#I’m assuming it’s just a continuity error

[depression-fork]

Chalice of the Gods Spoilers:

Why does Annabeth have her dagger and her Yankees cap??? I’m like 99% sure she lost BOTH of those in Tartarus in the House of Hades. Like she was without a weapon until she got the Drakon bone sword and that’s what she used throughout Blood of Olympus. Chalice of the Gods takes place AFTER the Blood of Olympus and BEFORE Trials of Apollo, meaning she shouldn’t have the items, but does.

Is this just a continuity error like Blackjack being a mare first and then a stallion? Did Athena gift Annabeth back her dagger and cap after the war? Did she also get back Daedalus’s laptop or is that just lost forever?

[bereft-of-frogs]

….caught a mistake in the eye of darkness audiobook 😂 looks like it was caught before it went to print but love it when I catch authors slipping on continuity

[speed-world]

Hey, I got this idea from watching some Dark Souls lore videos, so can I request a HC of beast cookies being beaten by a chosen Undead reader.

Plot: when the Beast cookies went on a rampage The Witches knew they had to stop them but the cookie were too powerful to do so so they decided to work together to bake a new cookie, a cookie that can weaken them to a point that they can be in prison, a cookie that can come back from the dead as much as possible until the deed is done, they call them the Chosen Undead Cookie

Sworn Purpose

The Five Beasts. The primordial Cookies created by the Witches as emissaries of the Godly Creators; that fell from grace due to their Absolute power corrupting them completely. The Witches couldn’t bear to see their creations promised as saviors turned apostles of evil, and so they punished the Beasts by sealing them away in Beast-Yeast. At least…that was what should have happened.

The Beasts rebelled, refusing to go quiet into the night. They broke free from their shackles and dominated the lands of Beast-Yeast without challenge. The Witches refused to give up however, and would go deeply into a period of heavy trials and error in baking something …greater. They combined their magic to create a Cookie that could complete the task they failed too. A Cookie that would never rest until they sealed these Beasts, even if the Cookie was crumbled. A Cookie that will rise and rise again, as if freshly baked out of the oven, to complete their assigned life purpose. As the Witches spent numerous days and nights creating this Cookie, they’d mix so many flavors into to them that the Cookie was ultimately nameless to the Witches. When finally completed, passerby Cookies knew them only by a couple of names: Y/N Cookie, or their more known, and more appropriate moniker…Chosen Undead Cookie.

It was never easy completing your task, but you never once questioned it or the Witches. They told you all the features and names of the Beasts, that you must do whatever it takes to seal them away, and you followed as such.

During your first attempt, you could barely make a move against a jester before being crumbled in a mess of crumbs and jam. The last thing you heard was the jester laughing before you reawakened in a different location.

One of the many blessings you had received from the Witches was that you could communicate with and hear them. You could hear some the Witches applaud you for your efforts, and others express their apologies for what you must suffer through. It didn’t faze you though, you had a God-given purpose, and you’d curse at yourself if you never finished it. Maybe one day…you could live a fairly normal life, but it won’t happen until your job is done.

“Oh~? Pfffttt AHAHAHAHAHA~~!! Oh this is priceless, you’re still kicking huh? I mean, what attempt is this, number….59? 100? Isn’t this tiring to you buddy~?”

“Silence, jester. I am not tired, not one bit. I have been assigned this duty by the Witches, and I refuse to stop until you Beasts are sealed away…”

You stared at him with the same neutral yet angry expression that you almost always have. He upsets you, just as the other Beasts. And, like him, they will be sealed by your hand sooner or later.

“Really now…? How many times have you said that? And yet the result is still the same! I’ll give you credit though, you’re getting closer each time!! But all that means is that I’m improving myself to make sure you continue to be the failure you are!!”

“Am I the failure, Shadow Milk Cookie? You were meant to be a savior, a hero to all Cookiekind until the end of days, but you failed at your duty. Don’t tell me, are you jealous that I’m favored and know how to follow simple instruction? Does it upset you that I’m succeeding in the role you failed to fulfill?”

“Tch…didja learn to talk all smart while you were in between the states of dying and living? Those Witches can BURN IN THE OVEN, AND YOU’LL JOIN THEM YOU MISERABLE PUPPET!!!”

“….I’m assuming you’re done wasting your breath away now? I’m glad you’ll be the first I seal, your voice annoys me…”

You readied yourself again for the umpteenth time, and stared holes into Shadow Milk Cookie. “You are the miserable one here, jester…” You muttered to yourself, before clashing with the jester once more.

————————————————————————

The cold steps of the Ivory Pagoda are all too familiar for you now. The aroma of the incense, the reflective gold of the tiles, all of it was practically burned in your memory as you approached the Master of the Ivory Pagoda yet again. Of course, you couldn’t meet the Master without seeing the guardian of Ivory Pagoda as well.

“Oh, Master, look who’s back again~! You must really enjoy witnessing the truth that my Master has to show the world! At this point, you’re the most frequent visitor here to the pagoda, maybe you’d want to stay here for the rest of your life~? It’s not like your immortality is doing you any favors being the Witches’s pawn~…”

You ignored the mocking comments of Cloud Haetae Cookie. They’re not what you’re here for anyways, so they can berate you all they want, it won’t take your attention away from your mission. You walked past the haetae and stared up at the Beast, who didn’t even open her eyes to you.

“One day, you will come to see how pointless your mission truly is. Again and again, you challenge my truth and power, and again and again, you fail to understand that you’ll never succeed…”

“That is where your arrogance has mislead you, Mystic Flour Cookie. You insist on yourself so much that you fail to grasp the reality around you. More and more, I grow resistant to your power, and I keep parts of my flavor in spite of being turned to flour. One day, you will come to realize that the madness you speak of will never be heard as you’ll spend your days sealed away as you deserve.”

Mystic Flour Cookie doesn’t bother responding to you. She only waves her hand, uttering the phrase you’ve heard numerous times now: “Return to Flour…”. Your words were true: you were still maintaining your flavor and everything else about you, and only small crumbs were being taken away, albeit incredibly slowly. Then you lounged at her, slashing at her with your blade….and you cut her. Jam leaked out of her thigh from the gash you made. Although your magic and control over the chains and Witch’s fork specialized for sealing the Beasts weren’t strong enough yet, you were making fast progress.

Cloud Haetae Cookie was shocked, but Mystic Flour appeared unfazed as usual. But one thing was abundantly clear, you were improving. Even if you didn’t seal her during this time, you would overcome her powers and seal her away, even if you were crumbled to flour in the process. Mystic Flour will be sealed, just like the other Beasts, and you’ll rise and rise again until your deed is done and all of the Beasts are sealed away.

————————————————————————

Hellish blazing embers and the ruins of forests are the most recognizable sight you know. Whenever you hear the fires crackling, you know that you’re close to Burning Spice Cookie. Burning Spice stares daggers into you just as you stare a hole back.

“You again, eh? How many times are we going to do the same song and dance until you’ve crumbled for good? Those damned Witches must have spent days, perhaps weeks trying to perfect a herald to defeat us, and your failure of an existence is all they have to show for their efforts. It would be funny, if it weren’t so sad and true…”

“I’ll keep coming back as many times as needed until you—“

“Yeah yeah, until us Beasts are sealed away. You’re a broken record at this point, and it’s really beginning to annoy the Hell out of me…. Then again, you do have your uses for being a toy, free for me to play with and break whenever I feel like it. So c’mon, let’s not waste words and entertain me, Chosen fool~…”

You smirked at Burning Spice; at least you two could agree on something, that being words are useless at this point. You steeled yourself and gripped your sword tightly, and Burning Spice did the same with that giant axe in hand. All you need to do is seal away Burning Spice, and even if you crumbled in the process, it will be done.

————————————————————————

The skies were an incredibly dark shade of pink, and you’ve slowly grown to hate it when the skies were like this. Mainly because you knew who it was that was around, and Witches did Eternal Sugar Cookie, wielding the power of Sloth, utterly piss you off.

All Eternal Sugar did was yawn on top of the cloud she rested on, and looked at you haphazardly with her hand resting on her cheek*

*Yaaaaaaawwwwnn* “Ahh, who’re you again? You always come here for ah…some mission from the Witch’s I think? Can’t you bother anyone else with your nonsense, I have a lot of better things to do than waste my precious energy on you agaaaaiinn…”

The tone in Eternal Sugar’s voice and manner is what really bothered you the most. Although it was fitting of the Sloth power she held, she just couldn’t care less about you or whatever inhumane actions she did to others. Granted, you weren’t much for words yourself, the most you talk is when dealing with the annoyance is Shadow Milk Cookie, so at least with Eternal Sugar you can get right to the point without any hesitation.

“At least you know what I’m here for, Beast…I’ll gladly make sure you’ve suffered in the last moments of your recreation…”

“Mhmmm, sure thing. Just hurry up and crumble already so you can bother someone else when you resurrect, please~….

Without waiting anymore, you charged at the lackadaisical Beast. Thankfully, the more you do this the more stronger and better you’re getting. Because the sooner you seal away Eternal Sugar, the better. Not just for the Witch’s and Cookiekind, but for the sake of your own mind.

————————————————————————

The eerie silence of the area you stepped into would be enough to scare any being beyond belief. It was dark, quiet, perfectly becoming the scene any scared children would have when fearing the dark. Only this was no dream, is was the brutal reality of a vicious Beast that you could never seem to get an upper hand against.

Silent Salt Cookie was just standing there, sword in hand as always. Out of all the Beasts, Silent Salt doesn’t do anything else now except wait for you. Silent Salt knows of your ability to keep coming back to life after dying and knew sooner or later you’d be back.

The quietness from you and Silent Salt was loud and easy to understand. You weren’t much for words yourself, no need to start now with a quiet Cookie. You both knew each other well enough, understanding the other’s goal in mind as you both nodded and readied your swords yet again. The area soon became loud with the sounds of clashing swords in a struggle of life and death.

Until your mission is fulfilled, until the Beasts are sealed away and no longer a threat to Cookiekind, then you will be raised from the dead. Retaining your mixture of flavors, knowledge and power, and using all of them against the foul Beasts that defiled their roles as promised saviors. Until the deed is done…

[chiasaaa]

—i’ll be your model

itoshi sae x f! reader

summary: dating a fashion designer has its pros and cons the same way dating a famous football player has its own. however, sae realized that you haven’t used one particular pro yet in your three years of dating.

warning: english is not my first language. apologies for any grammatical or spelling errors.

— itoshi sae is the kind of man whom his lover could describe as selfless. contrary to popular opinion, getting to know sae proves that point pretty well. sae will always come to your beck and call. he will provide you things you both need and want without you having to ask. he will most definitely drop whatever it could be he’s doing if it meant tending to your requests.

it already nearly happened one time when you called thirty minutes before an important match, telling him that you need to go to your gynecologist for your yearly check-up. it wasn’t anything serious, but he meant every fibre of his being when he said he’s going to drive all the way back just to accompany you.

if it weren’t for you threatening to lock the doors of your home from him, he would have ditched the game altogether and leave billions of fans disappointed along with his team. it was a good thing he ended up with someone like you.

someday, the whole world will thank you for it.

call him a lovesick fool, but itoshi sae will always and forever be hopelessly in love with you. he doesn’t mind if you want to go to greece in three hours; he’d already booked the earliest flight there. it indeed happened when you both sat in your living room one valentine’s day and you joked about making spontaneous plans like flying out to greece just to have a moonlit dinner with the temple of artemis in view. sae hadn’t known you were joking because he fished his phone out quick to do whatever it is you kept blabbering on.

candlelit dinner? check.

romantic violin music? check.

private villa overlooking a beautiful view? check.

economy tickets? he booked first-class.

and of course, he had long prepared his gift and your five-flower bouquet. you weren’t one for big bouquets as you loved preserving them in frames, and so you requested that if he were to give you such, he will have to make do with only five main flowers.

doesn’t mean he can stop putting blind boxes in them, though. you’re quite the menace when it comes to it.

sae had continuously provided you all your wants and needs, yet the one thing he finally realized is that you never asked for any of it.

much like today, as you’re earnestly looking through portfolios of famous celebrities who proposed to be your brand’s model. you did think that it’s about time for you to expand your model pool (you’re in it for the money) and you searched high and low for the perfect person to adorn your new creations.

specifically, the men’s product line.

sae picks up one of the photos you have scattered on the countertop, realizing that it was none other than isagi yoichi.

“athletes are part of your options?” he asks, turning the page to you. you didn’t even bother looking up as you responded back.

“yep, i’m looking through other athletes i can reach out to as an endorser.”

weird. isn’t he an athlete?

why didn’t you ask him first?

sae sets his teacup down its designated saucer, breathing in and out shortly to prepare himself for yet another confrontation. he’s still in the process of being more honest with you, when it comes to how he feels about certain things happening within your relationship. sae always tries his very best for you, and that includes biting back his usually sharp tongue because he knows how sensitive you can get.

“i assume you have strict requirements in finding one?”

“not really. i just need to look for someone who i can say is the one for the job,” you finally look up, smiling tiredly, “the same way i saw it when i looked at you.”

he must be dying early because the way you said it might as well make him combust. his heart pounded against his rib violently, wondering what you meant behind such words.

you knew he had fallen in love with you since you kicked a ball straight to his head (accidentally), but when was this time you’ve known he’s the one with a simple gaze?

as heart-fluttering as it is to think about, it’s not the current matter at hand. he couldn’t help but frown a little at the realization that he wasn’t the first person you thought of when you wanted to have a celebrity model your work.

he’s pretty famous, isn’t he?

not only that, you have always been so vocal about how he’s so handsome that the model industry’s lucky he chose to play football as his career path. that has to account for something, right?

as a fashion designer, you have one of the most keen eyes when it comes to potential models.

you’ve seen it in him.

“what do you mean by that?”

“exactly as it means, querido.” you hum, already back to work. you take a pencil from the counter and used it to tie your hair effortlessly, a few strands falling to frame your beautiful face. if it wasn’t for the fact that this is a big deal to him, sae would have long been hypnotized by your beauty.

“why don’t you use me, then?” he said it in a way that showed how upset he actually is about the situation. you couldn’t have possible missed that, and you really didn’t. you look up from your work, hiking your specs right up your nose with the joint of your finger.

“what do you mean?”

“exactly as it means, hermosa.”

you snort. of course, sae used your own words against you. though, you couldn’t say that you didn’t expect that from him. sae is too selfless for his own good, and as his partner, you’re not about to let him sabotage himself with this ridiculous adventure of over-generosity. you didn’t even know it was a thing until you met him.

as much as you loved that he will sacrifice anything and everything for the people he cares for, you must admit that it bothers you a little. that is why you took control of what you can and avoided his involvement as much as possible.

“i can’t possibly do that to you.” was your response after a short while, propping an elbow on the granite to rest your chin upon the palm of your hand. you twist the stool you’re sitting on to face him, taking his hand with your free one. “i’m not about to use you for my own benefit, querido. i didn’t date you just to have your face on my brand and milk you.”

“but you’re not,” sae raises your locked hands, planting a gentle kiss on the back of your palm. “i want to do this for you. honestly, i’m a little upset that i wasn’t the first person you thought of.”

you chuckle. “didn’t you hear me earlier? i said i’m looking for someone who will make me think ‘he’s the one!’ the same way you made me think that.”

the confusion soon replaced by embarrassment in the form of tinted cheeks and reddening ear tips had you pause for a little.

“did you take that in the romantic context?” giggling, you lean closer to him and ruffled his hair. “you’re my blueprint right now as i searched through these files. i was looking for someone like you.”

then, as if there’s a sudden change in the wind, sae regained his confidence and fired back at you.

