#I know the struggle of having a cruel parent teach you to be cruel

[roboticchibitan]

Once again thinking about the ATLA post series (not in continuity with the comics) fanfic I'll never write that follows Azula going to work in Iroh's tea shop in Ba Sing Se and her ensuing struggle with psychosis and realizing she was in the wrong and is just as much the victim of an abusive parent as Zuko was.

In this story Iroh tries to help her and at first she HATES it. She hates his kindness, she hates the sadness on his face when he sees her struggling, she hates all of it. At one point she snaps at Iroh to stop pitying her and he says, "Don't you know the difference between compassion and pity?" And she snaps back that they're the same thing and he replies, "You're wrong, Azula. Pity is simply feeling sad for someone's circumstances. Compassion is the desire for their circumstances to get better." And it hits her like a ton of bricks that this man, unlike her father, wants what's best for her. He's only ever treated her with kindness and she's disrespected him and called him weak for it and it's the most actual love she's ever received from a father figure in her fifteen years of life. And she wants nothing more than to cry in his arms but she can't yet because she doesn't know how to show weakness in front of anyone because of what her father did to her.

I see a post floating around sometimes where someone said that as a child, Azula is the scariest character, but as an adult, she's the saddest and I agree. She was 15. She deserves a redemption arc.

[hor3nee]

• Fatherhood •

What kind of dads are the JJK men ?

CW/TW: GN! Reader, Mentions of crappy parenting, BREIF mention of pregnancy in Geto's, (Lmk if I should add anything else!)

Characters: Gojo, Geto, Nanami, Sukuna, Toji x Reader

AN: Almost cried writing this the baby fever is going HARD rn dude. Headcanons !

• Gojo •

Menace of a father, but in the good way! Gojo spends his years raising his kids as if he's their best friend, truly and genuinely treats his kids as equals and in a sweet way, allows his children to have complete trust in him. Because Gojo is quite childish himself, he loves playing with his kids, making a fool of himself, and indulging with them.

Has a bit of a bad side to this though, his lack of traditional discipline or making himself the 'adult' in the situation leads the kids to both be very spoiled and not really ever listen to him.

"Sweetheart, darling, my perfect angel, can you please go to bed?? pretty please! Help your old man here, please??"

"Nuh uh!" And with that bout of defiance, he's back to running up to you, like HE'S the child, begging for your help. Because it seems you're the only one who can get the kids in line, and you do.

Plays pranks and teases the hell out of his kids as they get older, always in a loving way of course, but nonetheless loves getting them flustered over his stupidity. Type of dad to do dumbass dances in the middle of a Walmart to embarrass his kids.

• Geto •

Geto is optimum of what it means to be a gentle parent. Cannot, for the life of him, bring it in himself to yell at his kids. He's so soft-spoken, never so much as raising his voice against his children. Geto has children who respond to his voice alone, because it's so lulling, he's familiarized them with it and made them feel safe with it.

Doesn't mean he can't discipline them, of course he can, and he does so extremely gracefully. Whenever you're on your last straw with the kids, fighting the urge to start scolding them and yell, he steps in, smoothly taking over and the kids instantly listen to him.

"We're your parents, honey, c'mon that's not very nice to say, is it? They carried you for 9 months you know. Say sorry." Like magic the kids shut up and come over to you apologizing while Geto stands back, calmly having fixed the situation with ease.

With everything Geto does, has done, experienced etc, he can sometimes feel conflicted. Geto knows what he is capable of, and what he has done, he's extremely self-aware even if he justifies it, and he can struggle to balance the weight of all of it while also remaining a dutiful father.

Despite it, he does wonders keeping it separate from what his children have to see or experience, teaches them respect and kindness and hopes they hold true to it.

• Nanami •

Not a single man on this list fathers as hard as Nanami fathers. He's built for it like no other. Nanami treats fatherhood with his all, he puts his all into it and makes damn certain he does right by it. Stern when necessary, sweet when needed, provides for his kids and refuses to miss any important milestone of theirs.

Nanami is a calm man but the second work starts piling potentially making him miss his kids school play or something he's arguing with his supervisors and ready to throw hands.

He keeps the drawings his kids make on his desk, alongside a photo of you and your kids. Literally just stares at it while working smiling, unable to wait till he's home with the kids. They are his pride and joy genuinely.

No matter how over-worked Nanami may be though, when he comes home you are basically on vacation. Insists you rest and he takes over literally everything involving the kids.

"Darling, darling no, I got this covered. You take rest. You know I love spending time with my kids." He says with an earnest smile, both kids in his beefy arms just dangling around and playing with their father. He's definitely exhausted from work, but that never stops him.

• Sukuna •

The King of the Curses, as cruel and terrifying as he is, taking pleasure in all sorts of sickness and treating love as pointless, legitimately likes his kid.

He doesn't care about fatherhood, or the responsibilities that being a parent entails, but it's nice having a mini version of himself around. That he likes. An extension of himself and you, it's nice to have around he doesn't mind it. He may act aloof about it, not outwardly showing affection like hugs or kisses, but he clearly enjoys it.

He gets a massive ego trip when his kids cause chaos and disturbances. Points at them laughing with his belly "See that? That's mine."

Sukuna never minces his words though, and his kids have to get used to his bluntness. Again, he doesn't care for the concept of 'parenting', and will in their face call the kid some extreme insults and weak and they have to learn to take it.

On the flip side, Sukuna also never minces his praise, and Sukuna has an abundance to give his kids. Every accomplishment or show of strength that they show he'll let them know he's proud. A good ol' fashioned fatherly slap to their shoulder while he praises them.

He treasures his children, and even if he doesn't put much effort into parenting them, you taking over most of it, he's definitely a present figure in their lives.

• Toji •

Went to get milk, hasn't been seen since.

[wilwheaton]

What the actual fuck, Larry David.

So I heard about it, but didn't watch it until now. Holy shit it's even worse than I thought. What the fuck is wrong with that guy? Elmo is, like, the best friend to multiple generations of children, and is currently putting mental health and caring for others in the spotlight.

And Larry Fucking David ... did ... that? And thought it was going to be ... funny?

What an asshole. What a stupid, self-centered, tone deaf asshole.

Hey, fucko: First of all, you aren't even in the segment, but you just decided to barge in and draw focus because ... why? You couldn't stand that a puppet brought people together in a meaningful way that you can't? You couldn't stand that your appearance on national television to promote your wildly successful series was delayed for a few seconds while the adults talked about mental health?

I really want to know what raced through his tiny little mind, and why there was no voice or person who spoke up to stop him.

You know who is watching the Today show with their parents? Kids who also watch Sesame Street. Elmo is an avatar for children all over the world. Children who are too small to understand Elmo is a puppet will know that a man attacked him for no reason, and that will frighten them.

Elmo inspired a deeply meaningful and important moment of collective support among disparate people who have been struggling through the traumas of a pandemic, daily mass shootings, the rise of fascism and everything associated with Trump's violence and cruelty.

And shitty idiot Larry David couldn't stand it, for some reason. He had to indirectly tell everyone who opened their hearts to a Muppet that they were stupid, and he thought it was a good joke to physically attack and choke this character who is beloved by children and adults alike.

I've been bored by and totally over Larry David's brand of being an asshole to everyone because they had the temerity to exist around him since the day it started. It was easy to just ignore him. But this thing he did was hurtful, it wasn't funny, and his bullshit non-apology tells all of us everything we need to know about him.

Larry David strikes me as a person who mocks and belittles people who are vulnerable and sensitive, who is cruel because he enjoys it and is untouchable. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's who I see whenever I can't find the remote and he's on my television.

By contrast, Elmo and the Muppets teach and model that kindness and empathy aren't weak or stupid or any of the things people like Larry David and my dad think they are. Elmo and the Muppets teach children to be gentle and kind, to celebrate our different cultures and to embrace all of our complicated feelings.

I hope that, when the dust settles, Larry David's appalling behavior will be a footnote to a larger story about how, for just one day, a Muppet made a difference by helping all of us who are struggling feel just a little less alone and anxious.

A man who would belittle and mock that isn't much of a man at all.

[artytaeh]

what's the weirdest kinks you think the boys have?

before answering this i want to make it clear that most of these aren't weird ! or at least i don't really think so (not in a judgy way), just what i think that would be the most extreme. as in, those kinks that they would stare at their partners and demand one WE LISTEN !! AND WE DON'T !! JUDGE.

starting with MATTHEO, as i've mentioned on my post about mattheo's nsfw headcanons, i think that he'd be into blood kink/knife play. as in, carving his initials, more than anything, even though he'd like it if you took the initiative to do the same; something about showing his territorial tendencies. because of the exaggerated rumors that mattheo has going on about him, this is something that he keeps for himself 😭✋ my boy doesn't want to feed people's imagination. this one i haven't mentioned before, but: enemas. as someone who's really into anal, mattheo gets off by administrating them. i'm not falling down on this rabbit hole, but it makes sense to me!

THEODORE, even though he's my favorite slytherin boy, took me so long to think about. i can't attribute any 'weird' or 'extreme' kink when @nottsangel spread the theo-with-piss-kink virus like a pandemic (read her masterlist if you haven't, like istg. so, so good.) and i PHYSICALLY CAN'T deny that this. this would be theo's 'weirdest' kink among his other ones. 🤕 tysm pookie i love your work btw !!

for LORENZO, he has a thing for being a cuckhold. there's some twisted pleasure for him, to see you being shared by his best friends; only to take your exhausted form for himself, reminding you of who is the perfect match for you, who makes you feel this good; not even his friends can rival. if anything, it feeds his ego, to see his friends envying the girl he has just for himself. definitely into threesomes and whatnot; it plays with his possessiveness and ego, feeding both of them at the same time, which creates a bittersweet feeling that leads to that one last round.

( i'm also working on a nsfw headcanons post for lorenzo! i explain this better there. )

believe it or not, DRACO is a brat. as much as he tries to make people believe (and even himself) that he's this dominant person, such a spoiled boy feels the need to be set straight, since his parents and not even students or professors at hogwarts took the time to teach him some manners. in short: draco longs to be with someone who can act as a brat tamer. forced into submission, if you will; to have his ego and brattiness broken to pieces. it's not something that draco would easily admit, so for now, it's just what he fantasizes the most about—receiving a good spank by you, degrading him. also, step on him; that's why draco bought you those expensive, fancy heels, you know? put him on his place.

as someone who has a taste for older women, BLAISE knows that only lorenzo and theodore would not judge him on this. blaise has a thing for breeding kink, not just the sight of his cum leaving your holes or dirtying your lips, but also the whole fantasy of you being pregnant. so, pregnant women? smash. milfs? double smash. it's a whole rabbit hole, really, because blaise has a lactation kink; please don't let him further explain himself, it gets weirder and weirder from then on.

TOM RIDDLE, as someone who strives in dominance and receives satisfaction on it, borders in power plays. in more practical measures, tom is into the sight of you gagging around him, in any position he can get you, or controlling your breath. so, asphyxiation; not just his hand around your neck, but knowing how, when, and where to press over your throat, constricting your ability to breathe if only to feed the adrenaline going between the two of you. tom gets off on the sight of you struggling, having your nails clawing at him for one more second of air; perhaps he's a little cruel when he waits a moment longer before giving that to you. this, and the undeniable fact that he's definitely taking you to the chamber of secrets a few times; tom would want to fuck there. can you think of any spot at school that's more private than this one? totally would be an asshole and tell you that: look, doll—here, no one would be able to hear you scream.

[dark-and-kawaii]

༺ 𝒫𝓇𝑜𝒻𝑒𝓈𝓈𝑜𝓇’𝓈 𝒫𝑒𝓉 ༻

Au Professor Raphael

Summary: Your grade depends on your willingness. Professor Raphael misuses your body well, and you can’t help but to come undone under his touch. Does your grade even matter at this point?

Note: I saw this gif and went absolutely feral.

Age Gap - Professor/ Student relationship - Vaginal Penetration - Creampie - Handcuffs - Slight Voyeurism - Tav is 18

You told him you’d do anything to raise your grade, begged him not to flunk you because your parents would be so disappointed in you… Now, as you bounce up and down on your professor's lap in his car you wonder how they’d feel if they found out about this instead…

The thought of being caught has your tight young cunt gripping his cock like a vice. Your hands struggling to find their way into his lucious brown hair, but the cuffs he placed on your wrists bind them behind your back. You feel his lips kiss down your neck, nibbling softly against your skin, his glasses grazing you just as well and the sensation nearly makes you cum right there. His cock feels like it was made for you, each ridge and vein caresses your walls and drives you crazy.

“Professor!”

Raphael, your professor, loved to fill you up before school started, loved knowing your young cunt was carrying his seed throughout the day. He knew you’d struggle to keep it all inside you, your skirt doing little to conceal it if it were to find its way dribbling out of you.

The windows in his car fogged, “S’good! M-more!”, your ass jiggled each time it slapped his thighs. Raphael grabbed onto your waist and started moving you even faster.

You felt him grow and swell inside of you, knowing he was getting close to his limit. He was going to make you take it, was going to fill you with more than enough for your womb.

“Let’s hope that your little birth control pill is still working,” he chuckled darkly, “what a shame it would be to find yourself carrying your professor's bastard child.”

Your eyes widened, the thought hadn't occurred to you. You weren't even sure the pill would do much after how many times he’s cum in you this week already. You started to slow your hips, unsure of what to do. Did it even matter at this point?

Raphael tightened his grip on you, forcing your movements to stay steady, his own hips thrusting up into you at an unrelenting pace.

Your thoughts trailed off, biting your lip at the thought about just the other day…

He kept a nice little bullet attached to your clit, waiting for you to enter his class before he could start his little game. A game, that’s all this was to him…

Raphael would wait for the room to settle down, wait for him to turn his back on his class so he could write on his board, book in hand concealing the little remote in his hand. When the moment was right, your cruel professor would switch the bullet on medium speed. You’d never see the devilish smirk that danced across his face as you squealed in your seat, your body jolting up as you tried to contain yourself.

“Quiet now, it’s rude to disturb the class while I’m trying to teach.” Your cheeks burned as you fought the urge to squirm and grind against the chair. Raphael would look at you every few moments, making sure you were obeying his rules. You could barely focus as the pleasure built up inside you. Raising your hand, you’d ask to excuse yourself, but of course he’d never agree to it, “you’ll have to wait until after class.”

You wanted to scream at him, but the fear of failing his class kept you from speaking out, not only that but the other student’s that were watching. So you sat there, legs clenched together and toes curling into your shoes as you fought to control the sensations that would wrack your body.

With your head laying on the desk, your legs shaking, he’d turn it off, “See me after class Tav, your behavior has been unacceptable.” He’d tell you to see him after class, that he needs to discuss your poor behavior in class, that you distracted far too many other students.

When your professor, Raphael, asked you to stay after class, you knew you'd end up splayed out on his wooden desk, hands clenching the edges to hold on.

"I do remember you saying you’d be willing to do anything to raise your grade up, right?" his fingers trailing over your ass that peeked from your short skirt, “so start being an obedient little pup.” ~Whack, Raphael would smack your ass hard enough to leave his mark.

He’d flip up your skirt to reveal the full extent of your pink lace panties, before he slowly pulls them down to pool at your feet. His fingers teasing your core and you twitch in response. You’d whine, embarrassed that you’ve allowed this to happen with your own professor, but even more embarrassed that you’d look forward to him sliding his much older cock inside you.

"How about we change that test score of yours from the other day into an A, princess." he said as his finger found your clit, slowly rubbing circles over the sensitive bud.

“P-please, I need to pass.”

He’d remove his finger, and you always felt a bit disappointed, but his fingers always found their way to your mouth, “Open.”

Your eyes flicker to his, questioning his intentions, but the look he’d give you told you not to ask questions. His thick digits slid into your mouth, pushing the salty taste of your cunt against your tongue. The sound of his belt unclasping and his draws falling to the ground as he positioned himself behind you.

"Now let's see how much you want that A." he would say before he slams his cock deep inside your wet folds.

The feeling of your walls stretching and clenching around his girth was something you still weren't quite used to, but the feeling had your eyes rolling. You’d push back into him, words of encouragement slipping from your mouth, “please use me! Fill me! Do whatever you want to me, Raphael!”

He was older, probably not one that should be fucking such a young thing like yourself, but here you were. His thrusts would be slow and deep, filling you in the way you always needed. He was unlike the other guys you’ve been with. He knew how your body worked.

