#I’m getting concerned by the frequency this is happening

[imma-dragon53]

AO3 JUST WENT DOWN!!!

[kombuuuu]

Somethin’ Soft for someone Tough.

Earth 42!Miles Morales x Fem!Reader

“Let me stitch you up, Miles.”

i ❤️ miles and he is so bf uhuh (i’m insane put me in a cell)

also he’s soooooo a simp in this, none of that ihu typa love his mama raised him RIGHT

warnings: injury, stitches, medical practices from someone who doesn’t know what the hell they’re doing, some angst, slightly suggestive at times

I dot NOT speak spanish so if anyone is willing to help with translation for future fics, I would owe my life to you (and give early release? i dunno wtv u want babygirl)

—

Miles didn’t understand your hurt. He didn’t understand why you hated him being the Prowler—, didn’t understand you crying when you found out. Or your shame and disappointment when it came to his..

-Profession.

It confused him, he did this to keep you safe. He’d already lost enough, he can’t lose you. He won’t. You just didn’t get that.

Having you be mad at him, loath him, despise and detest him for being Prowler. It was easier than you dead because he wasn’t.

He would rather you hate him, than only have your memory.

So when he came home to you sleeping in his bed, waiting for him to return to you only two weeks after his initial reveal, he did nothing but lay down next to you and let your hand slowly drag into his. Interlocking your fingers in a twisted pattern of forgiveness and relief.

And he didn’t try to understand why.

—

It was warm this night, the heat of a summers Sun leaving Brooklyn a mucky kind of hot. Sweat dripping down the flesh of those still dwelling outside so late, only taking solace in the rare occasion of a breeze through their clothes.

Which is why you felt ever grateful lying in an air conditioned apartment dawned only in a pair of your lovers boxers and a ribbed white tank top.

It was the pair you bought him a while back when browsing street stalls, decorated with little cats and hearts. You thought they were funny, he was not impressed (but he was happy you were happy).

Miles had been out a lot lately. Assignments, as he called them, had been increasing in frequency as of late. Willing you more and more worried about the boy you loved, he just kept coming home injured.

Which you endearingly (aggressively) scolded him for, tones of care seeping into your monologue of being safer with his job whilst he huffed and puffed begrudgingly.

Assuring you he was nothing but careful,—

“Mami, ¿por qué iba a ser imprudente con mi vida cuando te tengo a ti para volver casa a? Alguien tiene que cuidar de ti.”

"Mami, why would I be reckless with my life when I have you to go home to? Someone has to take care of you."

A bashful murmur of “Just be more careful.” Would only reward you with a hand on your waist and the beginnings of a smile. You sighed out in boredom, draping a hand over your forehead dramatically. Spread out on Miles’ bed awaiting his return that’s seemingly taking years.

A crash outside your (boyfriends’) window alerted you out of your position, the piercing sound of metal scraping against metal grating your ears. Shooting up from your laid position, you messily shuffled off the bed, almost tripping over yourself to get to the figure struggling beyond the glass. A heavy claw dragged the window open with the apparent little strength it had left, heavy breaths and short rumbles of discomfort reaching your ears.

The neon pink of the Prowlers mask greeted you, quickening your aid in slamming open the window and catching Miles’ stumbling body from toppling through.

A husking groan sounded from your sweetheart as the mask slowly peeled back, revealing the trails of blood creeping from a cut in his lip.

“Hey, mami.”

Miles was gorgeous, he was a still picture of a painted deity in living form. The plump of his lips dripping a slow streak of burgundy did nothing to taint the sight of him, you wished it had, maybe you could be madder.

“Miles, what happened?” Your concern had outweighed your admiration, you were now fretting.

“I tripped.”

You scoffed something unbelieving, smiling despite the ache in your chest at the poor sight of him. Your emotionally stumped man.

“C’mon, baby, come inside.” Your right hand caressed the side of his face, left collecting his claw adorned fingers in yours to help him through and into his room.

He squeezed his eyes shut as he stepped over the sill, sucking in a breath and hoping you didn’t catch it.

Glancing up at you from his hunched position, you gaped back at him, unimpressed but worried.

He dropped your hands, the clasps on his gloves clicking, and the metal dropped to the ground with a dull thud. Pushing his arms back and letting his backpack fall too, he cracked his neck and winced again.

You all but pouted at him, reaching for his hurt body in discontent.

He leaned down to put his head on your shoulder, breath tickling your neck as he peppered you with light kisses, nipping your skin in just a graze. He wasn’t one to usually be so affectionate, but his guard always lowers with you, shoulders dropping and pulse quickening.

“No está tan mal, ma.”

"It's not so bad, ma."

His hand lifting from out of yours and onto your waist, circling the exposed skin between his boxers and your shirt.

His boxers,—

—,his hand twitched.

“Not that bad?” Your hushed voice bled of concern. “There’s a gash in your side!”

The simple serenity he had found buried in your neck had been ripped away from him in an instant.

You all but hauled his body to the bed, urging him to sit down against the sheets whilst he sulked grumpily behind you. Pushing against his chest and sitting him down.

You ran to his bathroom, washing your hands thoroughly before opening the cabinet under the sink, reaching back to the first aid kit you had placed here for this exact reason and towel, you rushed back to his room and shut the door behind you. “Amor, It’s just a—“ Cutting himself off, he hissed and cursed some under his breath.

“No digas que es sólo un corte.”

"Don't say it's just a cut."

“Mi sol, I have suffered worse.”

“Let me stitch you up, Miles.”

You turned back, shooting him an exasperated look while you threw the towel. Miles catching it without much effort and putting it under him. Flipping open the latch on the kit you sat yourself next to his bed, knees underneath you and digging harshly into the scuffed wood. You grabbed everything you assume you’d need, setting it on the open lid of the kit and focusing back on Miles.

“You look good like this, mami.”

You choked slightly, glaring up at him.

“Take off your jacket, Morales.”

"Sabes, si querías que me desnudara..."

"You know, if you wanted me to undress..."

“One more word.”

“Understood.”

He groaned as he did. Jacket falling off his shoulders and onto the bed, he pushed it to the floor beside you and spread his knees. You shuffled closer between them, lifting his shirt enough to see the damage on his torso and sighed shakily when figuring he was right.

It was just a graze, but a damn deep one. On the right of his torso, falling just under his ribcage was a thin, deep gash.

“What were you cut with, Papi?”

His stomach clenched as you prodded around, checking the wound for any signs of oncoming infection and signalling for him to take his shirt off.

“A knife, probably.”

Despite the weary of the situation, a smug look adorned his face. You poked his stomach, him wincing.

“Figures.”

You hid your smile.

He slipped his shirt over his head, grimacing at the pull of his wound. You took it from him and set it aside, getting an unopened bottle of water from the kit and pouring it over the cut. The water ran through the blood, trickling down his abs and soaking the waist band of his pants, he tipped his head back, groaning lowly in pain.

“Mami, entiendo que estés enojada, but please be gentle.”

"Mami, I understand that you're angry, but please be gentle."

He gazed down at you lazily, the drawl of his accent coating his voice syrupy in light of his injury. He looked downright sinful, braids draping lazily and shoulders dropped. Leaning back on his palms with his legs spread.

“I am gentle.”

“Sure.”

You focus returned to his wound, grabbing a clean hand towel and patting his cut dry, gently.

The occasional hiss or moan would interrupt you, but other than that Miles stayed relatively quiet. Watching you work as you fixed him.

“There, all done.”

“Not gonna kiss it better?”

You huffed, amused as you started to put everything back where it belonged. You could change the sheets and dispose of the hand-towels tomorrow, right now he just wanted you.

Miles grabbed your waist as you stood, hands slipping behind you to shove you forward into him. He buried his face into your stomach and sighed. You giggled lightly, the lack of a smile on his face tagged with the need for your touch was something no one but you could get used to. Your hand slowly trailed up his bare back, nails scratching lightly at his skin. He shivered, tightening his hold on you further.

“Lay down, baby.”

He whispered your name, “Chiquita, you take such good care of me.”

Humming, you unhooked his arms from you and pushed him to lie back by the tips of your fingers.

“Gon’ spoil you after this.”

You grabbed the towel, surprisingly dry and dropped it to the floor with the other discarded items.

“You already spoil me, Papi.”

Miles kicked off his shoes, sparing you a glance and a hum at the endearment.

“‘S’cause you deserve it.”

He unbuckled his belt, threading it out through the loops and threw it to land somewhere. You dragged the corner of the quilt back up to the both of you, stopping halfway. Miles sighed in annoyance, huffing at his pant button and cursing it as he fumbled to pull his pants down.

You giggled, “Need help, baby?” He scoffed lightheartedly. “I got it.”

“Mhm.” He eventually did get it, pulling his pants off and over his legs, coughing slightly at the wind crushing his cut had caused him.

“C’mere mami.” He grabbed your thighs, dragging you on top of him. “Mm—“ “Shh, it don’t hurt.” You let yourself relax slightly, mostly leaning on your need as not to hurt him.

The stars in his eyes as he looked up at you, he sighed quietly.

“It’s hot baby, we’re gonna get all sweaty.”

“Hopefully.”

“Miles.”

You rolled your eyes in a laugh, hooking your arms around his neck and leaning down to kiss his forehead. “Mm, there. Now you’re all better.”

He rubbed shapes into your thighs, loving the proximity. The way your breaths mingled and skin stuck together.

He thanked the Moon and the Stars for letting him keep you, begged every day to anyone out there that could hear him to tether your souls and kill him have he ever lose you. Would kill a million men to keep you safe, and he’d already had a running start.

He cleansed himself of his sins with your love, showering in the light you provided for him, and watched the blood of any man drip from his fingertips and into the rivers you’d created in his veins. Letting it mix with his own and beat by the tone of his heart. Which only ever raced for you. Only beat for you. He could only live for you, your love and acceptance.

Of which Miles would never understand why you loved him, and he would never try to.

“Much.”

He laid down, you following. Lying your head on his chest and listening to his breathing stutter at the contact.

It was late now, far later than a healthy time to finally sleep. But nothing could break the bubble of ease that now seemed to suffocate him. Lulling him into a slumber with his love against his heart.

—

first fic shoulllllf probably be fluff b4 i angst again

as angst is all i’m good for

i literally don’t know how to write fluff so pray it was good

IF ANY TRANSLATIONS WRONG PLESASSSSSE CORRECT ME

[epigstolary]

Rebound

It has to hurt to see what you look like now. All the shapeless mounds of fat weighing you down, distorting what was, until fairly recently, an average figure. You were so close to getting back to a normal weight, too — years of struggling to come down from a size at which you couldn’t lumber more than a few feet before getting red-faced and breaking out in a sweat. And you did it; somehow, you got yourself small enough to be able to shop in regular clothing stores again, and to not even need to buy their biggest sizes. Everyone was so proud of you. Telling you how good you looked. How much healthier it was to be this size. How much happier you had to be, now that you could move around and be active again. You’d beaten obesity.

Except you hadn’t, had you? Because every diet fails eventually, and fat doesn’t go away. Fat cells shrink when you diet. They quiet down when you restrain your appetite. And then they wait, lurking in that slender body, disguised by loose skin. Waiting for their moment to come back with a vengeance.

You may not even remember what triggered it now — maybe it was a really rough couple of days at work, maybe a relationship disappointment, maybe drama with family or friends. But something made you take two cheat days in a row, just to treat yourself a little and make up for everything crappy you’d had to deal with lately. And that was all it took to wake the monster sleeping inside you.

A couple of cheat days turned into having snacks around that you hadn’t allowed yourself since you started losing weight — because you had things under control, right? Portion sizes started creeping upward again, and fattier, carbier foods started replacing the lean meats and fresh veggies that helped you shed the pounds in the first place — because you lost it before, so you can lose it again if you need to, right? You went easier on yourself, skipping morning walks and trips to the gym with increasing frequency, giving yourself fewer and fewer opportunities to burn all the excess calories you’d started dumping down your throat again — because you were always going to make up for the missed sessions at some point, right? At least, those were the ways you rationalized your backsliding to yourself.

You probably didn’t know this before, but regains are a bitch. Your body’s felt you starving for years — that’s all a diet is, as far as it’s concerned — and now the famine’s over. Food’s abundant again. Time to eat and try to get you ready for the next famine, which it has no way of knowing is never coming, unfortunately for you. Every calorie it can spare from keeping you alive gets absorbed into those fat cells that used to be dormant. The weight packs on faster than it ever went away. And almost before you realize it, your puffy belly is back, your ass is filling up more of your pants, and your thunder thighs and double chin are beginning to make their appearance.

I’m sure you tried to get things back under control once you realized what was happening. You tried to get back out there and exercise again once your girth started popping buttons and tearing the seat out of pants, and you had to pull your fat clothes out of storage. You tried to eat better and ignore the cravings for everything high in fat and sugar and everything bad for you when your love handles and bingo wings and thunder thighs started rubbing against chair arms and door frames in a way they hadn’t for a long time. And then, once all of that had failed, you tried to simply ignore what was happening — to pay no attention to how your body was ballooning up to fill even your fat clothes; how difficult it was to heave your hanging belly and plump ass up and haul it wherever you needed to go; how the face in the mirror wasn’t the thin, lean, angular one you’d gotten used to seeing, but the bloated, pinched, bulbous fat face set atop a cascade of double chins that you thought you’d never have to look at again. Just muddle through, you must have thought, and eventually you’ll get a handle on this.

How’d all that work out for you? Not great, judging by the way you look now. Those legs that look like pinched sacks of custard, almost too blobby and bulky to move, don’t exactly signal someone in control of their situation. Neither does the enormous, wobbling belly spreading out over your knee folds and across the bed, or the hips bulging out at either side like melting lumps of dough overflowing a mold. And the double chins, resting on two massive boobs each the size of a fat belly in their own right, squeezed by the fat of pillowy arms plopped uselessly at either side — well, all that hardly looks like someone keeping their weight in check with responsible diet and exercise. I’m gonna guess you’re not, are you?

That’s why you had to call me in. Trust me, I see people just like you all the time. Weight’s bounced around for years, they’ve tried to diet and exercise, sometimes it’s worked for a while; but eventually, it spirals out of control. Like this. Really, you probably would have been better off if you’d just accepted being sort of fat. Beats wrecking your metabolism with a crash diet and dealing with the rebound effect — getting really, really fat like this. And now you need someone to help with all the things that you’re much too big, much too heavy to do.

I’m also supposed to help you manage your diet, get some physical activity, see if we can keep what mobility you have and try to recover more. But… that’s not really my style. See, I’ve also been around enough people like you to know that there’s no real way of coming back from this. Sure, I could probably get you to lose some weight, get you down to a size where you can wedge your flab behind the wheel of a car or cram it into the seat of a mobility scooter, get you back into the world for a while. But we both know you can’t stick to that, don’t we? The same habits that got you into this situation to begin with are going to blow you right back up into the same helpless fatty again eventually, aren’t they? Matter of time. And just imagine what a second rebound like this one would do to you! You’re already most of the way to a half-ton; another yo-yo, and you’re down for the count, immobilized probably forever under more fat than even the two of us can hope to handle.

I’d hate to see that happen to you; no lie, I really would. So I’ll make you a deal. You give up on trying to slim down to a normal weight, and you accept that you’re going to be a housebound blob from here on out. Forget about the diet and exercises, and make your peace with filling out most of a king bed by yourself. Do all that, let me take the wheel, and I’ll make sure you have everything you might need — and I do mean everything. I think you’ll find it a lot more comfortable that way.

I take it that’s a no? Listen, there’s no need to be personally insulting. Remember, I’m not the one who fattened you up like a prize pig, too big to reach the bottom of your belly, too fat to move without totally exhausting yourself — that was all you. So fine; we’ll do it your way. Get you losing weight for a while. But remember how easy it is to gain weight back on the rebound. And remember who’s really controlling your diet and your activity. Don’t say I didn’t warn you when your belly’s down to your feet, your arms are too bloated to move, and you’re smothered under half a ton of lard.

Remember — regains are a bitch.

[idontplaytrack]

Hiiii, can I request little reader x Regina, where Gina walks in on regressed r and they're terrified of her reaction? Maybe they've been dating for a while and were scared to tell their girlfriend in case she reacted badly, but Regina just takes care of them like they're the most precious thing in the world

I Will

Regina George x fem! reader

Warnings: fluff, age regression

All the quiet nights you bear

Seal them up with care

No one needs to know they're there

For I will hold them for you

Cause' all I ever wanted is here

All I ever wanted

It was Saturday morning and you were supposed to meet Regina at her place. However, you ended up not going due to…something that happened before you left the house. Sometimes…you used age regression to cope with stress. That was voluntary, other times it gets triggered by things such as situations that reminded you of trauma from when you were younger. Parents constantly arguing was a sure-fire way to get you closer to that point. The last couple weeks have been rough for you. Because of the frequency of which your parents seem to be at each other’s throats. It gave you instant flashbacks to when you were younger, hearing them basically have a screaming match with each other and you having to lock yourself in your room so you didn’t get yourself caught in the middle hearing them talk about you.

You thought Regina would have called you, upset. But she didn’t. You were supposed to meet her an hour ago, but she hadn’t even texted you.

Actually, scratch that. As soon as that thought crossed your mind, your phone buzzed. You saw her texts, but ignored them. Not entirely on purpose since you couldn’t exactly type properly right now. Your eyes focused on your tablet again for several minutes before your phone going off diverted your attention. You grabbed your phone and shoved it under a pillow so that it was out of sight, then resumed your cartoons. You were soon interrupted again, however. When a string of harsh knocks on your front door scared you out of your wits. Clutching onto your blanket and stuffed cat, your heart admittedly started to race. Then a rock was thrown at your window, “y/n! Let me in! Please! I need to know if you’re okay!”

You walked up to your window and looked at her. She saw you, made eye contact and was immediately relieved. “Baby, let me inside, please!” She hollered. You backed away from the window, leaving your room and headed downstairs to open the door. When you opened up the door, there she was, standing right in front of you on the porch. You watched her face closely, a part of you was worried about her reaction to finding out you were an age regressor. Another part of you…just wanted her to hold you. The ‘bigger’ part of you that crept up, won. Worries took over your mind in the moment. You were nervous as her eyes slightly narrowed. “Are you okay?”

You shook your head. A little too honest, eh?

Her brows were knit together in concern. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

She doesn’t seem to be saying anything about your kiddy pyjamas, the fuzzy blanket draped over your shoulders or the stuffed cat in your arm. So that was a relief. Regina’s never seen this side of you though. So you didn’t exactly know what she was thinking apart from the worry about whether or not you were sick. You shut the door, took her hand and led her upstairs, for the lack of better words…you thought you’d just show her. She didn’t resist either.

“Okay. What’s going on, baby?”

“Nothing.” You managed.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” She asked, sitting down on your bed with you.

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” She answered softly, stroking your hair, “I’m just glad to see you.” You leaned into her, head resting on her chest, she naturally wrapped her arms around you.

“What ya watching?”

“Arthur.” You mumbled.

“That’s…” The blonde squinted, “Fun. Did you eat your breakfast yet?”

You shook your head. “You want something to eat?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“No.”

“Baby, you need to eat something. It’s past noon.”

You kept quiet, lisp pursed together.

“Why don’t we go check out the kitchen, huh?” She suggests, rubbing your back. You agreed with a nod, she then took you downstairs with her. You followed behind her, every step of the way. “Do you want some hashbrowns? And chicken nuggets?”

“Okay.” You gave in.

Regina has some questions, honestly but she couldn’t bring herself to ask them. She wasn’t sure if you were going to want to talk to her more than you were doing so right now. For whatever reason, Regina’s next best option was Gretchen. After putting some of those on a tray, she popped that into the oven to bake, Regina took her phone out of her pocket, glancing at you as she does. You were just staring into space, hugging that you. But at least she knew you weren’t sick or anything.

After texting Gretchen, Regina put her phone away after a brief Google search. “Baby, come here.” Regina opened up her arms. You quietly walked up to her and stayed in her embrace. “Drink some water okay?” She requested softly. You nodded, face smushed up against her chest. Regina pondered for a moment, “What cup do you wanna use?”

You broke away from the hug just enough to look at her, then you turned around and reached for a Tinkerbell plastic cup on the shelf. “Alright.” Regina carefully let go of you, rinsed your cup and went over to your fridge to fill it up with some water. “Here.”

“Thank you.” You told her shyly.

Truth be told, Regina was resisting the very strong urge to squish your cheeks. “You’re welcome, baby. Let’s go sit down?”

You nodded, still sipping on your water as she took your hand and led you over to the couch. “Do you want to watch TV?”

“No.” You put your cup down, scooting closer to Regina and snuggled up against her. She wasn’t used to this sort of physical affection, this much of it at least. Not that she actually didn’t like it, but Regina just doesn’t really show it.

“You’re okay.” She rubs your back and pressed a fleeting kiss on the top of your head. “I got you, okay? Do you want to do anything? Read? Play games?”