“there’s no one else like me.” he takes your chin between his fingers. “so use me, hermosa.”

and you gave in the same way you allowed him to kiss you long and deep, telling you in every way possible that he loves you even after the universe collapses.

itoshi sae is a selfless man, yet you didn’t know that he’s only ever like that when it comes to you.

it didn’t matter if it was spontaneous trips, ditching big games, or standing in front of the camera for you.

whatever it is, as long as it’s you, then he will do everything in his power to make it come true.

[kurd1shangel]

How to persist in shifting.

If you catch yourself thinking, “Oh, I’m not in my DR,” while shifting, it’s important to shift your mindset immediately. That thought keeps you anchored in your CR. Here’s how to persist past it:

1. Don’t Engage with the Thought

When that thought arises, don’t fight it just let it pass.

•Instead of reacting with frustration, treat it like background noise.

•Imagine it floating away, like a cloud or a passing car.

2. Flip the Thought

•If you notice yourself thinking, “I’m not in my DR,” immediately replace it with a affirmations.

•Even if you don’t fully believe it, keep affirming it until your subconscious accepts it.

3. assume you are already there

Instead of waiting for proof that you’ve shifted, act as if you already have.

•If you wake up and think, “Oh, I’m still in my CR,” assume it’s just a temporary perception error.

•Try touching objects, looking around, or closing your eyes and visualizing your DR.

4. ignore your CR senses

If your body still feels like it’s in your CR (like lying in bed), ignore it.

•Imagine that your DR body is separate from your CR body.

•Focus on DR sensations instead, like the feeling of a different bed, air, or environment.

5. persist until you fully transition

•Some people experience “in-between” states before fully shifting.

•Instead of giving up, relax deeper and continue affirming that you’re already there.

[adrienneleclerc]

Heyy can you write an oneshot of charles dating andrea (his personal trainer) daughter and how andrea would react

Ooh YES!! Imagine the drama, I love it. I hope this is what you wanted and if I wasn’t, hope you liked it anyway!

My Trainer’s Daughter

Pairing: Charles Leclerc x Ferrari! Reader

Summary: Charles is dating Y/N Ferrari, the daughter of Andrea, in secret

Warning: spelling and grammatical errors.

A/N: i have loved getting requests from everyone, feel free to request any more ideas. And yes, the title is unoriginal, I know, I couldn’t think of anything.

The day Charles met Y/N Ferrari was a day he would never forget. It was when he was doing his winter training for the 2023 F1 season. He was supposed to meet Andrea at the training camp so he was surprised when he saw a woman he has never seen before on the treadmill.

“Excuse me, did you know you are trespassing?” Charles asked, Y/N stopped her treadmill and took off her headphones.

“Che cosa?” Y/N asked

“Stai sconfinando, vattene prima che chiami la sicurezza.” Charles threatened in Italian. The woman rolled her eyes and when Charles was about to say something, Andrea appeared.

“Ah Charles, i see you have met my daughter, Y/N.” Andrea said, gesturing at Y/N who smiled like she has won.

“I didn’t know you had a daughter. What is she doing here?” Charles asked.

“She was in Italy, I haven’t seen her since she moved out so I invited her. I hope you don’t mind.” Andrea said.

“But I’m supposed to film some shots for my blog.” Charles said.

“Calmati, bambola, i promise not to get in the way. You could always crop me out if that’s what you want.” Y/N said.

“Oh so you do speak English.” Charles said.

“Yeah I do,” Y/N said.

“Okay, let’s focus on your training, Charles. You’re doing great, cuore, ti amo.” Andrea said.

“Ti amo anch’io papà.” Y/N said, before she put on her headphones and continued to run on the treadmill.

Charles was staring at the woman, she was as fiery as she was beautiful. There were moments where he had to stop himself from staring too much because he was positive that Andrea would kill him. Y/N didn’t fall far behind, she was also staring at Charles during certain exercises, who wouldn’t stare at the beautiful monegasque? Both finished their exercises after 2 hours (I’m assuming)

“Great work, Charles. Y/N, you want to go grab food?” Andrea asked.

“Sure, papà, let me just pack my things. They have a shower her?” Y/N asked.

“Yes. Charles, show her please, I have to change and get my wallet from my room.” Andrea left the hotel gym which just leaves Charles and Y/N.

“Sorry about threatening you. It’s just this gym was booked for my session so when I saw you here, I thought you were a fan.” Charles explained.

“A fan on the treadmill? Why the hell would a fan be on the treadmill if they so desperately wanted to meet you?” Y/N asked.

“I Don’t know, to appear normal. Anyway, I’m sorry, I had no idea Andrea was your father.” Charles said.

“Don’t worry about it, bambola.” Y/N said.

“Why do you call me bambola?” Charles asked.

“Because you have a pretty face like a doll, hence the name bambola. These are the showers?” Y/N asked, pointing to the door.

“Yep, these are the showers.” Charles said,

“Alright, thank you, I’ll see you around Charles.” Y/N said, before entering the shower room.

“See you around, Y/N.” Charles said.

From that moment on, every time Charles had a training session with Andrea, Y/N would always be there. There were moments where Y/N and Charles would hang out alone and one of those hang outs led to a very important question.

“Would you like to go on a date with me?” Charles asked as Y/N was eating her pasta. She finished chewing and swallowed.

“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” Y/N asked.

“Would you like to go on a date with me? A proper date.” Charles clarified.

“Oh bambola, my dad would kill you. His top client going out with his daughter? Can you imagine the drama that would ensue?” Y/N asked.

“Which is why it will be a secret.” Charles said.

“A secret? Oh yeah, because that always turns out so well,” Y/N commented sarcastically.

“Think about it, we can go out on a few date, if it doesn’t work out, we never have to tell Andrea.” Charles said.

“Okay, I can live with that, my dad would never have to know.” Y/N said.

“What do you mean he would never have to know? Are you saying you’re positive this won’t work out?” Charles asked.

“You literally said the same thing!” Y/N exclaimed.

“I was convincing you to go out with me!” Charles exclaimed back.

“Fine, we’ll go out. Tomorrow night sound alright for you?” Y/N asked.

“Yes it does.” Charles said.

Well that first date turned out to be such a success that they have actually been dating for 4 months which means it was time to tell Andrea. They were in the gym, Andrea was sitting down, scrolling on his phone.

“Good morning, Andrea, are you ready?” Charles asked.

“I am but i have one question.” Andrea stated. Charles nodded for him to continue. “Why the hell were you on a yacht with my daughter?” Andrea asked and shoved the phone in Charles’s face. “Care to explain?”

“That’s what we are here to tell you. Charles and I have been dating for 4 months.” Y/N said.

“Four months?!? And you’re telling me now?!?” Andrea exclaimed.

“I wanted to know if we would work first, he’s not really my type.” Y/N said.

“Excuse me, I’m not your type?” Charles asked offendedly.

“I’m trying to make him feel better, chill out bambola.” Y/N said turning to face Charles. She then faces her dad. “But charles has been a perfect gentleman. He holds the door open for me, he carries my bags when we go shopping, picks me up with flowers when we go on dates, he’s a great guy, papà.” Y/N said. Andrea stands up and goes over to Charles.

“If you hurt my little girl..” Andrea started

“I won’t, sir, I swear, I would rather quit Ferrari than hurt Y/N.” Charles said.

“Good answer. Now let’s get to training.” Andrea said

The moment Andrea found out they were dating, it was hilarious. Charles’s training sessions became more difficult.

“Can’t have my princess dating a weak man, now can i?” Andrea says and Y/N just watches as her father tortures her boyfriend. After Charles’s workout, Y/N goes to him.

“How you feeling, bambola?” Y/N asked him, rubbing his back.

“I’m fine, ma belle, your father is right, if I’m going to be your boyfriend and protect you, i can’t be weak.” Charles said,

“Ha ha, get up so we can get some food.” Y/N said,

When they travelled together, Andrea would give them a curfew, not just because of the race events Charles had, but because he’s such a protective dad.

“I want you two back here by midnight.” Andrea said.

“Yes papà.” Y/N said,

“Yes sir.” Charles said before the two left the hotel to go somewhere. “Your dad took us dating way better that I thought.”

“Tell me about it. I guess it comes with you two knowing each other for a long time since you started F1.” Y/N said.

“You’re right. So Mon ange, am I your type now?” Charles asked and Y/N laughed.

“My god, bambola, let that go already.” Y/N said, charles laughed with her until she placed her hands on the back of his neck. “You have always been my type, I like boy with brown fluffy hair and blue green eyes.”

“And I like girls with (your color) hair and (your color) eyes.” Charles said before they kissed. “Can’t believe I’m dating my trainer’s daughter.”

“And I can’t believe I’m dating an F1 driver. I am wishing you luck on tomorrow’s qualifying session.” Y/N said,

“As long as your there, my good luck charm, I’m sure quali will go well.” Charles said, they kissed again before walking to a little bar near the hotel.

The End

Hope y’all liked it. I thought it turned out well

[jazziejax]

𝐀 𝐍𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 - Dev-Em x Black!OC

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 - 𝐔𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐩𝐬, 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬.

���𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 - flirting, mentions of sex, unknown world confusion, slight jealousy, and I tried to make this a slow burn but I might be a little fast with the way I’m going, idk

𝐉𝐚𝐳𝐳𝐢𝐞’𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 - I know it’s been a minute, I KNOW YOU WANT A BAD BOYS UPDATE, but I’m collecting more so I can release two at a time. Plus, I’m lowkey in a Snowfall moment right now and trying my best in to write for Franklin Saint/Damson Idris because once I’m in the mindset of the drug game, it’s hard to get out of. (I’m so dramatic 🙄) Imagine Leroy and Giorgio who you want, i had Danny Glover and Joey Bada$$ in mind. UNEDITED, sorry for any spelling errors and grimmer issues, I don’t like re-reading my own work :(

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 - 8,096+

“So, we need to get some sort of story in order before we see Uncle Leroy.” She said, her flyaways blowing within the wind.

The golden sunlight of Louisiana filtered through the dense canopy of oak trees draped in Spanish moss, casting dappled shadows on the winding dirt road. Magnolia had one hand on the steering wheel of her old pickup truck, the other tapping nervously on the door of the open window. The ride was silent the majority of the time it took them to get to Leroy’s. Dev’s eyes were trained out of the window, jumping between all of the different things he could as they went from the scarce homes of the countryside to the French-style city. He would see the occasional stray dog that ran with some others as they raced for scraps or a stork rise for the waters and fly off.

Magnolia would glance over now and then, watch as Dev leaned forward slightly, his piercing eyes scanning everything outside with the intensity of someone cataloging the world for the first time. She assumed speaking would snap him out of his thoughts, but his gaze was focused intensely out of the window.

“You don’t blink much, do you?” Magnolia asked, squinting over at him out of the corner of her eye.

Dev turned his gaze to her at that, his expression calm but curious. “Blinking is inefficient when observing. I might miss something important.” She stated.

“You sound like some sort is soldier.” She said, letting out a small chortle. She glanced over at him to see his eyes flicker away from her, his jaw flexing quickly as he trained his eyes out of the car again. She could see that her statement hit a nerve, so she just awkwardly cleared her throat. “Well, now that I have your attention.” She began as her fingers flexed on the wheel. “When we get to Uncle Leroy’s, just let me do all the talking, okay? He’s old and suspicious of everything so there will be a lot of questions and I don’t want his mumbo jumbo to confuse you.” Her words only caused Dev to furrow his brows slightly, glancing over at her.

“Mumbo Jumbo?” He questioned. Magnolia just blinked at him. “Right.” She said. “Uh, forget that. Let’s just get our story straight, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Um….”She trailed off as she thought, tapping her fingers against the door her arm rested on. “You’re a friend from college!” She stated, glancing over at him with a nervous smile. “We can say you’re in the military and you just got back from deployment and needed a place to stay.” She said with a grin.

“Why would I choose to stay with you?” Dev asked, blinking over at her. Her grin faltered slightly as she glanced from the road and over to him. “Because we’re college friends?” She asked herself more than she answered him, thinking over the logic of their plan.

“Why wouldn’t I stay with family?” Dev continued.

“They’re dead,” Magnolia stated simply with a shrug, not taking her eyes off the road as her grin appeared again since she came up with another take that seemed to fit their plan. “See, it checks out now.” She stated, not charging the way Dev’s eyes seemed to dim. His jaw tightened as he focused his eyes down at his hands, which were clenched together in his lap as he tried to keep his composure. “That won’t be too hard for me to adjust to.” He stated plainly. Magnolia glanced over at him due to his deep tone, deeper than usual. It was filled with dread and anger, although it was masked to seem like average indifference.

She blinked once she registered his words, her gaze returning back to the road. She internally cursed herself out for being so forward. She felt her heart clench as she thought it over again and again in her mind. He was so lost, in a strange world with no family. Everything was unfamiliar to him and he could barely remember how he ended up here. He was helpless. And she wasn’t making it any better.

“Well, let’s just scrap that all then.” She stated softly. “It wouldn’t make much sense for you to be in the U.S. military anyways with your accent and all.” She said, turning her head to look out of her driver-side window as she cringed again as words kept slipping out of her mouth. She didn’t mean to keep bringing up how different he was and his home but she couldn’t help it. They are coming up with his background story after all, so they don’t have to explain that he fell from the sky in some unknown object.

“We’ll just say that you’re an exchange student, in a way but still a college friend.” She began again. “You’re here to gain the full American experience, the one you didn’t really get in university since you were always on campus, and I’m your host.“ She looked over at him for any sign that she probably said something wrong again, only to be met with a simple nod from him. She subconsciously copied his actions before turning back to the road, engaging them in another moment of silence.

Magnolia wanted nothing more than to apologize. She felt that she always seemed to say the wrong things to him. She didn’t really know how to house anyone despite being the southern belle people assume she is because she bakes pastries at her friend’s cafe. So add not only a stranger but an alien, a hot alien that crashed into her backyard….She felt that she was owed the right to be a little confused and on edge.

She also couldn’t describe this strong pull she felt towards him. She felt this urge to care for him and be there to get him to open up some. Dev gave off this strong and intimidating aura, but she could see right through it with every little move he made. Granted, maybe everything she was thinking and feeling was the after-effects of the crash. It’s not every day something like that happens and it’s probably some reverse Stockholm syndrome. And it also could do with the fact that she was a decent human being and would always help another in need if she could But she hasn’t felt this sort of pull to anything or anyone besides Mufasa when she found him in the rain outside of work three years ago.

This entire situation was doing nothing for her lack of social cues and anxiety.

They rode the rest of the way to Uncle Leroy’s clinic in silence. Dev continued to observe everything around him, taking in all details he noted as worthy while Magnolia raced in what she would say next and whether or not it would lead to thoughts she didn’t want him to have.

Once they pulled into the parking lot of the clinic which was surrounded by other businesses, Magnolia stopped the car. “Follow me.” She said as she gathered her bag and then hopped out of the dark, unknowingly slamming the large metal behind her. Dev followed with no question, almost taking himself out as he tried to hurry after her and forgot he still had his seatbelt on. Magnolia turned around when she heard a soft strangled noise, but only saw Dev exit the car and quickly close the door behind him before fixing his clothes. She just simply shook her head, thinking it was nothing.

The bell above the door chimed as the pair walked in, Magnolia in front of him. He followed her to a small counter where he could see a woman sitting behind a computer, typing away. “Hey, Jess.” She looked up at the sound of the bell, offering a small smile to the familiar face of Magnolia, but doing a double take at the unfamiliar man behind her.

“Hey, Magnolia.” The woman said as she ceased her typing and once between the two. “What’s up with you today? You don’t have an appointment.”