"You're such a good girl, taking my cock so well. Maybe I should keep you on the edge of failing until the school year ends.” He’d grip your chin and forced your head to the side so he could lock his lips with yours, his tongue demanding entrance.

His free hand traveled between your legs, finding the little toy that rested against your swollen clit.

"Don't you dare cum yet." He told you before pressing the button, forcing the vibrations to start up again.

You were in a state of pure bliss. You knew that you shouldn't be here, that you should’ve studied like any other student, but all you could think about was how much you needed your professor to ruin your cunt now. That this was the only way to pass.

"Such a needy little thing aren't you." he would tease.

"Please!" you'd beg, "please, I need it. I can't fail this class, Raphael."

He'd groan, his pace increasing.

"Please Professor, I need it."

He loved to hear you call him professor. It was so taboo, and the thrill of fucking a student was a fantasy he was happy to make come true.

"Oh god." you'd cry out as the orgasm built inside you.

"Don't."

His hand wrapped around your throat and squeezed.

"Cum."

His hand squeezed tighter, your eyes widening.

"Not."

The sound of the door opening, and a female student entering would have both of your heads snap in her direction.

"Until."

You'd try to close your legs, your face burning, but his cock never left your heat.

"I."

You were so ashamed.

"Give."

But he never stopped pounding into you.

"You."

He was determined to finish, and that was it.

"The."

The other student looked just as embarrassed as you.

"Authorization."

The door closed and you heard a little laugh, “what a slut!”

What a perfect time, Raphael told you, “Cum for me, my good little pup.”

Your eyes closed, and you'd bite your lip, moaning at his command. His cock hit that special spot, his fingers rubbing your clit to completion.

"Yes! Oh God, I'm cumming!"

"Good." he'd hiss, his seed painting your walls, a sight he wished he could see.

When the two of you finished, he cleaned the mess he made and help you get dressed, his lips brushing over yours as he whispered, "see you in class, tomorrow- on second thought, come early. I’d like you to meet me by my car."

Which is exactly what you did…

[yanderes-galore]

Fandom: Souls-Like Game

Character: Scrapped Watchman “Murphy” (Lies of P)

Pairing: Platonic

Type of Fic: Scenario

Plot Idea (or go off the rails if the idea isn't up to par ^^""): Human! Survivor! Darling was a teacher before the puppets of Krat went rogue and was a parental figure to many children before they were infected by the plague or murdered by rogue puppets. Darling was able to save one child and is fighting tooth and nail to not only escape but protect this one child.

Thank you for hearing me out. :)

I'm still incredibly new to Lies of P. However, Scrapped Watchman is like the third boss... so I don't need to know all the lore to write yet. I will continue watching cutscenes and lore videos though :) It looks so cool and the STORY is fantastic too!

Btw, if I got the whistle thing wrong my bad. The lore made it sound like kids used the whistle to summon him so that's what I was basing it on-

Cold Dark Streets

Yandere! Platonic! Scrapped Watchman "Murphy" Story

Pairing: Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Murder, Blood, Dark themes, Overprotective behavior, Kidnapping, Forced companionship.

You remember the days where things felt... simple. Before the city of Krat began to rot, before people died of plague or were torn by puppets in a frenzy... you were a teacher. A teacher who would teach the poor kids in the slums useful skills to survive.

You loved all the children who came to you for lessons. They were attached to you, you felt like a parent to them. Naturally... since they trusted you enough... you often heard childish rumors.

Such as nearly every kid in Krat obsessing over the mascot known affectionately as "Murphy".

You knew of such a puppet, the one condemned for being a hazard to kids due to its battery continuously discharging. There wasn't much you could do to stop the kids from seeing the mascot puppet. You simply told them to be careful... but were unfortunately not surprised when you hard of injuries involving the puppet....

Murphy... you forgot such a name ever since the city went downhill. All you ever focused on was surviving, avoiding malfunctioning puppets and preventing sickness the best you could. These streets... you remember them as being so lively...

Now they were just about as dead as many of the residents here.

When things began, many abandoned the children in the slums to fend for themselves. Many children had died as a result, the bloodbath staining the streets with many others. It was a cruel reminder that with one wrong move... you were as good as dead.

You were just happy to save one child.

The child you found was originally wounded on the street, a young boy, cowering before a malfunctioning puppet. You were quick to take a metal pipe from the ground and bash the head of the puppet in enough to take the boy with you. That was...

Do you even remember how long ago that was?

Ever since then you have become a surrogate parent for the young boy. Said boy only had the clothes on his back similar to you, far as you knew at least. You were quite protective of the boy when you took him in, said boy being around nine years old.

Protecting him made you remember your days as a teacher. The mere thought of him being attacked makes your grip around the metal pipe tighten. You may not have been able to save the rest...

But you'll save this one.

You are often on the move within Krat. It was a struggle to find sustainable food and survive frenzied puppets. So you often found yourself sneaking around areas.

City Hall was one such area. You had to cut through the area to look for supplies. Oddly enough... the boy by your side seemed oddly eager to be around here.

"We'll be safe here!" He chirps at you, causing you to look at him in confusion. Your hand was still tight around his smaller one as you quickly glance around.

"What makes you say that, my heart...?" You whisper, an uneasy feeling stirring in your gut.

"Murphy's here! He'd never hurt us!" He chimes, causing you to pause for a moment.

Murphy... you haven't heard such a name in forever. You vaguely recall the mascot the kids were so fixated on. Was... This kid also fond of the puppet?

That wasn't hard to believe....

You had no idea Murphy would even still be around. In fact, you were worried he would be. Murphy would never hurt children... but you...?

That... was another case entirely.

"... Were you close to Murphy?" You ask the boy beside you before he perks up, looking at you excitedly.

"Yeah! Me and my friends would blow whistles with Murphy all the time! It was so fun!" The young child rambles before going quiet, pulling a small item from his pocket. "We'd blow whistles... like this!"

You notice the young boy pull out and old police whistle. However, before you can stop him, he then put it to his mouth... blowing the small tool as it makes a shrill sound. You flinch a little at the sound, looking around.

You really should've stopped him... but the surrounding area was so quiet...

"Careful...!" You warn, looking around, "We can't alert any puppets... we need to go-"

Before you can make any attempt to leave, a whirring screech occurs along with the clicking of gears. You immediately look up, a large puppet sparking and crawling about the City Hall building. You don't waste time, grabbing the boy and running.

"Murphy...!" The boy cries, making your heart clench at his excitement. He didn't know how much danger you were really in... too young to understand.

You jump as suddenly the large bodied puppet smashes onto the ground as you run. The puppet looks like a hunchback police officer, peering red eyes scanning the area only to find you. A screech, one akin to a war cry, echoes as you try to flee from it.

The puppet is frenzied, running on all fours like a wild animal as it chases you. You try for the large door your entered through, yet the puppet quickly cuts you off. Warbled speech pierces through the air as the puppet stalks closer to you like a predator.

You then remember the whistle.

You quickly ask the boy for the whistle, the young kid giving you it quickly. He was beginning to feel scared at Murphy's frenzied state due to your panic. You waste no time blowing the whistle, the sound echoing through the area again.

The puppet... Murphy... pauses its hunt. The puppet closes his mouth, red eyes scanning you both over. Clicking gears go off as he tilts his head, sparking electricity occasionally spitting as it watches you.

The tension between you and the puppet is thick as the puppet studies you. He looks you over, noticing the child and the whistle. You hear Murphy's gears click and eyes blink as it takes in the information.

You jump when Murphy relents, crawling closer to greet you both with more warbled speech.

Your grip on the metal pipe is beyond tight now... yet you know a pipe won't do anything to Murphy. The whistle was certainly the best tool in this situation. In fact... Murphy now saw you as friend rather than foe.

While all other humans remain enemies to him.

"M-Murphy!" The young boy soon manages to say again once the puppet stops, Murphy's gaze quickly snapping back to him.

You watch hesitantly as the puppet appears to be friendly towards you and the young child you swore to protect. Perhaps he was right... with this whistle, Murphy saw you as friends. In fact...

Murphy himself was pleased to have friends again.

The old puppet originally had many friends. Many young children came to play with him near City Hall. Ever since the puppet frenzies began... Murphy was forced to watch his friends die.

But now, now that he's heard that whistle, Murphy was met with more friends. He was met with an old friend and you. Murphy couldn't help but listen as his old friend introduces you.

You had helped his friend...

Which meant you were also his friend.

The City Hall courtyard became a temporary spot for respite. While you were used to most puppets being hostile, Murphy just seemed affectionate if you were careful of his electrical arcs.

The puppet was quite aware of how dangerous he was with you.

You began to see Murphy as, well, a companion... but you couldn't stay forever. Staying in one place for too long could become problematic. Plus, you needed to find supplies to care for you and your... son.

Eventually you had to make it known to Murphy that you had to go...

But Murphy doesn't want his new friends to go.

When you try to make it known you need to provide for the child you took in, that you need to leave, Murphy screeches. The sound is once again that of a feral animal. You go to blow the whistle again, only for Murphy to ignore it.

He just found new friends...

You weren't going to leave him alone again, were you?

Before you know it, the puppet snatches you into his arms in a lightning fast grasp. You struggle in his hold, the boy tightly pressed to your body in a tight hold. Murphy ignores your scolding and the child's cries.

He was careful to not harm you with his battery as he begins to crawl the building of City Hall again. He doesn't understand why you'd want to leave. Did you really want to abandon him...?

Your reasoning does not matter to him... unlike other puppets, he can feel emotions.

His emotions tell him he doesn't wish to be alone again...

So he'll never be alone again... not if he keeps you both hidden away from everyone.

[tumblingxelian]

Chloe & Heroism

Chloe Bourgeois as a hero early on is a premise that often evokes either questions, like "How" and "Why". Or expectations that she is either already on a path to self improvement, or will be forced onto within a short timeframe.

These are not bad questions and the former definitely are necessary to consider for a story. However the expectations I tend to feel a bit murkier and while I have no issue with how some authors handle this topic.

I want to outline why I think you could do a good "Hero Chloe" story before she gets character development, but first, house cleaning!

1: I have not watched and largely ignore everything post season 3, so don't bother bringing up Derision. Remember, season 1 Kim was afraid of spiders.

2: In canon. Chloe only revealed her ID publicly because her abusive mother she is obsessed with pleasing (who killed her the day before) chose a girl other than her to take to New York & then tore her to shreds in front of everyone. 

With all that in mind let's examine where Chloe's values and understanding of the world comes from and how she perceives them! 

1 - Media/Social Media 

This would be a mixed bag, because on one hand they have Mighty Majesta comics that try to instill good values, but also shows built around lying to and humiliating people are evidently popular television and the internet seems similar in regards to pranking VS trying not to be terrible. So she's gonna get mixed signals at best. 

2 - Her family & Circle 

This is where 90% of the problems come from. Of the important adults in her life, her father, mother, Gabriel and Nathalie are all varying shades of corrupt, abusive, cruel and ruthless, while the lesser evils like Jean and Emilie are largely consigned to the role of enablers. 

Worse still, even if we ignore the emotional abuse, neglect and other elements that led to her both having trauma and her trauma response manifesting in aggression. We still have issues like Andre, during the brief periods he bothered to parent, explicitly teaching Chloe that, Stealing, extortion and threats are all appropriate ways to succeed in life.

IE, she isn't compromising her morality when she does these things, she is very much doing what she is taught was right at least consciously. This isn't helped by a 24/7 Audrey impression as Audrey deems being in her vicinity as reason enough to hurt people unless she deems them useful. 

Long story short, the values and people she was brought up around are all explicitly some shade of bad, or enabler, or outright teaching her to harm others. 

3 - Societies & Class 

However, we know from season 2 that Chloe is not entirely unaware that there are issues with this. Because while she spends much time boasting of how she's beloved and brilliant, when stripped of that and exposed to someone she trusts she is entirely willing to confess that she knows everyone hates her and that she feels she has no worth. She may not be able to articulate why or how this came about but she knows something is wrong. 

Despite this, school is not the best place to figure this out, especially for someone who obviously struggles with social cues and the like. The teachers run the gamut from indifferent and unpleasant, to extremely gentle and accommodating, to simply not wanting any form of drama and usually caving to whoever makes the most noise and none of them have the authority to do much outside of class hours. 

The class is not significantly better, because students like Kim and Alix can and do casually throw around snark or do pranks and at worst only get brief bursts of anger while Chloe's garner a more intense response. This is because her relationship with the class and motives are varying shades of different, but for someone with issues reading social cues, it's just going to seem like a confusing double standard. 

We can also see all this demonstrated in her relationship with Adrien, as Chloe clearly takes the lead in their relationship in Origins and outlines her logic behind the pranks, but is then surprised when Adrien seems to turn against her. What's more, it seems Chloe is aware that Adrien is more gentle/naive than her given she tried to educate him on these matters & turns to him for comfort and protection at times, while seeing no inherent contradiction between her expectations for their relationship and how she treats others.

Adrien does not help matters with seeming indifference to how she treats staff. 

Thus, while she knows 'something' is terribly wrong, actually being able to understand it and work through it is another matter. 

4 - Chloe's Conclusion 

So, what is the conclusion Chloe comes to in order to square all of these circles when she isn't just in full denial mode? The answer is quite simple and even demonstrated in the show itself, playing one's role. 

IE, Chloe the mayor and style queen's daughter is different to Chloe the hotel owner's daughter and we see this in her being able to stamp down on her usual instincts and slap on a customer service role when Jagged Stone enters the hotel and guide her father into doing the same. VS how she conducts herself during a class election, IE explicitly threatening and extorting people, to how she conducts herself day by day with her Audrey impersonation. 

A separate example and way she'd view this for others would be that Marinette the baker's daughter of course has to be nice and sweet and giving because that is how customer service roles work, while Marinette the aspiring fashion designer or would be class president is sneakier and will lay traps so people trying to steal from her are sabotaged. This isn't wrong, this is how she expects people to behave when in these circumstances and roles. 

Final Conclusion 

Which is why Chloe could easily play the role of a successful hero, because she would not be "Chloe Bourgeois, mayor's daughter, hotel heiress and Style Queen's daughter" as Queen Bee, she would just be Queen Bee, a superhero.

They have wonderfully defined roles that would be easy for her to pick up & follow through on: assure the public, save people from danger, protect allies, defeat monsters, all things Chloe was shown doing very well when chosen as a Miraculous Holder. 

I think that eventually the contrast in how she is received as Queen Bee VS Chloe Bourgeois would start grinding on each other and bleeding through both sides of the mask. 

But the infectious nature of empathy and a larger support network that don't have the worst impression of her would give Chloe the room she needs to explore and grow.

If she is too snippy as a hero, or shows a ruthless side, these won't be taken in the context of "Chloe that person I dislike" but "Queen Bee my ally" and can allow for more honest and even handed reactions that give her the necessary breathing room to grow and change. 

So yeah, I think season 1 Chloe could have, under the right circumstances, done a great job as a hero be it Queen Bee or another hero even before any outside circumstances or internal changes might have forced her to chart a new course in life.

Provided the role of Chloe and the role of hero do not intersect and become one almost immediately, because in that case it gets a lot harder for her. 

[lesbianslovebts]

I love how the Beyond Evil fandom has such diverse ideas about Lee Dongsik and Han Juwon's sexual dynamics. One interpretation I've seen is the older, more experienced man teaching the younger one, but other people headcanon Dongsik as inexperienced and/or having sexual dysfunction due to his grief and trauma. I like both of these interpretations, but I want to discuss another possibility.

Imagine Lee Dongsik moving to Seoul and working with the RIU. He grew up in a small town plagued with horrific memories where every single person knew his face, his name, his house, his parents, his sister, his trauma. But here in the big city, nobody knows who he is, and frankly, no one cares. He's anonymous in this new landscape, and even though he brought his baggage with him, this is the first time he can try to build his own identity.

Now, assuming Dongsik is gay and has related religious trauma (since he wouldn't even go to his grandmother's memorial), this is also the first time he's in a place with other people like him. I think the desire to experiment would be irresistible. However, I doubt he would've been capable of doing so in a healthy way. Dongsik is a person who does things for other people with no regard for the toll it will have on him. He gives and gives until there is nothing left. I can picture him doing the same in bed.

I'll put the rest under the cut because it might be triggering. Essentially, I'll be talking about sex as self-harm.

I see Dongsik as a man who bends and breaks himself to be whatever his bed partner wants. He does what is asked of him regardless of how it affects him mentally, physically, and emotionally. If he's with a cruel top, he's a passive bottom who doesn't speak up when it hurts, can't stay hard, and doesn't get off. If he's with a bottom who wants it to hurt, he'll slap and choke and fuck until they're satisfied, never mind the amount of alcohol he has to drink afterward to forget it ever happened. In other words, he doesn't set any boundaries to protect himself, and the men he sleeps with take advantage of that, knowingly or not.

This form of self-harm by proxy stems from Dongsik's extremely low self-worth and exacerbates it. He becomes disconnected from his body and dissociates during sex. He doesn't even know his own preferences and struggles to differentiate between pleasure and pain. It's a vicious cycle that starts and ends with trauma, but he can't imagine sex any other way.

Therefore, when he becomes intimate with someone who genuinely cares about him and his wellbeing (i.e., Han Juwon), it's terrifying. He has to reconnect with his body, develop communication skills, and unlearn old habits. All of these are difficult, overwhelming tasks. It would take time and require patience on both sides.

And though I headcanon Juwon as having no prior experience, his approach to exploring sexuality is healthier and more mature. In a sense, Juwon would be starting from the very beginning, and Dongsik would be starting over with him. They both need to learn what they like, what they don't, and how to communicate that. It wouldn't be perfect because nothing is, but I think Juwon would be the direct, honest, thorough lover that Dongsik deserves. Likewise, I know Dongsik would be the warm, reassuring lover that Juwon deserves.

This is the history I have in mind as I write my own fic "No Wound Too Deep, These Scars Will Keep." Let me know what you think in the comments, reblogs, or DMs. I am always open to JWDS discussion!

[lady-of-tearshed]

A promise

Eris Vanserra & Lucien Vanserra

Eris Vanserra week 2024

@erisweekofficial

Day 2 : Childhood

Summary: Eris, as usual, managed to get Lucien out of the house before one of their parents' fight got too explosive. Lucien had never questioned or doubted Eris sudden invitations to go out of the house, until now.

Warnings: angst, toxic household, mention of killing someone (Beron)

Word count: 641 words

Dividers made by @tsunami-of-tears 🤎

It was a particularly warm and sunny day in Autumn. The tenacious humidity had seemed to take its leave today, letting the sun embracing all Faes of this cruel court with comforting, and much needed, warmth.

“Ewis, bored!”

Eris growled, the sound far too similar to his oldest and grumpiness hound warning snarl, when tiny hands lifted his arm off of his eyes.

“Eris, Lu. Errrrris,” Eris exaggerated his mouth movement as he corrected Lucien's poor pronunciation for the hundredth time today, “Rrrrr,”

“Rrrrr! Rrrrr! Just like the sounds father makes when he's mad, right?”

The eldest Vanserra brows furrowed at Lucien's comparison. He might, or might not have, used that comparison to teach Lucien how to pronounce his “r"s… Eris hated how this little rascal had such a great memory.

“Don't repeat that in front of Father…”

Eris grumbled as he brought his arm back up to cover his eyes, determined to get some well needed uninterrupted rest. Well, as uninterrupted rest could be with a three years old brother wandering around you-

“Errrris!” Lucien was whining this time, the sound as unbearable as nails hissing on a chalkboard. Lucien's tiny hands were insistently tugging on the expensive fabric of his brother's black shirt sleeve. “I'm bored! Can we go home now?”

Eris sighed and sat up, the hound sleeping with one eye open beside him doing the same. The shadow hounds always followed their master’s every move, truly devoted beasts they were. Eris scratched the hound behind its ear appreciatively.

“Not now, Lu,”

“Because mother and father are still fighting?”

Eris’ hand halted on the dog's ear at Lucien's words. His hand curled into a fist.

“Why would you think that?”

“They always fight,” Lucien's small shoulders shrugged, his eyes darting away from Eris.

Eris' heart clenched. He hadn't wanted Lucien to see the atrocious toxicity of their household, not yet. He had wanted to prevent him from worrying about their parents fighting for at least a while longer.

But, just like when he had tried to protect his five other brothers' innocence, he had failed. Lucien was already dipped into the harsh truth of how brutal their father is.

Lucien broke the silence, getting Eris out of his dark thoughts and guilt momentarily. “That's not an okay way to treat a lady, right, Ewis?”

Eris shook his head, scooping Lucien’s warm cheeks with his palms. “No, Lucien. That is not an okay way to treat a lady,”

“Then why do you let him treat mom like that?”

Eris' throat tightened, his eyes felt suddenly more damp, but he kept his face hard. “I will,” He promised him solemnly, “One day, Lucien, I will stop him. I promise,”

He kissed Lucien's small forehead, sealing this promise in his heart, and held onto him tightly, knowing that from now on, everything would have to change. That he'd do anything to get closer to their father, so that he could fulfill his promise

To stop Beron, for good. To end him.

Even if it led Lucien, or anyone else in this world, to speak of Eris Vanserra as the villain in their stories.

“Okay,”

Eris' answer had been enough for Lucien, his young mind struggling to process Eris’ emotions. So he just wrapped his arms around his older brother’ neck, holding his face close to his heart, just like his mama did when he was having big emotions.

And Eris shed a tear, for the first time in the first century of his pathetic life, he allowed himself to cry. Silently, the tears rolled down Eris’ cheeks, out of Lucien’s sight. He kept his face hidden in the warmth of his little brother's embrace and cried, all while promising himself to gather up his strength to one day be able to end his father's reign of terror.

At whatever cost.

Acotar taglist: @lilah-asteria @acotar-lover @mybestfriendmademe

Eris Vanserra taglist:

General taglist:

[vindieselsfacebook-blog]

okay after seeing your poll on the unpopular GG opinions I need to hear your thoughts on lane!!! please please elaborate because on first seeing your take I don't agree but I've also never thought about it so I would love to hear your opinion if you feel like it! :))

Ahhh first of all, omg thank you for caring to hear any of my rambling. :') Second of all, pheewwww boy do I have some unpopular Lane opinions lol.

My disclaimer at the top is that I like Lane! She gets so much interesting, flawed characterization that a lot of sidekicks in fiction don't. I can sound like a hater but I think there's this fascinating effect where fans either relate so closely with Lane, they project a lot onto her - to the point of pretending her flaws and mistakes just don't exist - or they flatly reduce her to her endearing strengths and root for her so much as an underdog, they don't engage with any deeper critique and honestly kind of infantilize her and don't hold her accountable for her choices.

Lane is so relatable because her experience speaks to folks growing up in similarly religious, oppressive, and/or culturally specific family units that maybe feel more authoritarian. This is where I must acknowledge that I'm an only child in a white (eastern European mostly) household where I never really clicked with my parents in most ways and was always kind of at peace with that fact. I've always struggled with fully understanding and empathizing with people (both irl and in fiction) who clearly feel so unhappy and/or oppressed by situations, but lack the courage to really do anything about it when it would be fully possible for them.

Lane's mom is cartoonishly restrictive of her and often downright cruel, but at the end of the day, Lane still cares too much what her mother thinks. She still wants to make her happy and internalizes those teachings instead of really pushing beyond them and rebelling like she acts like she wants to. She folds in on herself with a victim mentality constantly that frustrates me. As a kid, I totally get it, but once adulthood looms and she goes along with her mom's college choices for her, tries to make every friend and romantic interest delight in ridiculous charades to keep peace, and doesn't want to have sex before marriage, I get less sympathetic. Grow up, girl! Maybe it's because Lorelai's story is the 180 degree opposite of Lane's. I have so much love and admiration for Lorelai's bold choices, perhaps that's the root of my disconnect with Lane. Again - I totally get that this is shaped by my personal cultural upbringing.

Besides finding it hard to respect this desire to still be mommy's little girl when I don't think her mother has earned that OR that it's a personally satisfying pursuit for Lane, I find her boy-crazy obsessions dull and shallow. In she and Rory's brief S1 conflict where Lane feels ignored by Rory, I kind of can't help but take Rory's side because girl, I'm sorry, I'd be bored as shit hearing you ramble on and on about some dumb dude you don't even know because his hair is cute.

Although I resent the term so much these days, Lane fits the stereotype of "I'm not like other girls" MUCH more than either Rory or Lorelai in my opinion. She's always talking about dumb girls she doesn't like, girls in bands being her competition, etc. I get that's an easy coping mechanism for a girl like her who only has her taste as something she can feel superior to others about because her life is otherwise small, but still. The main characters get that critique but she's always exempt.

So many fans paint with a broad brush claiming Lane's a better friend to Rory than Rory is to her when I feel it's the reverse - Lane requires A LOT of emotional labor. I've heard folks claim she's just as smart - why couldn't she get into an Ivy, too? Well, to start, Lane wouldn't even go if she had the chance because she's too scared to be truly ambitious, she's not the main character of the show, and honestly, why do people think she's so smart? She's no dummy, but she's never portrayed as being especially good at school or interested in academics. That's where I see the projection creep in. People who relate to Lane are angry on behalf of her perceived wasted potential because they feel it about themselves or others they love.

Then of course, we all get mad about her quick marriage and pregnancy, but those are both fully Lane's choices. She's allegedly disagreed with her mom her entire life, but again chooses victimhood in refusing to have sex until marriage and still valuing the oppressive heteronormative life she's always been obsessed with. She was already making progress choosing her independent starving artist life at that point so she can't blame that choice on mommy. You're an adult - learn about contraception if you don't want to get pregnant! Or get an abortion! But no - Lane is a career self-saboteur. Like pushing Henry Cho away, Lane is addicted to struggling and hiding and keeps creating these circumstances for herself long after her childhood under her mom's thumb. She even needed her mom to plan a tour for her and her band.

AND ANOTHER THING (lol sorry, full drunk-uncle-ing now) but I don't think Dave Rygalski's willingness to lie, hide, and change himself for a girl's attention is healthy and gets waayyy too romanticized. Lane would be a nightmare girlfriend.

When fans share dreams of Lane moving to a bigger city, starting an all-girl band, or being successful in the music industry, I can't help but think those aspirations are far more out-of-character than people seem to think. She's just not that girl - and that's ok! Not everyone is. She ends up seemingly happy with her community and family and walks that line having a good relationship with her mom. We maybe hoped for more, but unfortunately she didn't. And just as with so many other things in Gilmore Girls, that rings so bittersweetly true to real life.

[hersaladdeer]

Chapter 6: The Other

An ongoing ProHero Hitoshi x F!OC fanfic. This chapter contains risqué content, including some dom/sub themes.

"We both know if you really wanted this to end, if you didn't enjoy this, you'd just have to say so and I'd stop. You like this, kitten." Hitoshi placed his free hand on her jaw, forcing her to meet his gaze. His eyes had taken on a sharper, teasing edge. The smirk on his face exuded confidence as he held her wrists in an iron vice. "So if I wasn't fucking you, what was I doing that riled you up so much, huh?"

"What do cheats get?"

The binding around her wrists were pulled higher, straining her shoulders as she lifted her head to meet his eyes. Binding her wrists to her ponytail seemed cruel, leaving her with the choice between discomfort or eye contact. The struggle for power between them had boiled over into physical, and the man had come better prepared.

"Fuck you." Takara didn't have more to give her rebuke. Her wit had been quickly dismissed when Hitoshi had lifted her onto her desk, her arms already bound behind her. Her ability to thrash was limited by her bindings and how she'd been placed on the surface that sat cold beneath her. "That's not the right answer, cheat." The bastard smirked at her resolve, her continued ability to defy his question despite her predicament.

"If you'd just answer, I'd give you what you want." Hitoshi's voice filled with disappointment, as though he was not hoping to punish her. He placed a swift, decisive smack to her cunt. The contact was electric - damn her body for reacting this way - causing her to jump, grinding against the mans hand. He'd left it there to taunt her with an awareness of friction while keeping it just out of reach. She'd have to work for it if she wanted it. He stood between her legs, one arm holding her shoulder up so she couldn't lay back, but leaning down enough that she'd have to struggle to meet his gaze. A torturous precipice.

"You don't care what I want, Hitoshi." Takara response ripped from her throat like a growl, allowing her eyes to meet the ceiling. The move provided a brief reprieve for her shoulders as her wrists fell down her back, the bindings loose enough to allow some circulation to return. "I don't think you even care what you want." Takara's breathing had started to level out, the struggle between the pair lapsing for long enough for a brief respite.

"An overlay on a picture you cannot perceive, yet accept as reality." Takara looked around the space, rapidly becoming aware at the surreal aspects of her surroundings. Her shoulders relaxed, her wrists suddenly free from their bindings. Takara took a moment to count her fingers. Eight? Eleven? The number was wrong, the concept of numbers becoming increasingly difficult to understand.

"I'm dreaming." Hitoshi's eyes met hers, but they were not his. In his sockets sat Takara's own orbs, the warm brown tones flecked with streaks of red and gold. The lighting in the white space highlighted them as Takara gazed upon the strange visage, the chimera emitting a radiant warmth with it's presence. Like home and hope, a snowy morning and a cup of tea. "I'm trapped here again, aren't I?"

"Control is a concept you've never mastered." Takara sighed. This place always made her feel stupid and small, like she could never hope to learn what it was trying to teach her. The other sat, patient and happy in Takara's presence.

"My grandmother tells me her inner voice is like a shadow." Lucid dreaming had started happening to Takara as a child. It was not something she'd practiced - it had simply happened, and she'd told her parents about the white space casually over bowl of cereal the next day.

Luckily her parents did not find it strange - her father had been raised by Kiyoko, after all - and simply told her she was talking to herself while she slept, that the voice was a friend because it was also herself. Like a mirror. Kiyoko had agreed, and only shared her own experiences when Takara was a teenager. "That the shadow chases her and she has to flee, hide, outrun and escape. You may lock me here-"

"I do nothing, your dreams collapse around you because you do not believe in them."

"-but I've never found you scary, and you've never been mean to me." Takara continued on, knowing that trying to parse the others meaning in the moment would be an exercise in futility. "I don't always like what you have to say, and you're not always right. But you're always kind. Why?"

"Why would I not be kind to you?" The other turned to her, the lighting accentuating the golden hues of it's hair. Hair Takara would have died for - she'd always found her hair one dimensional, red, like brick that had been painted over. So much potential but it just didn't work. "You are the only thing I've ever known that isn't me." Takara furrowed her brow at the comment before she was ripped away from the other, the sudden pull violent as the white space rapidly retreated.

An incessant tapping pulled Takara back into consciousness. The area between her legs was wet, warm, her nerves still alight from her dream as she tried to get her bearings straight.

Something had shifted within her. Takara was no stranger to self pleasure - she had toys and talented fingers - but she'd been unable to get herself off for a few days. At first it had seemed like a challenge - like her body was edging her, bringing her right to the brink before stopping short of the big finale. The second day had been less of a challenge and more of a plea - her favorite toys, her favorite candles and music and smells had all been used - and still her body refused to cooperate.

Now, day three, she'd been furious. How dare her body do this to her - yes, she was stressed, but shouldn't that entitle her to a quick hit of dopamine to help quell that feeling? She'd come so close in her dream - so close to sweet relief - but it had been snatched by none other than herself. Takara rolled to the window angrily, finding Hitoshi perched there, finger ready to tap again.

Takara stormed over, flicking the latch open with a violent movement. "What?" She bark whispered at him, concerned about her grandmother stirring. Hitoshi was silent for a moment as he took her in - the hair that had been pulled into a loose bun, the panties and oversized t-shirt she wore. The absolute disregard for her semi-nude state. He hadn't seen her since he'd made three runs at getting her number and failing each one. The castor bean case had gone cold, but the poisonings had also stopped. Hitoshi wasn't giving up yet but the urgency had abated.

"I heard a lot of movement." Takara had been tossing and turning, the comforter of her bed now a tangled pile on her mattress as she looked at it over her shoulder. "I was having a dream." She responded shortly, surveying him with a critical eye.

"A bad one?" Takara blushed at the question, her anger mixing with her fiery needs as looked to the left of the mans head - anywhere but his eyes, lest it bring her back to her dreaming moments. Anywhere but his neck where that capture weapon sat that could so easily bind her. "Takara?" Hitoshi pressed, concern painting his voice as he moved forward to step into her room.

