#I'm name dropping him because it is not at all important to keep his privacy here he's not online

[chiotri-loves-davekat]

secretly makes sprites for my friend because he asked how he was in anyway related to Homestuck when j said that everything was Homestuck

His clothes are really thick ignore that

Bro I wish he weren't so difficult 😒

[wildtooru]

Behind the Mask

Kenji Sato x reader

Summary: Kenji Sato, the star baseball player and the new Ultraman, struggles with the burden of his dual identity. One evening, he decides to share his secret with you, hoping for understanding and support.

The warm lights of the city reflected off the windows of the cozy Tokyo apartment as you prepared dinner. The soft hum of the refrigerator and the clinking of utensils were the only sounds in the room. You glanced at the clock, noting that Kenji was running late again. It wasn’t unusual—between his baseball career and the mysterious "other job" he never spoke much about, his schedule was always unpredictable.

You sighed, stirring the pot of miso soup, when you heard the front door creak open. Kenji stepped in, looking exhausted but smiling warmly at you.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, kicking off his shoes and making his way to the kitchen.

"It's okay," you replied, offering him a reassuring smile. "Dinner’s almost ready. Tough day at practice?"

Kenji chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, something like that."

There was something in his tone that made you pause. It wasn’t just fatigue; it was deeper, a weariness you hadn’t heard before. You turned off the stove and faced him, concern etched on your features.

"Kenji, are you okay? You seem... different tonight."

He took a deep breath, his eyes meeting yours. There was a flicker of uncertainty, but also determination. "Actually, there's something I need to tell you. Something important."

Your heart skipped a beat. You nodded, gesturing for him to sit at the table. "Of course, you can tell me anything."

Kenji sat down, his hands clasped together on the table. He seemed to be gathering his thoughts, struggling to find the right words. Finally, he spoke, his voice steady but tinged with vulnerability.

"Do you remember when we first met? You asked me why I never stayed in the spotlight, why I kept my distance from the media and even my teammates."

You nodded, recalling those early days of your relationship. Kenji had always been a bit of an enigma, a star player who shunned the limelight.

"The truth is," he continued, "it wasn't just because I preferred my privacy. It was because I have another responsibility, one that I haven't been able to share with anyone... until now."

You leaned forward, your curiosity piqued. "What do you mean?"

Kenji opened his mouth to speak but hesitated, his gaze dropping to the table. He took a deep breath, his fingers tapping nervously against the wood. "It's... complicated. And I don't want you to think differently of me."

You reached out, placing your hand over his. "Kenji, whatever it is, we'll face it together."

He looked up, a mixture of fear and resolve in his eyes. "I hope you mean that," he murmured, almost to himself. He took another deep breath, his shoulders tense. "I'm Ultraman."

For a moment, the words hung in the air, almost surreal. You blinked, trying to process what he had just said. "Ultraman? Like, the Ultraman? The one who fights Kaiju?"

He nodded, watching your reaction carefully. "Yes. My father was Ultraman before me, and when he got injured, I had to take over. That's why I moved back to Japan and I’m always disappearing without much explanation."

You stared at him, a mixture of disbelief and awe washing over you. "But... how? When?"

Kenji sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's a long story. My father always wanted me to follow in his footsteps, but I resisted. I wanted to make a name for myself in baseball, away from all the danger and responsibility. But when he got hurt, I had no choice but to step up."

You pulled your hand back, struggling to wrap your mind around his revelation. "This is... a lot to take in, Kenji. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

He looked down, his expression filled with regret. "I didn't want to burden you with it. I thought... maybe you'd be safer not knowing. But lately, it's been getting harder to keep it from you. I hate lying to you, and I need you to understand what I'm dealing with."

You stood up, pacing the small kitchen. "This is... I mean, I understand why you kept it a secret, but... Ultraman? That's huge, Kenji. It’s not just some little thing you can drop on someone."

Kenji stood as well, a look of desperation in his eyes. "I know. And I'm sorry. I just couldn't keep it from you any longer. I need you to know the real me."

You stopped pacing and turned to face him. "I need some time to process this. It’s not that I don’t support you, but... this changes everything."

He nodded, a pained expression on his face. "I understand. Take all the time you need. Just know that I’m here and I want us to face this together."

You took a deep breath, nodding slowly. "Okay. We’ll figure this out. But it’s going to take some time."

Kenji gave you a small, relieved smile. "Thank you. That’s all I can ask for."

As you both sat back down, the weight of his revelation settled between you. It would be a long journey, but together, you knew you could face the challenges ahead.

[angelsanarchy]

Fever Dreams: Mike x Y/N One Shot Series PRT 04

Tagging: @icarus-star @chainsawgvtsfvck @romanroyapoligist @liquidsmoothdomme @madamemaximoff06 @drazenka @blacksoul-27 @444rockstargf @kappasbbgirl @luzclarita57 @tempt-ress

Y/n is sitting at the desk inside the garage. It was a fairly quiet day and Leff was sitting in the office with his feet on the desk, talking on the phone to someone making new import deals. Sicky came busting through the door so hard, it hit the wall.

"I've fucking had it! I'm done babysitting this kid. He's been complaining nonstop all fucking day and I'm going to kill him." Sicky threw his hands up and Mike came in behind him shaking his head.

"Did you do all the drop offs?" Y/n looked at her watch and Sicky growled.

"No because princess over here has to stop every ten minutes to piss or get cigarettes or jerk off." Sicky looked back at him.

"I had to piss twice and it's not my fault these places are smoke free. This is fucking New York. That's stupid." Mike argued.

"I can't handle it Y/n. You take over or I'm going to skin the kid." Sicky lowered his voice so only Y/n could hear him knowing that threatening Leff's blood loud enough for him to hear would always be a no no. She stood up from the desk and chuckled.

"You remember this the next time I have to do a shipment at the bar." Y/n put a gun in her ankle holster and grabbed her jacket off the hook.

"Come on loverboy." Y/n grabbed the collar of Mike's leather jacket and he gave Sicky the finger.

"Do you care if I smoke in your car?" Mike asked hopeful.

"You can smoke in my car but to answer your question earlier, you can't smoke at client's establishments unless they offer you a smoke. It's disrespectful. These are business partners and when we enter their home turf, they have the advantage. We must show respect to keep business relations on the up and up." Y/n explained as Mike lit his cigarette.

"I fucking hate this job. Honestly, I almost wish Leff would have left me to figure my own shit out. At least that way I wouldn't be stuck being his little bitch delivery boy." He blew smoke out of the cracked window.

"What would you rather be doing?" Y/n asked honestly and Mike looked over at her to see if she was being serious.

"If I tell you, you can't laugh." Mike said making Y/n smile.

"If you say male stripper or rancher, I'm going to laugh." She warned making him chuckle.

"I want to be a musician. Start a band and get the hell out of here. The music scene in New York is dead unless you're a rapper or making a techno pop set in someone's basement rave." Mike explained.

"Musician? Do you play an instrument or are you a singer?" She asked. Mike could see she was genuinely interested in his answers and he tried to hide his blush.

"I play guitar but I definitely would need a singer. I'm not much of a vocalist." Mike took another puff from his cigarette and ashed it out the window.

"Well you could absolutely find a singer in New York but you'll want to go South if you want to get any sort of band off the ground. Everyone knows Texas is where aspiring musicians go." Y/n pulled up to a stop light and looked at him.

"What's your sound? Despite the cowboy look, the leather daddy that accompanies it gives hard rock or grungey alternative." Mike had to laugh out loud.

"Did you just call me a leather daddy?" He asked furrowing his brows.

"Shut up, don't act like you don't love when I give you pet names." She teased from behind the steering wheel. He noticed something he hadn't really noticed before. She had a tattoo on her neck behind her ear. When she smiled wide, he could see a little black rose etched into the skin.

"If only you would take me up on my offer to use them with less clothing and more privacy." Mike flirted making her shake her head at him, putting her hand out to take his cigarette and take a puff. He watched her suck the smoke into her mouth, let it out of her nose and back out again.

Every thing she did turned him on in the weirdest way.

"Get some furniture first and we'll revisit naked hangouts." She teased. Mike took that as a promise and motivation to get a couch.

"How do you know so much about the music scene in Texas?" Mike asked curiously.

"I used to work at a night club. A lot of guys would come through and tell me their life stories and dreams of making it big but what they don't realize is New York is more for performing arts. Classical musicians and acting are on the rise but places like Austin are where all the big music producers pick and choose people to throw together to make an album. Plus the food is superior." Mike kept his eyes on her.

"The night club...were you a-"

"Yes Mike, I used to be a dancer so if you have any stripper jokes, keep in mind that I'm currently behind the wheel and you aren't wearing a seat belt." She glanced over at him.

"I mean we're literally pushing drugs and weapons. I don't think being a stripper is some sort of classless gig. We're clearly doing a lot worse." He shook the duffel bag.

"You aren't wrong." Y/n pulled up to the drop location and put the car in park.

"Besides, Sicky said you own a bar now so that's cool." Mike added making her grin at him.

"You're talking to Sicky about me huh?" She teases and he rolls his eyes.

"Shut up." He finished off his cigarette before getting out of the car and when Y/n handed him the duffel she held onto it.

"Hey, this shit is only as temporary as you want it to be. You want out, you have to find something that will get you out and keep you straight. All Leff needs is reassurance that you'll be able to take care of yourself. That's all he wants." She said sincerely.

"I'll keep that in mind while I'm peddling this cocaine to a biker gang." Mike said making Y/n scrunch her nose.

"Sicky's right, you're being a princess." Y/n teased making Mike take the bag from her and give her a mocking middle finger. She smiled giving him one back and watched his back as he knocked on the door. She moved her gun from her ankle holster to her lap and watched him carefully.

He didn't know it but Y/n was already willing to kill for him if she had to.

[marvus-xoloto]

idk if you've talked about this but what do you think it would take to get marvus real and truly angry? like the kind of anger that turns his eyes the same color as the base of his horns. that pure rage. how would he react to that situation? what would it take to bring him down afterward? sorry this is such a specific prompt but im curious about your thoughts on it.

I may have spoken about this before, idk! I don't mind repeating hcs because it's fun to revisit old opinions and see how they've changed :o) PLUS i am like DESPERATE for hiveswap meta/analysis content and I'm happy to make more with people <3

Anyway. I had to sit on this one for a while; really had to think about it. (Frankly, my mind is feeling unorganized so it took a little longer than I wanted haha.) My opinion isn't super formed yet, so I'm open to discussion about this one (and. everything. i like to discuss).

My gut instinct says: nothing that he'll likely experience, but let's dive deep, shall we ;o)

First off, let's talk about Marvus and emotions in general to get a baseline.

Marvus is ice cool COLD. He's very easy going, only lashing out when things that are important to him are going to shit (and even then its's not a terribly strong reaction, see: his bad end when all the clowns are fighting. "Man wtf is going on" or something like that. Marvus enjoys performing for his crowd; more on that in some other post). That being said, he recovers quickly and will generally just Not Get His Hands Dirty (come on troll nostradamus letz skeet skoot).

He is in control of himself. He has to be.

In my opinion, this indicates that he has a very high emotional IQ. He has to have a high emotional IQ as both an artist and a manipulator (some might say these two things are one and the same for him). Not much shocks him, nothing can really get to him.

This does mean that while he is generally friendly, it's not easy to actually get close to him unless it's his idea. That's not relevant here, though, haha.

Here's another part of Marvus that explains his anger response: he always has a plan. The gears in his head are always turning; he's very intelligent. For him, anger doesn't solve any of his problems or bring him closer to his goals: he needs to be approachable (see: with Joey, how he manipulates her [don't get me started on their clown and kid friendship it fucks me up sooo bad]), and he needs to appear only as threatening as he needs to. He's quick to improvise (see how he protects Joey in the purple car at the end of act 3).

So. What gets to him!

In my opinion, the only two things that have the potential to get him this angry are:

-> Lack of privacy

Marvus needs to keep his secrets in order to, well, do what he does. This leads him to the instinct to keep his personal life and secrets VERY well hidden. Even if it's not a big deal on the surface, something like the name of his matesprit dropping or tracks leaking (that he didn't stategically leak himself) might frustrate him more than the average person. Something like explicit pictures of him, or something that someone could use as a metaphorical thread to follow towards his motivations or his ego; these might make him actually pissed.

That being said, though, I genuinely can't see him getting red-eyed angry about this. Generally, I do see him as someone who enjoys getting out of trouble, even if he's not thrilled about it at first. Like playing a puzzle! I'll leave it open as a possibility, however. What I really think could get to him is...