“Oh, I know,” Magnolia stated nonchalantly. “I just need a walk-in for my—.” She paused mid-sentence as she glanced over her shoulder, expecting to find Dev in one of the available lobby seats, but was met with the sight of the man’s broad chest directly behind her. Her eyes quickly bounced up, catching his eyes when he looked down at her. “My friend. He’s new to…well, the country.” She added as she looked back over at the woman behind the desk, letting out a small laugh at the end. Dev looked back at the woman as well, giving her a polite smile. “Hello.” He said.

And it was as if the sound of his voice ignited something within the woman, causing her to let out a giggle as she looked at him. “Hi.” She grinned, not taking her eyes off of him. Dev blinked at her, his smile only faltering slightly at the woman’s odd behavior. Magnolia's brows twitched, looking at the woman who was no longer paying her any attention and cutting her eyes to the tall man next to her who seemed to be a little uncomfortable.

After flicking her questioning gaze between the two for only a few seconds longer, she cleared her throat. “Jess?” She said.

“Yeah?” Jess responded her eyes only momentarily leaving Dev’s figure to look over at Magnolia as she bit at her lip, trying to keep her grin at bay.

“We’re gonna go to my uncle's office, Kay?” She said, not even trying to set up a walk-in appointment anymore. She was going to lie and say the man knew she would be here but there was no point in any of that since the receptionist seemed more than occupied just staring at the man next to her.

“Yeah, sure.” Jess sighed, still looking at the man next to her. Magnolia blinked, trying to keep her words at bay as a sour feeling spread through her chest. She just gave the woman a sarcastic smile, not that she could even see it, before reaching back and grabbing ahold of Deb’s hand to pull him away.

Dev didn’t protest the feeling of the woman’s grip on him, only glancing down at the contact and up at the back of her head as she pulled him through the foggy glass door to their left. It was silent as she dragged him down the hall, passing rooms with doors open as waiting patients sat for a doctor and some closed as they convoluted over their meeting. Dev could feel the annoyance radiating off of her Magnolia as she led him through the hall of the small clinic. He couldn’t tell what had her angry, but by the way, she gripped his hand and the small frown he saw before she turned her back to him, she was a little ticked off.

She composed herself when they got to a wooden door near the end of one of the halls she led them through. The name ‘Dr.Jenkins’ was written on the foggy glass panel in gold ink and fancy writing. Dev watched as Magnolia took in a deep breath and then let it out, her eyes closed as she tried to gain a sense of herself back.

She then turned and looked up at him, trying not to jump back at the sight of his bright eyes already on her. “You ready?” She asked, her voice as soft as ever.

“Yes,” Dev said, giving her a single nod. Magnolia nodded herself before opening the door, not even caring to knock.

Her smile was large as she stepped into the room, Dev’s hands still in hers. “Hey, Uncle Leroy.” She said to the man behind the desk, who looked up at the sound of his door opening. The man had small, rectangular glasses sitting on the edge of his nose, looking over from the papers on his desk and over the frames to see them.

His face automatically broke out into a grin at the sight of the woman. “Hey, my little moon pie.” He said, his voice light and smooth with a scruffy undertone. He stood from the seat of his leather chair, and that’s when Magnolia finally let go of Dev’s hand, moving to meet the man halfway, around the large dark wooden desk, in a hug. Dev watched as she smiled largely as she wrapped her arms around the man, trying not to pay attention to the cold feeling that washed over him once her hand left his.

They rocked back and forth for a few seconds, savoring the embrace. They then pulled away from the hug with a breath, the older man looking down at the girl. “It’s been months.” The man began, a fond look on his face as she looked down at her. Magnolia let out a small sigh, looking aura from the man’s gaze. “The only time I hear from you is when I see you at church or work. We barely talk anymore.”

“I know, Lee, I know,” Magnolia said. “I’ve just been busy since..everything.” She said, sparing Dev a quick glance out of the corner of her eye when she paused. Dev caught on to what she was saying, but oddly enough he had a feeling she wasn’t alluding to him when she mentioned everything.

Her eyes cut to him and the man before her looked his way. The brown-skinned man's eyes scanned Dev up and down skeptically before his eyes drifted back to Magnolia only briefly. Magnolia avoided his eye, her lips pursed into an awkward smile as she gazed at Dev.

“Ah, so this is what’s kept you busy.” The man stated, before stepping around the woman. Magnolia gaped in shock at his words, tilting her head as she tried to decipher what he meant by that. Before she could question him, Leroy spoke back up, now standing before Dev. His shoulders were squared as he looked up at the taller man. Dev kept his ground, although he did shirk himself in slightly due to the man’s smaller but as well as intimidating stature. The younger man studied the older man before him, taking in his salt and pepper goatee that matched his small fro.

“And you must be?” Leroy said before holding out his hand. Dev placed his hand into his, each of their grips firm on the other. “I am Dev-Em, sir.” He answered. Magnolia silently winded when he said his name but quickly fixed it when Leroy furrowed his brows and glanced over at her. “Dev-Em?” He repeated back to the man, his tone giving way to his confusion.

“Deven!” Magnolia yelped, causing both men to look over at her. “Deven, you have to say your full name, silly.” She quickly added, letting out a nervous laugh as she eased her way over to stand back next to the new man in her life. Her smile was strained on her face and she hoped the facade wasn’t obvious as she placed her hand on Dev’s bicep. “Sorry about him, he’s getting used to the whole Southern Hospitality thing.” She said to Leroy as she glanced between him and the man she stood next to. Dev was confused by the ordeal taking place before him but just went with whatever the short woman next to him said. That is what she said in the car on the way over and he was following her orders.

“His name is Deven Embrose. He’s from the United Kingdom. It’s, like, a lil nickname thing they do over there.” She finished, her hand still connected to Dev’s skin, to which she gave a small pat.

Leroy nodded, placing his hands in his pockets as he gave the tall man another once over. “So I heard.” He said, giving a lowly gesture to his mouth as she referred to the other man’s accent. “I’ve met a few men from across the pond in my day.” He nodded. Magnolia let out another bout of anxious laughter, unknowingly leaning into Dev’s side more. Neither of them seemed to pay attention to the touch she was applying, but Leroy did glance between them suspiciously.

“Anyways!” Magnolia was quick to inject before more questions about Dev’s past could be asked. “I’m here because he needs a check-up.”

“A check-up?” The older man asked. “Why? What happened?” He questioned.

“Oh, nothing much.” Magnolia shrugged. “There was just…a tumble that..occurred.” She explained as nonchalantly as she could, making up a lie on the spot. Leroy furrowed his brows again, his eye dating between the close pair. His suspicions were loud and clear within his gaze, especially in the way he eyed the random man who was with someone he considered a daughter.

“A tumble?” He echoed.

“Yup,” Magnolia said. “It happened when we were moving his things in. He fell down the stairs with a large box in his hands.”

“Fell down the stairs?” Leroy questioned in shock, his eyes moving across the young man before him to gauge any serious wounds on him at such a serious incident. Magnolia was quick to interject his scurrying mind. “Not down all of the stairs! It was just a small tumble down, like, the bottom five. Right, Dev?”

“Yes.” The man replied with a firm nod.

It was silent for a moment, the younger duo standing close as they waited for the older man to speak.

Leroy just nodded, completely unsure and a little stunned by whatever was going in before him. He just subtly shook his head as he blinked. “Okay, well why don’t we just go to one of the available rooms and get this checkup started.” He said with a small grin. Magnolia nodded as she moved out of the way for Leroy to walk through and led them to the room.

Once he was out, Dev looked down at the woman who made her way out of the door before him.

“You’re..bad at this.” He murmured. Magnolia shot a look at him over her shoulder, taken back by his audacity. “What?” She said but didn’t have any time to respond before she stopped outside of the room Leroy did.

He clicked the lights on and gestured them into the space. “Have a seat.” He said as he moved over to the counters that held tons of average-grade medical equipment. The sound of rubber stretching echoed within the small room as Dev sat on the leather seat of the operation chair. The chair was pretty large but the big man that sat in it made it seem like it was made for his form. Magnolia stood near the chair, her stature putting her at the perfect height so that she didn’t have to crane her head to see Dev’s face clearly.

Her lips were pursed as Leroy turned around with gloves now on his hands and his stethoscope out of his white coat.

“Okay, now why don’t you just take a deep breath in for me.” He said as he stepped over, placing the bell of the tool on Dev’s chest. Dev did as he said, his chest lifting outwards. “Now, release.” Dev followed his instructions, breathing out. Leroy just let out a small hum before taking the tool out of his ear and hanging it on his neck. He then took out a pen-like flashlight from his coat pocket and clicked it on.

Magnolia stood off to the side, watching the whole produce as Leroy foaled the small light into Dev’s eyes, who flowed a little upon impact but did as the man instructed about where to look. Leroy stood with another hum, pocketing the pen. “Everything looks fine to me. I’d just need to run a few more tests before you can head out. Let me alert one of my nurses.” He said before stepping out briefly.

He came back only seconds later. “So, Deven.” He began in a questioning tone as he began to switch out his gloves. His cadence caused Magnolia to throw her back as she released a silent groan, her movement catching Dev’s attention. He furrowed his brows at her as he watched her go back to normal when Leroy turned back around. “What do you do?” He asked.

“Military, sir.” He stated, his eyes briefly jumping to the woman next to him, making sure he remembered their small conversation from the car. Magnolia’s brows twitched as she tried to keep them from peaking since she wasn’t all too sure if they had scrapped the whole military story in the car or not. She could’ve sworn they decided not to go with that idea. And while she was having a mini internal freakout, Leroy just nodded. “What branch?”

“The Navy.” Magnolia was quick to add since she was certain most of this wasn’t covered in their small conversation from the car ride over. “Marines, more specifically.” She nodded.

“But why are you here? In America?” The old man continued to question, not paying much mind to her interjection this time.

“I got injured.” Dev was quick to respond, taking the woman who had eased her way next to him aback. “It wasn’t severe but it caused a lot of physiological trauma so I retired. I also wanted a change of scenery and Magnolia offered to house an old friend.” He explained. Leroy’s stare was stagnant, never wavering from the man as he listened to his story. Magnolia was still quite shocked. Not only at his quick thinking but also the way her stomach fluttered at hearing the sound of her mane on his lips for the first time.

“Okay,” Leroy said. The pair just blinked at him.

“Okay?” Magnolia replied, her tone slightly questioning. “That’s it?” She asked. Leroy just nodded. “Yeah. I’ve known you a long time, so I know how careful you are. Plus, you’re a grown woman. I’m not gonna ask too many questions.” He stated. Magnolia just nodded, and she honestly didn't think she had it in her to be shocked by anything anymore. If anything, the last 24 hours have proved anything is possible.

“But I still do have to run these tests.” He said as he glanced down at his watch, just time for a nurse to push in the machine that would check his vitals and blood pressure.

It didn’t take them long before they were out of the door.

“That was stressful.” Magnolia sighed, her shoulder slightly slumped as she walked before Dev as the pair made their way back to the lobby, Leroy absent since he had an actual patients waiting on him. “I’m stressed. I need something sweet.” She groaned. She then glanced back over at the tall man behind her. “You want something sweet. Ya’ like ice cream? I could go for some ice cream.” She rambled as she opened the door that looked like the one they walked into earlier, however, this door led them out on the opposite side of where they walked into, to the right of the receptionist's desk.

“I do not know what that is,” Dev stated. Magnolia paused and turned to him, just staring at him as she tried to gauge any sight of a lie within his gaze. Seeing the plain look the man was giving her, just staring into her eyes with no questions asked, she then broke out into a grin. “Oh, Dev, sweetie, I have so much to show you.” She said, her soft southern drawl almost luring him into a trance as she placed her hand on his arm, subconsciously rubbing her thumb against his skin.

It was however broken by the sound of someone speaking.

“Hey.”

The pair both looked over at the sound of Jess’s voice, the woman’s eyes trained solely on the man in front of her. She stood from her chair, showing her dark purple scrubs as she leaned forward to the tall counter and pushed over a small card. “It’s for you.” She said, a sultry grin on her face as she didn’t hide the way she eyed the man before her. Dev’s brows spiked a little in interest, the man reaching over and picking up the small piece of paper to see it held an odd series of numbers.

Magnolia tried her best to hide the frown that began at her brows as she watched, her eyes jumping between the ever-stoic Dev and the thirsty receptionist, Jess. She didn’t know why, but she got this sour tang in the back of her throat at the sight of Jess’s obvious flirting. Whether it was the way she didn’t care to even ask more about Dev before throwing herself at him or the fact that she was doing this all on the clock, hell, even the possibility that she and Dev could be together. She couldn’t care less about the specifics when this woman was obviously throwing herself at him right in front of her.

Dev blinked at the small card before looking back up at her. “Thanks.” He said, no smile, not even a nod. He just held the white card stock up in acknowledgment. Magnolia softly scoffed before quickly turning on her heels and strutting out of the clinic, her bunch of curly hair swinging on the top of her head. Dev was quick to follow her, not even sparing the woman behind him a glance as she tried to keep up with the only thing he knew in his new life.

The bell above the door chimed as they exited the clinic, entering the blazing sun shining down on them even from under the awning. Dev could feel a source of every course through his veins as he stood in the light but didn’t have time to focus on it before he felt the small card be ripped from his hands. He watched as Magnolia ripped the paper into pieces and then pocketed the scraps. She then pulled her keys from her purse, all in silence as Dev simply watched her.

Due to the pause in the atmosphere, she looked up once she held her keys to her truck to see the man staring at her. “What? I don’t litter.” She said before turning from him and walking over to her truck.

Dev followed behind her as usual, getting inside the odd contraption as he did before. “What was that she’d given me?” He asked as he copied the way to put on the seatbelt from watching her, glancing back now and then to see if it was correct.

“Her phone number.” She replied.

“What’s that?”

“It’s the way we communicate here without being face to face. We write letters as well but that takes too long. But then again, we also have electronic letters such as emails and text, so, I don’t know.” She shrugged, her tone flat as she started the car and began to pull out. Dev nodded, taking in what she said at face value since she didn't seem too in the mood to offer more context. Something both of them didn't bother to question.

“Why did she give me her number? Aren’t you her friend?”

Magnolia scoffed, glancing over at him. “Hell no, I’m just nice to her because it’s the right thing to do. She’s just doing her job and she works for my uncle.” She shrugged again. “And she gave you her number because she don’t want nothing but to get in the drawls.” She scoffed again, her tone bridging in pissed as she gripped the steering wheel.

“What?” Dev asked full-on confusion written across his face as he looked at her, not even focused on his task of gaining information by observing his surroundings. Magnolia paused, glancing over at him to see the look he was giving her. “She wanted nothing more than to just sleep with you, Dev.” She said bluntly. “That’s why she gave you her number. So you could call, talk, flirt a little, go out, and then hook up.” She explained as if it was obvious. Dev understood most of what she was saying, but he was still sort of lost on some parts.

“Hook up? What is that, how do you hook up?” He questioned.

“Sex.” She stated. “Hooking up is sex. Mating. The act most things do to reproduce offspring.” For some reason, she had no trouble explaining such things to him. Even though it was sort of awkward because she never really had to have “The Talk”™️ ever in her life, especially with a grown man, and with the way he was staring at her so intensely. But it seemed to just flow out. This conversation would probably be their easiest because every culture and race had to have sex…right? That’s how they had to reproduce?

“Ahh.” Dev nodded once he understood what it all meant. He then frowned, as if thinking over it all now. “She wanted to mate with me? We wouldn’t even be compatible. Her genetic makeup doesn’t offer anything to mine.” He said. Magnolia squinted her eyes in thought, blinking as she registered the way he stated that in her mind. She opened her mouth to respond but came out saying nothing.

“Hey, the check-up wasn’t so bad, was it?” She chimed in after a moment of silence. Dev glanced back over at her, giving a silent nod before realizing she probably couldn’t see him. “It went well. Odd, but well.” He said. “You’re terrible at lying on the spot, though.” He added.

Magnolia opened her mouth to say something snarky at his comment, but could only let out a small sigh. “Yeah, I know. I get nervous when being put on the spot.”

“Your uncle is an interesting character.”

“Yeah, he gets that a lot. I say he’s a little nosy but he likes to call it cautious. My grandma used to blame his age but he’s been like that my whole life and I’m almost thirty.” She told, a fond grin making its way into her face as memories began to flash in her mind. Memories filled with the family she used to have and the good times she always thought of before closing her eyes at night for a good night's rest.

Dev could sense the newfound softness in her voice at the mention of her grandmother. He stared at her, watching the subtle smile grace her lips as she zoned off within the hum of the road. He wanted to question more about what seemed to be the connection between the old man and her but could tell it was a sensitive subject by every mention of her. That and whatever that small conversation between her and Leroy was before his presence was made known.

“So, you wanna try some ice cream or what?” She suddenly asked, glancing over at him. Dev simply nodded, causing her to grin as she drove to the perfect spot.

────୨ৎ────

Before he could even get to observe his surroundings, they out of the car and walking into another establishment that had a lot of windows. The bell above the door chimed again, causing him to look up. “Another bell. Why the bell?” He asked, following closely behind the woman as his senses became invaded with a plethora of smells and sounds. He blinked frantically with a small frown, trying to clear his mind of the loud noise that surrounded him.

“It alerts the staff that new customers have arrived.” He heard Magnolia’s voice speak over the chaos, and it was as if that was all he needed to snap back in. Honing in on the sound of her voice caused the other sounds around him to come to a halt, to the point where he didn’t even hear them anymore. “It gets annoying but diners tend to keep that traditional vibe for some reason.” She finished with a shrug. She gave the person behind the counter a large smile with a wave before moving her way through the diner.

The pair passed countless booths that held a variety of people, from kids who were full of sugar and agitating their parents to groups of teens who gossiped around the small devices in their hands. Dev looked around at it all while it seemed that Magnolia led them somewhere she wanted to go since some of the tables they passed were empty.

He stopped, watching her drop herself into a booth by the window, scooting in the middle of the seat. Dev followed suit, watching as she pulled the large menus from the little folder stand next to her and handed him one.

He copied her actions, looking at the variety of names in the list before him. Some held small pictures of the food next to its name, but majority of the list he had no idea what was. Except water and he wasn’t quite sure why that was on the menu since it held no price next to it.

“I have no idea what any of this is.” He spoke as he placed the menu down on the table with a little force, sort of fed up with being utterly confused by most of everything around him. Magnolia hummed, placing her menu down as well with a nod. “I figured. Are you hungry?” She asked.

“No.” He shook his head innocently, staring at her. “I ate quite a bit this morning.” Magnolia let out a small chuckle at his words. “Boy, don’t I know it. I’m gonna have to go grocery shopping this week. I mean, I know I cooked it all but usually I have leftovers.” She said. Dev looked down, his eyes darting to his hands on the table. He couldn’t help but feel a little bad at that. That he was invading her space.

Magnolia’s smile faded slightly. She reached her arm across the table, placing her smaller hand atop his large ones. “Hey,” She said in a soft tone. She tilted her head down just as he looked up at her call, connecting his bright-colored eyes with hers. “I’m just pokin’ fun.” She stated with a mere grin. “I’m happy to have you in my home. I know have someone who can respond to the nonsense that I say.” She chided, causing him to let out a small chortle.

“You do talk a lot.” He stated nonchalantly. Magnolia blinked at his words. “Okay, ouch.” She said, but her smile was still there to let her know she wasn’t actually hurt by his words. Their small bonding moment was then interrupted by the sound of a voice coming up to them.

“Who comes to work on their day off?” The smooth voice of a familiar man spoke up, causing the pair to look over. A large smile instantly broke out into Magnolia’s features while she looked up at the man who made his way over to them, her hand unknowingly sifting away from Dev’s, that cold feeling enveloping him again just as it did at Leroy’s clinic.

“Someone who loves their job,” Magnolia said, looking up at him as he stopped in front of their table. The man rolled his eyes at her, pulling a notepad out of his coat jacket. “Yeah, whatever, kiss-ass. You just got a raise out of me. You’re not getting another this soon.” He said as he flipped the pad and pen in his hands.

“Oh, you’ll know when I’m kissing ass, G.” She said, causing them both to let out a small laugh. The man’s gaze then drifted to Dev, who eyed the obviously familiar pair with a subtly arched brow. The stranger held out his hand, his gold watch peaking from underneath the expensive brown suit he had on, the man standing out against the rest of the diner. “Giorgio Clarance, nice to meet you.” He introduced himself.

Dev placed his hand into his, both of their grips firm as they stared at one another. “Deven Embrose.” He said, speaking the name Magnolia made up earlier. It felt weird coming off of his tongue, unnatural. He just hoped Giorgio couldn’t tell.

The overdressed man hummed at his words. “Around the way type of guy, I see.” He said with a nod. “Cool.” He stated simply, giving the man a plain once over before directing his attention back to Magnolia. Dev furrowed his brows at the man’s dismissal of him, one that was a little hostile with the look he was just given. He tried not to read much into it, but he couldn’t help but question if he felt that Giorgio was throwing at him.

“He’s my boss,” Magnolia spoke up, seeing the questioning look on Dev’s face, thinking that’s what he was questioning. “He owns this place.”

“And others,” Giorgio added with a smirk.

“And others,” Magnolia repeated in a stupid tone, playfully rolling her eyes at him. Dev's eyes jumped between them. He nodded at what Magnolia told him “I’m a chef. Well, a baker.” She stated. Dev's eyes gleamed at that, and he was about to say something to her about her occupation before Giorgio cut in.

“A Chef.” He retorted firmly, looking down at her with a small frown. “What did I tell you about cutting yourself short? You are a chef.” He said, and Magnolia softly rolled her eyes at him again, looking down at her hands, though she couldn’t hide the soft smile on her face at his words.

“All I know how to really do is bake.” She said softly, looking up at Dev as if she was answering him. He could only offer her a polite smile back before her eyes drifted away and toward the man who stood next to them.

“You make amazing pastries for two a five start restaurants.” At this point, he had leaned down, slightly holding his weight on the table with his hands so he could be closer to Magnolia. Magnolia looked him in the eye, her face as neutral as it could be due to his praise. As if this proximity for them was normal as if they did this all the time and were fine. Dev, on the other hand, was not fine. He raised his hands from the table, leaning his back against the cushion leather seat of the booth. His brows twitched into a frown, staring the at side of the man’s head as his view of Magnolia was almost blocked. Almost.

“In the diner, you may be the baker, but at Augusto’s Chevalier, you’re a chef.” He explained, never once taking his eyes off the woman next to him. “You think they differentiate all that back there in that kitchen?” Magnolia squinted her eyes at him with a slight tilt of her head.

“They literally do?…in every kitchen.” She said, understanding the point her good friend was trying to make but also not seeing how a restaurant business mogul didn’t know such a thing.

“Yeah, whatever.” He said with a shrug as he waved her off playfully.

She rolled her eyes at him again. “Are you gonna take our order or not Mr. Hotshot?” She asked with a playful smirk, looking at the man decked in a nice suit and gold jewelry whose face stood only a few feet away from hers. She caught sight of Dev’s bright eyes next to his briefly, staring at her intensely. She felt a chill run down her spine at the gaze, but her eyes never directly met his.

“No, actually. I just came to speak.” He said to her with a small smile. He then turned his head, giving the man next to them a sideways glance and another once-over. He let out a dry chortle that was barely audible before rising from his relaxed position to stand fully. “This is just for show.” He said, gesturing to the pen and paper he’d gathered from his large blazer.

“Good, because we’re not even ready to order,” Magnolia said. Giorgio just hummed with a nod, giving her face one last good look. “It was nice seeing you, Magnolia.” He practically purred, his eyes trained on her face. Magnolia nodded at his words. “It was nice seeing you again too, G.” She said, giving him a soft smile. Giorgio couldn’t help but smile at the name, his perfect teeth showing as he looked at her, gleaming in contrast to his chocolate skin. He blinked before his gaze drifted to the other man at the booth. He nodded his head down at Dev before walking away from them, passing by Magnolia.

Dev sat there, watching the man leave their table. He didn’t even offer a nod back to Giorgio. He just stayed in place, a stone-cold look on his face, even when Giorgio glanced back at Magnolia with a smirk, said woman eyeing the menu. His eyes drifted to Dev’s, his grin turning more sinister before leaving his eyesight.

“Not gonna lie, I could go for a butter pecan.” He was snapped out of his trance at the sound of the woman mumbling to herself. “I’m definitely getting up there because I used to hate that shit.” She let out a small chortle of herself. Dev’s gaze moved across her form, not speaking as he continued to think about the interaction between Giorgio and Magnolia. “I never had pistachio, maybe I should try that.” She said, continuing her search, unbeknownst of the watching eyes she had on her.

She then looked up, slightly shaken to see the man’s gaze on her already but didn’t speak on it. “I’m gonna start you off simple with a waffle cone and some chocolate ice cream. I know vanilla is more basic, but I said simple, not plain.” She stated, waving her finger about as she explained the rundown to him, her abundance of jewelry clinging about. “But don’t get me wrong, I love a good vanilla. Especially a homemade one? Tuh! Word around town is your girls makes the best.”

“I think Giorgio wants to hook up with you.”

Magnolia’s head jerked back at Dev’s statement as her smile dropped. “What?” Her face contorted between confusion and disgust but also a little bit of intrigue as she tried to gather what Dev saw. “No, I’m positive he does not.” She said, letting out a nervous laugh at what her newfound friend said.

“He was acting a little like Jess.” Dev continued, not taking his eyes away from the woman in front of him. “Just a little different.”

“That’s just how we interact here.” She said softly, sitting forward more in her seat to lean closer to him as she began to explain. “He’s technically my boss and I’m his worker. In today’s time, to create a more healthy work environment, bosses tend to be friendly to their staff so what they’re doing isn’t considered slave labor.” She said letting out a small chuckle. “That and so their bond is somewhat like a work family and that there’s a trust put into everything said company produces.” She explained. She then worked her head, looking him in the eye. “We’re just friends.” She said softly. “Barely even that, we’ve never even gone out for a beverage.”

“He looks at you a lot,” Dev continued to comment, his face still the same even though this warm feeling spread through him at the way she was gazing at him over the table. He had subconsciously leaned forward in his seat and against the table, the pair sitting closer to one another.

“That’s what we do here. Eye contact is expected in most settings.” She said, her eyes stuck on his. They were practically whispering now, faces sort of close as they leaned across the table. “I mean, look at us now. I look at you, you look at me.”

“That is because we are having a conversation.”

“Were me and Giorgio not having a conversation?”

“Yes, but even when you weren’t looking at him, he was looking at you. Everywhere.”

“You look at me all the time.” Magnolia was quick to add to their small and somewhat silent argument, ignoring the last part about Giorgio’s eyes drifting over her figure when she wasn’t looking.

“I am observing because I am new here. What’s his excuse?” Dev added with a small tilt of his head. Magnolia let up a quick gasp at his words, looking him up and down. “Oh, you’re a little sassy when you want to be.” She said with a playful grin. Dev’s face stayed stoic, causing her to let out a small laugh. “Dev, relax and pick out an ice cream door before it gets dark out.” She said, jerking her head out of the window at the cloud-covered sun. “I hate driving in the dark.” She said softly before going back to her menu.

Dev blinked at her before looking down at his menu in front of him, both still leaned forward on the table as they observed what they were going to have.

His mind was clouded, full of questions and thoughts regarding not only the ones Ms out of his new life, it whatever was going on between Giorgio and Magnolia. Dev was no stranger to emotions, as oddly as he acted about them. He’d never really felt such staring emotions about anyone, not even his intended, but he’s seen those who have. And he could see that there were feelings between the two, even if it was one-sided. And something was telling him that Giorgio was the one that fancied her more, which caused this acidic feeling to enter the back of his throat and made his face want to contort into a scowl.

Giorgio rubbed him the wrong way and it’s not just because he’s into Magnolia. Although, Dev wasn’t quite sure why that last part bothered him more.

Magnolia on the other hand was simply a little confused. This had been the first time anyone had ever told her such a thing about her and Giorgio. Although they weren’t friends who went out anywhere, they’ve been around and conversed with others, and nothing of the sort has ever come up. She didn’t know what Dev saw, or if she could even trust his judgment since he was new to earth and e everything.

What bothered her most was that she wasn’t sure if she disliked the thought of Giorgio liking her. It was her boss after all and that wouldn’t be good for business, so she was more than likely never going to outside anything, but she couldn’t deny that he was an attractive man. A wealthy attractive man with a Brooklyn accent that dressed well. To Magnolia, he was a city boy through and through, and that intrigued her southern little behind. He was no blue-collar man, but she wasn’t picky and didn’t necessarily have a type. She was just used to one thing. All that to say is it were true, she wouldn’t mind hopping on the ride.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Dev’s speaking.

“I don’t want to hook up with Jess either.” He said, causing her to look and connect their eyes. “Ever.” He finished. Magnolia blinked in confusion before simply nodding. “Okay.” She said before looking back down at her menu. Dev frowned, looking at the top of her head.

“And you don’t want to hook up with Giorgio, right?” He questioned. Magnolia let out a small laugh before looking back up at him. “No, I do not, Dev.” She said softly, looking into his eyes, which were now a soft green. Even though she sort of contradicted her previous thoughts, she was telling the truth, she didn’t necessarily want to hook up with him. Dev’s eyes jumped between hers, trying to see if he could almost sense a lie from her. He then blinked with a nod. “Good.” He said, looking at her intensely before going back to his menu. Magnolia frowned in confusion at him in what he meant by that but was cut off by Dev speaking again.

“When do we get this ice cream? Where is it coming from?” He asked, looking over his shoulder as he observed the thing in the diner. Magnolia pursed her lips, watching him.

“There's so much you have to learn, honeybun, so when we get home, we’re watching movies.” She said. “There’s only so much I can do for you, sweet pea.” She said as she shook her head with a sad smile.

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[inbarfink]

Okay, so, I know this is kind of a Stupid Thing to Focus on but… I’ve been rewatching ‘Friends Forever’ (still one of my favorite and most complex and most heart-wrenching Ice King episodes) and I’ve been thinking about the bit where Ice King tries to research how to be smart…

We can see him reads from what very much seems to be part of Simon Petrikov's journals. Considering that it details the aftermath of the Mushroom War.

In addition, while the shelves are made of ice, much like the bookshelves Ice King has in his throne room, this is clearly a much... robust archive

which much more resembles Simon Petrikov’s library/research room.

The table IK uses also seems to be a match to the one in the research room. At least in terms of colors

So, it might be a different Room Full of Books that Simon placed in his Castle before he truly 100% lost it, or it might be the same one we see in 'Betty' but with a minor continuity error when it comes to what the shelves are made from. Either way, from the aforementioned journal, we know this library probably contains books Simon had personally written

But considering the Amount, probably not all of them. (Especially if you assume there are two separate library rooms). Maybe he came back to his old house to gather up all the prewar academic books he owned, but that still seems like an Unusually High Amount of Books. I think he probably kept gathering and writing books as he was slowly turning into Ice King. Like, by the time the show started he was basically totally gone - but a couple hundred years ago he’d have brief moments of lucidity and start writing again or searching books that could help him deal with the curse.

