#I may do both badges since I have the means to

[impistry]

Hurry! Post some art in the middle of the night while no one is looking XD! FYI, this was designed this so I could have it in time for FWA in May (debating on doing a wood engraved badge or printing this off in color and laminating it)

[the-soliloquies-of-sadists]

#371

“I’ve talked with Officer Reinhart.  We are at a loss with what to do with you.  We could arrest you and the two men over there for public sexual indecency.  I don’t know much about those two, other than the one runs a construction business and the other is an assistant coach for a high school across the state.  Arresting the three of you would ruin your three lives.  I can’t take just those two men in.  Arresting you, knowing your dad as I do, he would have my badge, Reinhart’s too.  He’s a fucking asshole, and I know you know it too.  I just have to ask, what possessed you from cruising so openly in the city where your dad is the police chief?  That doesn’t sound too smart….

“I mean you were getting spit roasted buck naked by those two men.  You may have been out of sight of the parking lot, but you didn’t even try to hide what you were doing back here between these two abandoned buildings, taking it in both ends buck naked.  Speaking of which, where the fuck are your clothes?...  In your car?...  How the hell did you go from your car to behind this wall in the daylight?...  What?  You’ve been here since dawn?  Jesus!  Were there other guys here?...  Six!?  And those two guys make eight? 

“You fucking whore.  You slut.  Faggot, you are a piece.  What the fuck am I going to do here?  I can’t just let you all go.  I need to think here…. 

“Are you…  Are you getting hard?  You are!...  Wait, are you turned on to me calling you a faggot and a whore?...  If you don’t want to speak, then nod.  Ha!  Thought so. 

“You like to be slapped around, used by men?...  You are just like my girlfriends.  I go to any one of my three girlfriends’ places, smack her across the face, and just shove my cock into any of her holes.  If she complains I just smack her again and remind her that her number one job is to drain my balls.  And if she didn’t like it, there are other bitches to go to dump my jiz in. 

“You’re just like them, another dumb cunt who lives for cum.  I bet you would love it if I did that to you.  You need to be treated like I treat her; ain’t I right?  Don’t answer.  Your pecker is throbbing.  Fucking faggot, there ain’t no way I’m going to stick my fat cock in you.

 “I bet Reinhart would.  He’s a sperm burper like you.  He doesn’t know that I know, but he is…. 

“Reinhart!  Over here….

“While he’s coming over, keep your head bowed, your hands behind your back, and your legs spread a little.  Show him how cum dump faggots behave in front of real men.

“…It seems that pussy boy here is a faggot, you know the type of queer boy that likes to get roughed up by men like us and those two over there.  Look at how he’s leaking, just from me telling him he’s shit.

“What are we going to do with them?... 

“…No shit!?… 

“Well, well, well.  Faggot, faggot, faggot.  So you told those two men over there that your dad is the chief of police, and that if you ever got caught then we wouldn’t or couldn’t do anything to you all.  You faggot.  You fucking manipulative fucking faggot.  Your dad is the one that had us set up these stings.  He’s expecting us to round up what he considers perverts.  And here you are playing games.

“Reinhart, go get those two.  Bring them over here…. 

“Gentlemen!  I would introduce myself, but let’s keep names out of all this.  Address me as ‘Officer’.  You’ll be ‘Coach’ and you’ll be ‘Foreman’.  This is ‘Faggot’. 

“Faggot here thinks he in control since his dad is my boss.  Fuck that.  This is what’s going to happen.  I still have my body cam video where it shows me approaching you two spit roasting faggot here.  It got good looks at your faces, all three of you.  I don’t have to do much to submit that video, and charge each of you.  I can wipe it away without much notice.  No more evidence.

“No I’m not letting you guys go, not yet.  You have to do one thing for me.  For all his game playing, this fag needs to be punished.  I want you two to finish what you started.  Yeah, I want you to fuck his holes.  More like rape his holes.  Smack him around.  Piss on him.  Spit in his face.  Treat him like the faggot whore he is.  Spit roast him.  This will also be filmed, but this will be low enough to hide your two faces.  You won’t be able to be identified.  I don’t want your faces anywhere in here.  And no audio will be recorded. 

“I know what I’m doing.  I’ve been filming bitches getting gang banged for years.  And I know how to get the best shots.  The video is all about the faggot son of the Chief of Police being a fucking cunt whore. 

“I want this video to use against him, or better yet, against his dad sometime later.  The chief is a strict right wing Christian. 

“Faggot.  This is your time.  Go on get back into position over that barrel you were on when I came up.  Reinhart, put the cuffs on him; we don’t need his hands in action.  Foreman and Coach get in place.  I don’t care who takes his mouth and who has his cunt.  It won’t matter as you will be probably switching holes when I tell ya. 

“Coach, I would lose the T-shirt as it has your high school’s name on it….  Nice body.  Fuck yeah.  Use that toilet whore’s mouth.  Remember to smack him if he uses his teeth.  And don’t hold back.  He’s a faggot after all, not one of these queer boys that you would want to ease up on.

“Damn, Foreman.  That’s one giant hog you got there.  It’s going to need a lot of spit.  But don’t put too much though.  Now shove it to the root.  The fag needs to feel its size tearing his cunt up.  You know what the difference between a pussy and a cunt?...  You only care for the pussy….  Now shove it in!

“Fuck yeah.  You hear the bitch screaming around Coach’s cock?  Coach, you feel it hunh?  That smile says it all.  Signal when you are getting close.

“You two enjoy yourselves.  It’s all about your pleasure and his suffering.

“Reinhart, I see you over there rubbing that sizeable bulge of a crotch.  Why don’t you take your cock out and jerk yourself?  I’m not telling anybody; your secret is safe with me.

“Fuck yeah guys.  This is how cum dump whores should be used.  Fags, bitches, it’s all the same.  Use them and then toss them aside.  That’s what they deserve.

“Hey faggot!  Look at the camera.  Let the world see that you live for sucking cock.  I can see it in your eyes that you are struggling, but that you wouldn’t want it any other way.  You have that hunger.  That need.

“Switch holes….  Coach dive in to his pussy!  Foreman, hold up.  Show the faggot your battering ram.

“Faggot look at it.  Look at how it’s all slimy.  That’s from your cunt.  A cum stew from a half of a dozen men.  It’s nasty,… but you need this nasty sludge in your mouth. 

“Fuck this faggot’s throat.  Be brutal.  The focus is on your pleasure.  His should be ignored….

“You ready to cum Coach?...  Then just dump your load….  Don’t pull out….  Fuck yeah! Do it!...  There you go!  Fuck yeah.  Fuck.  Yeah!... 

“Foreman, pull back.  Coach here needs the fag’s mouth for clean-up duties.  Why don’t you go back to his cunt and add your load. 

“Hey Coach, if you have to take a piss, just unleash in his toilet throat….  No?  Well pick up your clothes and get going.  You are free to go….  Damn!  That’s one big smile.  It’s either because you had a world class faggot drain your balls, or that you are not getting arrested….  Probably the later….  Go on.  Get out of here.

“Reinhart!  The faggot’s mouth is open.  Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell anyone you are as much of a fag as the cunt here.  I haven’t told anyone anything in the past five years, I don’t plan on changing that.  And I got enough video here for what I want.  So you don’t have to worry about me filming you either.

“Look at the faggot.  He want’s your cock.

“Hey Faggot.  Is this the first cop cock?...  No? Oh shit!  We’ll have to come back to that another time.  Look at the camera as Reinhart shoves his cock into your toilet mouth.  Now that is the look of a natural born cocksucker.

“Foreman, that’s it!  Ram that cunt.  Hell yeah!  Smack that ass again!  Harder!...  Damn you like making the faggot scream, don’t you….  Making bitches suffer gets me hard too….  You don’t have to wait for me to tell ya’, if you need to nut, nut away!  Yeah, use those handcuffs as a handle.  That’s some serious pile driving.  Don’t worry that you are causing the faggot some pain and discomfort.  That’s his issue not yours.

“Reinhart, get over here.  Let the man do what he needs to the faggot to get off….  This is fucking hot, isn’t it?  Look, your secret is safe with me.  You live alone?...  Good.  After the foreman blows his wad, why don’t you take the fag cunt home?  Finish using him there.  Before you leave, send me the foreman’s contact info… as well as the coach’s.

“Look at that!  Foreman’s getting close….  Relentlessly piling into that cunt.  That’s a fuck machine of a man. 

“GO FOR IT.  BREED THAT FAGGOT’S CUNT!  Fuck yeah.  Make sure he cleans of your cock.  Ha! Ha!

“When he pulls out of the faggot’s mouth, take the cunt back to your patrol car.  Bring him to your home.  I think to boy needs some one-on-one discipline.  I want to hear all the details afterwards.  Good….  He’s done.  Take the fag out of here….  Holy shit!  The fag is rock hard!

“Faggot, go with the officer.  Don’t worry, daddy won’t find out.  And you treat Reinhart well.  Remember, I just took a video of you getting spit roasted.  Don’t do anything stupid.

“Foreman!  C’mere.  That was amazing.  Say, you into women too?...  I’m always on the lookout of men who are willing to use and abuse my bitches with me.  Is that something you would be interested in?  Good, I’ll get your info from the officer.  You like to fuck faggots too?...  I get it; you just like to fuck, don’t ya?  You don’t care about who the hole is attached to.

“You have any bitches on the side?...  No?  What about faggots?...  You have a number on call?  That’s one of the things I like admire about the fag lifestyle, they are so… available.  It takes me some time to find an acceptable bitch.

“Are any of the ones you have like the faggot you just fucked?...  I have to say, I had a hard-on watching you pound fuck the faggot’s cunt.  I wanted in on the action.  I really did.  But fucking a fag is so foreign to me.  I fuck bitches.  But still you didn’t pull back when you were slamming into him.  I want to do that.  So, you have a faggot in mind?...  Cool. 

“I would never want to touch the Chief’s son.  He carries too much baggage with him.  And Reinhart, he’s a great guy, but I don’t know that much about him in this context.  I will find out, but I don’t want to wait.  You think you can call up a faggot for tonight?  I’m so fucking horny….  I want to fuck some ass, and not a bitch’s ass.  After watching the three of you fuck the fag, I need to try it out.  But if I’m going to fuck an ass, I want my first time fucking a fag to be the way I want: aggressive and brutal. 

“Do you have a faggot cunt to call?  Why are you staring at me like that?...  It looks like you are about to say something.  Go on.  Oh, wait a minute….  You want to be that faggot?  You want MY dick in your ass.  Don’t you?...  What nothing to say?  I’m right hunh?

“Hell yeah!  Fuck yeah, I’ll fuck your cunt.  If I’m fucking it, then it’s a cunt.  I never would have thought that you took it up the ass….  I would have thought that you—

“What?  You’ve never been fucked?  Wait, so we will be each other’s first?  Fuck yeah let’s do this.  You have any plans for the rest of the day?...  Cancel them. 

“…Reinhart just sent me your contact info.  You don’t live too far from me.  You are a couple of blocks from this bitch I dumped last year.  I guess you are going to step into her role, at least for tonight.  Come closer…. 

“…Well you handled my face slap pretty good.  This is what you can look forward to.  I get rough, really rough.  But I think you can handle it. 

“Let’s go back to my place.“I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

[fallingdownhell]

As someone who loves poly relationships and rarepairs, I got something.

May I request a poly between Childe and Ayato with a reader who's a baker? Reader's always making goodies for the boys, especially when they're at work. They want to make sure their lovers are in good health and shape, so they spoil the boys a lot.

Why is this so cute? I never really thought about this ship, and now I can't get it out of my head. Thanks for that, anon xD Pairing: Ayato x Reader x Childe Content: gender neutral reader; established relationship; general headcanons; fluff Word count: 824 words Enjoy<3

well, first, let's get the obvious out of the way. Even with you involved, it would take a long time for Ayato and Childe to get along to the point where they don't fantasize about killing the other constantly

I mean, one is a Fatui Harbinger, so it's basically in his job description, and the other is the Head of his Clan, highly respected by his people, and expected to lead them fairly

and yet still, both have fallen madly in love with you. So for your sake, they try and get along, and over time, a genuine bond seems to grow out of it, which makes you all the more happier

since Childe has a lot of travelling to do with his job, it was mutually decided between you three that you would move in at Ayato's estate, and Childe could always come and visit whenever he has free time

Usually, when the Ginger comes around, you spend all of your time either with him alone, or with all of them together. In your eyes, Ayato has you all to himself most of the time, so when Childe is here, you spend as much time with him as possible, to make up for when he was gone

even knowing your job as a baker, the boys discover your passion for baking very early on. Whenever you got some free time to spare, you like to spend it in the kitchen, trying out new recipies that you found

sure, it's part of your job, but they are genuinely happy that you get to live off of your passion. With Ayato gifting you a small shop in Inazuma City that you can design like you want, and Childe declaring few of his underlings as your workers, you're fully equipped to open up a shop of your own, something that you've always dreamed of doing

the boys are just happy to see you all happy and smiling, gushing to them about the plans you have, what you want to put on your menu, etc. They are all smiles when they listen to you, clinging onto every word that leaves your lips

even with all the baking you do at work, you still often come home and head directly to the kitchen, baking some simple cookies or such for your boyfriends, loving when you see their faces light up when they eat your baked goodies

sometimes, Thoma also comes around, drawn in by the smell of it, and he always offers to help you with it, so you can make even larger badges. Wether you take him up on the offer or not, he respects your decision

Childe also likes to help you out from time to time. However, Ayato is no longer allowed in the kitchen. He "helped" you one time, and he put so many weird ingredients in the dough, the brownies tasting so weird that you'd banned him from the kitchen. He sulked about it at first, but came to terms with it. In the end, he still gets to enjoy your baking, so he can deal with it

when Childe tells you that he has to leave again soon, you sometimes bake him stuff that's a bit more durable, so he has something to enjoy during his journey back

days spend with the two of them are either one of two things. They are either the most exciting days you've ever experienced in your life, or they are spend just relaxing and cuddling, trying to make as much of the company you get to share while it lasts

You've experienced many adventures with them, as they are often taking you out to explore the islands of Inazuma, or even to other nations where you get to try as much food as you can

they love to see your face brighten up with excitement and since they both have a lot of money to spend, they love to spoil you by buying things for you. Wether that be food, a shop, juwelery or whatever else it is you wish for. Just say the word and one of them will buy it for you

Gift giving is a big love language for both Ayato and Childe. Childe always brings many presents when he returns from another trip and Ayato surprises you with a gift at least twice a week. It's just how they express their love to you

generally, they treat you very gently and with care. They are both powerful people, but they'd never want you to be afraid of them. They don't care if others think of them as weak for that. For you, they'd gladly be percieved as such if only you are happy

overall, I'd give this relationship dynamic like a solid 7,5-8/10. With both Ayato and Childe, you are very well taken care of and loved. What more could one wish for when having them both as your loving partners?

[la-pheacienne]

Alright I'm choosing violence yet again because that's what we do in this house.

You guys are seriously creepy about adultery. Like. Seriously. It's not even a joke. In the beginning I thought this bizarre attitude was limited to fandom discourse but I don't think that's the case anymore. I think you guys will eventually need to come to terms with the fact that :

1) Adultery is not criminal behavior, at least in the Western world, since... quite a while actually.

2) Married people can and do fall in love with other people and even occasionally fuck them and this is a very real part of human experience that you need to eventually face.

3) Women who cheat on their husbands are not actually whores.

4) Being "the other woman" (funny phrase) does not automatically give you the seal of ultimate shame, depravity and ruined vagina unlike what your grandma may have told you.

5) Nobody is actually going to give you a golden cookie if you're a faithful god-fearing woman in your own marriage.

6) The fidelity of a man is not and should not be a reward for being a "good"/"correct" woman and having a faithful husband is not the Ultimate Badge of a Woman's Worth and Value unlike popular belief.

7) Likewise, having a man cheat on you does not make you Unworthy, Pathetic and Forever Ruined, it just means they wanted to fuck someone else. A man is not and should not be responsible for your value or worth, not even your husband.

8) From the list of all the harmful things a man can inflict on a woman, cheating is actually the least harmful. It is somehow rebranded as the most harmful, for obvious reasons patriarchy, which leads us to the centuries old pervasive mentality of "he's x, y and z (enter abusive, controlling, boring, horrible in bed) but AT LEAST he LOVES ME he's fAiThFuL and has eyes onLY for ME isn't that rOMaNTIC??". No, it is not. A man can cheat on you after years of being a supportive partner, giving you the best sex of your life, being a great parent for your kids, in short, after years of making your life better in all the ways that matter. A man can be blindly faithful to you and also be a horrible lover and a boring, controlling or abusive partner. Fidelity is socially treated as the number 1 undisputed proof of a man's love for a woman and number 1 undisputed proof of his value as a partner and it absolutely should not be so. This is actually a dangerous mentality and you learned it from me today.

9) Marriage vows are not engraved on our skin, they are not the unbreakable vows of harry potter where if you break them you lose your life, they are not the 10th commandments, they are not the vows of the night's watch. Marriage vows are nothing more than an legal agreement between two people and the state, and agreements are sometimes breached. People's genitals are not automatically covered with sealed concrete when they sign the paper, as much as it would like it to be so. People may agree on fidelity for life but they do preserve their bodily and sexual autonomy and free will even after marriage and sometimes they do prioritize that over their agreement because humans are just like that. I get that this very simple fact sucks, I do. But life sometimes sucks, relationships are unpredictable, people change their minds and can't/don't always want to resist on their desires or needs, and things don't always go as planned because as a general rule, you can't control other people's choices. Only your own.

10) Cheating is a morally reprehensible act, but that doesn't necessarily mean that people who cheat are inherently the epitomy of moral depravity or that their faithful partner is the saint in the relationship. Maybe they are, maybe they're not. Maybe they are both problematic, maybe the cheater is the victim, maybe the faithful partner is actually the problem. It fucking depends. In the year of our lord 2024 you need to perhaps acknowledge that this obsession with fidelity in marriage as the Absolute Hallmark of a healthy relationship and the Ultimate Seal of moral purity is actually a by-product of harmful strict patriarchal/religious values, real life is less black and white and the world is not split between faithful partners with a halo over their head and filthy cheating partners that should be lynched. This is bordering on biological essentialism and let's just say that's not the vibe.

11) A big part of the disgust "cheaters" inspire to a certain category of people is simply thinly concealed sex-averse puritanism, rebranded as ethics. Not all of us fall for that.

12) Feeling hurt, betrayed, traumatized, furious or disgusted after being cheated on is a totally valid reaction. Feeling outraged or disgusted on behalf of other people being cheated on isn't a valid reaction. The scarlet letter was published almost two centuries ago. You are still wayy too comfortable talking about other people's sex lives and passing judgment on account of what they are doing with their own genitals. Likewise, you do not have a say on the cheatee's choice to stay in the marriage. Some people do stay in marriages where they have been cheated on, and no, they are not necessarily weak people with no backbone and/or victims and/or financially dependent on their partner and they don't necessarily need saving. A marriage is an agreement between two (2) people and they are free to agree on whatever the fuck they want. You don't know everything that's going on between them.

The sooner you accept the above facts the easier human relationships will be for you, and as a minor but useful side-effect, navigating certain fandom spaces may become less tedious for you and me both. it's a win-win situation.

[monkawonka]

Okay. So cooking and feeding yourself and others just means alot to me (even tho i burn alot of stuff teehee) but i just read alot of different hc for these two and cooking and wanna do a poll cuz i got brain worm. Anyways my specific HC under the cut

Okay so i honestly think neither knew how to cook dureing the events of the first game. Phoenix, i think could cook a bit but it would be very bland cuz he doesn't know how spices work and i also think he burnt stuff alot. He didnt seem like he had the time to learn to cook between lawschool and wanting to save edgeworth. He's always been better at takeing care of others than takeing care of himself so i dont think he was a particularly good cook dureing the events of the first and especially second game. This bitch has never looked at a recipe.

Edgeworth on the other hand probably hasent ever needed to cook like ever. Gregory might have had miles help in the kitchen but after miles moved into the von karma household he never really used a kitchen outside of a kettle maybe. He doesn't know how ovens work. When in Europe after the first game is when he startss to learn some cooking. I think its part of his learning to care for himself. Treat yourself kindly and make yourself a nice meal is the idea. I think at first its disastrous. He may have had to put out some fires. I think he improves in cooking when he starts to improve himself, sort of like a reflection of his progress. By the time he returns in the secound game hes able to cook better than phoenix but only if following a recipe.

Phoenix doesnt see major improvement untill his disbarment. The first few years dont see much improvement but in tye last few years he spends time in europe with edgeworth and something they do together is cook. They choose a recipe and follow it, and phoenix starts useing those recipes when they return home.

By the time phoenix gets his badge back i think they are both pretty capable cooks and have a decent understanding of how to use spices and not set fires. I think in the end edgeworth is the better cook overall but phoenix isnt too far behind, he just has more kitchen accidents bit he also cooks more than edgeworth since he likes to feed people.

Anyways i have more thoughts bit o need to sleep and also i cant find the words cuz it makes me too happy

[charleslee-valentine]

Sawyer family name etymology:

The Sawyer surname doesn’t have any significant meaning to the family overall. Sawyer is an occupational surname relating to lumber work. This likely came from long before the current generation of slaughterers. Much like the trauma in the family, it’s generational, continuing it’s mark as it’s passed down. Still, each family member’s first name is more relevant.

Starting with the oldest first, is Drayton. Drayton means ‘determined’ and ‘stubborn.’ Besides maybe cruel, I don’t think there’s a word to better fit Drayton than stubborn. He has rules laid out for the family and hurts them if they don’t follow them. His determination is to stay consistent and behaved, upholding the standards that became the standard of their grandparents.

The twins are a little harder since Chop Top wasn’t revealed to have the legal name Robert until the early 2000s by Tobe Hooper’s son. According to him, this name had been in the tcm2 script bible chosen from the beginning. That being said, the name Robert can symbolize ‘shining.’ For a hyper, accessorized, war veteran such as himself, I find that fitting. It’s not deep or psychological like Drayton’s, but it can play into both his bright personality and his various medals, pins, badges and patches he wears to represent his favorite things and his service in the military. Also, his chrome dome. The metal plate in his head is certainly ‘shining.’ Whether a humorous nod or an unintentional (and rather unfortunate) irony, the name fits him well. Other guesses for his name exist, but considering the subtitles on any dvd nor screen recording ever mentioned the assumed name, it holds little validity beyond preference for some.

As for Nubbins, his name is obviously most likely a nickname, but it’s what we have to work with. The word Nubbins has two meanings, being ‘underdeveloped/small’ or ‘growing deer antlers.’ Going with the first, Nubbins may have been a name given to him because of his stature as a child, being a twin who, according to Edwin Neal, was born ill, he was likely premature. Twins were much harder to identify back in the mid to late 40s when he was born and couldn’t really be planned on without a practicing midwife to identify a mother carrying two babies. Thus it’s possible the name Robert was picked out, but Nubbins was simply given a nickname based on his size. Though it’s possible he does have another name that was replaced by the nickname later on. Either way it comes automatically for Drayton to say it when he uses his name, notably the only character to do so, so it almost certainly was a part of his childhood since Drayton would’ve been old enough to remember that. There is the second meaning as well, being ‘deer antlers’ that are in an early state of growth. Because of his interest in animals -as we see when he plays/sews with roadkill, photographs the slaughterhouse, and makes his bone art pieces- it’s possible he had some connection to deer and thus earned his nickname that way. Possibly even in a hunting scenario. There are several pairs of mounted antlers on the walls in the family home afterall.

Finally the youngest, Bubba. Leatherface is a nickname only used in higher pressure situations. Nubbins calls it out when he needs help carrying grandpa, and Chop Top uses it when he’s panicking/angry. Bubba is possibly a nickname as well since it just means ‘brother.’ He’s the last child born in the family, so he could simply have received a baby-ish name to be cute, or the nickname was given to him by his brother’s and stayed. No matter how it came about, it’s a term of familial endearment, so being used as a name is quite sweet and speaks to the family dynamic of caring and staying together through anything, even death. Also, despite his trouble with speaking, Bubba would likely be able to say his own name based on the sounds we hear him make. Even lifelong non-verbal autistics like him may from time to time mimic words that pattern the noises and sounds they comfortably communicate with. Bubba could’ve been chosen for ease as well.

With the game, there are the additional family members of Johnny and Nancy.

Johnny means ‘God is gracious.’ Nancy chooses this name for him after killing his mother Judith. Interestingly, the name Judith itself refers to the biblical figure, who was a woman that fought against an oppressive man to free her people, sort of like Judith rescuing Johnny from her abusive husband. However Nancy sees this as a threat. The biblical story of Judith is that she trusted God, but had to act when he did not within six days. Our Nancy kills her, steals her baby boy, and names him after God’s love. Essentially, she has rejected the entire ideal Judith represents, in name even. Johnny is a gift, and his name becomes significant in the same moment as well.

As for Nancy herself, her name means ‘favored.’ She wants nothing but to be loved more than the memory of the caring woman she murdered. Her desire to be honored and respected by her child leads to her physically scarring his face. Nancy being favored in truth isn’t the case, Johnny, and every other family member for that matter, argues against her strategy and back-talks her. She isn’t respected in the least, and basically in her quest to be the best, lost her own meaning entirely. This downfall is of her creation. Her name is the opposite of her truth because of what she did.

[clown-friend-gt]

Up, Up, and Away Chapter 7

This chapter is a bit long because I combined two chapters into one. That also means I only have one completed chapter after this one, which I'll probably post later this week. There may or may not be a short hiatus after that while I work on writing more chapters. Thanks for understanding.

Link to Masterpost

************************************************************************

Left Alone

2.8k words

(CW: More police stuff, body horror)

The next few hours were a blur. More people from the institute arrived to take Trevor away. Around that same time, EMT’s arrived, wheeling Robbie away on a stretcher. Trevor had just enough time to watch them load him into an ambulance before the institute agents shoved him into the back of a gray van with the logo of the institute’s enforcement department on the side.

The ride over was not a smooth one. He was too big to fit in any of the seats that lined the sides of the walls, so he had to lay on the floor, crammed in like a sardine. Whenever the van took a particularly sharp turn, he’d be slammed into the wall, and the whole van would tilt dangerously to the side.

“Settle down back there!” The driver yelled back at him after the van crashed back onto four wheels.

If you don’t want the van to flip over, maybe stop driving like a maniac, Trevor thought, but said nothing. He didn’t need to make more trouble for himself.

Trevor thought he knew the city pretty well. But with no view of the outside and all of the twists and turns, he had no idea where they were headed. All he knew was that based on how long they’d been driving, it was pretty far outside of San Solaris.

He wondered what his mom was thinking right now. Would she be worried after he didn’t come home? Had anyone told her what had happened? She’d done so much for him since this all started, trying to keep him from going insane. And he’d just thrown it all away.

Then his thoughts drifted to Robbie. Would he be okay? He looked to be in pretty bad shape when they took him to the hospital. He hadn’t wanted to hurt him, not really. He just wanted to scare him off. But he’d underestimated his own strength, and now both of them were paying for it.

God, he was disgusted with himself. Maybe Robbie was right. Maybe he was a freak. After all, what kind of person would do such a thing? The way Robbie had crumpled when he hit that wall, it made Trevor shudder to think of now.

As he stewed in silence, he didn’t notice the van come to a stop. Then someone pounded on the side of the van, jolting him from his thoughts. The doors opened, but from his crumpled-up position, he could hardly see outside.

“We’re here. Get out,” came an authoritative voice from the outside.

“Just a minute.” Trevor started wriggling around, trying to free himself.

He managed to straighten his legs and plant them on the ground outside. From there, he did a kind of half-crabwalk to pull his torso from the van. Once it was no longer underneath him though, he collapsed onto his back, his legs folding awkwardly beneath him.

“Ow,” he muttered to himself.

An institute official stood over him, arms crossed. He wore slacks, a light blue button up shirt, a tie, and suspenders. His name badge read “Ray Morgan.”

“Get up,” he ordered.

“I’m trying,” Trevor complained, struggling to try and sit up. But with his legs trapped and his hands bound, it was almost impossible. He sighed, defeated.

“I can’t. I’m stuck,” he told the official.

“Seriously?”

“Maybe if I could use my hands…” he snarked.

Morgan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Fine, hold on,” he said, retrieving a small remote from his pocket. He pointed it at Trevor and clicked a button, causing his cuffs to buzz again. He felt the magnetic pull they on each other turn off. Slowly, he rolled over and pushed himself up. Once he was standing, he shook himself out, trying to regain feeling in his limbs.

He looked at the cuffs on his wrist. There was a light on the side of one that glowed yellow. Before he could try and guess what that meant, Morgan spoke up again.

“Don’t get any ideas on me now,” he said, pressing another button on the remote.

The light flashed red, and with a buzz, the cuffs snapped together once more. So much for that.

Now that his hands were connected in front of him, he grabbed Trevor by the elbow and tried to pull him forward. He didn’t budge. Morgan slowly seemed to realize that he’d need a lot more force to move Trevor than he could muster on his own.

“Work with me here, kid,” he said, sounding exasperated.

Trevor rolled his eyes, but started walking in the direction he was leading him.

Between the lingering effects of the growth spurt he’d had the night before and being stuck in the back of a van for nearly an hour, Trevor had expected to be in more pain. But the cuffs he wore had some kind of numbing effect on him, so he felt fine. If it wasn’t for the situation he was in, he might have been glad to have them.

They headed towards an imposing-looking brick building. A sign above the door read “The Lively Institute: Juvenile Corrections Center.” Now there was no mistaking how much trouble he was in.

Trevor was led inside. He had enough room to stand in the entrance hall, which had higher ceilings. But the official directing him quickly ushered him past the front desk and into the hallway, which was significantly shorter, so he had to crouch most of the time.

Morgan led him to a room with an institute staff member who dressed more like a police officer, kind of like Mr. Roberts had. Morgan directed the officer to pat Trevor down.

“I can do this myself, you know,” Trevor told Morgan as the officer removed his keys, his wallet, and his phone from his pockets.

Morgan shook his head. “Can’t let you do that. Safety risk, and all.”

Then he led Trevor to another room to have his picture taken for his mugshot. As they entered the room, Trevor spotted a potential issue.

“This only goes up to seven feet,” he said, pointing to the height chart on the wall.

Morgan rubbed his forehead, clearly starting to get a little fed up with this whole situation.

“Just kind of…crouch down into frame,” he said, motioning with one hand as he spoke. “You let us worry about the rest.”

Trevor shrugged and did as he was told, carefully maintaining his balance as the camera’s light flashed. Then he turned to the side so they could repeat the process.

After that, Morgan led him to one final room. Once they were there, he led Trevor over to a screen mounted on the wall.

“Put your thumb here,” he instructed Trevor.

“Why?”

“So we can record your fingerprints.”

“Oh,” he said, pressing his thumb to the screen. “Don’t they normally dip your fingers in ink for that?”

Morgan shook his head. “Nah, we stopped doing that years ago.”

After a moment, a light on the screen flashed green.

“Okay, now for your pointer finger…”

After he pressed each of his fingers to the screen in turn, Morgan led him back into the hall.

“You’re all checked in, sir,” he said with an ironic flourish. “Right this way, I’ll lead you to your room.”

Trevor knit his brows in confusion. “My room?”

Morgan sighed. “It was a joke. You go into the same holding cell as everyone else.”

He motioned for Trevor to follow him. Just before they got to the cell, Morgan stopped him and pointed to the phone mounted on the wall in the hallway.

“You get one call,” he told him.

He nodded. He’d call his mom, of course. She had to be worried sick by now. He plucked the handset off its hook in a few fingers. Then he went to press the first digit of her number with his pinky.

He stopped, his finger hovering over the button. He felt his stomach drop. What would he even say to her? How could he face her, after what he’d done?

“…Does my mom know I’m here?” he asked Morgan.

“Yeah, she got the word whenever you were arrested,” he confirmed.

Trevor pressed his lips into a fine line, before eventually placing the phone back on its hook and stepping away.

“You only get this one chance to call someone,” Morgan warned him.

Trevor shut his eyes and shook his head.

“I don’t need it,” he told him.

Morgan put his thumbs in his pockets and shrugged. He opened the door to the holding cell and gestured for Trevor to enter.

“After you, Monsieur.” He stepped aside and allowed Trevor to squeeze himself into the room. Then, after one last look after him, he shut the door behind him, leaving Trevor alone in the room.

************************************************************************

The holding cell wasn’t what he thought it’d be. He’d been expecting a door with iron bars, one of those prison beds that was hooked to the wall, stuff like that. What he got instead was a plain-looking room with a few benches. The only indication he was under surveillance now was a camera in the corner and a window that looked to the hall outside.

He sat up against the wall for a few hours, replaying the events of the day in his head. If only he’d kept his cool. If only he hadn’t hit Robbie so hard.

If only.

Then a voice came down the hall. It was one he knew well.

“Where is he?” his mom was shouting. “I want to see my son.”

“Please calm down, Ms.…?” someone responded.

“Castillo,” she shot back.

“Ms. Castillo. No one is allowed to visit detainees until we review their case.”

“Can’t I post bail or something?”

“This isn’t a police station. We do things a bit differently here.”

“That’s insane, he’s just a kid,” she yelled. “He has rights!”

“Ma’am, please stay calm,” the other voice tried to assure her.

“This is stupid. I’m going back there.”

“Ma’am, no—” there was a sound of a scuffle.

“Hey!” his mom cried out in alarm. Trevor shot to his feet.

“Mom?” he called out. He got no response. Instead, all he heard was more sounds of a struggle.

“Let go of me!” He heard her shout. He ran to the door and tried the handle. It jiggled uselessly in his cuffed hands.

Ugh, these stupid cuffs. If only I could—

Trevor strained against his cuffs with all his might. After a moment, they came apart for just a second. Then they clapped back together like nothing had happened. That wouldn’t help him anytime soon.

So instead, he lowered himself down so his shoulder was level with the door. He took a step back, then crashed into the door with all his weight. The door splintered into pieces, sending him stumbling out into the hallway. He shook himself off and stood up to his full height. At least, as much as he could in these hallways.

At the other end of the hall, his mom was struggling against two officers. One held her by either arm. They all turned to look at the sound of the disturbance.

“Let go of her,” he bellowed, charging down the hall towards them.

His mother’s eyes widened in terror as he came barreling down the hall. That caused him to hesitate. Her fear didn’t seem to be directed towards the men who held her.

No. She was afraid of him.

He slowed down, stopping short a few feet from her. After a moment of silence, he spoke up.

“Mom, I—” he raised his hands, reaching for her.

She flinched.

He stared at the three people cowering in front of him. They stared back, varying levels of fear written on their faces. He took a step back, then another. Then he turned and hurried back to the holding cell.

Just before he reached the door, he heard his mom start to speak.

“Mijo, espera—!”

Trevor paused but didn’t look her way. He couldn’t bear to see that look in her eyes again.

He bent down and squeezed himself through the empty doorframe without another word. He took a few more steps before slumping against the wall and sliding to the floor. He sat there with his knees bent, his arms resting on top. Then he buried his face in his arms.

He didn’t even have it in him to cry.

“This way, ma’am,” he heard one of the officers tell his mom, presumably leading her back to the front. This time, she put up no fight.

Now they all knew he belonged in here.

************************************************************************

Nothing else really happened that night. Because he’d removed the door keeping him there, they kept an officer stationed at the doorway at all times. Every few hours, they’d shift one officer out for another. Where before everyone had treated him with aloofness, their attitudes towards him now seemed to vary from thinly veiled paranoia to downright contempt.

The officer watching him now fell into the first category. Any time Trevor looked over at him, his hand seemed to instinctually hover down to his belt. Never quite coming to rest on the holster of his weapon, but never straying far from it either. Trevor didn’t bother telling him that he had no plans to try and escape again. Even if the man believed him, it still made sense for him to treat him like a monster.

He certainly felt like one now.

Eventually, the lights shut off. There was no clock in the room, but if he had to guess, it was probably getting pretty late. He supposed he should try and get some sleep.

The way he saw it, he had two choices. He could either stay sitting against the wall like he was or try laying out on the floor. Neither sounded all that appealing. But his neck was starting to cramp up in this position, so he decided to try laying down.

As he stood up, a wave of exhaustion hit him. He stumbled forward a step before regaining his balance. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the officer watching him nearly jump out of his skin, his hand flying down to his holster.

“Don’t—don’t try anything,” the officer warned him, his voice trembling.

Trevor gave him a tired look but didn’t say anything. He was too drained, physically and emotionally, to think of anything to say to him. Instead he slowly walked to the middle of the room and lay down on his side.

The floor was cold and hard. He shifted around, trying to get comfortable. He tried curling up to stay warm, but it didn’t help much. With a heavy sigh, he shut his eyes and tried to get some rest.

Sleep did not come easy. In fact, Trevor didn’t feel like he’d slept at all. The only indication that time had passed were the shifting shadows, and the fact that the figure watching him from the door seemed to have changed.

It was the pain that had woken him up. It came in waves, like it was struggling to break through the cloud of numbness that had settled over him. But soon enough, that feeling of his muscles tearing and his bones shifting that visited him every time he had one of those terrible growth spurts slowly powered through the effects of the cuffs he wore.

A cry escaped his throat. He began to tremble as the pain spread throughout his body. Hot tears welled in his eyes and spilled down his cheeks.

Why now? He wondered weakly.

He curled in tighter on himself, silently praying for something, anything that would take the pain away. He wished his mom was here. For the past week, any time he’d had a particularly bad flare-up like this, she’d been there to comfort him. It didn’t do much for the pain, but having her with him eased his mind somewhat. Now he was completely alone.

In the low light, he made eye contact with the person who stood in the doorway. He couldn’t read any sort of expression on their face. But he could see their eyes, just barely. He knew they saw him suffering.

“Help me,” he croaked. “Please.”

The person did not move. They did not speak. Instead, they stood there, arms crossed. They shook their head no, just once. The only indication that they’d heard him at all.

He squeezed his eyes shut. More tears poured forth. His shaking escalated to intermittent spasms, paired with the sound of his joints popping as they displaced and replaced themselves, over and over again.

Even though he’d been through this before, there was a part of his mind that always broke into a panic whenever it started happening again. What if this time his body couldn’t handle the stress? What if it left him injured afterwards? Or worse?

His mind eventually went white with pain. He faded into unconsciousness, unsure of what he’d come back to when he awoke. Or even if he’d wake up at all.

First/Last/Next

[chimaerakitten]

Temeraire body horror magic AU you say? 👀👀👀

oooh that one's fun 😆 it sort of grew out of the whole thing where the corps keeps a lot of secrets, some of them more guarded than others. I was wanting to do some magic stuff anyway and was like, what if there was something else thats both extra secret and another reason that aviators don't mix with polite society.

this is also one of the ideas on the list that I actually managed to write a tiny bit for:

"Pray," Laurence said, faltering. He mastered himself and finished in a sharper tone than was appropriate, "explain your meaning." Harcourt and Berkley both blinked at him in silence a moment before Harcourt exclaimed, "Oh, I knew we'd forgotten something!" Having posed the question once, Laurence couldn't very well demand answers again, but luckily Berkley had mercy. Sounding a little strange, he said, "See, having a beast...it rather changes a fellow. More than ah, having a boat in the navy might." Seeing the look on Laurence's face at his calling ships of the line boats and misreading its cause, Berkley rushed on to say. "Not that promotion in other services don't bring changes, mind, only—" Harcourt came to his rescue. "Only, it's rather more literal, with a dragon." And so saying, she loosened her neckcloth, and entirely insensible to Laurence's startled protest tugged her collar open to show him a neat line of bright orange scales running along her collarbone.

the fridge body horror part is that it's a somewhat unpredictable and progressive condition. Aviators tend to die young so for most captains it's not really a problem to have a patch of scales here and there or a sharp tooth or two. Kind of a badge of honor actually. But ah, aviators who live long enough to retire tend to gain reputations as recluses for...reasons.

there's not a lot going on thats overtly magical outside of that but I've got another idea for an AU thats like, "magic is a Known Thing thats illegal for most people but the corps has a dispensation since dragons won't hatch without a sufficient quantity of magic around and the options are either let a bunch of other dragons take the eggs to magical locations (not so great for being able to harness the hatchling) or let the potential captains dabble in magic." That AU may fizzle out or combine with this one or split off into its own thing, I haven't decided yet.

[channieskies]

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈: 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝

Pairing: Prince Hyunjin x Reader (AFAB)

Genre: Historical|Au, Fantasy|Au, Strangers to Lovers, Royalty|Au, Angst, Smut (Eventual), NSFW tags are below.

Synopsis: The kingdom of Volantis is in disarray; the monarch rules with an iron fist. The times of hope, harmony, and kindness were buried with the queen who passed many years ago. The people are praying for a savior, but who will be their light at the end of this dark tunnel?

Authors Note: Please reblog or leave a comment to let me know how you feel. I'd love a little feedback. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. As per usual, this hasn't been proofread.

Word Count: [Reading Time: 10 Mins]

Disclaimer: This story does not reflect the real lives or personalities of Stray Kids. I do not know them personally. This is purely a work of fiction.

Looking for another chapter? Click here: 🇸‌🇹‌🇴‌🇷‌🇾‌ 🇮‌🇳‌🇩‌🇪‌🇽‌

Warning: This chapter contains mentions of violence, mentions of death, slight description of bodily harm.

Venia froze in place. No one here knew her by that name. She went by an alias, so that anyone looking for her wouldn’t find her there. Her instincts kicked in, and she quickly covered the prince with her body, stretching her arms out in front of him protectively. “How do you know that name? Who sent you?” The young woman stepped back, pulling her identification from her pocket. All nobles, high born, and royals were given metal plated id’s that let people know their status by color. Gold and jade for the monarchy, Silver and often encrusted for high borns, bronze for nobles that aren’t of high born blood, and painted wood for workers and low born.

The class system of Volantis was pretty simple. Those who were Royalty were the highest ranked, given that they were a part of the monarchy of the country. High borns were next, they were usually distantly related to royalty in some form or fashion, or they were of the first settlers in this land. Both of your parents' families were of the first men, making your i.d silver and encrusted with rubies. Usually trade workers had colorfully painted wood i.d’s, the color usually corresponded with whatever occupation they were in. Low born had plain wood badges to indicate their status. 

You were a high born citizen with family records that predated the ones of the royal family. “I’m Y/n, daughter of Ermias Orev of the king's high council.” Hyunjin reached for your i.d checking to see what one looked like. He’d seen his identification once. It was being thrown at him through the window of the coach as he was being exiled. Even then he didn’t get a good look at it, as it was being chucked at his head. Yours had intricate little shapes on it, but one in particular stood out; the apple shaped ruby at the top of it. What did it mean?

Venia’s mind started to race. If you were here, that means that something may have happened to your father, why else would he send you in his stead? Without Ermias how could she keep the prince safe? “Your father? What of him?” She grabbed both your shoulders, panic once again written on her face. You smiled, hoping to reassure her, but she was too far gone with assuming the worst.

“Due to my fathers injury and health, I volunteered to escort the prince back into the kingdom. My father will meet us once we reach the castle city of Solaris. He knows a way in, since we obviously can’t waltz right in the front door.” Venia’s face visibly relaxed. Her hands dropped to her sides. 

“I take it you are the eldest of his girls?” She looked around the room, “And what of the young man your father took in? If you are here, he shouldn’t be too far.” You chuckled. She wasn’t wrong, Minho was usually right by your side, no matter where you went. He was both a brother and an overprotective bodyguard.

“He’s here. He’s actually the one who spotted ....” You nodded your head towards the prince, not wanting to out his status. That would make transporting him to Solaris an even more arduous task than it already was. “How- how should I address him?” You leaned into Venia, so only she could hear.

“By his name for now. There is no use of titles here, milady.” You gave her a look of confusion since her words didn’t match her addressing you as ‘milady’. “Forgive me, it’s out of habit. Y/n.” She corrected herself, “I guess I should formally introduce the two of you.” She grabbed Hyunjin’s arm and pulled him forward, like your mother would do whenever she’d introduce you to her new friends. “Hyunjin, this is Ermias’ eldest daughter, Y/n. She’s to be your escort to Solaris.” His head snapped to his mother figure in shock, not because of you or your parentage, but because of the destination.

“Solaris? Wait, are you sure about this?” He loudly whispered more to her than you. “I thought I couldn’t go back?” All these years he was under the assumption that he could never be seen in the castle walls again. He missed seeing his mothers picture that hung above the fireplace in the great hall. Missed the sweet smell of roses that bloomed in her garden. Missed the plush mattress that he once slept on. Even after all these years, that was still the place he called home.

“Your Hig-” You cleared your throat before you made the mistake of calling him by his title. “Hyunjin. It is my understanding that right now is as good as any. Truthfully, this might be the most opportune time to go. There are people that are looking to dismantle everything in place right now, and we need you to strengthen the… erm, you know. Father has been keeping an eye on anyone he thinks is conspiring against you and your family, and sadly there are quite a few that wish to see change.” He stared. It wasn’t something he was doing on purpose, he was just trying to figure out where he’d seen your face before. But your words weren’t being ignored or missed, he understood very well the treachery that that crown faced. He’d read about that, he liked educating himself on all of the fallen kingdoms of yesteryear.

You assumed he was intensely gaping at you because of your wounds and felt scrutinized under his gaze. You placed a hand over your arm to try and draw his attention elsewhere. Venia cleared her throat, sensing the awkward tension that was building. “Did you have a lot of trouble getting this far, my child?” She gently placed her hand over your own, pulling it away from the wound. “We should take care of this, yeah?” She had a very sweet smile, one like a mothers. She led you to a backroom, one you assumed she often had dealing in.  “How did you get so badly beaten, my child?” She sat you on a lone wooden chair by the large window. You could see the mountain where the villagers got the metals from in the distance.

“We were attacked by bandits. But one… he just didn’t seem human. He was the tallest man I’ve ever seen, Taller than my father by a long shot. He had talons for nails and a concerning amount of strength. But the most unsettling part about it all was the mask he wore….” You paused, not wanting to scare her with the details, but she nodded for you to continue. Hyunjin stepped into the room, leaning against the doorframe. A shiver went down his spin as you described the man who attacked you. How anyone could have the audacity to raise a hand to you completely astounded him. “It was a mask made up of other people's faces, sewn together to make it look like one person's face. But the different skin tones were a dead give away aside from the very obvious seams.” Venia halted her tending of your wounds, mouth agape. She’d heard about the bandits from this area, but she’d never encountered them herself, thankfully.

They were known to be incredibly savage. Where most bandits would steal food here and there, maybe rob a passerby. There were two groups one in the south, Vipers crew, and one here in the north, Tigran the lunatic and his band of crazies. She knew the guy you fought wasn’t Tigran, he was known to be notoriously short. Most figured that was where his hate for other humans stemmed from. “What happened to the bandits? Did they follow you?” Your eyes locked with Minho who stood watch in the halls. You both were quiet after the incident, not really talking to one another until he spotted Hyunjin. You didn’t know if it was his first time taking a life, since he did it with such ease and didn’t really seem phased by it. But you were uncomfortably unsettled with what you had done.

“They… they're dead.” You jumped to your feet, ready to defend your inexorable actions. “We had no choice. It was their lives or ours-”

“Dear,” Venia grabbed your trembling hand. “I’m glad you made it here. That you and Minho are alive and well.” She smiled, and it soothed some of your incertitude. “Now, let's sit and get you all patched up.” You didn’t object. Venia was much like your mother in the way that you couldn’t refuse her. It was something in the way that they talked that made you feel they were serious in what they meant, but it was said in a claiming tone that made you want to do what they asked of you. “This looks like it’s headed toward an infection. But it happened today… how..” She spoke of the four large gashes on your arm, “Minho, tell the barkeep to give me the highest proof alcohol they have.” He gave a single nod before heading off.

Hyunjin sat idly, watching silently as Venia commanded the room. He couldn’t understand how people moved when she asked them with little to no resistance. She was never aggressive or mean with her actions, you did what she asked because she asked nicely.  She looked like a person of royal heritage while he felt like a fish out of water. It was clear he was the only one who didn't have many interactions with people. He was awkwardly perched in the corner, sweaty hands clasped together in hopes of finding the courage to join the conversation. He wanted to offer a witty quip or good advice, but his conversation starting skills were limited to art or thing's he'd read in books. He had no real life experience unfortunately. Where it seemed like Venia, you, and Minho were the exact opposite of him and he envied that.

Hyunjin had limited interactions with people, especially outside of the ones that were laboring in the castle. Even as a child, other princes and princesses were known to have a companion. Hyunjin did not. Sure, he’d met plenty of other royal children, even a few nobel ones. But being able to have a lasting relationship was never in the cards for him. His father seemed to sabotage almost every bit of happiness the child had. Almost every child from a different kingdom that he’d met had subsequently been conquered by his father and his army. And for what? His mother’s name? Because he loved her so much that he wanted to scorch the earth in her name? Though he didn’t get the chance to properly meet her, from what he’d been told and what he’d read, she wasn’t that type of woman. She was kind, goodhearted, and wanted to uplift the people of Volantis. She didn’t want her people to suffer.

This was a woman who actively implemented plans to help the less fortunate in this realm and volunteered her time to make sure that these things went on without a hitch. Scorch the earth for what? His father was just angry with no direction to it. He couldn’t pinpoint the source of his anger, so he blamed any and everybody else instead of learning to deal with it. Truthfully, he hoped that his step-mother didn’t feel slighted because of his fathers choices. Hyunjin couldn’t imagine not being able to live up to a ghost. But in a way, he guessed he did have to deal with that. His father hated him. He’d repeatedly told him that the death of his mother was his fault and he should not have allowed him to live. It was just verbal abuse at first. It hurt, but being a happy and optimistic child helped him to get over that or at least to not let it cut him too deep.

He thought at first that maybe this was just how king’s were. That they were rough on their prince’s, mean. That was until he saw the bond between the Kingdom of Perth’s king and his eldest son, Christopher. Hyunjin was merely eight when his heart broke for the first time. The vision of this father that was so affectionate with his son, who spoke words of encouragement to him, was heartbreaking. He knew then that his and his fathers relationship was far from normal. He guessed his father felt it too, because the physical abuse started after the ball that night. He stated that families should be happy and whole and that Hyunjin ruined his chances of that by killing Aeri. His lashings after were sporadic, he’d often take out his frustrations on the boy after a hard day of things not going his way. Those were the only times he’d see his son outside of public events where the monarchy needed to be seen together. 

On Hyunjin’s tenth birthday, he awoke to the sounds of his clothes being stuffed into beautifully ornate chests. His eyes were barely adjusted to the light of the early morning, his eyes immediately fixing on the woman sitting at his bedside. “Venia, are father and I finally traveling together?” She’d tried to keep her face calm, afraid he’d read the sadness that crowded her heart if she did not. “I’ve never been on a trip with my father before. What do you think we’ll do?”  He sat up excitedly, throwing the covers off his little legs. She hated that she was left with the task of telling the boy what his fathers intentions were. She sighed heavily, her head finally falling. 

“You aren’t going on a trip, your highness. Your father is sending you away.” The boy’s head titled. Her words were plain and simple, but yet, he still couldn’t understand what she meant. It was evident that his father didn’t like him, but Hyunjin understood that it was because of his mothers passing. But to think that he disliked him enough to send him away was ludacris. His father would never, or so he thought.

“I’m going on vacation by myself?” She shook her head, confirming the small thoughts that were floating in his. “I’m being banished..” The way his voice fell made Venia’s heart break. To be so young and to understand the ways of the world and not have the opportunity to be a child, was one of the things hated the most about the monarchy. The same thing happened to the Queen. She was married off at fifteen and though they tried to get pregnant starting the night of their wedding, it took years of stillbirths and miscarriages before she gave birth to the prince. No one that young should have to deal with that type of mental and physical torture.

“I’m going with you. I told your mother I’d stay by your side, and that's a promise I plan on keeping.” She wiped the tears that started to flow from his eyes. “We will always have each other, Hyunjin.” She whispered his name, the rest of the staff didn’t need to know of their special relationship. She cared for the boy as if he were her own, and little did she know, he felt the same exact way. He hugged Venia, her warmth being the exact comfort he needed.

Once their coach was packed with all of their belongings, she said farewell to her friends that she'd known since her arrival at the castle some twenty odd years before. It was a sad goodbye, but she knew she was doing the right thing by being the support that Hyunjin needed during this time. She didn’t want to see the last living piece of her dear friend parrish, because his father was too blinded by his own rage to see how much of an asset the boy was. Just as Aeri did all those years before, Venia felt that Hyunjin could bring peace to the realm once again, if he was given the tools to do so. She’d make sure that he would succeed whenever that time came. For now, working around being exiled was her first task.

They were settled in their coach, the coachman was ready to go as well but they stayed in place just long enough for the castle doors to be forced open. No one alerted them that the king was coming to see the prince off. Judging by the angry look on his face, Venia knew nothing good was going to come from this farewell. He snatched the door open and threw something right at Hyunjin’s head. Venia quickly moved to protect the boy, bringing his head to her chest and clasping a hand over his ear so he wouldn’t have to hear the foul things that were about to be spewed from his fathers mouth. “If you ever bring him back here. I’ll kill him myself.” He spat the vile words with poisonous disdain dripping from his tongue.

That was sadly the final image Hyunjin would remember of his home and of his father. Thankfully the words that came from his mouth were muffled and he couldn’t make them out, thanks to Venia. But he would never forget how he felt in the last moments outside the castle of Solaris.

A.N: Please reblog or leave a comment to let me know how you feel. I'd love a little feedback. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.

[Rewrites, Reposts, and Translations are Prohibited]

[romione-trope-fest]

The Way I Love(d) You

Fic Title: The Way I Love(d) You

Author name: adenei

Trope: Soulmates

Summary: Junior Auror Ron Weasley is about to embark on his first assignment thanks to a new Death Eater threat. Hermione Granger has sworn off the Magical World forever, living in ignorant bliss as a Muggle. But what they both don’t realize is just how serious this threat is, not only for the magical world, but also for the two of them, and what it means for their future.

WC: 2k & counting (more chapters to be posted on ao3

Rating: Teen

TW: None

*****

5 March 1999

Attn: All Active Junior & Senior Aurors

There will be a mandatory briefing in Fawley Hall at 16:00.

Signed,

G. Robards, Head Auror

“Any idea what this is about?” Ron holds up the inter-office memo that he pulled off of his locker moments ago.

Harry finishes toweling off his hair before acknowledging the half-sheet of parchment. “No idea. But it doesn’t say ‘trainees,’ so why are we included?”

“Well, we did technically finish our six months of training,” Ron reasons.

It’s true. Long, grueling, eighty hour weeks have kept them both occupied since August. Not that Ron’s had anything better to do with his time. Especially since—no. He refuses to go there. He can’t.

Focus on the job. On protecting people. On making a difference. 

That’s all he can do right now. Anything’s better than grappling with what went wrong.

“—Ron?”

“Huh?” He glances back at Harry, realizing he’d tuned him out.

“I said—nevermind. It’s not worth arguing.”

Ordinarily, Ron would want to know what Harry said, but right now he’s too distracted to care. He pulls a clean undershirt out from his locker and pulls it over his head before throwing on his robes and affixing the shiny new badge that very clearly says ‘Junior Auror’ on it to his chest.

“Because you know I’m right.”

Harry rolls his eyes. “Yeah, well, we may hold the title of ‘Junior Auror’ but we’re still at the bottom of the totem pole.”

“I love how you say that as if you’re not already some God-sent war hero.” Ron snorts. 

They both are, but Harry definitely gets higher preferential treatment. Not that Ron’s resentful at all. He earned the right to be here, and he’s bloody proud of the badge, even if it means they’re being pulled into a last-minute briefing on a Friday afternoon.

“It’s nice to pretend I’m just like everyone else every once in a while.” Harry grins, trying to keep the comment light-hearted, but Ron knows there’s a stark truth behind it. “Come on, we’re going to be late if we don’t get moving. And I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not be on Robards’ bad side when we’re just starting out.”

Ron bites his tongue, resisting another jab as they head out of the locker room and toward the main entrance of the Auror department. It’s the quickest way to get to the briefing room, otherwise known as Fawley Hall. The large meeting area is already half-full by the time they get there.

Harry and Ron stand against the wall in the back with the other Junior Aurors who don’t dare to take one of the coveted seats at any of the tables. It’s common knowledge among the ranks that the Senior Aurors get precedence in these types of meetings. And though Ron would love to sit because of his aching legs after today’s training session, he doesn’t complain. Hopefully, this will be quick, and they’ll be on their way home for the weekend in no time.

A minute before the meeting is about to start, Ron turns his attention toward Robards, who’s standing tall at the podium. His brow is knotted even tighter than usual and he keeps glancing at the door.

Huh. That’s strange.

Ron’s gaze follows the Head Auror’s and he’s surprised when the Minister for Magic enters the room. 

What the hell’s Kingsley doing here?

He nudges Harry in the side, then cocks his head toward their fellow Order member. “This must really be serious if Kingsley’s here.”

Harry nods, opening his mouth to say something, but Robards clears his throat, signaling that he’s going to begin.

“Thank you all for your punctuality. We won’t keep you long,” he begins in his gruff voice. “Your tireless work to help the Ministry get back in order following the defeat of Voldemort has not gone unnoticed. However, it is far from over. 

“Most of the Death Eaters have been apprehended, but there is still a group of rogue sympathizers who continue to fly under our radar. All of our leads have resulted in dead ends, and while we have names and warrants out for the arrests of half a dozen individuals, I am afraid this may be more serious than we realized.” Robards pauses, looks to Kingsley, and gives a small nod.

Kingsley then steps forward and addresses the room. “There has been a breach in the Department of Mysteries, specifically the Registrar room.”

A low rumble rolls across the room as people mutter to themselves and each other. Ron and Harry share a look. He doesn’t remember the Registrar room. Did they not visit it during their excursion back in fifth year?

Robards holds his hand up to regain everyone’s attention, then continues once it’s quiet. “A large portion of one of the lists was stolen, and we believe that there are many people in danger now as a result. In order to stay ahead of this rogue faction, we need to protect the innocents we believe they are targeting. 

“All Senior Aurors will be prioritizing this case above anything else. We need to catch these Blood Purists before they can do any physical harm to anyone on that list. Junior Aurors, you will be assigned shifts to guard at-risk individuals. Twenty-four hours on, twenty-four hours off. Right now, the threat level is minimal, so the affected witches and wizards will be permitted to go about their daily lives.”

“So, we’ll be acting as their bodyguards?” one of the Junior Aurors calls out. 

Ron can’t help but raise his eyebrows at the bloke’s brazenness. He doesn’t remember the guy’s name, but he reminds Ron of McLaggen. Robards glares at him, but still offers a curt nod. 

Kingsley interrupts again, staring directly at the Junior Auror who spoke out of turn. “Your job to protect these people is just as important as those who are trying to apprehend the Death Eaters. More important, perhaps, considering you’ll be the one in the line of fire should an attack happen upon your watch.”

A Senior Auror in the front raises his hand and Robards nods to him. “What list did they steal? And how do we know who is being targeted off that list?”

“A duplication charm was detected on the Fatum Animarum. They only managed to steal a few pages before stunning the Unspeakable on duty and fleeing. And if you have to ask about targets, then you might need a refresher on the fundamental beliefs of the Death Eaters.” Robards rolls his eyes before continuing. “Now, if there are no further questions, Senior Aurors can pick up their assignments from Cole at the front desk and Junior Aurors come see me. Dismissed.”

A loud scuffle of chair legs scratching against the wood floors accompanies the immediate rise of voices as people begin moving about the room. It’s a bit of a mob scene as half the people head for the exit and the other form a line in front of Robards. Given that Harry and Ron are in the back, they file in at the end of the line. Ron doesn’t mind though, since it gives him time to digest the information.

Harry turns to him while they wait. “Fatum Animarum? Have you heard of that before?”

“Nope. Don’t have a clue. Fatum’s ‘fate’ though, isn’t it?” Ron ponders.

Harry nods slowly. “Or destiny.”

“Why do you know that?”

“It’s the only thing that stuck from Divination. You know, Trelawney had a field day trying to predict my ‘fatum.’” Harry pretends to gag while Ron sniggers. He’d forgotten about that.

“Ah, that rings a bell now that you mention it.”

Now, if he could only figure out what Animarum means. The line is slow moving, and Ron taps Harry on the shoulder to get his attention again, but when his best mate turns around, he’s frowning.

“What?” Ron asks.

“I’m just thinking about Robards’ statement—about who we’re going to be protecting.”

“And? What about it?” But even as Ron says the words, his blood runs cold. “Muggleborns?”

“Who else would Death Eaters be targeting?” Harry tries to reason.

“Fuck.”

He’s right. Of course he’s right. Ron’s mind goes blank and overflows with a million different scenarios all at once. He can’t think straight. They’re supposed to be past this. Everything is supposed to be okay now. But even through all the commotion banging around in his head, one name screams at the forefront. 

As if reading his mind, Harry places his hand on Ron’s shoulder. “She’s fine. What are the chances she’s even on that list?”

Ron nods, as if to placate Harry, but he doesn’t mean it. How can they be sure?

No, he can’t let himself go down that path. He needs to focus on the job. He’s about to get an assignment. He needs to keep his senses clear to gain whatever intel he can and—

“—souls.” He catches the last part of someone’s conversation as the line moves forward. It’s a group of Senior Aurors who haven’t left yet. They’re huddled around a nearby table discussing possibilities, apparently eager to get to work. 

“They stole names from the Destiny of Souls,” a dark-haired witch says.

“But why? If they’re targeting Muggleborns, wouldn’t it have been easier to just get those names instead? Hell, I’m sure someone in their ranks already has them! Why go to the trouble?” A balding wizard with glasses retorts. “I’m not saying it’s right either way, but—”

“Merlin, you’re really thick sometimes,” a blonde witch cuts him off. “They don’t care about just any Muggleborn anymore. They’re going after the ones who have the potential to taint bloodlines and make ‘impure’ baby wizards and witches, you dolt.”

“Blimey,” the wizard says, making the connection. “So, they’re targeting the Muggleborn halves of Soul pairs?”

“It certainly seems that way, doesn’t it?”

Ron catalogs the information he’s overheard, intent on doing his own research once he has his assignment now that he has more to go off of. The line finally starts to move faster, and eventually he gets to the front.

“Weasley,” Robards addresses him before thrusting an envelope in his hand after Harry moves to the side. 

He takes it and turns around, taking a few steps toward Harry, who’s already going over his assignment. “My first shift’s Sunday,” he says. “What about you?”

Ron tears his envelope open, pulling out the slip of parchment. His heart plummets to his stomach for a multitude of reasons when he sees the name. “No.”

There, in a loopy scrawl he doesn’t recognize, is the name of the witch who left a hole the size of England in his heart: Hermione Granger.

“Wha—oh, shit. Really?”

Ron whips around, turning back to Robards, who is gathering his things in an attempt to leave. “Sir, this has to be a mistake. A conflict of interest. Plus, she’s not even—”

Kingsley, who must have overheard Ron, abandons his other conversation and walks over to him. “It’s not a mistake, Ron.”

He shakes his head. “No, but—why? She’s in—she’s not here.”

“That doesn’t mean she’s safe. None of the Muggleborns on that list are. Especially her. Not after everything she did alongside you two to stop Voldemort.”

A million questions whiz around in Ron’s mind, but one keeps fighting its way to the forefront. He’s not sure how many questions Kingsley or Robards will entertain, so he has to choose wisely. And though there are more logistical questions that should take precedence, the two words slip out anyway.

“Why me?”

Kingsley and Robards share a look before Kingsley’s soft, yet serious expression meets Ron’s. It’s full of the same sureness he remembers when the older wizard assured Ron that Hermione would be okay while she was with him when they went to retrieve Harry two summers ago.

The Minister gives him a small, sympathetic smile. “Because if something happened to her, you’d never forgive us if it was anyone else.”

[the-s1lly-corner]

Fluff Headcannons for Jason Voorhees

because it just so happens to be a 13th on a friday- to clear things up before i get started, im unfortunately not taking requests for slashers TToTT at least not yet, i might if my rot comes back though side note jason was such a comfort character last year i kinda miss him but im not quite ready to part with my current hyperfixiation heres to hoping writing this doesnt end that rot short

torn between giving him a soft n sweet partner and a partner whos tough and independent (but still loving, of course); because i can truly see him being interested in both. perhaps a caring s/o who can take the initiative is what would work for him. maybe thats because i read so many fics/hcs where jason in a domestic setting is like. trying to be a soft stereotypical house husband though

which he totally would be imo, like sure he's not perfect but you can tell his intentions when hes insisting to clean up the cabin for you

if this is before zombie jason he is so so so fucking warm, best cuddle buddy; post zombie hes cold, though :(

speaking of cuddling hes a cuddle bug, and generally craves loads of physical and verbal affection. now will he outwardly ask? not in the beginning i think, far too shy about it and he doesnt know the best way to ask thanks to his inexperience

"oooooh what if you hold his face and give it kisses" i think, but in the beginning i dont think he would even let you anywhere near his face; and if you're short enough, no where near his head. if this is something you want to do youre going to have to be slow, steady, and reassuring with him. its likely you wont even see his face for years after the relationship is begun unless an accident happens and his mask slips and/or breaks

only knows how to make basic bare bones meals but if you were to teach him and have a means to getting ingredients he's going to be soaking up that information and hes going to be like an eager puppy when you offer to teach him

cooking with your partner and enjoying each others presence >>>>

now lets spoil this man for a minute, since its kinda his day. he keeps a hold on literally every single gift you give him. if its something he can wear he wears it like a badge of honor. if its an object he will make sure its in tip top condition while also being used so its not forgotten.

this may be a little self projection though, but i think he would also be wary of gifts too; not because he doesnt appreciate them. he does. just too much, scared that he's going to lose or break the gift

please give him reassurance that you don't mind otherwise hes going to silently brew over it while holding something as basic as a flower you handed him

flowers

get this man flowers

i always read about jason giving the reader flowers, which i 100% he would do, but can we spoil this man too! i think he would like daises and sunflowers

but maybe thats because when i think those flowers i think nature idk

give this man a dandelion RIGHT NOW!!! let him experience the childhood that was stolen from him

this was originally gonna be longer but its like 8am and i need to do things this morning and im too stubborn to save drafts/i know ill forget to finish this but happy friday the 13th

[nicohverse]

April Update - Merch Designs and Last Call for Preorders!

Hi everyone! It's been a minute, huh? Sorry about that! After releasing Beloved Ghost I got to work on merch designs, but other things kept coming up, getting in the way, and well... If you've played the first game, seen the themes of this series, it should be no surprise that I do tend to give myself deadlines that get thwarted by my health. Even right now, I'm writing this update with a pounding headache...

Still, progress has been made! I'll be sharing the merch designs later in this update, along with a link to preorder individual pieces if you missed it during the active campaign. Besides the merch, I've been getting started on commissions- If you're expecting one, get excited! This along with the usual work on Entropic Float 2 itself, of course... And events! I amazingly got to meet a few fans of Entropic Float at Connecticut Gamer Con earlier this month, and if you'd like to join their ranks, I'm confirmed to be tabling at Holyoke Pride in June as well as both Springfield Comic Con and Connecticon in July! 

Now, on to the designs! These are the new merch items available in reward fulfillment, but it's not too late! If one of these items wasn't in your reward tier, or you couldn't afford it as an add-on at survey time, or you just didn't realize till now that you want it? Preorders are still open on my etsy shop until May 13th!

Let's go smallest to largest here- The key for the stickerpack! This will be included with the stickers, and the stickers will be included with every physical reward tier. If you'd like the stickers, but only bought a digital reward and don't plan to preorder anything else, just reach out to me~ Especially since I can ship them with STAMPS for CHEAP INTERNATIONAL if you're willing to FORGO A TRACKING NUMBER! Every stickerpack contains ALL of these characters~

Next up, the aluminum pin badges! These eight add to the eighteen already available which reference EF1 endings. Four for EF2's endings (hm, I wonder what these could mean?), one Beloved Ghost badge in the Mesteri Moas, one more EF1 badge with The ~LUMP~, and two additional EF2 badges with the Possum Pal and CROWNPRIMROSE campaign badge! These were offered with most physical reward tiers, but can also be preordered for just $3 each.

New acrylic keychains! These, likewise, are in addition to the existing four that have been available since the shop first opened. Shinjiro, JJ, Cobalt, and Renfield were all requested by specific backers at survey time! They're $8 each to preorder, if you're just now realizing you want them as well~

Acrylic standees! Little guys to stand on your shelf or your desk or wherever! 50mm circular base, 90mm tall, these secret fullbodies are always included by the wonderful Soyokaze when commissioning titlescreens~ It's $15 to preorder a small friend.

Last but certainly not least- Throw Pillow Plushies! 40cm in size, these are shaped pillows with the designs printed on them in a plush fabric. We're not quite big enough to go full-blown plushie, but these things are still super adorable! These were only included at the highest reward tiers, so if you'd like to get your hands on one of these, it's a $25 preorder!

That's all for now! As always, thank you for reading, and I'll update you again soon!

[magpies-gold]

Back From Mysterium

I did a very small couple of posts before this, but Saturday at Mysterium blew my expectations out of the water, and so I decided I needed to circle back around and try again as a much bigger post.

First, foremost, and coolest - yes! I got to meet Rand Miller (bonus infamous RAWA just to the left as well)! Even better, for once in my life my social anxiety didn't turn me into a non-verbal lump and I was able to say a grand total of two full sentences and a greeting. If you know me at all, then you know that that's quite the accomplishment. Usually @timmcosplay has to do the talking for me when I inevitably choke on my own tongue, but by a quirk of fate we got separated (he wanted to get our Book of Ti'ana signed and got yoinked into a different line up from me, who wanted photo evidence) and I had no choice but to attempt to be a functional human. My theory is that I've talked to Rand's face so many times during the intro to Riven (I always talk back) that it was just second nature to say hello the second he looked at me. Genuinely, though, he's so kind and so patient and I'm stoked that he made time to meet all of us and then spend a couple hours even after that being a presenter and answering heaps of questions.

Tim may have not been with me directly, but he was still creeping in the sidelines getting photos of me getting photo'd and briefly chatting. ;)

Ultimately, we were split into three groups and everyone ran through the events of the day in a different order.

Tim and I were on Team Ytram (or Team Forg as I insisted on calling it) and had little Rivenese froggos on our badges.

After the meet and greet, we got lunch. It was simplistic fare, but the fact that we got hot dogs and Cool Ranch Doritos out back of the Cyan HQ means that they were very special hot dogs and Cool Ranch Doritos. Legendary!

And then... they actually allowed my wee goblin self and Tim to go through the iconic archway entrance and to scramble around their actual studio. I've seen pictures of the place on the internet before and knew how neat it would be to some degree, but now I know where everything is!

In no particular order....

Iconic signage and that giant honkin' Moiety dagger that Adam Savage apparently worked on?? It is truly large in person!

Costumes from Riven! Including Catherine's dress, which I remember my mom was always cooing over when I was playing the game on my clonky PC in the late 90's, and Gehn's costume, with Tim posing (and having not totally slightly held up the rest of the group by getting detail shots for cosplay purposes, no, no, he wouldn't do that....)

Art! Design sketches and THE MAP.

The infamous elevator wherein you'd better know your D'ni numbers if you want to get anywhere (I would get stuck).

And then... artifacts!

They had THE LEVER from the beginning of Riven. Did it never occur to me that the lever was a real lever? THE LEVER IS A REAL LEVER.

Plus there were goggles and books and Gehn's gun (AKA the only Game Over inducing object in Riven) and more character design sketches with actual costume fabric swatches! That last bit made Tim make high pitched glee noises, as someone who both designs and makes costumes himself.

There were presentations after all of that. Trailers, talks, a non-profit project to digitize over a hundred hours of behind the scenes footage from the making of Uru and Riven and other things, which we got a sneak peek of. They showed off a snippet of the remake of Riven. There was just so much. It was hours and hours and I was practically vi-bra-ting by the time we finally were ushered back to the bus and back to Spokane.

I will never entirely get over the fact that I was able to go see all that with my own two eyeballs. As someone who's been enamoured with the universe surrounding Myst island for the full 30 years of its existence, ever since I was 8 years old, who used to make big calligraphy posters of passages from The Book of Atrus and The Book of Ti'ana and tape them up all over Thorhild Central School whether my fellow students and teachers wanted me to or not, and who was so solidly influenced by the idea of books as literal doors to other worlds that it became a foundation for how I view my own characters and stories (namely that I'm no god, and they do have a life all their own), this is a treasured memory.

[r0-boat]

R0 :0, I wanna see what you can do for the funny rock guy Roark since you mentioned him c; Both sfw and nsfw of him as your dorky boyfriend. Also hope you enjoy rock puns.

https://m.bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Roark/Quotes

I also like looking up a character’s dialogue here, my favorites are "W-what? That can't be! My buffed-up Pokémon!"

After being defeated

"This is embarrassing... I went and lost to a Trainer who didn't have a single Gym Badge... “

YEESS MORE ROARK

My dudes, I have such a crush on him. He's so cute and nerdy, yet there's this air of jock in him I can't explain-

Roark boyfriend/dating head cannons

Gym leader Roark x gn! Reader sfw/nsfw headcanons

Sfw

Rork is a calm and Collective man yet at first when it comes to saying how he feels about you he just doesn't seem to be happy with how he wants to confess with you, he wants to tell you exactly how he feels but he feels that words alone cannot fully describe his feelings.

If words alone cannot make you understand his feelings then he works his ass off going into the underground to find you something that would prove what is heartfelt for you. Can't make this shit up when he first asked you out he gave you a courting rock as a gift. he gave you was a pale Sapphire.

when it comes to geology he gets his aura of confidence back as he tells you in a low whisper to hold it up to the sun. Watching your eyes glimmer and light up when you held his gift up to the light made his heart drum. Suddenly something just slipped from his lips he hadn't even realized he said it until he watched your reaction.

" when held to the light, Pale Sapphires reflect bright and dazzling colors. It's an accurate example of what you do to my life, but you are even more precious than any stone."

Being a geology nerd he excitedly tell you about every rock and stone he found when he was visiting the oreberg mines and the Sinnoh's Underground. He could go on and on about each Stone and their difference he's really grateful for dealing with him when he's talking your ear off. And not wanting to kill him when he makes a rock pun for the fifth time today.

He feels sort of protective over you not in an overly sort of way, however. Especially if you were one to put yourself in danger, he'll make sure he's either with you or at your beck and call for when you get hurt. preferably being with you so he could spend some much-needed time with you.

Roark is always attentive to what you're doing whether it's playing against your body and arm around you his ocus solely on you or whatever you're doing whether it be on your phone, reading a book or playing a game. When he can't see you he just gets this urge to either call you or text you He seems to always want to know what you're doing.

Nsfw

Roark is a man that knows what he wants and when he wants it. He may be a massive nerd at times, but he is not shy nor Innocent by any means. He has been guilty of picking you up and holding you up against the smooth, cold wall of a cave, unable to keep his lips off you.

He could be pretty demanding, as well. Don't be surprised when he starts ordering you around, getting quite authoritative as he uses his strength to manhandle you into places he wants you to be. Roark is vocal during sex whether it be growling or moaning reading his teeth to try to stifle his noises or just talking.

"W-wet, fuck-you're so wet and.. Grnn- hah! Tight! Fuck! Sorry, I-I can't be gentle today please tell me if it's too much."

"o-oh- Arceus, you drive me crazy, im so hard for you."

Roark prefers being rough with you, but he would never ever do anything you wouldn't want to do, so he would always ask if he could be rough with you before he slides inside. Sometimes as he starts slow and deep, he gets carried away, his eyebrows beginning to furrow and sneaking around your neck, lightly choking you as his cock drills into you. Especially when he's close and trying to chase his high to fill you up at the same time, have you cum while he's balls deep.

To the gym leader, there is nothing better than after sex cuddles when he's still inside you, holding you close to his body and kissing you. His natural scent mixed with the cologne he put on this morning was welcoming as you snuggle into his chest, hearing him chuckle.

Roark can't not be in control. Even if he lets you be on top of him, he can't help but get handsy of the sudden he's grinding you down on his cock while bucking his hips upward. To fully stop in from taking back control you have to tie him down. And if you do you might actually break him, leaving him into a begging, writhing mess.

And when you decide to give him little encouragement at work taking him some naughty photos and texts while you're at home and sending it to him. You see him trying to respond but ultimately not saying anything. You frown but you get it it must be really busy what Roark was doing was physical labor after all. But you're surprised when he comes home he rashes over to you practically stripping he seems out of breath his face flushed pink he claims on top of you his mouth immediately on your neck and shoulders giving you kisses, a hand on your chest well another one going below your pants.

"Mmh, you feel me? This is what you did to me all fucking day. Are you going to do something about it? This was your doing, after all. You need to take responsibility for your actions."

[41319kbex]

Hell Hath No Fury (5/?)

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed! It really means a lot!

This is a long chapter, very heavy on plot. It’s taken me longer to post it because I told you before my least favorite thing to write is police work…and this chapter is painfully full of it. But it is necessary. I’m sure I rushed through it because I absolutely hate writing it, but I hope it’s not so rushed that you can’t understand and enjoy the story. I hope I don’t lose any of you with this chapter.

I still don’t own Castle…

xxxxx

Days turned into a week, and a week turned into two. Beckett’s days consisted of going to work, being micro-managed by the new captain…there had been a murder case she’d caught; Gates hadn’t completely benched her, of course, and still expected her to lead her team on any case except the shooting…and then going home to work on the shooting case on her own--more often than not with at least a couple of shots of something stronger than wine, usually whiskey or vodka; it wasn’t enough to get drunk, but it was enough to take the edge off the emotional tailspin she was in.

The main component missing was Castle. She hadn’t spoken to him since he’d kicked her out of his hospital room. He’d been angry with her, and she’d been so insistent on both working the case and getting him safely away from the fallout of…well, her…that she’d figured he’d call her if he wanted to talk. When he didn’t, her pride wouldn’t let her call him either, no matter how much she missed him or how much having him tell her to leave had hurt her.

She had called the hospital daily to check on his condition. He’d been released almost a week ago, and when she still hadn’t heard from him, she did request a police detail put on his building for precautionary purposes, which hadn’t been difficult for her to get approved considering the circumstances of his shooting and his friendship with the mayor…but when one of the officers had informed her he had packed his car and looked like he was heading out of town, she’d pulled them off, figuring he actually was going out to the Hamptons to fully recover. She was at least relieved by that information; it meant he’d be safe from everything, including her.

The boys had kept their word, discretely sharing anything they came across regarding the shooting, but it hadn’t been much past the sketch of the shooter. On a hunch, she’d suggested the boys run financials on Montgomery, Raglan, and McAllister so they could try to find some kind of money trail…she was working on trying to piece everything together now.

She found herself thinking about how much easier it may have been with Castle’s help. Despite the fact that she didn’t usually admit it to him, his way of thinking outside the box somehow pushed her to be able to do her best work; building theory with him was second nature to her now, and she missed it. Stopping her train of thought before it could get too far out of the station,

she poured herself another glass of whiskey, but before she could take a drink she saw it–an account number with an oddly large amount of deposits…and one huge withdrawal date right before her mother’s murder. “Got you, you son of a bitch,” she murmured, the alcohol in her glass now forgotten.

Another hour and a half of research on her part and she’d discovered that the bank had closed, but she’d managed to find an old warehouse where the records had ended up. Within minutes she was on the phone to the boys, explaining what she’d found and telling them to get a warrant and meet her at address she was sending them. Grabbing her leather jacket as well as her badge and gun, she ran out her door. Finally, FINALLY she had a solid lead that was going somewhere.

xxxxx

Beckett arrived at the warehouse before the boys and remained in her car, watching the building until they showed up with the warrant, despite the way every fiber of her being wanted to go inside and find the files she needed. But she was too good of a cop; she knew if she didn’t wait for the warrant, anything she found inside would be useless. As badly as she wanted to finally find out who was behind this whole thing, she wanted justice more…so she waited.

She narrowed her eyes as she saw a man coming out of the building, which was suspicious given the late hour. Getting out of her car, she drew her gun. “NYPD, don’t move,” she identified herself. The man froze for a moment. “Show me your hands and turn around slowly.” The man did as he was told, holding up his hands and turning around with a smug smirk on his face. Her eyes widened when she realized she was looking into the face of the man from the sketch; the man who shot Castle.

“Detective Beckett…” he stated, his tone as smug as the look on his face. He was cocky, but calm.

Her jaw clenched, her finger itching to pull the trigger on the man who shot Castle if he would give her any kind of reason. “You shot my partner,” she stated, her voice dangerously low. “Tell me who is behind this.”

“You’re wasting your time, Detective. You have no idea who you’re up against,” he stated simply.

“Neither do you.” Her tone was steely as it took every bit of self-control she had to not pull the trigger. She knew she still needed information, though. Information this man had.

The man chuckled lowly. “Actually, we know exactly who we’re up against.” At that moment, a small explosion was triggered inside, knocking Beckett off her feet slightly as the warehouse was suddenly engulfed in flames.

Despite the fire, she managed to maintain her gun on the man as he started to back away slowly. “Tell me who is behind this!” she demanded again.

“First I’m going to finish getting of all the evidence…and once I’m done, I’m coming back for you, Detective. And this time, if your pretty little writer boy gets in my way, I’ll kill him too.” He kept slowly backing up into the dark.

His last words got to her. By the time she had recovered, the sirens from the fire trucks signaled their proximity and the man had disappeared into the shadows again. Staring into the dark for another long moment, she finally lowered her gun and reholstered it before running her hands through her hair.

xxxxx

“Fire department confirms there is nothing left of the files,” Esposito approached Beckett’s desk at the precinct the following morning. “The explosion happened right in the file room. Anything that wasn’t immediately destroyed burned in the fire.”

Beckett heaved a deep sigh, leaning back in her chair. “This guy is always a step ahead of me. He was right there…I had him. And then…” she trailed off, clenching her jaw and pounding her hand on her desk in frustration.

Ryan watched for a moment, understanding how hard this was for her. “Beckett…we’ll get him, ok?”

“Will we? Because he’s a damn ghost that just appears when he wants and then disappears into the ether when he needs to,” she growled in frustration. Sighing again, she pinched the bridge of her nose. “I know his play now. He’s getting rid of the evidence. And then he’s coming back for me,” she said lowly. “For the first time in this case, I’m going to be one step ahead of him. I’m going after him before he can come after me.”

Ryan shook his head. “What do you mean?”

“I’m going to draw him out before he gets to me.”

“Beckett, do you think that’s really a good idea? Gates is already highly suspicious with what happened last night…”

She gave him a stern look. “I don’t care. This is my case…my mother’s murder…my life. I am not sitting around and waiting for them to come and take it from me,” she said angrily. “Look, I’m not asking either of you to do this with me. But I’m getting this son of a bitch before he hurts anyone else I care about.”

“Come on, you know we’ve got your back, Beckett.” Esposito shot Ryan a warning look. “Don’t we, Ryan?”

The other man nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, we do.”

xxxxx

“Yo, Beckett…we caught a break,” Esposito kept his voice down as he approached her in the breakroom at the coffee machine.

She arched an eyebrow. “What did you find?”

“Surveillance cam from across the street caught our guy approaching the warehouse. I was able to track his path backward using mostly traffic cams, and found him getting out of a parked car. Turns out the car was a rental,” he explained, acting like they were having a nonchalant conversation as he was making coffee.

“Were you able to figure out where he rented it from?”

Esposito smiled. “Better than that. I have an ID. Ryan is running it down now. Guy’s a pro, so it’s most likely a cover ID, but he might have used it for something else in the city.”

Beckett nodded, keeping her back to the window. “Thanks, Espo.”

Ryan popped his head in the breakroom then. “Cole Maddox. ID is fake, but the rental company keeps a GPS tracker in its cars. It’s within a one-block radius of this address,” he held up a piece of paper.

“You guys go canvas, see if you can find his base of operations…a hotel or apartment building. Someone had to have seen something. Gates isn’t going to let me leave now, but you find him and I’ll meet you there,” she kept her voice low as she spoke discretely before grabbing her cup and heading back to her desk.

xxxxx

“Did you find him?” Beckett asked the boys, approaching their car in front of a hotel. She’d finally been able to get out of the precinct after 5PM when her shift was over and Gates was no longer watching her every move. She finished fastening her police vest around her.

“Yeah. Front desk clerk confirms Maddox is here on a one-month lease. They agreed to let us in his room,” Esposito filled her in, both men already in their own police vest. “How do you want to play this?”

She thought for a moment. “Ryan, you stay down here in case he runs out. Espo, you’re coming

with me.”

The boys nod and Esposito follows Beckett inside, guns drawn and ready. Once up at the room, Esposito gestures for the hotel employee to go once the door is unlocked. He waits for Beckett’s nod before pushing the door open and stepping inside, her right on his heels as they clear the room. “Yo, Beckett!” he called from the other room.

She followed the sound of his voice. He was standing at a table with a laptop and a bunch of police files. “What the hell?”

“These look like old police files,” he answered, looking through them. “They’re Montgomery’s old files.”

“The evidence. He’s getting rid of the evidence so it can’t be linked back to his employer…so that this whole case gets buried…” she realized.

Esposito looked up to meet her eyes. “We’ve got to get out of here…get back-up to secure all this…” he started, already heading out of the room.

Maddox was waiting on him, though, and easily disarmed him, knocking him out and dropping him down to the floor. Beckett was already coming through the door with her gun drawn too, only to end up on the floor as well, without her gun. She wasn’t out of it yet, though, grabbing her gun and quickly scrambling out of the room after him and dialing Ryan’s number as she gave chase toward the stairwell. “Ryan, he’s heading to the roof!” she yelled through the phone before hanging up so she could focus on the man.

She ran out onto the roof and slowed when she didn’t see anyone. She kept her steps slow and quiet and paid attention, looking for any sign of him. Before she knew what happened, he grabbed her from behind. She immediately tossed her head back, knocking him in the nose and causing him to lose his grip on her. She immediately took a step away and tried to aim her gun back at him, only to have him knock her feet out from underneath her, causing her to land on her back with the wind knocked out of her, her gun falling from her hands.

She pushed herself up enough to lunge at his knees as he was getting up, tackling him back to the ground. She slammed his head into the ground, trying to subdue him. “Who do you work for?” she asked angrily.

He gave a hard punch to her ribs, knocking her off him. “Doesn’t matter. You’ll never touch him,” he said lowly, taking the opportunity to get up.

She was pretty sure the hit had at least fractured a rib or two; it hurt to breathe. But she had to get up. “You shot my partner!” she growled, using her anger to fuel her as she got up and lunged

at him again, jumping on his back to try to tackle him again.

He easily threw her off his back, elbowing her hard in the ribs he had previously hit. “That was a miscalculation on my part; I didn't anticipate he was brave enough to push you out of the way; guess what I heard is true...he is sweet on you,” he replied, kicking her in the same spot on her ribs. “It’s over, Detective,” he said calmly, turning away.

It did take her a few moments to get her breath enough to push herself up this time, but she had at least spotted her gun on the ground and was able to grab it, aiming at him as she stood. “You’re right…it is over,” she said lowly.

Before she had the chance to pull the trigger herself, a single shot rang out and Maddox crumpled to the ground. Beckett instinctively dove behind a rooftop ventilation unit, hoping it would provide appropriate cover. She waited for another shot to come, but it never did. Holding onto her ribs, she tried to push herself up to try to see something, but before she could even get to her knees she heard Ryan’s voice.

“Beckett!”

“Ryan, there’s another sniper!” she yelled out the best she could. Damn, her ribs really hurt and it was getting harder to breathe.

Ryan immediately slipped behind another rooftop unit. “Backup is already on the way,” he called out to her. “Maddox?”

“Sniper shot him,” she called back.

“You alright?”

She winced as she took a deep breath. “Other than a broken rib or two, yeah…I’m good. Espo is knocked out downstairs,” she informed him.

Once ESU arrived and had cleared the surrounding area of the sniper, Beckett was able to stand and slowly walk over to the body of Maddox, holding her ribs. She was bleeding from her nose and lip, and had a few other scrapes, but was otherwise okay; the damage was pretty much localized to her ribs. Standing over the body, she was silent until Ryan approached her. “Montgomery’s old files are down there…he was trying to get rid of the evidence. We have to get those files, Ryan,” she told him.

“You go get checked out. I’ll get the files,” he promised her. “No one is going to know about Montgomery,” he added.

She winced again as she took a breath and nodded. Seeing Esposito already awake and being checked by medics as she exited the building, she was able to smile. However, seeing a very angry Captain Gates caused her smile to fade.

“Sir…” she started immediately.

Gates held up her hand to interrupt. “Get yourself checked out, Detective. Then you and I are going to have a long conversation about what it means to be off a case,” she said angrily, pointing Beckett toward the medics.

“Yes, Sir.” Beckett did have to wonder exactly how much trouble she was going to be in and hoped she would be able to mitigate any kind of trouble the boys might be in by falling on her own sword, so to speak.

Spotting Beckett about the get into an ambulance, Ryan approached and asked the medic to give them a minute. “Those files you and Espo saw are gone,” he told her lowly.

Her eyes widened at that. “ESU?”

Ryan shook his head. “No. They were gone before any of our guys got here. In fact, they couldn’t find anything indicating Maddox was ever here, aside from his body on the roof.”

She thought for a moment. “The other sniper. Maddox screwed up shooting Castle instead of me. Whoever Maddox worked for must have gotten tired of waiting for him to finish the job and took him out to clean up his mess so that the whole case gets buried again.”

“Looks that way,” Ryan nodded. He gestured for her to go ahead and get into the ambulance.

xxxxx

“Withholding evidence. Lying to a superior officer. Disobeying a direct order. What you did dishonors this city, and dishonors the badge!” Gates was angrily giving Beckett a dressing down. “You are on administrative leave, effective immediately.”

“Sir…”

“Don’t you Sir me, Detective. You’re lucky I’m only suspending you and not firing you,” she continued angrily. “You don’t deserve to wear the uniform. Now hand over your badge and gun,” she ordered.

Beckett straightened slightly, placing her gun on the desk. She looked at her badge for a little longer before she placed it on the desk.

“For all the good things I had heard about you, Detective, I have to say you haven’t lived up to them. You’ve been a disappointment since I got here,” she stated. “Oh, and Detective? Your suspension doesn’t start until AFTER your medical leave for your injuries sustained on that roof is up. I don’t want to see you back here until September. I suggest you use these 3 and a half months to get your act together and decide if you still want to wear this badge; I will not tolerate my detectives going rogue and disobeying my orders.”

Clenching her jaw, Beckett nodded. “Yes, Sir,” she replied simply through clenched teeth before leaving the office.

The boys were waiting as she exited the office. “Well?” Ryan asked.

Beckett looked at both of them and shook her head. “It could have been worse,” she admitted. “I’m out until September.”

“September?! Beckett, that’s almost 4 months!” Esposito turned back to the office.

She was upset, but the last thing she wanted to do was make it worse for the boys. “It’s fine. I knew it was coming for going against her orders; she's no Montgomery. I’ll see you guys in September, ok?” She grabbed her things from her desk and headed for the elevator.

The boys watched her leave in disbelief, staring at the elevator until the doors had closed. “This sucks,” Esposito murmured.

“Yeah it does,” Ryan agreed.

xxxxx

Castle was staring at a blank screen on his laptop. He’d been trying to write for days, but nothing would come to him. He was broken out of his staring contest with his laptop screen by his phone ringing. When he saw the caller was unknown, he almost didn’t answer it, but his curiosity got the better of him.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Castle,” a man’s voice answers.

“Yeah?”

“I’m a friend of Roy Montgomery’s. I’m calling about Detective Beckett. We need to talk.”

xxxxx

“Richard, you have to tell her!” Martha insisted, trying to talk some sense into her son.

“If I tell her, she won’t let this thing go! She’ll just keep running right into the line of fire!” Castle argued back.

“She’s already in the line of fire,” Martha countered. “Richard, listen to me. You haven’t spoken to her in over two weeks. She’s already investigating the shooting, she knows it’s connected to her mother’s case. You are in no condition to physically help her. Right now the only thing you can do for her is to tell her about this man.” Seeing her son about to interrupt, she held her hand up to stop him. “It’s her life, Richard. You can’t make decisions for her. You owe it to her to at least let her have all the information so she can make an informed one.”

He was quiet for a moment. “And what if I don’t like her decision?”

“Then you have a choice to make. You can stand with her, or you can move on. That’s your choice. But this…Richard, this first choice is hers.”

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. He knew his mother was right. She had the right to know. Maybe he’d be able to reason with her. Maybe they’d be able to figure out something together. But he had to tell her. The only problem was he wasn’t sure she would talk to him now; it had been over two weeks since he’d kicked her out of his hospital room. He had no idea where they stood before that point, but now he really had no clue. Picking up his phone, he clicked on her name and hoped she would answer.

xxxxx

Beckett sat alone in her apartment, trying to get comfortable. She was stubborn about taking the pain medication for the broken ribs, preferring to suffer for the time being. Between that and her head space surrounding the shooting, her mother’s case and her suspension, she was finding it increasingly difficult to relax, not to mention she had no idea what she was going to do to stay sane all summer. Maybe I should pack a bag and head up to Dad’s cabin. She was already shifting to get up when her phone started to ring. Seeing Castle’s name surprised her. They hadn’t spoken since their argument at the hospital. “Hey Castle,” she answered, trying to act like she wasn’t affected in the least by everything.

“Hey…” he started, suddenly unsure how he was supposed to talk to her. It needed to be in person, and he was in the Hamptons. “How busy are you?”

She wasn’t busy at all considering she wasn’t allowed to work until the fall, but he didn’t need to know that. “Oh you know, the usual. Why?”

He figured he might as well just be straight with her. He had a better chance of her agreeing to meet if he was. “We need to talk about the case…in person. Can you come out to the Hamptons?”

That shocked her; why was he calling her about the case? “Castle…”

“Kate, it’s important. I can’t tell you over the phone, it needs to be in person.”

She could tell from the way he was speaking to her that it was important. “Okay. I can drive out tomorrow.”

“Okay.” That hadn’t been as difficult as he’d thought. He lingered a moment longer. “Uh…you could stay a few days if you wanted…” he found himself offering. He had missed her…and maybe they could talk about what was between them, assuming the argument at the hospital and what he was going to tell her hadn’t caused her to retreat back into herself again. Maybe now they could have a chance to talk, really talk, with no interruptions.

She found herself rolling her eyes. Though she supposed it was at least something to do so she wasn’t going crazy in her apartment. She thought back to the previous summer when he’d made her the same offer and she’d turned him down, only then to reconsider too late; she’d missed her shot then, did she want to risk missing her shot now? “Text me the address. I’ll see you tomorrow, Castle.” She hung up without giving him an answer one way or the other, figuring she’d take a bag and decide after she heard what he had to say whether or not she would stay for a few days. After all, it wasn’t like she had to be back at the precinct.

xxxxx

I told you guys this was a long one, full of plot. Hopefully you all made it here to the end! Next chapter will be better, I promise…Castle and Beckett will be in it together and no real police work!

[worldserasingandcreatinginmymind]

No Business Like Show Business | Part Five

Series Summary: you work backstage at a theatre and become close with the star of the show (who you may also have a slight crush on)

Pairing: James McAvoy x reader

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: none? a bit saucy maybe but nothing worthy of a warning... 

A/N: Feel free to substitute James for any actor of your choosing. Also, spelling and grammar is not my strongest skill so please be kind :)

Part Four | Masterlist

- - - - -

I can’t believe its been two weeks since James and I started our secret relationship. Yeah, its frustrating having to sneak around but its also kinda exhilarating. Still, I’m looking forward to being able to go out on a proper date with him. 

There’s only a couple of weeks left until the show opens and I’ve still got SO much left to do! Lets just say, its difficult to concentrate on props work with James around… 

— — — — 

James spends a lot of time hanging out with you in the props room. Any chance he gets between rehearsals, costume fittings, press interviews… he’s there. Sometimes he helps you out, finding things off shelves for you or assisting with actually making things. Sometimes you help him run through lines. But more often than not you get distracted and end up kissing like a couple of love sick teenagers. 

Other than Vera, who you trust enough to tell everything to, no one else knows about you and James. Thankfully most people seem to have forgotten about the coffee shop scene. Occasionally one of the many creeps with cameras, that are constantly hanging around outside the theatre hoping for a glimpse of James, will try to question you as you walk by. But mostly they ignored you now. You were old news. 

Anastasia however is still on the war path, convinced you’re trying to steal her man from her, despite the fact that James has made it very clear they are not and will not ever be together. You try to avoid her as much as possible, but when you do see her around the theatre she glares at you with such a look that you're glad looks can’t actually kill.

You even get to the theatre earlier now than you’re required to, knowing that you’ll be able to check in and get to your props room before Ana has even entered the building. It sounds silly, but you just can’t be bothered with the drama. 

You flash your ID badge to security and begin your journey through the theatre, bumping into Alan on the way. 

“Oh Y/N! You’re here early aren’t you?” 

“Just trying to get ahead on all the work thats left to be done” you laugh awkwardly as you continue walking past him. 

“Actually Y/N, I’ve been meaning to talk to you but I can never seem to find you around. I noticed you haven’t been to watch a rehearsal in a while?” 

“Like I said, lots to do-”

“Yes well, I think it would be really helpful for you if you came along to see how the props are being used.” He interrupts and you have to fight not to roll your eyes at him mansplaining your own job to you “We’re doing a full run through of both acts today, I expect to see you there.” 

He doesn’t wait for to you respond before walking away. You let out a deep breath, half annoyance and half dread of having to actually face Anastasia. 

— — — — 

The other bonus to getting in so early is that you actually have a chance to get some real work done. As much as you love the time James spends with you, you were starting to get slightly worried at how behind you’ve got. 

About half an hour before the rehearsal is due to start you hear the sound of someone tapping in the security code to your door, your signal that James is coming in. You weren’t technically supposed to have told him, but since its only ever him or Vera that make the journey down to the basement you figured it was safe. 

“Good morning beautiful” he says as he enters, placing a gentle kiss to your forehead as he drops his backpack to the floor. “How are you this fine morning?” 

“You’re extra cheerful today” You say with a laugh that doesn’t quite match the expression on your face. James notices. 

“You’re not.” He sits next to you, placing his hand on yours “What’s wrong?” 

“I’m just tired” you smile a small smile. 

“Don’t tell me you’re still getting here stupid early to avoid Ana?” He says and you just give him a guilty puppy look “Y/N! You're going to make yourself ill if you don’t get enough sleep. Come on, you can’t hide from her down here forever.”

“No you’re right, I can’t. Alan is forcing me to attend the run through rehearsal today so I’ve got no choice but to suffer her murderous stare all day.”

“Yeah she is good at the bitch face, I’ll give her that.” James laughs.

“Its not funny!” You say, despite laughing yourself “it’s actually quite scary being on the receiving end. I’m worried one day she’ll substitute the rubber prop knife for a real one and stab me with it.” 

“Now that would be good publicity…” 

“James!!” You laugh as you go to playfully push him. He grabs both your arms, pulling you onto his lap and holding you tightly. Your back against his chest as you both laugh. 

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding! I’d never let her hurt you…” he keeps one arm wrapped  across your stomach as his other hand comes to your face. He turns your head gently so he can look you in the eye. “I’d never let anyone hurt you.”

He dips you to the side slightly to give himself room to lean down and kiss you. When he eventually leans away, he pulls you back up into him and keeps you snuggled against him a little longer. 

“What are you thinking?” You break the comfortable silence after a few minutes. 

“Just wishing I could take you on a proper date. Go outside of this basement.”

“Oh, is my basement not good enough for you eh?” You joke as you remove yourself from his arms and get up. He catches your hand and spins you back so you're now facing him, pulling you back down so your straddling his lap. 

“I’m fed up of hiding. I want to show you off to the world.” 

“Thats a scary thought” you admit, draping your arms around his shoulders and hiding your face in the crook of his neck. 

“Is it?” He asks and you just nod “talk to me” 

“It’s just, you have so many fans. What if they don't like me? What if they think I’m not good enough for you, or pretty enough or-”

“Hey” he says, stopping you mid spiral as he gently puts his hands on the sides of your face and moves you so he can see your eyes “Stop that okay! Look at me.” He lifts your head slightly higher making you make eye contact with him. “I don't care what anyone else thinks or says, it doesn’t matter. You are more than enough. You are perfect.”

You give him a small, teary eyed smile before kissing him again. He pulls you in deeper, one hand on your back and the other on the back of your head, his fingers entangled in your hair…

— — — — 

The morning went by far too fast and now it was time to head to rehearsal. James tried to persuade you to go walking in there hand in hand with him, but you made him go ahead alone. As much as you would have loved to see the smug look wiped off Anastasia’s face, you couldn’t risk Alan turning around and threatening to remove you from the team again. 

You got to rehearsal about five minutes after James, and to your relief you found Vera was already there. You took a seat next to her and she eyed you suspiciously. 

“What?” You laughed awkwardly.

“Have you been to a new hair stylist? Maybe a certain hunky scottsman..?” She looks up at your hair which you instantly start smoothing down. 

“Is it that obvious?” Trying to sneakily comb your hair down with your fingers as you glance around the room. Thankfully no one was watching. 

“No, if I didn’t know any better I’d have thought you were just a bit windswept. Blame the weather dear.” She winks and turns her attention to her notebook. You glance over at James and catch him watching you. He playfully copies you, running his hand through his own hair and you raise an eyebrow at him, shaking your head with a smirk. 

“Here comes trouble” Vera’s voice pulls you away an directs your attention to the door. 

When Anastasia enters the room the atmosphere changes. Everyone seems more on edge when she’s around and she knows it. And you can tell she loves it, having that kind of power over people. Alan of course is the first to rush to her side, making sure she’s okay with everything. Her eyes trace the room as he talks, glancing at every single face until she lands on yours. Immediately she turns and walks over to James, draping her arms over his shoulders and pretending to be a part of the conversation he was already having with another cast member. He turns his face ever so slightly to look in your direction but is pulled straight back by Ana who fake laughs in his face at something he said. 

Its like watching a car crash happen in slow motion. You want to look away, but you just can’t help but watch. 

— — — — 

The first act of the rehearsal went well and annoyingly Alan was right. Watching did really help you understand what you needed to change so that some of the props would work better. You wouldn’t admit that to his face though. 

Thankfully once they started acting Ana seemed to completely forget you were in the room. Up until the end of the final scene of the act, when she made eye contact with you right before leaning in to kiss James’ character. Even after the director had called the end of the scene, she gripped onto James and you could tell he was trying to pull away. She laughed it off after, claiming she just ‘really got into the scene’ but you both knew why she really did it. You deserve an Oscar for how well you hid the disgust from your face and managed to fake laugh along with everyone else. 

During the break you headed into the kitchen to make a coffee. A moment later the door swung open and James poked his head in and checked his surroundings before coming inside and sneakily locking the door. He came up behind you, pressing himself into your back as his arms snaked around your waist. 

“You survived the first act” he jokes and you laugh “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine are you?! I thought she was going to suck your face clean off at the end there.” 

“Ugh don't put that image in my head.” He pretends to gag and you both laugh. You turn your self around in his arms so you're now leaning against the kitchen counter and facing him. “The only person I want to suck my face off is you.” 

“Ew, James!” You say a bit too loud and he gently puts a finger to your mouth, shushing you but laughing too. “You're gross” 

“Yeah, but you love me” he winks, moving his finger so he can instead press his lips to yours. 

The sound of someone walking past the door pulls you both back to reality and he pulls away slightly but brings his hands down to lean on the counter behind you, boxing you in. 

“Come to mine tonight?” He asks “If I can’t take you out on a proper date, then let me cook dinner for you at my place instead.” 

“Are you sure? What if someone sees?”

“They won’t, no one knows where I live.”

“But what about-” you start, but he cuts you off. Reaching behind you for a biscuit which he places in your mouth, making you laugh.

“Shut up and trust me.” he smiles playfully, taking another biscuit for himself before turning and unlocking the door. “I’ll text you my address. See you later beautiful.” 

He blows you a kiss and leaves before you have a chance to say anything else. Vera enters just after, immediately bursting out laughing when she sees you still with a biscuit hanging out your mouth. 

“You alright there love?” She asks as you remove the biscuit and place it on the counter next to your cup of coffee.

“Yeah yeah, I’m fine. Better than fine…” you say, feeling butterflies flutter in your stomach. “I’ve got a date.” 

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