“Can we do colouring?” You asked, voice slightly muffled due to the position you were in.

“Yeah. You wanna do that now or later?”

“Now?”

“Okay.” She nods, you led her up to your room and pulled out two colouring books along with crayons and colour pencils. You were then laid on your stomach on the floor to colour some pages. Regina sat beside you, just watching.

“Baby, I’ll be right back. Just gotta go get our chicken nuggets and hashbrowns.”

“…kay.”

“Okay. Stay right here.” Ruffling with your hair, you laughed, she went downstairs sporting a sneaky little smile on her face. She made sure you didn’t see it, though…she wasn’t too sure why she was hiding it. You’d certainly appreciate that energy and cheerfulness right now, she just wasn’t used to being, as she says ‘soft’. Even when she was that way with you, it was subtle to the point where only you would know because the difference from her usual behaviour was so minor. Not including the obvious nickname, that is.

Regina got the food out of the oven and plated it. She found a Pocahontas plate in the cupboard and guessed that it was yours so she took that one out for you. It really only took her five minutes at most since she had to decide on the drinks too, but when she returned, you were already back in your bed. “Here you go.” She flashes a crooked smile, setting down the plate in front of you carefully.

“Are you mad at me?” You asked while poking a nugget around on your plate. It wasn’t hot so you picked it up and took a bite.

Regina’s eyes went wide, “Baby, no. I’m not mad at you. I promise.”

You barely nodded, then continued eating in silence. “Shall we put on a movie, baby?” She suggested in an attempt to get your spirits up again. Regina wasn’t sure what happened in those last few minutes, but she hated that you asked that question. She’d never be mad at you, ever. You’ve never made her mad. Regina’s heart ached a little but she quickly forgot about that and chose to be present with you. “Let's watch a movie, hm? Which one’s your favourite?” She bent down slightly to catch your gaze while dragging your iPad closer. You went into the Disney+ app and put on Princess and the Frog. “That’s a good one.” Regina fully smiled, holding onto your hand, “You wanna sit here, bubs?” She was gesturing to her lap— you saw that through the corner of your eye.

“Yeah.” You nodded eagerly.

“Yeah?” Regina chuckled, “C’mon, sit here. Let’s finish lunch then we’ll play some games, how’s that sound? Good?”

“Good.” You agreed, settling yourself in her lap. She naturally wrapped her arm around your waist, then both of you ate the rest of your lunches in silence while watching the movie. You were all smiley again, so she was relieved.

“You wanna show me how to play the game, sweetie?” She asks, rubbing your back. Lunch was done, dishes were cleaned. And you were a little…clingy. “Or do you wanna take a nap?”

With your head nuzzled in the crook of her neck, you just stayed in her lap. You didn’t say anything, but Regina saw that you were pouting and your eyes were watery. “Hey…” She kisses the top of your head, “Baby, what’s wrong?”

“I’m ‘eepyyyyy.” You whined, “But I wanna play games.”

She bites back a chuckle, “We can nap first, then we can play whatever games you want for longer, how about that? Let’s get some rest, alright? Please?”

You showed no signs of letting her go, so she doesn’t say anything and just lets you stay on her lap. You were also completely silent so she took this chance to coax you to sleep by rocking you a little and rubbing your back.

“I want ice cream.”

“Okay, baby. But later.” She reasoned, “You’re tired, and upset already. I don’t want that. I want you to be happy and rested. So please? Close your eyes? We’ll get ice cream when you wake up, okay?”

You fell asleep in her arms, she was relieved you were asleep and could now use the time to process it all. She definitely needed to have a conversation with you about it, she just had to know how and when, especially since you seemed quite worried about her reaction when she first got here. Your nap gave her approximately four hours to think and reflect, then it was about 5pm so Regina had to have a plan for dinner too. She carefully put you down on your mattress then went downstairs to check the fridge and pantry once more. Ultimately, she ordered in some pizza from a nearby place since she was a bit tired from the day. It was quite a thing to come to know of, but Gretchen was right. All that mattered in the moment was that you were happy and safe. Nothing brought a bigger smile to her face than seeing you happy. She told you this. And she’s never said it before, she’s just always kind of showed it in a way of longer hugs and lingering kisses, occasionally a gift or two, nice dinners or brunch on anniversaries and important days, oh and also pretty frequent trips out of town just because.

“Reggie?”

“Yep?” She turned around to see you standing on the stairs with that awfully adorable sleepy look on your face.

“Can I have my ice cream now?”

Regina guffaws, “Oh, you remembered?” She motioned for you to walk over to her and you did.

“Mhm.”

She opened up the freezer door, “Alrighty, then. Take your pick, baby. Vanilla or…this one?” That’d be the frozen yogurt in the form of a popsicle. You pointed to the tub of vanilla. She gave in, easily. Scooping you some into a bowl and then handed you a spoon so you could finally enjoy some of that dessert.

“Hey, I ordered pizza for dinner.” She grins.

“Yay, I love pizza.”

“Yeah, you do.” She smooches you on the cheek, “Sit down. It’ll be here soon.”

Yeah, maybe you were too worried over nothing. Regina has been great so far and there hasn���t been much doubt about it once you fully let go and let yourself do what you needed to do. Truthfully, this was your biggest secret. A part of yourself you were trying to keep away from other people because you knew some people weren’t kind. For Regina, you just didn’t want to add on to her problems. She already has to deal with chronic pain and regular PT appointments after the accident. But maybe this was a little like a blessing in disguise. It’s already happened, so you just went with it and it turned out alright after all.

🏷️Tag list:

@ashecampos @auliisflower @cheesysoup-arlo @frogs00 @ludoesartandstuff @pda128

💭A/N:

This was *quite* the challenge😵‍💫(also took me longer than expected to write lol. I’m sorry if this isn’t up to my usual standard😬🤧)

[umemiyan]

𝗬𝗨𝗨𝗧𝗔 𝗢𝗞𝗞𝗢𝗧𝗦𝗨 𝗫 𝗙!𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥. ⌇ 18+ only, mdni / incest but could be read as stepcest / sort of a non-curse au i guess / mentions of underage masturbation / jealousy / a little bit of codependency / voyeurism / reader goes through a breakup / some hurt/comfort / unprotected piv sex / creampie / 2.6k words

little brother!yuuta who has always held you in the highest regard. you have more or less been the center of his universe for as long as he can remember, because nobody has ever been quite as radiant and captivating as his older sister. where he would hear of the complicated dynamics between other people and their siblings, he could only ever think of positive things to say about his relationship with you. he simply couldn’t relate to those who didn’t adore their siblings, and maybe some would find it a bit odd, but it was of little concern to him.

little brother!yuuta who has been the #1 admirer of your beauty from the very beginning. he would find himself in awe of you at any given time, really, but especially when you happened to get dressed up for whatever reason. you would barely be old enough for your body to properly fill out an outfit, but he’d still look at you with sparkling eyes and a small awestruck gasp.

“wow, nee-chan… you look beautiful! where are you going?” he’d ask, always wishing he could tag along.

you would chuckle at his adoration, your sweet brother always being your greatest supporter. “i’m just going to my friend’s birthday party. i’ll be back in time for bed, i promise!"

little brother!yuuta who is so very used to the ritual you’ve always had at bedtime. your special little goodnight phrase that you say to each other before going to sleep is simply a must each and every day. it feels too wrong not to do it, so even if you’re away from each other at night you always find a way to make it work to the best of your abilities, whether it be a quick few second phone call or a text that would never go unread.

little brother!yuuta who always had a bad habit of crawling into bed with you as a small child. the frequency of it eventually dwindled down, but even when he got into his teens, he still found himself slipping under the covers with you from time to time for some comfort. sometimes it was the only way he could manage to get a few hours of sleep—other times he simply laid there awake, finding comfort in your presence alone. but there were also times when he would lay in his own bed, aching with the need to feel you close but too afraid to get near you lest you possibly become irritated with him for being so needy.

little brother!yuuta who, sometimes, after he became old enough, would find himself waking up feeling hot and sticky with an ache between his legs as you held each other in your sleep. his thoughts would flash back to the dream he had just been having before, and he would panic and scramble to back away from you before you got the chance to wake up and notice his hard, leaking cock or the wet mess he’d made in his pants.

he’d carefully distance himself from you even more and squeeze his eyes shut to try and will away the need, or softly climb out of bed to go finish himself off when he couldn’t take it anymore, or clean up the mess he’d already made in his sleep. yuuta would try so hard not to think of you while jerking his cock, but flashes of your face still crept up into his very conflicted mind.

little brother!yuuta who found that something always struck him whenever you would decide to go on a date with a boy, or when someone had asked you out to a special event at school. he would watch with a smile as you walked out the door or stood taking photos, but there was always a sense of fear that crept up inside. he wanted be happy for you… but were you going to abandon him? would you let someone else hold your hand or sleep in your bed? these were such selfish thoughts and he felt absolutely horrible for having them, but he could never make them fully go away no matter how hard he tried.

little brother!yuuta who, one night not long before you moved away from home, tried to sneak into your room for the first time in a while to fall asleep next to you. but before he could gently open the door, he heard soft sounds coming from behind it, and he realized that you had someone over while everyone was (supposed to be) asleep. he pressed his ear to the door to get a better listen, and then gulped as his heart sank in his chest at the quiet but unmistakable noises. despite the shock and devastation, there was a sensation of heat pooling in his belly, and he lingered a little bit longer than he should have.

little brother!yuuta who goes back to his room and can’t go to sleep without first emptying his balls to the thought of what you must look like while being fucked. and after that night, he’s been fighting with himself ever since.

little brother!yuuta who, years later, does everything he can to not think of you when he’s getting himself off, but he sometimes becomes desperate enough for relief from the frustration that he’ll imagine your beautiful face and body and paint his own stomach with hot cum almost instantly. he’ll lay there with both guilt and satisfaction as the seed pools in his bellybutton and starts drying where it splattered all the way up to his chest, the load so heavy and thick from all the time that had passed since he’d last done this.

little brother!yuuta who holds himself back from masturbating for as long as he can because you inevitably pop into his brain every single time. and pathetically enough, he almost can’t cum unless he thinks of you.

little brother!yuuta who felt disgusted with himself the first time he had sex with a girl because the image of you was lingering in the back of his mind the entire time.

little brother!yuuta who convinced you to let him stay with you sometimes after you moved out and eventually started living with your boyfriend. although he couldn’t sneak himself into your bed like he used to, he would happily sleep on the couch knowing that you weren’t very far away. truthfully, living apart from you had been absolute hell.

little brother!yuuta who would recreate the same scenario from years ago, standing outside your bedroom door and listening closely to what you sounded like when your boyfriend fucked you. although it made his heart ache for reasons he tried not to think about, he couldn’t help but commit every noise to memory while he stood there shamefully, brows furrowed and cock rapidly hardening.

little brother!yuuta who has offered nothing but smiles and encouragement to you all these years even while he ached and suffered on the inside. watching you live your life without him around every day, doting on a lover and giving them the affection that used to be his… it’s almost unbearable. it has impacted him far more than he’s ever been willing to show, but his only option thus far has been to simply grin and bear it, even when it felt like he might crumble to pieces.

little brother!yuuta who is the first one there for you after a fairly nasty breakup with your boyfriend, and who moves in with you to help out with the rent now that your partner is gone. at least, that’s what he tells himself; in reality, he couldn’t be more thrilled to live with you again and to bid your burden of an ex a long-awaited goodbye.

little brother!yuuta who does his best to be the greatest roommate you’ve ever had, willing to do every chore in the universe simply because he’s so elated to be here with you. and his instinct is to latch onto you, to have endless movie nights and spend every waking moment with his big sister, but he holds himself back because he doesn’t want to come off as too much, to push you away after he just managed to get you back. however, after dealing with your breakup, you seem to be more than happy to spend a bit of extra time with him, and this makes his heart feel full.

little brother!yuuta who cheers you up with his now genuine smiles and laughter, not having felt this wonderful in a very long time. it’s almost too good to be true, but he savors every minute of it—every minute spent snuggled up on the couch or goofing off while making dinner together. he never wants it to come to an end.

little brother!yuuta who hears you crying one night and simply can’t resist the urge to softly pad into your bedroom and slip under the covers, wrapping his arms around you from behind and breathing in your familiar scent. you don’t remember him being so big, but you suppose that’s what happens after being apart for so long.

not a word is spoken between you two; yuuta just holds you like his most prized possession and lets you weep in the darkness until the sorrow leaves your body. it subsides quicker than usual because you feel less lonely now with him cradling you like this, and you realize you haven’t felt so comforted since the last time he’d managed to weasel himself into your bed far too long ago. you’d never said it out loud, but he’d comforted you just as much as you did him whenever he would feel the need to seek you out in his younger days.

little brother!yuuta who isn’t expecting you to turn around and face him, to look into his eyes even in the darkness so that you may have some sort of realization. perhaps it’s the lingering residuals of loneliness and heartbreak, but regardless, you feel compelled to wrap your own arms around his waist and nuzzle into his chest for warmth. he’s all grown up but still so soft and sweet as he always has been, giving you more love and adoration than anybody ever has. you feel terribly guilty for having taken it for granted at times.

but now he’s here in your arms again, still giving you everything even when he doesn’t have to.

little brother!yuuta whose breath hitches when he feels your mouth on his collarbone, slowly trailing kisses up to his neck and setting his skin on fire as you go. he’s suddenly convinced that he’s dreaming, yet another one of his sinful fantasies being dredged up from the darkest corners of his mind and playing in his sleep. but he blinks and you’re still there, still pressing soft and somehow chaste kisses against his open throat until he’s struggling to breathe.

little brother!yuuta who freezes in place, tears welling up in his big blue eyes at what he’s about to ask next, the guilt and embarrassment nearly causing him to malfunction.

“nee-chan…?” he finally manages to squeak out, blood rushing to his cock as you breathe against him.

“hmm?” you hum, nuzzling his neck with your nose.

he gulps, hips rolling forward against you just the slightest bit, his control over his body weakening now that you’re so close. “c-can i please…please have you?” his voice trembles and now he’s the one crying, a single tear slipping down his cheek as he stares off into the distance and hopes this isn’t the end of it all.

thankfully, you kiss him and show him that it isn’t.

little brother!yuuta who melts into your lips faster than he can process what’s happening, the taste of your tongue instantaneously sending him into another dimension. your mouth is so sweet and warm against his own that he can’t stop himself from being absolutely blissed out within seconds.

little brother!yuuta who feels as though he’s finally found his purpose in life when he has you underneath him and soaking the tip of his cock as it brushes through your folds. it’s already everything that he’s ever imagined and more, and he hasn’t even been inside you yet.

little brother!yuuta who practically sighs with relief as he slides into you for the first time, nice and slow. it’s as if the biggest weight has been lifted off his shoulders and he’s finally come home, his heart and mind now able to rest easy after years of torment.

he doesn’t even move once he’s hilted inside you, taking several moments to bury his face in your neck and just feel the way you engulf him in warmth in every single way.

little brother!yuuta who knows he needs to feel as close to you as he possibly can. it’s not enough to simply take care of one another, sharing smiles and laughter and keeping each other company like average siblings; no… he needs much more than that. he wants to consume you like you do him (even if you don’t necessarily mean it). he needs to inhabit every part of you, feel you from the inside, and pour this overwhelming amount of love out in the best way he can possibly think of.

and even that doesn’t feel like quite enough. there’s still something scratching in his skull that tells him to truly make you his, to stake his claim, and he wants you to do the very same.

little brother!yuuta whose once still hips are now restless and begging for motion, who starts out slow but is already drooling over how your cunt squeezes him so perfectly. it isn’t long before he’s practically drilling into you, fucking every emotion out of his poor body and straight into yours, to ultimately make you both ‘one.’ he doesn’t mean to be rough for the sake of it, he just loves you so much that it almost hurts, makes his body ache in ways that only this will alleviate after so many years of holding it all back.

little brother!yuuta whose wet eyes never leave your face and who could cum any second but stops himself from doing so if only to make you see pleasure first. his body pleads for release, but he would rather be left somewhere to rot than give in without first making you see stars, showing you how much he really loves you. and when he finally finds that spot and presses into it over and over again with his desperate, eager pace, you’re squeezing and shaking around him and making him sob into his own orgasm until it eventually starts to spill out of you in earnest.

little brother!yuuta who afterwards still isn’t fully convinced that this is reality, and who would do anything to cling onto this feeling for all of eternity. he’ll endure anything life throws at him, will let you do anything you want to him as long as he’s allowed to indulge in you. his big sister can dig her nails into his flesh, bite and suck his skin until she can taste blood, deny him of every pleasure, if that’s what she truly desires. he hopes you’ll love with the same grace you always have, but even if you don’t, he’ll sit and take whatever you give him with silent pride and gratitude, because you’re his beautiful onee-chan, his guardian angel in a world full of darkness. and he wants absolutely everything from you.

[vroomvroomcircuit]

Drive all Night

(A/N): This is inspired by the song "Call your mom" by Noah Kahan.

Summary: Max is worried about the sudden shift in his best friends behavior. But he is willing to drive all night to get to the root of the problem.

Pairing: Max Verstappen x fem!reader (little childhood friends to lovers on the side with angst/hurt to comfort)

Warnings: Association to Max's shitty childhood, reader has depression/a depressive episode, implicit mentions of suicide, listen to the song and you get the vibe

Wordcount: 2.4k

🏎Masterlist🏎 ________________________

Max Verstappen is not a big worrier. Actually, he is no worrier at all.

When there is something to worry about, he just changes it. If he can’t change it, it’s out of his area of responsibility, so he doesn’t have to worry about it.

Thinking like that helped him focus through great challenges. But his mindset wasn’t the only motivator. Through all his highest highs and lowest lows, his best friend has been right next to him, either cheering him on or being the shoulder to cry on he just needed.

(Y/N) and him befriended each other in kindergarten, having felt this unexplainable pull to each other. Ever since playing with Legos together for the first time they had been inseparable if they could help it.

Of course, as they got older and Max’s career in karting took off and (Y/N) had to focus more on school, they started to shift to calling and texting more than relying on in person talking. But that didn’t stop them staying best friends. One might even argue that through their 24/7 updates to each other, they grew even closer.

Meeting in person in their adulthood had become increasingly easier. Sometime (Y/N) travels with Max to several races back to back, being blessed with a remote working job.

The young man starts to suspect something isn’t going smoothly during one of their daily face time calls with her being in her dark bedroom and him in a hotel room halfway across the world. “But enough of how annoying these marketing things are. What did you do today? Except for work of course.” Max just finished another yapping season about the last challenge the social media teams had him participate in.

(Y/N) just shrugs her shoulders while focusing on a loose thread in her shirt. “Nothing much. I reread pride and prejudice.” Max halts a bit in his rummaging through his suitcase, being on the look out for his charger. “I thought you had plans for lunch with a friend? And didn’t you read through that book last week already? You do know that no matter how often you read it, the ending will stay the same.” He jokes a bit.

While still not shifting her gaze towards the phone screen, (Y/N) answers in mumbles. “I canceled on her. I really felt icky today, but we will try to set up another meet up some time next week or so.”

At first Max doesn’t think of it as much. Everyone feels not like socializing every one in a while. But then something else changes. The frequency of their calls and texts.

“...here we can do- Max? Are you even listening to me?” Max gets caught off guard by that question. GP was going over some points with him before starting FP2. “Oh, uhm, sorry GP. Gimme three seconds, I just want to reply to (Y/N). It seems like she didn’t have a great day and I just want to make sure she’ll be alright until I’m out of the car.”

This makes his race engineer raise his eyebrows. “Oh, what happened?” “I don’t know. But she is rewatching one of her comfort shows for the third time in two weeks.” He blinks at the Dutchman. “And in what way is that concerning?”

Okay, voicing his worrisome thoughts out loud like that makes Max realize that the signs are not too obvious for outsiders. But he is talking about his best friend. The person that always makes sure that he won’t go without his needed amount of sleep. The same person he had been having phone calls that resulted in four out of the last seven nights with him getting not more than 5 hours of sleep, if that at all.

For an outsider it doesn’t seem bad for (Y/N) to reread the same books and rewatch the same shows over and over again. Or having her best friend, the person she became emotionally most dependent on, talk with her through her nights.

But for Max, it raises red flags. It hits his alarm bells, ringing out loud that something is majorly wrong. He can’t put his finger on it, not just yet. He is still looking for a way to get her to tell him what is bothering her.

There is a certain uneasiness to Max during that entire race weekend. He is just itching to seat his ass on a plane on his way back to his (Y/N), a friend that he might harbor more than just platonic feelings for. A person that had his back all the time.

To the person he loves the most, that is also struggling the most right now.

He wants to be able to pay her back for all the times she stuck through his darkest times.

But something in him is scared that he isn’t able to get to her in time. “Didn’t you want to go out with a colleague of yours for drinks last night?” Max asks into the phone while speed walking through the airport. Ever since leaving his hotel room on this fine Monday morning, he has been on a phone call with (Y/N).

A sigh greets his ears. “I wanted to, but I didn’t feel like dressing up or sharing a space with a bunch of strangers. I just ordered some food in and watched your race.”

There is another red flag. (Y/N) maybe was never a big socializer to begin with, but she liked going out every now and then. But for a couple of weeks now the only thing Max gets to hear about plans is that she canceled them.

Listening to her just cutting contact with the outside world like that, it doesn’t only worry him. It’s not even scary. It terrifies him.

The two of them continue talking the whole plane ride until (Y/N) falls asleep. Even then Max doesn’t hang up. He still lets the call continue, not wanting her to wake up and feel alone. She doesn’t deserve to feel alone.

No one does. But especially not her.

When he was in karting, some kids gave him grief for winning most of the time. It was difficult for little Max to understand. So do people not want him to win?

It became more confusing to him since some people around him wanted him to win desperately. It hurt him, not understanding the difference of who wanted his best and who wanted to see him fail.

He felt isolated from his peers, especially those who should understand under what pressure he was, because they must feel the same. Right?

During these days, where he rather stopped driving in circles in a very fast manner and just continued playing football, (Y/N) was his only footing. She talked him out of ending his career in motorsport. She painted a picture of his future in the prettiest colors with her words. She gave him something to look forward during these trying times.

And when it got harder before it got easier, she held his hand and reminded him that she will always stay by his side.

Now it’s Max’s turn to show her that he will always stay by her side.

He opens the door to her apartment slowly, trying to make the least noise possible.

Every room is shrouded in what must feel to her like a never ending darkness. The blinds are drawn in front of every window, hindering the tiniest bit of sunlight to filter through. Even to Max it feels like the despair that is in the air will never stop. It is all consuming.

He tiptoes towards her bedroom. There she lays, illuminated by the low light of his phone screen. Curled up tight under a bunch of blankets and between a mountain of pillows and stuffed animals.

The MV lion, the first one that has ever been produced, the original prototype before giving the go for mass production, is held tightly and close to her chest. It pulls on his heartstrings, seeing the comfort it must have brought her while he was absent.

Max kneels down at the head of the bed, gently shaking her awake. “Schatje, come on. Wake up. We got a day of new adventures just in front of us outside the door.”

It’s something they started to say in elementary school. They once read a book in class with the premise that every day is the start to a new adventure. You just have to welcome it in. Back then, when inviting something unknown in your life was considered exciting, not scary or life changing.

“The adventures can wait a day longer.” She mumbles and turns around, trying to shake his hand on her shoulder off. But Max is having none of it.

“The darkness is fooling you. Every light that has been turned off can be turned on.” He gets up and opens the blinds. Sunlight floods the room, and even at the messiest state the young man has seen his best friend, she still is the most beautiful woman on earth to him

(Y/N) lets out a noise of unpleasantness. “Please Max, I can’t deal with it today.”  “No, you will. We are going to deal with it, whatever this it is, together.” He marches over to her dresser and produces a clean set of clothes out of thin air. That is what it looks like to her in this mess at least.

“You are going to shower. After that we will take a drive with no destination.” His words are final and in a tone that makes the young woman drag her limbs and body out of the bed and trudge towards the bathroom, even when the unwillingness is evident by her groaning.

Hearing the shower is Max’s cue to sit down and take a deep breath. He doesn’t know what he expected, but seeing the light of life missing in (Y/N)’s eyes isn’t on that list. It feels like a punch to his gut, witnessing her wither away without knowing from what.

It doesn’t take long and they both sit in the car. A drive without destination is exactly what it says. Just Max driving with (Y/N) sitting in the passenger seat. Usually they used these trips to catch up, to talk about everything and nothing. To voice big philosophical thoughts and dumb brain farts. They started this tradition, that usually includes some sort of fast food, when Max got his drivers license.

But sitting in complete silence for five minutes straight. That is something new.

“You know,” Max breaks it after another seven minutes. “Not talking about it won’t make the problem go away. It also doesn’t hinder it in its existence. Instead it will just get heavier and heavier until you break under the weight.” His dry tone isn’t something she anticipated.

(Y/N) looks out the window, seeing the colorful sunset for the first time in weeks. It’s easy to forget the beauty of the world when your inside thoughts feel like a graveyard. “I don’t want to worry you.”

That admission nearly has the Dutchman emergency breaking in the middle of a street through the fields. “So you play cat and mouse with your feelings because you don’t want to worry me?” (Y/N) nods.

Max lets out a laugh. “So what exactly makes you think that me witnessing you just becoming a shell of who you once were won’t worry me?”

She shrugs. (Y/N) didn’t expect him to catch that something feels wrong in her.

“Schatje. I will always worry about you, You are too important to me to not worry about you. Seeing you wither away in yourself, it made me scared going out on these tracks, sitting down in the car, and wondering if you still breathe while I’m driving another mile. Not knowing what you feel, that worries me more than the truth. Because then we can work on getting you better together. But when you don’t let me in, I can’t help and feel like by just standing and witnessing without intervening that I’m at fault for anything that happens to you. It hurts more seeing you hurting than knowing what you hurt from.”

She turns towards Max, mustering his side profile. She hasn’t thought about how her actions are perceived by her surroundings. (Y/N) just fell into that hole of darkness unexpectedly. While sitting at the bottom of that somber pit, she thought that trying to reach out for help would mean another person gets pulled into it.

If there was one person she doesn’t want sitting next to her in that dark hole, then it is Max. She harbors too much love and affection for him to want him to suffer the same fate as her. So not talking about her darkest thoughts seemed like the best way of keeping him far away from the hole.

But it just drew him in closer.

(Y/N) finally sees what he saw the whole time.

“You know, it’s hard to explain what happened. It takes time to really understand what goes on in me right now.” Max puts a reassuring hand on her leg. “We have all night to talk about it. Help me help you. Let us find a strategy to get you better. May it be medication, meditation, punching me or falling in love with someone. I need you to find a reason to stay with me, physically and mentally.”

She puts a hand over hers and looks Max in the eye for the first time since he arrived. “I already fell in love.”

He doesn’t need to hear more.

Max keeps his promise. He drives through the night, holding (Y/N) to the best of his ability while she cries, curses and explains.

By that not everything is picture perfect again. But it’s the first step. The first one to a future they both want to share with each other. For now and ever, that is enough motivation for (Y/N) to keep going, to continue turning every light on that was off.

[arcadia-of-pluto]

Twist of Fate; Chapter Fifteen

Pairings; LADS OT4 x reader

Word count; 2.6k

Themes; isekai, eventual smut

Rating; 18+ for swearing and mature content

Notes; Last chapter for the weekend (I say weekend but it's only friday–) I'm really thinking about posting chapter sixteen, but I think I need to put more distance between my chapters I'm posting and what I'm currently working on, since twenty is real close to sixteen. I'll probably be working on chapter twenty this weekend and if I get to twenty-one, I might post sixteen! 🩷

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Masterlist

Melodious music serenades the luxurious banquet hall that’s illuminated by dreamy lighting.

Sylus calmly guides you across the dance floor, swaying to the song’s slow rhythm. He blocks the prying shadows around you both and when you look up, all you see is his face, which is quite infuriating because it’s a good face. It’s distracting.

“Y/n, you need to be smarter if you want to retaliate against me,” Sylus says with a small sigh. “Sorry, I’m not really used to these kinds of social gatherings,” You glance away from him with a small, sheepish smile and clumsily lift your heel off of his foot.

“Did you actually get information on the aether core?”

“You can choose not to believe me,” Sylus muses as you continue your dance. Catching a glimpse of a flashing red dot in the shadows, you use your hand that’s on his shoulder to push him in the opposite direction.

“But they wouldn’t leak such important information. Unless..” You trail off, trying to get him to talk about what you heard over the earpiece earlier, “It’s a trap.” “Exactly.” A smile tugs at the corner of Sylus’ lips, almost as if he’s proud of you for coming to that realization.

You look back up at him, a little concerned. “You’re not going to throw yourself into their trap, are you?” The man shakes his head before speaking with a smile, “Be content with your role. Don’t scare away the fish that already bit the hook.”

You sigh, chewing on your bottom lip for a moment, “There’s…eight evol bombs, fifteen high-frequency guns…They really want you dead. Sylus, you made a lot of enemies.” “This isn’t the first time it’s happened,” He replies nonchalantly as the music reaches a crescendo. The notes from the orchestra are layers on top of one another, like surging tidal waves.

The lights dim to the passionate beats and shadows surround you both on all sides.

“You have something up your sleeve, right? Even if you have a death wish, I don’t intend to die here with you,” You harshly whisper, feeling a panic build up in your chest.

“Don’t worry, you won’t die that easily.” Is all he says. What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Boom

A deafening explosion drowns out the music and ensuing screams. The beautiful hall is instantly reduced to rubble.

Amidst the surging chaos, Sylus tightens his grip on your hand and while your heartbeat thunders in your ears, you can barely make out a scoff coming from him. To your surprise, you see him nonchalantly crush something before throwing it into the debris.

“You…had the detonator this whole time?” You ask, ears slightly ringing from the explosion as you look up at him. He laughs, a smile on his lips, “The vermin were taking their sweet time. I was getting impatient.”

 “The metaflux is quickly increasing and there’s more than one wanderer…be careful.” You look around at the rubble, hand subconsciously squeezing his tighter. Your free hand quickly pulls your gun from your thigh holster to fire several shots at the wanderer that was about to attack Sylus.

“Well, that was close..” You let out a sigh of relief. “How long do you think you’ll last with an outdated weapon like that?” He asks, jerking his chin in the direction of your pistols. “Hey..” You pout, holding your gun close to your chest.

They were like your babies. You couldn’t just get rid of them.

Sylus tosses over another gun and you fumble with it in your full hands. “Don’t waste your efforts.” he says, not elaborating on what he means. You shake your head with a small sigh, re-holstering your other guns to hold the new ones. They were definitely lighter than your old ones and seemed to be better made.

“Did Sherman make you do this? Where’s the aether core? Hey, answer me!” After you had handled the last wanderer, you found a henchman cowering in the corner. You press the muzzle of your gun against the back of his head as you spit-fired questions at him.

“You haven’t won yet! We still have a backup plan…! That thing is terrifying. When it shows up, not even Sylus– agh!” Black-red mist throws the man into a broken stone pillar. With a scream, he falls to the ground like a puppet whose strings were just cut. You jerk your head toward Sylus with a glare. “Violence should be used strategically,” He says with a shrug, calmly wiping the blood off of his face as the mist disappears from his hands.

“I would’ve believed you if your hands were clean,” You grumble with a small sigh, annoyed that you have to fight in heels– which is insane by the way. You’ve almost fallen over so many times.

Despite the venue being cleared, strong energy fluctuations manifest above you both and shake the ground you stand on. “What’s making that noise? Are there still some left?” You rub the back of your neck, before remembering that the henchman was talking about something being their backup plan.

“Let’s go.” Sylus turns to walk away and you throw your hands up in annoyance, “Where are we going?” The older man grabs your wrist and swiftly starts walking. “To the place that has what you want,” He says, his fingers deftly wrapped around your wrist.

The almost transparent elevator quickly ascends and the colourful night-time scenery is obscured by the clouds. The elevator doors creak open on the roof and your eyes widen as you notice the huge wormhole in the sky.

A sense of panic and foreboding claws at your chest from the image of something huge and alien-looking in the sky.

“What is this place..?” You manage to say as you both step out from the elevator and onto the dilapidated roof. Countless pieces of metal are strewn across the spacious rooftop. The area around you was shrouded in mist and in the haze, barely visible, are abandoned collection vessels, transporters, and other devices.

Broken steel bars poke out from the overgrown weeds. Rusty frames are propped up, outlining a bygone era. “It looks like a laboratory for experiments or something..” You murmur, hands gripping your guns tighter.

“It was one many years ago. But they abandoned it a while back,” Sylus finally answers, turning to look at you with his thumbs in his pockets. “They?” You parrot, head cocking to the side. Stepping over broken fragments and glass shards, Sylus’ tone remains aloof, “EVER.”

You pause at that bit of information. The EVER Cooperation? They were the leading force of intelligence in Linkon. Doing all kinds of research and good. Why were they ever in the N109 Zone?

As the most prestigious international business group, it basically supports the whole of Linkon City. So…how could they be involved with the N109 Zone?

“...I heard that before the Chronorift Catastrophe, the N109 Zone was the most prosperous tech hub so I guess it makes sense that EVER used it as a research base.” You say as you nod your head, managing to make sense of it before Sylus tears that thought down, “You really are a naive Linkon citizen.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You raise a brow. Hell, you weren’t even a real Linkon citizen to begin with. You weren’t even from here. You were just going off what you knew from the game itself!

Sylus gives you a look, crossing his arms over his chest, “Many locations were affected by that catastrophe, yet only the N109 Zone turned into a wasteland. Why do you think that is?”

Ohh…You recall some unverified theories, but your mind is a mess right now. You can’t think of anything useful to this situation.

“We’re here.” Sylus stops walking and you almost run into his firm back.

Slow vibrations resembling heartbeats pulsate through the sky and you look up to see the Deepspace Tunnel– at least that’s what you assume it is. You’ve never seen one since being in the game, after all, but it must be that, since you had no other explanation. It was eerily beautiful.

Dense clouds and vortexes churn amidst the darkness and occasionally, a stream of light flashes across the night sky like heat lightning. The silent tunnel is like a telescope peeking into the universe.

“The Deepspace Tunnel…This is the first time I’ve been so close to it,” You murmur, taking a deep breath as tiny beams of light enter your line of sight. You can’t help, but take a step closer– before you notice a stone fixture. “It’s a Flux Nexus. I saw one in the no-hunt zone!” You exclaim, remembering what it looked like from that one mission with Xavier, before you entered the game.

“Then you should know what it contains. These fluctuations aren’t produced by normal protocores,” Sylus says from next to you and you nod your head.

The aether core.

Sylus stands next to you, looking at you with his eyes that have unfathomable depths. “Think about it first. Once you take it out, there’s no going back.” You take a deep breath. You’re already here, why would you give up now?

Gritting your teeth, you put your hand on the Flux Nexus’s intricate patterns. The power of resonance instantly flows through your body and dazzling light seeps out from your palm. A shiny, floating gem appears from the slab. “The aether core..” You reach out to touch it and as soon as your fingers brush against it, the ground starts to shake violently.

A storm appears.

Violent fluctuations lash out from the Deepspace Tunnel’s entrance. A huge shadow emerges from the vortex. It’s getting closer and closer. Its wings blot out all light in the sky.

“Is this…the backup plan they were talking about?!” You quickly turn toward Sylus, worriedly, and he chuckles, “We finally get something presentable.” A huge protofield unfolds before you and then, the ferocious wanderer charges toward you both at breakneck speed.

It’s a large blue-black bird, an Arbiterwings. It might be a bit difficult to take on without resonating with Sylus, so you’d have to try. Its feathers were made of crystalized metaflux, so it seems like that would be the way to take it down, destroy the feathers and the bird will fall.

A blinding light comes from your palm as you press it against Sylus’ shoulder, concentrating on resonating with him as the bird flew about in the dark red protofield. Finally– You break apart from Sylus and hold your guns up. “Ready?” You ask and without waiting for his response, you begin shooting at the bird.

 The first didn’t take too long, maybe four or five minutes at most but, once it was over, you quickly turn to look at Sylus excitedly before you realize you’re not on the roof...

What...

The scenery before you is blurry, but you can make out that it’s a war ravaged, desolate planet.

“Where…am I?” You mumble to yourself as you look around.

All you can see is darkness. The sky is dark with smoke pluming from the burning planet, cracks in the ground reveal bright reddish orange magma.

Your heartbeat stutters in your chest as your gaze slowly moves down to your trembling, bloody hands.

“There’s…so much..blood.” Why were your hands so bloody? What was going on?

“You must press on.” Sylus? You quickly look around, tears pricking your eyes in your terror, desperate to see a familiar face in this hellscape.

But you can barely make out the figure in front of you. His blurry figure seemed to have corroded crystals growing on his shoulders, neck, and lower half. You could see his bare chest with dark blue and purple veins clearly visible. “That’s..” You murmur, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

Was he turning into a wanderer like those people from before?

You felt his thin, spindly hand squeeze yours around the hilt of the sword that was plunged into his chest.

“Because…if you don’t..There’s no going back.”

His voice was coming from this thing?

Your hands shake as you realize you stabbed Sylus and you have no idea why. Seriously— What's going on? 

“Sylus–” An inferno blazes before your eyes, your vision blurring and amidst the blood and fire, the Deepspace Tunnel appears. It shakes violently. “Y/n, you must press on.” You flinch as a red electrical current strikes before your eyes and once your vision clears, you notice Sylus is holding his hand out toward you.

“The life you owe me– now is not the time to repay it.” He says and as you look at the hand reaching out toward you.

You see Sylus’s cold face..there was a hint of worry beneath his usual gaze. But there also seems to be a shadow above him. You can’t help but reach out as well.

Unprecedented power swells between your intertwined fingers and, instantly, you feel a tremor from deep within your heart. Something flows through your veins. The wanderer’s dissipating particles fall like a misty rain, yet a brighter light pierces through the haze.

You lift your free hand up to shield your eyes from the light, your eyes squinting as you tried to make out where the light was coming from. The aether core emits countless rays of golden light that seeps into your chest. The warm, familiar power continues to surge.

You’re not sure how much time has passed when the fluctuations around your body slowly start to subside. The movements within your body cease. It’s as if an ocean’s roaring waves have silently calmed down, turning into ripples on a lake’s surface.

A tiny golden stone hovers in the sky above your head and you reach out for it, holding it between your thumb and index finger.

“So this is the aether core…” It shines for a moment before a crack appears on it. You quickly turn toward Sylus in shock, noticing he’s looking up at the sky. “...Sylus?” You question and he closes his eyes before saying, “Its power belongs to you now. Naturally, the vessel will break as a result.”

“To...me?” You raise a brow as the white haired man looks at you. “Isn’t this what you wanted?” He asks, looking away from you. He turns his back to you to walk away with you being dragged behind him.

“Hey! Where are you taking me?” You say, exasperated. Your feet hurt from wearing your heels all day and fighting in them. “Wait– This is...?” He stops walking as you stare down at your hands with wide eyes. He wasn’t even grabbing your wrist.

He lifts your hands with a small sigh, an invisible force binding them together. He shakes his arm back and forth, your hand being forced to move with him. “Let go already!” You groan, glaring at your arms as you notice they weren’t even that close together. They were a few inches apart, so why were they stuck together?

Then, a deep orange light swirls between your hands. The light circles around both your wrists with a string connecting the circle together like handcuffs. “What…is this thing?” You question, tugging at your hand before looking up at Sylus, who sighs.

He doesn’t respond and the powerful tremor that shook the Deepspace Tunnel ignites a chain reaction within the N109 Zone.

Those shadows, who believed they controlled Onychinus, are eliminated from fate’s tapestry. Unable to see the undercurrents beneath the water’s surface, you can only smell the scent of smoke becoming more poignant as it’s carried by the wind.

Structures crumble and collapse, and Mephisto’s wings pierce through the boundless darkness. He’s accompanied by the distant tolling of a bell. 

It’s almost like an announcement, as if the world is saying…The true leader of Onychinus has returned.

Taglist; @orphicmeliora , @yoongi-tunes, @mitzkooni, @hiqhkey, @tanspostsblog

[dronebiscuitbat]

Oil is Thicker Then Blood (Part 45)

“Sooo Hal, what exactly do I do here?” N asked nervously, twiddling his thumbs as they walked through the halls.

“I’ll be giving you a shortrange frequency that you’ll monitor, our office takes reports from concerned citizens, and Khan, Dale and I take the ones most suited for our respective teams.”

“Crime here is usually pretty tame, petty theft, b and e’s, vandalism. Occasionally we’ll get more serious calls, domestic violence, occasional homicide, though that’s gotten rare thankfully, or an odd “crime of passion”. Hal continued, N listening intently, he understood most of that, but “crime of passion” seemed to escape him.

“Crime of passion?”

“Couples getting too frisky and damaging one or both of them. Usually young ones who dunno what their doing. Most of the time they just dunno how to disconnect and panic, not too big a deal.”

Except N was still lost, he knew what all those words meant separately, but together they made little sense in his processors. He blinked. He wanted to ask what he meant by “disconnect” but at the same time it felt like a private question, not one he should be asking to his boss on his first day of work. Maybe he’d ask Uzi, or Thad, whichever was less embarrassing.

“How’s your daughter doing by the way? Khan mentioned she was having mobility problems when she was first transferred.” Hal asked turning yet another corner to go down yet another hallway, it always surprised him how large the bunker actually was, even if over half the rooms seemed to be empty. A pang of guilt entered his core, how many of these empty rooms were his fault? Or V’s?

“She’s fine now, she was just a little stiff, now she’s clinging to Uzi like a little monkey.” N gave a soft laugh thinking about his family at home, he always missed the both of them even if he wasn’t gone for very long, he supposed that just came with having a job though.

“Ah, yeah, sometimes that happens… when my son was printed into his toddler body we had to take him to the medical wing and they had to do surgery on his neck for him to start moving.”

“I didn’t know you had a son, I’m sorry, I’m sure that scared you both.”

Hal seemed to slow down for a moment, like he just caught himself doing something he shouldn’t before sighing.

“I did have a son. He’s… agh, nevermind that, we’re here.”

He banged his fist on the steel door, sending the grating noise through the hall, they waited for a few moments, only for nothing to reply back.

“She probably has her damn hearing aid turned off again.” Hal grumbled, before knocking as hard as he could, enough to send a vibration through the floor that N could feel through his feet.

“I heard you the first time! Go away!” A croaky, static filled voice called back, sounding irate and just a little bit scared. Hal rolled his eyes.

“It’s Hal, Mrs. Hopkins, you called us in to check out a break in.” Hal put on a very practiced customer service smile, N felt a minuscule shiver go up his spine, being reminded slightly of J, before it dissipated, here, it actually made sense for someone to have that kind of forced smile, and it wasn’t being used exclusively to make him uncomfortable.

The door opened quickly, the drone responsible being so old her casing had started to yellow, her eyelights were white, behind a thick pair of glasses. And she leaned on a cane, she shook with just the effort it took to stand and she adjusted her glasses as she looked at them.

“Good morning Mrs. Hopkins, what seems to be the problem today?” The way Hal asked the question alluded to his multitude of visits, she didn’t immediately answer, instead looking up at N squinting.

“You’re a tall one. Are you new?” She asked, prodding him in the stomach with her cane, he grunted, still trying to keep his polite smile even as he glanced over at Hal for assistance.

“She can’t see very well” He whispered up into N’s audio receptors, covering his mouth with his hand. “Probably a good thing, don’t give yourself away.”

N nodded and smiled again, extending his hand to shake the old woman’s hand, having to crouch down slightly to do so as she was hunched over her cane. She took it, her casing was freezing and felt like sandpaper, N made a internal note to not live this long.

“Hello Mrs. Hopkins, I’m N, it’s nice to meet you ma’am.” He said, and the ancient drone looked at him again, before her face grew into a kindly smile.

“How polite! And such a handsome young man. I hope Hal here doesn’t ruin you.”

The man in question’s eye twitched, before the moment was gone and he cleared his throat, clearly wanting to be done with this as soon as possible.

“You called us in for a break in?”

“Hmm? Oh yes! I was woken up last night by some footsteps. Above me! Someone was clearly trying to steal my fortune!”

N looked around her apartment, the couch was antique, plush and covered in so many blankets and throw pillows that it was hard to see the color of the actual seating underneath, the coffee table was decorated with a lattice of lace, making using it as an actual coffee table near impossible. The same could be said for most the the apartment, nothing here screamed “valuable”.

“Right, okay.” Hal replied, tense but still playing nice, N decided to help him out, he may have been tired of dealing with this lady, but N wanted to make a good impression, to both his superior and this lady.

“Where did you hear the footsteps Mrs. Hopkins? I could go and check for any signs of forced entry.”

“In my bedroom of course, how else would I hear it?” She answered, and N nodded, turning to Hal who seemed to be asking what he was doing, N gave him a smile before leaning over to whisper at him.

“Even if nothing happened, she believes something did, let me just check out her bedroom and the vents, then we can tell her that nothing was there.”

Hal nodded, seemingly agreeing with this plan, he sighed, before adjusting his posture.

“Well we take every report seriously, may we investigate?”

“Be my guest, and if you find the little hoodlum, tell them to get lost!”

Both officers made their way to the bedroom, which at first glance, had nothing amiss. Aside from the abundance of rather creepy porcelain dolls, all staring at them from various angles, N felt unease, and also the need to voice it.

“Whyyyyyy….” He whispered under his breath, just loud enough for Hal to hear it and he snorted in response, giving him an amused smile.

“I’d be paranoid too with all these eyes on me while I slept.” Hal whispered back, sighing and scanning the room, running his hand over one of the only clear spaces on the large wardrobe that held the vast majority of the dolls.

“Seems clear to me, any difference on your end son?”

N scanned the room in both infrared and thermal, but neither showed anything out of the ordinary, but even still his eyes locked to large vent in the corner of the ceiling, he didn’t know why something felt off with it, but it was giving him some weird vibes.

“Lemme check the ventilation, she did say she heard it above her.”

Hal nodded, looked into the doorway to ensure Mrs. Hopkins hadn’t entered the room and have a thumbs up to N, who let loose his wings and zipped up the shaft after carefully removing the grate in his way.

He had always hated climbing through the vents, not only was it dusty and he’d have to spend an hour cleaning out his olfactory and audio receptors later, but it was a tight squeeze, even without his wings, his shoulders scraped the sides of the ventilation shaft uncomfortably.

It was almost impossible for a normal drone to get up in here unless they had a ladder or also had the ability to fly, so he doubted he’d find anything accept a colony of robo-roaches.

When he got further in however, that feeling of unease watched over him again, like something or someone was aware of his presence and he was disturbing them, but rationality still won out, the chances of somebody being in these vents were astronomically low.

Then, the vent opened up a little, allowing him to crouch instead of crawl, to his left was a slowly rotating fan, his front the vents continued forward, but to his right, there was indeed something out of the ordinary. Caught on one of the seams of the welded metal was a ripped piece of red cloth, stained with multiple layers of oil, the freshest layer though, smelled of iron, and seemed to create a glaze of crimson on top of the multiple layers of dried oil. Blood.

He plucked it from its resting place, dread mixing in with confusion, the oil made some sense, maybe whoever had been here had been injured and using this scrap as a bandage, but the blood made less sense. The only time he’d seen blood recently was when that weird fleshy thing under Doll’s bed bled when he poked it, well, and Uzi’s… head… injury.

He looked back down at the red strip, before he remembered what Doll usually wore, that red cheerleading outfit.

His dread grew, becoming a cold weight around his core, Doll was here? In the bunker? Sneaking around the vents doing who knows what and clearly some type of organic based on this blood. What did he do? V was here, she wouldn’t be expecting Doll if she just dropped down from the ceiling one night and tried to off her. And what about Uzi? She was home alone most of the day, taking care of Tera. Oh Robo-God, Tera, she’d be completely defenseless if the Russian decided to come after her as well.

You must go home, your family is in danger!

He wanted to, his worry sinking it's claws deep into him, but he couldn't just leave, Hal was still waiting for him, and he was on the job.

Who cares? Their safety is more important!

The voice was loud and demanding, far more then it had ever been before, it caused ringing in his ears, but still he had to control himself.

Then he got an idea.

He simply called his girlfriend, he was a phone. And even though his hands were shaking and the urge to go home was strong, the voice ceased, seemingly content with his choice.

“N? Why are you calling me through my system? Are you okay?” At the sound of her voice his worry lessened and his core soared, she was okay, Doll hadn't already come for them.

“I-I found a scrap of cloth in the vents. It's Doll's. S-she's somewhere in the vents, please warn V.”

There was silence on the other end, enough of it that he could hear his daughters light giggling through the other side.

“I fucking hate it here!”

Next ->

[andiftheycare]

AU where Suguru’s an overworked salaryman and Satoru keeps stealing his umbrellas as a bad attempt at flirting.

Or the you swan he frog meme but make it a fic

☂️ Part one here, and also on twt

☂️ Part two point one here, and on twt. Part two point two here.

Notes: I resisted posting this bit because I wanted one scene TM to be part of this update. However, this is now 2k so it's too long for a tumblr post so the scene I wanted will be in the next update (I'll try to update every Sunday moving forward!). More romancing and more umbrellas to come. If you like this and you'd like to be friends do interact!! let's be friends!! also as usual it's highly unedited etc will be edited once it's on AO3.

Tags to be aware of: AU, squint and it’s a reincarnation au (more on this soon), office AU, pals I think this will be tagged "Mature" for part 5 :D

☂️☂️☂️☂️☂️

“Are you looking for a date?” 

Mimiko sits in front of him, hands clasped on the table, while Nanako nods next to her, posture more lax but expression less open. Suguru is hit by the memory of his parents sitting him down and trying to convince him to attend a couple of omiai.

The picture’s so close it makes him smile. 

“We know, like, you’re not old old.” Nanako says, heavily implying Suguru’s next to pension age. “And we talked about it.”

“You… talked about it?”

They exchange a glance. Brief. Quick. Suguru knows what it means when they team up like that. They’re up to mischief. 

“We made a list of people you could date.” Nanako continued, opening her notes app but not showing her screen. “Because you can do better than that—“

“Put that on your umbrella,” Mimiko concludes, palms now open, legs uncrossed. “It’s very…”

Where Mimiko aims, Nanako shoots “Lame.”

Drop dead silence follows, while Suguru struggles, briefly, to connect the dots, until his most recent sticker comes to mind, and he thinks that idiot. Printing shit like that and having his way with Suguru’s possessions. 

“I’m not interested in dating,” Suguru explains, well knowing he’s losing so many points in the eyes of his once doting daughters “It’s to deter criminals from —“

“You know, most of my friends think you’re hot.” Nanako grits that through her teeth, disgust seething from her words. She moves a hand around her face, then “They’d steal your umbrella just to find in you the love of their life.”

“That’s… concerning.”

Mimiko nods. “We don’t want to pressure you, but we thought…”

“If you’re not, like, finding someone because…”

Another glare is exchanged. This time they slightly bow their heads, and Suguru straightens up on his chair, offers them a smile but doesn’t reach to caress their heads. They don’t like that anymore. 

“It’s not because of you.” 

The twins’ shoulders reflexively drop.

“Now, have you finished packing?”

☂️☂️☂️☂️☂️

The flat is eerily quiet for the rest of the weekend. Mostly, Suguru spends it catching up on some sleep, trying to ignore how tense he feels, how tired he still is after he wakes up in the afternoon to an empty stomach.

Despite the spasming requests of his body, though, he can’t seem to keep anything in, the nausea coaxing him into fasting after a few bites of anything that isn’t plain. 

Suguru doesn’t mind it. 

That’s part of his summer routine, getting asphyxiated by the city heat so much to the point his body rejects nourishment. He’ll get over it soon. 

What’s new it’s the lingering taste of rotten food he awakens to in the morning. It’s worse when he dreams, which is happening with unexpected frequency, and which leaves him in a bizarre state of nostalgia, despite Geto not remembering much of it.

So he sits on the floor of his living room on Saturday night, an untouched open beer in front of him - admittedly, a bad idea - and a couple of texts from Mimiko and Nanako, going through the basic yeah we arrived safely, grandad’s fine but grandma says he needs to get his eyes checked, connection’s terrible as usual.

Have fun, Geto types back, and saves for himself the promises he can’t keep, like, I’ll come with you next year, or I’ll make it to the summer festival next weekend.

Mimiko and Nanako spend most of their summer holidays with their grandparents in the house where Suguru grew up. It’s near where the twins were born, too, so they can visit their parents’ grave and enjoy those seasonal friendships that last less than a month, but seem to revamp with the same strength every time they are reunited. Mostly, they can have someone around rather than rot in their city flat, and enjoy some breeze and fresh watermelon and nights full of stars.

Suguru hasn’t been back in years. Not properly, anyway. The summer’s also one of his busiest times at work.

His phone lights up — 

stuck at the airport 

It’s so boring 

Send help

— and he watches the succession of texts populating his screen. 

After unlocking it, Suguru’s also met with a selfie of Gojo resting his chin on his hand, disgust written all over his face, shades resting on the top of his nose.

They canceled my flight

I can’t do anything about it

Can you, like, come and pick me up?

Gojo sends his location. He’s pinned somewhere far south. 

On what, a giant flying dragon?

Do you have one? 

Don’t be ridiculous 

Suguru takes a sip while Gojo types. The electric fan on the tatami barely moves hot air around him. There’s a memory that isn’t his in his mind, of a younger Gojo lying in front of a fan, moaning, asking Suguru to make it stop, use your weather curse or something, please, Suguru, please and Geto frowns at his fan, at the phone and the open can and then the memory is gone. The absence in the room takes roots in him. 

(“Take off your clothes. That’ll make you feel better.”

“Take them off me yourself, you coward.”)

So short fun story which isn’t neither short nor fun is I’m here for a work gig and there’s a storm

Can’t book a hotel because they’re all full 

Can’t go home because now home is terminal 5

Not thinking, Suguru calls him. If he they have to keep texting, he might as well —

“Satoru.”

“Suguru?”

“Don’t sound so surprised.”

A breath. Another one. How close is his phone to his mouth? “Well, if this isn’t a fun development.”

“It’s just a phone call.”

“Suguru.”

“Uhm?”

“So are we on a first name basis now?”

Suguru hangs up. Gojo sends him a voice note that’s just him laughing, then video calls him. Suguru should probably take that as a cue to go to sleep at a normal hour, instead of entertaining the maniac on the other side of the country.

“What?” Gojo prods closer to the camera as if that could get him closer to Geto. “Are those earrings?”

☂️☂️☂️☂️☂️

Nothing gets stolen on Monday. There are now two evil curses protecting his umbrella, on top of the Omamori. 

Maybe that’s the answer. The blessing doesn’t have to counterbalance evil energy; it has to be outnumbered by it. Maybe his grandma would’ve had an opinion on that power imbalance, too.

Yuki, for sure, has one “Oh, are you looking for a special someone?”

She catches him as they enter the building and he’s closing the umbrella, “Or are you craving crab?”

Politely, Suguru smiles at her as they walk to the elevator “You never told me what’s your type.”

“Because that’s unprofessional to ask.”

They press the floor button on the elevator. Yuki leans on the mirror, folding her arms “Well, you know how it is. They keep denying that promotion because you don’t have a family.”

Geto likes Yuki. In the measure where you can like your manager and work well with them and respect the trajectory of their careers. And he knows she’s right, that having two children helped him immensely in progressing, that getting a partner would grant him access to better insurance, a better job, because if you have to provide for a family, then, you need more money. They’re a traditional company after all.

And Geto isn’t old. But when he’ll be in his thirties, he’ll get pushed into marriage by the higher-ups. Those are the rules. Yuki is, once again, doing the company’s bids. 

And she’s right. Geto hates her for it. 

“You aren’t married either.”

“I’m a woman,” Yuki says, the elevator going up and up “I wouldn’t be here if I was.”

Geto shakes his head. “How’s that fair?”

A grin. “Get a wife already.”

The doors open. “You sound like my dad.”

“I’ll set you up.”

“Now you sound like my mum.”

“Smart woman.”

Suguru lets the conversation go as he mostly does when Yuki’s chatter derails, before she gets back into work mode and disappears into a string of endless meetings.

And so the week begins again. Not that Geto remembers the week before, or the one before that. It’s interesting what stress does to your brain, how the repetition of an endless circle of moments stretched to be all the same can deeply mess you up. Yet Suguru’s pass the phase of worrying about the blurred lines of his job - he just does it. He knows that his actions in that building have no meaning in the real world if not enriching the rich, or pleasing some of his bosses, or fattening his bonuses. The latest he can’t complain about, really.

But he doesn’t even sleep at his house, most days, and weekends are for recovering and spending time with his daughters and skimming through the upstanding admin, so it’s hard, sometimes, to remember he’s a person.

Because that requires energy the same way that excitement and joy and anger do, and he’s saving all the bits of it he has to be a decent person when he can.

So he doesn’t date — doesn’t have the time to — and whenever he wants to fuck he can find someone. He can always find someone. Again, another thing that requires a fully functioning brain, another thing he doesn’t miss, that he doesn’t think about much. 

Unexpectedly, he looks at his umbrella, tucked next to his drawers. How silly it is, the whole thievery thing, how it annoys him in a way that’s out of proportion, because that’s what happens to your feelings when you don’t feel them — once they’re out, they’re out in a big way. How, though, there’s something tucked in his anger. There’s 

A message pops up. 

You don’t need to return the suit 

I take you’re back.

Did you miss me?

Suguru turns his phone so the screen’s facing down, a smile cracking on his face. Nanami stares suspiciously at him for the rest of the day.

☂️☂️☂️☂️☂️

“You’re weird.”

Suguru puffed out a cloud of white smoke. Nanami shakes his head, “I didn’t know you could smile.”

“That’s rude.”

Nanami shrugs “Didn’t know you could smile and mean it.”

“Didn’t know you cared.”

“No one should be that miserable for their job.” He says, with an unflinching expression. 

“You don’t smile much either.”

“I never feel particularly inclined to smile at you, senpai.” 

☂️☂️☂️☂️☂️

The neighborhood gets quiet past ten at night. When the other salary men hit the karaoke rooms and the company drinks and runs home, Yuki abandons the office with a “Go home, Suguru!” and a cigarette already between her lips, lights flickering above her head.

And with that, the office floor’s quiet, and Geto knows that at some point around that time, Gojo will be browsing the sweet section of the downstairs Konbini, mistaking sugar for nutrition.

“It keeps me awake,” he says once to him, distractedly. “The taste’s better than coffee.”

Geto disagrees, says he’s stupid, says he needs to sleep, and that’s a weird memory to have, because while that one’s real – Geto lived that conversation and stole Gojo’s last gummy from his packet – it also feels like part of multiple conversation they had in a past life.

Another thing Suguru doesn’t believe in. 

He stretches and looks at his screen’s clock, and gets some more work in. He wants that promotion without marrying, which is why he’ll spend July living in the office, clean clothes stocked up in his locker so he can stop going back home. Hopefully his shirts won’t get too crumpled. 

For a second, he thinks about Gojo’s suit hanging in his wardrobe. After all, he might need to go back to his apartment for it.

“Have you lost weight?” Gojo blinks at him from behind his shades.

Geto unwraps his plain onigiri, sitting down. The rain hits the plastic covering them in the outside sitting area of the convenience store. Gojo leans closer, face scrunching and eyes squinting “Like, why are you barely eating your —“

With a gesture that comes with ease, Suguru places the palm of his hand on Satoru’s chest and pushes him back on the chair. Suguru takes him on, from the way his forehead relaxes to the long second he spends looking at Suguru’s hand moving away, and he feels warm. He wants to know what else he’d let his hands do to him.

Suguru clears his throat. “I haven’t.” 

Gojo leans back, legs open and hands in his pockets, “You like soba, right?”

It’s his favourite dish. Suguru, however, hasn’t told him that. “Like, in general?”

Satoru nods. “There’s a restaurant ten minutes from here. If you, uhm, fancy a real meal. It’s open all night”

“Stop hitting on me.”

Satoru grins “Thought you liked it.”

“In your dreams.”

At that, Gojo falters. So unlike him. So unlike the fragments of the boy that visits his sleep. Suguru stops chewing, his stomach grumbling in displeasure. 

“What if you do like it? In my dreams, I mean.”

Throat tight, Suguru follows the movement of Gojo’s lips, drops of rain hitting the asphalt, Gojo’s brief silence rendered inaudible. “Do you dream of me often?”

There’s something unsaid, because Suguru dreams of him every night. When he closes his eyes, he sees blue ones smiling at him and feels sand under his toes. He doesn’t know how it makes him feel, having all that knowledge about a version of Gojo Satoru who doesn’t exist. 

“What if,” Satoru breathes, a sly grin thinning his lips “What if you were younger in my dreams?”

“How much younger?”

“Seventeen.”

Suguru halts. Gojo hides behind his glasses, which are square and not round today. “That’s young.”

“You have shorter hair, too.”

“Weirdly specific.”

The grin smothens into a smile. “And bigger earrings.”

The onigiri lies abandoned on a piece of paper. The air is muddy and warm, and Suguru’s shirt sticks to him like a second skin. Instinctively, he touches his naked lobes. Earrings are not part of his company’s dress code. "Interesting."

“But,” Satoru says, looking up to the rain, “I don’t get to see much of you as you are now, in those dreams.”

“What?”

“It’s weird, isn’t it? Like I don’t know what you looked like in high school. I bet you had acne.”

“I never had acne.”

“Liar.”

Suguru breaths in. “What’s your point?”

“Why don’t I dream of you?” Satoru relents, as if annoyed. “Why do I dream of this teenager I don’t know?”

Suguru’s mouth grows dry, at that, heartbeat jumping in his ears. He’s dizzy. “Soba, uhm?”

Satoru’s knees jerk up. “What does it have to do with –”

“I think I might want to grab some. If you want to...”

Gojo’s on his feet before Geto can finish his sentence, mood shifted into something bright, and for now, Geto doesn’t need his dreams to tell him how to feel about this aggravating man.

[absolutebl]

This Week In BL - I’m pleased with what’s airing, but conflicted about what’s ended & getting started

Aug 2023 Wk 1

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Laws of Attraction (Sat iQIYI) 4 of 8 - Omg the way the bodyguard (handler?) looks at the rich kid. Gah. I see why @heretherebedork​ loves these 2. But I really hate him (not the handler, the kid). Fun fight scene. I love lawyer babygirl SO MUCH. HE WILL BE MY 2023 FAV CHARACTER. I’M CALLING IT. This ep, Srs? You’re killing me. Suits! Pussycat bows! And then... The Public Claiming!!!!! One of my favorite tropes! And openly flirting? Boys. I’m getting spoiled. Wait… is that…? NO SINGING. Ah well, Thai BL giveth and Thai BL taketh away. 

Hidden Agenda that isn’t hidden (Sun GMMTV YouTube) ep 4 of 10 - I like the script for this. It feels like the conversations they have are very honest to a uni experience. It’s comfortable and breezy. I did not expect the kiss. Bit early in the arc. There is either going to be a lot of backend drama, or a long domestic honeymoon period. (Bet you can guess which one I vote for.) 

Low Frequency (Sat iQIYI) ep 5 of 8 - It’s moving along in a Ghost Host kinda way (minus the killer chemistry). I’m not mad about it, I don’t think I'll remember it tho. 

Be Mine Super Star (Mon Viki) ep 5 of 12 - My ambivalent relationship with this drama continues. Cohabitation trope. Punn is basically a huge puppy trying to spoil/cuddle/fuck his pretty kitty prince. It is what it is. Meanwhile, I just want more of Big Daddy & the Hot Doc. (Also the name of my burlesque show.) Why does Kevin have more chemistry with Ashi in a 1 min long scene than Punn has had… ever? Is this nascent bad boy effect or nascent 2nd lead syndrome I’m feeling? (Meanwhile Ben! Hi! Long time no see!) 

Be My Favorite (Fri YouTube) ep 11 of 12 - Whatever. Trash(ish) watch here. 

Dinosaur Love (Sun iQIYI) ep 6 of 8 eps - Aw pretty baby is unhappy his bf got injured. But also very blushing maiden. This is profoundly NOT GOOD. 

Wedding Plan (Weds YT & iQIYI) ep 3 of 7 - I have decided that Lom’s theme song is BigBang’s Monster. Listen. You’ll see what I mean. Also BigBang = also very problematic but banging. What I’m saying is, I wanna punch Lom so bad, I went slightly bonkers. Water sports are addressed. A trash watch is happening!

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Jun & Jun (Korea Thurs Viki) 3 of 8 - How DARE they make me love this show so much? I feel personally attacked. The smell thing! Gah. The way they automatically go informal in private. The flirting. The language. The suits, the EVERYTHING. It’s embarrassing how much I rewatch the final bits of each ep. 

Stay By My Side (Taiwan Fri Gaga) 6 of 10 eps - I adore this ridiculous show. (I just realized that the actor playing Jiang Chi played Ray’s evil 2-timing bf in About Youth). Baby boy is quite clueless. Sweet dreams tho. I love them both so much. The washing his jersey scene was so fucking cute. Couple’s numbers, couple’s keychains, bridal towel, kisses. Thank you Taiwan for NOT activating blushing maiden. However, confident gay/confused bisexual is a go. And we got us some justifiable angst. Sigh. I’m so happy. 

Sing My Crush AKA Follow The Wind (Korea Weds iQIYI) 1-2 of 8 eps - supposed to have released in the first half of 2022 this is a adaption of Myung’s webtoon, from the director of My Sweet Dear, and Love Tractor’s production house, basically Korea does About Youth. It’s sweet (the singing bits are easy to skip) and very much a story of young first love but less stiff than KBL’s usual high school fare (kinda Taiwan feeling). I like it but that very imprecision in production makes me concerned for an HEA, especially with such a low MDL rating. 

Tokyo in April is... AKA Shigatsu no Tokyo wa (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 8fin  - Rough final episode, but it does end happily. Fortunately, I had some warning for my personal triggers, but this is Japan and they did go dark. Full review below. 

Minato's Laundromat Season 2 AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 (Japan Thu Gaga) 5 of 12 eps - Shin is so cute and proud and boldly out. I love him. Movement in the relationship with both couples, even if it’s movement into arguments and misunderstanding. I suppose we got 12 eps they need to do... something.  

Stay Still (Hong Kong Tues YouTube) 1 of 5 eps - It’s confusing. And… not good? Some flashbacks some present day? 

It’s airing but ...

Stay With Me ... NO I WILL NOT! And you can’t make me.

Review: Tokyo in April is... AKA Shigatsu no Tokyo wa

I had to chew on this for a while but here’s where I ended up. 

Two young men with a shared tragic past reunite and fall in love all over again, but the past will not stop hunting them. Based on a manga, this office set reunion romance is GREAT… damn it. It’s Japan in full on soft focus which means it gets emo, abusive, and chewy. These two characters are giving parts of their souls away in a desperate attempt to shape themselves to the expectations they have of each other. 

Japan gave us the Bed Friends that Thailand could never even imagine. But here’s the thing: I don’t enjoy my BL this heavy and cutting. I know that for The 8th Sense crowd this is peak BL and I can’t argue with the fact that the romantic devotion, domesticity, script, and acting IS all on point. It’s just not my personal preference for that point to be so damn sharp. I appreciate that this being 2023 I have the luxury of consistent quality (especially from Japan) and thus the ability to say… 

I acknowledge that this SHOULD get a 9/10 but I can’t emotionally go higher than 8/10 

RECOMMENDED BUT KNOW WHAT KIND OF BL THIS IS AND TRIGGER WARNINGS LIKE CRAZY 

Japan = sticking to its lanes like their BL is on rails. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting: 

8/11 Love Class Season 2 (Korea Fri Viki) 10 eps 

8/12 My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho (Japan Sat Gaga) 8 eps 

Still Coming August 2023

8/19 Love in Translation (Thai Sat One31) ? eps - Two strangers start working in a cafe together.

8/19 I Feel You Linger in the Air (Thai Sat Gaga) 12 eps - The time travel historical romance many of us have been waiting for. 

8/20 My Universe series (Thai Sun iQIYI) 24 episodes - This is sampler pack BL, 12 pairs, each pair gets 2 eps, not sure on the order they’ll drop. Known couples include EarthBank from Destiny Seeker and KaownahTurbo from Love Stage!!!, mostly fresh faces otherwise. Jane to direct several.

8/22 Kisseki: Dear to Me formerly known as Miracle (Taiwan Tues ????) 13 eps - From screenwriter Lin Pei Yu (We Best Love, H3: Trapped) features a student doctor forced to take care of a gangster. I love the premise and like the writer, Viki or Gaga will get this one.  

8/24 Man Suang (Thailand movie, domestic cinema release) - historical drama about Thai burlesque with KP’s MileApo. Tong is in this one too?

8/? Why R U? (Korean remake) is supposed to be out this month, filming started in sept 22. I find everything about this hilarious. I mean if Korea remakes it, we lose all the sexy and then... would we have a story at all? No we would not. Not even for six short eps. It’d be like one of those mesh shopping bags.

Oh yeah, Only Friends is coming. 

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED)

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Hidden Agenda. I love them. 

Public claiming with the waist grab maneuver! A true hero. 

But I think we can all agree that THIS is the hero all love triangles deserve. (both Laws) 

(Last week) 

[oldiesstationlover11607]

In-ears - Tyler Joseph x Reader

Relationship: Tyler Joseph × Reader

Warnings: Anxiety

Word Count: 938

Summary: Reader comforts Tyler after his in-ears break during a show - requested

Every aspect of The Takeøver Tour had been thought out perfectly, every step and change managed by the crew. Tonight’s show had been great, everything sounded perfect, the crowd was lively, and no one fell over–despite how common it was. But I could tell something was off with Tyler, he sat on the piano listening to the clique sing, his entire demeanor just… off. It was clear he was taking deep breaths and shaking his head, all while staring at the ceiling. I wanted to go out there and ask him what was wrong, he never acted like this during shows–distant. As soon as the boys finished playing Trees and said goodbye to the clique, I rushed to the dressing room to meet them. Water bottle in hand, in-ears out, Josh had a concerned look plastered on his face as he quickly followed after Tyler, who’d walked right past me. My Tyler. He’d ignored me, despite very clearly seeing me waiting for him. 

“I need to talk to Dave,” He dictated, a crew member nodding and leaving the room in a hurry. Dave was the boys’ sound guy, he made sure their in-ears were working and their packs were connected to the right frequencies. Tyler leaned towards Josh, whispering something to him that I couldn’t hear. Josh looked down at me. ‘Is he okay?’ I mouthed. He said nothing, not even a brief nod. Something had to be wrong. Dave walked into the room and Tyler put down his water bottle. “What’s the issue?” Dave asked. 

“Okay, so either, I like, hurt my ears really really bad tonight,” he pointed to his in-ears, “or there’s something wrong with either the pack, the cable, or the ears.” I felt my stomach drop. Dave nodded, listening to exactly what Tyler was saying. 

“If you give the ears to me, I’ll clean them, test them–”

“I’m like freaking out right now,” Tyler interrupted. I could tell he was freaking out, his entire body was stiff. “It feels like my left ear has blood coming out of it.” Josh nodded. 

“That’s happened to me before.”

“I want you to keep my ears and the pack the way it is, and I want you to–I want to know exactly what’s wrong,” Tyler instructed, handing over the ears and pack to Dave. “Really worried right now. I would like you to find out whether or not there’s something wrong with that rig.” He held his hands together, trying to remain calm. Dave left the room to figure out what was wrong, leaving Tyler, Josh, and I alone. 

“I’ve had cables go bad, and if you haven’t cleaned it in a while then ear wax can build up in there and it’ll sound like that ear’s broken,” Josh said, taking a sip of his water. His hair was stuck to the sides of his face, damp with sweat. Tyler hadn’t looked at me yet, hadn’t even acknowledged I was in the room with them. He pulled out his airpods and connected them to his phone. Josh grabbed my hand and led me out into the hall. 

“Did I do something?” I asked, “Like I get the issue with the in ears is scary but what does that have to do with me?” Josh looked calm, like he knew exactly how to fix this. 

“It’s scary being up on stage and not having your ears working. It can like–seriously damage your hearing and for a singer like Tyler that’s a big deal. He’s just freaked out right now.”

“How am I supposed to fix that though? He completely ignored me when he got off stage,” I muttered, folding my arms in front of my chest. 

“Talk to him,” he offered, looking back at Tyler in the room. “I’m going to go see if they’re working on the ears but I’ll be back.” I nodded as he walked down the hall and around the corner, disappearing from my sight. 

“Tyler?” I muttered, entering the room and taking a deep breath. Finally, he looked up at me, taking one of his airpods out to hear me. “Are you okay?” He shook his head and reached his arms out, asking me to come closer. I moved to sit on his lap, straddling him so I could properly talk to him. 

“I’m scared, Y/N. The whole show, I was having these terrible thoughts about my career, my ears are done. I’m picturing touching my ear and seeing blood. I’m just–it’s just–a really freaky moment,” he mumbled, shoulders tense. I could hear Good Day playing through the airpod in his left ear and he closed his eyes in focus. The fact that Tyler was having those thoughts on stage worried me, he was so quick to go dark when things went wrong and it was hard to get him to talk about it with anyone–even Josh. 

“You’re okay,” I cooed, running a hand through his blonde tips. 

“Yeah, I think I’m gonna be okay… I think I’m fine,” he fell back onto the couch and a slow smile crept  onto his face. I returned the smile, relieved that he was okay, that we were okay. “There’s gotta be something wrong with that rig.” I nodded, listening to him think through the possible problems. 

“Thanks for making sure I’m okay Y/N,” he cupped my jaw. 

“Yeah well Josh is off making sure the pack and ears get fixed, okay?” I smiled. 

“God, how did I get so lucky to have you and Josh here for me?” He chuckled. I leaned forward, our lips brushing gently against each other. 

“It’s not luck if you deserve it Ty.”

//

Really enjoyed this one! Can't wait to write the next one :)

[meganwayne24]

A Ticking Clock (pt. 5)

At a time like this? Really?

Fandom: Insomniac Spider-Man Word Count: 1668 Pairing: PS5 Harry Osborn x Reader Synopsis: Peter and you have a run-in with Kraven. Harry gets jealous of your banter with Peter before you climb through the…particle accelerator?

You scurried to compose yourself and ran out of Harry’s home. You were swinging and gliding the fastest you could through all the old money apartment buildings. By the time you arrived at the cemetery, the large and bulky man had been taken down along with many others seeming to serve Kraven. You landed quietly, hoping to find Peter amidst the chaos that had come to pass. Analyzing the scene, you see the main door to the church was open.

Peaking in, you see Peter skulking around. “Here to pick up a serum order for Dr. Connors!”

You whispered loud enough for him to hear, “Spider-Man! It’s Y/-” You realized anyone could be nearby and hear your name. “Uhh spider…woman? I guess?”

“Not bad, Spider-Woman.” He chuckled.

“Shut up, it was the only thing I could come up with on short notice.” Peter swung up to the platforms above. You stayed on ground level to cover the bases.

The silence in the church was unsettling. The chandelier’s lights provoked an eerie feeling in your stomach that you couldn’t shake. The division between the cold atmosphere above and what felt like blood lust below alarmed you. Tentacles started pushing their way out from your sides the more wary you became. A thunderous voice echoed through the air of the room. No matter where you were, it felt like a monster was right behind you. “You have hunted me. This is good.” You spun around quickly with a fist ready for action, but nothing was there.

“Let’s see if you have the strength to finish what you started.” Before you could react, you looked up to see Kraven holding a knife to Peter’s throat.

“I see a man and a woman. I sense…a beast. Why don’t you set it free?” He was taunting Peter successfully. Peter’s suit sent Kraven flying across into the church bell. The ring was shrill to your ears. Your mind went blank with agony. You and Peter both screamed while hunched over in pain. Almost like a practiced, synchronized act, the two of you shot out black webs forcing the bell into the wall.

In what was likely your only chance, your thoughts synced with Peter. You knew what to do. You webbed up to the platforms, sending out another appendage to reach the serum. You landed gracefully next to Pete with the vial firmly in your grasp. “We’re just here to save our friend.”

Peter was angry. You were too focused on the adrenaline flowing through your veins to have any other thought. “We’ll finish this later.” He growled. You hadn’t heard Peter speak like that before. You both zipped out of the window, leaving shattered stained glass everywhere. A beautiful yet devastating sight.

You were now swinging through the city. “Harry, MJ we got the serum. On our way back to Emily-May.” Peter carried on the conversation with them. He reassured Harry that it went well, but he and MJ spoke privately afterwards of what really happened. The new issue of frequencies making the suit malfunction was going to make for a hell of a time.

You were gliding through the air at a distance from Peter when you got a call from Harry. His voice was tainted with concern. “Hey Y/N. I have a feeling Pete was hiding how bad it actually was out there. Are you guys okay?”

“Yeah we are. There’s a slight problem with the suit and certain frequency exposures but we’re okay. How are you feeling?”

“I’m alright for now. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too. I’ll see you soon at the lab yeah?”

“I’ll be here. See you Y/N.”

You glided for another couple minutes, swinging between the support structures of the bridge before arriving at Emily-May. The rooftop had a secret entry way that you used.

Peter jumped in first, you followed swiftly. When you got inside, Harry was reading over Dr. Connors’ file. You and Pete morphed out of your suits into black outfits. His was a button down, quarter length sleeve shirt with jeans and runners while you were in a long sleeve mid-length top and leggings with boots to match.

Harry was still deep in the files, not turning around yet. “You still got it?” You handed over the vial to him. He looked up at you, not expecting your shift in demeanour. There was a new confidence you hadn’t noticed you’d been feeling. His eyes lingered on your figure as your fingers grazed each other’s. It was impossible not to notice your curves and how the outfit complimented them well.

Snapping out of his observant state, he took the serum into his hand. “Let’s see what this thing is made of.” The three of you proceeded to correct the errors in order to form the cure. It started with eliminating the atoms blocking the lizard receptors. By doing that, its instability was discovered. The only way to fix this was…

“Particle accelerator!” In unison, the excitement flooded you all.

“I never thought you guys would be using it this soon!” You knew how exciting this was for them. You all began to run towards the railing of the wide ocean coloured balcony.

Harry’s eyes were more full of light than you’d seen in awhile. “That’d be like using a shotgun for a haircut.”

“Hell of a haircut,” Peter chimed in.

“Quite the analogy Harry…keepin it classy,”

“That’s how I roll,” He flashed a cheeky grin at you. Harry looked ecstatic to be able to use the particle accelerator. You couldn’t help but blush at the man standing before you.

You all moved quickly to the large device to finish preparing the antidote. “The techs said it needs repair, but maybe it’s okay…” Harry was going through the requirements to set up the process. You stood close to him seeing what he was typing as Peter placed the serum in the tube tray. “Okay…” He lifted the cover revealing the ominous red button, “No black holes no black holes no black holes…” Nothing but the sound of fizzling came. Harry sighed. “Pressure change popped an inner section out of alignment.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but we’d have to go inside to fix that right?” The boys looked at you attentively with a hint of admiration. “What?” you innocently remarked.

Harry looked in your eyes for a brief moment and smiled. “Uh, nothing. But yeah, that would be the only way.” You turned walking towards the entrance where Peter was standing in the suit.

“No, nope. I wanna do this, back up Spider-Boy.”

Harry tuned in to what the two of you were thinking. “Whoa- whoa whoa whoa, what are you doing?” He was protective in nature.

Peter’s new-found boldness knew no bounds. “The suit’ll protect me, right?”

“You mean me. I’m doing this. You got to go hang around wearing a tux with a tiger. My turn,”

“I wasn’t wearing the suit when I was with Dima.”

“Oh you got her name and everything. Such a gentleman-”

Harry intruded, cutting the wits short. A tinge of jealousy flared in his eyes. “Y/N, I don’t know about this-”

“Relax. I got it.” You hopped in and started crawling through the claustrophobia-inducing tunnel.

“Be a good proton Harry,”

“Huh?”

Peter flashed finger guns at him “stay positive.”

You heard Harry scoff but chuckle at the remark. You continued following the path. The lighting reminded you of the church. You had a feeling something wasn’t right.

“So, what’s the inside of a particle accelerator like?” Harry’s curiosity piqued.

“I mean it’s amazing. You guys gotta check this out sometime,”

“Peter could.” Harry sounded frustrated.

Before you could respond, you set the inner section back in its place. The accelerator lit up while making extremely loud noises. “Uhh guys?”

Peter looked to Harry for the answer. “It’s powering up! But the beam’s erratic, use the magnets to stabilize it!”

“How?!” You could hardly hear yourself think inside the machine, let alone having to focus on what to do.

“Just find the sweet spot.”

“Particle accelerators do NOT have sweet spots!” You shot tentacles out at the magnets in order to fix it. “Great, done. Right?”

“There’s one more set of magnets ahead!”

You rolled your eyes. “You can’t be serious!”

“If you can’t stabilize the beam, it’ll destroy the serum!”

“Fantastic. You know if this wasn’t stressful before, it sure as hell is now!”

“You got this Y/N.” Peter was trying to be encouraging. Harry was gritting his teeth.

“This better not ruin the tap on my debit card.” You fixed the final one. You kept crawling through until electrical charges started coming at you. “Hey! What the hell is this?”

“The particle accelerator is up and running. Just avoid them and come out.” Harry’s voice was stern. Not as lighthearted as before. Normally there was a sense of comfort in it, like coming home after a long day, but not now.

You got to the end and knocked on the door. You carefully placed yourself back on the ground and morphed back into your outfit. Despite Harry’s attitude, he still couldn’t take his eyes off you. You hunched over out of breath. “Yeah you know next time any crawling in tiny spaces with electricity comes up, not it.”

Another loud, shrill buzzer started going off. Peter and you were once again covered in the suits while trying to get through the pain. The screams swarmed the lab. Harry ran to the red button, shutting the noise off.

The relief in your mind is how you imagined euphoria at this rate. “One more thing happens and I just might lose it.” You both stood up, disturbed but okay.

“What was that?” Peter asked before you could.

“More static discharges. The accelerator’s still running though. The serum’s okay.” Harry at least sounded more at ease now. “Guess the suit has sensitive ears…”

You looked at him intently. “Apparently.”

You all took a moment until a scent filled the air. You turned to look.

“Fire!” Peter called out.

“So much for not losing it.” You all ran to put out the fires. One more thing to ruin the night.

A/N: we're back!!! I swear this story is gonna get more interesting just stick with it! Are we slow-burning? Maybe?? Is there a little chemistry between Y/N and Peter?? Maybe??? Who knows hehe

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Gar Cyare Chapter Twelve

Finally back after an unexpected year-long hiatus!

Word Count: 4,400

Warnings: Implied threats, definite threats, mentions of genetic experimentation, suspicion, mentions of the Attack on Kamino, fear.

Previous | Next (SFW) | Masterlist | Next (NSFW)

---

Ca'tra (Night Sky)

Your office looked roughly the same as it always had. Bland Kaminoan architecture dressed in shades of white, gray, and black held a collection of furniture that had been built with the clear emphasis of function over form. Your datapads were untouched, as were the slight hints of mess around the edges of your desk. 

But everything seemed a little strange with the light… or, more accurately, the lack of it. 

The shutters that covered all of the exterior-facing windows on Kamino were closed, both protecting you from any attempt to break through the transparisteel and keeping you from seeing anything that might be happening outside. 

Though nighttime had fallen and the Kaminoan skies had been dark with clouds when the shields lowered, there was still plenty to see. The GAR had recalled all personnel in the sector to Kamino. There was too much chance that the Separatists could come back. This time, they could use the knowledge they had gathered during the last invasion - plus any new intel - to destroy the Fett genetic sample for good. 

The arrival of new ships was nearly constant, and you had heard chatter from the cadets that at least two Venator-class Star Destroyers were guarding the areas just beyond Kamino’s atmosphere. Any ships that intended to land had been issued special clearance codes. If they failed to deliver them at the right time or on the right frequency, they would be shot down upon breaking atmosphere. 

You hadn’t heard the anti-aircraft guns fire yet, so you were fairly confident that there had been no actual invasion. 

Still, you itched to see beyond the barriers, though you knew your reasoning was senseless. You wouldn’t see Alpha coming back. General Ti had told you that he would be gone at least another twelve hours, but your mind kept insisting that you would be able to watch him land in relative safety. 

If you were being honest with yourself, that was why you were still in your office instead of your bedroom. Sure, you could pretend that you were there in case General Ti or Commander Colt needed something from you, but in all reality, it was because you were filled with dread at the idea of returning to your empty quarters.

You already hated the idea that Alpha was out in the galaxy when there were potentially Separatists in the area, but to be reminded of it every time you looked around your bedroom? No, you were perfectly content in your office. 

A knock on your door made you sit upright. “Yes?” 

Your hammering heart gradually slowed as Commander Colt peered inside. “Why are you still awake?” 

You shrugged. “Too nervous to sleep, I guess.” 

A frown creased the space between the commander’s eyebrows as he stepped into your office. “You should get some rest while you can. If we are invaded, you need to be at full awareness.” 

That wasn’t exactly comforting, but you nodded. 

“Sorry,” Commander Colt said abruptly. “Probably didn’t help anything, huh?” 

“Not exactly,” you admitted. The concern for your nerves was surprising, more something you would have expected from Alpha. Suddenly, you wondered if the commander had come to find you because Alpha had asked him to. “Have you heard from Alpha?” 

He shook his head. “No, why? Have you?” 

“No.” You sighed. “I thought that might be why you’re here.”

“Limit asked me to check on you,” he told you. That made more sense, but before you could say so, Commander Colt added, “I was already on my way.” 

“Oh.” You toyed with a datapad on your desk to distract yourself from how slowly time was passing. “Why?” 

“Alpha cares about you,” he explained slowly. “More than anyone else.” 

You chuckled softly. “I know I’m his favorite nat-born.” 

Commander Colt shook his head slightly. “You’re his favorite person. He cares about you more than anyone else. Between how much he likes you and how much you’ve done to take care of him - and all my brothers, actually - you’re vod’ika.” 

Little sibling. 

The term made your chest warm with pleasure. “Thank you, Colt.” 

Colt cleared his throat. “Anyway, how are you handling all of this?” 

You took a deep breath. “I’m fine, I suppose. I’m just so… sick of being on Kamino when it goes on lockdown.” 

For a full beat after you had finished speaking, Colt stared at you. At last, he burst out laughing. “I thought you were going to be scared.” 

“I might be eventually,” you said with a shrug. “But right now, I can only think about how I’ve been here every time the lab has been locked down. I understand it’s important, but it’s getting old.”

Colt nodded in commiseration and you gave him a considering look. “Are you okay?”

“Me?” he repeated, seeming stunned when you nodded. “What do you mean?” 

You glanced at your desk, trying to buy some time to find the right phrasing. “The last time there was an invasion, you were hurt pretty badly. I don’t remember it, but Alpha was shaken up and that takes a lot. I gather that it was… close. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“I’m fine,” Colt insisted. You weren’t sure about that, but if pretending was how he got through things, you weren’t going to begrudge him the coping mechanism. He turned as if to leave, but stopped before he stepped through your door. “Go to sleep soon, yeah? Limit’s working a long shift to get the medbays prepped, but he asked me to pass on a warning. If he comes by and you’re still here, he’ll tell Alpha.” 

You laughed at that despite yourself. “He probably would.”

Colt chuckled too, patting the doorframe in a gesture that seemed to punctuate his departure. “Goodnight, vod’ika.”

“Goodnight, Colt.”

When you were alone once more, you started getting everything put away for the night… but paused when your datapad slipped from your fingers and clattered against the surface of the table. The screen flickered on in the collision and you frowned, pulling it closer. 

Displaying on the screen were the records that you had been digging into before all of the investigation and shutdown chaos, records you hadn’t been able to finish accessing because you had run out of time. You had told Colt that you would go to bed and you didn’t intend to lie… but this was too intriguing to leave for the next day. 

It was fine, you reasoned. You weren’t tired yet and there was finally time to do some digging. 

Hidden behind a maze of misnamed file pathways and a selection of different passcodes, you found it: records of the clone trooper gene isolation process. The records were old, written when Ko Sai was the Chief Scientist of Kamino. She had been an integral part of creating the clone trooper genetic blueprint. 

That had confused you at first. They were clones of Jango Fett - why would the genes need to be altered at all? But even skimming the notes had been enough to give you an answer: the clone troopers weren’t exact genetic copies at all. Ko Sai had made some changes to make the troopers more loyal, less independent, and less vicious. 

There were a few outliers - especially in the early batches of troopers - and creating any living thing came with risks of aberrations in the genetics, but the experiments had been successful. That was according to Ko Sai’s notes, of course, but they were dry and scientific enough that you assumed the wasn’t much risk of them being exaggerated. 

The changes to trooper personalities were in a group Ko Sai referred to as ‘behavioral traits’. The more chilling half was designated as ‘genetic traits’. 

Genetic traits seemed to be the way the Kaminoans referred to the changes they made to keep themselves in business. Not only did they control things like troopers building muscle faster, but mercilessly capitalistic qualities like the troopers’ accelerated aging process. 

You didn’t like the idea of the changes that had been made to the troopers genes. You were self-reflective enough to realize that part of your aversion was because you didn’t like the idea of gene manipulation in general. The accelerated aging was particular egregious to you since it was actively working to decrease the amount of time you could possibly spend with Alpha. 

But the notes fascinated you - not because of their content, but because through them you could tell that Ko Sai was a deeply paranoid being. 

The records were sealed with a virtual warning: if someone without the proper security codes attempted to slice into them, the files would self-destruct. And not just the files on the record you were viewing. No, the trap would wipe every known copy of the records from any device. The trigger had been built into the file transfer itself and could be detonated at any time.

Your interest was piqued. You had been given full access to everything you needed for your report and had the highest possible security clearance, but you still held your breath as you typed in your access code. 

Thankfully, it worked and you spent a blissful hour reading through all of Ko Sai’s notes and records. A lot of it was gibberish to you and - you suspected - would be to anyone other than a highly-trained geneticist. 

As the hour grew later and you started to worry that Limit really would come to kick you out, you tried to make a copy of the files onto your datapad, but were blocked. You weren’t sure what kind of scientist would keep her files from being copied, but she must have been very certain that she would be able to access that information in other places. 

Before you shut down the datapad entirely, you found a microscopic file attached in the shell of an unrelated topic. It was a simple document that you might have overlooked… if it didn’t force you to enter your password once more. From what you gathered once you could view the vague document, Ko Sai had made copies of all of her information. She had stored them on a collection of personal datapads. 

The description of where to find them was heavily coded, but you gamely copied it onto your own datapad. Then, feeling an echo of Ko Sai’s paranoia, you also jotted it down onto a nearby piece of flimsi. With other topics for the report running thin, maybe finding the original notes from Ko Sai’s experiments would be a good way to extend your assignment.

You spent a few moments staring at the code, jotting some preliminary guesses down beneath the characters. The most common letters were likely overrepresented among the words, unless Ko Sai had been using a rotational cipher. You wouldn’t put it past her, but even rotational ciphers weren’t impossible to figure out.

Cracking the code and extending your report-writing process were things that could wait. You tucked the datapad and flimsi into your bag and shut off the lights in your office. Too much longer and you were worried you really would run into Limit, but you were bringing the codes along for insurance in case it turned into a sleepless night.

Sometimes it was good to have an office so far from your quarters. It kept you involved in the day-to-day life on Kamino and took you through some highly populated areas on the trip. And with the hours you worked, you could use the exercise. But it was an unpleasant trip late at night, when all you wanted was to crawl into bed.

Perhaps you wouldn’t have minded walking through the main sections of Kamino if they weren’t full of cadets giving you suspicious looks. 

It seemed like you had just convinced everyone that you hadn’t caused the first invasion of Kamino. No one had told the cadets many details about what had caused this lockdown, but they paid enough attention to know that you were close to the situation. 

After a few hallways of those wary glances, you cut down a side path. The slightly longer trip was a price you gladly paid in exchange for avoiding all of the watchful eyes. 

You found yourself in a section of the city that housed the learning terminals. They weren’t currently in use - all flash training had been suspended while Kamino was on lockdown and there was no reason for anyone but a cadet to be in the terminal rooms. 

So why were you hearing adult voices coming from one? 

You peeked in through the partially open door, taking in the scene in a millisecond: There were six troopers in the room. Two of them were working at one of the terminals while the other four were observing the display screen at the front of the room. 

Surprisingly, you recognized the troopers. They had arrived on Kamino earlier that day. They weren’t the first to land on-planet after the lockdown had started, but they were one of the earlier groups. 

The reason they had attracted your attention was because of the reaction of the cadets. Most arrivals on Kamino before and after the six troopers were met with warm welcomes (and often a little teasing) from the cadets. But these six were given a wary distance. They didn’t seem bothered by it - in fact, they had seemed to accept that wariness as their due. 

Their attitude struck you as strange. The troopers were loyal, and that quality apparently went down to a genetic level. The idea of troopers who didn’t seem to feel that draw to be close with their brothers was unique, and you were very curious to know how that uniqueness had managed to survive long enough to leave Kamino at all. 

Of course, that curiosity was secondary to their motivations with the learning terminals.

You recognized the file pathways displayed at the front of the room: these troopers were trying to slice into Ko Sai’s private records. 

Perhaps it wouldn’t have been such a crisis if the Kaminoans hadn’t told General Ti that they intended to launch a full investigation of their information. They needed to find out what had been sliced, duplicated, or downloaded. And to get all of that done, they needed to shut down terminal access and cycle all codes and passwords. It was only with the General’s interference that you had managed to retain your own access. 

You were willing to bet that these troopers, whoever they were, didn’t have the same privileges you held. In that case, there was a very real risk that they were about to trigger a complete wipe of Ko Sai’s library of records. 

“Stop!” you cried, bursting through the doors before you could temper your reaction. 

Unsurprisingly, you were met with four drawn blasters. The two troopers at the terminal continued to work, but the others stared at you. 

“Who are you?” one demanded flatly. 

Your hands had risen instinctively, hovering palm-out as you tried very hard to look nonthreatening. “I’m an administrator. I was sent here by the Senate to write a report about the clone troopers.” 

“Proof?” another trooper asked. 

“You can ask anyone about me,” you said quickly, lamenting that you didn’t wear your Senate ID badge on a regular basis. You hadn’t since your first week on Kamino. “I’ve been here for a while.” 

They looked skeptical, but your attention was focused on the large display screen at the front of the room. 

“Please, you have to stop,” you warned them, your desperation rising as you watched a password entry box appear. “Don’t put in your password! Ko Sai-”

The trooper at the terminal had finished entering his password and submitted it without paying any attention to you. A moment later, the screen flashed red and an ominous timer started counting down. 

“Ko Sai put a self-destruct code into her records,” you finished lamely. 

One of the trooper holstered his blaster and turned to look at the display screen, swearing in Mando’a. “Jaing, can you stop it?” 

“Trying…” one of the troopers at the terminal replied.

You watched just as intently as the troopers did - the ones who weren’t aiming blasters at you, anyway. Only moments later, the trooper stopped typing, a slight slackening in his muscles serving as your only hint of the outcome. The trooper beside him swore colorfully. 

“It’s all gone,” one of the troopers summarized, still watching you for any sign of a fight. 

“Yes.” The one who had been working to circumvent Ko Sai’s trap stood - he had answered to the name ‘Jaing’ - neatly replacing the chair at the terminal. “What now?” 

“Now,” the trooper who had put his blaster away said grimly, “we find out a little more about our new friend.” 

“Always liked meeting new people,” the other trooper at the terminal said with a sharp grin, joining the others.

They were standing around you in a loose semi-circle. Three still held blasters aimed at you, so you stayed in your nonthreatening pose. 

“Who are you?” 

You took a breath, trying to keep from sounding scared. “I’m a Republic administrator, sent by the Senate-”

“You said that already,” a previously silent trooper told you, sounding unimpressed. 

“That’s because it’s true.” 

The one you privately thought of as the leader crossed his arms. “Never said it wasn’t. Doesn’t mean we should care.” 

“Ordo,” one of the others warned quietly. 

A chill went down your spine as you realized the rationale behind the warning: if these men didn’t care about your position as a representative of the Galactic Senate, there was something else motivating them. 

“Are you involved in the infiltration of Kamino?” 

One of the troopers laughed abruptly, the sound loud enough to make you flinch. “What are you talking about, civvie?” 

“How else would you have arrived so early?” you asked, voice soft as you fell into musing the convoluted pathways of logic. “You weren’t the first ones here, but you weren’t far behind. No one should have been traveling through this sector outside of official missions and you weren’t on one of those. And now you’re here, looking at top-secret information about the genetic basis of the clone trooper program. I told you I’m a Senate representative and you’re still thinking about shooting me.”

“See, this is what happens when nat-borns try to think,” one of the men said, chuckling. It was a good act, but you could see the utter lack of emotion in his eyes. “You’re seeing patterns that don’t exist.”

“No,” you refused decisively. “There are too many strange coincidences here. My gut is saying something is off. Why are you here?”

“I have a better question,” Ordo countered. “How did you know about the data wipe code in those files?”

“How did you know about those files at all?” another asked.

“Good point, Mereel,” Ordo congratulated, turning pointedly to face you. “How did you know about Ko Sai’s private holorecords?”

“I’m writing a report about clone troopers,” you repeated firmly. “I was given access to pull from all sources in order to make my report as complete as possible.” 

“Wait,” Jaing ordered, stepping forward. His gaze was intense as he asked, “Do you have a copy of Ko Sai’s data?” 

“No.” The tension lowered slightly, but Jaing was still watching you. “She built in a feature that doesn’t allow for any of the files to be copied.”

“So,” one of the unnamed troopers asked. “Should we neutralize her here or somewhere easier to clean up?” 

You struggled to stay impassive even as your stomach dropped. 

“Udesii, A’den,” Mereel said, holding a hand out. “Killing a Senate representative may not be the best move here.” 

“Why not?” A’den asked, grinning at you. “Planet’s already on lockdown. The long-necks’ll probably think their spy was the one who did it. I doubt if anyone has seen this one since things went dark.”

You straightened, giving him your coldest look. “Commander Colt would disagree with you. As would Captain Alpha-17.” 

The group had grown quiet at Colt’s name, but noticeably relaxed when you mentioned Alpha. 

“Nice try, civvie,” Ordo told you. “Seventeen is off-planet. Probably will be for a while, with the mess they walked into.” 

“What did you do to him?” you demanded, taking a furious and unwise step forward. The blaster barrels weren’t quite touching you, but they weren’t much more than a deep breath away. “If you hurt him-”

“Fiery little thing, isn’t she?” one of the others asked, grinning at the others even as his grip on the blaster stayed firm. 

“So much concern about clones,” A’den mocked. “Don’t you know we’re disposable?” 

“Speaking of,” one of the others interrupted, “she knows who we are and what we were looking for. We need to take care of this before we leave the planet.” 

Jaing lifted a brow at him. “Does that mean you’ve got an idea, Prudii?” 

“The balconies off the lower platforms were always useful. Cuts down on the mess and the body falls right into the sea,” Prudii said with a shrug. One of the others snorted and Prudii frowned at him. “Problem, Komr’k?” 

Komr’k shook his head, clearly fighting a smile. You waited with the others. Nothing seemed to be particularly amusing about the conversation, but perhaps it was just because it was your death that they were discussing. “Just thinking of all the applications of the term ‘aiwha-bait’.”

The reactions ranged from smirks to eye-rolls, but no one seemed to share your growing feeling of nausea. It probably wouldn’t hurt, so long as they executed you with a blaster bolt to the head, but you were getting a little dizzy as you thought about what would happen to your body after you died. And, of course, there were the people you would leave behind. 

No. 

It took some effort, but you pulled yourself out of the spiral you were drifting into. You had survived the Separatist attack on Kamino. You had faced down Ventress, working with some of the best soldiers in the galaxy to make it through the experience relatively unharmed. You could survive this, too. You would. 

The training terminals weren’t close to the lower balconies, not by a long shot. You had visited the balconies many times with Alpha. You knew the area well. There would be plenty of places to attract attention or slip away. And if you couldn’t manage to do either, you would make it loud and violent, enough to attract attention. 

“Let’s get moving,” Ordo ordered as A’den gestured toward the room’s entrance with his blaster. “Don’t do anything stupid.” 

You lifted your chin as you stepped toward the door. Could he see the determination on your face? You almost hoped he could. You wouldn’t passively accept being executed. A hand grabbed your shoulder, tugging so roughly that you stumbled forward.

“Someone should have given you the same warning, Ordo,” Alpha said menacingly, sweeping you through the doorway and behind him. He was in full armor, blocking the doorway with his bulk. 

“Alpha, no!” you urged him. “They have blasters.” 

“So do I,” he said, voice steely. “Plus enough detonators to make the first invasion look like a training mishap.” 

“We have some business with the civvie,” one of the troopers started. It was much more difficult to tell who was speaking when you couldn’t see any of them, but it didn’t matter. Alpha interrupted before anyone could say more than that. 

“Ulyc sushir,” Alpha said menacingly. Even from behind him, his voice rumbled through your chest. “You men are going to stand down. Forget whatever little geroya you had going with her. You’re going to let us walk away. If you think you have anything else to say to her - unlikely - you will go through me. Understood?” 

There was no answer. The next moment, Alpha repeated, “Understood?”

“Copy.” 

That single word seemed to be as far as the troopers were willing to go. Alpha took a step back, carefully keeping himself between you and the others until you were out of sight. 

“Who-?” 

“Wait.” 

You didn’t love being commanded like an animal, but considering that he had likely saved your life, you followed Alpha’s instruction. 

He activated his comlink, keying in a code from memory. 

The voice on the other end - male, older but not elderly - answered almost immediately. “Alph-”

“Call off your dogs,” Alpha demanded, durasteel in his tone. 

“If you’re talking about my boys, they’re on assignment on Kamino.” The voice was genial, friendly, almost paternal. Still, there was a sly undertone that warned you there was something more happening. “I have no say in what they do there.”

“They almost killed a civilian.” Alpha glanced at you, as if worried that you would be startled by his blunt appraisal of the situation. You didn’t react - you had known where things had been headed. “I need to be sure they won’t try it a second time.” 

“The only reason a civilian would be in danger is if they interfered,” the man said. “Dangerous thing in a warzone.” 

“Keep them under control or I’ll send you the tags.”

The staticky silence on the comlink turned deafening, almost icy. “We’ve never had reason to argue, Seventeen. If you push this, I guarantee that will change. You don’t want a revenge-driven mando on your shebs.”

“And you don’t want me to take a closer look at who wiped Dengar’s records from the Kaminoan databases,” Alpha countered. “The civvie is off-limits, Skirata. Tell them before we have a misunderstanding.” 

“You have to understand what they’re working for,” Skirata wheedled. “It’s important to them. To all of you. One civilian loss is a low price to pay.”

“Off. Limits.” Alpha bit out sharply. 

The quiet stretched as both sides battled for supremacy. Eventually, Skirata sighed. “I’ll see what I can do. But you know how clever my boys can be when they have an obstacle to get around.”

“Warn them,” Alpha advised, “or you’ll all find out how clever I can be.” 

“None of us are di’kutla enough to underestimate you, Alpha,” Skirata said, sounding a bit amused. “I only wish you’d find your way to working with us instead of against us.”

“Not as long as you’re trying to take out innocent civilians,” Alpha told him, severing the connection before Skirata could respond. 

“Now you,” Alpha said, glancing back over his shoulder. It wasn’t an easy motion to accomplish while wearing full armor and a helmet, so you moved to walk beside him. Just as well - trailing behind him like a lost tooka wasn’t your favorite thing. 

When you were next to him, Alpha removed his helmet and gave you a hard look. “How much do you understand about what just happened?” 

“Not much,” you admitted. “I know those troopers were trying to access Ko Sai’s records, even when I warned them not to. Who are they?” 

“They are known as the Null-class troopers,” Alpha told you slowly. “The first clones of Jango that the Kaminoans ever created.” 

“I thought the Alpha-class troopers were the first.” You were working from the assumption that no part of the conversation was going to offend Alpha, but you studied his expression for any hint of displeasure or hurt. 

“We were the first viable ones,” he explained. “The Nulls were too much like Jango. The Kaminii hadn’t figured out which genes to control for yet. The Null-class didn’t take orders, not to standard. Those six were slated for termination, but Kal Skirata saved them. He had just landed on-planet, a Mando mercenary hired by Jango to train the troopers.”

“Those six?” you echoed. “Were there other Nulls?” 

“There were twelve.” 

You swallowed against the bile that was trying to rise from your twisting stomach. “What happened to the other six?” 

“Embryos weren’t viable,” Alpha said shortly. “They never made it past that point. The six you just met are the only Nulls that ever existed and the only ones who ever will.”

“I… can’t say I’m upset about that,” you admitted.

Alpha huffed a near-silent laugh. “Why did you try to stop them from accessing Ko Sai’s files?” 

“She built a self-destruct trigger into them.” You were satisfied by the look of surprise on Alpha’s face. “Trying an incorrect password destroys all files on the system, and every remote copy that got saved. They didn’t realize their passwords had been locked down while the Kaminoans investigate their internal information.”

“And what was in the records?” he asked, guiding you around a corner with a hand against your back. You drank in the touch like it could sustain you. 

“Genetic information,” you answered. “I was reading it before I left my office. It was all about the way the Kaminoans had altered the Fett gene to create the ideal clone trooper personality. Ko Sai’s words, of course.”

Alpha grunted at that, but didn’t give any other response. 

“Do you think they’ll come back?” you asked after a few moments of silence. 

Alpha glanced sidelong at you. “Not if they know what’s good for them. But that’s why we’re going to your quarters. Better security.” 

You nodded. The two of you were close enough to your room that you didn’t feel the need to make any more conversation. As you entered the code to get into your room, you glanced back at Alpha. He was facing the hallway you had just come from, clearly keeping watch against anyone who might have followed you.

“I just need to brush my teeth, then the ‘fresher is all yours,” you said softly. 

Alpha grunted again, stepping through the door behind you. He worked on the interior panel, setting up additional security measures. There was no such thing as a slice-proof door panel, but those measures would give you some extra time if someone started working to get inside.

You left him to it, brushing your teeth and changing into pajamas before you left the refresher. Alpha had already removed his armor and dimmed the lights, sitting in just his body glove as he waited for the refresher. His leg jiggled with tension. 

As you stepped past each other, Alpha’s fingers rose to stroke down your forearm in a single gentle touch. Then he was inside the refresher and the shower water turned on as you listened. 

You had every intention of being awake when Alpha came back out, but you must have drifted off. The next thing you knew, the bed dipped as Alpha got under the covers behind you. His arm snaked around your torso, pulling you tight against him. You smiled, snuggling a little closer, but frowned. 

Alpha was trembling. 

There was a fine tremor running through his entire body, only perceptible now that you were close enough to feel it. His breathing was slightly irregular, easy enough to note now that you were looking out for it. 

Turning around in his arms wasn’t easy, especially when Alpha’s grip was so tight. But you managed, gently cupping his jaw when you were facing him. It was too dark to see, but the tightness of his jaw muscles under your palm was enough to know what he was feeling. 

“Alpha?” you asked softly. “Are you okay?” 

His breath left him in a shuddering exhale. “Almost lost you, neverd’ika.” 

“Never,” you assured him. “I would have found a way to get free. I wouldn’t leave you like that.” 

He laughed slightly. “You make it sound like a choice.”

“No choice at all,” you countered. “If my choices are between staying with you and letting someone take me away like that… I would have fought like hell.” 

Alpha was quiet, but you could feel the way his lips parted and closed over and over until he decided what he wanted to say. “The fact that you don’t seem concerned is enough to make me worry. Fear isn’t good, but it can keep you alive.” 

“You think I wasn’t scared?” you asked, letting your disbelief come through in your voice. “Alpha, I was terrified. Trem has been a great teacher, but I don’t think there’s much I could have done against six troopers. I think I’m in a bit of shock. When it all hits me, I’ll be a mess for a while.”

“I’ll take care of you if that happens.” 

Alpha’s vow made you smile. “I’ll gladly take you up on that. As long as you let me take care of you now.” 

He inched forward, searching blindly in the darkness until your lips met in a careful kiss. “I have a few ideas about what we could do.”

---

Author's Note - There will be a spicy mini chapter to follow this one. Nothing vital to the plot happens in it - you will not miss anything if you choose not to read it. It will be posted on my NSFW alt account. If you don't know where that is, send me a message and I'll give you the username as long as you have 18+ in your bio. If you're under 18 and find it of your own accord, you're claiming to be mature enough to read adult content.

For those who have not read the Republic Commando series, the Null ARCs and Kal Skirata are fascinating characters! You're seeing them at their most ruthless here, but they have a lot of depth. They're on Kamino to complete their own mission, which can make them come off as antagonists, but life is rarely that simple.

My loose plan is to post one chapter every month, but the spicy chapters don't count toward that number. So I'll see you in a week or two for some 'quality time' with Alpha, and next month to see what happens after this!

I'm so glad to be back! Thank you to everyone who waited so patiently or sent words of encouragement. <3 For anyone new to this story, that long of a hiatus is not typical for me. I don't anticipate it happening again.

[frost-queen]

Uninvited guest (Fem!Reader x Lorraine Moran)

Requested by: anon  Forever tag:@missmelodramatic, @merlin-dahlia,  @elllie-does-the-posts, @alex--awesome--22, @floatlosers, @merlieve, @queen-of-books, @glimmering-darling-dolly@denkisclown, @wildieflower, @meyocoko, @bubblybrianna, @justanothercoco@subjecta13-thefangirl, @m-rae23, @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr, @swampthing07, @imagines-by-her, @vviolynn, @melsunshine,  @evilcr0ne,

“Y/n honey are you all set?” – Lorraine called out purse in hand. – “I’m not rushing you, but you know I hate being late. It’s all about….” – she continued suddenly interrupted by you. – “First impressions.” – you said weakly followed by a cough. Lorraine’s eyes widened seeing you still in your nightwear. She immediately dropped her purse rushing over to you. Her arm went around you to support you. – “Darling you are burning up.” – she concluded having touched your cheek and forehead. – “I..I…” – you said coughing loud.

“I’ll be ready in … two…” – more coughs came out as it shook your entire body. – “Oh no, no not such a thing.” – Lorraine insisted upon. – “You are sick. I’m not risking your health.” – she said helping you back into the bedroom. – “Lorraine… I…” – you tried to contradict but she wouldn’t hear it. Pulling the covers up, you got gently nudged back into bed. – “You are sick darling. I understand and so will our clients.” – she said tugging you in.

"But what about…” – you started as Lorraine tsked her tongue with a shake of her head. – “It is just a first conversation. An exploration nothing bad would happen to me without my beautiful wife and her equipment.” – She smiled brushing her knuckles down your cheek. – “Are… are you sure?” – you questioned. Lorraine hummed. – “I need you to stay here and get better.” – she pressed on not wanting you to worry any further. – “Okay…” – you almost dozed back off, feeling terribly exhausted.

Lorraine leaned down to press a kiss against your forehead. – “I’ll be back before you know it.” – she whispered. She smiled down seeing you had almost gone back to sleep. The sickness exhausting you. Lorraine snuck out of your room. Before she headed out she placed some medicine, water, and some cookies on your nightstand in case you needed them. Giving one last kiss she left for her meeting with a family. The family had called Lorraine and you days ago. Asking to come and investigate if their house was haunted or not.

They needed to be sure, being able to put the blame on that otherwise they’d have gone mad. Normally you’d go with your wife as you were the technical woman. Having several equipment to record voices, pick up frequencies and so on. Now with you being sick, she wouldn’t have that. Not that she needed it, but it was always helpful to help the family. Like Lorraine said it was just an exploration conversation so normally nothing much would happen.

Lorraine found herself at the house after driving for about 45 minutes. The house was remoted from the busy town life Lorraine, and you lived in. She got out of the car, headed up to the door and knocked. A lovely couple in their forties opened. – “Good day, I am Lorraine Moran. You must excuse my wife but she has fallen ill this morning so she couldn’t accompany me.” – Lorraine said with a warm smile. – “Oh, I hope nothing bad.” – the woman replied concerned. Lorraine shook her head. – “She is the strongest of the two of us. It is nothing severe. May I come in?”

The woman nodded moving back for her to enter. Lorraine entered following the husband into the living room. Their house was decorated cozy and comfy. Two sets of sofa’s face each other with a coffee table in the middle. An interesting carpet spread out underneath it. Lorraine took a seat with a pleasant smile. – “Shall we begin?” – she offered once the couple had taken a seat in the sofa before hers. The man looked worriedly at his wife as she nodded reassuring. The man cleared his throat and hesitantly began his story.

Explained what they were hearing. How things moved in their house, and they’d see shadows in the corner of their eyes. Once they turn to look it is gone. Lorraine listened with much interest, scribbling a few things on a notepad. About an hour later got Lorraine a chill down her spine. It made her move uncomfortable in the sofa. She tried to focus again on the story till a flash image crossed her mind. It flashed through her mind in a split second making her furrow her brows in pain. As if getting a severe headache.

Blinking rapidly more images flashed before her mind. In one of them she recognized her bedroom. – “Are… are you alright?” – the woman asked seeing Lorraine touch her forehead. Lorraine hummed soft trying to be polite. She slightly tilted her head to the side, hearing a loud scream in her ear. Followed by the images of you crouched against the wall on the bed. Long fingers stretching out over the matrass like a shadow, trying to grab you. 

The second the shadow fingers came in contact with your ankle, it pulled you with a sudden snap. Lorraine gasped for air, her heart beating out of control. – “What is wrong?” – the husband asked as Lorraine jumped up. – “I have to go.” – she said packing up quickly. – “We’ll continue this, but there has been an emergency at home.” – was the only thing Lorraine concluded taking a run for it.

You slowly woke up not sure how long you had slept. You weren’t even aware you had fallen asleep. Adjusting to the light in your room, you turned your head to see the time. Exactly an hour or so had passed since you remembered the last time. Seeing the items on the nightstand made you smile soft. Reaching for the medicine, you glanced up seeing that the door was half open. Taking out a strip, you looked back at the door frowning. Was it your imagination or was that door more open now. A few inches.

Looking back down you took out a pill, hearing soft creaking. Frantically looking up, you saw the last of the door move. Staring at the door, you so hoped you were imagining things because you had a fever. It was normal for people with fevers to see things. To imagine stuff happening that wasn’t really going on, but you should at least know better. You quickly took the pill with some water. You nearly choked on the water hearing a loud thud.

Like something had fallen down. You didn’t want to look, but your curiosity took over. You got out of bed slowly, walking slowly over to your closet. It seemed like the sound had come from there. The closer you stepped to the closer, the louder your heart started to beat in your chest.

Breathing getting shallow as you reached your hand out. Lowering it to the handle. Your gaze fell on the creak between the two doors of your closet. Staring at it, something felt alluring. A sudden eye looking back at you made you jump out of your skin. The eye color the only thing illuminating against the darkness in the closet.

You threw the closet doors open ready to fight whatever was hiding in there. Some clothes moved from your action, but other than that the closet was empty. Feeling extremely exhausted you returned to bed, touching your forehead. Closing your eyes once more, you hoped the medicine would work soon. Quickly you had fallen asleep again. Yet this time it felt like you were half awake. Unable to open your eyes, but still very alert. Your mind buzzing.

Strange visuals planted your mind. Your mind tripping. You felt like were hallucinating vividly where the world spun around. A dizziness overcame you. You wanted it to stop. Breathing shaky you tried to speak. Tried to tell it to stop. – “St…sto…stop…” – you whispered. Clamping onto your blankets it felt like your bed was spinning mindlessly around. The pin in a compass spinning out of control in all directions. – “Stop…” – you said trying to sound louder. Clamping harder onto your blankets. – “Stop!” – you shouted loud finally able to open your eyes.

They flashed open with a loud gasp. The room suddenly darker. You got up, crawling closer to the wall at the head of the bed. – “Show yourself!” – you called out knowing something was taunting with you. – “I know you are watching me so show yourself!” – the bed shuddered as you grabbed on to your blankets for grip. The shaking stopped as your eyes widened. At the end of your bed rose slowly a shadowed hand from the ground. Long boney fingers rising up from the grave. It made you gasp loud, watching in fear. You wanted to scream but no sounds came out.

The hand kept stretching up to the ceiling till you saw the wrist and some of the arm as well. You yelped loud when it snapped onto your bed. Then like a snake it slithered closer to you. Finally you found your voice, screaming loud as you pulled your feet up to you. – “Lorraine!” – you screamed out calling out to your wife as you were terrified. The fingers almost reached your ankle as you tried to pull your feet away. Then the door slammed against the wall. Lorraine panting loud. 

“Get away from my wife!” – she shouted throwing a vile of holy water at the hand. The skin sizzled at the touch of holy water, making it pull back. Lorraine pulled out her cross, holding it up. – “I gave you no permission to be in my house!” – she yelled out pushing it back with the cross. – “Be gone or I’ll send you back into the fiery pits of hell!” – she threatened throwing more holy water.

Lorraine kept coming closer not backing down. You stared in awe at your wife. She threw another vile, speaking in Latin as your bed started to shake again. You held on as the shaking got wilder. Then it stopped. The room cleared up. A heavy weight lifted. Lorraine exhaled deep. – “Y/n!” – she called out running over to you. She jumped onto the bed, falling into your arm.

“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left.” – she said hugging you tightly. – “You couldn’t know… You couldn’t.” – you replied reassuring her. – “I am save now.” – you told her, making her look at you. Lorraine smiled. – “I am not leaving your sight.” – she answered before kissing you deeply.

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[saintsenara]

Wait why do you think Ron and Hermione wouldn’t need therapy? I think they are great together but obviously there are some issues that a little therapy would benefit (especially post war).

thank you very much for the ask, anon - prompted by this post on romione - and i’m sorry if the following statement reads as condescending. it is a bit, but that’s because a lot of "go to therapy" posting annoys me…

ron and hermione won’t need therapy because therapy is not a certificate you get which gives you permission to be a happy adult - and nor is it a certificate you require.

therapy is necessary when you are experiencing something which is detrimental to your wellbeing and will continue to be so unless you receive help. it is not necessary just because you're not a flawless person, or because you experience a temporary negative setback that you feel otherwise equipped to handle.

couple’s therapy is not compulsory to be in a happy relationship - if you don’t want couple’s therapy, that by itself says nothing inherently concerning about you and your partner.

to be clear from the off, i am not opposed to therapy - it is necessary and lifesaving for a huge number of people - but what i am opposed to is the way that therapy is presented as a curative for anything even remotely imperfect about a person, the way that not wanting to go to therapy is presented - especially for men - as a red flag, and the way that terms which have a genuine value in therapeutic settings are stripped of their context and used to analyse every single facet of human relationships by people on the internet who have no clinical expertise in what they’re talking about.

and something which particularly applies to the discourse surrounding ron and hermione is a pervasive idea that any sort of interpersonal conflict - and, indeed, the possession of any sort of personality trait which contributes to conflict - is automatically grounds for therapeutic intervention.

but this is untrue. conflict can be unhealthy - as can traits which drive it, such as being prone to jealousy, being stubborn, being argumentative - but it is not inherently so. disagreeing with someone - even arguing with them, even losing your temper and shouting at them - is a perfectly natural part of human interaction. it is the context of this conflict - its frequency, what causes it, whether it is accompanied by physical violence, whether the two people in question are able to deescalate the situation, whether the two people in question are willing to apologise and discuss what happened, and so on - which dictates whether it is a problem which requires professional help.

and i mention this because i suspect that ron and hermione’s near-constant arguing is what you’re referring to when you say they have "some issues". but, as i’ve said in the meta which connects to this post, the two of them evidently regard their communication style as beneficial to them both. hermione is someone who thrives on being debated, and arguing back is clearly the way in which she works through issues [she seems to be someone who prefers to sort through problems aloud, rather than in her head, like harry]. this is not a benignly admirable trait - and, indeed, it’s clear that many other characters in the series find hermione condescending, irritating, and tactless - but nor is it one which requires "fixing" - if your "negative" traits work for you, you do not need therapy for them.

and this aspect of hermione’s personality does work for her - not least because ron understands it, doesn’t regard it as upsetting or unhealthy, and uses it to communicate effectively with her both when he agrees with her and when he doesn’t. and, because it’s a healthy part of her personality, she is therefore able to learn techniques to manage her impulse to argue and interrupt of her own accord. and that’s fine. you don’t need a professional’s sign off to prove that you’ve performed self-growth.

which leads me on to the fact that i suspect you may also be thinking of ron’s famous jealous streak when you talk about their "issues". as i’ve stated in the previous meta, i think that fandom really over eggs how big of a role this plays in their relationship. ron is jealous of hermione’s teenage boyfriend, hermione is jealous of his teenage girlfriend, this is because they’re teenagers who are attracted to each other and who are acting up because teenagers are often not fantastic at communicating their feelings to other people. this - once again - can be unhealthy, but it is not automatically so. in many cases, it’s just one of the mortifying agonies of growing up - and having been cringe [and even having been actively unpleasant] as a teenager is not something which you need to self-flagellate for once you’ve grown up enough to move past the things that made you cringe or unpleasant.

which is to say, there is no evidence that romione’s twin jealous streaks will endure into adulthood. it’s just as likely that, by the time they’re twenty-five, ron’s viktor-krum-induced flop era is a family joke which has them in hysterics on the sofa as it is that hermione’s walking on eggshells in case another man even looks at her. in fact, it’s much more likely - ron’s arc by the end of the series, as laid out in the conversation he and harry have when he destroys the locket-horcrux, sees him accept that his jealousy of the attention harry gets is unhealthy and become comfortable with his own achievements. hermione’s arc sees her become less inflexible in her thinking, through her acceptance that the hallows are real. they both grow up and will keep growing. they appear to be aligned on all the things that matter - i loathe the suggestion that they’ll meet a stumbling block when ron demands hermione becomes a stay-at-home wife, given that he is shown throughout the series to constantly encourage her ambition and also to love being domestic himself. they’ll be fine.

finally, on your point about needing therapy specifically after the war - yes, undoubtedly seeing loads of children killed in the school you went to for seven years is horrendous, and the idea that ron and hermione might seek out help for trauma connected to the battle makes perfect sense, in a way that them seeking therapy for their relationship as it's shown in canon doesn’t.

but i think it is worth saying - because i know that for people who don’t find themselves traumatised after life-altering events there is often the question of whether there’s something wrong with you, that you should be more upset etc. - that trauma responses are extremely complex and extremely weird. the things that the mind hangs onto can sometimes make absolutely no sense - and, sometimes, the mind hangs onto nothing at all, but goes along happily with the process of contextualising, understanding, and moving on from what’s happened without professional intervention.

requiring help for trauma is not a failing and you’re not a bad person if it’s what you need - it will save your life. but you’re not a bad person - and your traumatic experiences were no less profound - if you don’t need help, either. it’s just the luck of the draw.

and so ron and hermione - who seem to be in a pretty good place post-battle - might find themselves in a less good one in the weeks and months which follow. or they might keep being in a good place. life’s funny like that.

[kuroneko1815]

Imperial Domesticity: Unexpected Surprise

20 years of Marriage later and they were back where they started all because Callisto couldn’t get enough of his wife. Featuring the Imperial children, which one? All of them. Family time with the young dragons.

Callisto had once told her that she’d be the woman he’d spent the last twenty years loving and building a family with. And he was right. That had been at the very beginning of their marriage, now twenty years on and she never imagined they’d be back to what was essentially the start of their marriage.

At forty three, she thought she’d be done with her days of pregnancy and childbirth, especially with how difficult Nicholas’ birth was, and the Doctor’s own words that it would be near impossible for her to get pregnant again. She and Callisto had taken that at face value, fully believing that they’d never have another. And Callisto in particular had taken it to mean that contraceptives were no longer necessary.

“You said it was impossible for this to happen again.” Callisto, her husband, the love of her life, father of her children, Emperor of Eorka, and the biggest lusty dumbass that had ever existed said flatly as he sat on the edge of the bed, holding her hand.

The Doctor gave a frustrated sigh from where he sat. “With all due respect, Your Majesties, but I said near impossible, not completely impossible. Obviously, if you refuse to use contraceptives and still continue on with such activities with the frequency and passion that the two of you have been, then it was bound to happen.”

Penelope turned red at having it pointed out and stated so. Callisto was shamelessly unapologetic for their passion. The very passion that had never died, not through the pregnancies nor through time. Callisto had kept his promise that he wouldn’t get fat until at least twenty years had passed. Well, the man had shown no signs of stopping his gruelling regiment and training, though that was mostly because he’d been the one to train their children. He placed a blade in each of their hands and taught them to fight and defend themselves as a way to bond.

“I’m concerned about Her Majesty’s health. Her last birth had nearly killed her and had left her bed bound for awhile and she’d been younger then. Not to mention how…fragile her health has always been.” The Doctor confessed. “There are options of course.”

Penelope felt bile rise in her throat at those words. She refused to give up on this child. “That’s out of the question.” She said immediately, voice rather sharp.

“I understand.” The Doctor said soothingly. “Then we’ll need to keep a closer eye on you throughout the pregnancy. Given the complications and the difficulties from your last pregnancy, it would be advisable to have a Doctor assigned to you at all hours. And, as hard as it is for me to say, there is a higher chance of you losing this baby.”

“Then I’ll do whatever I can to give this baby the best chance.”

The Doctor said a few more things but her mind had gone too far for her to even begin to comprehend anything he was saying. Callisto though, was taking notes beside her, even though she knew the Doctor would give them a full written report on it later.

When the Doctor left, Callisto turned to her, and she knew he’d already been able to tell that she was troubled. His hand went to cup her cheek as he brought his forehead to hers. “My Love?” He asked.

“I’m worried.” She confessed as she looked at the rings on their fingers. “Judy was barely thirteen when I gave birth to Nick, and I’d almost died. We almost died. I’d never regretted the ring more than that day. I was so worried on what would happen to the children if we’d both passed then. I know we spoke to my family and to Cedric and Winter but… but I don’t know if they’d have been able to stop factions from forming around them, if they would have been able to shelter the children completely from the infighting and the machinations of the nobles the way we have… and now this.” She touched her womb where another little life was now growing. “I already love this child as much as I do our other children.”

“So do I.” He told her gently, a smile on his face as he touched her womb, that look of wonder was on his face again. “I hold the same worries but Judith is older now and I like to think on the bright side when it comes to our family.”

He truly did. While Penelope often worried, staying up late into the night until Callisto soothed her, calming her down, or wearing her out through the more physically amorous means, He would often weave happy tales of their family and he made sure they were things that were plausible, always making sure that they would come true to the point that she sometimes thought of it as clairvoyance until he’d pointed out that he had the means to do whatever he wished to make their children’s dreams come true.

Callisto was different now from the man she’d met in that maze almost twenty six years ago now. That man was paranoid, suspicious, dark, and hard. His smiles and laughter were cruel and vicious. He had been fresh out of war and knew only brutality, death, and deception. He was frequently attacked and saw the assassin’s shadow at every turn. He had terrified her back then.

But this Callisto in front of her now was soft and light. His hair still that same golden blonde but now she could see streaks of white gold peaking out, his face unlined save for the smile and laugh lines by his mouth and eyes. And he still only looked at her, no matter how many women paraded themselves in front of him, his eyes saw only her, his body craved only her touch and her flesh, his mouth sought only her kisses. It was her bedroom, their bedroom that he retired to at night, and their bed he slept in every night.

His hard edges hadn’t appeared in front of her in so long, though she knew it was still there and often directed at those nobles that made trouble. And the children had never once seen it, nor did Callisto even have any inclination towards showing them. It had gotten to the point that the children doubted the rumours and tales of their Father’s reputation as the barbarian. That, or, as Sophia had once told Diana, they suspected their doting Father had merely gone senile with age.

Callisto had pouted at hearing their words. “I’m not senile or old.” He’d protested.

“But you are, Papa.” Selene had said as she stared at her Father from across the table. “You’re so old, You’re fifty.”

“I’m forty eight!” He said indignant.

“That’s so old! Forty eight is a bajillion years from now.” Nicholas said solemnly.

Penelope laughed with Judith and Roxanna while Callisto had spluttered at their only son’s words. That conversation had happened not even a week ago. She had soothed Callisto when they’d gotten back to their room, stripping him and pushing him to the bed before she took the lead temporarily while she extolled his virtues and the merits of his handsome face and form. Allowed him to ‘seek’ comfort in her arms and her body until he took over for her.

Thinking on it harder, was it any wonder that she’d ended up pregnant again? Especially when nearly every night had ended in such a way, one part of him that showed true for his dragon lineage was how he was always greedy and lustful, seeking to take and conquer her body, to become one all the time. Now that she knew it was a possibility all along, she found herself surprised that it hadn’t happened sooner.

“Callisto.” She called out from where he’d gone down on his knees to kneel beside her womb, whispering promises and assurances the way he had with her five other pregnancies. He looked up at her call and she took his hand to give him a gentle tug to signal that she wanted him beside her. He obliged immediately.

She leaned over and kissed him, hands going to his hair, mussing it up the way she just loved to, the way that had always gotten her hot and bothered.

“I love you.” She whispered to him.

“And I love you, My Empress.” He answered back. “Don’t worry. We’ll weather this together as we’ve done before.”

Penelope remembered when she was pregnant with the twins, the incident with Nausica that had nearly come to war. She worried at the time that it would truly come to such a thing as their trollop of a Princess had continued to try Callisto’s patience by first refusing to give an apology and then showing up at the Imperial palace under the guise of finally giving an apology only to insult Penelope at every turn, in front of an already seething Callisto (she worked rather hard to calm him down all the time) and then proceeding to try and seduce him.

Penelope herself had reached her breaking point when she dared call Judy an abomination for her wings and magic. It was Penelope who had lashed out, slapping her after that and giving her a tongue lashing of her own, dressing her down in front of everyone, pointing out her shameless behaviour, and then actually telling Callisto to tighten the noose and stop any and all imports and exports from Nausica around the Empire and it’s other tributary states. An economic embargo that nearly crippled the kingdom had it gone on for too long.

In a panic, the King himself had gone down on his knees and begged forgiveness, practically pulling his daughter down on the floor with him before promising to deal with her personally. Princess Bianchi had lost her title to marriage and was brought low, not a commoner but not an upper noble either, nor was her husband wealthy enough to sustain her lush habits.

Penelope had long been known as the Emperor’s mediator because she was the only one could temper him and mediate any sort of peaceful resolution through her ‘suggestions’ (truly, the wonders of threatening to cut him off intimacies).

-

-

Callisto stared at Penelope’s sleeping form. The silver that had begun to lightly intersperse her magenta hair was especially pretty during the night when the moonlight would hit it. He understood her worries, he always did. And he knew what she was trying to say. Of their six children, only Judith was of age though the other two were old enough to discern things for themselves, but the other half was young enough that they were impressionable and easily tricked. Thankfully, they’d all inherited their parents stubborn nature so it was difficult to try to pressure them into doing things.

He mentally made a list of things that needed to be done. Penelope would no doubt want to inform the children first before they informed her Father and brothers. There was also the pillow to think of. Penelope, throughout each of her pregnancies had favoured a pillow she’d specifically designed to keep her comfortable while she slept. She claimed that it helped reduce the aches that came with pregnancy. And he believed it, had seen the noticeable reduction in Penelope’s subtle grimaces of pain while using it, even if he was loathe to have her hugging a pillow rather than him while they slept.

He’d have to have another one made. He had a ritual of burning them after she’d delivered the babe. The offending pillow that hoarded his wife’s cuddles while he was forced to sleep alone, her back turned to him. Also, those pillows had seen things. He smirked at the creative ways he’d made use of it with Penelope. There was a reason why they needed multiple covers for it.

He also needed to make contingencies should the worst happen, even if he hated to even think on it. Penelope was right that Judith was older now, she’d come of age last year and was now closer to twenty than ever before. Out of all of the children, Judith was the one who’d have the most responsibilities thrust upon her should… should that happen and they were both lost to the children.

He sighed and decided that there were things that could be put off until tomorrow.

-

-

The children sat down for breakfast, their tradition of taking their meals together as much as possible was unbroken. Breakfast and Dinners were practically inflexible, a fixed part of their routine. Snacks, tea, and lunch was the variable part.

He had spoken to his wife earlier and they’d both agreed that it was better to tell them now. The children had taken it quite well… in fact… to well. They eyed them suspiciously.

“Judy guessed it yesterday.” Roxanna answered simply. “And then she told the rest of us.”

The twins nodded. Sophia and Selene had expressed their happiness over having another sibling.

“I’m not gonna be the baby anymore. I’m gonna be a big brother!” Nicholas exclaimed happily, hands flailing about in a little seated dance.

“Do you think it’s going to be a boy or a girl?” Diana asked her siblings as they began to make bets. Before Nicholas’ birth, nobody would have made that bet, not even Callisto, believing that he’d have another daughter, they’d chosen the name Nicole which was immediately changed when their baby was born a boy.

Of course, on top of Penelope’s condition, they had to scramble because the nursery they’d prepared and all the clothing that he’d bought was for a baby girl. It was a great shock and a joyous blessing but also, a large headache in the form of the traditionalists who wanted a son on the throne. He’d had quite a few nobles publicly disciplined and censured for stirring up all of that trouble.

His baby boy, sweet and innocent child that he was, had, much as his older siblings did, publicly turned his nose at the thought of taking the throne, wanting to become the next head mage instead.

“Hey Servant Emperor!” Judith called out cheekily. “You know, if I have a child of my own soon, then my little baby brother or sister would be around the same age as my son or daughter.”

Callisto’s face darkened at those words. “Ha, no way are you,” then he paused to look at each and every one of his children, “any one of you, having a child anytime soon.” He declared.

“Yeah, Servant Emperor is right!” Nick said, nodding along with him. That’s right, as the only two ‘men’ of the family they needed to stick together and protect the women. “I’m too young to be an uncle.”

His older sister began to coo at him, causing him to pout, magenta hair covering his ruby eyes as he looked away petulantly. Nick had been the only one to have Penelope’s colouring, even if it was just the hair. His son often tried to pretend to be a grown up but always failed short, his over protective older sisters and parents, grandfather, uncles, cousins, and well everyone basically, always doted on him fiercely because he was the baby of the family.

Callisto smiled at them all fondly as he took them in. There was a time when he’d dined alone, and now, the empty seats in this large table had slowly been filled up. He remembered being six and eating alone after his Mother’s death, remembered being a child thrust into a battlefield and eating in his tent while he listened to his men enjoying themselves and building that camaraderie and knowing that he never could join them unless he wanted to cause them some discomfort.

When Penelope came into his life, he would take his meals with her, even if they had to do it miles apart and through a communication orb. The lonely anxious days when he’d wait for her to call only to realize that she may or may not have forgotten. The days after she’d finally moved in permanently and he would push his meals back so that he could wait for her to wake up and they’d take their meals together.

And then Judy came. When she could finally sit up, Penelope had a small table placed in their room and they’d have her in a high chair, the two of them taking turns feeding their daughter. The high chair turned into a normal seat propped up by pillows as she grew older. And the cycle repeated itself until they finally transitioned to the large dining room that they now ate at. Another chair or two would be occupied soon, filling up all the spaces.

Penelope caught his eye and she smiled at him from across the large table. Now too far apart to reach across and hold each other’s hands but neither of them minded. The sounds of their children’s laughter and their carefree, unburdened, smiles always filled up whatever lonely spaces remained in their hearts until it was full and bursting at the seams.

-

-

His Father-in-law took the news about as well as could be expected in that he collapsed into his seat, clutching his heart. “I thought the two of you were done having children!” He exclaimed as he stared at them.

“So did I.” Penelope confessed. “But apparently near impossible doesn’t actually negate the slim margin of possibility that I could still have another.”

Neither of his Brother-in-laws looked impressed by their words but there was nothing to be done. After all, Penelope was a married woman and their Empress, they couldn’t really try to censure her. He’d never let them live if they tried.

“Well, look on the bright side, it’s another grandchild for you to dote on.” Callisto reminded him.

And yes, just as predicted, the man softened at those words. “It would be nice to have another baby to carry around.”

The Duke was now seventy one and spent most of his days puttering about in his gardens or spoiling all of his grandchildren.

“Speaking of grandchildren, where are they?” The Duke asked as he craned his neck around as though they’d magically appear in front of him.

“They’re out on the grounds. Nicholas has a riding lessons today and they want to be there for it.” Penelope answered. “And what of William and Richard?”

Richard was Derrick’s son, the heir to the Dukedom who was a quiet and introverted child. He was sweet and much like William, Reynold’s son, were close to their cousins. They were closer in age to the twins and Nicholas than to Diana or Roxanna. And certainly not close in age to Judith.

“They went out in search of their cousins so they may be with the Princesses and Prince now.” Derrick Eckhart said with a sigh.

Reynold Eckhart snickered at the thought of what mischief their sons would be dragged into now that they were with the Imperial Children who were notorious for their incidental mischiefs.

“It’s nice to see them all getting along.” The Old Duke said.

-

-

Penelope had the pillow now and she was cuddled up to it leaving Callisto feeling lonely. She stirred slightly and turned to him. “Come over here.” She demanded. “I’m cold.”

Callisto grinned, the best thing about fall and winter whenever Penelope was pregnant was being used as her personal heat pack. The pregnancy always left her feeling too warm for comfort and his body was warmer than an average humans all the time as a call back to his dragon heritage. It meant that extreme temperatures rarely bothered him.

He quickly shifted to hug her from behind, his hand on the swell of her womb where their youngest (and hopefully last) baby grew.

“Hmm.” Penelope sighed contentedly. “Much better.”

-

-

“What’ll we call Servant Emperor once he’s not Emperor anymore?” Judith asked one evening during dinner.

“How about Papa or Father?” Callisto offered.

The children all looked at one another and then back at him. “No, thank you.” They said in unison.

He sighed in defeat. What started out as teasing nickname from Judith when she was three years old had turned into a lifelong name and term of endearment from his children. “How about Dowager Servant Emperor?” Selene offered.

“Dowager implies widowhood.” Penelope pointed out. “I hope you’re not wishing that upon your father.”

“No way!” Selene said. “No Dowager then.”

“Former Servant Emperor?”

“Well, how about Grandpa Servant?” Roxanna said with a teasing smile. “Since he’ll likely step down after Judy has a child.”

“How about we table that nickname until after I have a child.” She said wryly.

Diana leaned forward. “Servant Emperor Emeritus.” She offered.

“A bit of a mouthful.” Sophia said with a grimace.

“Let’s just stick with Servant Emperor.” Nicholas said.

“Agreed.”

-

-

Callisto had finished the conversation with Judith and Roxanna. While all of the children were aware to varying degrees about the way their parents were tied together, only the two older girls truly understood the severity of the situation. And he needed to prepare them.

He sighed as he stood, the bare bones of a coronation ceremony was already planned should it be necessary to have his eldest take the throne within a year. Right now though, he was tidying everything up, making sure to tighten his grip on the worst of the troublemakers to ensure a smooth transition for Judith which he hoped wouldn’t be necessary.

Right now, the two had already begun to take over some of Penelope’s duties as her strength waned and the symptoms of pregnancy continued to plague her.

He caught sight of twin magenta hair within the gardens and he grinned. Judith and Roxanna followed his gaze and they smiled. “Let’s go see Mama.” Roxanna said as they grabbed his hand, dragging him down the halls and out to where he could hear Nicholas’ laughter.

“Well, I hope the little Prince hasn’t been tiring you out, Empress.” Callisto called out.

The two immediately turned to them. “Servant!” Nicholas called out and ran to him. His arms outstretched and he caught him immediately, lifting him up and letting his son place a kiss on his cheek.

“What about us, Nick?” Judith asked with mock hurt marring her voice.

“Aww, don’t be sad, Judy, Roxie!” He said and immediately held out his arms to give his big sisters hugs.

Judith took him into her arms. “Why don’t we give them some time alone and we can go find the others and we can have a boat race on the lake.”

“Yes! Let’s do it!” Nick said with cheer.

The children gave Penelope a kiss on the cheek first before they turned to him and gave him one as well. “We’ll see you for dinner, Mama, Servant Emperor!” Roxanna called out.

“I guess that’s just my name forever.” Callisto said resigned as he walked towards his wife.

“Could be worse.” She said as she leaned into his arms, they walked slowly, making their way to the maze. “They could call you the unrepentant bastard or psycho asshole.”

“Ahh, yes, your nicknames for me.” He said, recalling what she’d sometimes call him when they were younger. “I like the nicknames you gave me later.”

“Which ones? Lusty moron? Crazy Emperor? Pervert stalker?” She threw out.

He grinned down at her. “Darling, dear, love.” And then he leaned down. “The world’s best lover.”

“I never called you the last one.” She said.

“Really? I could’ve sworn you did.” He said in mock contemplation. “Maybe it was in my dreams.” And then he froze, grinning down at her, the little one inside her was calm for the moment. “How about I try to make you admit it?”

The lascivious grin he gave her made her blush. “You really are shameless.”

“I don’t deny that, but only towards you, Love.” He said as he picked her up, carrying her gently as they stood at the heart of the maze where they first met. “At least we don’t have to worry about contraceptives.”

“This is exactly how we got into this situation in the first place.” Still, she craned her neck and gave him a kiss. “Hmm… I can’t believe you’re seducing me here.”

“Why not? This is where it all began for us.” And then he turned around and made his way back to their palace.

-

-

Penelope still attended Judith’s birthday celebrations despite the fact that she could give birth at any moment. Judith had fussed and told her it wasn’t necessary but Penelope was adamant about not missing any of their children’s birthdays. Thankfully, it passed without incident.

Although, Penelope woke Callisto up a few hours after they retired to bed.

“It’s time.” She said, breathing through the pain calmly, having had enough experience with it that she knew what to expect and what to do.

Callisto jumped up immediately and called for the guards to get the Doctors as he rushed to Penelope. This was the part that he hated the most, seeing her in so much pain, worriedly wondering if she would make it. He climbed in beside her, repositioning her to give her enough comfort and support.

As the minutes trickled by, he noticed the rapid progression of her contractions. This was the fastest her labour had developed and he worried that she’d deliver without the Doctors here.

The door flung open and the maids entered with basins of water and towels. The Doctors all gathered around her. He whispered soothing words into her ear the way he’d always done each time she went into labour.

He could hear the children outside, speaking and pacing up and down the halls as they waited for any news.

“This is definitely the last one, Your Majesty.” Penelope said, a whine in her voice as she grunted through the pain. “We’re too old now, Judy was right when she said she might start having children soon. I don’t think I’ll have enough energy in me to run after a baby of our own and whatever grandchildren we’d have.”

Soon the Head Doctor was instructing Penelope to push. In no time at all, an infant’s cry was heard. He waited, having learned from the twins that another could come soon but there wasn’t anything from the Doctors who quickly took the babe nor from the Doctor who delivered the after birth.

“Congratulations Your Majesties. We have another beautiful and healthy little princess.”

Callisto hugged Penelope tightly as she leaned on him in relief.

The babe was in Penelope’s arms within minutes, swaddled in a soft green blanket that Penelope had made with the help of the children.

He leaned over to look at his newest daughter and laughed happily. His beautiful wrinkly little baby had tufts of dark pink hair that would no doubt turn magenta like her Mother and brother’s hair had. He touched her cheek with a finger and her eyes opened, hazy blue green eyes peaked out from behind him.

“What should we call her?” He asked. They’d spent months trying to figure out a name but couldn’t settle on one.

Penelope looked at him with a soft smile before she turned to the baby. “How about Felicity?” She suggested. “For the happy laughter you let out when you caught sight of her. May she always be happy and bring happiness to those around her.”

“Princess Felicity Regulus.” Callisto said, trying out the name on his tongue. “I like that. Felicity it is.”

And then he smiled down at his daughter while the Doctor recorded the name on the family registry and prepared the forms for her birth certificate for them to sign later on. “Hello, Felicity Regulus. I’m your Papa, don’t listen to that awful nickname your siblings, I’m Papa to you, the man that keeps talking to you while your Mama slept. Welcome to this madcap family, you’re in for a wild and happy ride.”

He let go of Penelope and the baby and stood to change behind the screen while the maids tended to his wife and cleaned up the bed, then he went outside to the door to let the children in.

“Come meet your new sister, Felicity.” He told them.

They squealed and rushed to his wife, pushing him away from the door. He smiled as they converged around the bed and leaned in close.

Callisto dismissed the servants and the Doctors and just stood there at the foot of the bed with a smile on his face feeling nothing but absolute joy and contentment, peace settled in his heart.

From the outside, the bells rang to announce the birth.

Penelope looked up at him and she mouthed an ‘I love you’ to him. She blew him a kiss that he pretended to catch, hand going to his heart and he mouthed back the words.

I fully believe these two would still be going at it even decades later. Callisto loves being a Father even if he hates the Servant Emperor name, he knows it’ll be the name that’ll follow him for the rest of his life and he’s okay with that. All of the girls had taken after Callisto and Nicholas broke that trend by being born a boy and with Penelope’s hair. And now they have their little Felicity. It took me a lot of math to calculate their age gaps and the ages of both Callisto and Penelope when they were born. Also… I’m planning on adding doing the Nausica incident that Penelope briefly touched on if anyone is interested.