"No, I just- No. It wasn't bad. It was just a stupid, stupid dream." Hitoshi nodded a few times before quietly shutting the window behind him. Takara continued to stew in front of him, her odd mood not changing. "I need help." She finally blurted with a sigh, crossing her arms and still not meeting his gaze. Hitoshi didn't respond, waiting for her to continue as he leaned against the windowsill. "I can't cum."

"....Could you ever?" Takara's eyes snapped to meet his, fury in her eyes at the question. "Yes, Hitoshi, I've had plenty of orgasms before. Most of them self-given. And now my body has decided I don't get to anymore." The whisper was angry, the blush not leaving her face as she explained her predicament. "It's been three days and I've tried-"

"Three days?" Hitoshi raised an eyebrow at the number. "How many times can you fail to masturbate in three days?" Takara opened her mouth to respond before pausing. How many times had she tried? The count became difficult to discern - when did one attempt end and another begin? The lack of orgasms took away the normal end and start marks.

"Let's ballpark at ten?"

"TEN?" The number sounded outlandish to Hitoshi as Takara slapped a hand over his mouth, muffling the outburst. The pair paused for a second, both listening for Kiyoko's snoring. It continued uninterrupted in the background as Takara uncovered his mouth.

"I just- I really need to get off." Takara sighed, an edge of desperation in her voice as she moved back to the bed. "I don't know if that's on the table for whatever this..."

"I'll get you off it you tell me about your dream." Takara threw her hands up in frustration, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of that knowledge. "Why do you care so much about my damn dream?" Hitoshi smirked at her, lightly pushing her to lay on the bed as he continued to stand over her. He'd deposited the voice modulator with the capture weapon and was in the process of stripping off his sweater. "You mumbled my name, and you're avoiding answering. You have something to hide."

"What, do you have enhanced hearing too?" Takara wanted the question to come out angrily, but the sight of him casually stripping overtop of her took the edge out of her voice. The dim lighting highlighted every muscle the man possessed - the broad shoulders, the toned abdominals - and Takara found herself entranced by the trail of purple hair that pulled her eyes lower to where his pants dangled precariously close to falling off.

"You're the one answering questions, not me." Hitoshi undid the zipper to his pants but didn't remove them, standing above her with a smirk as he looked her over. She was a flustered mess, her brain rebelling against the wants of her body. "Your panties are soaked, Takara." Hitoshi slowly slid his hands up her calves, his fingertips digging into the flesh lightly. That blush had returned to her face, her breathing becoming more rapid as his hands roamed ever higher. "Were you having a dirty dream about me?"

Takara refused to answer, throwing her head back against the mattress in frustration. To avoid looking into his teasing, probing amethyst eyes. Hitoshi already knew the answer but wanted to hear her confirmation. Wanted her to admit that she'd been dreaming of him. That in her search for an orgasm Takara's brain had conjured him, and he must have gotten close to fulfilling her needs based on her flustered state.

"Yes." Takara's voice was defeated, the confirmation coming out as a pant. His fingertips dug into her thighs, the flesh soft against his calloused hands as he pushed them back towards her chest. Takara squirmed beneath him seeking friction which Hitoshi denied her.

"And what was I doing in this dream, Takara? Was I fucking you?" Hitoshi relished in the answer, in the power he held over her in this moment. He wanted to push her into a mating press, to stuff her so full that she couldn't help but cum, to feel her milk an orgasm from him with her quivering walls.

But first, he wanted details.

"I- you-" Takara's chest rose and fell rapidly as she met his eyes. She moved to sit up but Hitoshi was faster, grabbing both her wrists in one of his hands and pining then above her head. He'd let go of her thighs which stayed beside him on the bed, his body preventing her from closing them. The move had brought their faces closer together allowing Hitoshi a better view of her frustration. Her eyes were filled with rage and want as her hips bucked under him in an attempt to throw him off her. "You weren't fucking me, Hitoshi." Takara growled out, a snarl on her face as she spat the words at him. As though it was an insult. Her absolute anger, her fury at being seen by him, aroused something in Hitoshi.

He was going to drag this out. "We both know if you really wanted this to end, if you didn't enjoy this, you'd just have to say so and I'd stop. You like this, kitten." Hitoshi placed his free hand on her jaw, forcing her to meet his gaze. His eyes had taken on a sharper, teasing edge. The smirk on his face exuded confidence as he held her wrists in an iron vice. "So if I wasn't fucking you, what was I doing that riled you up so much, huh?" Hitoshi let go of her jaw, running his free hand up the side of her torso. "I think you can tell I like this too." Hitoshi ground his pelvis into hers, causing a sharp intake of breath from the woman beneath him as his erection brushed her soaked panties. "So why don't you give me the details so I can bring those dirty dreams to life?"

Takara's chest rose and fell frantically as she considered his offer. She tried to move her pelvis, aching for just a brief moment of friction against her core, but Hitoshi's other hand found her hip. He pinned it down with a firm push, not appreciating her trying to circumvent the game they found themselves in. "Cheat." Takara's eyes snapped to his as the word left his mouth, filled with recognition, and Hitoshi's grin widened. "Oh, did I call you a cheat in your dream too?" His hand let go of her hip and quickly found it's way to her nipple. "Did you like having me call you names?"

"Y-yes." Takara's whisper was almost inaudible, as though the confession took effort to express. "You called me a cheat. For the game. When I dealt, and you lost."

"And you liked it?" Takara didn't respond, biting her lip to prevent herself from speaking. Hitoshi continued with his questioning, not needing her to confirm it. The growing heat between her thighs was confirmation enough. "Did I spank your ass in this dirty fantasy of yours?" Her thighs trembled around his hips. Takara tried to free her arms, to hide any part of herself - she felt so exposed under his gaze, but his grip around her wrists didn't falter.

"No, you didn't spank my ass." Hitoshi didn't miss the dismissal. Odd to call out the body part in her denial. "Did you like when I smacked your cunt for being a brat?"

Takara seethed, but her anger was quickly tempered when Hitoshi gave her nipple a quick pinch, feeling the bar of her piercing beneath the surface of his fingers. An unexpected surprise. Her back arched against the bed at the movement, the assault on her aching nipples causing another wave of pleasure to overtake her body. Takara bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out, tears forming in her eyes from the edging and teasing the man above her was inflicting on her.

"Answer the question and I'll make you cum, Takara." Hitoshi didn't need to fuck her - his ego was thoroughly stroked by peeking into the woman's desires for him. He would gladly make her cum if she would give in, if she could acknowledge that he aroused her in such perverse ways.

Takara's response came out as a drawn out whine, her body settling beneath him in surrender. "You tied my hair to my wrists. You put me on my desk and teased me, you kept asking me what cheats get. Kept calling me a cheat. You got me so close 'toshi. So close. Please. Please." Her panting had slowed, her eyes meeting his as she finished her confession. Hitoshi didn't miss the final move she tried, the desperation in her voice almost allowing him to overlook it. Almost.

"You didn't answer the question." He leaned in closer to her, his erection pressing against her as he did so. "Last chance before I leave out that window."

Takara's eyes darted between the window and him trying to determine if it was a bluff. "Wait, wait wait wait." Takara closed her eyes, collecting the shattered pieces of her mind as she let go of her resolve. "I liked it. I liked when you punished me. I liked when you lifted me up and pulled my hair, when you used your weapon on me." Takara was laying it out, not wanting to risk the man making true on this threat to leave her in this state. "I liked when you smacked my clit in my dream. Please, please-" Takara bucked against him and Hitoshi allowed the movement, allowed her to feel the friction between her legs she so desperately craved "please make me cum."

Hitoshi didn't let go of her wrists, dropping her nipple to bring his hand to the overstimulated nerve bundle between her legs. He rubbed frantic circles on it and Takara moaned, her muscles loosening with the wave of pleasure his ministrations brought on. He wasted no time and slipped two fingers inside her - all his teasing had left her a dripping mess, her body giving no resistance as he set a relentless pace with his hand. His thumb continued the circular movements as his fingers found that spongy spot inside her he'd been looking for. Takara threw her head back as Hitoshi released her hands, clamping his hand over her mouth instead to keep her from crying out.

"Cum for me, you filthy cheat." Takara felt a white hot jolt of electricity coarse through her body at the words, her hips bucking against his hand without her direction as she came. His hand muffled the noises she was making, the sweet release after three days of relentless effort rewarding Takara with euphoria. Every one of her nerves was on fire as he slowed his movements, the circles around her clit becoming slower, the movements of his fingers less harsh. Her skin felt sticky in the warm air of the room, slick with sweat. Hitoshi slowly removed his hand from her mouth before leaning back, giving Takara a glorious view of his body. His body was also lightly slicked with sweat from the effort of restraining her and coaxing an orgasm from her.

"Thank you." Takara mumbled, her breathing slowly returning to normal. Her body felt heavy against the bed, exhaustion hitting her without mercy. The outline of Hitoshi shook it's head. "You can go." Takara whispered, knowing the man had his duties.

"No, you might drop." Hitoshi placed a hand against her forehead, an oddly caring move when he'd been ruthless with her just moments ago. "How do you feel?"

"Cold." The formerly warm air of the room now felt cold. She attributed it to the sweat, but Hitoshi had a different idea of why it'd come on. Takara felt anxiety creep into her peripherals but pointedly ignored it.

"Come here." Hitoshi stripped down to his boxers, going to slip under the covers with her. Takara looked at him with distrust, as though he was about to toy with her again. Hitoshi paused his movement at the sight. "Takara-" Tears filled her eyes as she looked at him, her body rigid. He'd stripped her bare, pulled dirty thoughts and feelings she'd rarely shared with others from her with a frightening ease. He obviously found her disgusting, perverse, weird-

Hitoshi wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his shoulder as her tears began to fall. He pulled her into his lap, his hands moving up and down her back in long, slow strokes. "Subdrop is a real thing, Takara. It's okay." Takara didn't appreciate being called a sub. She wasn't submissive. This whole thing had been a mistake. "You did nothing wrong. Nothing is wrong with you." A few moments passed in silence as Takara's breathing became more level, more normal. Hitoshi felt her relax into him as she fell into sleep, waiting a few more moments before lowering her onto the bed and putting the blanket overtop of her.

He couldn't leave her. He couldn't.

A quick text to Denki letting him know he'd be late and a quick glance at her door to ensure it was locked, and Hitoshi crawled under the blanket with her. Takara didn't stir or move with the shifting weight on her bed.

Hitoshi lay next to her, unable to sleep, and unwilling to leave. He let himself drift between consciousness and sleep until eventually, sleep won.

Comments are always welcome! This whole chapter was fueled by a stormy Sunday and reading a smutty book. Let me know if you liked it! One like from the other came straight from the game Slay the Princess. I highly recommend it.

Link to chapter index.

Link to chapter seven.

[pynkhues]

Heyy! Would you mind if i asked u to explain to what extent is lestat and his mother’s relationship incestuous? I havent read the books but i keep seeing everyone talk about lestat’s fucked up relationship with his mother altho they never talk about specifics and i’d like to know bcs i love lestat and i wanna know everything about him!!! And i also i dont trust just anyone to know bcs some people on twt just lie about having read the books😭 so yeah i trust you lol i hope it’s okay Thank you!!

Hey! Of course! It's - - mm, kind of a how long's a piece of string question to ask how incestuous they are, because on the one hand, very, haha, and on the other hand, it's more complicated than something like, say, Jaime and Cersei? I think what Anne was interested in exploring between them was an already unclear identity dynamic born out of isolation and trauma - mother-son, lovers, and avatar - and then reversing the parent-child with maker-fledgling.

In that sense, context is pretty important. To give you the short version, Gabrielle is an Italian woman (her gender identity is totally up for discussion, but I'm going to use she/her pronouns here just because Anne does) who's both highly educated and pretty independent for her time. She's an avid reader, well-travelled and wealthy, when her family marries her off to a French aristocrat from the Auvergne countryside. The Marquis - as his name implies - is titled, which means something in this era, but he's otherwise totally destitute, and also very abusive. Gabrielle is - in this sense - the total embodiment of a gothic heroine where she's isolated in a foreign country with a cruel man who basically bleeds her dry financially.

She has eight children to him, only three of whom survive childhood (and I tend to think this feeds into Gabrielle's complex relationship with her own body). Lestat's the youngest, and is pretty much immediately Gabrielle's favourite although she struggles to show this. We don't know how much Gabrielle's detachment from her children and her unwillingness to show affection stems from the years married to the Marquis, how much she's divorced herself from her body and role as mother as a result, and how much is just her, but it definitely shapes how Lestat receives love (which absolutely feeds into his relationship with both Louis and Nicki). He's desperate for Gabrielle's attention, and she loves him but neglects him to the point where she doesn't even teach him how to read, despite literature being her only solace in the Marquis' house.

Gabrielle and Lestat basically become emotionally enmeshed at this point, especially as Lestat's brothers follow in their father's footsteps and become further vectors of his abuse, and that enmeshment leads first to emotional incest and then a physical attraction that's acted on at least in kissing if not more (it's ambiguous). Their sense of intimacy is in a lot of ways perverted through trauma, but Gabrielle's really unclear with boundaries with Lestat which also leads beyond emotional incest to a sort of identity bleed. As I mentioned above, she also sees Lestat as avatar - he's her masculine self, she literally calls him her phallus in the book - which as a parent, is manifest of her own abuse of him. She, in those moments, can and would deny him his own personhood and independence and see him only as an extension of herself.

There's a reading there that that's reflective of Gabrielle being either non-binary or a trans man (and a number of parallels that Claudia and Gabrielle were both turned in the wrong bodies - Claudia as a child, Gabrielle as a woman), something amplified by the fact that she predominantly wears men's clothing after she's turned into a vampire. I can and do overall agree with both those readings, but I think it's also reflective of Gabrielle recognising Lestat has social power that she never will and that dressing as a man gives her greater freedom and mobility in an era where women had little.

Their relationship actually becomes a bit less incestuous when they're less isolated in Paris and Lestat starts whatever weird psychosexual thing he has going on with Armand, haha, and Gabrielle tries to help Nicki adjust to a vampire life he's never going to adjust to. She and Lestat have a pretty loving departure from one another where she goes to travel the world again, and they spend a long time out of touch as a result because Lestat can't communicate with her as his fledgling (and still can't read or write). They only actually reunite when she realises Lestat's in danger while on tour towards the end of TVL, and then teams up with Louis to try and save him from Akasha.

So yeah! It's a really complicated relationship and in a lot of ways I think goes beyond just incest and feeds into trauma and abuse as something that perverts family dynamics, but also has profound impact on personal identity. She's kind of the worst in a lot of ways, but I honestly love Gabrielle as a character and she's often really fun (her and Armand hating each other's guts is very funny) and I can't wait to see her on screen. There's a reason she's the character Sam and Jacob are both the most excited about, but I do think she's probably going to be a very polarising character for audiences.

[planet-crait]

A New Dev-elopement is next and I’m super excited! It sucks getting attached to Dev with kind of knowing what happens but also I hope for a season two to keep developing him.

Do these kids not normally get homework over the weekend? Lucky. Also a treasure hunt sounds fun! Not sure how that’s homework and what it’s teaching? Maybe the history of the city? Maybe? Or the clues are word problems they have to solve? Well we’ll see what they come up with for it. Kind of hilarious how blatantly everyone hurls paper at Mr. Guzman for that though.

How does the school afford tickets to the water park as prizes? Aww poor kids they’re so devastated that they’re going to be randomly paired. Ohh the heartbreak. I mean. I can’t necessarily relate I uh never had friends in my classes.

Anyways I get Mr. Guzman wants to get the kids to make new friends but I also get the pain especially for a big weekend thing. Oh no. Oh no Hazel when will you learn not to use the word Wish unless you mean it? Wanda’s horrified look was pretty funny though. But oh Hazel may or may not regret that wish I know she’s going to be paired with Dev now.

Lolz Dev and Hazels mini fight is funny but Mr. Guzman should break them up. Hazel you really don’t see why this happened? I think I’ve given up on the questioning Hazel blatantly talking to them it just. Is going to keep being yadda yaddad past. To be fair Hazel you said I wish. You can only blame yourself.

Ohh poor Dev. He can’t even play his game which has music that isn’t very loud at all. Like oof his dad blatantly says his work is a priority over Dev which. Is not an easy pill to swallow. I realize we’re not supposed to like him but he is literally a ten year old being emotionally abused at a minimum by his only parental figure in his life I will always struggle to hold any grudges against literal children especially abused ones okay sue me. (I mean good luck you’ll get like a sandwich and two pencils).

Why am I not surprised Dev wants to ditch a school activity? He seems to believe money will get him anything he wants and well…I can’t argue with the logic as fucked up as that is. I mean it’s wrong morally but it’s not incorrect because capitalism ruins everything.

Ohh so Hazel and Dev have a common book and Game in common? They seem like they could get along really well if Dev wasn’t so spoiled. But ohhh Dev does get the clues right lolz.

I just realized though making ten year plans old walk all over the city by themselves feels kind of cruel. They’re ten and it’s a big city. Also does each pair have their own clues? Like Hazel and Dev keep the post it notes how will the next pair find the next clue unless they’re all different?

Aww Dev and Hazel are having a moment that’s so cute honestly. They get it at the same time and have a little air guitar duet and are laughing. But ohhh the moment has to end. Not surprising I can imagine opening up is not easy for Dev given the glimpses of his home life we got.

He’s starting to smile though that’s progress! Oh OH! He takes off his glasses when he’s finally ready to make a connection (High giving someone) I thought maybe the glasses where like a mask for him and he takes them off when he’s ready to lower the mask and maybe let someone in. Poor kids though fail the high five and face plant hard.

Oh he didn’t put them back on and they laughed despite that oh that’s so cute. I wonder if the pizza stuff did a lot of heavy lifting for getting Dev to be willing to open up to Hazel? That would make sense honestly especially if he’s as starved for affection as I imagine he is.

Seeing him so genuinely smiling is so sweet and cute it makes my heart melt honestly. OHHH HE CALLED HER HAZEL AND NOT ANOTHER NAME!!!! They’re laughing and joking it’s so cute. Aww Hazel is praising Dev to his dad it’s so dang sweet. Oh. Oh no. Dale is brushing it off I hope Dev doesn’t shut down after this.

Oh no he did shut down. Oh poor kid. I feel so bad for him he was so happy and smiling and eager to introduce Hazel to his dad and he just shut him down and his accomplishments so hard. I cannot imagine how crushing it is to have your parent so blatantly brush off the hard work you did especially when it’s something you’re really proud of.

Hazel is trying so hard to reconnect and bring up the fun they had but oof years of emotional abuse do some damage and I’m not sure how easily that can be undone. Ohhh he has really shut down he put the glasses back on and called her the wrong name oof. I think I was right about the glasses being a mask. They hide what his eyes could show as sadness or other emotions he doesn’t want people (his dad) to see. It’s painful seeing such a young kid putting up a mask like this.

Oh I expected Hazel to cry not get mad and leave. Interesting. Also interesting to see Dev seem to immediately regret it and feel bad about it. Unfortunately abuse just. Messes with you. We don’t have any blatant abuse on screen (this is a kids show) but given the neglect Dev faces I struggle to think there isn’t also some major emotional abuse he deals with.

Hazels emotions seem all over the place her being so salty about the sushi. I have a feeling she’s trying to push down the feelings of friendship she was forming with Dev. Oh huh. Didn’t expect Dev to show up again. I guess he really connected with Hazel and just can’t admit it yet. Ohhh Devs insult gave Hazel the clue she needed I love that. Not the insult Hazels mind going back immediately to the project. I didn’t expect the paperweight to be relevant again but hey it works. Oh wow Dev looks super guilty. I kind of expected something to push him but he seems to be doing this all on his own.

Oh Dev lowering his glasses as he re opens up to Hazel. I get that though it makes sense his dad puts him down so much that he would immediately shut down. He is desperate to get something for his dad he’s willing to do a lot to try and get something I don’t think his dad will ever give him. Good on Hazel though for calling out that he hurt her. He owned up which is good but Hazel should call out she got hurt from it. HE SAID SORRY HE SAID SORRY!!!! Aww Hazel forgives him so easily and he removed the glasses again oh my heart.

Wait wait emotional growth wish????? I don’t think that’s ever come up before. Like ever.

Heist yes I love this. Lolz Dev finding doors open over and over again is hilarious. Dev joining on Hazels imagination for the heist is so cute though. And them posing for the security cameras is so funny. Oh more Dev smiles I love it!!!

Ohh I was wondering why he would demand students break into the principles office. That makes more sense and aww. Those photos are so cute. They’re adorable. Protect them at all costs. I do love the principle doesn’t care suddenly because homework over the weekend. Honestly nailed her personality there to solve the conflict.

Oh no the water park closed. Oh the kids will RIOT. THEY NAILED THEIR HIGH FIVE FINALLY!!!!!

Okay so uh. New favorite episode to be quite frank. The wish and its result made sense. The development for Dev worked and Hazel kind of understands Dev more and he’s being more open and not wearing his sunglasses anymore. Also Dev and Hazel are so dang cute. I hope we see him making more friends I need to see this child get love and support damn it. Really really solid episode absolutely loved it I hope we see more of Dev and Hazel hanging out. She clearly has a very good influence on him and he needs that in his life.

[wayfayrr]

I've been wanting to play around more with reader's relationships with the other links in househusband au, as well as writing for other interactions that might not happen within the main story. For this one it's Cal and reader bonding over tarot cards!

the reader in this is gender neutral however, they do get referred to as mum by Cal so just a heads up if you don't like gendered terms being used!

"Is there any reason you'd like to learn to read these so badly Cal?"

"... well you taught Wind and Wild, didn't you? And that it's a family tradition… So I should learn, shouldn't I?"

There's more he isn't telling me, some other reason he doesn't want to admit. I won't pry, if he doesn't want to talk about it there's probably something sensitive there. He's practically my third son at this point though, if he wants to open up to me it'll be his choice. 

"You don't have to unless you want to link, I'm not going to force you alright?" 

"No, I'd like to know how to. Please [Name]"

"I'll start by giving you a reading then, that way you can see how I do it. Then you can try on your own afterwards."

The way Cal's watching me set up my cloth and unpack my cards would be unsettling if it were anyone else, but I know why he struggles more than any of the other links socially. He's focused on my hands though, like they'll tell him every secret he needs. Shuffling my cards is almost more natural to me than breathing, so even with his eyes on me, I don't make a single mistake. 

“[Name], you dropped one of your cards…”

“You see that’s one of the things with tarot, sometimes the cards that resonate most with you or the person you're reading for, force you to see them by coming loose as you shuffle…”

It’s the tower. No, I'm not teaching him this only for the card that defines him be, this. It’s fine, I can play it off. Just shuffle it back in like nothing happened.

“Or I just accidentally dropped it and there’s no meaning to this one.”

“You dropped it again.”

“I think I’m just being a bit clumsy honestly.”

Why does it keep falling out, I already know this about him. I know he’s going to have to go back and that he has this ahead of him, but can’t he be happy? Just for now?  Stop just telling me what I already know, please just let him have some hope, please. With how many times it’s fallen out, I have to tell him what it means. It would be cruel of me not to, but still… Is it so bad of me to want to give him some hope?

“... Mum, if it keeps falling out it has to have a meaning. I can handle it if it’s bad, please can you just tell me?”

He… that’s the first time he’s seen me as a parent. The first time he’s called me that, and it’s… I have to explain what it means to him even if I struggle to say it. Even though I want to protect him more than anything else, I can’t hide this from him. It wouldn’t be fair…And… I’m crying. He doesn’t deserve this, he’s just a kid. Why does he have to have the fate of Hyrule on his shoulders?

“The tower it’s… It’s mostly associated with danger, crisis and destruction. I’m so sorry Cal, I - you deserve so much better, I didn’t want to tell you.”

“You... I- don’t…”

How incredible am I? Now he’s crying as well, and that’s the last thing I wanted. I should’ve stopped myself from crying, he needs someone being strong for him right now, not this. 

“Is- would it be alright if I…”

“You don’t need to ask sweetheart…”

Cal was the link I thought would be the least likely to throw himself into my arms like this, but after being told that danger is the only thing you’re seen as associated with I don’t blame him for breaking down. Holding him right now is the least I can do, because no matter how hard I try I can’t seem to stop myself from crying and well what kind of parent would I be if I didn’t comfort my son? 

“I don’t think I want to go back to Hyrule mum. I don’t, I-I can’t”

“You don’t need to worry about that for now, just… I’m here for you, you’re not alone baby.”

“I- I’m the youngest knight in the history of Hyrule, I trained for years but even still, even still… I…”

This is the most emotion I’ve ever seen from Cal, the most words he’s ever said to me, I just - I just wish it was for a better reason, anything but this. The way he’s clinging to me, how he’s wrapping himself up into my hold, how he’s just breaking to pieces and I don’t even know how to comfort him… I never want to let him back to Hyrule, how could I when I know what's waiting for him, but do I even have a choice? For now, I’m just going to hold him close to me until he feels alright, even if that means I have to stay here for hours. Especially if it means that I have to sit here for hours, he deserves everything I can give him for comfort and more. 

“I failed… I couldn’t do it… I’m not l-like the others here… I don’t know what you see in me…I’m a failure…”

“It’s not your fault Cal, you’re not a failure, everything was against you. You had so much more to fight than the others, more than you ever should’ve. You never should’ve had to fight. I’m so sorry Cal.”

He doesn’t even have the energy to speak at this point it seems, with how his words are coming out as muffled whimpers and sobs.  Why did Hylia ever think it was a good idea to force children to become heroes, to have their lives ruined by this immense guilt and trauma because she can’t handle her own problems?  It makes sense he acts like Sage, he is a version of him from a different time period after all but them crying themselves to sleep on me is one trait I wish I never had to learn they shared. After he wakes up I won’t rest until he’s found something in this world he genuinely enjoys, something to take his mind off of everything. Has he ever had the time for hobbies before? For now though, I’ll stay here with him for as long as he needs. Until he wakes up, longer still if he wants me with him.

[buckysgrace]

31. Smoke & a Light

Final part of Every Little Thing! Thank you so much for reading <3

2020

Life was hard without Gator.

They made it with many visits, phone calls and the video chats that they got. He wasn’t in jail too far away, but it still took a few hours to get back and forth. She wondered where they would go when he got released from prison. 

It had been hard moving back in with her parents at first, but she was grateful for the help. Ruby was always good with the kids and things got to stay semi-normal as Daphne did more around the ranch. Birdie was comfortable here, as was Gator’s snake.

She moved back into her old room, while they spruced Noelle’s old room up for Maude and Jessica. She moved Piper and Knox’s nursery into Oliver’s old room, deciding that there wasn’t any rush to move them apart for now. 

Moving didn’t seem like a bad idea at all, but she wouldn’t do it until she had Gator’s support. The small town that they lived in had turned brutal. Everyone spread rumors anyways, but she had heard some fairly cruel things about how it was impossible for her to not have been involved, or she was just downright dumb to not notice what was happening underneath her nose.

She knew she shouldn’t listen to any of them because they really didn’t know what she’d gone through, but it still bothered her. She should’ve been more aware, she knew that. There was no changing it now. She just hoped that it could all be left in the past. 

Piper and Knox had the hardest time adjusting in her opinion. There was no way to really explain where Gator had gone and they had clearly taken notice of his absence. They cried and whined for days, weeks until they eventually died down. She almost thought that was the worst part, she was afraid that the twins would forget who he was. 

In April they had a small party for the twins, to celebrate their birthday. Daphne had saved a piece of the Winnie the Pooh cake that she had baked for them. She hoped that she’d be able to bring it in for Gator. She took plenty of pictures, hoping that he’d be able to look at them when the time came. 

She worked on slowly scrubbing Knox’s face clean, sighing as she realized the blue icing was completely in his hair. She shook her head, wondering how someone so small could be so messy. 

“When will Gator be back?” Maude whined as she held onto Daphne’s arm, swaying back and forth as she tried to get her attention. It had been a struggle to pay attention to both sets of twins. She knew Maude and Jessica missed their parents, but she was struggling to care for them. They often didn’t like to listen to her. She felt bad, but many times she found herself pushing them off towards Ruby. 

“Soon,” Daphne answered gently, “He’ll be back before you know it.” She tried to give her a gentle smile, but she was worried about Gator. His moods seemed to change every time she visited, but it wasn’t because he was doing it on purpose. He was going through a lot too. 

“What about my mommy and daddy?” Maude blinked up at her curiously, her eyes mirrored behind thick eyelashes as her expression slightly fell. Daphne paused, parting her lips as she dropped her hands away from Knox. 

“I don’t know,” Daphne answered honestly. Karen’s sentence had been a lot longer and she was sure that Roy’s escape would only occur when he finally passed, “Do you want to write to them again?” She asked softly. Karen answered as frequently as she could, but Roy had yet to answer one letter from the girls. She suspected that he wouldn’t either. 

She’d been working on teaching them all braille despite Gator getting so offended over it. She thought that he was getting upset over nothing. Even if his eyesight was coming back, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to know. She had plans on all of them writing a letter once they got a little better. 

“Dada,” Piper babbled out, leaning over Daphne’s knees to poke at her baby bump, “Dada.” She proclaimed proudly, her brown eyes shining as she exposed her little teeth. Daphne grinned to wipe the drool from the corner of her lips.

The twins had yet to see Gator in prison, but that mainly had to do with the drive. Daphne and Gator had both agreed it would be safer for them to visit once the new baby was born, just in case she went into labor early again. 

“That’s the baby,” Daphne grinned, watching as Piper continued to poke at her, “Can you say baby?” She drew the syllables out slowly, watching the way Piper watched her in interest. Knox waddled over at that, squeaking loudly as he barreled his way past Piper to drag himself up onto Daphne’s lap.

“Daphne,” Ruby’s voice was soft as she approached, “You have a letter.” She said slowly, sounding hesitant as she spoke. Daphne sighed as she pulled a whining Piper onto her lap next, balancing her and Knox on her knees. 

“From who?” She asked curiously, knitting her eyebrows together as she wondered who would be writing to her. Gator couldn’t, not unless he had asked someone to do so. He wouldn’t do that though. He was too proud to ask for help. 

“Roy.” Ruby said at last, staring back down at the envelope. Daphne felt her pulse quicken just a little bit as she thought about him. He hadn’t been kind during the trial. Not to Gator, her or her family. They were all dead to him, that much was certain. 

“Oh,” Daphne paused, not knowing what to say, “You’re sure it’s from him?” She held a hand out, keeping the twins from smashing their heads together as they started to squirm around on her lap. 

“Yeah,” Ruby replied as she tilted the envelope in her fingers again, “Maybe we should just get rid of it.” She suggested a second later, making Daphne nod in agreement. She didn’t need the added stress right now. Not with her due date approaching.

“I’m sure it was something clever,” She said with a shake of her head, “It doesn’t matter anyways. If he’s not writing to his daughters he shouldn’t be writing to me.” She brushed it off, though she had a gnawing feeling that it was something bad. At least insulting. She didn’t want to see it right now. 

“You shouldn’t worry about it,” Ruby agreed as she put the letter up on the mantle of the chimney, “When do you go to see Gator again?” She asked as she took a seat at the opposite side of the couch, grinning as Piper’s face burst into joy.

“Dada!” She exclaimed happily, her brown eyes flashing as she looked around. Daphne pressed her lips together, thinking that her actions were cute but feeling bad at the same time. She brushed her fingers across Piper’s small back as she bounced her. 

“In the next few days,” Daphne told her honestly, “Dad is trying to see if he can be there for the delivery.” She mused gently, still desperately hoping that Gator would be able to come. It wouldn’t feel right without him being there. He deserved to meet his child right away. 

Things just didn’t seem to be working in her favor. All the meetings with the lawyers and officers seemed pointless, even meeting with her dad at times. He was this supposed great lawyer, but he was still unable to get these small strings pulled. She really thought he might be able to do so, considering how bad her last delivery went. 

“There’s nothing you can do?” She asked Bruce again, feeling defeated as she stared down at the papers in front of her. Knox wiggled around in her arms, more attached to her than usual. She supposed that he was soaking in his last few months of being the baby. 

“No,” Bruce sighed softly, “I’m sorry, but that’s out of my hands.” He tapped his fingers against his desk, looking rather stern about his answer. She was still curious about her father, wondering how he hadn’t gone down with the whole ordeal. Apparently he only stuck to the legal part of it and refused any and all true information about what Roy did. 

“He deserves to meet his child.” Daphne took a deep breath, trying to keep her bottom lip from wobbling as she pressed a quick kiss to the top of Knox’s head. He looked up at her curious, his brown eyes wide and reminding her of Gator’s. She missed looking at Gator. 

“He also has to do his time, just like everyone else. He can’t always get special treatment.” Bruce pointed out what she already knew. She felt guilty about thinking that his punishment should be less, but she also couldn’t help it. She cared about him. There was a difference. 

“I need him there.” She told Bruce softly, knowing that he had no idea of what she had gone through. Ruby’s pregnancies and deliveries had been easy and painless, in her own words. Daphne didn’t know what she would do if she was as weak as last time. She looked at Knox again, wondering if she’d even be able to hold him by the time she had the new baby. 

“Your mother will be there,” Bruce said dismissively, “I’m still working on a conjugal visit.” He said with a nod of his head, acting like it was supposed to make everything better. She paused, figuring that it might work more in their favor. Especially if she got to bring the kids. 

“Even if we’re not married?” She asked him nervously, knowing that the rules were strict. Technically, their state didn’t even allow conjugal visits but they were still trying. 

“We’ll try and work around it,” He replied a second later, “You might be looking at a shotgun wedding though.” He chuckled, looking amused as she shook her head at his words. Marriage was the least of her worries at the moment. 

“Great,” She muttered underneath her breath, “That’s just what I wanted to hear.” She replied slowly, giving Knox another quick squeeze as she tried no to stress over everything that was happening. She reminded herself that things were hard now, but it would be easier soon. Once she had Gator back. Everything would fall back into place.

///////////////////////////////////////////

“Should you be here?” Gator questioned her, touching the side of his glasses as she took her usual seat. She had to slightly straddle it, her protruding belly too large to sit facing the table. 

“What do you mean?” She asked him curiously, pressing her bangs out of her face before she rested her palm against her belly. The baby was moving, alert and kicking as she suddenly had a strong urge to pee again. That was the worst part about the drive here. 

“You’re just so close to being due,” Gator spit out quickly, “I don’t want something happening. Especially here.” He glanced around, looking like something bad would happen. She shook her head, pausing before she reached forward to take his hands gently in hers.

He was paler than usual and his hair was longer, shaggier despite her asking them to give him a haircut the previous week she had been here. She wondered if he had refused, or if they had just simply chosen not to do it.

He was getting around better with his walking stick, which she was glad about. She was thinking about suggesting a dog once he was free from jail, but she wasn’t yet sure how he’d feel about that. 

“Maybe it should happen here,” She teased, “You could cut the cord.” She told him, thinking that he’d at least be able to hold their baby right away. It killed her to think that he wouldn’t get the skin to skin contact that he had really loved with the twins. 

“With my teeth or-?” Gator asked her, mocking in return as he referenced the lack of sharp tools near them. She grinned, glad that he was doing well enough to keep his humor. She supposed that was a good sign. 

“If that works,” She laughed as she moved his hands around in hers, “I wanted to see you before that. Are you excited?” She asked him, hoping that he would be excited. She watched the way his features remained the same, stoic. She wondered if he was doing that on purpose, just trying to hide himself away so she couldn’t tell how he was feeling. 

“I am,” He told her gently, “I wish I could be there.” He sounded solemn that time but kept his gaze pointed towards the table. He had told her that he was seeing better out of one eye, but still saw nothing out of the other. She still wanted to know why he wouldn’t reveal who had done it. 

“Me too,” She responded, “But my mom will be there. Dad is gonna watch the kids with the help of Noelle and August.” She listed off the plan, hoping that things would go smoothly. All three of them were good with the kids, but they usually had Ruby or herself there to help. They’d be on their own that night. 

“God be with them.” Gator teased, his lips pulling into a smile as he turned in her direction. She stared at the slight stubble on his skin, how he had a fair mustache beginning to show. 

“Yeah,” She grinned in agreement, “I think I’m having a boy.” She said at last as she rubbed her hands over her stomach. Gator reached forward, dragging his palm across the table until he found her baby bump. 

“How do you know?” He asked curiously, tilting his head as he continued to drag his palm across her tummy. She grinned at the sensation, enjoying the way their baby fluttered about inside of her. 

“I don’t know,” She said softly, “Just a feeling.” She told him honestly. She didn’t know how to explain it. Her bump looked similar to last time, but she couldn’t base the way she carried the twins then to the baby now. It would be a surprise and she was fine with that. 

“As long as they’re healthy,” He replied gently, smiling at the way the baby kicked against his palm. She wrinkled up her nose, swearing the baby was purposely kicking at her bladder, “Just promise me you’ll be safe.” He said worriedly as he tilted his chin up towards her.

“I will,” She told him, knowing that there were a lot of things that could break that promise, “You be safe too. You’re going to have your hands full when you get out.” She reminded him, then pondered on it for a moment. They would have five kids to watch over soon. 

As June crept around she grew more and more nervous. She wasn’t sure she was ready for another baby, but it was too late to fret about that now. She was really scared about the delivery process. She didn’t know what to do if things went bad again. 

Her contractions didn’t seem as sudden, nor as painful as what she remembered them to be the first time around. Her water broke early in the morning, before anyone got too busy working on the ranch. It was hard leaving Piper and Knox behind for so long, but she knew she’d be back soon. She kept reminding herself that everything would be fine. She needed things to be fine.

“Another boy,” Ruby repeated with a smile, “Oh he’s so sweet. He looks like Knox did.” She was bent over the bed, looking down at the little baby in Daphne’s arms. He did look a lot like Knox. He had a full head of hair, darker like Piper’s. Although, Daphne was almost sure that his eyes were blue. 

“Gator liked the name Noah,” Daphne sniffled as she held her baby close to her chest, “He should be named Noah.” She decided at last, nodding her head as she slowly traced her finger across his little cheeks. 

Her next visit she brought Noah with her, but wasn’t able to tug around the twins with her. She decided she’d bring them on the next visit. It was too hard for her to tug around all three of them at once. Not to mention that Knox and Piper had been a little jealous of the new baby. Gator was also only allowed three visitors at once, no exceptions. She’d work around it somehow. 

“Hi,” Daphne spoke softly, trying to keep herself together as she carried Noah in his car seat, “He’s so excited to see you.” She told him, unable to hide her excitement as she set the little area up. 

“Yeah?” Gator turned up towards her, not quite in her direction but close enough, “How was it? How are you?” She moved close to him, not caring if the guards said anything as she quickly wrapped her arms around him. She squeezed him tightly, thinking about how desperately she missed him.

“Good. It all went well. No issues this time around. I delivered naturally too.” She replied, repeating what she had already told him earlier in the week on the phone. She kissed the top of her head, missing the smell of him. 

“That’s good,” He nodded as he held onto her, inhaling deeply. His voice sounded raw, “I missed you so much.” He mumbled into her chest, sounding just as beat up about the whole ordeal as she did. She felt the same way. 

“I missed you too,” She rubbed her nose against his cheek, sniffling as she pulled away, “Come on. I want you to meet him. He’s a big boy, just like Knox was.” She wiped at her eyes, trying to keep herself from falling apart as she looked back down at the sleepy infant. 

“How big?” Gator asked in excitement, moving around in his chair to better position himself. She paused for a moment, watching the way the guard flinched as if he was expecting Gator to do something bad. 

“Seven pounds, eight ounces,” She grinned as she gently unstrapped Noah from his car seat, “He’s a hungry one too. He latches well.” She grinned as she picked him up, watching the way he scrunched his body into a ball before she handed him gently to Gator. 

“Wow,” She watched, observing the way Gator’s features lit up as he held Noah close, “He is a big guy, isn’t he?” He stared down at him, moving his free hand to push his glasses up onto his long and unruly hair. He looked down at him, squinting his eyes like he was trying really hard to see him. 

“He sleeps really well,” She told him truthfully, “And he doesn’t cry a lot either. He’s a good baby.” She smiled, watching the way Gator blinked a few times as Noah snuggled deeper against his chest. 

“Wow,” Gator brushed his fingers across Noah’s features gently, making the infant’s lips curl into a soft smile, “He has my nose.” He observed, glancing up towards her direction as she nodded her head in agreement. She suddenly felt overfilled with emotions. 

“Yeah,” She covered her mouth, hoping he couldn’t see how she was struggling to keep it together, “Another little Knox. You guys could be triplets.” She laughed, more to herself as she thought about it. They could all dress up together one day. She thought that would be nice. 

“I can’t wait to see him,” He replied, then paused for a moment, “Like really see him.” He mumbled as he continued to trace his fingers across Noah’s features. Daphne thought it must’ve felt good, because Noah let out a little squeak and his lips curled up into a smile again. 

“You are,” She reassured him, sitting closer as he continued to snuggle Noah to his chest, “You picked out a really good name for him.” She told him seriously, liking the way Noah had fitted in. Even if the twins were a little jealous. She thought that they’d warm up soon enough. Especially with them all being so close in age. 

“I thought you picked the boy names?” He teased her softly, still looking content as he rocked Noah in his arms. Daphne paused as she held her phone up, taking a quick picture so she could print it out later. 

“This one felt right,” She said truthfully, “Besides I decided on the middle name. Alexander. Noah Alexander.” She grinned, liking that it matched with Knox’s name. She wasn’t sure if any other kids were in their future, but if there were she’d want to continue the trend. 

“Fits perfectly with Knox Andrew and Piper Sue.” Gator told her, speaking her thoughts as she pressed her palm against her cheek. She leaned forward, touching the tip of her finger against Noah’s long hair. 

“Piper Sue is really cute,” Daphne giggled as she stroked their baby’s forehead, “I’m glad you got to meet him.” 

2021

“Dada!” Piper proclaimed happily, wiggling closer so that she nearly crawled up onto the table. Daphne smiled apologetically as she held onto her, hating that there was a glass wall separating them this time.

Gator’s features still broke into a grin as he leaned forward, pressing his palm flat against the glass as Piper nearly thunked her head against it. Daphne held her back just a bit, then released her once she was safe.

“Hey guys,” Gator’s eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses as he spoke, though she could hear the emotion in his voice, “I missed you both so much.” He cooed, tilting his head against the phone as Piper leaned her face against the glass.

“Kiss.” Piper demanded, her eyebrows knitting together as she roughly pressed her pointer finger against the glass. Daphne sighed as she balanced Knox on her leg. He continued to cling to her, looking a little overwhelmed at the whole visit. 

“Not today, baby,” She apologized gently, “There’s glass here. Daddy can’t get the kiss right now, but it’ll be okay.” She used her free hand to rub Piper’s back, watching the angry look that stayed plastered on the toddler’s features. 

“No.” She said quickly, in the same manner she used when she got peas on her plate. Daphne rubbed at her back, knowing that this would be hard for them to understand.

“She sounds like you.” Gator teased, speaking up as he continued to leave his hand in the same spot. Piper kept poking at it intently, as if it might make the glass disappear. 

“Oh no,” She grinned as she bounced Knox on her knee, earning a little giggle from him as she kissed his cheek, “They have their daddy’s attitude.” She told him as she pushed the hair from Knox’s forehead.

“Hi,” Knox finally spoke up, his voice soft and quiet as he looked at Gator, “Daddy?” He turned his attention up towards Daphne, his brown eyes wide and filled with curiosity. She nodded her head reassuringly.

“Yeah, that’s daddy,” She smiled as she pointed towards Gator again, “Doesn’t he have the coolest shades?” She laughed as she held Knox up, letting him get a better view. He was a little longer than Piper and still heavier, but out of all of the kids he was the one who wanted to cuddle the most. She was sad that Gator was missing that. 

“Yeah,” Knox giggled as he balanced himself on Daphne’s thigh, “Want.” He grinned excitedly, turning his attention towards Piper who had begun to squeal in delight. She was in her own world, trying to match her little hand up with Gator’s. 

“You want them?” Gator grinned widely, “I’ll get you a pair when I get out.” He promised softly, looking relaxed and more calm as the time went by. Daphne smiled in agreement, excited that there was only one more year. They could get through it. 

“Did you enjoy the cake you got?” She asked him, wiggling her face between the two toddlers as they were both sitting up near the glass now. Knox had started to poke his finger against the exposed parts of Gator’s hand, as Piper now had two palms up against his. 

“I did,” Gator agreed, looking amused as he turned his attention towards them. He could see fairly clearly out of one eye now. The last time she came in he had moved in close, pointing out the freckles on her cheek. He wasn’t completely blind out of the other, but he could only make out various shadows and colors. Sometimes he could make out shapes, “It was really delicious.” He added, continuing to wiggle his fingers to get the twins to squeal.

“Good,” She said softly, wishing that there wasn’t a piece of glass between them. She wished that she could pack him up and take him home, “What have you been doing? Are the lessons going any better?” She asked, glad that he had finally taken up to learning braille. He still insisted that he didn’t need it, but she thought it would be helpful. She was trying to get the twins to learn as well.

She listened as he spoke, her heart hammering gently in her chest as she continued to think of how desperately she missed him. She kept reminding herself that it would be soon, but it didn’t make the time tick by any faster. She felt guilty on the days that seemed to feel like months, like she was missing out on how fast the twins were growing. On how Noah was growing. It was all hard.

That Halloween had been particularly hard to find something that everyone would like. Maude and Jessica finally settled on Elsa and Anna after a long battle of who would be who, leaving Daphne to decide that Noah would be a fairly good Olaf. Piper and Knox had grown obsessed with Mickey Mouse, so she felt like it would be a good idea to dress them as Minnie and Mickey. Only Noah had grown fascinated with their ears and kept trying to eat them. 

Hiding the Halloween candy had been even harder. Noah was now at the age where he was wobbling around so whenever Piper or Knox got into something, he wasn’t far behind. His eyes had changed since he was an infant, now matching the same hazel as the other two.

Peeling off the costumes had been another story. She nearly bought a whole other set, just to try and get Piper out of hers. She liked her polka dotted dress, her soft heels and mouse ears. There had been more than one morning that a tantrum had been thrown, just because she wanted a mouse nose and whiskers drawn onto her. 

“Oh,” Daphne paused as she leaned against the door, “Hi.” She blinked in confusion, wrapping her cardigan around her tightly as the brisk November air swept in. Nadine stood in front of her, all bundled up with a child that seemed a little older than Maude and Jessica. 

“Hi,” Nadine answered with a smile, “We brought cookies. Can we come in?” She asked kindly, looking unsure as if she wasn’t really sure why she’d come either. Daphne knew that she had been visiting Gator in jail, but she hadn’t expected her to come here. 

“Um, yeah,” Daphne nodded her head quickly as she moved out of the way, “Sorry about the mess.” She apologized quickly, looking at the scattered toys that lingered about. Ruby and Bruce had a cattle show this weekend. They had been kind enough to take Maude and Jessica with them. Daphne was sure she couldn’t handle the five on her own. Her three kids were ornery enough. 

“It’s okay,” Nadine replied gently, holding onto whom Daphne assumed was her daughter as she walked inside, “I’ve heard that you have your hands full.” She said with a laugh, glancing over as Piper took off chasing after Birdie. Daphne sighed gently.

“Gator?” She asked, locking the door behind her. She shivered as she adjusted to the warm air once again. Noah came forth, apparently deciding that he no longer needed his shirt. 

“Yeah,” She smiled as she nodded her head, “We saw him last week, didn’t we Scotty?” She handed the box of cookies to Daphne before she gave her daughter a soft squeeze. Scotty. Daphne liked that. 

“We did,” Scotty replied in agreement, “I told him about the different types of alligators.” She replied with a shy smile, glancing down as Noah began to tug at Daphne’s pants. She picked him up quickly, then reached for the discarded pacifier he’d thrown earlier. 

“Oh neat,” Daphne said with a smile, “Snakes are his favorite animal.” She told her gently, hoping that would give her some more ideas about what to speak to Gator about. She knew that he enjoyed the company. She wished she could be with him all the time. 

“Cool,” Scotty replied, “Are these my cousins then?” She looked at Noah eagerly, having the same look in her eye that everyone else did when they wanted to hold him. Noah was a nice mixture of Knox and Piper. He didn’t mind being held by others, but he still preferred to be held by someone that he knew. 

“Yeah,” Nadine nodded her head, “Looks like you have a bunch.” She laughed, moving out of the way as Piper came into the room once again. She was holding Birdie gently, triumphantly as the large cat seemed to have just given up. Daphne ensured that he wasn’t actually bothered before she let Piper get too far. 

“Three of them,” Daphne smiled, “Do you want to hold him?” She asked, motioning Noah out towards Scotty. 

“Can I?” She grinned in excitement, looking at Daphne and then back to her mother. Daphne nodded her head, smiling as she slowly passed the chunky baby off towards Scotty. 

“Sure,” She said gently, “He’s learning how to move, so he’s a little wiggly.” She warned her, knowing that Noah wouldn’t stay long before he had to be on the move again. 

“What’s his name?” Nadine asked, glancing down as Scotty balanced him in her arms. He had his eyebrows raised, his eyes glued to her as he appeared to be unimpressed. Like he was trying to decide if he liked them or not. 

“Noah,” Daphne smiled, “And this one is Piper and this is Knox.” She responded as she touched each of their hands. Knox jolted, looking surprised as he looked at the two strangers. 

“Hi.” Piper waved, grinning from ear to ear as she held up her little shaker toy. Knox wobbled away, whining as he gripped a hold of Daphne’s knee this time.

“He’s not very talkative,” She apologized, wincing as she bent over to pick Knox up, “That’s okay though, isn’t it?” She asked him as she kissed his cheek. He did like to talk, but only when he felt comfortable enough to do so. Knox nodded as he touched his sticky hands to her face. 

“He looks like Gator,” Nadine piped up, slowly holding out a finger until Knox worked up the courage to hold onto her and shake it, “He’s very strong. That’s good.” Knox giggled as he quickly pulled away, hiding his face in the crook of Daphne’s neck. 

“How have you been?” Daphne asked her, feeling odd to speak to her at all. It had been so long and she never really knew Nadine that well either. She rocked Knox back and forth as Scotty got dragged away by Piper, apparently becoming part of some sort of new game. 

“I’ve been really good,” Nadine answered with a smile, “And I go by Dorothy now. Or Dot. I think it suits me a lot better.” She told her as she played with the hem of her jacket. 

“Dot,” Daphne nodded her head in agreement, “That’s a really pretty name.” She told her truthfully, pulling out a seat so they could both sit down. Knox sighed dramatically as he dropped his head to her chest, signaling her that he was getting tired. 

“Your mom used to put on The Wizard of Oz all the time,” Dot replied slowly, “I guess I owe her for making me fall in love with the movie.” She said with a soft laugh, although Daphne didn’t think she owed them anything. She wished they could’ve done more to prevent her situation. Especially her parents. 

“She’s very particular about her tastes,” Daphne agreed with a smile, “Is there something I could help you with?” She asked a second later, sure that Dot had come here for some reason. 

“I just wanted to say thank you,” Dot said as she played with the sleeves on her cardigan, “Gator said you tipped the cops off.” Daphne blinked in surprise, feeling like she hadn’t done nearly enough. She had been so panicked about what happened to Gator that day that she had barely thought about anyone else.

“I tried,” She replied gently, “I didn’t know what else to do. I wish I had done more but he went missing and well-, it sort’ve took up everything else.” She did her best to explain, feeling guilty all over again. 

“I understand,” Dot nodded her head, “I would’ve been the same way if it was my Wayne. I’m glad you two got together. It’s sweet.” She smiled genuinely, making Daphne flush as she thought about how jealous she’d been of Dot’s relationship with Gator at one point. That had been such a long time ago. 

“Me too,” Daphne replied gently, “He’s doing a lot better you know? Now that his dad isn’t around.” She nodded her head, hoping that it would stay that way. Roy was like poison. Even though he was locked away, Gator did seem a lot more content. 

“He seems a lot happier,” Dot drew out softly, “You know if you need somewhere to live after, my neighborhood is super safe. Well, usually.” She added, then quickly shook her head like Daphne wouldn’t understand. 

“Yeah?” Daphne asked her softly, “I haven’t even thought about where we’d go yet.” She was a little surprised, sure that Dot was asking them to move nearby. That would be nice. Different. The fresh start that they probably needed. 

“We could be neighbors, all of us,” Dot suggested with a smile, “You know, I bet Wayne could even get Gator a job. He’s a car salesman.” She continued on, beginning to paint a nice picture in Daphne’s mind. She glanced at the kids, thinking that they would like that. 

“That would be something,” Daphne replied, feeling a little less lost about their future, “Thank you.” 

2022

“Okay,” Daphne checked over the twins again, ensuring that they were both clean and put together before they walked inside, “Do you remember the rules?” She asked them seriously, nearly wishing that she had gotten the backpacks with the leashes. She balanced Noah in her arms, although he was clearly wanting to get down and wiggle too. 

“No.” Piper said, grinning widely as she rocked from foot to foot. Knox turned his attention, his brown eyes wide like this was the first time Daphne had spoken to them. 

“The rules were to stay next to me,” Daphne repeated gently, “And to use our inside voices. Does that ring a bell?” She asked them, waiting until she had three little heads nodding back at her. 

“Uh huh.” Noah answered as he looked down at his siblings. More often than not, people mistook the kids as triplets. Sometimes they assumed that the twins were Knox and Noah and that Piper was the younger one. 

“Are you ready to see daddy?” She smiled at them as they waited at the door. It had been a long time coming, “He’s going to be so happy to see you.” She told them, thinking that he would be so excited to finally get his arms around them. 

“I miss him.” Knox answered as he pouted his little lips out. She had styled his hair back today, matching Noah once again. She thought that Gator would like it if they all mirrored him. 

“He missed you three too,” Daphne reassured as she held onto them, “Now daddy might be tired, okay? But that’s fine. We’re going to take him home.” She nodded her head again, but it was no use. They had all lost track of what she was saying.

They all snapped their heads up in unison at the sound of the door opening, then at the way the walking stick tapped against the floor. Daphne felt her heart race, her cheeks flush as she immediately moved forward. She could touch him, could hug him and hold him for as long as she wanted. 

“Daddy,” Piper’s little voice rang out, her voice chipper as she waddled her way forward, “Hi!” She exclaimed, beating everyone else as she threw her hands up dramatically. Noah wiggled down next, wobbling behind as Daphne realized for the first time that his shoes and socks were gone. 

“Hey,” He grinned from ear to ear, squatting down as he held his arms out towards them, “Oh wow. Look at how big you’ve gotten!” He squeezed both of them into a giant hug, rocking them back and forth for the longest time.

Noah began to babble about something, speaking faster than anyone could understand as Piper did her best to talk over him. Daphne nudged Knox along slowly, noticing the shy expression on his features. It had been some time since Gator had been able to really hold him. 

“Hewwo,” Knox breathed out shyly as he pulled his thumb from his mouth, “I miss you.” He kept his head down for a moment before he moved forward, only to be swept up by Gator as well.

“Look at all of you,” Gator mused as he held them tightly, giving each of them a forehead kiss, “I missed you all so much.” His voice rattled a bit as he spoke. His eyes were covered with the new pair of shades that they had gotten for him on his last visit. 

“Go home!” Piper exclaimed happily, slightly muffled by where she had her face buried into the crook of his neck. Daphne admired him for a moment, trying to decide the best way to wiggle her way into the hug.

His hair was longer than usual, floppy and grown out from the usual way he’d preferred it to be shaved. He claimed that they didn’t do it right in prison, but she had been wondering if he was enjoying the different way it felt. Especially since Roy couldn’t call him any names for having longer hair now.

“Of course,” Gator grinned as he stood, setting them down for a moment so he could grasp Daphne, “I missed you most.” He mumbled as he brushed his lips against hers. She clung to him for just a moment, her heart aching at how desperately she’d missed him too. It was fleeting as six little hands began to tug on them, forcing them apart. Daphne savored his warmth all the same, knowing she’d get him on her own later.

“I parked towards the front,” She responded as she picked Noah up, trusting him the least, “Do you have everything?” She asked him, glancing at the little clear bag he had on his side. Noah pressed his palms against Daphne’s shoulder, trying to get her attention as he babbled about something. 

“Right here,” He responded as he folded his walking stick up and took Piper in one hand and Knox in the other, “I’m ready.” Piper stared at where he put the stick, looking like she was plotting on how to get her hands on it later. 

As always, getting them into their car seats was a fight. Knox was always the most easy going about it, meanwhile Noah clashed and whined and kicked his feet the whole time. He did not

“Daddy, hold me.” Piper squeaked out once Daphne got into the driver's seat, her hair messy and nerves a little shot. She stared up into the rearview mirror, sure that she had heard wrong. 

“He can’t baby,” Daphne replied as she looked back at where Piper was struggling to break free, “You need to sit in your big girl seat.” Daphne explained, watching as Piper’s face began to grow red in frustration. She continued to whine, squirming about.

“Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad?” Gator questioned, “Just for today.” He said slowly, almost like he was regretting speaking up. She nodded her head quickly, not even thinking about how he probably did want to hold them. 

“Okay,” She agreed softly, “Just this one time.” She told her, reaching back expertly to get her unhooked and moved onto Gator’s lap. She melted against him, beaming happily as she moved her little arms around his bicep. 

“Me too mommy.” Knox said so sweetly, flashing his big brown eyes as he held his hands out expectantly. Daphne shook her head gently as she got him unhooked, smiling at the way his face lit up as well. 

“You too,” She agreed as she moved Knox onto Gator’s lap next, “Just no fighting.” She told them seriously, watching the way Gator moved his gaze down to them. 

“You two don’t fight, do you?” He wrinkled his eyebrows, looking at them expectantly like there was no way they’d do such a thing. Knox grinned as he pulled his hand up to cover his lips, having the decency to at least look bashful. 

“No,” Piper giggled, smiling brightly to herself, “Not evew.” She said as she rested her head against Gator’s chest. He leaned down, holding onto them both tightly before rocking them back and forth. Daphne supposed it wasn’t a complete lie. Piper and Knox really didn’t fight. It was Noah and Piper that she had to keep her eyes on at all times. 

“Good,” Gator smiled as he rested his forehead against theirs, earning another round of giggles from them, “You’ve been really good for mama then?” He questioned them seriously this time, a small smile fluttering to his lips at their back and forth banter. 

“Always,” Knox piped up, a shy smile forming on his lips as he rested his cheek against Gator’s chest, “Mama good.” He said with a nod of his head. Daphne knew it wasn’t always good. Even trying to leave with them this morning had been rough. But suddenly she felt like it didn’t matter. 

“Me!” Noah whined, “Me! Me!” Daphne shook her head, not phased by him wanting to follow along with his older siblings at all. She pulled him free next, holding onto him carefully as he wriggled in her arms. Gator took him gently, then balanced him on his lap with Piper. Noah’s face scrunched up in delight, his eyes shining with joy.

“And you too, big guy,” Gator teased as he brushed his fingers against Noah’s exposed toes, “You’re huge too.” He commented, looking pleased at the way Noah giggled in response. 

“Fat.”

“Piper,” Daphne looked down at them quickly, “Don’t call your brother fat.” She told her quickly, pausing before she began to reverse out of the spot. Piper and Noah certainly had a harder time getting along. 

“It twue.” Piper replied in a matter-of-fact way, her top lip puckered up and her eyebrows raised as she looked at Daphne. Daphne sighed as she turned away, knowing that Piper could argue for hours. 

“That’s all you.” Gator commented, looking amused as he glanced towards her. He moved a hand between the two toddlers, trying to keep Noah from poking at Piper. Knox sat on his own, watching the other two in exasperation. 

“Yeah,” Daphne muttered as Piper continued to give her the same look, “I know.” She replied, turning her attention back to the road as Noah started to babble once again. He spoke fast, his words blending together as he gestured his arms about. Piper swatted at him, looking irritated once again. 

“You’re all perfect,” Gator grinned as he kissed their cheeks, pulling them close so they’d all likely forget their annoyances with the other, “I don’t ever want to let you go.” He inhaled deeply as he held onto them, making some of them squeal from his firm grip. 

“Okay,” Knox giggled as he snuggled closer, never one to deny cuddles, “I like that.” He proclaimed with a smile. Daphne watched them for a moment, shaking her head as she increased the volume on the stereo.

“I hope you like baby music,” She told Gator seriously as the song began to play, instantly gaining a chorus of cheers from the toddlers, “You’ll get used to it.” She grinned at his raised eyebrow, knowing that it would take some getting used to. She was fairly certain she listened to music for the kids, more than she listened to her own at this point. 

The drive seemed to be a lot shorter than before, which was more than fine with her. She was excited to bring Gator back, even if they no longer had their own home. They could figure that out later. 

Piper and Knox fell asleep on the way back, but Noah stayed wide awake and continued to coo and chatter about whatever was on his mind. Daphne knew that he was fighting sleep, doing whatever he could to avoid naps. He hated them, unlike the other two.

“Here,” Daphne paused as she picked up Knox, balancing him awkwardly in one hand before she reached for Piper next. The house wasn’t that far away. She was fairly certain she could carry them inside without dropping them, “I’ve got them.” She reassured him, although she could feel her arms struggling under their weight. She’d never fully felt like she got her strength back.

She only held them for a second before Gator took Knox from her arms. Noah had wiggled down, determined to move on his own as he waddled towards the front door. Gator grinned as he peered down at her, making her heart hammer roughly inside of her chest. She couldn’t believe it’d been so long since they’d been this close. 

She linked their fingers together, holding onto him tightly as they followed behind Noah. He was banging his fists on the door, glancing towards them in confusion like he didn’t fully understand why it wouldn’t open. Gator hesitated as he opened the door, looking like he was unsure about being back before he walked inside. Daphne followed closely behind, but made a beeline for the

“Hi, Gator,” Ruby greeted as she kissed both of his cheeks, “Oh, I’m so glad that you’re back.” She held onto him gently, smiling brightly as Noah zigzagged between all of their legs. 

“Me too.” He mused softly, still looking a little worried. He paused, crouching down low to greet Birdie who had slowly approached. He rubbed his head against Gator’s palm, purring at the attention. 

“Good to see you, son,” Bruce waved as he lazily handed Noah one of the discarded toys, “When are you going to propose to my daughter?” He asked, making Daphne’s features drop as she snapped her head towards him in horror. 

“Dad!” Daphne whined, face flushing as she shook her head, “Ignore him. There’s no rush.” She squeaked out, noticing that Gator’s face looked just as red as hers felt. 

“Three kids,” Bruce mumbled, “You’re not getting any younger.” He shook his head, looking like he didn’t know what the big deal was as he flicked his eyes back down to the book he was reading. 

“Bruce,” Ruby replied next, “You can’t just rush these things.” She shook her head, looking just as dismissive. Daphne balanced Piper in her arms again, hoping that this wouldn’t lead to another conversation about Hugh. She’d heard it all recently. 

“They rushed everything else,” He continued to mumble underneath his breath, “But what do I know.” Gator turned towards Daphne sheepishly, looking like he was about to say something before Noah began to tug at his left arm. He flinched, not expecting the movement.

“Ball.” Noah grinned happily, excited with his find as he held up the toy. Gator turned a little to better look at him, mirroring his smile as he took it in his free hand.

“Oh wow,” He drew out dramatically, “This is so cool, buddy.” He brushed his fingers through Noah’s hair, making him giggle before he took the ball from Gator’s hands once again. 

“Do you want to see the rooms?” Daphne asked him instead, hoping to make his transition a little easier. She didn’t want Bruce to badger Gator. She was sure he felt awkward enough. Gator nodded his head, using his free hand to take Noah’s as they headed towards the stairs. 

“Maude and Jessica will be home from school soon,” Ruby spoke up, “They’re excited to see you too.” She told him and Daphne nodded along quickly, knowing that they had missed him a lot too.

“They sleep down here,” Daphne pointed out, taking her time to show everything to him, “Piper has her own room at the moment. I moved the boys in together.” She pulled Piper’s door open, showing off the Tinker Bell themed room before she let Piper relax in her bed. 

“Yeah?” Gator grinned, watching as Noah rushed forward into his shared room, “Wow. This is where you live?” He teased him, still holding onto Knox as he looked around. The boys had agreed upon staying with the farm theme, although they were all currently obsessed with Bluey. 

“Mhm,” Noah smiled as he moved towards the bookshelf, “Mama, mama.” He whined as he pointed, standing on the tips of his toes as if he could grow and reach it. He furrowed his eyebrows together tightly and pouted out his bottom lip. 

She walked forward, picking up the toy car he was wanting. His little brown eyes lit up in joy as he held it to his chest, doing his best to mimic the sound of the engine roaring as he looked up at her.

“Thank you.” He told her, the th sound making an f instead. He waddled back towards Gator, grinning happily. Gator paused as he set Knox down into one of the beds. He looked at the car Noah was holding, grinning as he roughly clawed at his pants.

“Is that your favorite toy?” Gator asked as he picked him up. He smiled as he kissed the side of Noah’s cheek, while Noah showed the little red car off.

“Mhm, no,” Noah answered thoughtfully as he stared down at the car, twisting it between his chunky fingers, “I like.” He nodded his head, looking proud of his answer as Gator bounced him in his arms again.

“He’s a silly one,” Daphne smiled as she brushed her fingers across Noah’s exposed toes, “He still hates naps and bananas.” She pointed out, thinking that it was funny that the twins enjoyed the other two things quite a bit.

“Well how about that,” Gator grinned, watching as Noah intensely began to drive the car against his shoulder, “So, are you going to show me your room or do I have to work for it?” He asked, his lips curling into a smirk as Daphne felt herself flush once again.

“Mhm, I guess,” She grinned playfully as she stood on her tippy toes to kiss his cheek, “Not much changed, not really. I kept a lot of things from our room.” She told him honestly. Her former childhood room now reflected the room that they’d built together. She liked it.

“Did you go through my things?” He asked hesitantly as he looked around the room. She rested her hands on her hips as she shook her head.

“We just tried to quickly move it all without unpacking,” She told him as she glanced around, “I tried to keep up with washing most of them, but then it started to not smell like you.” She replied honestly, smiling sheepishly as she dragged her fingertips against his dresser. 

“Cheesy,” He smiled softly as he watched her, “I really thought you’d kick me out.” He said a little softer as he turned his attention back to Noah, who had started making car noises again.

“That’s stupid,” She said with a laugh as she held onto his waist, “I love you too much for that. Besides, I spent way too many years pining over you. You’re stuck with me.” She nodded her head, liking the way his cheeks turned pink. Just a little bit.

Noah crashed not long after that, the events of the day finally catching up to him as he drooled and slumbered into the crook of Gator’s shoulder. Daphne didn’t protest as Gator held him the whole time, knowing that he was more worried about bonding with him since he didn’t get the same amount of time with him. 

“So we can look at different areas to live,” She started to explain, pulling up the tablet at the different places she’d been living at, “We can get you on for disability, then we can find-,” 

“I don’t need that.” Gator interjected as he sat up a little bit from his position. Noah barely stirred, but Knox and Piper both turned towards him in interest. They were like little ducklings, just a few steps behind him no matter where he went.

They had retired to their room to rest before dinner. She had brought the twins along once they had woken up as they were still excited about Gator being back home. They had a million questions and both of them had to show off their favorite toys, blankets and stuffed animals before Gator had been allowed to sit down. 

“Huh?” She looked at him curiously, “It’s nothing bad. It would just be to help.” She told him seriously, 

“I can see from this eye,” He told her seriously, “My bad one I can make out certain shapes and colors. It’s not that bad.” He shrugged his shoulders, almost irritated that she had even suggested that. She watched him for a moment, knowing at the moment that neither of them had any sort of income. 

“It would just be for support,” She told him gently, “We could use the money.” She added a second later, hoping that he might not be so stubborn about it. She didn’t know what places would really hire him. Not because of his sight, but because of his past. 

“I don’t want it as long as I can work.” He replied, smiling brightly as Piper passed him a fake tea cup. He held up his pinky finger as he pretended to drink it, earning a giggle from her. 

“Okay,” She told him gently, “So what would you be doing?” She asked him, knitting her eyebrows together as she tried to get a sense of what his plan was. She hadn’t spent the past few years completely out of work. She’d tried a few different places, but each time it seemed that she got shooed away because of what Gator had been involved in. This town didn’t want them. They just needed out. 

“Maybe I could do something with welding,” He replied gently, “Or truck driving. If they let me do that.” He mused off, making her shake her head as she continued to scroll on her tablet, glancing at the houses that were listed. Bismarck wasn’t too far away. 

“You’re funny,” She smiled as she curled up to his side, “Especially if you think you can go anywhere without me again.” She told him seriously. She didn’t want to lose him ever again. 

“I’d pack you all up into the truck,” He teased, “It’d be a little tight.” He said with a laugh, making her grin as she thought about it. She was sure that the kids would find a way to be pleased. “Just a bit,” She agreed with a smile, “Wayne said you always have a place to start with him.” She suggested slowly, wondering if Dot had said anything else about it to him. She thought that it sounded fun. Her parents had even said they’d move too, just for the extra support. 

“I don’t want to rely on him.” Gator brushed her off as he began to thread his fingers through Noah’s hair. The youngest boy sighed, stretching out a little bit before he curled back up into Gator’s chest. 

“You wouldn’t be,” She told him as she sat up to look at him better, “You’d be working underneath him. And the guy is super nice.” She told him, knowing that Wayne wouldn’t think that at all. She’d met him now a few times. 

“I’m nice.” Gator said as he furrowed his eyebrows together, smiling as the twins started to clamber over towards him. Piper stalled, pouting as she realized that Knox was currently blocking her way.

“The nicest,” Daphne corrected with a smile, “And we’re so lucky to have you.” She told him truthfully, feeling like her world was slowly coming back into place. 

///////////////////////////////////////////////

Dinner was a mess of pasta sauce and thrown noodles, plenty of leftovers for Birdie to munch up off of the floor. He was good at grabbing it, no matter how hard Daphne tried to keep the kids from feeding him. They always found a way.

Gator seemed to enjoy bath time, even when Noah started to whine and cry about having to actually get into the water. Although he quickly grew fascinated by the rubber duck that Gator kept booping against his nose. The bubbles from the tub seemed never ending by the time it came to dry them off.

She let him take the reins in laying them down, enjoying the tight way he held onto them and the gentle way he kissed their foreheads. She wondered if he knew just how good of a dad he was. He was much better than his father. Then even hers. She was proud of him. 

She liked that Gator was able to bond with their children again, but she was even happier once they were asleep and she got him all to her own. She curled up behind him on the bed, threading her fingers through his chest hair as she buried her smile into his skin. 

She brushed her lips against his gently, thinking of how desperately she had missed him. She moved her fingers across his shoulders, soaking in the feeling of his warmth as she deepened the kiss. 

She slid her tongue against his slowly, pressing the tips of their tongues together. He sighed against her mouth as he brushed his fingers across the curve of her cheek, slowly turning so he could face her better. 

He still tasted the same, still melted in a similar manner against her mouth. She cupped the side of his cheek, lightly pressing her thumb into his flesh. His tongue continued to swirl against hers, dragging slowly before he flicked it against the roof of her mouth. 

He dragged his palms against her sides, touching her gently as she pulled him closer to her. She pressed her lips against the corner of his mouth, then traveled further down his neck as the moans from his lips grew louder.

He sat up a bit, molding his mouth against hers once again as she dragged her fingers against the hem of his pajama pants. She could feel his cock hardening against her hip, making her smirk as she slowly began to grind her hips down against him.

“Fuck,” He hissed out as he brought his palms against her waist, “Missed you.” He mumbled again as she peered down at him, grinning at the longing look he held. She crawled on top of him slowly, bringing his hands to her hips as she slowly pulled his pants down.

“Missed you too,” She told him softly, biting down on her bottom lip as she wrapped her fingers around his thick cock. She stroked him slowly, feeling her own desire burning between her legs as she watched the way he rocked his hips forward, “Thought about you so much.” She admitted, rolling her hips forward as she continued to drag her hand up and down the length of his cock.

“Yeah?” He whispered out huskily, his lips parted and cheeks pink as he continued to stare up at her, “Did your pretty tang miss me?” He teased, making her eyelashes flutter as he began to rub his thumb against her throbbing clit.

“Wanna feel for yourself?” She giggled softly, her body alighting into sparks as she pulled her panties aside slowly. She brought his long fingers against her wet folds. She whined at the feeling, grinding herself against his digits as a hazy expression grew over his features.

“Little slut,” He teased, his voice raspy as he continued to press his fingers against her slick pussy. He chewed on his bottom lip as he stared up at her, “Wanna ride my cock?” He questioned, looking a little desperate as he wiggled himself back onto the bed.

She grinned, enjoying the way his eyes stayed locked onto her as she slowly pressed his pink tip against her fluttering hole. She gaped at the feeling, rolling her hips forward so his cock slowly slid inside of her.

She moaned at the feeling, completely in awe at the sensation of being filled by him once again. Her walls slightly burned at the intrusion before she quickly welcomed him, sinking down on him slowly as the pleasure shot through her body.

“Daphne,” He groaned as he took a hold of her hips, his fingers digging into her flesh as he slowly lifted her an inch forward before he pressed her roughly back down. She whimpered in awe of being filled full of him, “Jesus, fuck.” 

She pressed her hands against the side of his face, gently holding him as she raised his head slowly. She brushed her lips against his gently, savoring the taste of his groans against her mouth as she adjusted to the stretch of his cock. 

“Feels good,” She whimpered as she slowly began to gain a rhythm, her mind fuzzy and eyes closing as she held onto him. She felt a cry leave her lips at the sensation of his cock pressing against her bundle of nerves, sending tingles of pleasure all through her body, “Gator! Oh God.” She whined, unsure of how someone could make her feel so good.

His fingertips continued to dig into her skin as he ghosted a series of kisses along her mouth, slowly thrusting his hips up with her movements as she moved her palms to his shoulders. She held onto him tightly, feeling her own moans rolling off of her tongue as she continued to rock herself along the length of his cock. 

She savored the drag of his cock, the way he curved and throbbed inside of her spongy walls. Her palms grew warm against his skin and her hips ached from how tightly he was gripping her. She didn’t push him away, rather encouraged him as she pressed herself down harder against his thick cock.

“You’re so pretty,” He mumbled as he brought his hands up to her tits, squeezing them in his hands as she continued to rock against him, “So fucking beautiful.” He grunted, his eyebrows furrowing together as he began to thrust up into her harder. She whined, enjoying the growing sound of their bodies meeting as it filled the room.

She found it hard to answer, her pussy clamping down around him as she felt another rush of pleasure rush through her body as he began to roll her nipples between his thick fingers. Her body felt on fire as his hands continued to wander over the curve of her body, like he was memorizing her. 

“You’re pretty,” She whispered softly between her gasps, enjoying the way his eyes widened and a fresh flush spread over his skin. She leaned down again, switching her position just a bit as she pressed a sloppy kiss against his parted lips. He groaned, moving his hands to her backside as he rutted up into her lazily, “Oh, fuck.” She whined, clinging to him as she felt her orgasm approaching. 

He held onto her tightly, rocking his cock deep inside of her as she came with a cry. She whined as her forehead fell against his, her moans loud as her walls fluttered around his thick girth. She clung to him, her skin sweaty and breathing labored as she felt her strength slipping away.

“Fuck, fuck,” Gator cursed against the side of her cheek, sending shivers down her ear as he thrusted up roughly. His movements began to stall, his sounds more desperate as he bottomed out inside of her, “Jesus, fuck.” He cursed, his cock throbbing as he came inside of her.

She whimpered, clearly knowing that they should be safer but for the time being she didn’t care. She had missed him too much to bother being worried about it at the moment. She rested against him, her body shaking as he began to brush his lips against the side of her neck. 

She panted softly, enjoying the sensation of him breathing against her skin as they both came down from their high. She brushed her fingers through his long locks, thinking about how lucky she was to have him. Even through their mistakes and hardships. They were meant to be.

Life was good.

[pcril]

* ◟ : 〔 LEWIS TAN, CIS MAN + HE / HIM 〕 ZHONG JIEGOU , some say you’re a THIRTY SEVEN YEAR OLD lost soul among the neon lights. known for being both INTUITIVE and BULL - HEADED, one can’t help but think of VENGEANCE by COLDRAIN when you walk by. are you still the HITMAN for THE HANGING MAN, even with your reputation as THE OUROBOROS? i think we’ll be seeing more of you and REMORSE SEVERED BY ONE'S OWN HAND, FEELING THE WARMTH OF AN INFERNO BUT NOT THE PAIN, SINS OF GENERATIONS PAST STILL SEEK PENANCE, although we can’t help but think of SENSHI ( DUNGEON MESHI ) + CHARLES SUN ( THE BROTHERS SUN ) + CASSIAN ( JOHN WICK ) whenever we see you down these rainy streets.

ENTER THE OUROBOROS.

You’ve overstayed your initial timeframe on these grounds. Every nook and cranny’s been memorized. Yet you still walk the streets as a stranger. The concept of settling in is always within reach, but you’ve long forgotten what having a home means. Though some broken part of you will always long for it. So you tell yourself you don’t mind the constant rain as compromise. When in reality you’ve always fucking hated it. The memories it digs up stings worse than broken glass underfoot. But you carry on. Keep your head held high, shoulders back, spine straight just like you’ve been taught.

PUBLICLY KNOWN FACTS:

Name: Zhong JieGou

Appearance: TBA but does have a face scar from corner of mouth to cheek & one in the middle of his left hand.

( tw — child endangerment, murder )

Does anyone really know who their parents are?

It's a question that Jie never thought twice about growing up. He'd always been told he was the apple to their eye. Their miracle child, the embodiment of their love. And he was. Throughout his childhood, his father was a modest man that built his morals and teachings based on the hard truths of the world; mainly faults and redemption. Whereas his mother was perfect in just about every way as a successful realtor, loving wife and mother. Everything was fine — normal until he turned eleven.

The sudden, horrendous murder of his aunt sent his mother over the edge. She became unstable at a rapid rate; long nights out, hardly social, a husk of her former self. Even worse when the murder didn't remain at large — law enforcement hardly kept vivid interest until the case went cold. Jie and his father tried everything they could to console her to the best of their abilities, but she was cast further than they could reach.

Everything started to crack when his mother stumbled home covered in blood. No one was given a moment's notice before she robbed Jie of his father's life; knife driven deep into the throat twice and left to bleed out on the floor. He wasn't given the option to run for help, or reason with his own mother for the horrors that unfolded around him. All he was given was the same greeting that his father received and was swiped at with a blade. Straight through the left hand, raised in self-defense and fear. Unlike his father, he fared better with his instincts and managed to evade a fatal blow. Still, the knife carved into the right side of his face; just next to the corner of his mouth and up to the meat of his cheek.

They struggled for several minutes on end. Jie pleaded in pain while his mother remained unreachable — convinced that it was better if her own family died at her hands instead of the cruel world they lived in. Then there was a slight break of clarity of what she was doing. She remained over Jie, her own son, knife poised to drive a blade into a vital point. It was in that moment of opportunity that Jie fought back. He bit the very hand that had fed him all his life and fought to survive.

The altercation ended with both parents deceased and himself very much alive. He had his mother's knife grasped in shaky hands. They didn't stop shaking until he realized that — no, he really didn't know his parents. Not his father, and definitely not his mother.

Hell, maybe even himself.

Life after that incident was different. Jie almost followed his mother's descent into numb madness. Yet the support of his grandparents and new friend fished him back out; unknowingly helped him keep a level head as he figured out what the hell he truly was. Though terribly difficult, he worked towards some semblance of a normal life. Yet misfortune laughed in his face once more when he reached seventeen.

The sudden disappearance of his best friend uprooted him completely. The circumstances had been too clean, too random — too everything wrong. Yet the local police couldn't see that. They couldn't see past the fact that his friend was a full-grown adult with a rough past. They didn't do much of anything besides the bare minimum; just like they had with his aunt's murder.

It hadn't felt like a coincidence to him from the very beginning. Two horrible occurrences within his very young life didn't just happen under the pretense of random misfortune. He didn't accept it — couldn't accept it, and his disbelief ended up being right.

The body of his best friend turned up years later — dismembered and almost beyond recognition. All faith he had in law enforcement was buried along with the discovery. No one was there to help level his drowned thoughts. No one was there to tell him to try and move on — continue to live life to the fullest. No one was there to stop him from taking matters into his own hands as he finetuned his skillset. Eventually marketing himself as a hit for hire.

WHAT'S BURIED UNDERNEATH .

HISTORY BEING WRITTEN .

TBA.