-> Knowing that he is, for whatever reason, not free or otherwise helpless

This is more esoteric and, frankly, extremely rare in his life.

Marvus really does not like the idea of having no freedom. We can infer from his general dislike of seadwellers combined with his ideas to "shake up" the hemospectrum (emphais on "shake up," notice that he never mentions improving it) that it's less about inequality and more about inconvenience. He dislikes that anyone might have percieved power over him (notice during his diatribe that he does view purple blooded trolls as unquestionably stronger and more influential than the caste above, and how he doesn't do this for say, bluebloods, who are a caste below but still in a position of relative power).

But having a plan is pretty much the core of Marvus's id. Not having that? Losing that sense of himself? Failing? I can see this genuinely making him rage-y angry.

Calming him down is simple: find him a solution. He's timeboud, thus goal based. He needs to have a focus point, something to reach for.

Anyway! Hope that made sense!

[powderblueblood]

🎵+ Eddie pls

send me 🎵+ character name and i’ll write a lil blurb inspired by a song from their playlist (you can also request songs and i will do my level best. god is a dj and i'm god)

▶ THIS YEAR - THE MOUNTAIN GOATS

six cylinders under the hood crashing and kicking, aha! listen to the engine whine or eddie takes the van out alone for the first time and feels free

an: some younger!eddie angst for your nerves!!! i love writing about the Munson Men so i hope u enjoy this anon word count: 1k

Keys land with a coolness in Eddie's outstretched palm, sweaty and warm, blood pumping under the skin like a crimson whirlpool.

"I'm not about to argue with you any more, son," Wayne mumbles, shoulders slouched in surrender, "You wanna cruise around in that deathtrap, that's on you."

Eddie's mouth opens to bark out yet another instance of but it's not gonna be a deathtrap when I'm done with it! and recount all his promises of becoming a bonafide grease monkey, taking all the necessary measures to make the van good as new.

The van. His van.

He drops the argument, since Wayne's suit is always a good one to follow, and closes his fist around the keys. He's won this round. A ball of fire begins to ignite in his chest and if he's not totally hallucinating, Wayne, grumpy old Wayne, is fighting back a smile.

"I'll stay the speed limit, I swear."

The fuck he will.

"The fuck you will."

Eddie's guffaw echoes in the empty doorway as he trips over himself, running outside the trailer to embrace his new four-wheeled glory. Well, not new-- far from new, of course. She's a girl with a lotta miles on her, showing up and out in the paintwork he's going to make sure he manicures. She's no Impala but she is a Chevy, a beautiful broad-assed 1971 Chevy.

She's got the same birthday as Killer by Alice Cooper and Eddie is head over heels in love with her.

Eddie is also an incredibly reckless driver, so something this hardy is necessary. Evel Knievel over here would turn a Beemer into a pretzel soon as look at it, as evidenced by the Beemer he almost rams into while he's gunning it into Hawkins.

"Fucking watch it, freak!"

Eddie flings his head out the window as Alice keens from the stereo (that big, bumping, beautiful stereo) and wags his tongue in the direction of an irate Steve 'The Hair' Harrington, who'd just got that new set of wheels for his birthday. Eddie knew that--everyone knew that--because he wouldn't stop peacocking it around the parking lot at school.

Well, compared to Eddie's ol' beauty, that fucking thing was puny.

"Eat my dust, pretty boy!"

He cruises down the main drag of Hawkins, marveling at his view from the driver's side. His elevated seat. His hands clutching the wheel. He even tosses a gentlemanly salute to a young mom and infant daughter that crane their necks to stare at him rolling on by.

Ladies.

See this, this is what it's all about. He's finally got the war machine he deserves. His ticket to the open road, his getaway car out of dodge, his method for hauling assloads of equipment around (once Ronnie gets that drum head fixed). Even his--dare he even think it--chick magnet.

Chicks love dudes with cars. Chicks like dudes with vans even better, because there's room in the back. Privacy. Shit like that is hard to come by when you spend most nights sharing a trailer with your aging uncle whose night shifts keep getting cut.

Not-- not that Eddie is exactly drowning in missed opportunities, but should the opportunity ever present itself, he'll be ready.

He's sourcing a shag carpet.

Eddie makes a couple more turns around town, even cruises by the school for good measure-- you never know which cheerleaders are hanging around after hours.

The most important thing is he feels completely unshackled in the confines of this van. Totally impenetrable. This is a space that he doesn't feel guilty taking, a space he doesn't feel odd or inferior in. Motherfucker, this is his all his.

He slows down his speeding on purpose when returning to Forest Hills, as if Wayne doesn't already know he's assaulting those gas pedals.

He slows down as he approaches the Munson trailer. He slows, and slows, and slows, and whines to a halt where Al Munson slaps both hands on the front of the van.

"Hey, kiddo."

Al Munson, his father, has been locked up in Blackburn Correctional in Lexington, Kentucky for the past eight months. Eddie's forgotten what for, or he didn't care to listen in the first place. Al Munson was not supposed to be out for a long, long time.

Al Munson always manages to find a loophole.

He reaches through that loophole, and he takes and takes and takes.

Eddie holds his breath.

"What, your old man doesn't get a big hello? Maybe a congrats on flyin' the coop, jailbird?" Al laughs and it's warm like the whiskey he sometimes lets Eddie drink with him. Al laughs and the fucking nightingales sing, the world shakes, everything becomes technicolor except the cloud hanging over Eddie's head.

Because, as Eddie so observantly notices, Al didn't come here with a car. He probably walked his ass all the way to Forest Hills, or hitched with some poor sucker he buttered up with stories and cigarettes and charm.

Wayne lingers in the doorway of the trailer. He can't meet Eddie's eyes.

He knew this was the one thing I had going for me. He knew this was the one thing I had left. The only thing that's mine.

Except the papers for the van don't say that. The papers say Al Munson.

He was supposed to be gone for so much longer that Eddie had hoped he'd forget about the van. About Hawkins. Maybe even about him, once and for all, and Eddie could inherit the only truly good thing his shitheel father ever had going.

Al, while remarkably charming, is not a man with a lot of patience. He slaps the side of the van-- not hard, but smart. "Out of the chariot, Ed," he commands. "Let's go, boy. I gotta jet someplace."

It occurs to Eddie that he has an opportunity on his hands right here. A massive fuck-you type opportunity. He could just peel out. Throw the finger to Al, and to Wayne for betraying him and not warning him about this in due time. Speed off. Take off for Indy and figure it out from there. He's got a full-ish tank of gas.

The one thing he's missing is his father's charm. He won't get far without it. It's the kind of thing you can't say no to.

No one says no to Al Munson.

Eddie, Eddie with his hair growing long around his ears and his seized shoulders and his cloud hanging heavy with rain over his head, is not about to start now.

"Just warming her up for ya, pops."

[therooftopsofketterdam]

There was a string attached to her chest and it pulled her ever closer towards Kaz. The harsh words they'd exchanged in Ketterdam didn't seem to matter or sting as much as they had before and they erased themselves along the distance that closed between them.

There were things she wanted to tell him, needed to tell him. That she was glad to see him alive, that they would fight another day... that she wouldn't come home unless there was a reason to stay. Yes, Ketterdam was home, but her hearts purpose lay beyond the borders of Ketterdam, beyond the Crow Club, beyond the people she was honored to call her family.

In the corner of her eye she could see Jesper stand straighter and start moving into her direction, but it was Wylan who seemed to read the moment and simply put a hand on his lovers arm to persuade him to stay and give the two of them the privacy they so rarely had.

Anticipation grew as she reached Kaz, her lips curved into a slight smile. It still felt like triumph. She could see the shift in his eyes, the sheer and dazzling warmth that seemed to eminate from them where usually they were clouded by storm clouds. Her hand twitched slightly as Inej lifted it to reach out to him in a desperate attempt to close the remaining distance between them.

There was so much that she'd seen in the fault, so many thoughts that had to wait. Protecting Alina had been the most important task, more important then Kaz or even her own life, but now she was safe and so was Inej.

She needed to say something, she needed him to say something or she would fall apart. Amongst the feelings of triumph and victory something darker brewed, something that remembered the blood on Alina's hands, the desperation she'd felt when Nina disappeared in the darkness and the fear and dread she and Zoya shared as they fought off the Nichevoya side by side. It was also then that her heart set on scouring the seas, becoming a Wraith in more then just name. A faceless entity to strike fear into the heart of every slaver, still part of her wanted to stay, wanted a reason to stay.

Kaz talked... it wasn't good enough. She deserved better.

"I only did what was right, Kaz." She responded, turning a little to face away from him and onto Alina. "The people need her, they need her hope. Sometimes fate needs a little help."

Inej let her hand drop back to her side, there was a sting of disappointment as she turned back to face him. She could still see the bruises and injuries from the fight at the Slat when Kaz took over the drags. New lacerations seemed to have found their way onto his face, dust settled on his clothes and they both looked wary.

"Fate has a way to reveal itself in the darkest of places. I'm sure you will be glad of the Kruge you get and taking over the Barrel." The words stung as Inej spoke them, but she managed to keep a neutral neutral tone, even though her eyes still burned with a soft warmth. She then lowered her voice. "I'm glad you are still in this world with me, Kaz."

It was all the vulnerability she could manage here, all that she could take. Because there was always another scheme, another pidgeon to dupe, another score to settle, but Inej had none left in her. She walked past him, her shoulder brushing his arm barely, a soft contact through fabric, yet it still sent a shockwave down her spine in both dread and warmth as she moved towards the church without looking back.

   Hope is dangerous, Inej's voice kept repeating in his head. Clouds your judgement. The same words he'd spoken to her in Ravka, when she'd been seeking her parents names among the mural of the dead. He remembered it with crystal clarity, the way her dark brown eyes had glistened with pain, the way Kaz had ignored the sting in his heart. He'd tried to add a hint of something gentler after, an acknowledgement of that pain, one that he knew intimately. Pray, scream, do whatever you have to do to push this out of your mind and move on.

    Evidently, in the end, it hadn't changed anything. Kaz had reached, he'd tried — Inej's voice had been what had silenced Jordie's vicious words in his head, replaced the grotesque, blistered thing which had become his brother and pulled him out from the unforgiving depths of Fifth Harbor. His lungs had been burning, the pain unfathomable and relentless and Kaz had been certain that somehow, he was going to die, Jordie's ghost having returned to enact his vengeance at last. Vengeance for what? He found himself asking for the first time. He'd only been nine years old.

    He needed to survive, he'd needed to get his crew out of the situation he'd gotten them into. He'd needed to survive to tell Inej ... what? That she was lovely and far stronger, far more brave than he could ever be? That she was a bright, searing light in the dark, a sun summoner of another kind? That while he may not be deserving of her now, he was determined to try to be?

    It was the speech they'd all heard in Shu Han that had shifted Kaz's perspective slightly, despite the fact that he'd been resistant to Ohval Saran's words. What a safe way to live. What a small way, as well. You guard against pain, you guard against joy. And when Kaz sensed Inej's presence, saw her signature teal within the corner of his eye, the emotion that roared to life inside of him was certainly in part joy. They'd survived, Inej had protected her Saint, the fold was gone and so was the Darkling, the amount of gold they would receive from their success would be staggering.

   Inej glowed with her triumph and Kaz's breath caught in his throat when their eyes met. He turned towards her, took a step closer as she approached — and her smile set his heart ablaze. They were surrounded by other people, busy about their business and engrossed in one another, but it made the desperate, vulnerable thing inside him draw back, uncertain, afraid. He couldn't stifle the warmth and relief in his gaze and part of him didn't want to. As they finally reached one another, the large chasm between them growing steadily smaller ... Kaz struggled with what to do, what to say.

   ❝It seems the fate of your Saint would've been much more grim without you,❞ he managed at last. He'd been cruel to her when they'd last spoken of Saints ... he was trying to make up for it, even if only slightly. ❝Perhaps our fate is up to us after all — no matter who you are.❞

[demonsslayersstuff]

Growing Pains

Chapter 1:

Chapter 2: Propositions and Meetings

"I'm sorry, you want me to what?", you say exasperated. Gojo always had crazy plans, but this was a bit extreme. "I want you to marry me", he simply replies. You stare at him for a moment, barely comprehending his words.

"Why the fuck would I do that", you nearly shout at him. Gojo looks at you carefully, "Listen I know with everything going on, this probably isn't the best timing, but it's a small part in a huge plan", he says calmly. "Satoru, absolutely not", you say furiously. Gojo holds up his hands, he knows when you say his first name he's pissed you off. "Hear me out please", he begs. You sigh before pinching  the bridge of your nose with your hand, feeling a bad headache coming on. All of this happening in the span of a few weeks was too much for your brain to handle. "It's too early in the damn morning for this shit, my head hurts and I'm...I'm not ready for something like this Satoru, not now", you say with a frustrated tone.

Gojo approaches you slowly, before gently placing his hands on your temple, using his fingers to softly massage the sides of your head. This was something you'd do for him when his six eyes became too much for him, but you were too surprised by his actions to stop him, it wasn't normal for him to touch you after you had started dating Suguru. After a few moments of silence, he spoke. "I know this is a big ask of you, but it's for an important reason, a reason that only you would really understand, so please let me explain my reasons before you make your decision", he says quietly, removing his hands.

You peer up at him, taking in his serious expression, an expression that he now wore too frequently. You didn't have the energy to argue with him anymore so, "Fine, but you're buying me a coffee and meds", you say. "Deal, now grab your coat, we'll pick them up on the way", he responds cheerfully. "On our way to where?", you ask eyes narrowing towards him. "Well it's better to show you before I explain why we need to get married", he says while handing you your coat. You don't respond, simply zipping the coat up before heading out the door.

Two hours later you're staring at a six year old boy with spiked black hair and an unamused expression on his face as he looks between you and Gojo. His sister sits next to him with a more pleasant expression on her face, though you can tell her guard is up. The four of you sit in awkward silence at a picnic table in a park. On the table is a pile of baked goods that Gojo picked up. You didn't question it because of his sweet tooth, but now you were starting to understand his little proposition he had in store for you as you looked between the two siblings.

Tsumiki breaks the silence, "So L/N-san are you Gojo-san's fiancee? He mentioned you the last time we saw him", she asks quietly. Your stomach drops at her words and the croissant you ate for breakfast is threatening to make appearance. You briefly give Gojo dagger eyes, but you're quick to keep your face guarded as the little boy, Megumi seems to read things between the two of you very well. "Yes, this is my fiancee, the one I told you about, if you agree to what we discussed earlier then she'll be living with us", Gojo responds for you. Living with us replays through your mind and you're on the verge of a panic attack. "Listen kiddos can you give us adults some privacy so we can talk?", Gojo asks sensing your emotions. Tsumiki looks between the two of you before standing up. "Come on Megumi, let's go play on the swings", she says pulling her brother. With a huff he follows her to the playground that's near the table.

"So-", Gojo starts but you cut him off. "What the hell Gojo! When were you gonna tell me you wanted to adopt kids?", you whisper shout at him. "Ok, well remember that mission a few months ago, the one where I almost died?", he asks you. You nod your head in response, remembering back, that was the last mission before both your worlds went to complete shit. "Well, the guy I killed was kinda their Dad", he continues. You open your eyes in shock, apparently you'd missed out on a lot. "Listen Y/N, he told me before he died that they were to be sold off to the Zenin Clan, and he didn't want that", he finishes. "And?", you ask. "And what? Seriously Y/N, a six year old boy and an eight year old girl being sold to the Zenin Clan, really?", Gojo snaps at you. "What about their Mother?", you snap right back. "Dead", was all Gojo says.

It was all adding up, two kids with a bounty on their head by one the strongest clans in the Jujitsu world; Gojo wanted the two of you to adopt them. "This is a lot to process, firstly. Secondly marriage and becoming a guardian at eighteen, Satoru this is crazy", you finally tell him after a few moments of silence. "They are kids with no one, no one. This world will tear them apart", he responds. You look at the kids, noting the innocent looks on their face, that's when you realize they have no idea the type of precarious position they are in. "I just, I don't know, this is a lot to ask", you tell him, look up at him. "I know it is, I understand that what I'm asking you to do is huge, but these kids deserve a protection you and I didn't get", Gojo says, his tone sad. You sigh, hating that he was right, but it was still a big ask.

"So what's your actual plan, aside from a sham marriage to me?", you ask him. Gojo furrows his eyes brows for second, almost confused at your words before, "Well after we get married, we get an apartment and adopt them", he says. "So basically being their new parents", you say rolling your eyes. "They're six and eight, we missed the hard part, all we really have to do is make sure they are fed, go to school, and don't die", Gojo says. You turn and look at him, "Dude it's not gonna be that simple, if we do this, they are our responsibility, raising one kid is not easy, but two? Seriously?", you respond.

"Have some faith in my abilities. I'm not that dumb", Gojo says, his expression hurt. "Last I checked I don't have the income to afford a place or raise to kids, being a Jujitsu sorcerer isn't the highest paid job out there", you tell him. "Well last I checked I am a Gojo, my clan has wealth, so we are covered financially", he reminds you. The two of you sit, letting silence envelope you for a time, simply watching the two kids now play a few rounds of tag. You sigh, knowing that you couldn't walk away, you weren't about to let these kids have their childhood stolen from them, or what was left of their childhood.

You look at Gojo, "We need ground rules, not only for the four of us, but between you and me", you tell him. "So you'll do it?", he asks excitedly. "Ground rules first Satoru", you say monotoned. "Right, Right, let's hash that out later yeah? I'm going to go tell the kids!", he says standing. You watch him walk over and talk to the boy and girl and you witness hope in Tsumiki's eyes, but Megumi's face reveals nothing of his true emotions. "What did I just agree to do", you mumble before forcing yourself to go share the supposed good news with the kids.

[melissa-kenobi]

Paperwork

[ARC Trooper Fives x Reader]

A/N: i was missing Fives so here's some fluff with him 🥰

Summary: Fives is forced to catch up on his paperwork whether he likes it or not.

Word Count: 2.1k

You were exhausted to say the least, your muscles screaming for a rest, for you to stop and take a break, whether it be 5 minutes or an hour, but you couldn't. Not when there was a war raging on and you need to be there. Waving to Anakin as you passed his tent, you saw your commander sat beside some of your men, he looked exhausted. Eyes filled with the same exhaustion you felt, as he spoke tirelessly with your men.

"General!" Kiri replied as he saw you approach him, immediately standing up and saluting you.

"Stand down Kiri, how many times have I told you?" You laughed as you gently pushed him down to sit once more.

"Sorry General." He smiled bashfully.

"I need to find Captain Rex? Some of his troopers haven't filed their reports and the Admiral needs them in by eight hundred hours today." You asked Kiri, who let out a small yawn before shaking himself and replying.

"I'm not too sure General. Rex did mention having to chase Fives and Echo for their paperwork in the 501st barracks." You smiled in response as you stood up, hand situated on Kiri's shoulder as you guided him up.

"Thank you Kiri. Walk with me." You asked, more like ordered politely.

"But... General!... th-" You cut Kiri off with a stern look before taking off, your commander following behind you as he picked up his helmet.

"Kiri, I'm concerned for your health." You looked at him as you approached the barracks for the 265th. "You haven't been yourself lately, I've seen your performance drop slightly."

You watched as Kiri's eyes widened in shock. That was the last thing he expected to be told by you. "General, no. I e-"

"Kiri, you're not in trouble. I'm just worried about you." Kiri nodded in agreement.

"General if I might?" You nodded for him to continue. "You haven't been yourself either, I see you looking exhausted and on the brink of death sometimes."

Your eyes downcast as you took in what Kiri said, immediately ready to deny everything, but your commander had a way of seeing past you. He smiled as he placed a soft hand on your shoulder, ready to speak but was interrupted by someone.

"Y/N! Ahh, help me General!!!"

The voice of ARC Trooper Fives ran behind you, hands on your hips, ducking down as he tried his best to hide from someone. You ultimately guessed it was Rex, most probably wanting Fives to get his paperwork done instead of heading to 79s.

"Fives!" You yelped, abruptly turning around. Your face softened as you watched him, his eyes focused on yours as he grinned cheekily, hands on your hips as he blinked innocently at you.

"Yes General?" He teased but was soon cut short by the booming tone of Captain Rex.

"FIVES!"

You raised an eyebrow at Fives who only shrugged in response before turning to Kiri who seemed amused at the situation. "Kiri, what I was saying before was that..."

Captain Rex had stormed up to you, eyes furious as you face turned from Kiri to face Rex. "Rex, what's happened?"

"What's happened General? I'll tell you what happened, your little boyfriend here hasn't done his paperwork since 7 months ago!" Your eyes widened in shock before glaring at Fives who cowered under your glare. "Cody's on my case about it because General Kenobi needs the reports from a mission Fives took and they're not there, because someone decided partying at 79s was more important!"

"FIVES!" You yelled, after hearing Rex's confession, suddenly shocked that Fives had left it for so long.

"Yes honey?" Fives tried, pulling lovey eyes on you, but it didn't work.

"Go with Rex and bring your paperwork to my tent. Be there in 5." You commanded him as he let go of you and make a sad cute face, trying his best to appeal to your softer side.

It didn't work.

"Captain, I'll make sure he gets all of it done tonight." Rex nodded as he tugged Fives along with him. Kiri on the other hand was just about to slip away before you grabbed his arm and tugged him into the 265th barracks.

"Now you!" You pointed at Kiri, whose eyes were wide with shock. "Get some rest Kiri. If I find you out there, you'll be in deep trouble." You warned as you left the tent.

"Sir yes sir." You heard Kiri whispered as you imagined he got ready to finally get some godammned rest.

***

Fives had dragged himself to your tent, his eyes wide with deception as you stood by your desk, the chair already pulled out, your arms crossed as you waited for him to take a seat. Fives may have gotten the wrong idea when you said you were going to make sure he got his paperwork done, it would seem that you actually meant business.

"But cyare, I can't do all of it now!" Fives protested as he took his seat, looking up at you, his eyes trying thier hardest to convince you.

"No Fives. If you don't finish every single piece of paperwork, you'll be put on leave till you finish it. No matter how long it takes." You threatened, it was an empty threat you knew, but it was what got Fives started on his reports as he racked his brains for whatever had happened in those missions.

After 3 long excruciatingly long hours, Fives was at least a third of the way through his paperwork. You looked up from your seat opposite him only to find him staring right back at you with tired eyes and a yawn before he gave you a little chuckle.

"Are you not going to help me honey?" He asked ever so sweetly that you would have caved if you didn't see the stack of paper on the left that you had to do yourself.

"Nope. Sorry Fives, no can do." You smiled as you patted his hand as he slumped to the table in exhaustion. "Got my own work to do." You yawned and rubbed your eyes causing Fives to look at you in concern.

"Hey, cyar'ika, are you alright?" Fives asked gently when he saw you yawn 4 times in the span of a minute. His eyes turning from tired to genuine concern for you.

"You're still not getting out this Fives." You tried to joke but ended up yawning as you slumped in your seat. Fives immediately concerned for your health jumped out of his seat and picked you up from yours, his hands wrapping around your waist and legs, lifting you bridal style as he walked towards the bunks in your tent.

"Fives!" You yelped after he had placed you down on the bed. Confused you rapidly got up out of bed and headed towards your desk before Fives pushed you back down and collapsed onto you.

"No. Cyar'ika, I know you're tired and you haven't been sleeping." Your mouth opened to deny what he was saying but he only gave you a look. "Kiri told me. Don't try it."

"Traitor..." You whispered under your breath, you were certainly going to have some words with Kiri about privacy. Fives pressed you into the mattress as you wiggled around trying to get out.

"Hey! You can't do that! I'm the General!" You weakly protested, trying to shove Fives off you.

"When it comes to your health, I outrank you honey." Fives smiled softly as he trailed a finger down your cheek, your eyes closing shut at the warm gesture as your leaned into his touch.

"But my paperwork... I can't, I hav-"

Fives was about to cut you off but you managed to do it yourself with a deep yawn as you blinked rapidly to keep your eyes awake. The warmth of your bed and Fives was proving to be a good combination as it was slowly lulling you to sleep. Fives gently pulled himself off you, tucking you into bed, wrapping the duvet around your body as he slid in beside you.

Still awake, you mumbled. "Don't forget your paperwork and wake me up in 30 mins." Your left hand going out to bring Fives' paperwork so he could work on them as you cuddled into his side.

"Go to sleep cyar'ika, I'll wake you." Fives smiled as he ran a hand through your hair, softly massaging your head to sleep. He leaned down to press a sweet kiss to your forehead as your arms tightened around his waist.

"Mmmhh... love you Fives."

"Love you too cyar'ika."

***

"Oh maker... is that the General?"

"What are they doing?"

"Is she.... sleeping?"

Whispers scurried around your ears as you blinked your eyes awake, suddenly taking in your surroundings, only to find some of your squadron peeking through.

"Oh kriff! She's awake!" You quickly got up only to be blocked by a heavy arm on your stomach, weighing you down. Kriff, you'd overslept, but maker did that feel good. As you cast your eyes down, you found Fives sleeping soundly besides you as he lightly snored. You lifted his hand gently off you as you placed a kiss on his temple where his tattoo lay. His face smushed into the pillow as slept soundly.

"Fives... honey....sweetie..." You tried, calling him pet names till he arose from his sleep. You traced a finger down the side of his face, hoping that would trigger some sort of reaction for him to wake.

"Cyar'ika... c'mon Fives..." When he didn't, you decided you would use a slight more aggressive tactic, you placed your hands on his shoulders, slowly shaking him awake.

"Fives!" You whispered harshly. Fives only snuggled into your further, small moans leaving him mouth as he continues sleeping.

You could sense General Kenobi and Commander Cody was near and you needed to get up. Kriff you thought. Did we even finish the paperwork from yesterday? Now becoming more worried you pulled the duvet off Fives before pushing him roughly off the bed, resulting in him falling to the cold ground with a heavy thump and a string of curses.

"Well that worked." You smiled as you leaned over the bed to see Fives on the floor, groaning in slight pain. "You've been through worse honey, now ge-"

All of a sudden Fives leapt up from the ground, onto the bed rolling you over onto your back, his hands holding your wrists above your head as he snuggled into your neck, leaving small kisses as you writhed under him.

"Fives!! What are you doing?"

"Getting revenge." He mumbled as he slowly traced his way down your body, kisses being left down your neckline, towards your collarbone and to your breasts, while his left hand that was free crept down to your lower regions, teasing you slowly. You let out a small moan of pleasure before your hips automatically thrusted against his hand. Fives being the cheeky shit he was, pulled away, letting go of your hands and crawling off the bed, offering a hand to you.

"C'mon, General Kenobi will be here soon. He's waiting for us." Fives winked at you as he pulled on his armour, your eyes wide as you scurried out of bed, your lust for Fives forgotten as you quickly got ready.

"Fives?" You panicked. "We didn't finish the paperwork. I'm so sorry, I'll have to come up with an excuse for Obi-Wan."

Fives didn't reply, only walked to the entrance to let Kenobi and Cody in. "Morning General, Cody."

"Good morning Fives. Where is General L/N?" Obi-Wan asked as you came out the door, greeting them.

"Brilliant, now that you're here, do you have the paperwork and reports?" Obi-Wan asked, eyes soft and gentle. You opened your mouth to explain but Fives beat you to it. Pulling out his stack of paperwork he handed it to Obi-Wan, who quickly assessed it with a critical eye before nodding.

"And here's General L/N's." Fives handed Obi-Wan your stack of paperwork, all completed as you struggle to keep your eyes and mouth void of shock.

"Well done Fives. Although I would appreciate it if you did your paperwork on time. I don't want to have Rex or Anakin bothering me about it." Obi-Wan spoke good naturedly before heading off with Cody.

"Fives..."

Fives only smiled in response.

"You didn't have to."

"I wanted to." He took your hand in his as he pulled you closer to him. "You needed the break."

"Thank you." You smiled reaching up to kiss him. You really did have the best boyfriend ever.

"I think you deserve a reward cyare." You dragged him back inside the tent, laughing with glee as he picked you bridal style.

"I love you Fives."

"I love you too Y/N."

***

Taglist: @tobitofunction @pinkiemme @lysawayne @shadowfoxey

[jjk-anime-horray]

Meetings and Misfortune

Dazai Osamu x reader x Oda Sakunosuke

Series Summary: While Dazai finally gets over the death of his friend and moves on with his life, he has to watch him unnaturally return into the would, and now he has to watch him turn twisted and into everything he hated in a way.

Chapter Summary: Dazai finally reveals to the agency the situation they are dealing with, but their important meeting is interrupted by a public incident.

Trigger Warnings: Emotional trauma, mentions of extreme violence, mentions of emotional distress, mentions of illegal activities, and strong language.

Previous Chapter: Needed Connections

"Dazai, so you are saying that the usual agency's level of vigilance may not be against your undead associate if they choose to attack us, and the new unknown group radicals I presume." Voiced the president in his authority laced tone after Dazai finished explaining to the agency the new situation they are in.

"Not maybe, will not be, everyone should travel in at least teams of two, the unknown group we do not have any information on, other than the fact that they can raise the dead an control them, whether it's one person with the ability or one person with a necromancy ability and another one with a mind control ability, I have no idea. We do know that we could very possibly see more revived assassins in the coming times until we find the ability user or whatever is resurrecting them."

"Alright, everyone pay attention!" The president doomed, but mostly at Ranpo eating snacks in the corner. "I am going to make it official that everyone stay in a group of two or more at all times for everyone's safety for the time being, the groupings will vary from day to day based on daily assignments, but it's going to be a new rule that you cannot leave the building unless you have a partner with you. Dazai and (Y/N), shift your investigation to work on finding the new radical group, everyone is dismissed."

With that everyone rushed to go to various activities and investigations, but not without an eerie uncertainty that wasn't present before. Whatever it was is was definantly keeping you on edge, and you had a feeling that something it wasn't going to go ideally today at all, but you didn't know why, the classic hunch.

"Hey Daz, do you have any ideas where to start with looking for this new group, I have one, but it's something neither of us are going to like."

"If you mean anything other than asking the port mafia if they've had any rival groups show up than no, but it's quite the possibility that we could ask mutual-boom...... Did you hear that (Y/N)?"

"Yeah I did.....Do you know where that came from? It was kind of faint so maybe it was someone dropping something like a BUZZ BUZZ...wait a second Yosano just texted me."

Check the news. Was all that flashed on your phone's screen, and now you're curious so you check the news app, but the headline was far from pleasant.

BOMB SET OFf BY UNKOWN ROBBER GROUP AT BANK TO ESCAPE, MORE DETAILS TO ARRIVE SHORTLY.

"Oh shit, Dazai I know where we're heading next."

-----

"Well this is definantly not what I wanted to do today." He said staring at an computer, occasionally making a little clinking sound.

"You never want to do anything Dazai." You said as you were going through they bank's filing system.

The two of you were currently going through the bank's resources to find out what exactly the robber's stole. When you got to the crime scene it was blatantly obvious that this was not the usual heist considering that once you got there the two of you were told that no alarms were set off during the thieves stealing process. Meaning that they got in undetected. What was even weirder is that no money was actually stolen. The current bank you were at also offered an high-end, state of the art security vault to filthy rich buyers, with that being said the robbers most likely didn't use the bomb to escape, but to get into the vault instead.

So, the two of you were figuring out what they stole because clearly they went through a lot of trouble to get to it, and it had to be something more than just high value considering that the vault looked completely full, and all the items currently resting in it were family heirloom jewelry, paintings, and almost virtually anything a rich person would want to keep safe.

But, due to the bank's privacy policy there is not master list of all of the items in there, instead they kept in portfolios of the buyer's, so they two of you had to cross check every item in there until you figured out what was missing. While Dazai was checking the security footage, you were checking the items.

"Do you see anything on the security feed that hints to who these guys are?"

"Unfortunately the group of three were smart enough to have their faces completely covered, so the answer to that would be no. Also unfortunately there is no feed useable after the bomb was set off, but given the fact that they didn't bring any bags with them means that they stole something that could fit in their pockets. Maybe like a flash drive or something."

"Actually not a flash drive." Is all you said to cause your partner to turn around, then you elaborated. "It was a key, but unfortunately the buyer paid the bank extra money to keep their name anonymous, so we don't have any leads from that."

"Well, we know what the key looks like or do we not?"

"Yeah, there's a picture right here." You hand him the file containing all the information given about this key.

Unlike most keys it has two heads meaning that it's meant to unlock two different things. They key itself is made out of silver, engraved with some sort of writing all over it but you don't recognize it. It's also tarnished, meaning that it's probably very old along with pretty beaten up.

"It's kinda funky looking, wonder if someone shoved it down my throat it would kill me or not." With that you give your partner a classic glare. "Or not."

"Uh huh, that's what I thought, it does say that key was previously owned by a private collector, while it doesn't say their name, it does say their gallery if you could even call it that is 'Baroque.'

"Wait.....that's the auction that a bunch of filthy rich people go to quarterly, and some of the port mafia go there as well, but how are we going to even get in it's by invite only. We definantly not on the list, and last time I checked it's in about a little less than a week, do you have a miraculous plan. We could always steal someones invite....."

"We aren't going to steal anything! I have a plan, but it's stupid, and it would be a miracle if it worked."

"What might that be?"

"Ask Chuuya to see if he's willing to take me as his plus one."

At this point in time Dazai was the one staring at you, but not in they death glare way, in the way like did you literally just say that to my face sort of way.

"I'm so betrayed (Y/N)."

"Well do you have any better ideas?"

Truth be told he didn't, and he knew that his rival did have an invite because he saw him go to that auction in the past. He knew if he asked he would most definantly be killed in a matter of seconds, but you actually had a slim chance of actually convincing the short red head to help you, even if it's only temporary.

"Do you have any tips before I go Daz?"

"If you want the annoyance to actually give you a chance, you should bring some high-end wine as a bargaining chip."

While nodding in agreement, you stood up, and rushed to find the port executive. Walking into what would most likely become a complete disaster, but it's the only shot you got.

[miah-pooh]

Open Part 1

A/n: Hey Guys, this is a new series I started, at the moment I will be Updating the story everyday till I'm done with this series I know in the ‘Open Series Masterlist it says it has three Chapters but the is more to it. But enjoy Part 2 Will be up tomorrow at 11:30 am Eastern time

Warning: Language, Sexual tension(maybe?)

Word Count: 2.4k 

Chapter 1

After graduating from UA High School and being one of the top students  in your class you were offered a position as a sidekick to the number one hero in America. Once you were sure you were leaving you met with the girls from class to tell them and of course it was water works involved. But they end up helping you pack things and say your last goodbyes to them. It’s been seven years since you left Japan, and three years since you were titled the ‘Youngest Pro Hero’ in America. You were currently in a meeting with your PR manager and assistance going over things, she was talking but you were zoned out not paying attention to what she was saying till you heard the name Deku. You sat up in your seat “wait what was that about Deku again?” “ He emailed you about helping him in an investigation that they're having trouble with, he was wondering if you could fly back to Japan this weekend to go over everything, it seemed like something really big he didn't give any information about what it was about. Saying he would give you the files as soon as you agree to help with.” “ Tell him I’m in and clear everything on my schedule for today so i have time to get ready for my flight and get me the first flight to Japan tomorrow morning, A get me a hotel for two weeks. Text me all the information when you're done” you say as walking out of the office, your PR manager and assistance were staring at each other with a confused look on their face. You were walking to your car thinking about all the possible things that could be so important to call you for help. ‘ Maybe the League of Villains is back or All for one is back, planning something.’ You arrived home and started packing all your necessary things and putting them in your suitcase, you packed your two hero suits and a couple of clothes to last you two weeks for the time being. Once you were done packing your suitcases you moved all three bags to your front door.  Ding You picked up your phone seeing your assistance sending all the information for you flight and the hotel Camie - Flight will be leaving at 5:50 am and I emailed Mr.Deku back saying you'll be there as soon as it's  around 7 or 8 in their time zone. He emailed you back saying he will have someone there to escort you to different places. Is there anything else I need to do? Y/n- Yes can you have a car ready to pick me up to drop me off to the airport, and you have the rest of the week off till i get back. Be safe and text me if you need anything Camie - Done and Thank you but me and Erika were kind of worried when you walked off during our meeting, are you sure everything is okay Y/N? Y/n - Yes im fine it’s just been so long since i been back home but that all it is thank you for checking on me though. It was the next morning and you were getting ready for your flight, you put on some black tights with a red hood that had your hero logo on it and some black and red shoes. You pack a carry bag to keep with you and throw some extra clothes in there if you don't have time to change if anything was to happen. You got a text from your driver's assistant telling you he was outside, you grabbed your purse and carry bag while he put your luggage in the trunk of the truck. On the way to the airport it was quiet and you were on your phone checking the news and somehow the news got out about you heading to Japan. ‘The media is always on my ass and in my business.’ you thought.You finally arrived at the airport and it was 5:38, you put on your hood and some sunglasses so you wouldn't be noticed. You were walking to your private room, you were stationed to stay till it was time to go, you got a couple stares and a couple of fans losing their minds about running into the Number one pro hero but other than that it was pretty smooth. You rested a while in the private room till your flight was announced about to leave, you boarded the plane and went straight to your seat and got comfortable for the 14 hour flight to Japan. You finally arrived in Japan. You made your way off the plane to the front of the airport to wait for your ride but were greeted by many fans and paparazzi that heard you would be coming to Japan. You instantly put on your sunglasses and hood to have a little privacy. “You must be Y/H/N? I'm Deku's assistant Murai. It's a pleasure to have you back here. I’m here to pick you up.” “Yes and it's a pleasure to meet you too but please call me Y/N. '' Murai nodded his head “let me get your luggage for you” he grabbed your luggage and put them in the truck while you made your way inside the truck. When you made it to the hotel you packed all your stuff and took out your hero suit for tomorrow, you pulled your computer out and emailed Deku letting him know you made it in town and you would be staying in your room for the rest of the night. You were exhausted from the time difference and decided to rest till tomorrow . The sun was shining brightly through the white curtains lighting up the room. You rolled out of bed and went to take a shower and got ready for the day, while brushing your teeth you checked your email and were instructed to wear your hero suit and meet at the current number one Hero agency which was Deku. Going through your suitcase to see which hero suit you would wear today, out of the three you pick the black leather jumpsuit with red claw markings in certain places. You made your way down stairs to the lobby and met Murai to take you to Deku’s agency. Once you made it to the agency you were greeted by Deku himself. “Y/H/N it’s so nice to see you again. How have you been?” “I've been good, how are you, number one hero of Japan?” Deku blushed and started walking inside the building with you by his side following him. “I’m good, how is it being the number one hero?” “It’s a lot but I still manage it. What about you?” “It’s fine, stressful but what else to expect when you have millions of people depending on you.” You nod your head in response to deku  “ I understand that, how's everyone else? I haven't seen them in forever?” “Maybe you could ask them yourself” he says smiling as he opens a room door with all your old classmates. Everyone turns around all eyes on you. All the girls run up hugging you at once while squealing in excitement while the boys look around confused as to who was here. Of course Bakugou wasn’t interested in it till Deku walked past the group of girls telling the rest of his old classmates “It’s Y/N, she backs.” Bakugou's eyes instantly got bigger as he heard your name come from Deku’s mouth. After you left unexpectedly Bakugou was heartbroken but Bakugou would never admit that outloud. Kirishimi  screamed “You have the number one hero of America here in Japan?!!”. “Y/N it's been so long since we saw you.” Momo says “How do you leave high school hot and come back hotter than before” Mina says while circling you to get a good look at you. You giggled at her comment “How is America and how does it feel to be number one?” Uraraka says. Everything was going so good, you were talking to your friends you left and haven’t seen in seven years and they still remember you after all these years.” Y'all idiots done aweing over the number one hero of America?” Bakugou says while getting up walking out the room, everyone once again had a confused look on their face including you. Back in highschool you and Bakugou were inseparable, after the first encounter with Bakugou, It was another day in school  and you were training when Aizawa paired you up with Bakugou and he completely lost his shit “You expected me to train with some dumbass that not a challenging me.” Aizawa simply ignored Bakugou outburst cause at this point he was used to it and he knew what you were capable of. “You done bitching about me not being a challenge because i can show ” you say while walking to the field, Bakugou walked towards you with a large grin on his face towering over you “You wanna say that again to my face you little shit” His breathed hit your face sending a shiver down your spine “I said are you done BITCHING about me not being a challenge because I can show you better than I can tell it” You say with a grin on  your face. Before Bakugou could respond Aizawa said “take it out in your training and whoever gets the other down first wins”  The class had to stop training to see Bakugou and you fight. You walked to the other end of the field stretching and getting into your fighting stance, Bakugou did the same, “Start” Bakugou ran up to you throwing a right hook which you easily dodged and returned to him that put a little distant in between the two of you, it took Bakugou off guard at first but he that didn't stop him. He used his blast to him towards you screaming “DIE” it was impossible to dodge that so you took the hit and was pushed back to the end of the field. You got back up running towards Bakugou throwing hits left and right, you had the upper hand in the battle till Bakugou used his left leg to kick you but you grab his leg and twist it causing him to fall and hit the ground, he got back up grabbing your arm that still had a hold on his leg and twisting it behind you back cause you to wince at the pain in your arm you quickly kicked his right leg cause him to loss balance and fall over but with you, his grip on your arm was loose enough to yank your arm from his grip and to grab his arm and pin him to the ground with your knee on his head while your right hand had his right arm in the air “ Tap out Bakugou” was all you said “tch . Aizawa called out to the both of you announcing “Y/N wins” walking off back to the building. You got off Bakugou and started walking to the changing room. As Bakugou got up and watched you walk off he couldn’t help but notice how you always bite back at anyone that tried to down talk you including him and from that day Bakugou knew you were different from the rest and he had respect for you. Deku started to talk saying “ We should head to the conference room now” Everyone made their way to the conference room to discuss what you came here for in the first place. Deku had a seat for you to the right of him while he presented to everyone what they were here for. “You all are probably wondering why I called you all here in regards to the current investigation about the  missing civilians that mysterious returns with their quirks either completely wiped from their DNA or on the verge of losing their quirks. I asked Y/N to help us with this investigation because back in American she had to deal with a similar problem like this and I feel like we needed her help with this.” “You damn Deku, you think we couldn’t handle the damn situation on our own without Miss America's help.” Bakugou says. Todoroki spoke “Bakugou were on a limited time and need this to come to an end before this leads to something bigger than it already is.” “Tch” was all he said Midoriya passed out a manila folder to everyone he had assigned everyone a specific area to patrol and unlucky you were paired with Bakugou. He went over everything that happened since the beginning of the Investigation. Throughout the whole meeting you felt someone's eyes burning holes in you while you tried to pay attention to the information, after the meeting was through everyone made their way out the conference room and went about their business. Before you could even process what you were doing you stopped Bakugou in the hallway, he turned around “Tch what the hell you want Miss America?” “ I want to know why you are acting like that.” “ Why does it matter to you anyways” he snapped as you stood there in shock and decided to bite back “Cause I care about you dumbass” “Apparently you don't if you didn't let me know you were leaving Japan to be a Pro hero in America.” “is that why you’re acting like this” “and if i'm and what are you going to do about it? Huh?” he said while walking off. You were heated from the small argument that just happened between you and Bakugou. During patrol with Bakugou you didn't speak to one another at all. It was an awkward energy between y’all till he spoke again “ Why didn’t you tell me?” you looked at him and figured he was talking about you leaving “ Figured you didn’t care cause we had just graduated and was on our own” Bakugou stayed silent at your response “tch, your right about one thing, but you could've still told me, left and became the ‘youngest number one hero’ and come back like nothing changed and expected me to be all buddy buddy with you.” You continued to walk and ponder what he just said. You had no response so you shrugged your shoulders.

Part 2

[thebutchknownaselaine]

Arcane Sequence: 1987

I have a relatively new novella and would love your opinion on it! Here's the synopsis!

Psychologist Yua Watanabe has never been the most open person but when her best friend gave up on life in Japan, Yua felt like a piece of her did as well. She packed her things as soon as she finished preliminary schooling and moved to the states where her grandparents lived. Life wasn't going to give her a break, however, and a single touch from a stranger can send her into a state from which she worries she can never return. Still, she isn't quite ready to give up on life and with the urging of her friend, she allows a detective to live in her loft. This Detective Schmidt was not who she was expecting.

Sex crime detective Jaime Schmidt is tired of all the angst and stereotypical behavior of those who simply don't understand her. First, her girlfriend kicks her out and then she must live with her highly religious Catholic father and his new "ball and chain". She just wants to get this case she's been confined to taken care of and move into a nice place with her little sister. What she wasn't planning on was the woman who's loft guest room she decides to rent.

The year is 1987 and Portland, Oregon is under attack by a masked man who continues to leave victims in his wake. With LGBT rights also under attack and their own personal obstacles, will this newfound...thing blossoming between Yua and Jaime become something more or simply fizzle away as many things in the world seem to be doing?

And here is a li'l snippet:

"What happened?" Yua asked, desperate for a solid explanation.

Jaime recoiled and looked down at her feet, suddenly finding the tips of her boots very perplexing. "Would you look at that?" She pointed down at them. "My boots are scuffed. I better get to my room and shine them up."

Yua made the mistake of looking down at them as Jaime pointed and mentally chastised herself when they began moving past her in large strides. She caught up and blocked the hallway again, surprising herself with her intrepid actions. For a moment she hesitated, then she clicked her tongue and stared daringly into Jaime's stern eyes.

"Could you move? I wouldn't want this scuff to go unpolished." Jaime feigned tranquility, but her eyes were full of chagrin. "Please, Yua."

The plea struck a nerve in Yua and she dropped her arms, yet remained rooted in place. "Are you alright?" She glanced down at the blood on Jaime's shirt and shivered. "You're... You're hurt."

"Hazard of the job." Jaime said through gritted teeth. Yua hadn't meant to irritate her, but she just couldn't move her feet. No matter how much she may have put herself between Jaime and where she wanted to go, Jaime's next words felt like she was trying to build another wall between them, making Yua flinch. "I thought we agreed that privacy was important."

"Not when you're hurt!" Yua cupped her mouth and her eyebrows shot up. Whose shrill voice was that?

Jaime startled and contorted her face for a moment, then let a long breath out. It hit Yua's face like a wave of hot ocean air and she trembled, this time from something deep within herself she found unrecognizable. Jaime reached out, but stopped and balled her fist. She gave a pained grin and nodded.

"A guy was on top of a woman around one of our crime scenes. I'm pretty sure it was Ryan, but because I had to tackle him, then got sliced to shit all 'cause Kevin can't fuckin' keep up, the tiny lunged bastard, I wasn't able to make a positive ID. I got the wind knocked out of me, or at least that's what I thought, but then I saw the goddamn blood... Blood that I really wanna shower away, so if you don't mind, Yua, I need to get-"

"Are you patched up?"

"What?"

"Are you patched up? Because it looks like you aren't and you are in agony. I can see it, so don't bother lying. I won't hold your need to lie about it against you, if you don't hold the fact that I care against me." Yua popped her mouth shut so quickly her jaw ached and began to wonder where all this courage came from.

Jaime stared deadpanned at her for a few minutes, remaining eerily silent, then her full dimpled grin was alive again. The light in her eyes was back and she leaned in a bit. Yua caught her breath and stayed perfectly still. It only made Jaime smile wider with that glint in her eye Yua had spotted the night of their first dinner. Just as it had been several times before and Yua wanted to know the meaning.

Jaime sobered and backed away. She crossed her arms and her playfulness took over. "You care about me, huh?"

"Am I not meant to?"

"Just hella surprising, that's all." She ran a hand through her hair and glanced over Yua's face. That heat was about to explode her face. Yua just knew it. Jaime smiled and her eyes softened. "I'm okay, Yua. Really."

"At least let me get the first aid kit for you." When Jaime looked away with a sigh, Yua took a step forward, grabbing her attention again. Jaime's eyes grew wide and her lips parted, but no words came out. "Please, Jaime. And let me..." She wanted to bandage Jaime up, make sure she was fine with her own two hands, but she knew that wouldn't be something she could actually do. Could she?

"I'll patch myself up, Yua." The way Jaime said her name made Yua's stomach tighten and she was beginning to think something may be wrong with her. Yua's eyelids involuntarily fluttered and Jaime tilted her head down to catch her eyes again. She glanced up into her hazel iris' and gulped. "You don't need to push yourself on my account. I can manage, okay?"

Yua slinked past her and into the kitchen. She got the first aid kit under the kitchen sink and took it back to her, but didn't dare look her in the eyes again. If she did, she wasn't sure she'd be able to wrench her gaze away once more. Jaime chuckled and walked down the hall to her room.

"Thank you for caring, Yua."

The tightness was back, and Yua tucked into her own room to escape the intensity it held."

This story focuses a lot on dialogue, something I struggle with more than anything. I hope it is something that also strikes a chord with y'all and you love it. Lemme know what you think and please don't forget to click that link!

[forasecondtherewedwon]

So many options, I'm picking 8,16 and 37 (separately of course) also bring on the NSFW 🥵🥵

Thank you for the prompt request, Anon! As I can only respond to your ask once, I’ll be fulfilling prompt 8, but rest assured that I’ve received another request for 37, so I’ll get to that one as well.

Hostel FeelingsPairing: Peter Parker x Michelle Jones (Spideychelle)Rating: E/NSFWWord count: 4826

8. “There’s only one bed.”

The Spider-Man-community-appearances thing was really takingoff. In fact, it had taken off sowell that Peter was beginning to understand the lives of his superhero mentorsin ways he’d never really thought he would get a chance to. Mr. Stark and Mr.Rogers had both been in the spotlight a lot, for very different reasons, andPeter thought he could finally comprehend… just how much those spotlights madeyour back sweat. Seriously, rivers down his spine. Nanotechnology was cool andall, but Peter felt like Mr. Stark could’ve maybe taken a page from Nike orAdidas’s book instead and build in some kind of sweat-wicking layer. Metaldidn’t breathe.

Apparently, the old suit wasn’t as impressive. Didn’t havethat shine seldom seen outside Mr.Clean ads like the new suit did.

Oh sure, the metal Spidey-suit was fun to wear, filled Peterwith pride, and looked awesome―all gleaming and eye-catching for the generalpublic and flocks of photographers―except once it was heated under thoselights, it was a human barbecue, expensively and meticulously molded to fitPeter and only Peter. (Or some other guy about his height, build, and shoesize. Or girl. Or even, like, any well behaved dog. Maybe a Border Collie? Hewas confident that the old model mask would stretch to fit a long snout, havingonce seen it filled by Ned’s foot. There’d been an explanation at the time, butit had been so weird that Peter had given up trying to understand and basicallyforgotten about it since then.)

Anyway, Peter may have made some subtle complaints about thelights and suit combo. Even though―he swore!―hehadn’t done it to bug Happy, next thing he knew, he was getting a call fromPepper, who totally ratted on Happy as bringing Peter’s ‘whining’ to herattention. She had a plan, or her people had a plan, or the Avengers’ PR team(who still could’ve been Pepper’s people, Peter didn’t know) had a plan.

Then there were informational meetings and strategy meetingsand branding meetings and itinerary meetings and somewhere between ‘summerworld tour’ and ‘big white marquees,’ Peter heard the word ‘shade’ and said theword ‘yes.’

May was in, of course, thrilled by the idea of a vacationand hopefully nothing else, if it was up to her nephew; Happy was going alongtoo and Peter knew his aunt knew, and that she knew he knew she knew, and thatthis might still not be enough to head off any potential canoodling. He didhave to thank their disturbing occasional flirting for one thing though: itgave Peter the idea to ask if MJ could come too. Not for all of it, just acountry or two.

He’d also asked about Ned tagging along, but once again,Happy got wind and refused to include Peter’s best friend on any of the stopsoutside of the continental United States. Apparently, Ned made Happy feel likehe was on a game show―not the win-a-million-bucks kind, but thehave-questions-rapidly-fired-at-you kind. But Happy hadn’t met Peter’sgirlfriend, so some unvoiced reason prevented him from barring her from thetrip. Ethics or something. The point was, MJ was coming with him. And that MJwas his girlfriend. That was also the point.

It had turned out to be easier than Peter had thought toconfess his feelings to MJ. Especially after she told him she knew he wasSpider-Man… and then that she knew he liked her. Luckily, she liked him too,which she was also prepared to disclose. Peter was aware that he was thesuperhero, but MJ was definitely the brave one.

Between the tour’s schedule and MJ’s (which she repeatedlyinformed Peter was the more important of the two―always said with a teasingsmirk on her face), they would meet up in Italy for three weeks in August. Thatwas kinda nice, since they’d both enjoyed Venice during the school trip. MJalso appreciated that all of her expenses were being covered, including the flightover so that she wouldn’t have to worry about booking tickets last minute whentheir schedules finally aligned.

To give Peter additional time out of the suit (wow, Happymust have really laid it on thick about Peter’s so-called ‘whining’), it wasarranged that he and MJ would be allotted extra travel days between appearancedates. They could visit museums, eat, take pictures, eat, go shopping,eat―generally get a feel for a ton of places in Italy that their Midtown triphadn’t covered.

A week into Peter’s MJ time (he never called it that outloud), he was getting sick of hostels, their accommodations of choice. Only itwasn’t the stuff about hostels that people usually got sick of, like, havingtheir belongings stolen, or rooms with too many bunkbeds and not enoughprivacy, or rats. Peter had heard that there were sometimes rats. What wasmaking him restless was brushing his teeth next to MJ after dinner in thecommunal washroom and seeing her foamy toothpaste smile in the mirror. Passingher in the hall, both of them in pajamas, as she headed for the room reservedfor girls, while he went to the one for guys. Catching her eye as they eachshut the door of those rooms and knowing as surely as he knew he was Spider-Manthat he was going to suffer all night because he couldn’t roll over and see herface or pull her warm body close to his.

That was a thing too. The thought of them sleeping together.In senses of the word that he was not comfortable discussing with May in themiddle of a public restaurant, no matter how many times she tried to spring theconversation on him, claiming she wanted to make sure he was mentally preparedand, jeeze, a lot of other stuff that he’d drowned out by loudly chewing astarter salad. May had also been the reason that Peter and MJ sleeping togetherhad not happened at all, let alone as many times as he would’ve liked it to.(Ideally more than once a day, and twice on Saturday mornings.) His aunt wasjust around. There was nothing more to it than that. Peter loved her so much,but he sometimes wanted May to decide that he could be alone in the apartmentall night, no questions asked.

He probably could’ve finagled something with theaccommodations during this trip if the thought of going up to Pepper andrequesting one hotel room for him and MJ to share didn’t make him feel like theheated embarrassment on his face was trying to burn him alive. Peter hadpracticed a couple of times in bathroom mirrors while the tour was movingthrough France; no good―he was an easy blusher.

The only thing he was capable of doing was behaving himself,holding MJ’s hand all day long and breaking off kisses while he still felt likehe could. Peter kept his underlying frustrations well hidden. Meaning MJprobably knew everything.

For years, Peter had been developing the belief (and thenbeen mentored into it even further by Mr. Stark) that science was the answer.The question didn’t matter. Being in a school lab, theorizing new chemicalcombinations, or taking stuff apart―possibly not always being able to fixit―let him be both excited and totally calm at the same time. Probably likepeople who climbed really high mountains, with icepicks or whatever. God, hehad tried that, fiddling with tech in the non-metal suit he had packed in hisbackpack for emergencies while the metal one was carefully housed andtransported with Pepper and the rest of the tour crew. Evidently, even themight of science was humbled in the face of teenage hormones. So he was goingthe route of a true man of science and trying a different approach totemporarily escape his desires.

“Fresh air?” MJ asked again, looking skeptical and also so beautiful as they walked out intoearly golden light. Peter didn’t look back at the hostel they’d just checkedout of. It was no friend of his.

“Yeah,” he said excitedly, “I was researching on my phonelast night and I found this plum orchard place that’s only like, an hour out ofour way, and it’s really scenic and rural and it’s kind of like a bed andbreakfast too? And it said they make their own―”

“So,” she interrupted as Peter was extracting his phone fromhis pocket to win MJ over with pictures of the property, “this is like adaytrip or we’re changing our plans and staying overnight there?”

“Um, the second one. Is that ok?”

“Yes, dork, it’s ok with me. But I’m not the one bankrollingthis little holiday.”

“I called this morning to let…” He paused, cautiously eyeinga couple ambling past them. “…our friendsknow. They said the rooms are taken care of under some company name that won’tmake it obvious that one of us is an Avenger.”

MJ frowned at him, then yawned massively. Well, herirreverence over him dropping the A-word would keep him humble.

“Jeeze, Peter, how early were you up? And you stayed up latelast night figuring this out too?”

Peter attempted an innocent closed-lipped smile.

“Oh, just couldn’t sleep.”

One coach bus ride with a group of Austrian tourists later(Pepper’s people really could gettickets for anything), and Peter and MJ were deposited at a stately yet homeywhite villa surrounded by green Tuscan countryside. He wasn’t sure he’d everseen anything so green. The Hulk could come here for hide and seek. But it wasbetter to keep a lid on these supernatural-themed remarks, so Peter didn’t sayanything out loud. The two of them crunched across gravel, craning for one lastglimpse of the sprawling orchard of plum trees on the other side of a hedge.Well, Peter was craning. MJ could probably see over it no problem.

She was blinking, eyes adjusting to the indoors, when theyentered, so he steered them over to someone who looked like staff. Not being ahotel, there wasn’t an obvious front desk or anything. At least they had areservation. That was comforting.

“Hi, um, buon giorno.Uh, mi chiamo Peter Parker.”

“Ah, benvenuto!”the man said immediately, warm eyes sparkling in a way that Peter was beginningto find very Italian.

“Grazie,” he andMJ replied together. Phew, that was one of the words he definitely had down.

He assumed the guy recognized his name because the rooms hadbeen booked so recently. It set Peter even more at ease and he followed the manto a computer where he assumed his booking was being pulled up.

“Bene,” the manconcluded, glancing at his guests with a friendly smile. “Already paid,” heproceeded in lightly bouncing English. “The room upstairs with windows facing east.”

“The rooms,” MJ jumpedin with a reassuring smile. Peter guessed the smile was to show she wasn’ttrying to be condescending by correcting the man’s mistake, just accurate. Shecould be particular like that sometimes.

Except, uh oh, the guy was frowning.

“Una camera,” he said,eyes darting back to the computer.

“Due,” MJcountered, holding up two fingers. She and Peter exchanged a glance too shortto allow him to convey everything he was thinking.

The man did some more staring at the screen.

“Due persone, una camera,” he concluded, facing themand holding his hands palms-up.

“He thinks the reservation was for two people in one room,”MJ told Peter.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought I was getting,” he replied.Still having a lot of feelings about that.

“Con bagno,” theman supplied, going with a conciliatory smile.

“There’s a bathroom attached,” MJ muttered automatically.Yeah, she’d totally been putting in time with her English-to-Italiandictionary. What a nerd.

“It’s just,” Peter said to the man, willing a certainoutcome with his eyes that he wasn’t ready to admit to out loud, “we meant toeach get a room. Each of us in our own room.”

“All of the other rooms have been booked,” the man said.“Last reservation was for you. But one room is ok, yes? You’re having abeautiful vacation with your girlfriend.” He shot MJ a playfully sly look.“Everything has worked out,” he concluded in a tone of absolutely certaintythat Peter had also identified as very Italian.

The man handed MJ the key and pointed in the direction ofthe stairs. As they talked on the way up, Peter didn’t think he’d hadbutterflies like this since he’d found out she liked him back.

“It’s not like it actually matters,” his girlfriend said, cutting their situation down tosize.

“No, not really,” Peter agreed.

He kept looking at her out of the corner of his eye. Did sherealize? Crap, they did it at the same time. His gaze shot forward.

“Sharing a room with one person I actually know is going tobe nothing after hostel life,” she continued. This was practically rambling forMJ. She’d said ‘actually’ twice. Peter clamped his lips together, trying not togrin.

“For sure. It’ll be roomy.”

“Exactly.” They arrived at the top of the stairs and wentdown the hallway. MJ was nearly marching, fully of what appeared to be newfoundcertainty that she had a handle on everything. “I’ll be in my bed and you’ll beway across the room in yours.”

“Right.”

The word ‘bed’ made swallowing a struggle. Peter wasofficially an idiot. Then again, MJ’s hand was shaking as she unlocked the doorto their room, signifying that she was an idiot too. It would be fine though.He would act normal. Sleeping in the same room? Not a big deal. It’d be likesleepovers at Ned’s.

The door swung open. They both thought it―Peter knew theydid―but MJ was the one who said it.

“There’s only one bed.”

They discovered that there was a lot to do (outside,isolated, away from urban distractions) all day when returning to their roomwasn’t an option, and a lot to say to each other when mentioning the room wasalso off the table. After making sure it was allowed, Peter and MJ took alengthy walk down avenue after leafy avenue of plum trees. His heart surged ashe squinted through dappled light at her smiling face. When the heat rose inthe afternoon, they feasted on bruschetta at a shaded table next to thehouse―the owners’ homegrown tomatoes were also in season. MJ had gone up totheir room alone to change before lunch and the bright, wet red of the dicedtomatoes against the dazzling summer blue of the plate their food had beenserved on was almost enough to keep Peter’s eyes off her legs.

The afternoon stretched luxuriously while they stayed insideto escape the hottest hours; Peter worked out some equations in a notebook andMJ read Dante’s Paradiso. (She saidshe liked to theme her holiday reading based on location―her bookishness madehim starry-eyed.) After a while, not planning to, he realized his notebook wasin his lap and he was watching her. This place kind of was paradise, thoughPeter missed New York, but he was definitely in hell. How was he supposed to…?What was he going to…? Man, she was pretty.

He couldn’t remember what they ate for supper, diningcommunally with the handful of other guests. Any fresh, local ingredients werewasted on Peter that night. Was it possible that he hadn’t stared at MJ acrossthe table for the entire meal? Yes. Was it probable? No. He made excuses abouttoo much sun, pretending like he’d zoned out and his gaze had only happened toland on her because she was right in front of him.

“Your face is kindof red,” she agreed, then reached over to lay her fingers on his forehead. Itcould have been clinical if MJ hadn’t brushed her fingertips through his hairbefore she drew her hand back.

Peter smiled, feeling weak.

“Sun,” he repeated.

They were quiet going upstairs. The wooden steps had acomfortable old groan to them that managed to feel familiar to two people wholived in apartment buildings with concrete stairwells. Their arms skimmed asthey walked. Peter exhaled slowly through his mouth, drawn closer to MJ in ahallway settling into its own navy shadows.

“Hold on a sec,” he finally said while she unlocked thedoor. His hand was suddenly on her wrist, then stroking over the back of herhand.

MJ kissed him before Peter could tell her why he’d asked herto wait, which was great because he had no idea. He kissed her in return,slowly, holding her face with one hand so it stayed where he wanted it. Thesoft bump let him know that yes, he really had backed MJ up that tiny half-stepit took to hit the closed door. She slouched against it, keeping their kisslevel while everything inside Peter unbalanced. Somehow, his thigh was pushingwith its own determination between her legs. He wondered what her skin feltlike right below the hem of her white denim shorts. He wondered what it feltlike underneath them too.

Peter’s hands went to her hips with a squeeze that woke himup a little. He put his palms on the door instead. Gradually, the kiss loosenedand the distance between their mouths grew until their lips didn’t touch again.The last thing he shifted away from her was his lower body. He’d been hardagainst her. That was another fact for MJ to collect, another detail. It wasn’tmuch work to be observant with him. Peter gave it all away.

She finished letting them into their room while he tried notto pant on the back of her neck like a wolf about to sink its teeth in. Therewas a feeling between them, he thought. This was nothing like strolling into ahostel together after a gelato excursion or holding hands in one of a millionpiazzas. Piazze? MJ had more wordsdown than he did.

So they got changed separately―Peter in the bathroom and MJin the bedroom―but they tugged each other’s pajamas when the two of themslipped by at the threshold between rooms. And they brushed their teeth side byside― he splashed his mouth to clear away toothpaste―but he saw MJ breathinghard when water rolled down his chin, her dazed eyes on it until it passedunder the neck of his t-shirt. And they caught each other watching each other―Peterfolded down his side, she kept hers squared up to the head of the bed―as theycrawled between the sheets.

MJ had opened the large window earlier and the air had comein with the low sounds of people talking while they drank limoncello. Maybe Peter and MJ moved closer because of the breeze.Or maybe there was no breeze because the heat of an Italian August is still andinevitable. They could’ve related to part of that, if they’d thought about it.

“Pretty sure you’re supposed to be way across the room,” MJmurmured. Her foot found his.

The bedroom wasn’t so dark for him and his eyes traced thecurves of her face.

“Pretty sure you’re the one who didn’t stay on their side ofthe bed.”

“Prove it,” she said as her ankle crossed his.

Peter’s clipped laugh accompanied a smile that went widethen disappeared completely. His heart pounded.

“I’ll see you in court,” he said, lips hitting hers when hespoke.

She rolled on top of him and Peter gripped the back of herthigh just below her ass as his tongue shoved into her mouth. Her body forcedthe breath out of him―not her body’s weight, but its presence―and when he couldinhale, it was with an audible waver. Using his other hand, Peter inched theside of MJ’s tank top up until he could put his hand on her bare waist. Shedragged him deeper into the kiss, found the hem of his t-shirt and, with moreconfidence than he’d used, jerked the fabric upward as far as she could whileit was mostly trapped between them. Her pulse seemed to be right there, in herstomach when their skin met. Peter liked it, how MJ felt against him. A lot.

Their lips unlocked and they stared at each other. Her hairtickled his cheek.

“I’m on the pill,” she abruptly informed him.

“O-oh.” His face probably looked surprised, but he hoped itwas at least a good surprised,because that was how he felt.

“Apparently, sending a teenage daughter abroad to meet hernerdy yet deceptively well-muscled boyfriend in a country famous for its nudeartwork is the kind of thing that makes mothers nervous. Or so I’ve found.”

MJ pushed herself up on her elbows enough to shrug. Peterwas still struggling to exist, but knew it was time to generate a response.

“I’m… glad?” he tried, then frowned slightly. Did that makeit sound like he was happy her mother was worried? A second attempt wasnecessary. “Was the description of me your words or hers?”

“You weren’t actually mentioned during the birth controlacquisition outing, but you were strongly implied.“

Peter gathered her hair at the back of her neck, the slackcircle of his fingers standing in for an elastic.

“So, what you’re saying is that it’s your description.” Hegrinned at her as she rolled her eyes.

“Calm down, nerd. It was just a statement of facts. Am Isupposed to have somehow not noticedyour body?”

“Oh, I don’t think you’ve just noticed it,” he countered, gaspingin a breath when her palm smoothed over his abdomen. “I think you’ve thought about it.”

She went in for a kiss, probably to shut him up, but Peterdodged her, thanking his supernaturally speedy reflexes. Sighing like she wasgoing to complain about his teasing became much better sighing as his mouth ranalong her neck. Slowly, Peter started to kiss her skin. MJ’s upper body grewless tense and she dropped back onto him completely. Then, she started to pant.He licked a line, chasing her pulse.

“Fucking hostels,” she groaned and grabbed his face to kisshim on the lips again.

He moaned into her mouth as she wriggled to push her soft PJcapris off. Helpfully, Peter lifted the hand on her leg, then put it right backdown on naked skin. He raised his hips, grinding into her thigh. When she gavehim a little more space, he was sad, but not stupid; he hurriedly kicked hisown bottoms off, then yanked his shirt over his head before sitting up andgoing after hers. MJ raised her arms and the corner of his mouth ticked withhow vulnerable she was, how much she trusted him.

Pajamas shed, they both shuffled back down under the sheet.God, he wanted to reach out for her. His fingers flexed.

“It’s ok to―” he started to check, gaze descending.

“It was ok like three hostels ago,” MJ assured him.

She grabbed his hand and set it on her hip, then scootedtowards him, making his palm run over her skin. Peter thought about their daytogether. All their days together. He kissed her hard and let his hand travel.There was a noise in the back of her throat that stiffened him an improbable(not impossible―he was a scientist, he allowed for possibilities) fractionmore.

He didn’t push MJ onto her back, only fingering her gentlyin a way that made her shaky, but that was how she ended up. Still dumbstruckat the wetness as he traced between her thighs, Peter continued to trail thetip of his middle finger over and around her clit as he climbed onto her. Herhands were busy too; he hadn’t expected the greediness behind MJ’s touch as shecaressed his abs, gripped his biceps, and, most daringly (with a bold raise ofher chin as she met his eye), groped his ass. There was so much to ask herabout later. Clearly, she really had had a few thoughts in all that time she’dspent observing him. That was excellent, in Peter’s opinion.

Her hands stopped roving to grasp his hips, so Peter movedhis coaxing fingers away and ground directly against her in a determined drag.She cried out, legs jumping up to shelter his hips. He clenched his jaw.Parting her thighs slightly wider―more as a hint than because she needed to, hethought―MJ guided him that little bit lower, invited him. He looked into herface for long enough to be fully in love with her by the end of it.

“Per favore,Parker,” she whispered up to him, utterly fucking with him. “Per favore.”

“I know what that one means,” Peter said. He pressed thehead of his erection against her.

“Then why aren’t my manners getting me anything?”

He released a short laugh and started to ease inside her. Rightaway, he heard MJ’s breathing get rough and dropped his forehead to hershoulder, rubbing a hand soothingly across her arm. She shook her head after aminute. Peter thrust a little deeper, questioningly. MJ nodded rapidly. Heinhaled like he meant it and slid further. The heat in the room that they’ddefinitely added to, the midnight sounds of the countryside, the scent of herbody on clean sheets―nothing won out in the battle for his attention over thefeeling of her, so tight around him that pleasure was an agony.

MJ hooked her arms below his, damp palms pressed to thecenter of his back, and let out a contented sigh that felt too private to hear.But then again, Peter guessed they were redefining those boundaries now. Heworked his way out and back in with a focused care. A few more minutes ofgentle rocking had MJ’s hips joining in and Peter sighed too, like she’d takenaway some massive burden. It wasn’t that at all, just that this was the greatestthrill of his life―and he threw himself off skyscrapers on a regular basis!

Once they started, it only gained momentum. For real, itcould’ve been graphed or something to demonstrate the exponential escalation.Peter thought that afterwards, of course. Inside of those immeasurable moments,he was living from second to second with MJ. Her nails were short, but he feltthem in his lower back, urging him on. When her neck arched, he licked it. Allthe time, their hips were going like crazy. The intensity was almostunbearable. That didn’t mean Peter would slow down though, especially not whileMJ kept saying “faster” every few seconds at an increasingly higher pitch.

She climaxed suddenly and he felt like he’d been riding abike that had just hit a curb, sending him flying over the handlebars; thestrength of her squeeze, holding him irresistibly, was a power Peter was notequipped to fight. It brought him to his knees. Metaphorically. Physically, hewas still on top of her, thrusting shallowly through his orgasm while he waitedfor his brain to reassemble and tried to keep forcing those shuddering gaspsout of MJ.

They collapsed together after another minute: her backlanding on the bed and him landing on her. She made sure to exaggerate how muchhe was squashing her, while also wrapping her legs around him and pressing herface intimately into his neck.

“Laugh now,” she encouraged, “but how will you live withyourself after crushing me?”

“I can feel you smiling against my throat.”

Her face twitched as he felt her getting her expressionunder control.

“I was getting ready to bite you. You know, battle my wayfree.”

“Oh, sure.”

“Tell me you’ve never taken down a bad guy like that,” MJchallenged.

“With my teeth?”

“It’s called using all the weapons in your arsenal.”

Peter’s arms closed in around her and he smiled to himselfwhen MJ’s palms went to his biceps as he moved.

“Good thing you came for part of the tour. These are usefultips.”

“You know what they say. Behind every superhero is agirlfriend, assessing their combat technique and checking out their ass.”

He laughed hard, kissed her, and laughed some more. Hersmirk was delightfully smug.

“I knew you were thinking about it,” Peter teased quietly,mouth on her throat. His hips jerked.

She made a round mmmof agreement, her fingers raking into his hair.

“One more piece of advice,” MJ offered.

“I’m listening,” he promised, barely bucking.

“No―” she gasped, “―more hostels. I sleep where you sleep.”

“Or not so much sleep as…”

The white sheet twisted helplessly as MJ pushed a grinning Peteronto his back.

Pick a prompt for a Spideychelle drabble!

[lizzybeth1986]

Quick Thoughts on TRR Book 3 Chapter 11

• Again, fam, I'm not entirely sure I'll have this QT out in time but I hope I will. My surgery has been fixed for next Thursday, and I'd like to finish whatever I can before I leave for hospital. It's going to be hard, but fingers crossed I can get it done.

Here is Part 2 of Chapter 11's Quick Thoughts once you're through with this one!

• I'm noticing a narrative pattern here! Whenever something devastating is happening right in front of us (like the two attacks in the palace) they immediately pick up from where they left off in the previous chapter, bring that portion to its dramatic conclusion, and then play the opening theme (in this case, it's the sad version of the TRR title track). They used a similar narrative format in Chapter 1 of this book.

• This is also the third time the sad TRR track plays in the book. The only time it was played sans the narrative style of Chapter 1 and Chapter 10's openings, was in Chapter 6, after the orchard at Applewood was burned. All at points of time when all hope seems to be lost, before our lead characters get up, dust themselves off, and resolve to keep going despite everything and everyone against them.

• It was pretty clear that Constantine would sacrifice his life in this chapter, given the way he was talking at the end of the last one. It's the kind of symbolic send-off one tends to write for a character one knows will die sooner than he anticipates. Which is why even though I'm kinda pissed that Leo comes now when everything seems safe, I understand why having him there is so important. In the narrative, Leo is an important part of the closure that comes before Constantine's demise.

•

A few notes on Constantine's demise:

1. He's right about one thing: it definitely is a better end for him. He dies a hero. Cordonia never finds out that he was going to die anyway. No one gets to know what he did to the future Queen/newest Duchess either. I'm still going to be unhappy about this because it's a way better end than the man deserves.

2. I know I would find it disturbing if the man who arranged for me to be harmed in multiple ways in his own house was hailed a hero during his funeral, with only me and a handful of other people knowing he had done, and without the option of ever opening up about who was really behind it. I don't know about you, but my MC Esther would definitely feel conflicted about that.

3. Also..."everything I did, it was for you...whether or not it was right". Sorry Constantine, but that's a load of bullshit. After all this time, this man is still making excuses just before he dies. Liam answered this brilliantly in the last book - Constantine had a choice. He always had a choice. There were other, better ways of getting the MC out of the competition if that was his goal but no, his mind went straight to privacy violations and assault.

4. Also, while he pledged to help us under pressure from Liam, the fact remains that the brunt of his actions were borne by other people. The MC's name was dragged into the mud and SHE had to run around and make all the effort of setting it right. Liam was forced into a loveless match that would have culminated in a disastrous marriage had Tariq not cooperated, and he had to work on figuring out who was behind this not knowing his own family was involved. In all this, Constantine did all the work of making his own home as unsafe for his guest as it could possibly get, and very little of the work in restoring her reputation in the eyes of all of Cordonia. Did he apologize? Sure he did. But that doesn't change a damned thing. It doesn't change the fact that he sowed evil and left it for other people to reap.

5. I find his last line to Liam quite poignant though. "You are Cordonia". That's a very loaded statement, and a very accurate one. And I think if there is anything that can keep Liam strong and carry him forward, it's that. No one in this book is as immersed in the culture, history and spirit of Cordonia as Liam is - which is why he makes the best king for the nation. Because he knows it intimately and cares for it, he knows what this country needs so it can heal. Even if it takes a while for Liam to realize that himself.

6. So long, old man.

• Title: Cold Fire. Kinda fitting, considering our tour has now moved to Lythikos, but the 'heat' of the tensions within the court have turned up several notches. It could also refer to that sick, sick burn Drake delivered to Madeleine today though 😂😂😂

• Alternative titles:

Drink What Everyone Else Is Drinking. Good For Health.

Drake Doesn't Need A Sword to Slay Assholes. Nor Does Olivia, Apparently.

@callmetippytumbles suggested a shorter and better alternative title to that one, and it's: Drake Roasts And Gets Roasted.

• I was hoping we would spend at least a chapter in the Capitol and, yknow, actually help Liam work through his grief, but nope. Flash-forward it is.

• Bastien is in hospital now, with injuries sustained from escorting people out of the palace, so Mara (who apparently hasn't been sleeping since the attack) is the one doing the debriefing on his behalf.

• It's clear to Liam and our friends NOW that whoever has been conspiring against us was a part of the Unity Tour and working from the inside (bruh, I could have told you that long ago). I'm thinking now that if Neville is part of this plan, perhaps the duel was meant to serve as a distraction so arrangements could be made within the time that the entire court was out in the courtyard. Just a theory.

• This was also alluded to in Perfect Match, when one of Nadia's alternative identities is Steel, a guest in the 'royal's tour who is actually an assassin.

•

This is perhaps the closest we get to Liam confessing how much all this has been affecting him, and sadly enough, he doesn't have enough time to really work through his grief. The suggestion to continue to Lythikos and get their answers there comes from Liam, and he speaks of it as something Constantine would have wanted. It isn't entirely healthy, but I think this is the way Liam has been brought up and it's hard for him to give himself time to be vulnerable, to give himself the space to grieve properly. Because now more than ever he has an entire country depending on him, and the royal family is known for projecting displays of strength and stoicism even if they don't feel it. It's not a good way of working through one's issues, but it's probably the only way Liam knows to deal with his trauma. I feel like in a lot of ways he's reliving especially the assassination attempt that happened earlier, but worse because someone he loved actually died this time. I'd definitely see some signs of PTSD at work here, even if it's suppressed. Particularly given that he speaks of feeling empty.

•

Waitaminute...are you telling me that Esther, the future Queen of Cordonia, is going to attend a Ball, her fiancé's father's funeral, a meeting, and an entire trip to Lythikos in this fever dream of a costume???

Fine. Fine, Esther, I give up. Fanta bottle inspired Stephanie Seymour gown it is 🙄

• What Madeleine says about the effect the MC has (particularly if the MC chooses all the right options during the tour) on people is very very similar to the last thing Constantine said before he died:

I'm guessing in a lot of ways this is seen as the MC's personal victory. Constantine and Madeleine were the two people who believed least that the MC had anything of value to give if she became Queen or a person of power in Cordonian politics. It was a long hard road to achieving this level of confidence even in her naysayers, so in a lot of ways the MC now truly is a unifying factor. Which makes me wonder what they say if you do a gag-run instead where the MC fails miserably during the tour. I know @boneandfur is doing such a playthrough as of now, but I don't know exactly if Madeleine and Constantine's words to her change in such an eventuality.

•

OMG. The design team is KILLING IT with the OOTD this week! It's gorgeous, and it tells us plenty about the Lythikos duchy and the Nevrakis House! For those of you who haven't read my House Sigils essay, I theorized that red was one of the house tinctures (colours), and that the sigil was either a sword or a spider. The flaming sword is attached to the gown (possibly as a brooch pin). @i-dream-so-i-write and I discussed this, and it was she who pointed out that Diavolos signature weapon was the flaming sword, as can be seen from the above picture. I'm not sure which metallic colour would form the second colour/tincture, but evidence seems to be learning more towards silver (there is a little gold on the brooch-sword, so it could be either). Tldr: I love this gown. It has that grace and effortless style that I've come to associate with Nevrakis fashion.

• Olivia is wearing the gown she wore for her Coronation. Come to think of it, the Scarlet Duchess moniker that Olivia got would refer to way more than her fashion. Given that it's one of her house colours and she was proud to be a Nevrakis especially at the time, Scarlet Duchess would mean so much to her. So much.

• So we're seated in the front and served fresh, piping hot food. SWEET! XD This time we get to order stuff. Maxwell gets fondue, Hana gets glazed salmon and Drake has ordered for ribs.

• Olivia: I had to request a few changes for your more...rustic palette.

Drake: Are you expecting a thanks? Because you're not getting one.

You're in for the meal of your life, Walker 😂

•

If you've never liked Olivia at all before? This scene in reason enough 😂😂😂

• Lucretia drops by to make more heavy hints about marriage prospects for Olivia (including relief that her niece wasn't scarred from rubble. How...caring).

• Olivia and Liam then perform the opening dance (like they did during the social season) and Liam takes this opportunity to find out what she knows. He gets little, beyond her worries about having to marry someone Lucretia will pick for her. Hana points out that perhaps "one has to wonder who Lucretia wants Olivia to marry". Good question.

• But before that, Kiara comes up to the MC to tell her she will be withdrawing from court after the Winter Festival ends. Kiara's argument is sound - she had already extended her public support and seems to be attending the wedding. But now is a dangerous time to be a part of the court, and Kiara's doing what she can to stay safe. Remember, she was the only noblewoman in court injured during the attack at Homecoming Ball, a fact that was given hardly a minute of consideration before the MC "convinced" her to join them again.

• Hana mentions that perhaps they can speak to her before she returns. I hope this means we will FINALLY address what happened to Kiara and look into possible - very valid - concerns about her safety. This is something we SHOULD have been talking about when we meet her at Castelserraillian, but no. PB decided to create a whole new character instead just so Kiara wouldn't get the attention she deserved as a character.

• Then again, she is seen as a suspect in a way none of the other court ladies (besides Olivia, and she's only viewed as such because of her family history) are. Sigh. The MC gets the option to speculate that she "knows something" and Drake gets to answer that "we must suspect everyone". DRAKE. Who ALSO got wounded at the same Ball that she was wounded in. Ugh. I mean I shouldn't be surprised considering he gets angry about people not supporting Liam barely hours after he got shot, but he's friends with the King. Kiara is not, and if she gets wounded again wouldn't it be their fault for not addressing the concerns she and her family had in the first place? Apparently Penelope's and Madeleine's concerns should be given ample consideration, but Kiara? Kiara who?? Oh right, Penelope's love interest's sister 😠 While we're at it, let's just make her suspicious for no reason!

• CONGRATULATIONS MAXWELL STANS on getting your first character development scene! There isn't a lot of overt character development but the scene does show us how observant and resourceful Maxwell is, pointing out the hole in the armoury wall that will allow us to overhear people's conversations and give us a better idea of who we should suspect. It does this while still establishing him as goofy, fun-living and always ready to live life king-size.

• Maxwell and the MC engage in what is known in European folklore as an apple-shot (Apfelschuss in German. The most popular folk tale involving this feat of archery is that of William Tell, a Swiss folk hero, who was ordered to shoot an apple from the top of his son's head by a cruel nobleman named Albrecht Gessler. Thankfully, he succeeded).

• Oooh now comes my favourite part: the weapons!

• This is an amazing Easter Egg in two ways if you're a TCaTF fan. One is that it reminds me SO MUCH of when Val gets to be the narrator, which is ALWAYS fun! Case in point are the names she gives the Iron Empire soldiers at Ennan: Pointy, Mr Fancy, Birdface, Grumpy and That Other Guy. Here, the MC gives names to all the weapons.

• So if you're someone who has played TCaTF and forgotten the weapons, no problem! I'm here to list out what these weapons are actually called, where they originated from and how Kenna (if the reader pays) gets them!

• The Weirdly Fancy Dagger is the Black Asps Dagger (which I think might be venom-tipped, like Adder's Fang) which Raydan gets from a Black Asp agent when he is imprisoned under Azura's orders. I see this weapon as being associated most with Abanthus/Lythikos in this list of weapons, because it comes from Adder's team of Lykos spies and assassins, and eventually (if Kenna chooses so) Adder can get to rule over this kingdom either alone or alongside Princess Zenobia (or not at all).

The Dragon Face Hammer! is actually the famous Wave Hammer, made by Kailani Keawe of Ebrimel - a fierce warrior and a skilled craftswoman - from Heart Oak Wood sneaked in from Thorngate. Heart Oak has all the appearance of wood with all the strength of metal, and makes for an amazing secret weapon.

The Ram Head Thing is Crown Guardian Leon Stirling's signature weapon - The Ram's Head Mace. This is a weapon clearly associated with Stormholt as Queen Adriana bequeathed it to him. Leon gets to pass it down to Kenna upon his death, if she so chooses. This mace is strong enough to crush armour, and Leon won the tournament at Ducitora with it before Azura killed him.

The Skull...Flail? is Val Greaves' signature weapon, The Deadman's Flail, which is powerful enough to crush armour. Kenna can use this weapon in her fight against Severin Cale, Leader of the Mercenaries. Val herself uses it often in battle.

The polo mallet is just...there.

• Ooh finally! It's time to investigative.

1. Madeleine approaching a man the MC has rejected in favour of her current fiancé. If you're marrying Liam, this man is Drake and he gets to roast Madeleine like she's never been roasted before ("Liam does get what he wants. That means he also gets to throw away what he doesn't want"). If you're marrying Drake, Hana or Maxwell, she is talking to Liam, addressing the king-sized elephant in the room. Liam doesn't pull any extra punches - he just looks extra annoyed and tells her he's "had other matters to attend to". It may seem like a weak defense in comparison to Drake's explosive comeback, but to be fair the man is going through some crazy shit here, and I don't think anyone in that state can actually expand enough thought to form a rebuttal at all. I doubt he'd have either the inclination or energy to actually respond with more than "I've had other matters to attend to". It's particularly awkward if your LI is Maxwell because he is standing right next to you hearing all this, but that hardly reflects in his dialogue. Basically, I view this sequence as telling us more about Madeleine than about the men: she may have changed a tiny bit, but she's still just a huge shit-stirrer.

Possibly, this might be set up for the apology that will ensue if we save Madeleine's backstabbing ass next chapter. It'll be something along the lines of "oh forgive me, I was so wrong, what I did was so wrong, I'll never do that again" etc etc yadda yadda getouttamyfaceyoufakeassbitch.

Also, I believe that the part of the reason Drake delivered that zinger to Madeleine was because he was still stinging from Olivia's burn at dinner 😂

2. While there are very few differences between the first and last conversations, the second conversation changes drastically depending on who your LI is.

a. If your LI is Liam, Hakim comes up to Liam, gives him his condolences for Constantine's death, and then comments positively on Esther and the upcoming wedding, which leads to a discussion between the MC and Maxwell about wedding preparations. I think this is mostly because Kiara never really interacts with Liam, so they got Hakim to do the honors. Over here though, Hakim and Liam's conversation about the wedding forms only a tiny portion of the conversation, as opposed to the entire thing.

b. If your LI is Hana, Kiara and Hana have a lovely, lighthearted conversation about the latter's upcoming wedding. Kiara expresses great happiness at Hana getting married to the MC, and Hana confesses to being so nervous she constantly dreams about it. I love the way Hana and Kiara's friendship is written here: how open Hana is with Kiara and how encouraging and supportive Kiara is towards Hana. I think it's so beautiful to see 😭

c. If your LI is Maxwell? It's Hana and Kiara again, this time speculating what the MC's wedding to Maxwell will be like. