#I made it faster you can reblog this version if you like

[mahgyu]

Choso smut + N$FW audio

• minors do not interact! 

──── Choso was feeling so strange about receiving a blowjob for the first time in his life.

And even though it was a new sensation for him, it was surprising. Choso had restless hands, unsure where to put them, his tongue came out of his mouth, wetting his dry thin lips. Choso's cock felt heavy on your tongue, spreading the drops of pre-cum that gathered above the slit, his skin was hot, essentially burning at your touch. He let out a short moan as he felt your wet silky tongue moving slightly under the head of his penis. You used your hands to anchor yourself, your nails leaving crescent moons on the surface of his thick muscular thighs as you gripped him.

On impulse, Choso entered your flexible mouth with more force, the sudden act causing you to gag, which immediately made Choso concerned when he noticed.

But you were quick to reassure him, smiling wickedly at him while still holding him in your mouth. You then moved your fingers down to his heavy balls, caressing them firmly, eliciting a sudden moan from Choso.

"So you're the type who enjoys choking games, Cho? What a dirty boy you're proving to be, huh?" You tease, smiling even wider when you notice him shrinking back shyly. You resume sucking him, this time faster and squeezing him harder.

"N-no, I didn't mean to do t-that, shit, please, slower" He tries to explain as he struggles not to reach his limit yet. The uncomfortable sensation from the beginning was barely present now as pleasure took over.

"Ah, baby, it's okay. You can fuck my throat if you want" Your voice, sounding so velvety while saying such promiscuous things, left Choso mesmerized.

He murmurs softly and you feel the blockage in your throat open up as Choso's cock reaches deeper, but this time slowly. Your mouth gradually closes around Choso's penis, getting tighter for him with each second as he settles shakily into you.

And Choso settled into your little mouth, moaning louder as he felt your throat around him, pushing himself into you until your nose bumped against his pelvis. His head tilted back and eyes tightly shut, his shoulders rising and falling erratically as he frantically tried to control his breathing.

"A-ah, that's it, so deep" Choso says hoarsely, now allowing himself to stroke your hair. You murmured in acknowledgment, running your nails along his thighs, sending shivers down his skin. Choso's breath caught when your throat vibrated around him, causing you to shift position as your pussy became uncomfortably wet, craving touch.

Choso's grip on your hair tightened, now using it to guide your head down rather than having to push into you. His brows furrowed, lips parting in a soft moan as he guided your mouth up and down along his shaft. Your tongue tracing the veins that slightly protruded on his skin, the salty taste of pre-cum coating your mouth entirely. Drool accumulated at the back of your throat and dribbled from the corners of your mouth each time Choso entered or withdrew. You sucked the saliva and pre-cum that flooded your mouth, causing him to feel your throat tighten around his cock every time you swallowed.

"I knew you liked this, you pervert " You tease again, amused and breathless, while Choso, in turn, has his lips curling into a small satisfied smile as he drifts further into his own pleasure.

ㅤㅤㅤ

Finally, Choso's version!! (I think this needs to be turned up a bit more to be heard better)

Which one do you suggest should be next?

Your interaction is very important to me, reblogs and comments are always welcome 🫶🏻💕

[bgs-cave-o-thots]

Hey. Artist that only has a phone or a simple computer. Did you know you can still Glaze your art??

While Glaze was initially computer-only, the team learned that many artists either have a computer not powerful enough to run glaze or don't have a computer at all. SO they've made WebGlaze!! (Read about it and get it here.) Basically you send over your art and they Glaze it over on their servers that are strong enough to do it for you. And yes, it's still free.

If you have a computer that runs the original Glaze program, it is highly recommended by the Glaze team that you continue to use it and not the website.

While the servers are very secure, it is still ideal to keep the unglazed art on your end only, and it will likely be faster on your own computer anyway since there's only your art being Glazed, unlike the servers which are glazing several people's at once. Currently I believe there is no web version of Nightshade, but they are working on adding it to WebGlaze last I heard. Check the Nightshade FAQ here for updates on that :)

Please feel free to reblog, I know there's a lot of artists out there without access to powerful CPUs and GPUs that would like to protect their art as well :)

[couldeatthatgirlforlunch]

I Can Feel it in my Bones

Synopsis: Being Invincible’s pet is cruel, but you manage to find comfort in it.

Pairing: Yandere!Sinister!Mark Grayson X Gn!Reader

Tw: 18+; Mentions and descriptions of mass murder (this is a version of Mark that joined Omni-man and the viltrumites); Mentions of kidnapping and being chained; Mentioned and implied dubcon/noncon; Implied Stockholm Syndrome; Hurt/little comfort; Mentions of threats; All characters aged up; English is my 2nd language.

Word count: 500

Requested? No.

Extra notes: I might write more about this, and other fanfics with Mark and Rex, love my babygirls

General masterlist

You have your own suite. Well, it's not exactly yours, it's Mark’s room, but he barely spends time there, since most of his time is spent destroying Earth and intimidating civilians, alongside Omni-man. Meanwhile, you're always chained to the foot of his bed, just enough freedom to go to the bathroom and wander through almost all the expanse of the room. You can't even reach the door, not that it would change anything, there’s no one around to help you, much less someone brave enough to go against Invincible’s wishes.

Omni-man and Invincible like to talk as if you aren't in the room, as if you're invisible. You know the former doesn't understand why his son keeps a pet since it's death will come before Mark can even look like a 30 year old human. You're the pet. But he shrugs it off when Mark reminds him that not everything is about work, and if he can do whatever he wants to humans, then he wants to have a pet.

Mark is cruel. He always reminds you that the only thing stopping him from harming and killing you is your pretty face. That you only get to eat because he likes your body healthy. That you only get to shower and brush your teeth because he wants to breathe in a nice smell when he’s close to you. That you're only kept in his room and not at one of the slave’s camps because he likes to fuck you.

And you know it. You know it in the way he sometimes doesn't allow you to wear clothes. In the way he doesn't treat you like a person, more like a playtoy or decoration. In the soreness left when he's done.

But sometimes, sometimes you get confused. Because he lays his head on your chest when he wants to take a nap or just feel comforted. Because he keeps you in his room when you know he could just throw you in a cell. Because once in a while he asks about your old interests, and gets excited about things you had in common. Because he gives you things to entertain yourself. Because sex with him is good even when it's not consensual. Because he has a pretty smile. Because he doesn't look like the sadistic dictator who destroyed your city and killed half the people you knew, when he takes his mask off.

You wonder if he still keeps this human side of him because he simply grew up like that and it's too ingrained in his personality, or because he misses his mom and his friends.

It doesn't matter in the end, you're doomed in and out of this room. You're only human, he's a viltrumite. He was made to be a conqueror. You're gonna die faster than he can blink. He's gonna find another pet. At least, you can have some comfort if you keep him happy.

Like, comment and reblog 🥰

[thisismeracing]

Falling (in love) | LH44 (Patreon Exclusive)

read the full piece here

― Pairing: stepdad!lewis x kindergarten teacher!reader (she/her) ― Warning: mentions food and sickness (fever); single!mom reader; family issues; not been proofread yet; 3k words. ― Summary: When your kid found a new friend in his new school, you did not expect that would mean you would find yourself friends too. And sure enough, you weren't expecting to fall for his friend's uncle.

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preview

A lot of things were unexpected that day.

First, the fact that Lewis was late to pick up his niece, but when he got there she wasn’t throwing a tantrum, quite the opposite. When she saw him she saw him, she came running through the school’s entrance with the biggest smile on her face when just earlier that week she made a fuss to go to class every morning – before and after getting there. 

The second was the smallest boy who was right behind her. His backpack swung from side to side, while Wendy ran up front turning every few seconds to giggle at him.

And just when Lewis thought those were the only two unexcepted things, you walked out of the door carrying a few books in your hands and a big bag on your shoulder, calling for Wendy and the smallest boy. 

“Uncle Lew!!!” His niece screamed before barreling into his legs and hugging him. He chuckled, bending down to kiss her mop of curls. “Have you met Leo?” 

“I don’t think so,” he shook his head just as the boy finally reached them. 

The kid’s version of a black Jordan and the styled curly hair made Lewis smile, that boy appeared to be around five but was already starring a fashion sense that a few older people hadn’t.

“Leo, you’ll give me a heart attack one of these days. You can’t go out running like this, honey,” your voice carried a serious but sweet tone simultaneously. 

Lewis’ eyes found you standing a few feet away, curly hair clipped away from your face by a few strands, a pencil skirt, and a cream blouse. The folder and books in your arms gave him a hint of what you were doing there, and his silent guess turned out to be true when Wendy turned with a toothless grin and introduced you: “This is Miss Yn, our new teacher!” She took a step to stand beside you looking up with a beaming face that reflected yours. “And this is Leonard, her son, my new classmate. They’re new here, can we introduce the city to them like we did with Jackie and Uncle Toto? Also, can we have playdates later? Can we go to the park? Can we–”

****

“Mamma, I don’t wanna eat,” Leo held his hands behind his back giving you his best puppy eyes and you chuckled. 

“How about you try a few bites and then go play with Dee, huh?” 

“Yeah, champ, you gotta make your body strong so you can run as fast as you can,”  Lewis tried, already cutting a sandwich in half for Wendy. “Have you ever tried vegan sandwiches?” He asked and Leo shook his head.

“I don’t like lettuce, mamma does though,” he shared, pointing his small finger at you.

“What do you mean you don’t like lettuce? Lettuce is exactly what makes us run even faster, it gives us tons of energy!” 

“It does?” the curly-haired boy asked, hands now on the side of his body and curious eyes watching the food in Lewis’ hands. 

“Yeah, I eat it all the time so I can drive my car in endless circles.”

You smiled watching the interaction. 

“How about you have a bite? You don’t have to eat it all, just a bite. But I bet you will want to finish it. This one has so many things that make us bigger and stronger.”

“Strong like you?” his big brown eyes now looking at Lewis’ biceps, and you chuckled at your kid's face when the driver curled his arms and flexed his muscles. 

“Yeah, strong just like me!” 

****

“They truly made a bond in a short time, huh?” You commented.

“Guess we’ll be seeing each other a lot more often,” Lewis bumped your shoulder with his and you smiled. You wouldn’t lie that the prospect of interacting with him more than you did the last week wasn’t a bad thing at all.

“I’m not opposed to that.” 

“Neither am I.” 

────── ⋆🪩 VOICEMAIL: Hi! I hope you guys liked this lil sneak peek! Make sure to like and reblog if you did *mwah* and PLEASE, LET’S INDULGE IN THIS UNIVERSEEEE BECAUSE I'M ALMOST SURE THIS WILL BECOME A SERIES OF SOME SORT. I sorted a few ideas for "chapters" yet, but I won't be following the chapters format, but rather taking asks requests about them and publishing the blurbs and pieces <3

If you liked this piece and want early access to new ones and exclusive access to others, subscribe to my patreon!💘  ▸ check my main masterlist | patreon guide and my taglist.

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[aklaustaleteller]

We'll Meet Again, Beloved

Klaus is in trouble again and his lover, who is soon to become the goddess that the wolves would get to worship, comes to his rescue, again. And it's painful to come with the knowledge that she's always leaving in the end. But at last, this'd be the last time she'd ever have to leave.

Warnings - mentions of blood and inflicted pain.

Word Count - 1.8k

Masterlist | please reblog the fic if you like it!

This is actually a rewritten version of this fic that I'd posted in 2021! I'm quite proud to say that I think it's much better than it had originally been, so I hope you like it as well! I'd be rewriting a couple more fics before I post the new work I've written, so yay! Enjoy <3

Fury burned Klaus’ eyes with such extreme rage that they began to shine a golden ring inside, the one that made it look like there was a solar eclipse inside his once beautifully green orbs. Aguish encapsulated all of his bones as if he were turning into his wolf form, his blood beginning to boil inside him and pour out of the corners of his mouth that had twisted into a dangerous snarl.

“You’re a monster!” The witch shouted at him, blood slipping out her own nose as she threw hateful insults at him, her voice growing louder in order to maintain the effect of the spell as she herself grew weaker by spending her magic such carelessly. 

Her hands shook and yet she kept them faced towards Klaus, who kneeled due to the force, writhing in pain in front of her, screaming at her the death threats that she knew weren’t empty. Her eyes clenched shut as she yelled, her voice shaking similarly to Klaus’ hands that he held his head with. 

“Stop it!” Klaus shouted at her, denying himself from crouching in the agonising pain that she’d been inflicting on him for so long that she’d fallen to her knees as well. Klaus knew that she knew were she to fail this attempt of ending him, she won’t live to even see him get off his knees – seeing as she refused to back down despite the fact that she might end herself with him. 

His body shook as if he’d been given wolfsbane and his forearms dug further deep into the ground. 

Looking up at her with her death flashing in his eyes, Klaus screamed at her once again. “Stop this or I will make sure your death is as painful as I can make it!” 

He raised his arm in order to reach her, noticing the indent he had caused in the soil as he struggled to raise his head. And in that moment he decided that this would be the very place he would leave her dead for the animals to feast upon. 

“Stop,” Klaus growled as her magic finally began to weaken, losing its grip on him as the witch lay on the ground, chanting the spell with as much power as her wilting body could muster up.

“Burn in hell,” the witch dared to stop herself and grit her teeth at him, now muttering the spell under her breath. She shut her eyes to stop herself from witnessing the smirk on Klaus’ mouth that was curling to show his sharp canines that would be tearing her apart into shreds. 

“And where, little witch, do you think he’s come from, then?” A soft voice mumbled tauntingly, causing Klaus to lift his gaze up from the witch’s trembling body to look at the woman leaning over her, whispering something under her breath that stopped the witch’s heart and tore it to pieces inside her chest – Klaus could hear that, or perhaps, he was persuaded to hear that.

The pain coursing through his body stopped and he felt his insides healing within a matter of seconds as he stood up from the ground, covered in blood and dirt. Still, he managed to smile graciously at the woman.

She wasn’t just any woman, no. She was a child to the gods, soon to become one herself as her turning year turned into the turning month, creeping up on her faster than she’d anticipated becoming Y/n, a goddess for all the wolves to worship. 

“My one and only,” she smiled back at him, a smile that could kill and bring one back from death’s hand itself. Her head lulled to the side as she looked at him adoringly, her soft plush lips calling out to him to come to her. Her hair flying behind her, making her seem all the more mystical and alluring than she already was. 

From where her hands had been hanging beside her, she offered them for Klaus to hold. Following his gaze to her right hand, she noticed some blood smeared on it and a corner of her mouth lifted. She shifted her weight on her right leg, freeing her left leg to relax a little. 

Which then made Klaus’ attention to catch on the bottom of her dress. It seemed as if it had been scraped and torn, the tearing marks seeming sharp, almost ready to dagger whatever lay beneath. The skirt flowed with the wind, allowing Klaus to see dirt crawling up her legs, telling him that there’d again been a struggle when she’d tried to come to him. 

“It was the god that the Vampires worship. He put up a rather annoying tantrum and tried to stop me from coming to you, my love,” she shrugged, complaining innocently and answering his question before he’d even asked it, all at once.  “You know I had to,” she grinned, a little cunningly. 

And then, her ears caught up with his ragged breathing. “Go,” she whispered, watching Klaus turn in front of her as she rid him of the pain he would’ve felt had she not been here.  

And as Klaus ran off into the woods, hunting down all that came in his way from camping humans to newly turned vampires looking to feed themselves, Y/n stood near the witch’s body and shut her eyes, trying to catch a word with the Witch’s god. He, who was already rather annoyed that another one of his had died because of defying the one rule he’d set. 

“I told you, anyone who’d hurt him would die,” Y/n muttered under her breath.

“I apologise, dear Y/n. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again” he sighed, and he must’ve opened his eyes because the connection had seemingly broken. 

So she opened her eyes, looking at the neverending sky, full of stars that witnessed such evil too frequently for her comfort.

This hadn’t been the first time she’d helped Klaus, nor was it the first time a tear had slipped out of her eyes because of the restrictions that prevented her from confessing to him until she’d turned herself into a goddess, a trap that had been set by the gods themselves – they’d known her yearn to be a human and walk the Earth and yet, they’d put up the condition over her so she’d turn, a trap. And she was willing to step into it just so that she’d never have to leave Klaus again. And she was going to, soon. 

She’d coffessed such to him before, which was the reason that he mostly tried to stay away from her – to prevent inflicting pain on her already beaten heart. To wait until she could safely be his, without her heart breaking into a million pieces over the reminder that it was going to take a long time before she could let herself fold in his arms. 

Wiping the lone tear, she sat up focusing her attention on his movement to see if he was going to come back anytime soon. She waited for him, for her favourite wolf, to come and ask her to turn him back so that he could touch her with just as much vulnerability as she did him.

Her mind lulled her to think about his state when he’d return. His soft shiny fur would be wet with blood and sweat, paws as soft as feathers after running at the speed of light, ears flopped down in search of comfort and searching for her heartbeat. She jerked a little when she heard twigs breaking and leaving rustling, crunching and crushing under his paws as he neared her. His nose sniffing and his fur brushing against trees. 

She moves to catch sight of him, instead feeling his paw on her back. She turned to take him in her arms, to lay back with him on top of her, so that his heart would calm down listening to hers. But when she did do that, instead of putting his head in the crook of her neck, Klaus looked into her eyes – searching them for something while the one thing Y/n saw in his eyes was a raw seek for comfort.

Showing him all the love that he needed to be reassured, she felt as he melted in her arms right then and there. His snout reached her exposed neck while he remained lying on top of her with his head on her chest, looking up at her with the truest loving eyes. 

But then she felt a tear slip down her skin and she brought her hands to scratch his fur, holding him a little closer. “It’s alright, little wolf. You’ll be alright,” she whispered. “You’re in safe hands, lay to rest for a little,” she assured him, knowing that all his senses must be heightened right now. 

Tears collected on the rim of her eyes as she thought of the times she almost lost him, lost her grasp on him because of the very consequences of his own actions, had witnessed him crying to himself because of the number of times he had been betrayed. But she blinked them away when she heard him purr lightly, coming to the realisation that he was safe and in her arms, and that was all that mattered in the moment. 

He got off of her when the moon began to hide away behind drifting clouds, making her sit up as well. 

“Let’s get you back to your disguise, shall we, little wolf?” She asked him, a whisper of her soft giggle following behind. 

Klaus wagged his tail twice, indicating that he was indeed ready. He felt his heart swell with love when she ruffled his fur while moving to stand up, scratching behind his ear a couple times before asking him to follow her. 

Coming to halt under direct moonlight, she closed her eyes before mumbling a spell, so softly that even Klaus would have taken that as the mere sound of wind during nightfall. He kept looking at her until a tear slipped past her shut eyes, which made him look down and brush up against her feet for the last time, for a long while. 

When he looked up again, she’d already been gazing at him. Leaning down, she pressed a kiss between his eyes and walked back a couple steps. 

“We’ll meet again soon, beloved,” Y/n whispered, another tear escaping her eyes as a gust of wind carried her away with it, leaving no trace of her other than the tingling beneath Klaus’ skin. 

Klaus looked up at the sky then and swore to her that he’d be waiting for her right here the next time she’d come down to meet him, to finally let herself go in his arms. And his eyes glossed over as he felt another gush of wind, this time changing him from his wolf form, and back to his hybrid physique. 

[fool-tarnished]

"Remember me" - Chapter 4 - Kakashi Hatake x F!Reader

Pairing : Kakashi Hatake x Female!Reader

If you want to read Yamato's version, you can find it here.

Warnings : Memory loss, mind control (mk ultra inspired), fluff

Inspiration : Where did she go - Saleka

Words : ~ 2500

A/N : Hello there ! Yes I posted this one faster than the previous ones, uhu. I mean, I wrote it already so why not ? I hope you will enjoy it. And sorry for the mistakes, I'm not a native english speaker. Thank you again for the likes, reblogs and comments ♡

← Previous Chapter - Next chapter →

"Yo, [Y/N]."

Upon hearing that familiar voice, you turned around with a smile, placing your book on the bed where you were sitting.

"Kakashi? You always come in through the window, but you do know doors exist, right?"

He was crouched on the edge of the window frame in the room you were in. The words left your mouth without you feeling like you’d even spoken them, and it felt as though you were living this moment while also not living it at the same time. Something strange, yet not necessarily unpleasant.

"Hmm."

As you continued watching him, the ninja tilted his head slightly to one side.

"I heard you left the ANBU."

"Ah, that."

"Is it because of Naruto?"

A brief silence fell as your gaze landed on a photo sitting on the window ledge. It showed you, along with a blond boy who resembled the description Kakashi had given you during your conversations. Your eyes softened, tinged with a hint of sadness and worry.

"I want to try my best to look after him, you know. It’s... complicated." You sighed before continuing. "I’m not sure staying in the special forces is the right thing. He needs someone to be there for him, especially right now... You know, with the exam coming up."

The silver-haired ninja followed your gaze, letting his own linger on the photo of you and Naruto. Right next to it was another photo, this time of you standing beside Kakashi. His eyes hovered over the picture of the two of you for a few seconds before resting on you again.

"It wasn’t just Naruto who convinced me to make this decision."

Curious, he watched as you looked back at him. This time, the expression in your gaze was different.

"Hmm, who else?"

Smiling softly, you stood up and approached him.

"You can come inside if you want. That window doesn’t look very comfortable."

He smiled before stepping in and lowering himself slightly so that your faces were at the same level.

"Nice attempt to dodge, but I haven’t forgotten my question."

Sitting back down on your bed and patting the spot next to you for him to join, you crossed your legs and stared at him.

He closed the window and moved to sit at the edge of the bed.

"If you want your answer, Hatake, you’re going to have to come and get it."

His cheeks tinged with a light pink as he shuffled closer to you, sitting cross-legged as well. He cleared his throat, looking away toward other parts of the room.

"Hmm... So?"

"Don’t you know a certain grey-haired Sensei? I heard he’s pretty strict, too."

His cheeks turned from pink to a deeper red as he tilted his head to the side.

"What?"

The visible part of his face made it clear that he didn’t quite know what to say—that he was still processing what you’d just said, and it left him slightly flustered.

"You know, Naruto and you... You’re the people who mean the most to me. And what I’ve seen over the years in the special forces... I think it took me a long time to realize this, but if I’m going to risk my life, I’d rather do it closer to you two. With the ANBU, I was always so far away... And if something were to happen, I want to make the most of the time I have with you."

The Copy Ninja was left speechless, unable to say anything more. Laughing softly, you leaned toward him, gently pressing your finger to his cheek. He didn’t react, continuing to look at you.

"Oh, Kakashi?"

He finally moved after a few seconds, blinking once before catching the hand you’d poked him with, holding it gently in his own.

"I’d rather you not think about the worst, [Y/N]," he said more seriously, his cheeks fading from bright red to a soft pink.

"You’re too serious. Why can’t you just try to—"

"I don’t like it when you talk as if you’re not going to come back from a mission, you know that."

He turned his head to the side before reaching into one of his pockets with his other hand. Pulling out a closed fist, he gently opened your palm and placed something in it. Holding your hand between both of his, he locked eyes with you again.

"It’s for your kunai... It’s to protect you when you’re on missions. Promise me you’ll always come back safe and sound, okay?"

You remained silent, unable to find any words. Though you couldn’t see yourself, this time it was you who had turned as red as a tomato. Lowering your gaze slightly to your joined hands, you noticed a finely braided red cord with two small grey beads. His thumb softly traced circles on the back of your hand as he held it, and his other hand gently tilted your head back up.

"Always, hmm?"

Another voice broke the sweet dream you had been immersed in—a voice much more energetic and, above all, angry.

"When did she come back?! Why didn’t anyone tell me?!"

It seemed to grow clearer and closer.

"Kakashi-Sensei?!"

Finally opening your eyes, you found yourself face-to-face with Kakashi’s silver hair. You must have fallen asleep, and he had probably laid you down before dozing off himself. He was sitting on the chair right next to you, his head resting on one arm and his other hand still holding yours. You felt him start to stir as well when a blond-haired boy appeared at the foot of your bed.

The Copy Ninja sat up but didn’t seem to notice your hands, something Naruto did not miss.

"And what’s that?!" he questioned, pointing directly at your intertwined hands, eyes wide—a mixture of surprise and slight irritation.

"Naruto, that’s enough!" yelled a feminine voice before a sharp thud echoed, likely an attempt to calm him down.

"Sakura! What’s your problem?!" the boy grumbled, clutching the top of his head.

After exchanging a quick glance, you and Kakashi pulled your hands apart, and you sat up in bed. Kakashi, for his part, stood up and scratched the back of his head, his expression showing slight embarrassment.

"Hmm, Naruto, Sakura, what a surprise…"

"We’ve been waiting for over two hours, but it seems you’ve gotten ‘lost’ again," the pink-haired girl said with an expression difficult to decipher.

"When did you come back?!" Naruto shouted, this time pointing a finger directly at you, one hand still clutching his skull.

"Uh, I—"

"Naruto, can I speak to you for a moment?" the Copy Ninja interrupted, regaining his composure.

"[Y/N]? Why didn’t you come see me?!" Naruto growled again, but his Sensei grabbed his arm and tried to pull him out of the room.

"Sakura, come too. I need to talk to both of you."

Sakura gave you a questioning look before following her Sensei and her friend, leaving the room silent once the door closed.

Sighing, you dropped your head into your hands, rubbing your eyes. You couldn’t hear the conversation clearly from the hallway, but fragments of it reached your ears. Of course, you could only make out one voice.

"This is a joke, right?!" "You’ve been hiding it from me this whole time? Why do you get to see her and not me?!" "Why, Kakashi-Sensei?!"

The voices began to quiet down, and soon you couldn’t hear anything at all. Starting to get up to see what was happening, you were stopped when the door opened again. Sakura, who stood behind Naruto, looked a little sad as she gazed at the blond boy now standing before you. Staring at the floor, he looked desperate and said nothing.

Casting a quick glance at the silver-haired ninja, who gave you a subtle nod, you slowly approached Naruto. He didn’t move an inch, murmuring something you could only make out once you were closer.

"Why, huh? Did you forget everything, then?"

Choosing not to answer his question for the moment, you simply wrapped your arms around him and held him tightly, as if your life depended on it. You hadn’t even thought about it; it just felt perfectly natural. After everything Kakashi had told you about him and your connection, you hoped this action might comfort him, even just a little.

Naruto’s eyes widened when he felt you so close, and tears began streaming down his cheeks as he shakily brought his arms up to hold you in return. His head came to rest on one of your shoulders as he let himself cry for a while.

"I don’t remember everything, Naruto, only fragments. But I promise I’ll do everything I can to remember you… and I won’t leave again."

Still sobbing, his voice trembling, the blond boy raised his head slightly.

"Another promise, huh?"

You remained silent for a few seconds, thinking about how you could answer. Yes, another promise. But this time, you would do everything you could to keep it.

"I plan to remember this one."

He stayed quiet for a moment before pulling back slightly and wiping the tears from his cheeks.

"If Lady Tsunade agrees… I can already fulfill one of my promises."

He looked up, intrigued.

"Someone whispered to me that I should take you to a certain Ichiraku. Does that ring a bell?"

At those words, his eyes lit up, and you thought you saw a spark of hope within them. A smile spread across his face, followed by soft laughter.

________________________________________

Getting Tsunade’s approval for this outing hadn’t been an easy feat. In truth, she hadn’t expected things to move so quickly, and even though the Copy Ninja hadn’t gone into details about why he had stayed by your side that night, she figured that these surprise reunions were bound to happen. Her only concern was the idea of Naruto spending time alone with you after what she had witnessed, and the only condition that made her agree was that Kakashi would watch over you both from afar.

The day had passed rather quickly, and you could finally put faces and places to the elements the silver-haired ninja had described to you. Beyond that, you were starting to recognize certain locations from your dreams more clearly. The pieces were slowly beginning to come together, and while you didn’t have all the information you needed, you were now certain that your place was here.

Naruto had gradually relaxed throughout the day, his expression growing more cheerful as he relished the time spent with you. As for you, you savored every moment as though it were the first time. After enjoying a bowl of ramen with him, you both returned to the hospital. Following a few last exchanges, the young ninja went home. He had insisted on sleeping in the second bed in your room to stay near you, but the Hokage had firmly rejected this request.

After taking a well-deserved shower and settling onto your bed, you smiled as you thought back on everything you had learned, seen, and experienced since your return. Aside from the fight with Genma, you were still happy to discover that the dark void which had haunted you for so many months was merely a book whose pages you hadn’t yet turned—and that the story they contained was more beautiful than you had imagined. The only pages that seemed to stain the entire book were soaked with the voice, mask, and silhouette of the man who appeared in your nightmares.

Sighing, you pushed the thought aside and lay down, finally surrendering to the sleep that gently began to cradle you.

________________________________________

"So, Naruto knows about it?" The question finally came as Kakashi was savoring the sushi laid out on the table.

"Hmm, he barged in this morning. Naruto being Naruto…" Asuma let out a small laugh and smiled.

"I see." He grabbed the drink in front of him and took a sip. "And you? How are you handling all this?"

The silver-haired ninja suddenly stopped eating, setting his empty plate on the large pile that had accumulated to his right.

"I’m handling it," was all he replied, reaching for another plate.

"Kakashi." He paused briefly, noticing that the Copy Ninja was staring at the sushi instead of him. "No one’s fooled. You two were pretty close before—"

"Things have changed since then, Asuma. She doesn’t remember any of that."

"But you seem pretty determined to help her, am I wrong? After spending the night at her bedside."

Kakashi froze, now looking directly at Asuma without saying a word.

"I really hope you can manage. But after what happened during the test… Be careful."

He resumed eating his sushi, his gaze shifting again to the large pile of food in front of him. Asuma, on his end, took another sip of his drink.

"Anyway, since her return, you seem… different. In a good way, of course."

"Hmm."

Sighing, he set his drink back on the table.

"Deep down, she hasn’t changed. Even if it takes time, I want her to recover her memories. I don’t want to lose her again."

At these words, his friend remained silent, watching him eat as if he had just admitted something mundane.

"Even if she doesn’t see me the same way as before… I want to do everything I can to help her."

Asuma smirked.

"And what if she saw you the same way as before? Would you push her away this time?"

A faint pink flush crept onto the Copy Ninja’s cheeks, and he placed yet another empty plate on the pile.

"How’s Kurenai doing?" he asked, clearly looking for an escape route from the conversation.

Caught off guard, the dark-haired ninja turned red himself, stammering as he fumbled to answer his friend.

________________________________________

Lying still, you tried to look around and make out your surroundings as best you could. Everything was blurry, and once again, you noticed the silhouette of that masked man. He seemed to be sitting, holding a kunai in his hands, twirling it idly.

"Well, I think we’ve finished the bulk of the work. With the little gift I just gave you… we should be able to move on to the next part."

His voice was as dark as ever, though you were starting to grow accustomed to it, even if it still sent chills down your spine.

"Now… the signal."

Your body still refused to move, no words would come out of your mouth, and your eyes remained wide open, fixed on him.

"Everything we’ve prepared up until now will take effect starting from this exact moment."

He stopped playing with the weapon in his hand, stabbing it into the ground. Straightening up, the man leaned closer to bring his face— or rather, his mask— nearer to yours. All you could see was a massive spiral. It felt as though your head had begun to spin, and the black hole on the side of the mask was pulling you in.

"The last ………. where ……. abandon everything ……. "

Parts of the sentence seemed to disappear. Or had his voice simply turned into a whisper on certain words? He paused briefly, his laughter resurfacing, but this time, the sound reaching your ears seemed tortured, distorted.

"It is then …… left ..... "

The last words, too, failed to reach your ears. Or perhaps you just couldn’t make them out. The feeling of unease grew stronger as his mask seemed to shift, consuming your entire field of vision until everything went completely black.

♡ Tag List : @strflp @sayumiht

[letomills]

TS2 CC downloaders & creators discussion recap

Under the cut is a recap of the feedback gathered from the comments, community replies and reblogs on this thread. Thank you for taking the time to give your input! I tried to organize everything clearly in categories, with what was most often brought up at the top of each. I hope I didn’t forget anything. If I did, or you feel I didn't do your point justice, or you didn’t get a chance to say your piece, feel free to comment (I can always make edits). The text in brackets [] is my own remarks that I'm adding to the report.

About CC in general:

The people clamored for clear swatches/pictures that show which file corresponds to which recolor, so we can pick and choose what to keep.

Many people would like creators to put their usernames in their file names (or object descriptions) so they are easier to trace back to later. Two creators had counterpoints to this. One who has a long username said: “as a creator, I don't like to be told how I should name my files (besides identifying the thing clearly, which I think we really should do). If I've made the effort to make a thing, take previews, upload it, write the post etc. Just spend 5 seconds of your life renaming the file to whatever is convinient to you, I'm not going to add 16 characters to each of my files to include my username (I still think that longer names = longer loading time).” The other creator said: “As a creator, I don't want to put my full username in tooltips (just SB) because some hair names are quite long and I do not have the time to re tooltip the names.”

On the topic of file names, many people agreed that creators should not put special characters and spaces in their file names, to optimize loading times. One creator clarified: “the filenames should always have _ instead of spaces, as apparently this allows the game to load them easier/faster [...] underscores should be the only kind of special character in them” [use the Bulk Rename Utility - see tutorial by @ilovethesims2cc].

Still on file names, a Mac user said they dislike when file names are too long because apparently long file names are enough for Macs to shit themselves [sorry if I misunderstood, never had a Mac].

Several people mentioned disliking poorly optimized CC (one person listed: “bulky for no reason, unused bump maps, comically large or duplicated textures, things that could easily be repo'd but are not”), one person pointed out: “There is no reason a TS2 object needs a texture bigger than 1024x1024 unless it’s a special case like a skybox.”

One person said they dislike when a CC post lacks basic text info about what the download is. On this note, another person said they dislike when a creator isn’t clearly stating what mesh their recolors are for.

Two people asked that creators state their stuff’s polycounts.

Two people said they dislike when the recolors for a piece of CC are only available merged together, as they want to be able to easily choose which they want to keep. On the other hand, someone who “takes all recolors anyway” said they would like creators to offer a merged version of their recolors [you can merge CC to reduce loading times using LazyDuchess’s CC Merger].

One person recommended avoiding just using “here” as hyperlink text, but instead describing what you are linking to, so that if the link gets broken we still have a chance to find the thing. In the same vein, they and another person advised against reliance on an image alone to give info about the download. As we know, images can disappear, and a Google search won’t lead to the item if your post has no text that Google can detect.

About the images that creators do show, one person mentioned a download not having a proper preview as their pet peeve. On previews, two people recommended that the piece of CC be clearly visible and the main focus. Two people said they like when a preview of the item is included in the archive (“helpful when looking through old CC”).

One person said they appreciate when creators give two download links to two different hosting platforms, in case one of them ever breaks.

One person asked for creators to always test their stuff before uploading [it should go without saying but we do see egregious things to this day]. Their pet peeve is “CC with obvious issues that can’t have been tested properly in game! Don’t just look at it in build mode or bodyshop, actually use the item in live mode. Have a Sim wear the clothing or use the object!” They pointed out as an example that some CC lights don’t light up. Someone else said: “if there are minor imperfections, that's ok! But let your downloaders know what to expect.”

One person said that they enjoy reading detailed descriptions of CC: “Share your inspos, what went wrong, tag the pieces you used if you are Frankenmeshing because I might want those items too! Creating and sharing is deeply personal, don't be afraid to share a part of who you are in your downloads if you feel comfortable doing so.” [If I may offer a slight counterpoint, I think detailed technical info + proper crediting should always be frontloaded. And then, in a separate paragraph, you can write about how you made this because your grandma used to wear something similar on those cool autumn days back when you were 6. But please, don’t expect your audience to have to parse through your life story to get the basic info they need to even understand what the download is.]

On subfolders: one person mentioned that they dislike when individual files are placed in subfolders; someone else said they don’t like many subfolders within an archive; a third person said that when downloading a ‘bulk’ CC pack, they dislike when each item has its individual subfolder (unless the object has dozens of recolors).

One person said they dislike downloads that include a large number of things that aren’t all part of a single coherent set.

One person said they dislike gift/mega packages that don’t give the possibility to pick and choose what you’re downloading.

One person asked that creators compressorize their CC, unless there is a good reason for not doing so, reason that should be stated [yes please! Use jfade’s Compressorizer, found on this page].

One person said they like when creators who make recolors give a link to the mesh they are recoloring whenever possible, even if the mesh is included.

One person mentioned appreciating when creators include base PSDs in their downloads [they were talking about hair specifically but I suppose it can be done for other things too].

About Bodyshop CC specifically:

Many people mentioned disliking when a piece of clothing lacks a fat morph (as one person put it: ✨“its literally bigotry”✨ [iconic]), or has a fat morph that's blatantly a quickly WSO’d afterthought. Someone said: “Absurdly shaped/clipping fat morphs that were most probably never tested in game before uploading are pretty annoying”; someone else said: “I make male content and am constantly flabbergasted by some of the UM Top fat morphs that make no attempt to align with Bottom items, or look completely ridiculous. [...] WSOs are a great starting point, but that's just it: a starting point" [I couldn’t agree more]. One person added that clothes should also have preg morphs.

One person really wants tooltips. Someone else further asked that creators give actually helpful tooltips to their recolors to make it easier to identify which recolor corresponds to which file [you can use CatOfEvilGenius’s Tooltip utility to give your recolors tooltips that correspond to their file names].

One person mentioned gaps in meshes being their #1 pet peeve [putting this in this section because I’m assuming they’re referring to Bodyshop CC].

One person asks that creators give their accessories unique BIN numbers to make them layerable with other accessories.

The same person would like creators to remember to delete the inapplicable ages in their accessories [this also goes for hairs].

The same person also appreciates when creators make custom thumbnails for their accessories, “especially for accessories that are not on the face”.

The same person said: “Accessories that are 'part of the sim' (like ears, tails, etc.) should be showerproof”. Another person had the same request: “Body part accessories (such as animal ears, tails, horns, wings) should be available for all types of clothing.”

One person appreciates when hair meshers specify if their hair is animated or not.

One person would like to see more hairs for toddlers and children.

For geneticized skintones, one person said they find it helpful when the genetic number is indicated in the file name.

About Build & Buy CC specifically: 

Several people said they dislike when CC objects are set to an absurd price (like a couch for 1 simoleon) [this can be fixed with Pick’N’Mix’s Object Relocator], and two people added that they dislike when an object’s price isn’t congruent with their stats (like when an expensive bed has a low energy score). A creator further said: “whats worse is sometimes items are cloned from a very expensive item, and then the creator has reduced the stats shown in the description, but the bhav still has very high ratings, or sometimes it can be the other way around, an item might have been cloned from a cheap one, then their displayed stats are set to 10 but the bhavs still have low ratings”.

Three people said that they really appreciate when creators state which category their object is in and what the price is. One person said they appreciate when creators give info about how their object functions (“Is it just deco? Does it have hobby enthusiasm?” etc.). For complex objects, they like when there’s a video to show how it works. 

One person said they dislike when creators place objects in categories that don’t make sense. Someone said more specifically that they like when objects are put in categories other than deco/sculptures or deco/misc.

One person said they dislike blank object descriptions or object descriptions that were left the same as that of the Maxis object that the piece of CC was cloned from.

One person said they don’t like when objects aren’t enabled for quarter-tile placement [can be fixed in simPe or with the Object Relocator].

One person said they dislike non-functional objects (like a sofa that’s a sculpture).

One person brought up two experiences they and their friend had with CC beds that didn’t have unique GUIDs and therefore would override other beds. In the same vein, someone else said they dislike when a creator forgets to mention that their CC is not custom but default and will override something in the game.

One person encourages creators to learn about the TXMT settings of objects (e.g. should an object be reflective?) and praised @pforestsims and @shastakiss for their CC in that regard. Another person said they dislike when an object is too shiny, which is also a TXMT setting.

One person said they dislike “transparent cut out textures”. [I quote because I’m clueless about this:] “I’ve seen this a lot on TS3 or other game conversions, where the texture has been imported without enabling transparency, and you get ugly squares around draw handles and such. Import the texture as DXT 5 and enable AlphaTest in the TXMT.”

One person said they like when 4t2 conversions have several subsets.

The Mac user among us would like creators to resize their walls and floors for Macs, otherwise they show up grey in game.

About lots specifically:

Two people said they like when creators show the floor plans of their lots.

[shinekocreator]

It seems the Nimona fandom has decided that Ballister is god and the best at everything, and I'm here to fix that, so here's a list of things I think Ambrosius would be better at than (or on the same level as) Ballister (this is about the movie versions, feel free to add your own or argue in the reblogs):

Cooking 🍳: after he saw Ballister cooking for himself for the first time, Ambrosius took interest (it was also a major reality check for him. He started learning on his own and took some classes, primarily because he wanted to impress Ballister and feel like he was good enough for him. On their first date, Ambrosius took Ballister on a picnic, all the food was made by Ambrosius himself. He also partially learned how to cook BC of his allergy.

Socialising: he hates it, but he can do it, with Bal it's a problem of anxiety, with Amb it's a problem of will.

Botany 🌿, zoology 🐺, and psychology🧠: Bal has a better grip in biology, chemistry, maths, engineering, and physics, but when it comes to behaviour patterns, Amb is better (botany is because it's something Amb is extremely passionate about)

Which brings us to gardening 🧑‍🌾: partly because I want to believe that Amb still has some similarities to his comic counterpart.

Long range combat: Bal has hand to hand and short range combat in the bag, but in long range combat Ambrosius is better (he underperformed in some of his tests on purpose so they couldn't kick Ballister out)(that's also why they're the dream team). He's also better with long range weapons (archery and sniper guns)

Reading 📗: Bal and Amb have about the same level of reading comprehension, but Ambrosius can read slightly faster.

Kids 🧒: Amb and Bal have the same level of skill in handling kids, but when it comes to levels of popularity, the closer to the outskirts you are, the more popular Bal is and vice versa, the closer you are to the central city, the more popular Ambrosius is.

Dancing 💃: when it comes to the club, they have roughly the same dancing skills, but Amb isn't as shy, when it comes to partner dancing (ballroom and Latin) Amb is better.

Walk in heels 👠: Bal can do this, but still struggles a little when it's 4 inch heels or longer, Amb can handle high heels without even the slightest bit of a struggle.

Diplomacy: Bal has the ideas, Ambrosius does the talking.

Social media: I think this one is self explanatory, Ambrosius has a better hang on how social media works.

Humour 😂: Ambrosius is deemed objectively funnier because his humour is adaptive (his entire personality was perfectly curated to appeal to as many people as possible).

Now for the less safe for work

Drinking 🍸: I wanna believe Amb is slightly better at holding his alcohol, just because.

Kissing 💋: Amb is slightly more experienced, and communicative, while Bal is still learning what he prefers.

Bedroom 🛏️: see above mention. Bal and Amb were each other's first time, but Amb is better at communicating and is more flexible (he can switch positions easily, set the mood, dirty talk, dominate, submit, etc)

[terresdebrume]

Back in late September I made a poll to know what fic I should work on, completely forgetting I was about to run headfirst into the end of year rut (plus moving plus other life projects) so I ended up predictably writing nothing of substance aside from a quick snippet in an AU that has cool aesthetic but not enough foundation to stand on its legs -_-

So, as a way to finally start working on the most popular option from that poll (aka: the one where a Catland kiss is the spark that gets Payneland started) I'm going to just write and post the first draft on Tumblr and then I'll clean it up into a more proper story for AO3. @kepodewers you asked to be tagged in case that happened so watch this space (unless you want to wait for the polished version). This is based on this prompt from @stinastar which I got somewhere around forever ago^^" I'm very sorry about the delay and the rushed format, I hope it satisfies anyway! Fair warning: it starts out pretty angsty.

ETA: Important note: Like all my first drafts this is going to be posted in several snippets! I'll be making separate posts for each I think, unless the overwhelming consensus is that people would rather have a chain of reblogs

Edwin falls through the floor.

He hasn't lost control of his corporeality since his first week back on Earth and never that badly. The thought of it would be mortifying any other day, but not today. Today, it is a relief. Today, Edwin's entire being is intent on denying his death harder than it ever has before. Blood pulses in his ears as he finally comes to a stop in the basement of their building, tears burn in his eyes and in his throat, and his heart claws at the inside of his ribs with the ferocity of a hell hound. Half-blind with tears, Edwin pulls his right foot out of the ground, spins around, and rushes to the staircase as soon as he spots it.

His feet clatter up the steps, the door bangs in his wake, and when he bursts through the front door he cannot even manage to avoid running straight through Crystal. She calls out his name and Edwin slows down, trying to decide if he can stand to speak to anyone right now—

"Edwin!"

Edwin turns around just in time to see Charles phase through the door, through Crystal—continue without even apologizing to her—and then... And then his feet turn around again, carry him across the street and into the little park there, Charles' footsteps thundering after him.

"Edwin, wait!"

Edwin ignores Charles' pleading tone. He has never done that before. Not for a case, not for a reward, not even to preserve his own existence. Nothing could have forced him to ignore Charles then, no amount of danger, no amount of torture, no amount of pain. Except, it seems, if Charles himself were the source of Edwin's distress.

"Leave me alone!" Edwin yells over his shoulder, harsher than he meant but unable to stop and soften his voice.

Charles hasn't caught up with him, Edwin knows that. He is the much faster runner of the two, especially with the novelty of needing more distance from Charles than ever before. Perhaps it is that knowledge that stops him in his tracks when he hears Charles gasp.

"Edwin," Charles tries again, but Edwin shakes his head, ignoring the jogger that goes through him with a disgruntled shiver.

"Charles, please," he pleads, "please leave me alone. I can't—"

"Edwin, please, talk to me," Charles begs.

He is standing in the middle of the street, hands up as if to calm down a distressed client. He looks so genuinely distraught, so sincerely hurt, that Edwin feels bad for the way he is acting. He wishes he could be a better person. Wishes he could be a better friend. Yet, when he tries to speak his voice comes out cold and cutting in a way he never thought he could have used against Charles.

"I fail to see what there is to say. You made it quite clear before that you were uninterested in what I had to offer. It is hardly my place to be upset about where they lay instead!"

"But you are upset," Charles replies, and the lack of denial feels like a knife going right through Edwin's chest.

"Well, Charles," he says, a sob clinging to the cold fury that laces his voice, "I think you might be able to understand why I am."

"Look, Edwin, Thomas—"

"'Thomas'?" Edwin exclaims, anger and hurt dragging his voice down, making Charles flinch. "Thom—what happened to 'That Cat King'? What happened to 'Whiskers'?"

"Edwin—"

"You know, it is your right to move on," Edwin says, pressing his hands together so hard he is half afraid to damage his nonexistent gloves. "I understand that my feelings do not entitle me to your affections, but I would have thought you would at least have had the courtesy to let me know you had figured 'the rest' out! I would have thought you would at least told me so I didn't have to find out like this!"

Edwin closes his eyes, half to avoid the look of hurt mixed with almost fear on Charles' face, half to catch the flood of tears threatening to spill on his face as he remembers. Coming through the mirror. Looking around for Charles, so eager to show him the new book he acquired. Finding him sitting on their sofa, with his hands on the Cat King's hip, his head tilted back, the long column of his throat all but offered up to the other man as he cradled Charles' face in his hands and kissed him with exactly the sort of tenderness Edwin would endure another seventy years of Hell to give Charles.

"Please," Edwin repeats, "leave me alone. At least for now."

And Charles, silent and pale, nods and turns around, and leaves Edwin alone.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

What do you think about opinions that Chloe’s development was ruined in season 3 finale because Thomas didn’t like that viewers like her more than Marinette? I Don’t think that it’s true, but it gave me idea that Thomas ruined Chloe’s already few character development because viewers liked her more than Gabriel.

I've heard this theory before and it seems like a massive stretch to me. It's always possible, but I don't feel comfortable making accusations like this without some hard evidence and I've yet to see any, though it's not like I follow this guy on Twitter or anything. My knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes is all based on random things that make their way to my Tumblr feed. So if someone has hard evidence, feel free to reblog and add it, but the most likely explanation is just bad writing. Why ascribe malice when incompetence makes just as much sense and requires a lot less motivation?

Think about what this accusation is actually saying. It's claiming that an adult man willfully ruined a major element of his passion project (or even just the show that he's known for, meaning that it will define his future career) because he was salty that people liked a character that he created. That seems like a conspiracy theory take to me.

It's also not like Thomas has full creative control of the show! Head writers have power, but they rarely have total power. They're still employees and a ton of things happen between an episode being written and the final version being aired. Producers, directors, censors, and many others usually okay a script prior to an episode being animated because that's the most expensive element. Plus it's not like he's the only one who wrote Chloe's story. Every season two and season three episode is credited to multiple writers. In other words, it seems like multiple people signed off on Chloe's story.

There's also the issue of the air dates. Queen Wasp and Miracle Queen first aired about twelve months apart (October 6 2018 vs October 15 2019). Production times for animated TV shows are about that long, which would mean that Miracle Queen was probably being written or was even already set in stone around the time that Queen Wasp aired. In other worlds, every element of Chloe's journey was probably at least sketched out before the audience ever saw it start. That would mean that nothing in that story was reactionary. It just doesn't fit the timeline.

While Chloe's season three ending was a total mess, it was hardly out of nowhere. It was glaringly obvious that Chloe couldn't stay Queen Bee from the moment that we met Queen Bee. You can't willfully out yourself to the world and expect to stay a hero (or, at least, that shouldn't be a thing Felix). I was honestly baffled when they gave her back the bee in Malediktator and relieved when Marinette finally acknowledged the problem in Miraculer:

Ladybug: I'm sorry, Chloé. I should've told you this a long time ago. I might never be able to let you be Queen Bee again.

Which was, of course, the setup for Miracle Queen, further complicating this theory because it looks like less than a year passed between the world premieres of Queen Wasp and Miraculer (October 6 2018 vs May 15 2019).

I don't know if this made it to your Tumblr feed, but the Miraculous writing team announced that the writing for season six was done back in late March. The show won't air until sometime this winter, well over half a year later, because that's just how animation works and they've supposedly done things to make the animation process faster this season. I just don't see how this Chloe theory works or why it needs to be a thing when her bad writing falls perfectly in line with things like the absolute disaster that was season five. She wasn't a fluke, she was a warning of things to come.

As best I can tell, the entire Queen Bee plot was just an incredibly awkward and forced way to show how dangerous identity reveals were. Which isn't a bad plot to have, but don't do that plot and then let a bunch of other temp heroes keep their miraculous post reveal! Writers, what are you even doing?

If you want my best guess answer to that, then I don't think that the writers planned to make their story feel massively hypocritical. I think that they just did a dumb writing mistake that I've seen multiple shows do: they wrote a really cool cliffhanger ending without planning how to make that ending work in the following season. And there was no way to really make the ending work, so they end up just kind of ignoring it.

The reason why this happens is pretty simple. Most shows try to end their seasons on cliffhangers so that fans will come back for the next season. It's extremely rare to have a solid happy ending that ties everything together. This can lead to writers making questionable calls because they're pressed for time and have to come up with something that will keep the fans wanting more even if that thing makes no sense. It can also lead to writers making questionable calls because they DO have a plan for how the cliffhanger will play out, but when it comes time to actually put that plan into action, it gets shut down and now they have to scramble to make the nonsense work.

Anyway, what I'm really trying to say is that, as much as I like the concept of a redeemed Chloe joining the team, it was pretty clearly never going to happen in canon. The writing only backed that read for a brief moment at the start of season two where we got a handful of episodes that made Chloe feel less like a cookie-cutter mean girl and more like a true character, but then the Chloe plot really got going and I was just waiting for the inevitable fiery end. I actually thought that Chloe was going to be treated as a tragic character and become a true villain in season four. Instead we got utter nonsense that tossed her character all over the place to the point where I have no idea what they're even trying to do with her.

[usagii-bun]

𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐄𝐓𝐇 ( NAMOR X READER ) PT.4

in which you find a child floating in the water and you save them only for your acts of kindness to get misinterpreted by the father who is also the king of an underwater civilization.

PLEASE READ THIS FIRST : this is a story i am writing on wattpad but my wattpad version is more in detail, slightly different and has an oc ( alora ). It has 6 chapters thus far and still work in progress if you want you can check it out with the link below or use the linktree link in my bio to access wattpad but if you feel more comfortable with x reader I'll try and get all the chapters I have currently published over here in a few days

hiraeth ( namor ) wattpad | oc version!

PART 1 , PART 2 , PART 3 , PART 4

TAG LIST :

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comment if you want to be apart of the tag list or set a notification to get updates when I post ! every like, share and reblog is highly appreciated, tysm 🤍

IT WAS NOW EVENING, the sun dipping below the horizon kissing the ocean goodbye, the sky a purplish-orange color adorn with a few grey clouds as Huracan and you were still outside enjoying the last bits of the day before it was time to go back in.

You had came to term with the fact that Huracan staying with you was only going to be momentarily. You grew attached to the child due to the loneliness that you felt from staying by herself for months in isolation, away from others due to your health issues.

You wondered if Huracan was also lonely and just wanted some company but your mind now questioning if Huracan has a family, what if they are waiting for him? Worried about him and in search of him, thinking of the worst things that could have happened to him. This left you to ruminate over

your thoughts as your gaze fall on the sky, that is becoming darker and darker.

There was thunder clouds looming above you due to the hot weather you experienced today, the clouds were forming and becoming aggravated with each second that passed by— this alarming you as you walk back to the tidal pool to retrieve Huracan and putting a stop to your fleeting thoughts.

"C'mon, Hura. We need to get back in." You say, watching as the boy breaks through the surface of the water— eyes sparkling with life as he listens to you instantly, emerging from the pool only to latch onto your arm, his skin turning back into a shade of blue as you both walk home.

The rain came down. It suddenly came down heavy causing you to gasp in shock when the harsh rain pelted down onto you, you turn towards Huracan to notice that he had his eyes closed— enjoying the rain water that got soaked into his skin while you on the other hand felt a shiver tingling down your spine even though the air was warm.

Knowing that if you had to stay in the rain for way too long— you would definitely get sick but watching the boy enjoy the fresh water that falls onto him , you decided to wait a few minutes because seeing his face brighten up from just the simple feeling of rain water against his skin made you realize that the simple things in life is what makes living much better, it made you feel at ease with yourself.

A bright flash of purple and then a loud crackling noise followed by a hiss came from above you and Huracan shocks you at the loud noise and the thunderstorm that has finally brewed up, the rain became even heavier causing your heart to beat faster.

"Let's get back inside, we don't want to become fried fish today." You say, laughing at your lame excuse of a joke which Huracan didn't understand fully but he did understand that you wanted to go back inside from the way your body had stiffened slightly.

He was about to agree but then the sight of a shiny, shell that was a bit closer to the ocean water grabs his attention— he wanted to get that shell so that he could give it to you, forgetting that you wanted to go back in as he leaves your side, alarming you as he runs down the bank to go and retrieve the shell.

"Huracan!" You shout out alarmed, the rain pelting down heavily, the sky above you becoming dark— the only source of light now coming from the lighting that viciously flashed from above and the few outside lights from your house.

You slide down the steep slope to get to the boy only for your flip-flop to get stuck into something and in turn crashing into the youngster causing him to also fall and let out a small yelp.

"oh gosh, Hura! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!" You cried out, you moved to his side to see that you had slightly bruised his knee cap, crimson escaping from the bruise as guilt consumes you from being so unconscious and not watching where you walked.

Huracan didn't feel much pain from the small bruise, he was about to tell you it's okay but you tore a small part of your shirt to help stop the bleeding. A small amount of blood covered your finger tips when you wrapped the small piece of cloth around his tiny knee cap, tightening the cloth around it.

A throbbing feeling around your ankle became prominent as you gazes down at your leg, to find that you had slightly twisted your ankle due to your flip-flop getting stuck onto something— that being the whole reason you slipped.

A small cry leaves from your parted lips, the thunderstorm viciously going on above them as the rain fell down. Your body was drenched in rain water, making you shiver adding more to the pain you felt in your ankle.

"Y-Y/N!" the young child cried out grasping onto your shoulders, he gazed at you to find that tears were also trailing down your cheeks with the rain water, your hands covered in wet sea sand and dabs of blood.

This made tears to form in Huracan's eyes, he was now scared and worried about you, the person that took care of him like he was their own child— he didn't know what to do to help you, making him feel even more worried and scared as the thunder flashed and rumbled.

Your body that trembled suddenly went stiff, your blood running cold— you felt like you and Huracan were being watched.

You were right.

The sound of something fluttering, similar to the sound of a rattle snake mingled with the harsh noises of the rain, lightning and the waves that crashed close by.

The fluttering sound stops , it suddenly goes eeirely quite, Huracan's whimpers go silent and before you could comprehend whether you was just feeling paranoid —something grasped the collar of the shirt you wore and pulled you harshly away from Huracan, throwing you to the other side away from him.

You heard Huracan scream your name out, your body feeling extremly numb, the world around you spinning while terror sunk into every firbe of your being.

Your neck twists to the side to see what had thrown you so viciously away from Huracan, fear laminating in your eyes, your gaze being met with the tip of a sharp spear, your body flinching away from it in terror but it was now pressed against the side of your neck in a threatening manner to slice your head off clean.

The lightning struck again, giving you a better vision of what was being hostile towards you , your eyes widening when your gaze falls on a man— his entire being radiate regality from the way his body oozed confidence to the jewelry that was adorn upon him. His chest covered in some sort of metal that was beautiful crafted, the same type of metal also adorning his biceps and wrists.

She also noticed that he had pointed ears, adorn with jewels just like the rest of him.

You shakily raise your hands, to say you was no threat or harm but this act seemed to make the man even more infuriated when he spotted dabs of blood smeared on your finger tips and then seeing blood around the area where Huracan was.

"How dare you take my son away and harm him?"

Shit. Was the first thought that came to your mind, you was right, Huracan did have someone to go back to— your thoughts being cut short when the cold tip of the spear pressed even closer to your neck that you could feel the pressure tearing slightly into your skin.

Your words were stuck in your throat from fear, you couldn't formulate a response except for a shaky breath to escape past your lips, your body trembling from pain and fear.

Due to your lack of response that made the King even more agitated, his spear was about to press into the side of your neck but tiny hands wrapped around his arm, holding it in place before he could slash at you.

"Father, please don't!" the young child cried out in his own language, this alerting the king who turns towards his son— the furious look that had adorn his face moments ago was replaced by one that was filled with worry.

"Huracan, my child. Are you alright? Did it hurt you?" his voice venomous when he says the word it , you didn't understand what they were saying but from the side glare the man had passed to you, you knew he had said something about you.

"No! Do not bring harm to y/n, she had saved me! Please do not harm her, she didn't do anything wrong. If you want to punish someone, father— it should be me, I should have never left Talokan." The boy sobs out, hearing Huracan's broken voice made your chest hurt— your eyes squeezing shut to prevent any tears from escaping as everything around you started to spin, the world around you becoming blurry as all the pain you felt physically and emotionally became blunt.

Your vision being filled with black dots that became larger until your eyes closed completely, body slumping into the sand— the fear you felt along with the pain made you fall unconscious this grabbing Huracan's attention, the boy letting go of his father's arm to rush towards you.

A cry leaves past his parted lips, his hands reached out to hug your cold body against his.

"Look what you have done, father. You killed her!" The boy says inbetween sobs, you was far from dead but to Huracan seeing your still body, no warm smile on your face and your eyes that twinkled with care and affection was no longer there— you looked dead to him.

K'uk'ulkan looked down at you. His son held onto you so gently, the rain easing down — the thunderstorm slowly clearing up.

"Hura.. she's not dead." The king says while his inner voice says  'well not yet'. He didn't trust you, this human but the way his son held onto you like his own life depended on you— he could not just kill you after he found out you had saved his son.

"You have to help her then or else I'll hate you forever." Huracan suddenly spat out— eyes shining bright with anger and saddness, his words stung K'uk'ulkan , his heart aching at the words his son spewed at him. An expression of hurt forms on K'uk'ulkan's face, a soft sigh leaving past his lips.

He glances down at your unconscious form that laid on the sand, his son's words floating around in his mind. He bends down towards you, taking in your features— noticing your skin has gotten paler and your ankle was swelling.

He was not keen on helping you, a surface dweller, he had hate for these disparage creatures but seeing how his son has become attached to you, clinging. He couldn't just kill you.

With one last glance towards your unconscious body, he looks back towards the raging ocean as he signals for Namora to come to him. He turns away and looks down at his son, his heart softening when he sees the tears on his cheeks as he sighs lightly.

'I'm only doing this for you my child.'

PART 5

[reidslovely]

I wanna know how frst Peter reacts to reader getting a preganancy scare! Like what's your version of him in it? Maybe a small blurb?

Stop because I've had this thought before and I've asked people about it but I've never been asked this. I think it would go something like this…

TW: mentions of pregnancy, and throwing up

instead of ‘hearting/liking’ this post please reblog or comment

You were sitting nervously on the steps of Theta Tau, hands balled nervously in your lap.Eyes directed to the stone pavement in front of you, head shooting up at every pair of nike panda's that came into your sight. A few of the brothers offered you to come in and wait for Peter as they got back from classes, confused as to why you were sitting outside the door of the house like a vampire scared to cross into a church.

"Parker put your ass out already? I can kick his ass." Harry offered. You smiled back putting your hand up.

"All good Harry I just I need to catch Peter as fast as possible talk to him about this project thing."

You lie through your teeth and the bile is creeping up your throat again. You couldn't be pregnant..could you? You guys had been safe..most of the time. But nothing is fully effective, you both understood the risks you just...never thought it would happen to you.

"Okay well he was leaving Octavius' lab about fifteen minutes ago should be any moment now."

The pregnancy test in your bag screamed at you. Well the pregnancy tests..plural..three. "Thanks Harry."

"Yeah no worries see you tonight." He whispers, looking over his shoulder skeptically. "Wait Har..?"

"Yeah?"

Harry was Peter's best friend, he'd know how Peter would react and if you knew..it would make this all easier.

"What are you doing here bashful?"

The nickname sent goosebumps down your body, and not the kind that makes you excited to feel one's presences. The kind that makes you feel like a little kid standing in a mess they created afraid to move.

You turned to Peter a smile on your face. Greeting him with a hug and kiss, hands grabbing at his jacket. Noticing the immediate switch in demeanor his arms are around you in seconds...hands ripping out the earphones in his ear.

"Okay, it's okay. Your hearts beating so fast." He whispers. "I hear it, it's okay." He whispers, his face showing no change not wanting to alert Harry.

You two snuck past everyone, the only person alerted was Harry who didn't push any further than what he was invited into. Sneaking up to his room, he pushed a chair under the handle and sat you down quickly.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm pregnant."

You don't know why you said it like that.

Peter's jaw dropped slightly and color drained from his cheeks, you both thought he was on the verge of throwing up like you had all morning.

"You're sure?" Before you could get your words out he's spiraling out hands shaking and talking faster than normal. His mumbles falling out under his breath hands shaking as they held your knees.

"No I have tests in my bag, I wasn't ready..I couldn't take them alone."

Panic still laced every movement he made, his hands coming up to hold your face. "Okay..lets do it."

So he stood with you in the bathroom facing the door, wanting to give you some shred of privacy, his head leaning against the painted red wood of the door his life flashing before his eyes and you felt yours crumbling down as you dried your hands.

"It's okay, okay we can do this whatever the outcome is we can do this." You whisper holding his shoulders turning him to face you.

Peter nodded, his hands rubbing your shoulders. "Octavius just started paying me it's not a lot but I've got plenty saved up." He spoke in a shaky tone, the muscles in his neck tight but he looked at you with such loving eyes. He meant everything. "We could do this. Yeah, we could live here..or not" He says after seeing the way you hunch your body forward with a laugh. "the summer before my freshman year I turned the attic of my house with May into a little like apartment we could live there until we can afford something. And I find a way to work and provide for us." He flattened out your hair tucking it back.

"I can work Peter..I'd just be pregnant. I could still work at the office."

"No, I wouldn't have it." He jokes kissing your head. "You'll be so tired already, and I'd love nothing more than to come home and take care of my girls."

"You're girls..we don't even know if I am."

"Well I think either way we will have a girl. I'm a total girl dad, look at me."

You smiled and pushed your face into the soft fabric of his polo shirt, your tears absorbed into the fabric.

"I've got you..I'm not going anywhere. I love you so much bashful alright, you're my girl."

'You're my girl' was the best way to be described by Peter, it was like a status symbol. Parker's girl got all the attention, all the coolest parties, it was one that got you known pretty well around campus. Peter was gonna take care of you, and you felt so silly thinking anything else.

Peters hand rubbed circle around your lower back, his free hand rubbing against her stomach at all the what if's. He was nervous but he could do this, he'd always wanted to be a dad. This was a little earlier than expected but, he could do this. "If it makes you feel better I can only hear your heartbeat." He laughs

"It's to early to hear another one this early.."

"You never know. What are you gonna do if my radioactive jizz makes our baby come out with four legs and little fangs."

"Become a phenomenon I guess..all that news coverage would pay our little spiders way through college."

"Hey our little spider is gonna be legacy because of me. You're welcome." He laughed nuzzling your face to his. You smiled, rolling your eyes in response. The timer rang out through out the bathroom and you looked at him. "I can't do it..I can't look."

Peter nodded closing out the timer, and walking over to the sink. You felt a peace in knowing whatever it was gonna be you'd be fine and safe with Pete.

"Well.."

__

Ahhh cliff hanger!! I'm a bitch I know but I couldn't decide on what I really wanted the results to be so I didn't :) love you 🫶🏼

also do y'all want me to start adding my tag list to blurbs??

tag: @helloheyhihowdyheya @sincericida @moonyslove78 @a-lumos-in-the-nox @messymissy @adhdhufflepuff @toomanyfictionalboyfriends @ateliefloresdaprimavera @eevylynn

[thesupernaturalhouse]

Are you ready!!! I have finally FINALLY finished the hellverse worldbuilding/rewrite project and I've added a lot mroe stuff then just info on thr rings :³

Please read and tell me what you think because I spent *checks time* 12-14 hours making all this and I'd relaly appreciate it if you guys read or asked questions about it I'm very proud of the backgrounds :³

First off!!! Is of course the rings, I'll have to reblog with the bonus content since only 10 pictures are allowed per post lol

A smart for each ring, theor ruler and native species as well as a small description background is the color that represents their ring more or less

Pride purplish red, wrath red, gluttony yellow, greed yellowish green, lust purple, envy dark teal, sloth, blue

Pride!! Short summary fo the text: prides hellborn species are ethe cannibals, they stay in route due to the infinite food glitch and look the most human out of the hellborn, whoch can be their downfall as some exorcists can mistake them for sinners. They've also adopted human behavior, such as having an overlord, and particularly have taken a liking to the 1900s style

And here's imp city as a bonus!

Next is Wrath!! And the one I spent the most time on lol

Wrath summary is thst their hellborn species are Imps, which adapt to theor surrounds actually. So while Wrath born imps are much stronger, greed and gluttony imps are faster, sloth ring I'm are faster and more adapted to the cold, pride ring imps have more normal feet to help them walk faster, etc

Wrath imps are also very heat resistant, their hot springs being lava instead, imps fork other rings have less heat resistant then wrath ones

And here's gluttony!!

Hellhoudns are gluttonys native species, and because thier the most populated species there are orphanages fudged by beelzabub, though quality varies....pride has the worse due to sinners(which while they can't damage the orphanage due to a barrier its still not the best- even greens are better) while gluttony has the best

Beelzabub juice is made and affected by the general mood of the population/citizens via their energy, which is how it gets made. It doesn't negatively affect the citizens

And next is greed!

Greed by far as the most variety of species, crocodiles, snakes, alligators, lizards, sharks, etc

On one side greed is crowded and packed full of factories and mines and crime, on the other though its liek your average city, to much info to summarize so you'll have to read it yourselves

Next up is lust!!

Lust is basically hells version of ls Vagas, like greed one side if filled with sex shops and clubs and casinos, while the other is a relatively tame and normal city

Greed produces the gems while lust enchants them due to lit demons being the only hellborn species to have enough magic to enchant stuff

Next up!! Envy!!

Envy on the surface is simply an island surrounded by water, but that's simply for the non natives becauseudeewtaer is where the realy envy city is she their hellborn species can breath underwater and are also the only ones able to touch salt without getting burnt

Due to envy just being one giant ocean, they have a lot of resources, fish, coral, sand, rocks, etc, that only they can access, making it the most wealthy ring. Which also affects its citizens and makes them more introverted as their better than even else in their minds

Here's a little capital/under the water Pic as a bonus!

Next up is sloth, which I finished today at like, 1 am lol

Sloths native species consists of bovidae, specifically sheep, antelope, rams, giats, etc. They tend to stay on the softer color scale, but here they are born, which can affect what colors they are(paradise was born in gluttony and is half succubus due to the wings)

They actually eat dreams, or, not really, dreams but more the energy that demons produce whilst dreaming. It doesn't harm them and, in some cases, actually helps them if they have a nightmare.

That's all for now, the slides go into far more details than I did in these short summaries so please read them, I worked really hard on them and would appreciate the support and any questions are also welcome!

Again I'll reblog with the bonus content, or jsut make a nether post caus ei can't add anymore pics to this post🥲

[nekoannie-chan]

Bound

Bound

Title: Bound.

Fandom: Marvel, Captain America.

Ship: Steve Rogers X Reader.

Word count: 296 words.

Square: 3 “Bound.”

Rating: Teen.

Summary: You and Steve have a special bond.

Major Tags: Fluff.

Additional tags: This is my entry for the @fandom-free-bingo Valentine edition.

Links: Wattpad, Ao3, Spanish version.

@saiyanprincessswanie

My native language is Spanish so I wanna improve my writing skills in English if you notice any mistakes, please let me know and I will correct them.

I don’t give any permission for my fics to be posted on other platforms or languages (I translate my work myself) or the use of my graphics (my dividers are included in this), I did them exclusively for my fics, please respect my work and don't steal it. There are some people here who make dividers that anyone can use, mine is not this type, please look for the other people. The only exception is the ones I gifted 'cuz now belong to someone else. Please let me know if you find any of my works on a different platform and are not one of my accounts. Reblogs and comments are always welcome.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's characters (unfortunately), except for the original characters and the story.

Add yourself to my taglist here.

My other media where I publish:  Ao3, Wattpad, ffnet, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter. 

If you like it, please vote, comment, and give me feedback to improve my skills and reblog.

Tags: @sinceimetyou @unnuevosoltransformalarealidad @navybrat817 @angrythingstarlight @shield-agent78 @charmed-asylum @pandaxnienke @real-fbi @Smokeandnailz @white-wolf1940 @tenaciousperfectionunknown @xoxonotme @bluemusickid @leyannrae @Harrysthiccthighss @Marvelatthisone @caplanbuckybarnes @sapphire-rogers @lizzieolseniskinda @notyourtypicalrose @hallecarey1 @nana1000night @talia-rumlow @writingshae @alexxavicry @azulatodoryuga @daemonslittlebitch @chaoticcollectivenightmare @endlesstwanted @chemtrails-club  @marigoldreamer @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @Here4thefanfics @theestorm @patzammit @kmc1989 @somegirlfromasgard @rogersbarber

As soon as you walked through the door of the café, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and freshly baked bread enveloped you. You made your way to the far corner of the place, looking for the usual spot; you settled into the wooden chair. You knew you had arrived a few minutes early, while you thought Steve had been distant in the last few weeks.

Steve approached the table, and you smiled at him.

“Hi, Steve,” you said hello.

“Hi. Thanks for coming,” he replied.

For a moment, you were both silent. Outside, the rain was starting to fall. Steve let out a sigh.

“I need to talk to you about something important,” he began. Something that's been on my mind for a long time but I haven't known how to approach it.

You nodded and clasped your hands on the table as your heart began to beat a little faster.

“Since I've been back, I've felt like things don't quite fit together. It's not that I regret coming back... leaving the past behind. But... something here, in the present, hasn't been what I expected, and, honestly, I'm not sure how to explain it, but... “ Steve paused; his gaze met yours, and in that instant, everything seemed to stop. I think there's a reason I feel this way, and it has to do with you.

“Me? “you asked, your voice barely louder than a whisper.

“Ever since I met you, I've felt a connection I've never felt with anyone else. It's as if... as if there's something that binds us together in a way that I can't explain with logic or reason. I've tried to ignore it, to try to understand it, but every time I do, I end up more confused.

“Steve, you don't have to explain everything now if you're not ready. I can wait; I'll always be here.

“No, that's what I've been doing so far, and it hasn't worked. I need you to understand what I'm feeling because I can't keep ignoring it. Not when I feel like we're... tied together somehow. I feel like our lives are intertwined in a way that I can't undo. Like you were always meant to be in my life. And it's something that scares me because... I've never felt anything like this before,” Steve continued.

“Steve... I've felt that too, but I never knew how to express it. It's as if... as if we've always been part of the same destiny, but I didn't know how to explain it without sounding... ”

“Crazy,” he said.

“So, what do we do with this? “you asked.

“We accept it.”

[shads-shipposts]

This chapter is perhaps the oldest, or was one of the first I ever drafted. It may have even been a chapter that was initially drafting back in late 2019/early 2020, although it didn't flow exactly like this. But the "flee the scene and fight your way out" essence of it has been around for a hot minute lol. Banter and fight scenes are my absolute favorites to write, and this definitely has lots of both. This is actually a shortened chapter, with part of it shifted to Ch 5 because it was pushing 5000 words. 

I loved writing all the sailors in this, but Tom is probably a fav. I love the guy, but initially I found myself making him a bit too harmless/passive so I've gone back through my drafts and tried to give him a bit of an edge. Mackenzie Crook's voice and the general way he portrayed Tom in the movie made him seem like a puppy quite often, but Tom still is a very skilled and very dangerous criminal (and grown adult with stubble for days) who can kill/has killed if the situation called for it. He's Allan's right hand man after all, so he's seen and done some shady stuff. He's still gonna be a close friend of Shadow, but there will be times when Shadow gets the reality check of exactly the sort of men she's running with. 

Enjoy this monster of a chapter! As always, make sure to reblog/like/comment if you enjoyed! 

Beginning: Here Previous: Here Next: Here Ao3 Version: Here Masterlist: Here

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“Catch that kid! Alive!”

Well ain’t this dandy? All I wanted to do was sketch the ship, now I’m in a run and gun chase scene! This is what I get for being curious!

At least this was just a dream, so I couldn’t really get hurt.

Though now was as good a time as any for my subconscious to shift scenes, placing me far from here.

Any minute now.

Any minute the docks would warp and shift and I would be elsewhere. Maybe pursued, maybe not.

Perhaps it’d be a forest, or a beach, or outer space, or some liminal hellscape found only in the most remote of fever dreams.

And yet the tall warehouses and clusters of crates remained.

And yet the distant yells of foremen and longshoremen remained.

And yet the salty musk of the sea remained.

And yet the cobblestone streets and their many puddles remained.

Any minute, subconscious! Now would be a great time to go fuzzy!

And yet…

I remained.

Footsteps came quick behind me, and close.

If my dream didn’t shift me soon, I’d be in trouble.

Blackbelt or not, running was not my forte. My fighting style was quick and brutal, so I never had to worry about stamina. Fights were only supposed to last a few seconds, otherwise they were brawls.

I was not trained for that. Not extensively, at least.

Already I could feel the acid in my muscles, the strain in my throat, and the throbbing of my teeth.

Hellfire and damnnation, please let it not be Allan closing in behind me!

He had questions, and to be fair I had a hell of a lot of my own, but I didn’t think he’d be keen on sitting down and having a calm chat about them.

I risked a glance behind me.

Not Allan, or any other sailor I recognized from canon material, but the young Boston guy. No older than me, or taller, but probably faster.

“No hard feelin’, doll!” he called. “Boss wants you back, so I’m takin’ ya back!”

Anger lent me a second wind, and I pushed ahead with renewed determination.

“Call me that again and I’ll drop your ass!” I retorted

“That fire won’t do you any favors with the boss!”

“And your smooth talk won’t do you any favors with me!”

Spotting a brick wall maybe eight feet high, I changed course and headed straight for it. Hopefully this young fella couldn’t vault walls like I could.

Let’s see if all that self taught parkour pays off!

Jumping at the wall, right foot first, the treads of my boot caught the rough brick and I propelled myself over the obstacle. I landed in a puddle, sending oily water everywhere, but at least I was gone from the bad side of the wall.

“Oh what the hell?!”

Ha! Lost him!

“Nick! Where’d she go?”

“She vaulted the wall!”

Well, that was no good. That sounded like Neil, and he could probably toss Nick over to my side.

Time to make like my name and vanish!

Spying an open door, I darted inside a warehouse and scrambled up behind some crates. I was careful to not put myself into a corner, however, because I knew my harsh breathing would give myself away. I could control it decently well, but even still.

Subconscious! Where’s that shift!?

My reprieve was horrifically short lived.

Voices, inside the warehouse.

Subconscious!

“Those footprints led in here.”

Damn puddle.

“Be careful, fellas. She’s feisty!” came Nick’s laugh.

Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.

“Anyone would be annoyed to deal with you,” another sailor snorted, voice far softer than any of the other men and carrying a hint of a French accent. “Remember, boss wants her alive. Preferably unharmed, but use whatever force needed to get her down.”

Oh, better bring the heat cause I ain’t going down easy.

Noise came from my right, and I turned in anticipation as I waited for the sailor to show himself. He sure was making a lot of noise, and I thought I even heard a crate tumble down to the floor.

The reason for all the excess noise soon revealed itself.

“Gotcha!” Nick laughed from behind, arms wrapping around my middle. He hauled me up and towards himself, but that gave me an idea.

Throwing all my weight back into him, he yelped and we both tumbled backwards, heels over head, down the tall stack of crates. Something that should have hurt like the dickens, but didn’t.

All hail dream immunity!

At least I knew for sure this was a dream, even if things were incredibly vivid.

Fine! If my dream won’t let me leave, then I won’t be stuck here with these guys.

They’ll be stuck here with me.

Down we went, Nick having a much worse time than me judging by the yelps. It was a long way to the cobblestone floor, the sailor who made all the noise rushing to beat us to the bottom where another sailor waited.

From what little glimpses I got, I thought the man at the bottom was the sailor I’d locked eyes with while talking to Neil.

Big guy, burly with broad features, and wearing a signature black scarf covered in red floral designs.

But I couldn’t really be sure, tumbling backwards Loony-Tunes style as I was.

What was sure, though, was I didn’t plan to fight three guys.

Take out as many as you can as fast as you can.

As we neared the bottom, I kicked off the pile of crates and launched us both into the legs into crate-climber-sailor as he darted below us to grab me.

He went down, him and Nick ending up tangled in a pile of sore limbs, leaving me free to spring free and get ready to square up with the remaining sailor.

Though I honestly wished he would have been the one Nick currently struggled to detangle himself from. I’d faced off some big guys in karate, but this fella was on another level.

Leverage. I’d have to use leverage.

In a way that did not anger this big guy for further down the road.

Or just duck and dodge. He’s big, but big guys are often slow.

“Little girl has skill,” he remarked in a thick Russian accent, giving me a smile that was surprisingly more good-natured than sinister. “But sadly will not make safe.”

“Get ‘er, Ollie!”

Ollie, huh? Show me what you got.

Diving into a shoulder roll, I sprang up and immediately changed direction and dove into another one just as his arms closed over the spot I just was. I darted out the door, immediately slamming into another sailor and taking us into the street.

I could not catch a break!

A car horn sounded, but before I could react, the sailor I ran into snatched the back of my waistband and rolled us out of the way to the other side of the street. I kicked off with my legs, aiding him the best I could.

Neither of us were gonna be able to fight if we both got flattened by multiple tons of steel.

A truce between enemies born from survival. Top tier trope.

Angry yelling followed from the driver as we tumbled to a stop, the sailor on his back and me sprawled across his stomach. We watched him drive off before finally looking at each other.

I found myself locking eyes with none other than Neil, and we stared at each other silently for a few moments before I tried bolting away. A strong arm locked around my midsection and hauled me back into an alley, but Neil tripped over his own feet when I threw my weight back and we fell again. He wasn’t about to give up, though, and I found myself locked in a grappling match that was not going my way.

Why couldn’t the other black belts have just ignored the awkwardness and taught me grappling?! I don’t know dick about this!

But I did know one thing. A move that, while not orthodox, was extremely successful due to the sheer audacity and insanity one had to possess to attempt it.

As an arm came down and tried to loop around my neck, I bared my teeth and sank them into his bare arm.

It tasted like sweat, dirt, sea-water, and engine grease.

Not that I knew what the last tasted like.

“Youch!” Neil yelped, quickly releasing his hold on me.

Diving away, I sprang up but stopped in horror as I stared down a dead-end alley. Spinning around into a right fighting-stance, guard up and front leg ready to strike, I cursed myself for not checking the direction before I jumped.

Look before you leap.

Neil knelt on the ground, blocking my way out as he nursed his wounded arm. I hadn’t bitten too hard, more concerned with just getting free via surprise, so all he had to worry about was spit and a minor bruise.

Aren’t dreams supposed to grant immunity for all parties? And that’s the second time my attacks actually had weight to them. Then again, since I’m aware I’m dreaming, I’ve probably shifted to lucid dreaming.

Inspecting the bite mark, Neil then looked up at me with an expression halfway between amusement and shock. “You just��bite me, Shortie?”

“Well pardon me for wantin’ to escape!”

He snorted in amusement, a partial smile on his face. “Apology accepted, but ‘fraid that’s all the mercy I can offer.”

As if on cue, more sailors joined him at the entrance to the alley. A guy I was pretty sure was Hobbs from the movie, Tom, Ollie, Nick, the unnamed sailor Nick fell on that I swear I’d seen in one of the games, and…

“Shit,” I hissed, locking eyes with Allan.

Did no one go after Trevor? Or did that jackass peace out like an Enderman again?

“What’s the rush?” Allan asked. “It’s rude to not say goodbye, kid.”

That easy-going and nonthreatening smile don’t fool me, Al. Tom’s the Golden Retriever, not you. You’re a German Shepherd with anger management issues or some shit.

“Oh, ya know.” I shrugged, trying to get some wind back in my lungs. “Places to go and people to not see.”

“You’ll be free to go to those places as soon as you answer some questions from the people you don’t want to see.” Allan turned to his men, jerking a thumb towards the street. “Keep watch, this won’t take long.”

Nick and the unnamed sailor stood on either side of the entrance, looking the opposite directions as they presumably kept a look out for any passersby. The others moved into the alley, pushing me further back.

“You goin’ to play nice or not, kid?” Tom asked. “It don’t have to turn ugly for ya.”

I scoffed. “I ain’t never played nice a day in my life and I sure as shit ain’t gonna start now.”

“Even trapped as you are, you still want to put up a fight?” Allan’s eyes scanned me from head to toe, an amused yet somewhat irritated smile on his face. Like he wanted to be mad but also found my theatrics amusing. “Commendable.”

Well at least he ain’t ordered me skinned alive yet.

“Nah, mate. I ain’t trapped with you, you’re trapped with me.”

Hobbs snorted, looking me up and down. “What’re we all standin’ around for? Let’s just shake the truth out of ‘er.”

“Not sure you want to do that,” Allan said to Hobbs, eyes lingering on my stance where I stood on the balls of my feet before traveling to my hands which were loose and ready near my waist.

Oh he knows.

Hobbs laughed. “Why not?”

Allan didn’t take his eyes off me. “What do you think, kid?”

I shrugged. “He’s welcome to try.”

Realization and caution flooded the faces of Neil and Tom, while Ollie stayed pretty straight faced aside from a subtle, knowing smile.

Hobbs had no such discernment. “She’s not so tough, watch!”

He came forward, reaching for my arm. I waited until he got just close enough, subtly shifting my weight to my left leg, before letting my right leg fly.

It caught him in the chest, knocking him off his feet and back towards the group.

“Nice strike,” Ollie said, arms crossed and stance relaxed as Neil erupted into laughter.

“Don’t encourage her!” Hobbs spat, slowly staggering to his feet.

“When someone says you’re welcome to try,” Neil wheezed. “That isn’t a bloody invitation, it’s a warnin’!”

“Shut up!”

“Looks like we got a martial artist on our hands, boys,” Allan remarked, looking me up and down. “No wonder she felt so safe takin’ a stroll down the docks.”

Not my brightest idea, but even in a dream I can gather Worldbuilding inspiration.

“Sad to say, kid, all that fancy dojo-learnin’ won’t do you much good here on the street,” Tom said.

“It’s served me well so far.”

“Look,” Allan chuckled, spreading his hands in a nonthreatening manner as he offered me a disarming and charismatic smile. “Maybe we all got off on the wrong foot.”

Of course he’d switch to charming and agreeable now, he had me cornered. Ol’ good cop bad cop, except Allan Thompson played both roles. Good trick, scare someone out of their wits then act all friendly so they would be more likely to cooperate and “make it easier for everyone”.

“Uh huh.”

“All we need from you is some answers,” Allan continued, stance relaxing and arms now hanging loose by his sides. “And we can all be on our merry way.”

The way you shift from threatening to trustworthy is amazing, sir. Were you not out for blood, I’d study you like a prison psychologist.

“Mmmm, not buyin’ it,” I said.

Allan shrugged, but he almost looked… pleased that I didn’t fall for it. “Can’t fault a man for tryin’, can you?”

“Oh not at all. Good performance, convincin’ tone, award-winnin’ smile. Had it all. Only a few problems.”

His small, sly smile grew.“Enlighten me.”

“You encircled me at the docks, ordered your men to chase me and bring me back, are currently cornerin’ me in an alley, and!” I gestured up and down at him with both hands. “You’re built like a fuckin’ industrial refrigerator.”

That caught him offguard, his smile fading and replaced by a frown of confusion. “A… refrigerator.”

I motioned with my hands. “Rectangular and solid.”

Neither he nor his men looked entirely sure how to react to such a statement, though I hardly blamed them for that. Neil seemed to find it amusing though, choking back some laughter.

“Aside from… that,” Allan said slowly after a long pause. “What’s stoppin’ you from just answerin’ a few harmless questions?”

Are you challenging me, subconscious? Since when are introspective moments part of my dreams? We do chaos and non-stop action, none of this chatty stuff.

Call me colorblind because the amount of red flags I wasn't seeing about the reality of the situation was honestly laughable.

“Drop the act,” I said. “You and I both know that sweet talkin’ is empty and I ain’t so stupid as to be charmed by honeyed words. This information isn’t somethin’ I walk away after givin’.”

“And what information is that?”

Information I am not willing to revisit unless forced.

I may be the queen of cringe, but never ask a ruler what atrocities they committed to secure their throne.

I said nothing, readying myself for a fight.

His expression changed, the easy-going smile shifting to something not quite sinister but definitely not friendly. “We’re gettin’ those answers, kid. One way or another.” His tone darkened. “You want to play rough, we can play rough.”

He snapped his fingers.

Hobbs flanked his right with a blade, Neil his left with nothing but his bare hands. Tom stood back, waiting and watching the scene unfold with sharp eyes and a hand on his hip close to what I knew to be a firearm.

“Four corners, huh?” I asked, shifting into a ready stance with my weight on my toes. “A gun, a knife, and fists. All I need is a kicker.” My eyes shifted back to Allan. “You good at round-house kicks, mate?”

He didn’t say anything, still bearing that dangerous smile that sent shivers down my spine yet also brought a similar smile to my own face.

“Think this is a game?” Hobbs demanded.

I flashed a toothy grin his way. “Play ball, bitch.”

Allan sighed in mock remorse. “If you insist.”

Hobbs came first, blade aimed for my leg. A simple horse stance to horse stance paired with a wrist throw took care of him.

Neil was next, swinging wide with a sloppy haymaker that didn’t make much sense given he had to know that was one of the easiest things to block, but he’d already proved enigmatic in his methods so I didn’t spend time questioning him. I just stepped in, blocked the punch on the inside of his arm, and wrapped my hand around the back of his neck. By a stroke of luck, I threw him into Hobbs and they both went down.

But now I found myself facing Tom, or rather, not facing him.

He locked me in a strong bear hug from behind, but unlucky for him this was also one of the easiest attacks to break.

Drive my heel onto the top of his foot but pull it enough to not hurt too bad, punch out and step into a horse stance to break the hold, elbow to the gut to wind him, grab the arm.

Kneel.

Bend.

Flip.

Tom fell hard onto the cobblestones in front of me, arm trapped in an armbar, but as I drew back a fist to strike his ribs, I found myself unable to commit.

Blue eyes staring up at me in alarm did not help matters.

Instead, I threw his arm away and dove into a shoulder roll to escape before he could spring up and grab me.

But what was waiting for me was worse, and I sprang to my feet to find Allan’s pistol pointed straight at my chest. I knew how to disarm him, but I risked the trigger getting pulled and the bullet hitting one of the others. If I could just get him to shift slightly, then I only risked the wall getting hit.

Unless it ricocheted…

“Hey, what gives?” Hobbs groaned, cradling his wrist. “Why does Tom get let off easy?”

“Maybe because he didn’t try stabbin’ the kid!” Neil smacked him over the head. “What were you thinkin’, dickhead?!”

“I was just aimin’ for ‘er leg! I wouldn’t hit anythin’ vital!”

“You cut ‘er bloody arm!”

He did? I didn’t… feel anything?

“She doesn’t seem any worse for wear!”

I glanced down at my arm.

Shoot, sure enough there was a leaking gash about two inches long on the underside of my forearm.

Well, they did say getting cut was unavoidable even if you had plenty of skill and speed-

“Tom, get ‘er!”

Act!

I stepped in, both hands grabbing the top of Allan’s and forcing the gun down away from the rest of the men. For some reason, it didn’t go off. Snatching it from his grasp, I slammed my foot into his gut and drove him back. The force sent him off his feet, just like Hobbs, but before he recovered I had the gun ready and aimed at him as I put my back to one of the walls.

I’d never be able to pull the trigger, even with it just aimed at his foot, but I just hoped they wouldn’t know that.

Allan did notice, however, where I was aiming and where my finger was; resting along the barrel, far from the trigger. Still kneeling, his eyes traveled from the gun to me, slightly narrowed. Tom came up from the side, cautiously, but Allan stopped him with a hand.

“Why would you risk gettin’ shot to get the gun?” he asked, one hand over his stomach where I nailed him as his words came out somewhat breathlessly.

Guess even when pulling it, the kick winded him.

Yay for four years of equestrian prior to five years of karate.

He slowly stood, eyes trained on mine as he leaned against the wall opposite to me and took a breath. “Only to aim it somewhere that wouldn’t even stop your attacker?”

“Mind your business.”

He raised an eyebrow, carefully pushing himself off the wall. “Considerin’ I have my gun aimed at my foot, think it is my business.”

“I ain’t lookin’ for a murder charge.”

Dream or no dream.

Not that that is the whole reason.

“Did not stop you from trying to break neck in warehouse,” Ollie commented, still standing calm as could be near the front of the alley with Nick who watched me with wide eyes.

A shove from Ollie sent him back to his watchdog post.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures and all that,” I mumbled.

Ollie tilted his head. “You are not desperate. Dedicated to escape, but not desperately seeking.”

“Didn’t realize I was bein’ chased by a buncha shrinks.”

“He’s right, though,” Allan said. “You’ve not once been lethal. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“Sure was painful,” Hobbs grumbled, shaking his wrist.

Allan stepped closer, and I raised my gun to his arm.

He shook his head. “Again, not lethal.”

“Good trigger discipline,” Ollie commented.

Allan stepped closer again, hands still at his sides.

I still couldn’t bring myself to aim at his face. You never aimed a gun at something you didn’t intend to shoot. Aiming it anywhere near him was already breaking that rule.

Instead, I warned, “Back! Don’t test me, mate, I’ll pull this trigger.”

Lies. All of it lies.

I knew that… and so did Allan.

We were in the 2011 movie, but I was not dealing with movie!Allan. I was dealing with some variant of the one I originally wrote all those years ago; smarter, more cunning, and a lot sharper than anything the movie even hinted at. The charismatic side was new for me, but very unwelcome. I didn’t know how to even begin thwarting it, and he fucking knew that.

“Come on, then.” He opened his arms. “Pull the trigger, kid. Shoot me down.”

I looked into his eyes, reading the challenge there clear as day. The moment I pulled the trigger and hit any part of him, the others would pounce. They’d already tried attacking separately once before; they would not make the same mistake twice.

We were both within striking range, both able to absolutely ruin the other’s day. But still we stood unmoving, staring the other down. Locked in a battle of wits, a battle which neither party was going to give up easily. There was too much at stake to walk away.

Tom stepped into my field of view, slowly. “Hey, kid. Just drop the gun, yeah?” he tried, a hand reaching out. “Ya can’t hurt us. Not wit’ that.”

“Don’t mistake my inaction for inability,” I growled, not taking my eyes off Allan. “I know my way around a gun.”

“Ain’t that. Ya don’t wanna pull that trigger, trust me.”

Neil and Hobbs were cautiously approaching now too, staying back at a gesture from Allan. The first mate didn’t take his eyes from me, however.

They were way too calm considering I had a loaded gun. Or…

My eyes widened.

Did I?

Grabbing the slide, I aimed away from Allan, who just watched calmly, and I looked inside to find an empty chamber. Ejecting the clip, I found it to also be empty.

They weren’t scared of the gun because there was no reason to be scared of it. It was useless, unless I threw it at one of them. That wouldn’t do any good.

“You gotta be shittin’ me!” I whined, dropping the gun after reinserting the clip.

Allan reached out with his foot and slid the gun behind him, where Ollie picked it up. “Tough luck, kid.”

“Shut up,” I grumbled.

“Be best if ya just came with us,” Tom said, stepping forward only to stop when I shifted into a fighting stance and brought my guard up.

“Er, ain’t a good idea,” Neil said, shaking his head. “Can’t win a boxin’ match wit’ Tom, Shortie. He’s the second best on the ship, and he fights dirty.”

I caught that from the attack from behind earlier.

“A, I’m taller than him,” I grumbled, gesturing at Hobbs and earning a venomous glare. “So I don’t know what this whole Shortie deal is about. B, I know I can’t beat him.” I looked between the men, heart pounding against my ribs. “But I sure as hell can make you wish you left me alone.”

Dismay crossed Tom’s face, but there was an element of challenge there too. And element of warning. “It don’t ‘ave to be like this. Won’t hurt ya if ya just cooperate.”

I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as I prepared to go down fighting. “We both know it does have to be like this. Unless you let me walk outta here.” I smiled humorlessly. “And that clearly ain’t happenin’.”

Something told me he would take it relatively easy on me, but even a light yet solid hit to the diaphragm from Tom would take me down. If I was bad at grappling, boxing was even worse.

And we already established I wouldn’t be able to hurt him.

“Seriously, kid,” Tom said again, his tone growing dark. “Don’t wanna do this.”

“Got that right, but I gotta, Tom.”

He sighed, bringing his own fists up. “Sorry ‘bout this,” he muttered, taking a step forward. “But ya asked for it. I’ll make it quick.”

I readied myself. “Right back at ya, mate.”

His eyes narrowed, but I did catch a hint of a smile.

At least I have his respect before he punches my lights out.

“We won’t ask again, kid,” Allan warned as the men all took a step toward me. “This has gone on long enough.” There was no smile on his face and no amused tolerance in his voice with his next command as the other sailors stepped into the alleyway with us. “Stand down.”

I shook my head. “No. Y’all square up.”

“Yoooo, Shadow!”

We all looked up, fight briefly paused, and rage filled me as I saw Trevor looking down at us from the roof.

“You miserable and worthless list of terms and conditions!” I hissed, drawing an amused snort from Neil. “Get your ass down here so I can at least fuck up your face ‘fore I’m torn to bits!”

He laughed. “What, after I was gonna offer you an escape?”

“Oh yeah?” I gestured angrily at the sailors. “Little late!”

“Not really! Got a little magic trick!”

“Now ain’t the time for games!”

“Not a game! Watch!” He threw a small sphere into the alley. “Abracadabra!”

It bounced off the opposite wall and landed at my feet, making the men jump back.

“Grenade!”

Shit!

[badwritinghabit]

Chef's Kiss | Carmy x fem!OC x Luca | Chapter 9

Previous Chapter | Masterlist

Warnings: Explicit smut; soft, cheesy, ooey gooey romance; no actual conflict, just cuteness. This is hardly a story anymore-- just Luca being adorable. Word Count: 4,191 Summary: Sophie visits Luca in Copenhagen and they discuss their future.

Author's Note: I ended up rushing through to "the end" faster than I expected. But I still have one more chapter planned. I have ideas for a "visiting the family" chapter but I'm also tempted to write up a "moving in" chapter. So at least one of those will still be coming. Thanks everyone for the DMs and likes and reblogs. It means a lot. I hope you all enjoy.

Note part 2: I posted the wrong version last night! I somehow excluded the cutest part of the whole thing. Sorry about that!

Sophie sat, looking out the window of the plane. It had been eight weeks since Luca had visited. Six weeks since Luca had sent her a draft itinerary of all of the things he wanted to do with her in Copenhagen. And five and a half weeks since she had bought a plane ticket to visit him. She was going to visit for 7 days. She was excited to see him again. Excited to see Copenhagen too. 

She walked off the plane feeling rumpled and in desperate need of a shower. She had never left the country before and the nine hour flight had been rough. But by the time she had made it to the arrivals gate, she was eagerly looking for Luca. She saw him holding a tiny sign with her name on it, a giant grin on his face when he met her eyes. She pulled her face mask off and rushed towards him. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her in the air. She reached up and pulled his face to hers, kissing him again. Finally. 

“I missed you.” she admitted, quietly. Lips parted for just a breath before pressing back to his. 

“Me too.” he sighed, his hand reaching up to cup her cheek, keeping her close to him. Sophie slid her hands down to his shoulders, bracing herself against him and then pulling away with a smile. 

“I’m in Copenhagen,” Sophie said, biting her lip. She felt a little giddy, feeling like she was still catching up with herself. The past weeks had flown by and it all still felt a little like a dream. 

“You are.” Luca’s warm response was followed by his arm wrapping around her.

She hugged him tightly, making him grin. When she pulled back, Luca grabbed her bags and carried them for her as he led her out of the airport. 

“Did you eat?” he asked as he looked over to Sophie. She was looking out the window eagerly at the buildings they passed on their drive to Luca’s apartment.

“Not really. I can never eat on planes,” she said, before grabbing her purse and digging through it. “I did keep the cookies though,” she added with a grin. She pulled the package of biscoff out of her bag and opened it. “You want one? The plane cookies always taste better for some reason.” He grinned at her as she fed him a cookie. 

“I’m feeding you real food when we get home.” Sophie blushed at him calling it home. She remembered her sister’s suggestion–

“While you’re visiting, you should figure out if you could see yourself living there,” Mallary encouraged as the two sat in Mallary’s kitchen. At her sister’s shocked silence, Mallary continued, “I can tell you really like him. I haven’t seen you like this in so long.” “Like what?” “Happy,” Mallary said, with a soft smile. “You deserve to be happy. Just think about it.” “It’s only been a month. And I’m happy here too! With you and the girls.”   “But you deserve to have your own life. And if Luca is half as amazing as you say he is, I think you should go for it.” “But you live here,” Sophie said, quietly. “We’ll be okay. I promise.” “I can’t just move across the world–” she was hesitant, scared.  “You moved across the country for me.” “That’s because it was you!” She was getting emotional, she could feel the tears, the sudden pressure in her sinuses, the pounding of her heart. “I didn’t just come here because I wanted to help you. You’re my sister, Mal. I wanted to live here. We spent years apart already. I want to be with you and the girls and Tim. I don’t want to leave you.”  “Sophie–” “I like him. A lot. And I’ve never felt this way about someone before. Not this fast. But I don’t know if I’m ready to leave.” She admitted quietly, feeling scared. Mallary wrapped her in her arms, holding her tightly. “You can visit here. And I can visit you. And you still have time. I just want you to think about it.”

---

Their ride from the airport went by fast and Sophie found herself looking around Luca’s apartment. It was warm. Decorated simply. A cactus on the window ledge, a small bookshelf against the far wall. It was bright and cozy and very Luca. She grinned at him as he gave her a tour. 

He offered to cook them dinner and Sophie leapt at the chance to take a shower. She walked out to a delicious meal prepared, Luca setting plates on the table for them. Sophie decided it would be all too easy to imagine herself here. With him.

—

“You have to keep me awake,” Sophie grumbled as the two were curled up on his couch. Sophie was tired and Luca was convinced she should just sleep. But she was insistent– adorably determined to stay up and go to sleep at a more reasonable hour in hopes of making jet lag easier for herself. He knew he wasn’t helping her. He had wrapped himself around her as they sat and talked on his sofa. He had spent the last few weeks looking forward to her arrival so he couldn’t be blamed for wanting to be as close to her as possible.

“You could just go to sleep early,” he said, softly, as he ran his hand up and down her arm. “I have to work tomorrow anyways so you’ll have the day to yourself.”

“Yeah but I need to be a tourist,” Sophie pushed herself up, turning so that she was facing him. “Besides, there is something I’ve been wanting to do.” She shifted onto her knees and climbed onto his lap, hands grasping onto his shoulders to steady herself. A small teasing smirk on her face. 

“What’s that?” he asked, hands reaching up to her hips to hold her to him.

“Something I’ve been thinking a lot about,” she said, leaning forward and brushing the lightest kiss against his lips while her hands softly traced up, under the hem of his shirt. “Can I?” 

He hummed. “Anything you want,” he responded. Her cheeks flushed as she looked down at him. She reached a hand up to tangle in his hair. “I’ve been thinking about you,” she said as she pulled his shirt up and over his head. He helped, lifting his arms. Her hands were on him immediately, trailing down from his shoulders, over his chest. “Every night. When I’m in bed,” voice trailing off, eyes burning into his own.

His breath caught in his chest. Having her here with him was better even than he imagined. “Was my girl lonely?” he asked. He felt her reaction to his words, thighs clenching on either side of his lap as she leaned forward to meet his lips, kissing him again. Harder. She pushed herself against him, chest pressed to his.

His hands slid under the cotton of her shorts, gripping her ass and pulling her flush against him. She moaned into his mouth and he gripped her tighter. Her name fell from his lips as he kissed down the column of her throat, nipping the skin gently. She ground down on him, gripping his shoulders tightly.

He shifted his hands so he could support her and then flipped her over, pulling her shorts and underwear off in one smooth motion. He pulled back to take his pants off too. Suddenly feverishly eager, needing to be on her. In her. It was too easy to get lost in how he felt when she was near. The warm, heady, sweet scent of her. The sound of her voice. The taste of her mouth.

His mouth was back on her and she arched into his touch. Fire shot down his spine. She hooked her right leg up around his back as he shifted to lay over her. Her hip brushed against him and he moaned at the feeling of her against him. She grasped his shoulders, nails biting into him as she pulled him closer. The little pinpricks of pain made him groan against her neck as he kissed her skin. 

He knew he needed to slow down. Needed to go get a condom. Carry her to his bed. He had planned on spending hours learning how she liked to be touched, seeing how many of those beautiful noises he could pull from her. He’d spent a long time thinking about her visit. He hadn’t planned on making out with her on the couch like teenagers– too caught up in her to take his time.

“Luca please I need–”  she said and he was lost in her again. He’d take his time later. He needed her now.

“So polite,” he groaned. 

“Fuck please- I want you.”

He slid two fingers inside her with no warning and she gasped and bucked into him. “My girl always gets what she wants.” She keened in response and he groaned, a curse slipping out as he watched her in awe. “So wet for me.” He started pumping, slowly–curling inside her as she clenched around him. She whimpered as he pulled his fingers away, her hips pushing forward, chasing the feeling. 

“I’m on birth control,” she gasped, still bucking her hips against him, needy. “If you want– you don’t need a condom.” Her pupils were blown wide, mouth open, looking at him with want in her eyes.

“Fuck, Sophie.” He leaned forward and kissed her, his hand moving down to her pelvis, his long fingers stretching up over her lower stomach as his thumb pressed against her clit with a firm pressure that had her writhing against him. “My pretty girl.”

“Let me know if you want me to stop yeah?” he said, making sure to meet her eyes before he went any further. She nodded eagerly. 

He pulled her towards him. Lifted her leg up and over his shoulder, and then slid inside her. They both exhaled together, Sophie’s a soft whine that had Luca groaning. He leaned over her, pushing into her, a string of praises leaving his lips as he started to move. “So fucking good for me.”

“Pretty girl.”

“Mine– all mine.”

Sophie’s responding whines were barely intelligible needy sounds, asking for more, gasping his name. Luca slowed and grabbed her hips, realizing he was getting too close too quickly. She whined and bucked back into him. 

“Let me take my time with you. Want you to feel good.”  

“It would feel better if you moved,” she groaned, breathless but voice still full of attitude. He laughed in surprise, grinning. 

“Heard,” he responded with a groan as he thrust back inside of her, harder. His hand slid down between them and he rubbed his thumb gently down, between her lips, over her clit, causing her to gasp and arch against him. He groaned and sped up, thumb moving faster, urging her towards her release before he found his own. 

It didn’t take long for Sophie to clench around him, moaning his name out. And he followed her, leaning forward to bury his face in her neck as he thrust into her one last time.

---

Luca tried to sneak out of bed without waking Sophie but she sighed and rolled over, looking up at him with bleary eyes.

“Off to work?” she asked, voice still rough from sleep. She had propped herself up on an elbow to talk to him.

He nodded. “Go back to sleep,” he responded quietly, his hand reaching out to gently run through her hair. “I’ll be back in the afternoon.”

She grabbed his hand in her own and she pulled it to her mouth and kissed his palm. “Have a nice day,” she said, sleepily as she let his hand go. She laid back down with a sigh, burrowing back into the blankets. 

Luca felt his chest warm. He had the urge to call in sick and spend the day with Sophie. Seeing her in his bed made the prospect of spending 8 hours away from her seem like torture. But he knew he was only working one more day and the rest of the week they’d spend together. So he turned to leave, a smile on his face at the thought of her in his apartment. Having her to come home to. 

---

“Luca, your girl has you off your game,” Alex, Luca’s sous chef said to him in Danish as Luca put down the plate he was holding. Luca grabbed the tweezers so he could start plating the dish for the third time.

“Sorry, chef,” he sighed.

“No– I’m happy for you. You should leave early. We’ll be fine without you.”

“Especially if you keep messing things up,” Tess chimed in, grinning at him. He shook his head as he finally finished plating the dish correctly. 

“We’re excited to meet her tomorrow,” Alex added as he set his own plate next to Luca’s for service. “Now get out of here.” 

“Are you sure?” Luca asked, eager to leave but not wanting to ditch his colleagues. Alex laughed at him knowingly. 

They kicked him out and Luca took their good natured ribbing in stride as he left.

He ran into Sophie on his way home, she was standing at a stall, speaking in stilted Danish to a man with a giant grin on his face. She was holding a bundle of sunflowers in one hand, a half eaten kanelsnegle in the other. 

As Luca got closer, he realized she was asking the man about the dough for his pastry and he had already grabbed a card and was writing down notes for her. 

Luca walked up and smiled as Sophie grinned widely at him in return. “Off work early?” she asked and he nodded. 

“Did you learn Danish for your visit?” He smiled at her blush.

“Barely. I only learned the basics. And also how to ask for recipes. Of course."

Luca laughed.

“Oh I got you flowers,” she said, holding them out to Luca. His eyes lit up. “I saw them and thought of your tattoo and–” she stopped, cheeks still pink. “Thank you,” he smiled at her and took the flowers along with her bag so that she wouldn’t have to carry it. 

“Sunflowers are my favorite too,” she said, hand reaching up to grasp his arm, thumb running over his tattoo. He pulled her to him a little tighter.

The man handed her the recipe card, telling her she should come back and he’d have new pastries the next day. She thanked him, her knowledge of Danish failing her as she tried to convey that she’d definitely be back. Luca helped her and the two set off back to their apartment. 

Sophie put the sunflowers in a vase on the sill in his kitchen. “They look nice in your apartment. Sunflowers always make things brighter,” she smiled at Luca as she stepped back. 

“You look nice in my apartment,” he said with a warm smile as his hands came to rest on her hips. She smiled up at him and leaned in for a kiss, her tongue teasing his lower lip, chest pressing against his. His plans of taking her for a walk around the neighborhood were pushed to the back of his mind as he picked her up and carried her to bed. 

---

Luca brought Sophie to meet his friends at a chic little bar in Vesterbro. Sophie was nervous but Luca had assured her they would all get along. 

Sophie anxiously fiddled with the sleeves of her sweater as they walked down a street lined with shops. The architecture helped distract her a little, the rows of buildings clumped together drew her interest, the lights from within spilled onto the slowly darkening street. There were bars and cafes and little stores. Some were closing for the night, others just opening. A steady stream of people walked down the streets. It felt alive. It reminded her a little of her old neighborhood in San Diego and she felt comforted by the surprise dose of familiarity.

They turned a corner and there seemed to be a street full of picnic tables laid out, clustered together near the adjoining businesses. A few groups of people were wandering around but two drew her eye immediately. A man with short dark hair in a blazer and a woman in a beautiful green dress had spotted them and waved them over. Sophie felt underdressed, nerves returning. Luca seemed to notice as he wrapped an arm around her back as they walked over.

“Nice to meet you Sophie, I’m Tess.” She introduced herself– in English, and pulled her into a hug. Sophie grinned and hugged her back. 

Luca was embracing the man, clapping him on the back as he seemed to say something in his ear. When they stepped back, Luca introduced him as Alex. Alex pulled her into a quick hug as well. 

Tess pulled her towards the bar while the two men talked. 

“It’s really nice to meet you. Luca hasn’t stopped talking about you since he came back from his trip,” Tess smiled at her and Sophie tried to hide how happy that made her.

When they got up to the bar, Sophie nervously slid her notebook from her purse. She had taken notes on how to say certain things in Danish– how to order a drink at the bar was one of them.

“Did you bring translations with you?” Tess asked with a soft smile, looking over Sophie’s shoulder. Sophie blushed.

“I’ve been trying to practice but it’s hard to remember everything,” she admitted, flipping a few pages.

After Sophie ordered her drink, Tess looked over her notes and helped her practice a few phrases, complimenting her on her pronunciation. Sophie was pretty sure Tess was just being extra kind because she could hear how stilted her voice sounded. They ended up bonding over their shared love of stationery. Tess complimented her color coded highlighting system and the two talked about their college days.

They chatted about Copenhagen, Sophie learned that Tess had worked with Luca for the past three years and they had become good friends. Sophie could see why they were close, Tess was very kind and super smart.

Tess had flipped another page of her notebook curiously and looked up at Sophie with a grin. Sophie was confused for a second, unsure what she could have found until she remembered. Her cheeks burned and she grabbed the notebook back, feeling awkward. Tess laughed and grinned at Sophie. “Jeg elsker dig. It’s a good one to learn.”

Sophie had written down how to say I love you in Danish. She knew it was soon. Didn’t even think she’d use it– but something made her look it up. She did not intend to have one of Luca’s closest friends find it written down. Possibly with a pink heart drawn next to it.

Sophie groaned and put her face in her hands. Tess laughed and reached out to put a comforting hand on her arm. “Don’t worry, I think he feels the same way about you. I’ve never seen him like this with anyone he has dated before.”

Before Sophie could react to that, Luca and Alex had rejoined them and Sophie hid her notebook away quickly. 

Their night was full of laughter. Tess and Alex were a lot of fun. Alex taught Sophie some Danish drinking words and told her all about Luca’s distracted day at work the day prior. Luca shoved him and the two bickered a little, making Tess roll her eyes fondly. Sophie was glad Luca had such good friends around– and happy she was able to meet them.

A few rounds of drinks later and Luca and Sophie were walking back to the train, Luca’s arm wrapped around Sophie’s waist. Sophie was talking about how much she liked Tess, she’d already followed her online and Tess gave Sophie a few recommendations for things to do in their last few days. Sophie was excitedly talking about a bakery Tess mentioned when Luca kissed Sophie softly on the crown of her head making Sophie’s heart race.

It was the perfect evening. Except–Sophie’s feet were starting to hurt. She had worn her cute sandals and the price of that was that her left heel had blistered. She tried to hide it but Luca noticed her favoring her right foot. He grabbed her hand to stop her from walking and squatted down in front of her. “Come on, climb up.” He patted his shoulder. 

“What?” she asked, with a laugh. “A piggy back ride?”

He grinned up at her and she melted. His eyes shining from the reflected light off the street lamps, the soft smile on his face. She felt her heart skip a beat. She shook her head, smile still on her lips and walked up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He shifted his hands so they gripped her thighs as he stood. She wrapped her legs around his waist and clung onto his shoulders.  

“We can’t have you hurting your feet. We have a lot of walking to do the next few days,” he said, voice soft and warm. She settled onto him, snuggling up to his shoulders. 

“Thanks for everything,” she responded sweetly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He squeezed her thighs in reply, holding her tighter to him.

---

Their week together sped by. 

Sophie had gotten along with his friends. She had already started chatting with Tess online, exchanging recipes and restaurant stories. Luca was impressed with her attempts at Danish but his friends were happy to speak with her in English. He was glad she seemed to fit in so effortlessly with the people most important to him. And every smile she sent him made him more confident in his feelings for her.

Their week was filled with exploring the city. Spending time with Sophie was fun. And he was not ready for her to leave.

He kept trying to get himself to ask her what was coming next. For them. He had been thinking about their options. About whether or not he could move to Chicago. He had even sent some feelers out to his colleagues, seeing if there might be a restaurant in need of a pastry chef. 

He didn’t want to move too fast. Didn’t want to pressure Sophie when she already had so much going on in her own life. But he hadn’t felt like this about someone for so long, he didn’t want to lose her. 

It was Sophie’s last night when Luca was preparing to bring up the conversation. He was surprised when Sophie got to it first.

They were sitting on his couch, Sophie’s second attempt to recreate the kanelsnegle–the Danish cinnamon roll– on his coffee table between them. She had turned to look at him, pulling her leg up under her. 

She looked at him nervously before blurting, “Before I left, Mallary told me to try to imagine myself living here. To try to use the visit as a sort of test run.” She rushed to amend herself. “I know it’s early. I mean, it’s only been two months. So I don’t want to make things weird.”

Luca just grinned and shook his head, grabbing her hand in his. “No, I’ve been thinking about this too.”

“You have?” Sophie seemed to calm a little at his responding nod. “I really like it here,” she said, voice so warm and genuine that Luca felt his heart start to pound. 

“You’re thinking about moving here?” 

“I mean, not– not right away or anything,” she stuttered a little and Luca saw she was nervous, realized she had somehow not figured out how much he wanted her there. With him.

“I looked into moving to Chicago,” he admitted quickly. “Before you even visited. So I’ve been thinking about it too.”

Sophie looked at him in complete shock. “You did?”

“Of course I did.” And her responding smile lit up her face. 

“I was so nervous to bring it up,” she admitted. “I mean, I do still want to take more time before we decide on anything. But I really like it here. In Copenhagen. And with you.”

Luca felt his heart skip a beat as she looked up at him with a shy smile. He leaned forward to kiss her sweetly. “I’d love you to move here, Sophie. But if you decide you want to stay in Chicago, I would move there instead.”

She smiled and shifted onto her knees so that she could get closer. She climbed onto his lap and kissed him, fingers tangling into his hair. He pulled away, hand cupping her cheek gently, needing her to understand what she meant to him. “I’d follow you anywhere, love.” 

Jeg elsker dig. It was too soon to say it. But she could feel it– where this was headed. And suddenly she knew he must feel it too.