Which makes me wonder about this book.

I know that it’s just a silly funny joke, but…

Like, a Big Undertone of ‘Friends Forever’ is Ice King’s insecurities and frustrations with his own stupidity and lack of maturity. And with Simon’s library showing up in the middle of the episode like it did, it’s hard to forget that Simon used to have the intelligence and maturity needed to speak with all of these living furniture on equal terms, but his mental facilities have been eroded by the madness of the Crown and now he can’t and these frustrations manifest even though Ice King isn’t fully aware of that fact.

And this book, I know that the title just playing directly into Ice King’s insecurities is just the Joke but also…

I’m thinking about Ice King/Simon when he was a bit more lucid. Aware that he’s going mad and it's getting harder and harder for him to think clearly and that makes it so much harder to find a solution and expressing a lot of that same anger that Ice King expresses outwards towards the Living Furniture - inwards.

I’m wondering if Simon specifically sought out that book because he felt like he was ‘turning dumb’.

I’m wondering if Simon could’ve written this book. Some sort of last final act of impotent rage against the person he was turning into, frustration at his growing inability to think like he used to, even though he couldn't even remember his own name anymore - only that he was the 'Smarty McBrainypants' part of his old identity.

That would explain why it’s such a worn and rugged book...

[embrosegraves]

𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕪 𝕀𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖

(request) Fernando Alonso x Fem!Reader As much as he loves it, Fernando is a bit confused as to why his wife is refusing to let him go anywhere.

Warnings: none. maybe some spelling errors.

Fernando is, in the words of many, a certified DILF. He’s always had the attention of women his entire career, however lately he has become more and more popular amongst teenage girls. You couldn’t blame them, of course not. If you were a teenager still, you would be the exact same. Even now, his teenage fans considered you, his wife, as “one of them”. You had fun chatting and interacting with his fans on social media because you all agreed on one crucial thing. Fernando Alonso was hot as fuck. 

One afternoon, you had been lounging on your couch and scrolling through tiktok. A lot of Fernando’s fans tended to tag you in edits they’d made of him. Clicking on the most recent tag, a video appeared of a girl who only just looked the legal age. 

“This is a message for F1’s resident MILF, Y/n Alonso.” 

She spent the next few minutes talking about different clothing trends that she thought would look nice on Fernando. One such trend was a formal suit without a shirt or vest. You privately agreed that he would look amazing, but the one that really caught your eye was the trend that went around a few years ago. Of men wearing light grey sweatpants. Of course you knew why the trend was so…big. It made you curious as to whether Fernando also had a pair of grey sweatpants. 

Getting up from the couch, you decided that you would look through the wardrobe and have a look. If he did, you were going to have to try and convince him to wear them for you. For science. You started looking through all of his clothes and were a bit disappointed when you couldn’t find any. Being so deep in your musings, you hadn’t heard Fernando come back inside from his workout in the backyard. 

“Hola, Mi Amor.” 

Fernando laughed at the shriek that left your mouth. Turning around you started scolding him for scaring you, until you realised what clothes he had changed into after he showered. 

The grey sweatpants you had been looking for. 

Fernando had apparently not noticed your brain short circuiting. Your husband wasn’t always the smartest, but at least he was pretty. He continued talking to you, completely unaware of the effect his clothes had on you. 

“I was thinking we should go and get some groceries later. Mama sent me the recipe for this bread I haven’t had since I was a child.” 

“That sounds great, Guapo,” you said, shaking out of your stupor, “but I think I’m too tired to get groceries today. We could go tomorrow if you’d like?” 

“I can always go by myself if you don’t want to, I don’t mind.” Fernando frowned a little. It was almost lunch time, how could you be tired still?  

Frantically you shook your head. Snaking your arms around his waist, you looked up at him through your lashes. 

“No, I want to go with you, tomorrow. When I won’t be as tired.” You gave a demure smile, really trying to discreetly convince him to stay home. You knew that if your reaction to seeing your husband like this — in the comfort of your own home — was this dramatic, the teenage girls on tiktok would go ballistic. You had to prevent that as much as you could. 

Which is why you knew that Fernando would bend to your every wish if you looked up at him and bat your delicate eyelashes. Just as you predicted, his hands gently rubbed the length of your body. 

He smiled at you and nuzzled his ever-growing stubble into the crook of your neck. “Okay. We’ll go tomorrow.”

“Can we lay down for now? At least until I need to make dinner.”

“We can do whatever you want, Corazón.”

Weeks later, Fernando had come home early from a race weekend. He hadn’t seen your car in the driveway so he assumed that you were either still at work (it was monday after all) or you had gone to the shops for something. The thought of being there for you to come home to, as you usually were for him, made him more giddy than he’d’ve liked to admit. 

He had quickly taken a shower, putting on his most comfortable pair of grey sweatpants, and started to prepare a nice snack and drink for you. Just as he put the last thing on the plate for you, he heard your car pull up the drive. Excited to see you after so long apart, he opened the front door and started walking towards your car. 

Still sitting in your car, you had been checking your phone when Fernando knocked on the driver's side window. Seeing him standing next to your car door, your eyes widened. You had immediately clocked onto the fact that he was wearing the sweatpants. Grabbing your things and opening the door, you got out as quickly as you possibly could. 

“Welcome home, Mi Amo—“ 

“Get inside! Quickly!” 

Fernando was confused. More confused than he had been a few weeks ago when you were too tired to go to the store with him. 

“Why the rush?” 

“No questions, just please go back inside the house!” 

Despite knowing that you lived in a relatively private area, your neighbours usually stuck to themselves, you couldn’t help but worry that someone had gotten a picture of Fernando in his grey sweatpants . 

Once you were both inside, Fernando sufficiently confused, you started to relax a little. 

“Is everything okay Amor? Why were you rushing?” 

You hummed. “Hmm? Oh, sorry I thought I’d seen some paparazzi. I was just a little worried.”

Later that same day, you were in your kitchen mixing yourself a cocktail to sip on while watching some TV. You could hear Fernando on his phone scrolling through his tiktok feed. Which would’ve been fine, if you hadn’t heard exactly what tiktok he was watching. 

Fernando didn’t often get videos about clothes on his for you page, but he felt compelled to sit through a video that came up about possible outfits for him to wear. What had really gotten his attention was that the video had been addressed to you. 

“This is a message for F1’s resident MILF, Y/n Alonso.” 

He was intrigued so he continued to watch the video. it wasn’t until the girl started explaining the Grey Sweats Trend that he finally figured out why you didn’t want him going outside. Curiously, he checked the comments to see what people thought about the trends she pointed out, only to see that you had left a comment on the video yourself.

yn.alonso 🔵 I think I'm gonna gatekeep the grey sweats 🤭 fernandoFan14 creator I can't even be mad 🫠

Shutting off his phone he walked into the kitchen to find you humming to yourself. You had been trying to pretend that you hadn’t just heard what he was watching. You tried to continue making your drink as if nothing was suspicious but you had to freeze when Fernando wrapped his arms around your waist and pressed his whole body against your back. You didn’t often curse the height difference between the two of you, but with the way he was perfectly aligned with your backside, you couldn’t help it. 

“Is everything alright, Cariño?” You asked, trying your hardest to ignore the way he was pressing and practically rubbing against you. 

“I heard you were gatekeeping me from my fans.” 

“Who said that?” 

He chuckled. “You should know exactly who said it, Amor.” 

He attached his mouth to your neck and started placing slow, open kisses all the way from your shoulder to behind your ear. You knew in an instant that it was going to be a long night ahead.

My mind has been so centred on ABIN that I've basically had writer's block for anything that isn't for that series, so I apologise for how long this request has been sitting in my inbox.

otherwise, I hope you all enjoyed <3

[justmeinadaze]

I Want You: Part 2 (Steddie X You)

A/N: Please forgive an errors. Mentally and now physically I haven't been 100% but I needed this. I like delving into their minds.

Warnings: Serial Killer Dominate Steddie & Sub Fem Y/N, SMUT, roleplay style (kidnapping and tied to a chair), dirty talk, light choking, light smacking, light hair pulling, etc. Aftercare always!

ANGST, I mean the whole relationship is angsty, she can tell they are getting antsy because they need to kill, suggests roleplaying what they do on her, she is knocked out with a needle but nothing happen while she's unconscious and they explain it was a small sedative so she could sleep. They do get into a fight (they are afraid to show her that particular headspace) and she leaves. They stalk her while she's away but she assumes this and encourages. Mentions of murder and blood, brief conversation about someone in power abusing their position and Steve briefly mentions a case involving domestic violence, I think that's it. All in all this relationship isn't healthy for obvious reasons but these 3 bounce off of each well.

Word Count: 6002

Part One/Donate <3

They were starting to get antsy; you could tell. 

It had been about a couple of months since you found out about Eddie and Steve’s recreational activities and since then you had noticed a few quarks about them that didn’t bother you one bit. 

The metalhead was the easiest to learn about as he unfolded his personality for you willingly. You found him a lot fiddling with his knives, even more so when he worked on the computer at home. 

“What got you into your fascination with that?”, you asked one day as you gestured towards the weapon that was digging into the wood of his desk. 

“Um, I’m not sure. I remember when I was about thirteen, I walked past this store in our town and they had this gorgeous, sleek, buck knife in the display. I asked the man how much it was and he said it didn’t matter because I’d never be able to afford it as a Munson.” 

As he growled at his last sentence, you slid onto his lap and tenderly kissed his cheek. 

“I broke the window that night and stole it. Ever sense then, I’ve been collecting and utilizing them. Do, uh, do you want to see something?”

His eyes light up adorably as you nod and he gently pushes you off his legs before running to his bedroom and reappearing with a smaller blade.

After taking your hand and pulling you behind him, you watch as his arm rears back and throws the knife with a prominent whoosh sound as it leaves his grasp sticking to the wall across from him. 

“Holy shit! Eddie, that was amazing! Can you teach me how to do that?”

Again, his whole demeanor shines as he practically bounces to grab the weapon and shuffles back to place it in your hand. 

“Ok, so you’re going to want to plant your feet, yeah, just like that.”, he murmurs into your ear as he presses his body to yours eliciting a small smirk from you. “Then you’ll want to bring your arm as far back as you can and throw.” His large hand encompasses yours as he demonstrates, his other holding your tummy to allow his own limb to wrap around your waist. 

“Mhmm, just like that, sweetheart. What helps me is imagining someone I hate or someone that hurt me…or you…” Your head turns to look at him but he continues to glare forward until his features soften when you kiss his cheek. “Go ahead, baby. You can do it.”

As soon as he backed away from you, you envisioned that woman in prison who jumped you in the lunchroom; her sarcastic laugh and mocking tone as she made fun of you to the other women while she hit you.

Eddie couldn’t help how hard he got as he noticed your face change and you reared your arm back before throwing the knife roughly into the wall across from you. It didn’t stick for long, making you jump as it fell to the floor with a loud thud. 

“That was fucking phenomenal, princess. I’m so proud of you!”, he clapped while stepping towards you only to realize then that you were shaking. Cupping your cheeks in his palms, he turned you to fully face him as his thumbs wiped away your tears. “You’re safe, Y/N. No one is ever going to hurt you like that ever again. We’d never allow that.”

Your arms abruptly wrapped around him and he pressed your head into his chest as you cried.

 You didn’t know it but Steve saw that exchange, he saw everything. 

Unlike his friend, he wasn’t that keen to being open but you accepted it allowing him space to process everything however he needed to, aware his eyes were always following you and studying. For a while you thought he would never fully let you in until one evening when you a woke to find his side of the bed empty. 

Tiptoeing down the hall, you found him at his desk in his own room flipping through paperwork. 

“It’s not polite to linger, honey.”, he teased without even lifting his gaze from the things in front of him.

“I’m sorry. I just woke up and you weren’t there.”

“Yeah, I was having some trouble sleeping and I didn’t want to bother either of you so I thought I’d come do some work.”

Grabbing one of his chairs, you scoot it towards him, pausing when his eyes snap up to see what you’re doing. 

“I’m sorry. I should have asked…May I move this so I can sit beside you?” Silently he nods, focusing again on the work in front of him. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Steve’s irises find yours once more, this time filled with confusion especially when you gesture towards his desk.

“You want to help me?”

“If you want. I don’t want to fuck up any hard work though. I’ve seen how thorough you are with your cases.”, you smile his way. 

“I mean…not anything to really fuck up… I’m, um, looking into phone conversations between my client and her boyfriend. Eddie pulled these for me but it’s a lot of bullshit to wade through. Flirtatious texts and or ‘Can you grab this thing from the store?’”, he chuckles as he leans back in his seat. 

“What are you looking into exactly?”

“Instances of him threatening or being abusive. His lawyer is saying my client is insane and attacked him but she’s saying it’s self-defense.” His eyes flick to you as you tilt your head to scan through the paper in front of him. “You don’t have to help with all this intense stuff. You had a long day. Why don’t you go back to bed and—”

“You missed something.”, you interrupted as you pointed to a sentence. “This right here…He’s being passive aggressive with his wording here. I know with texts sometimes things get lost in the lack of vocal inflection but…my dad used to say bullshit like this to us all the time.”

Leaning back in your own seat, your eyes locked on his as you watched them change the same way they did that night you were together with “the real them”.

“Why are you still here?”

Nonchalantly, you shrug your shoulders as you smirk his way. 

“Still here in the room or in this relationship?”

“I know you know the answer to that.”

“I do but I want to hear you say it.”

“Are you afraid of us? Afraid if you don’t stay we’ll hurt you.”

Pouting out your lips sarcastically, you shake your head.

“Hm, no. I already told you I’m not afraid of you and I know you won’t hurt me. Are YOU afraid of ME? Afraid if I do stay I will hurt YOU?”

“Listen here, little girl. I’m not afraid of anything especially a little brat like you.”

“Good to know. Now do you want my help or should I go back to bed?”

Steve laughs under his breath as he shakes his head. 

“Go to sleep, Y/N.”

Nodding, you do as he says but when he hears the sound of sheets moving, he spins around to find you crawling into his bed and closing your eyes. 

You listen to him huff as he tosses his pen on the desk and runs his fingers through his hair. After a couple of moments, the click of the lamp tells you he turned it off before you’re suddenly lifted off the mattress and carried back to Eddie’s room. 

When he places you down, you half expect him to leave but when he lifts the covers and climbs in behind you, you can’t help but smile. Fingers caress your face as you push your back as close to his chest as possible. 

“I’m sorry. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to let the mask fall and be me. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to… Please be patient with me, honey.”, he whispers as he pulls you tighter to him. “I promise I’m trying.”

As the weeks went by, you found yourself spending more time at their house and their little quarks became more evident the longer they went without a kill. 

Eddie was much more jittery than usual, spending more time either on his computer or playing with his knives. Some nights, you would find him scribbling in his journal you had found while heavy metal blared from his headphones. One night while he slept, you opened it to find more sketches of you with words doodled in ink off to the side. 

“I don’t want her to hate me. She’s gonna hate me. I need to… but she won’t want me… Monster. I’m a monster…”

Steve became much more agitated, snapping at every little thing and swimming laps in the pool from morning to night. 

You hated seeing them in pain, choosing to confront them one Saturday afternoon. 

“How long do you usually wait between…you know?”

The lawyer’s shoulders stiffened as he continued picking at the food in the bowl in front of him. 

“Depends…Months usually…”, Eddie answers sullenly with a touch of apprehension. 

“It’s been a few months since Judge White. Have you been looking—”

“Why!?”, Steve interrupts. “What the fuck do you care, Y/N?”

