were on your motorcycle without a helmet on and was heading to see your sister when this car crashed into you. 

"Yeah, I got into an accident." 

"That's correct. You were in an accident and some firefighters brought you here. You're lucky that your injuries aren't as severe as we were expecting them to be. Your bones are strong, but you have a concussion, a broken arm, a busted lip and some stitches on your forehead." 

"Probably from all that milk I drank as a kid." You said with a lopsided smile as the doctor let out a snort, "So, when can I leave this hospital, doctor..." 

"I'm Dr. Ashmore, and you'll be able to leave after I run a few more tests first." 

You nodded in understanding as he began running some more tests. 

Dr. Ashmore left the room after taking some tests and telling you that you were free to leave and prescribed you some painkillers. You nodded and stood up, walking over to retrieve your items on the desk. 

"Dammit." You swore quietly, seeing how bad your phone looked. The screen had a lot of cracks on it, but it still worked. Guess you needed to buy a new phone. 

You put your keys and wallet in your pocket as a knock came from the door. Once you turned around, you saw a man with brown hair and brown eyes. He sent you a warm smile and walked over to you. 

"Hello, Y/N." 

"...Hi. I'm sorry, do we know each other?"

He shook his head, the smile still on his face, "No, we don't, but I'm Eddie Diaz. I was one of the firefighters who brought you to the hospital, and I wanted to see how you were doing and if you're okay." 

Eddie stuck out his hand to you for a handshake and you shook his hand, "I'm Y/N L/N, but I guess you already knew that. Thanks for saving my life." 

"No need to thank me. Just doing my job." He said as he took a step forward and placed a hand on your shoulder.  

"Well, thank you anyway. By the way, do you know if my motorcycle's okay?" You asked, wanting him to verify what most likely happened to it. 

Eddie pursed his lips into a thin line and an apologetic look made its way onto his face, "I'm sorry, man. It got wrecked in the accident." 

You nodded in disappointment, but you weren't surprised your motorcycle didn't make it. You spent a lot of money on that, but at least you're still alive and had another vehicle. 

"Well, I should get going now. Thanks again, Eddie." You smiled at the brown- haired male and began walking towards the door, almost leaving before he called out to you. 

"Do you need a ride home?" 

You stopped right in your tracks and turned around to face Eddie, "I'll be okay. I'll just call an Uber to come get me or walk home. You're probably busy with stuff, anyway." 

"Don't worry, I'm not doing anything right now and it would be better if I drove you than you walking home or some uber." 

You paused in thought. You didn't want to walk home, especially when your arm was hurting a lot and you really didn't want to take an uber either, so why not get a lift from the nice firefighter. 

"Uh, sure. That would be great, actually."

You followed him out to his truck and gave him your address. He made small talk with you, asking what you did for a living along with other questions. You replied to all his questions and threw some questions at him in return. Turns out he works for the 118 and has a son named Christopher. You're pretty sure that your friend, Buck, works at the 118, too.

Upon arrival, Eddie walked you to your apartment. He was so caught up in the conversation with you and letting his eyes linger on your ass that he didn't realize you lived right next to Buck. 

"Hey, thanks for taking me home. I really appreciate it." You said appreciatively as you both stood outside of your apartment and he smiled at you. He seems to be smiling at you a lot today. 

"Of course. Will you be alright here by yourself? Or do you live with someone?" 

"I live alone, but I'll be alright." 

You said your goodbyes and entered your apartment, shutting the door behind you. All you wanted to do was take a nap after the day you've had. Let's see how well you function with one arm. 

XXXXX XXXXX 

Okay, so using one arm was a lot harder than you thought it would be. 

Your arm hurts a lot when you move it,  but you'd rather deal with your arm than listening to your mom scream at you on the other end of the phone. 

You had decided to call your parents to update them on what's been happening in your life and about the accident. 

Of course, they asked if you were okay before your mom screamed at you, saying that you shouldn't have brought that motorcycle because it's a death machine and to stick with cars. 

And then there was your dad who was pretty calm and laid back. He, like any other worried parent, demanded to know if you were okay and didn't scream at you like your mom. 

After talking to your parents, you tried cooking and ultimately failed. You were (left/right handed) and needed that arm to do mostly everything. 

Looks like you were ordering in today. 

...Or maybe not. 

A knock came from outside your door and you walked over to it, opening it to see Buck, Albert, Eddie, and a child who you presumed is Christopher outside your door. 

"Albert. Buck, what are you guys doing here?" 

"Well, Eddie is my teammate and we were the firefighters to rescue you," Buck said, "And when he told us that you had a broken arm, we decided to get you dinner." 

Buck and Albert held up bags of food, grinning widely as you stepped aside, allowing them to enter, "Thanks, idiots." 

The two idiots and Christopher walked inside and your gaze flickered over to Eddie, "You really didn't need to do this for me." 

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I doubt you could cook with one hand, so Buck got you food from your favorite restaurant." 

You and Buck had been friends ever since he moved into the apartment next to you. He would be at your place a lot whenever he needed to talk or wanted to relax. Albert mostly came over to eat your food, but you loved that idiot. 

"Well, come on in." You announced and gestured inside your apartment with a grin on your face as he walked inside. 

This is what happened for the next month while the cast was still on. Eddie stops by your place and takes care of you, helping you with everything and you couldn't have been more grateful for him. 

At first, you thought it was a little weird that he wanted to help you when he didn't even know you, but you shrugged it off because it was pretty much his job to help people. 

Eddie, on the other hand, was obsessed with you. Ever since he first laid eyes on you, he knew that you were the one for him. You were meant to be in his arms, and he would stop at nothing until he proved that to you. To get you to see him the way he saw you. 

So, when the 118 had decided to have an event for kids at the local park, Eddie asked if you wanted to come and help out, and you agreed. And he made sure that you were next to him all the time and glared at countless men and women who looked at you the wrong way. 

But what happens next sends his jealousy over the top. 

You were walking past the food area when a man bumped into you, spilling his drink and his hotdog, which had ketchup and relish on it, right on your shirt. 

"Oh, damn." 

"Shit, I'm so sorry man." 

"Don't even worry about it." You replied as you took off your shirt and smiled at the man reassuringly whose eyes were wide upon seeing your amazing body along with other men and women. 

"Oh my God. Y/N?! Y/N L/N?!" 

"Uh, yeah. Do we know each other?"   You asked, trying to figure out where you could have seen this male before.

The male standing before you chuckled, "No one ever remembers me when they see me again. It's me, Nick Hilson! We went to high school together and you would always stand up to the bullies for me." 

Your eyes lit up in recognition and your lips curled upward into a smile, "Oh my God, Nick!" You quickly pulled him into a hug, "It's good to see you again. Wow, you look so different." 

"Yeah, when I went to college, I got my braces off, ditched my glasses for contacts, and I hit the gym and worked out a lot." He spoke proudly. 

"Well, the gym seemed to have really paid off because you look really good." 

"It seems that way for you too because you look amazing like you always do." 

You felt heat crawl up to your face and was about to reply when Eddie decided to walk over to you and dragged you off to one of the firetrucks as you protested in confusion. 

Eddie reached inside a duffel bag and pulled out an LAFD shirt and tossed it at you, "Put that shirt on now." 

You frowned at hearing a dark undertone to that demand, "Okay, why?" 

He crossed his arms over his chest, "Just put the shirt on." 

You continued to frown as you slowly put on the shirt that fits just right. You wondered what was up with Eddie, but you didn't know that a wave of jealousy took over him. 

He didn't like how all those women and men were looking at you, even married ones were gawking at you. No one should stare at you like that but him. 

Once the shirt is finally on you, Eddie drags you over to the food table. Bobby decided to go be with the kids on one of the firetrucks and you two served food. Well, he serves and you stand there. 

"Do you think I can get another hotdog? Or did I lose all my chances from getting food by accidentally spilling it on you?" Nick asked as he stood in front of you, and you smiled at him as you felt Eddie tense beside you. 

"Of course you can. Eddie, make the man a hotdog." You instructed as Eddie picked up a hot dog roll angrily with his jaw clenched, which you didn't notice. 

He handed Nick the hotdog, hoping that he would leave, but it seemed as if he had other plans. 

"Y/N, do you think you would want to get dinner with me tomorrow night? It'll be a good chance for us to catch up." Nick asked nervously, swallowing a lump in his throat. 

You raised an eyebrow, "You asking me out on a date, Hilson?" 

Nick nodded, "Yes, I'm taking the chance that I didn't take in high school because of how shy I was. So, what do you say?" 

You hummed in thought before nodding your head and the smile on Nick's face widened considerably, "I say yes." 

He gave his phone and you added your number into it as he took it, walking away excitedly like he was a teenager again. 

You glanced over at Eddie to see that he had his fist clenched, staring off into the distance and you frowned, tapping him on the shoulder, "Hey, you okay?" 

Eddie didn't answer your question and left instead, walking off somewhere as you stood there, wondering what the hell is his problem. 

XXXXX XXXXX 

There were lots of things you were expecting when you entered Nick's place.

You were expecting to see him dressed nicely in whatever outfit he chose. Or to see this newly confident man ready to take you out to dinner. Or to see him act like the shy man he used to be. 

Those were a few things you were expecting. You were not expecting to see him bleeding out on the floor in his own home with Eddie standing over his body, a bloody knife in his hands. 

A state of shock washed over you in waves as tears brimmed the corners of your eyes. He turned around to face you and regret flashed in his eyes because you saw what he did. 

"Y/N..." 

Hearing him say your name shocked you out of your initial state and you made a run for it, ignoring the set of footsteps you hear running after you. 

Eddie quickly grabbed you by the back of your shirt before you could make it out of the apartment as he kicked the door shut and pushed you up against the wall. 

A scream erupted from your throat as you struggled in his arms, "Shh, Y/N. It's okay. Everything's okay now. Nick is out of our lives for good now." 

"Nothing is okay, Eddie." You rasped out, "Why did you do that to Nick?" 

"I did that because you're mine and he tried to take you away from me. I saw the way he looked at you. He looked at you with lust in his eyes like he wanted to fuck you, to touch you, and I couldn't let that happen." 

"So, you decided to kill my friend?!" 

Eddie kept the bloody knife in one hand as he kept the other hand on the side of your face, his thumb gently caressing your jaw a second later, "I did it for you. For you, okay? He wasn't your friend,    Y/N. I love you and I'm protecting you. That's what heroes like me do." 

You shook your head, "You're not a hero. No hero kills an innocent person!" 

The brown-haired male dropped the knife and put his hands on both sides of your face, "He stopped being innocent when he tried to take away what's mine. But, hey. I protect the people I love, which is you. This is all for you, okay? For us." He pressed a kiss to your lips, "Now, let's go." 

"I'm not going anywhere with you." One of your hands reached up and swung at Eddie as he groaned in pain and utter surprise. 

You quickly dashed for the door when Eddie quickly scrambled to his feet and grabbed your shirt once again, forcing you into his chest as he wrapped his arms around you. You still struggled to get free as he tightened his grip on you, making you wince slightly. 

Eddie pressed a kiss to the back of your neck and leaned into your ear, "I'm sorry, but I have to do this, love." 

Next thing you know, a white cloth goes over your mouth and your eyes widened as you tried your best not to inhale it. 

Your eyes began to get droopy as your body began to stop squirming against him. Soon, you felt limp in his arms as he smiled down at you, placing a kiss on your forehead. 

"Sweet dreams, my love." He whispered, smiling down at you. 

He was here to protect the person he loved from everything and everyone in this world. You were all his now. 

XXXXX XXXXX

[rims-things]

Lost in Your Arms 

Fanfiction 

Genre : Romance / Fluff / Comfort 

Pairing : Myul Mang ( Kim Saram) / Tak Dong Kyung 

Show : Doom at your Service 

Warning : Do not read if you are not comfortable with a little passion between the couple + wound kissing 

Setup : It takes place right after episode 12 last elevator scene 

Tak Dong Kyung watched him as he stood out of the elevator, with a wrecked look on his face. She was anxious to even think about the fact that this person might be someone she knew. But he, on the other hand, looked confused and afraid at the same time.

She took a step forward to step out of the elevator, but he vanished in thin air. With sheer disappointment, she walked towards her room, blaming everything on her illness.

The next day was a bit hectic for her. She had to go through a lot of tests and some of her initial treatments were getting started. Hardly did she have any time to think of the events of last night. But as the sun went down and midnight approached, she subconsciously waited for him to appear.

She wore her usual hospital dress and an oversized jacket, with her hair loosely tied up in a bun. After unknowingly waiting for him on the terrace, she tried her luck in the parking area.

All she could do was Sigh, looking at all the cars that appeared to be staring at her and asking what exactly was she expecting.

She looked at her bracelet and wondered why it was so precious to her.

I better get back to my room -- she thought.

But just when she was about to head back, she saw the headlights of a car lit up and her eyes instantly fell on a kitten sitting near the tire.

Tak Dong Kyung rushed towards the car and stood right infront, making the person hit the brakes instantly.

She quickly bent down and took the kitten away from the tire.

"Are you okay ? "- she said, caressing the young cat.

"Do you want to die too ??? "  yelled the man who came out of the car.

Dong Kyung let the cat slide away as she stood up to face the man. He looked extremely furious.

"I'm sorry Sir, there was a ..." she tried to give an explanation when she noticed a Knife and blood on his hand.

"Is that blood ? What did you do? " She asked, suspecting that he was some sort of a criminal. 

Her guess was right, and she could hear a buzz in the hospital. But before she could act on it, the man grabbed her by the hair and tried to put her into the car.

"I'll kill you too " he declared as he opened the door to put her inside, but Dong Kyung couldn't give up so easily. She resisted and tried her best to scream but he covered her mouth with his hand.

"Just get inside the car if you want to live " the man shouted, he wanted to run away before the security got to the parking area and he couldn't leave a witness.

He was almost about to put her inside the car when he sensed a weird tension in the air. Everything was strangely silent all of a sudden.

It was then, that Dong Kyung noticed a tall figure standing at a short distance. As he approached them, she could see who it was. He wore a long wine colored coat with a sweater allowing a generous display of his neck.

He walked towards them with his hands in the pockets of his loose trousers. His face looked pale and eyes red with anger. She noticed the lights starting to flicker, the same way it had happened the night before.

"Who are you " the killer asked.

"Myul Mang " He said , tilting his head slightly to dart his eyes at the killer's hand which had grabbed Dong Kyung's hair.

The killer instantly left her and she fell to the ground.

"Aah.." she said, as she hit the surface.

Myul Mang stared at the killer with fury in his eyes.

The criminal picked up his knife again and tried to reach Dong Kyung, but she was quick enough to get up right on time and run towards Myul Mang.

She crashed on him against his chest and grabbed on to him as tightly as possible.

Myul Mang didn't move. He kept staring at the killer.

"He has killed someone " Dong Kyung whispered to him in terror.

He looked down at her and it was then that he noticed a small scratch on her neck because of the force with which the killer might have grabbed her.

He frowned and looked back at the man who was frozen near his car.

"I would have simply handed you over to the Police, if you had not done that to her " Myul Mang informed before blinking his eyes which was enough to bring doom on the killer.

His neck suddenly tilted and with the sound of a bone crack, he fell to the ground.

Tak Dong Kyung shut her eyes and hugged Myul Mang tightly, scared to imagine what was happening at her back. He gently put one of his hand on her head.

"Are you okay ? " He asked in a whisper, to which she nodded.

When she lifted her head up to look at him, she felt something change around her. When she looked towards her right, she found herself in an entirely different place.

It was a large mysterious hall, with lamps lit with fire. She could see a large circular window behind him which had a dark shade of blue.

Her eyes widened and she looked at him in confusion.

"Where are we ?" She asked.

"It's my home " he said with a straight face.

She walked away from him and looked around. The place felt familiar but she couldn't remember anything.

"Have I been here before?" She asked.

"I hope not. " he said nervously.

She gave him a scared look and went ahead to sit next to the large window. She could see the night sky and twinkling stars.

"It's beautiful.." she exclaimed.

Myul Mang walked up to her which made her stand up instantly. She guessed he was there to say something, but he stood merely inches away from her.

She coughed slightly and looked away, feeling his intense gaze on her.

"Where did he hurt you? " He asked, taking his hand near her neck where he had seen the injury.

But she instantly grabbed his hand and looked back at him.

"What did you mean back then? "

Myul Mang raised his brow.

".. when you said, you would have simply handed the killer to the police if he had not done this to me "  she questioned.

He instantly took his hand off from her grip and moved back. He sighed and looked away. Obviously, he had no answer.

" Did you kill him ? " She asked, swallowing a lump in her throat.

Myul Mang stared back at her.

"Would you hate me if I did ? " He asked.

"No." She replied, without giving it a second thought. She herself was clueless how she was so confident that she wouldn't hate him.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because I'm sure you might have done it for a reason. You're that kind of being." She answered in a go, as if it was already there in her subconscious.

He felt he had heard that before, but when? He couldn't recall.

It made him anxious and he walked back to her, raising his hand towards her neck again.

"Let me see please.. " he pleaded, but she backed off.

"Keep your hands away until you answer me " she said.

"What ? " He asked.

Tak Dong Kyung sighed.

"I think.. I know you..  but I dont remember, have we met before ?" She said, searching for answers.

Her questions made him confused, as he already had his doubts. He gulped in and looked away,  unable to understand what to say.

"I don't know " he said.

Tak Dong Kyung took a deep breath before continuing.

"I don't remember anything, but I feel, I was happy with you..I feel....

.. I.. loved you" she spoke.

What she said, made him restless and he walked to her staring deep into her eyes which were welling up.

He pursed his lips and tried not to react to what she just said. He wanted to escape the situation as soon as possible, but he was concerned for her as well. And somehow, he knew what she was saying might even be true.

He sighed and gulped in before speaking up.

"Let. Me. See." He said sternly, clearly trying to avoid what she was saying.

She shook her head for a No.

"Keep your hands off. Answer me first."

It was enough to make him loose patience and he instantly pulled her towards him, encircling his hands around her waist.

She was taken aback as she immediately grabbed his coat to prevent herself from falling.

"What are you doing? " She asked, trying to catch her breath.

His gaze pierced her soul. It was just a little scratch she had on her neck, but he wanted it gone as soon as possible. Even he didn't know why he felt that way, given that he already knew she was going to die soon.

"You want me to keep my hands off. Fine."

She looked at him, confused about what he exactly meant.

To her surprise, he suddenly tilted his head, leaned down to her neck, and planted a soft kiss on the scratch.

Her stomach twisted as she felt his lips on her skin. She inhaled sharply and clenched the collar of his coat tighter.

He lifted his head up and looked at the scratch disappear. But he soon realized that he had escalated the tension between them. She had shut her eyes and was gasping for air.

"It's gone now" he said, looking at her intently.

She opened her eyes slowly and gathered courage to look up at him.

She felt a strange comfort when their eyes met.

"It was just a scratch" she whispered.

"Then just thank me " he said, his voice cracking.

She swallowed and gasped, but her mind wasn't working well at all. Without much control on herself , she let her feelings take over and she stood on her toes to reach his lips and cover the gap between them.

He did not know she would do something like that all of a sudden, but given the situation, he surely was expecting it to happen.

He shut his eyes as he felt her lips move against his. It took him few seconds to let his guard down and let his heart decide what was to be done.

She inhaled rigorously when she felt him responding to the kiss. His grip around her waist tightened and he pulled her closer into his himself.

She wrapped her hands around his neck and deepened the kiss. She felt giddy with the rising heat within her. For some reason, his lips felt familiar, she knew she had kissed him before, but she couldn't remember.

He played with her lips as if they belonged to him, and suddenly felt a slight touch of her tongue in his mouth.

She wanted more. Subconsciously.

He gasped and let her enter his mouth, pushing her back against the wall next to the window, without leaving her lips for even a second.

She winced as she felt her back hit the wall and his strong chest pressed against her tiny physique.

He pulled her up a little by her waist so she could stand on his feet, making it easier for her to kiss him back.

He explored her mouth, sending shivers down her spine. She moaned and struggled to breath. He passionately delved into her mouth, making her dig her fingers in his hair and pull it gently.

He groaned and kissed her fervently, feeling her tiny fingers tugging on to his hair.

She felt his hands kneading the soft skin on her waist.

Her hands instinctively grabbed the colar of his coat and with a little effort, she pushed it back. He made a slight movement of his arms to let the coat slip off his body and fall on the ground.

He gave her little time to catch her breath before cupping her face and kissing her back.

She slid her hand to his waist and clenched his sweater. She felt her toes curl with each movement of his tongue in her mouth.

He slipped his hand in her soft hair and opened the loose bun she had, letting her hair flow open.

He carressed her neck as he kissed her more.

After a while, he stopped and looked at her, his face was crimson red with the rush of blood and lips slightly swollen.

Both of them struggled to breathe as he spoke.

"Tak Dong Kyung.. " he panted.

She gasped and felt nervous with the way he took her name. His eyes were filled with passion.

"I don't remember why.. I don't remember how and I don't remember since when.. but.. I love you..."

She smiled a little and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I feel I Love you too.. Kim Saram" she whispered, before kissing him back.

A/N : Thank you so much reading! This is my first work on the doom couple! :) Sorry if there were any mistakes :( Please leave your reaction here :) I will write more if you all liked it <3 

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

White Lies (Pt. 15 of 21)

Pairing: Keanu Reeves X Reader

Word count: 1.8 K

Summary: Keanu found the girl almost dead, in the wrecks of what was once her car. While she was in surgery, stuck in a coma, he gathered the best doctors of New York to attend to her. They told him she is likely to have some kind of brain damage, what may lead to memory loss. And this possibility added up wit the fact that she's pregnant, made the council come up with an odd idea. They asked Keanu to pretend to be her husband, since the stress of finding out everything that happened could put the baby in danger. He reluctantly agreed, but only if she does has some kind of memory loss. He still goes she'll wake up soon, with her memories intact.

But when you finally wake up, there's nothing inside. You're quick to find your head is empty, void, like a blank canvas. The only thing that brings you some relief, that makes you feel less lonely is the mention of a husband. And you can't wait to meet him, because you know you can't deal with this by yourself.

<- Previous part (14)

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{Keanu Reeves Masterlist}

{John Wick Masterlist}

×

The War Between The Mind And The Heart

At the hotel room, you cry on Laura's shoulder. She knew it, of course she did, but despite being furious at her too, you need someone. And you can't call Lucia, even though you know she's the grandmother of your child.

Yesterday, you couldn't sleep. The night was a nightmare, a torture, as you stared into the darkness with memories filling your head. All of them have Keanu in it. And they were good. When the morning finally came, you called Laura and she ran here, made you eat something as you cried and yelled and sobbed. Your head hurts, your throat is sore, and you feel like shit.

“I can't believe he did that. I trusted him with all my heart.” It comes out barely a whisper and you dry your eyes for the hundredth time with a tissue.

“(Y/N), you need to listen to me now,” Laura says, holding both your hands on hers. “You already vented and I listened. But now I must explain what happened.”

You don't think you want to listen. During the night, you even considered going to Argentine with Lucia as soon as the baby is ready to travel. But the very thought of being so far from Keanu crushed your heart, and you felt stupid to hold such felling. So now, you don't know what to do. From your position, back resting on the headrest of the bed, surrounded by pillows, you weakly nod. “Why did he lie to me, Laura? Why did you lie to me?”

She takes a deep breath before speaking. “Keanu found your car, (Y/N). You were bleeding, almost dead. And during the two weeks you were in a coma, the doctors found me, and I was in some of the meetings they had to explain your condition. Keanu paid for the best care, so they were fully dedicated to you. And this story was their idea.” Reaching out her hand, she wipes a tear away. “Daniel died only a week before the accident, and that was the reason behind it. You were sad, crying, with the pregnancy test in your bag, so you got overwhelmed in the road and crashed.” Laura makes a small pause as if gathering her thoughts. “Dr. Wright told us back there was a high chance you'd have some kind of brain damage, memory loss. So they asked Keanu if he could... Play this role, putting it in their words. Any kind of stress would put the baby in even more danger, and they thought you'd feel better to know you had someone with you.”

Looking down at your hands, you think about this new information. So Keanu didn't pull this off by himself. You get it now, why some instructions were meant to him. But still, you don't know what to think.

“He didn't want to do it. I was there when he said it wouldn't be fair to you.” Laura squeezes your hand a little. “But both you and the baby could die depending on how you'd receive the news. So he accepted.”

“But Laura, I... I fell for him. Call me an idiot, but I did.” Your voice breaks, and you try really hard not to sob again. “And the worst part is that I still love him. What am I supposed to do now?”

“Keanu fell in love with you too.” She speaks slowly as if knowing it would make you break down a little more. And it does. With both hands covering your face, you cry all over again. “And yes, I spoke to him about it. He... He wanted to tell you everything after your trip to Miami, but he couldn't.”

“Why are you helping him?” You mutter, holding back a sob.

“I'm just telling you the truth. All of it.” Moving to sit beside you, she hugs one of the spare pillows. “After the... The first time you slept together was the first time Keanu called me. Before it was always me calling to get some updates on your condition.” Turning your head to look at her, you put a strand of hair behind your ear. “He was feeling so guilty, he couldn't believe what he did.”

“What did he say?”

“He cursed himself for not stopping. For keeping the lie for so long. He was about to tell you everything but I had to stop him because the doctors were still worried about your state.”

There's a war happening inside you. Your brain tells you to forget Keanu, to move away from New York, to hate him for all the lies. But the heart, wild creature, says otherwise. It aches for him, it calls, it longs for him. And you want to cave in.

“I hate that I love him.” You mumble, hands caressing your belly. This isn't how you thought the pregnancy would end.

“Can I... Can I ask you something? On Keanu's behalf?” Laura speaks low, and you furrow your eyebrows before looking at her. “I know he's not the father, but he does love your child as if he was... So, please... If you do love him, even if you hate the way you feel, don't take the child away from him. At least... At least let him visit, wherever you decide to go, if you decide to go somewhere else.”

Her words make more tears roll down. It may not be fair with Daniel, but you do wish Keanu was the father. Liam knows his voice, as well as he knows yours. Ever since the obstetrician said the baby could listen and was able to distinguish the voices, you both started talking even more to the bump. You wonder if he'd miss Keanu as much as you already do.

“I don't know what to do... Liam's bedroom is there.” Your home is there, with him. “Tell me what to do, Laura. And I'll do it.” Begging, you run a hand through your hair.

“I can't. You must figure that out by yourself.” Laura bumps her shoulder against yours playfully. “Have you spoken to Lucia?”

“I still don't like her.”

“You never did.” She adds, giggling. “Neither did Daniel. But I believe she'll head back to Argentina after the baby is born and maybe call once a month and visit on Christmas. But other than that she'll disappear.”

You probably shouldn't feel so relieved, but that's exactly the feeling that washes over you. “Laura... What... Did Keanu had any plans? For what he'd do after telling me the truth?” This is something you've been wondering all night, but still, you're not sure you want to know. But now that the words left your mouth, and there's no way you can take them back.

“(Y/N), Keanu wants to marry you.” Laura's voice gets lower, and as she stares at you, your eyes are glued to the blue wall across the room. “A real wedding. A ceremony, a party... Everything. But he was expecting this.”

“Expecting what?” You burst out.

“That you would never want to meet him again.”

Shaking your head lightly, you look at your hands. Could you even do that? Would you have the strength to stay away from him? It's only been a night and half the day, but you already miss him. “I don't know what to do... And I don't really have much time to think.”

“How close is the baby?”

“Very close. This is week 38, so the doctors said I should be prepared even though it may still take a week or two.” Both your hands lay on your belly, huge and swollen. It started to lower a little, and you know it's another sign that your time is coming. And that makes more tears fill your eyes. “I'm so scared, Laura...”

“I can imagine.” Putting an arm around your shoulders, she kindly smiles. “You know you have me, right? Call and I'll get here as fast as I can. And if you want, you can stay with me. The apartment isn't big and I don't have space for an extra bedroom for the baby but you'll be welcome and we'll make it work.”

“Thank you, Laura.” Crying again, you hug her the best you can with your belly getting in the way.

“You're welcome, honey.” She let go of you, and you take a deep breath. “I'll have to go now, I have a client on the other side of city and it's a hell of a long drive. Will you be ok?”

“Yes.” You won't, but you can't tell her that. “I'll call you if anything happens.”

“Alright, honey.” After some more goodbyes, Laura leaves and you're left alone again.

The silence is deafening. This damn hotel room makes you feel sick, so you lock yourself in the bathroom to take a long shower. It doesn't help. The tears and the water become one, and you can't tell the difference. There's this heavy feeling in your chest, like you're suffocating. Everything you knew ever since you woke up is a lie. Liam is the only real thing, and now, he won't have a father.

“Do you miss him too, baby?” You ask him, voice so weak you can barely hear yourself above the spray of water.

You wish he could answer, you wish some kind of miracle happened to push you in the right direction... And you know, deep inside, that your heart wants this path to lead back to Keanu.

An hour later, you're leaving the bathroom with the towel wrapped around your body, using another to finish drying your hair. Standing by the bed, you pick some clothes from your open baggage, choosing something comfortable to sleep in. Then suddenly, a sharp pain rips through your abdomen, moving down your thighs and back. Bending over, you bite down a groan. When the pain is starting to fade away, you feel something flowing down your thighs, soaking the floor under your feet.

You freeze, trying to process what happened. Moving away from the puddle, you sit on the bed using the towel, still damp because of your hair, to clean your legs the best you can, but another wave of pain comes, making yell this time. It's happening. It's happening right now and you're completely alone. Laura is too far away, and you don't want to call Lucia.

You could call 911. Or the reception, they'd find a way to help, but there's only one person in the world you need right now. And despite your brain telling you not to give in so easily, the pain is becoming greater, ripping through your body, and it feels like you broke a bone on your hip.

Sucking in a sharp breath, you reach for your phone on the nightstand, struggling a little since your sight is all blurry by the tears. When you find his number, you make the call, lying down and pulling your feet up.

“(Y/N)?” He sounds weird, voice weak and sad. But you don't have time to overthink, to try and find answers. You need him immediately. You're about to answer when the pain hits again, and you yell, voice breaking into a cry in the end. “(Y/N), what's going on?”

“My water broke.” You mutter, breathing heavily. “I need you.”

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