“Because I can see how it’s affecting you two. If this is something you need, I understand. If you want, I can…I can go back to my sisters so you both can do what you need—”

“What we do takes more care and patience than we are willing to be away from you for.”

“Aw…that was actually kind of sweet, Steve.”, you beam as his eyes flick towards you, softening for a moment before darkening again. “How about…to take the edge off…you play with me.”

“We don’t want to hurt you.”, Eddie mumbled, his hair blocking his face from your view. 

“No, baby, I know and I’m not asking you or telling you to. It can be like roleplay…just do what you normally…minus the killing part…”

Their gaze shifts towards each other, having a silent conversation before the lawyer’s hardened features meet yours. 

“No. We’ve been getting better at being vulnerable with you, Y/N, but this…this is too far…To see what we do and how we do it…who we become—”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

“You will be if we enter that headspace.”

“Good. Scare me, hell, make me cry but no matter what I know that’s not who you two really are.” They remain silent and you whine as you cross your arms. “What are you afraid of, Steve? That I won’t like you anymore if I see this side of you or that you have no control over it and could actually kill me.”

There. There was the button. 

The man’s honey irises set ablaze as he slowly rose to his feet and stalked your way. 

“I’m always in fucking control.”

“Then what are you afraid of?”

“Nothing. Now…this conversation is over…accept it or leave.”

After gathering your things, you stomped out the front door but not before slamming it with loud emphasis. 

#################

You knew what you were doing.

You were purposely trying to rile them up to push them into releasing all that built up energy but there was only so much you could do from your sister’s apartment. 

Knowing Eddie may hack into your computer, you searched dating sites and even arranged dates that you never showed up to. A part of you had a feeling they were on to you because even when you got a bit flirtier with men around you, they did nothing.

It had been a few days and your heart was breaking. You missed them so much. 

When you weren’t trying to bait them, you were looking online for jobs and getting rejected because of your criminal record. 

Your breaking point was when you actually got dressed up for an interview for them to turn you away in the middle because they called your father who notified them of your “behavior”. 

From your car, you stared at the bar entrance, having that eternal debate with yourself that you just now realized you hadn’t been having since you started talking with the guys. You desperately wanted to go to their house and talk to them about how you were feeling but you were so lost in your own brain that you couldn’t bring yourself to drive there. 

Your heels clicked along the gravel as you headed for the door but just as your feet touched the sidewalk someone bumped into you almost knocking you over. 

“Shit. I’m so sorry, honey. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”, you murmur, adjusting your dress right as your eyes locked with Steve’s beautiful irises that you missed.

Just by looking him over, you could tell he was in a certain headspace. While he was wearing his sleek suit he usually wore to the office, his energy and personality reflected a different kind of charm. He was always kind and sweet before you knew him intimately but this felt intoxicating like you could trust him as a stranger with all your dirty secrets. 

“Are you sure? You seem a bit…rattled.”

“I’m, um, I’m sorry. You’re right. I AM a bit scatter brained. It’s been a long week.”

“Don’t be sorry. No harm, no foul.”, he beams showing all his pearly whites. “Can I buy you a drink? We can talk about your brain and I can make up for body slamming you.”, he chuckles. 

“I, um…” Steve’s eyeline follows yours as it shifts to the entrance. 

When your head hangs, his shiny black shoes fill your sight before his fingers lift your chin.

“Would you rather go for a walk, maybe? There’s a park about a block away.”

“Oh? I don’t know. Walking around a park at night… Haven’t you heard there’s a killer out there?”, you jest, grinning as you tilt your head coyly. 

The smirk he tosses your way could make the devil himself blush as he reaches into his pocket and produces a business card with his name on it. 

“I’m a lawyer, honey. If I wanted to murder you there are so many other ways I could do it that’s not in park.”

That sentence alone should have all your red flag alarm bells ringing but it doesn’t. Steve is so smooth with his delivery of each word; calculated. He knows how to weave a web like a spider trying to catch prey and like the fly you won’t realize you’re in trouble until you are trapped. 

“Ok, Mr…Harrington.”, you reply as you pretend to read the card and hand it back to him. “I’ll follow your lead.”

***

“That’s bullshit. I mean you did your time but they won’t hire you?”, Steve sighed as the two of you continued to walk on the circle track around the well-lit area. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I can talk to the company if you want. There are laws put in put place to not discriminate people with a record especially with only one offense.”

“No, no. It’s alright. I can keep looking. I wouldn’t want to work at a place that’s like that anyway.”

The wind picks up a bit and without hesitation the man takes off his suit jacket to cover your shoulders. You can’t help but inhale his cologne that clung to the material including the smoke smell that reminded you of Eddie. 

Taking a seat on a nearby bench, you exhale as your sad eyes take in the scenery. 

“What does your boyfriend think about all your work woos?”, he asks as the lawyer takes a seat beside you. 

“What makes you think I have a boyfriend?”, you half-heartedly giggle. 

“Hey, or girlfriend. I’m not judging.”, Steve teases before his knee lightly pushes yours. “I just assume a beautiful woman like you wouldn’t be out alone on this Thursday evening at midnight. You’d be with them.”

 You catch it before he does, them. A slip into his real feelings…

“Him… I meant him.”

“HE told me to accept something or leave…so I left.”

“What couldn’t you accept?”

“That THEY couldn’t accept that I trust them and feel safe with them. Sorry I meant him.”

Steve’s eyes darken as his jaw tightens and he shifts his gaze. You’re pushing and he knows that but you wanted to play their game. He would never let a victim of theirs arrest control from him. 

“Well, honey, I’m sure after tonight you’ll understand more why he’s trying to protect you.”

“I don’t need him to protect me, I can handle myself. I’m not afraid of him or you, Mr. Harrington.”

Something sharp pierced your skin as the scenery around you suddenly became blurry and you slumped right into Steve’s arms. 

###############

When your eyes fluttered open, you couldn’t move; tied to a chair with your hands restrained behind your back and tape on your mouth. 

The building you were in seemed abandoned but somehow felt extremely familiar. The half-done cubicles told you this was most likely going to be an office space and the fact that you could vaguely see the tops of trees outside the window conveyed that you weren’t many stories off the ground. 

Cigarette smoke filled your nostrils as your head lulled to the side trying to find the source. Light suddenly illuminated the wall in front of you as words appeared in bright marker. 

“Red means stop. Tap your heel twice if you understand.”

Extending your leg out in front of you, you utilized your foot to tap the heel of your shoe twice against the wood floor. 

The sound of a projector click filled your ears as the words disappeared and new ones took their place. 

“I injected with a small dose of the drug we use to knock people out before we take them.”

*Click*

“Do you feel sick or incoherent? Tap once for yes or twice for no.”

*Tap, Tap*

“Eddie had to write those before we went hunting tonight. Like I’ve told you before, honey, in this headspace, he may as well be a wild animal.”, Steve chuckles menacingly before coming around to stand in front of you. 

You were still wearing his jacket but he had rolled up his sleeves as he continued to smoke but what threw you off guard was the blood sticking to parts of him including his cheeks.

“You mentioned your work struggles but you didn’t tell me about your dating problems.”

The projector clicked as the dating profile you created appeared and a few of the candidates you had randomly selected flew by. 

“This one is my favorite.”, he sasses as he points to the picture of a generic pretty boy. “You actually talked to that one.”

*Click*

“’Hey, sexy girl, would you be interested in meeting me at The Cavern for dinner?’ ‘Absolutely, gorgeous. See you there in an hour. I need to find the perfect outfit I don’t mind having ripped off later.’”

You couldn’t help but cringe as he mimicked your words in a high pitched, whiney sounding voice.

Your hair blew as you jumped at the feeling of something flying past you, not even phasing Steve as the blade sticks to the wall. 

“Yeah, Eddie wasn’t a fan of that. I, on the other hand, knew what you were up to. Trying to elicit a reaction…pushing us…that’s why you never showed up. You didn’t care about any of these fucking assholes. We thought we’d let you keep playing your game though… it wasn’t until we saw things like this that we started getting concerned.”

A black and white photo of you in your car sobbing after another failed interview filled the screen. 

“You were trying so hard, Y/N.”

More pictures past with more images of you getting ready in your room, walking up to a building, and hugging your arms around yourself on the way out. 

“I knew it was a matter of time before you ended up at a bar. Eddie watched you break in your car, calling me to talk him out of running into the building and slitting the hiring managers throat for hurting you.”

Again, a knife flew past you and again Steve didn’t even flinch. 

“I left work and followed you; prayed you wouldn’t take those steps to the front door.”

While shaking his head, he tossed his cigarette to the floor and smushed it with his shoe before stepping forward to rip the piece of tape off your lips and lean his palms against the arms of the chair, his nose just mere inches from yours. 

“You promised me you were done drinking when I took your case.” Your lip trembled as your eyes searched his dark, anger fueled ones but when you struggled to respond, his hand shot out to grip your throat. “I’m addressing you, little brat. Now fucking answer.”

“I-I-I’m…I…”

“Why didn’t you come to us?”

“I-I-I…you…”

Fingers suddenly pulled your hair back as a nose pressed to the side of your face. 

“Answer his fucking question or I swear to God, sweetheart, I’ll show you what else my knives can do. They don’t just stick to walls.”

Hearing Eddie’s voice after so long had a heavy sigh escape your lips as you keened into his breath that was warming your face. 

“Fuck, baby, I missed you.”, he whispered breathily, your thighs clenching as his thick tongue licked up your cheek. “When you said all that bullshit to those other guys, I swear, Y/N, I almost fucking drove over there and took out their fucking hearts.”

“Edward.”

“You’re ours, pretty girl, and this heart…”, he coos as he lightly drags the end of his blade along your chest. “…belongs to us.”

“Eddie.”, Steve said a bit more firmly causing the long-haired boy to growl before backing away. “Answer me, Y/N.”

“You hurt me.”, you murmur, your statement surprising them as the lawyer barely contains his shock. “I trust you both b-but you don’t seem to trust me. Y-You’re afraid of me… that I’m gonna leave… I love you. I want you both.”

“This is what you want, Y/N?”, he asks as he steps back and opens his arms wide to gesture around him. “Animals who bring victims to abandoned buildings to cut apart and dispose of?”

“I don’t think your animals or monsters. H-How many TIMES DO I HAVE TO FUCKING SAY IT!?”

The metalhead came around and smacked your face as Steve turned his back to you. It was only then you realized Eddie to had blood staining a lot of his upper half especially his hands. 

“Watch your fucking mouth, little girl.”

“Or what?”, you growl. “You obviously don’t care about what I have to say.”

In swift motions, Steve pushed his friend roughly to the side and cut your binds before slamming your back into the wall. His chest rose and fell as he heavily panted and his wild eyes zeroed on yours as he held Eddie’s knife to your throat. 

This was a completely new version of him you had yet to see.

“Why? Why don’t you see us like them?”, he asks forcefully.

“Like who?”

“Steve…”

“Fuck OFF, EDDIE!”, the man shouted, focusing back on you. “People in society. Why don’t you see us like they would?! Why do you fucking want us?!”

“Because you saw me.”, you whimper as you notice his eye lids flutter at your admission. “Society said I was a drunk, spoiled brat who deserves to be punished. Even now that I served my fucking time all they see is the charge and my name and cast me aside. You both looked deeper…just like I do with you…”

Steve’s amber irises soften as his head hangs and he drops the knife to the floor.

“I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean…to…I AM afraid of losing control…I’m afraid of losing you.”

His voice fades into a whisper and you instantly wrap your arms around his neck, pressing his face into your shoulder as you listen to him cry. 

“I’m not going anywhere, baby, I promise. I’m not scared of you losing control.”

Something in Steve snaps at your words as his lips passionately kiss yours. Blindly and hastily, you unbuckle his belt and push down his slacks till his cock springs free. Gripping the back of your thighs, he lifts you till your legs are around his waist and you both moan as he maneuvers his hips till he guides himself into your entrance. 

Your fingers tangle in his hair as his mouth sucks on your throat, thrusting his length deep and almost desperately into your pussy while your half-lidded eyes searched for the other man. 

Eddie was pacing back and forth as he watched you two, more so keeping his eyes on your face as it contorted in pleasure. He wanted to shove his friend away and fuck you till you dripping his cum but he knew patience… at least when it came to the two people he cared about…

“L-Let go, Steve. F-Fuck…I’m ok.”

His large palm suddenly gripped your neck again as his lips caressed the shell of your ear. 

“I’m Sir here. S-Steve maintains…our image…not me, baby. I-I’m the killer… under the mask… Fuck…that turns you on, doesn’t it?”

“Yeeesss, Sir.”

“You have a mask to, don’t you?”

“Mmph—yes, Sir.”

After getting a better grip on you, he spins around, walking a couple of steps to the desk that was positioned behind the chair you had been sitting in. Reaching over you, he knocked the projector to the floor with a loud crash before laying you flat with your back against the wood. 

Your eyes rolled shut as Steve found his rhythm again, pounding his cock roughly inside of you and overwhelming you in the best possible way. Feeling something cold press to your skin, you hastily looked for the source to find the metalhead cutting your dress apart and yanking it from your body. 

His friend smirked his way as if to say thank you before lifting one of your legs over his shoulder and chasing both your highs. As the coil in your belly snapped, you mewled, your eyes locking with his.

“Please…cum. I need you come, baby. I love you so much…please.”

“Oh f-fuck.”

At your words, Steve abruptly folded into himself as his pace faltered and you felt him paint your walls with his release. 

No longer able to wait, Eddie pushed his friend out of the way, bending over the desk so you could wrap your arms around his neck and hook your legs around his own waist as he took a seat in the chair you had previously been restrained in. 

Struggling with the belt buckle, he grunted in frustration as he absently searched for something to throw in anger finding nothing. 

His heavy breathing fanned your face as you tenderly placed your forehead against his and seamlessly unbuckled his belt for him, going the extra mile of unbuttoning his jeans and pulling out his dick for him.

“I love you to.”, you whispered, his glassy eyes watching your lips as a long line of spit fell from them onto his cock. 

“You love me? Us?” As you nod, you lift your hips and gradually lower yourself onto him while you both mewl. “Fuck, baby. I-I was afraid when I saw…saw you looking at those guys online…I thought—oh my God—but Steve said…you were just trying to g-get our attention.”

“I was. I swear, Eddie. I’m yours.”

That wild look filled his irises as his grip on your waist tightened, guiding your movements as you bounced. 

“You played a dangerous game, Y/N. I almost killed them for even thinking they had a chance with you. You wanted our fucking attention, you got it, little girl. You say you fucking love me? This is me.”, he growls, his small gasps of pleasure hidden under the gruffness. 

Your head started to lull onto his shoulder but his palms promptly cup your cheeks forcing you to look at him. 

“I could have done it. I could have cut them apart with my knives and made them disappear. I could have fucking ruined those fucking manager’s lives for hurting you. Y/N, I had never been so angry in my fucking life…watching you cry alone… scared…lost…Fuck…”

Eddie’s muscular arms circled around your back and held you to his chest as he slid a bit lower in the chair allowing him to thrust rapidly upward. 

“Oh my God! Please!”

His cock repeatedly slammed into that sensitive spot inside you that abruptly had white blinding your eyes as you came. The metalhead grunted at the feeling of your pussy squeezing him before you felt one of his hands come up to cradle the back of your head as he spilled inside of you. 

“But you didn’t…”, you mumbled. Bringing his palms back around, he held your sweaty face in front of him as you still limply clung to his frame. “You could have killed them…but you didn’t…neither of you… You kill…bad people…”

Arms lifted you off the man beneath you as Steve silently walked you to an elevator and climbed in. Your nose nuzzled into his neck as your palm rubbed underneath his button shirt, soothing you till you heard the soft ding and he exited onto another floor. 

Taking a quick look around, you realized you were at his office. 

“They are doing renovations and adding offices upstairs.”, he explained when you looked at him with confusion. “You said you wanted the experience so we created the illusion of an abandoned building.”

After placing you delicately down on his couch, the lawyer disappeared into his private bathroom before coming back with a wet rag and a first aid kit. 

“We’ll give you shower when we get home…or…if you want to go back to your sisters I understand…we just want to make sure you’re ok first before—”

Your palm over his mouth cut him off as you softly smile his way. 

Eddie saunters into the office completely naked with a trash bag and as he slams it to the floor you realize it’s full of the projector with the images of you along with the clothes he had been wearing. 

“We, um, we have to burn this dress, sweetheart, because it has blood on it but, um, I can take you to the mall and we can buy you another. Pisses me off cause you looked so goddamn beautiful.”

Handing the first aid kit to his friend, both men switch places as the metalhead takes hold of your arms and tries to delicately clean your wrists, his eyes softening with worry when you wince. 

“I’m so sorry, baby. I should have let Stevie tie you down. In that headspace sometimes… I tried to not do it too tight…”

“It’s ok.”, you murmur as your gaze shifts to watch the other man unbutton his own clothes and discard the bloody garments into the bag. “How long was I out that you were able to kill someone?”

“About an hour and a half but Eddie tucked you into our car with a pillow and blanket while we did what we had to do. You weren’t in the room or anything.”

“Who was it?”

Steve reaches for a duffle bag that was in the corner and hands his friend a few items including a long shirt that he carefully throws over your head before opening the manilla folder beside him. 

“Erica Jones. She’s a case worker Steve overheard talking in the grocery store a few weeks ago. I did some digging and found out that she wasn’t helping any of the kids in her charge, placing them in homes that she never vetted, looked into, or was paid to look the other way. A small boy was incredibly hurt by one of the drunk assholes and all they did was reprimand him. Erica put another kid in his care a week later and received a raise for ‘helping children’.”

Eddie’s chocolate eyes remained glued to your face as you looked over the information. 

“That kid could have been me… if my uncle hadn’t taken me in.”

Kneeling in front of you, Steve’s studious irises ran over your skin as his fingers grazed your neck. 

“Still feeling ok with the shot? It was honestly just a small sedative. More than anything we just wanted you to peacefully sleep.”

“Yeah, I’m ok. It doesn’t hurt or anything…”

As your eyes fall both men can’t help but exchange a glance. 

“What are you thinking, honey?”

“You…you keep telling me this is the real you.”, you answer as your finger gestures at the setting around you. “But with what I just experienced and what I’m hearing now…how you are with me…that’s just a part of you. Not all of you. If you both were really the awful people you seem to believe you are, then you wouldn’t be so careful with me. You wouldn’t care about things like the lives of a bunch of children you probably just saved by removing that woman. This kindness here…”, you continue as you place your palm on Steve’s chest. “…is also part of the real you.”

Arms circle around your shoulders as Eddie pulls you to his own chest and soft hair brushes your legs as Steve’s head falls into your lap. 

#################

“Alright, now be aware, Mrs. Dyer can be a bit much but the job is worth it honestly.”, the interviewer relayed as she continued to skim the application she printed out. 

“I’m excited to work with her and learn everything I can. She’s a genius in advertising and marketing.”

“Pfft, she’s something alright.”

“Alright Miss—Oh shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were…”, a man interrupts after swinging open the door without knocking.

“No, Fred, not a problem. Is everything good now?”

“Yes ma’am. We aren’t exactly sure what caused the blackout but nothing was stolen and I don’t see any digital footprints so…”

“Alright thank you.”, she beams before turning her attention to you. “Our whole computer system just randomly shut down the other night so we had to bring in some IT guys to do some digging. Alright, let’s continue here. Um, criminal record, none, that’s good.”

Your eyes widen as she breezes past that statement and a small giddy smile paints your lips while you continue to answer her questions. Thirty minutes later, you bounce out the door, surprised when Eddie and Steve are nonchalantly leaning against your car. 

“So…how’d it go?”

Jumping into the metalhead’s arms, you cling to his neck as you kiss his lips. 

“You did that?”

“Did what?”, he asks sarcastically. 

“Did you get the job?”, Steve inquires, his eyebrows raising above his sunglasses. 

“I did. Apparently my criminal record didn’t appear on the application so no need to call anyone to verify anything or ignore me.”

“Good. You deserve this job, honey.”

“You won’t get in trouble will you Eddie? They brought in some new IT guys to check everything and—”

“Oh did they? You hear that, Stevie? Time to run for the hills!”, Eddie joked as you lightly hit his chest. “Again, usually we don’t play this close to the chest but…I love you…and you deserve to be happy.”, he mumbles shyly causing you to push up on your toes to kiss his lips again. 

“We also got you something, if you want it.”

As soon as Steve pulls a little flat box from his pocket, you giggle as you snatch it from his grasp and excitedly open it as your eyes land on the key nestled within.

“That’s the key to our house…well, your house to…if you want to… I, um, I love you to and I want you as close to us as possible…if you’re comfortable of course.”

Cupping his cheeks in your hands, you bring his mouth to yours and tenderly kiss him as well. 

“I won’t be in the way?”

“No, pretty girl. You’re never in the way.”

###################

@dashingdeb16 @myherometalhead @fireeyes-on-teller-dixon-grimes

[cheshireliam]

"Growing Feelings Poured Into Chocolate" Collection Event

Liam Evans

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection; expect mistakes, grammatical errors, and some creative liberties. All original content and media used belongs to Cybird. Please support the game by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

Read this before interacting

Kate: Nn… haah… Liam…?

The moment I let Liam in when he visited my room, he started kissing me without warning.

Liam: — Be quiet. 

He pinned both of my hands above my head, holding them tightly in place so I couldn’t move, and continued his attack on my lips.

(What’s gotten into him…?)

I was struggling to breathe, and yet I couldn't stop him.

Liam looked like he was in more pain than I was, so I accepted his kisses without resistance.

And that went on for who knew how long.

After kissing me for so long that I thought my lips might’ve been swollen, Liam finally released my hands and pulled away. 

Kate: Liam… did something happen? 

Liam: …

Liam: Kate… do you like pain? 

Kate: Huh…? 

Liam: If you like pain, I can give you as much pain as you want.

Liam: If you like being bitten, I’ll bite you however much you want… we can even do more dangerous things together.

Liam: … I'll act as kind of man you want me to be, Kate. So please— 

Liam: Please… don’t abandon me… 

This time, Liam started crying into my chest. 

Kate: … Liam. I don’t like pain. 

Liam: Really…?

Kate: Yes. Because the person I love doesn’t want to hurt me… I always want to take good care of my body and make sure I don't get hurt.

Kate: Also, you don’t need to act. I love you just the way you are, Liam. 

Even though I had told him that countless times before, I firmly reassured him once more. 

Liam: Is that really how you feel…? I thought… 

Liam: … I- I’m sorry, Kate. Thanks for telling me you love me.

Liam: I love you too. So… let me love you as you are too from now on.

Liam: … Sorry for being violent with my kisses. 

Liam gave me a gentle kiss, and the two of us tumbled into bed together. 

…

Kate: … Ah!! I almost forgot all about it!! 

After a moment of Liam and I affirming our love for each other, something came to my mind and I immediately bolted up while still in his arms.

Liam: Is something the matter?

Kate: Yes. I’ll be right back, Liam. 

I got up and brought something from the kitchen back to my room. 

Kate: Happy Valentine’s Day, Liam! 

Liam: Is this… for me?

I presented Liam with a moderately sweet chocolate cake.

Kate: Yup. I wanted to make something you’d enjoy eating… so I used a special chocolate that’s especially aromatic. 

Liam: It really does smell good… 

Kate: Fufu. It was hard to obtain, but worth the effort to beg Jude for help. 

Liam: Jude? By any chance… did you pick up the chocolates this morning? 

Kate: Yes, that’s right… did you happen to see me? 

Kate: I tried to make it a surprise by receiving it in secret…

Liam: What… so that’s what it was…

Liam: I saw you smiling so happy when receiving some package from Jude.

Liam: Since it’s Valentine’s Day, I assumed you and Jude might have feelings for each other…

Kate: Eeh!? That’s impossible. I’m fully devoted to you, Liam!

Kate: So that’s why you asked if I liked pain…

Liam: Yeah… I’m sorry for doubting you. 

Liam: … It made me insecure knowing you’re such a wonderful person that anyone would admire. 

Kate: Then please always voice out whenever you feel that way, I can clear those feelings for you. 

Kate: Because my love for you will absolutely never fade. 

Liam: Thanks, Kate. 

Although it was late at night, the two of us shared the chocolate cake. 

Even if our love melts and loses its shape in the heat caused by jealousy, like chocolate, we can always reshape it beautifully.

Because I want to be together with Liam until the end of time.

[nai418]

Punch-Out!! In the Super Mario Bros. Movie

Since I’m ill and this fandom has nothing I tried to find all of the Punchy cameos in the SMB movie (Even the leaked images from the concept art, lmao) and I’m not sure if anyone has posted these already but I want these guys on my blog so yea.

This is gonna be a long post so just open the cut for the rest of the images (PS. A lot of these are going to be in terrible quality so look at them from afar if you want)

So first of all, the Punch-Out!! Pizzeria! I would eat here in a heartbeat (Also I just noticed the continuity error with the bicycle, weird)

On the same wall of the entrance door is supposedly Mac’s stuff, or maybe replicas? There are also framed photos of (bottom left to right) I’m gonna assume Aran for some reason, Doc Louis, Bull (Seemingly his “Does anyone else dare to challenge me!?” pose), Sandman who’s above him, Disco beside “Mac’s gloves,” Little Mac himself, the one in the small yellow frame I can’t make out but beside the clock is Don.

Mac, Mac and Doc, and an article of Mac (The header reads “Little Mac,” and the little photo down there is Bear Hugger.)

Portrait of Doc biking.

The one and only Glass Joe :) He’s super cute in this photo

Title Defense Joe, you can tell by the headgear

Lil Mac and Joe staring each other down lol. The referee is here as well but he looks somewhat younger?

Should be TD Kaiser

Kaiser and Disco in color! (Wow look at that quality.)

Kaiser and Don fighting…

Unfortunately I couldn’t find any Hippo photos as iconic as he is :/

Piston and Bull in a match, it’s hard to make out the second one but Hondo seems to be struggling there

Bear!

I couldn’t find any Tiger portraits either

Don frames! He looks really cool in the second one, I love his smug face (Punch Out fans (me) will say this and it’s the blurriest shit ever.)

Of course we have Aran looking as devious as ever. What even is the stance in the first one

I can only assume it’s Soda in the second image that Mac is fighting because the opponent is pretty tall and looks Pretty Bald, but I can’t say because I don’t think that’s a speedo he’s wearing…?

No Macho images! I’m surprised, you’d think he’d be hogging up the cameras. If he went to this place he’d be pissed there’s not a big fancy portrait of himself.

And Sandman! Looks less bulky in the last image but that’s definitely him. He looks pretty happy?

And lastly these three which I can’t make out who’s in them for the life of me:

The first one looks like Mac fighting… someone, but who else is shorter than him?

I’m pretty bummed about the one on the very bottom it looks like there’s about 4 people (I think Kaiser is one of them, the second to the left seems to have a mustache and his contender haircut) but it’s really blurry so I can’t make it out ~_~

[uluvjay]

Annual Christmas party- M. Samoskevich

Mackie Samoskevich x fem! Reader

In which your fiancé fucks you in the bathroom during the family Christmas party

Warnings?; SMUT; unprotected sex(use protection!), p i v, bathroom sex, cursing, pet names, kissing, a bit of dirty talk, lightly proofread so I apologize for any errors!

Day 6 of my ficmas celebration!

Your head snapped towards the door at the sound of the doorknob moving, “one second! I’m just washing my hands.” You called assuming it was one of your soon to be in-laws.

However when the door slid open and your fiancée slid inside you were a tad bit confused.

“What’s wrong?” You asked, using the hand towel hanging on the wall to dry your hands.

The man didn’t reply to your question though, and just as you went to issue another question-his body was surging forward and pulling you into a kiss.

It was rushed and messy, your body stumbling backwards from the force of his lips.

“Mm, mackie-wait, everyone’s downstairs.” You whimpered as his lips began to trial down your throat.

“I know.”

“You know? Mack we can’t, not here.” You spoke, a hand slipping into his hair to pull him out of your neck.

“Baby c’mon everyone’s to drunk to even notice us being gone, we can be quick.” He whined, trying to pull you into another kiss but the ringed hand you placed on his chest stopped him.

“Matthew” you spoke more stern this time.

“Y/n” he mocked.

“We are not having sex in your mother’s bathroom because you can’t keep it in your pants.”

“Baby please, I’ll be quick I promise.” He spoke, giving you the best puppy eyes he could muster up.

You took his plead into consideration, was there a chance of you being caught? Yes. But had the entirety of the samoskevich family had a hefty amount of spiked egg nog? Yes.

“Fine, but we have to be quick.” You spoke.

Mackie didn’t even care to give you a proper reply, he just surged forward and wrapped you in his arms, quickly placing you on top of the sink.

His lips locked with yours in another desperate kiss, his mouth swallowing the whimpers escaping your mouth as his hands began to make their way between your legs.

His large fingers pushed your panties to the side as he ran the tip of his fingers through your folds to gather some of your slickness on his digit.

“Don’t tease Mack, we don’t have time.” You whimpered.

With a nod the boy quickly unbuckled his belt and pulled his dress pants down just enough for his swollen cock to spring out, its head red and glistening with his precum.

He pulled you closer to the edge, legs wrapped around his waist as he jerked himself a few times before slipping inside your warm walls.

Your mouth dropped open in a silent scream as he filled you to the halt, his tip hitting the most sensitive spot inside you perfectly.

“F-fuck Mackie.” You cried lowly.

He grounded his hips into yours, moving at a pace that was quick enough to make you cover your mouth to muffle your noises but slow enough to keep the sounds of slapping skin down.

“So good for me baby.” He groaned, head tucking into the crook of your neck as his hands gripped your thighs.

You hands came up to tangle into his dark curls, pulling on the dark stands just how he liked-yearning you a low cry from him.

Mackie’s lips brushed soft kisses against the base of your throat, his tongue slightly slipping out to run along the hot skin.

“Shit, I’m getting close Mack.” You cried as you felt the knot in your lower stomach getting tighter and tighter as he continued to fuck you deep.

“Me to baby, almost there.” He moaned, slipping one of his hands between your thighs to rub desperate circles over your clit.

You could feel your legs begin to tremble at the added pressure on your clit, your hands shook as they came up to grip onto his broad shoulders.

A deep whimper left mackie as he felt you clenching around him, hugging him so tight.

“I-I’m coming Mack, shit!” You whined pulling him into a sloppy kiss to attempt to quiet the cries of your orgasm.

Your body shook against Mackie’s as heat spread through your body like a wildfire, cried getting louder as he continued to fuck you through your high.

“Fuck baby, I’m almost there” the boy whimpered as he pulled back from your lips.

His hands took place on your thighs as he sped up his thrusts, fucking into you at an unforgiving pace-chasing the high he desperately needed.

You slapped a hand over Mackie’s mouth as his climax hit him, his head thrown back as his nails dug crescent moons into your skin, and his large body shook in pleasure between your legs.

You both took a second to catch your breath before Mackie was pulling out with a wince and sliding your panties back into place before he fixed himself.

“I can’t believe we just did that.” You laughed as you stood on shaky legs.

“It was fun though.” He giggled as he pulled you into a sweet kiss.

Unlocking the door after you both fixed your appearances in the mirror he guided you back downstairs to rejoin his, and your soon to be family in the living room.

“Wait..when did you guys leave?.” Maddy asked, looking at the two of you like you had just teleported.

“We went eat some pie in the kitchen.” Mackie laughed at his sister, shooting you a sneaky wink.



[lacucarachapisser]

invisible string colin zabel x gn! reader

a/n : had this idea long long ago and finally had time to finish it and thankyou @doll3tt33 your invisible string colin! bot still one of my fav. say i have no idea how forensic and police work i just thought this makes sense so lol just ignore it lmao. this is purely fluff and awkward uninteresting whatever only use y/n for once also apologies if theres any grammatical errors english isnt my first. sorry. i love colin zabel. 1.3k wc.

every time you cope with all the paperwork, your mind is filled with various worries. well, it's nothing new for you because as always, you just want everything to be easier, though it'll almost occupying your mind all week. this is the moment you realize that one of the papers your team is trying to identify is missing. or maybe it's misplaced? how many times have you flipped through that document?

you let out a deep sigh, hoping to relax your mind a bit. if it's really gone, the only option is to ask for a copy of the document that detective colin zabel brought this morning. you don't even know who he is. just a name in a card. maybe you'll send him an e-mail or just go right to the station? It's not a big deal, really, it's just that you want your document to be nice and neat.

the clock ticking sounds too damn loud— it's too late to continue. there's no reason to stay any longer, so you decide to go home. you shut down your computer and lock the lab door. the night is cold and the fog melt obsecured the figure behind every window, though your throat feels so hot and dry. as you walk down the stairs, there are still a few people lingering in the building, and you find yourself standing in front of the vending machine.

colin is busy with his phone whilst sipping a can of dr. pepper. he glances at you as you stand there for a while. eventually, your eyes meet with his.

stranger. no smile or anything.

colin returns his focus to his phone, and you realize you've been holding a can of dr. pepper.

a few days later, you decide to visit a coffee shop that just had its grand opening. it feels good and sipping a cup of coffee makes you sober, and as sober mean a horrible thought accured to you. shitty missing document. there’s still no reply from detective colin zabel to your e-mail. it's unbelievable how a nice coffee only exists to be sabotaged by a small trouble on your thought.

and there he is. a man at the vending machine. you discreetly glance at him while he holds his coffee and seems to recognize you as well. no smile, he just leaves without saying a word.

do you believe in fate? now you do cause you accidentally run into him, again, while you do your grocery. this time, your eyes meet for almost five seconds until you decide to smile at him. he returns your smile and then continues walking.

is that it? you wish you could just bump your cart into him and say hi.

a few weeks later, you finally meet him again under a better circumstances— at emily’s wedding— your friend’s wedding.

“may i?” that’s the first time you hear his voice, friendly and gentle, he aims the chair beside you. you turn to him and see him smiling with dimples on his cheeks. gosh he’s beautiful.

“sure,” you take a deep breath and began to adjust your sit for no reason. fuck. you know that you're gonna make this awkward.

“you here for emily?” he asks, sitting comfortably with his legs crossed.

“yeah,” you nod. “how do you know?” you furrow your brow with suspicious look while he just shrugs and smiles.

“i just guessed. i saw you talking to her a lot.”

“a lot, huh.” you both laugh. sure, you talked to emily a lot, or was he just watching you a lot? “what about you?”

“i’m here for brad,” ah... the groom’s friend. “a colleague.”

that reminds you of your conversation with brad, where you asked about detective colin zabel, who hadn’t responded to your e-mail. but brad just said the detective was busy. maybe you could ask this man.

“oh, so.... you’re a cop?” you nod, confirming your assumption.

“something like that, yeah,” he scratches the back of his neck, which you’re a hundred percent sure doesn’t itch. this was fair enough. now it makes you less worried you might ruined it because you too damn awkward.

“cool. and i’ve seen you… a few times before.”

“yeah,” he chuckles, “we’ve bumped into each other.... a few times.”

there’s a brief moment of silence, with neither of you saying a word. only the sound of breathing and the slow music revolves around. so, you decide to open the conversation again.

“do you know detective colin zabel?” you ask, turning your head to him. colin's heart skips a beat when you mention his name, and he looks at you with a silly grin.

“yeah... yes, i do. what about it?”

“oh nothing," you keep your eyes to your feet before you continue. "it’s just that i sent him an e-mail a few weeks ago." here you go, sort of like an easy shortcut to just blabbering about your work to stranger. a bad habit. "well, i don’t know him but i work at the forensic lab and i was sorting through some documents. it seems like one got misplaced in the copy i sent to him. brad said he’s always busy.”

“oh…” colin's face suddenly turns red, and he vaguely remembers the document.

“is he always that busy?” you ask.

“….yeah, always. uh yeah… not really,” colin responds shortly.

“it’s been weeks, and i’ve e-mailed him three times with no reply. i dont know, it shouldn't be hard to be a little..... cooperative?" the last word came out like whisper yet playful and your words made colin laugh a bit strange. wow.. he is having fun. “called dick for a reason i guess,” you say it nonchalantly and it makes colin laugh harder this time. you can’t help but laugh with him.

“yeah, uncooperative dick,” he nods. it’s almost funny to you that you hope this conversation will lead to both of you guys rambling about work. wow adulthood.

“see?” your eyes search his eyes excitingly, as if you wait for him to continue. “are all detective like that?”

colin shook his head without saying anything. he studied your face without even realize it could make you uncomfortable. you inhale deeply when eyes to eyes connected, heat start to creep your cheeks.

“sorry, i uh… i didn’t mean to....vent?”

“nah, it’s okay, no worries.” he shakes his head sheepishly. “i’ll make sure he replies to your e-mail tomorrow.”

“really?”

“really.”

his eyes are so dark yet comforting.

“thanks. i’m y/n, by the way.”

“i’m colin. colin zabel.”

.

.

.

and that’s it. wish you can just run away fast and leave the earth. embarrassment weighs heavily on your mind and your smile disappeared instantly.

“you’re joking.”

“am not.”

“oh god.”

you lower your head and hide your face in the palm of your hands, as you try to cover up your sin. “hey, it’s fine. sorry for being uncooperative… dick,” he’s still chuckling, and there was a definite tone of teasing in it.

“jesus now you tell me,” you mumble.

“okay, okay now, listen to me.” he tries to remove your hands from your face. “i’m—”

“wait. no, me. i am sorry” his big masculin hands enveloped yours and you found yourself blushing and so was shy to face him. you didn’t even realize you just interrupted him.

“well— okay, now we’re both sorry,” he nods reassuring and for a few seconds, his hand still holds yours. clearly this thick tension gonna be one of your newest core memory. probably his too?

“…so embarrassing.” you shake your head a little and murmur almost like to yourself.

“i know, but it’s nice to finally know you.”

•

•

•

another notes: thankyou so much for reading this. sorry i took your precious time for this shitty writing thing. every like comment and reblog are appreciate<3

[jut-and-dae-enthusiast]

Behind Closed Doors {k.s.m}

Kim Seungmin x gn!reader, established relationship, seungmin brain rot, my bias wrecker of all bias wreckers, kinda proofread but im sure there's errors pls just ignore them thanks.

“Are you sure everything is okay with you and Seungmin?” Your friend asked carefully over coffee one day. 

“Uh, yeah, everything’s great?” You looked at her with confusion before setting your drink down to fully understand what she was trying to say.

“It’s just…” She hesitated. “We’re just worried about you y/n. We all know you deserve someone who’s absolutely obsessed with you, but I don’t think we’ve even seen the two of you kiss yet. And you’ve been dating for well over a year now.” You sighed and looked down into your drink. “I mean, the most contact we’ve seen between the two of you is that you sit semi-close to one another and occasionally hold pinkies.”

What she didn’t know was that it was always like this with him in public, shy minimal touches but eyes filled with adoration. There was the rare occasion where he would even hold you a bit closer, but that was on days he was feeling extra clingy. PDA was something that made both of you a little uncomfortable, so your public excursions usually consisted more of longing gazes and flushed cheeks. You had tried to explain this many times, but your friends wouldn’t have it.

What they don’t see is the fact that the second you are securely behind the closed apartment door, you can’t seem to get rid of him. Like a golden retriever thinking it’s a lap dog, he will fully lay on you while reading or scrolling through his phone. He’s so extremely clingy, following you around just about anywhere (he lets you have your privacy for the toilet but even that is a stretch). 

He has to be touching you in some way, whether it’s your feet in his lap or his hand on your thigh. He’ll never admit it, but physical touch is very comforting for him and he tries to fill up on it as much as he can when the two of you are alone. 

It was a point of conflict early in your relationship, mainly because your friends (continuously) expressed their concern about how cold he seemed. The way he would tease you mercilessly (but they didn’t see the heart eyes he had when he called you an idiot). They would also make passive aggressive comments to him and you had no idea it upset him. You found out on a seemingly random day when you got home from work, excited to be mauled by him. However you were greeted by silence, Seungmin laying quietly on the couch with his hood on and headphones secured over his head. 

“Hey, Minnie, I’m home.” You called softly, setting your bag down and gently patting the top of his head. He looked up at you and nodded, flashing a tight smile and looking back down at his phone. You smile softly, assuming he’s tired and decide to just go get changed out of work clothes. 

Once comfy, you come back and squeeze yourself beside him on the couch. He sighs and moves away, making your heart drop a bit. “Are you… upset about something?” You ask, leaning forward to try and look at his face. 

“I’m just acting the way your friends think I do.” He mutters, standing up from the couch. You furrow your brow, looking up at him. 

“What are you talking about?” He scoffed at your response, walking into the kitchen. You follow after him, watching as he grabs a bottle of water from the fridge. 

“Your friend said the other day that I must not show you a whole lot of affection.” 

“Min, she was just teasing. She didn’t mean it.” 

“Yes she did. She says out of pocket shit like that all the time. All of them do.” He sighs, pulling his hood off his head to make eye contact with you. “And you just laugh it off every time. It’s like you agree with them.” His expression is serious as he holds steady eye contact, keeping his tone level and calm. Your chest tightens, realizing that your friends had been hurting the one you love all this time and he just took it without saying anything. 

“Seungmin, I… I don’t agree with them at all I swear. I know you’re so full of love and I am so sorry I didn’t realize their words hurt you.” You feel your eyes begin to water, turning your head to try and hide it. “I’ve tried explaining to them how much pda kinda freaks us out but they just have these preconceived ideas about what a relationship looks like… I’ll talk with them.” You promise, swiping the stray tears from you cheek. “I’ll, uh, give you some space then. I’m gonna head to bed. Love you.” You smile assuringly and pat his arm on your way past him. You’re only about two steps away when you hear him murmur, 

“Dumbass.” Before you’re engulfed in his arms from behind. “I wanna hold you even if I’m upset with you. It’s annoying.” He sighs and rests his chin on your shoulder. You silently stand in his grasp, holding back the tears that are trembling in your eyes. 

“Min, I really am so sorry.” You whisper, leaning forward to kiss whatever part of his arm was closest to your mouth. You can feel him hum against your back and his hug tighten ever so slightly. 

“You’re the person I love the most in this world. I hate the idea that you might doubt that just because I’m a private person.” He nuzzles his face into your neck, sighing softly. 

“I have never ever doubted you, Seungmin.” You smile softly, turning to look at his face. He nods, smiling back. 

“Good. Now give me a kiss before I die.” He chuckles, leaning in with a wide smile. 

[azfellesquire]

Is Crowley already the new Supreme Archangel?

A few oversights made millennia ago, and suddenly we have a demon archangel on our hands.

Caution: I came up with and wrote this in the last few hours so potentially crackpot theory ahead. Apologies if this has been proposed before, it’s not one I’ve seen. And I’ve seen A LOT.

So supposedly the miracle Aziraphale and Crowley performed together was something only the mightiest of archangels could have done. Everyone assumes it was Crowley because they think he was a high ranking Angel formerly. Or that it was the two of them together. Or that Jimbriel amplified it. But what if…

“There is always a supreme archangel”

Michael says this in S2E1 when talking with Uriel about who is in charge now that Gabriel was missing. Gabriel was removed from office in the trial we hear, he’s no longer Supreme Archangel. If so, Michael’s statement would imply that as soon as Gabriel’s removal happened, a new archangel already existed. Now obviously the Metatron is making a show of choosing Aziraphale as the new Supreme Archangel. But is that within his power to do so? Or is he suggesting working with Crowley for a different reason, possibly unknown even to him?

“I am the only first-order archangel in the room, or you know, the universe”

During the “2nd Armageddon-that-wasn’t” discussion, Gabriel says these words. As he says them, it cuts (ominously isn’t the right word here, pointedly maybe?) to Crowley leaning against the desk, and lingers there just a bit too long.

“How do you know it wasn’t me?”

Another clue to the powerful angel Crowley was. It was clearly said in a teasing manner throw Shax off. But much like the barrel of red herring in the intro, is it a red herring to something else?

“Can you send lightning bolts and get them to report back to you?”

The only other time we see someone calling lightning or using it is, you guessed it: Gabriel in S1 on the airbase to port in and out. I’ve read the theory that Angel!Crowley was the lord of lightning, which I’m not opposed to, but to me this is another link.

“Never change their passwords”

We have one HUGE instance of Heaven being sloppy in their record keeping (passwords), and lax in their security protocol (Crowley bopping about with Muriel). Whereas Hell is meticulous in their record keeping, as shown by the bills, admissions process, and S1 contract.

So what if: when Gabriel was stripped of the title, a new Supreme Archangel was automatically appointed. Except instead of someone else, because heaven neglected to double-check their logs after The Fall, Crowley was still on the books as next in line? This would absolutely play into “God playing games with the universe” and “just think what would have happened if we’d been at all competent” themes running through both seasons. It would also follow the theory that people noticed Aziraphale and Crowley were on the “wrong” side for much of the season. It would also explain a few continuity errors along the way (how did Crowley know Muriel’s rank? He knows it through the knowledge automatically given to the Supreme Archangel).

“Funny ol’ world, isn’t it?”

Caveats and potential weaknesses:

I have no idea how this fits into the fact that S3 will be the actual continuation the Neil and Terry planned, as to my knowledge S2 was essentially a “Neil’s chaotic angsty ineffable husbands fanfic”. But clearly S2 has to play well into the plan for S3. I also kind of hate my theory because Crowley specifically declined to be an angel again, and his hand has been forced too often already.

Now I am a staunch advocate of the body-swap theory, and I’m not sure how this would play into that. Does Metatron know? Does he think he has the power to appoint? Does he think the title went to Aziraphale because of the miracle? Does he try to get Crowley to come back with Aziraphale to exploit his power? Does he know about the body swap in S1 and if so, was he trying to trigger another one to get the right “soul” to heaven?

There are a few other things I haven’t figured out how to incorporate into this post yet. I’ll try to put them into coherent thoughts in the next few days, but thought I’d throw this to the wolves universe for the time being.

Thought 1: “How have your lot managed to stay in charge all this time?” “I’m not so sure we have.”

Thought 2: I need to do (another) rewatch before I nail this one down (such a sacrifice I tell you), but does Crowley have a visceral reaction like he does in S1 to being called “good” in the current, post Gabriel-removal timeset? Obv in Edinburgh/Job, but that’s in the past. He denies it, sure (with Jim), but he straight up flashes a smile and thanks Mrs. Sandwich when she says “You’re a good lad” (after the denial).

2.1: No one calls him “good” in present day except these two instances. Vast difference in the visceral reactions of season 1 and flashbacks.

Thought 3: Crowley is the only one who can trigger Jimbriel’s recall memory.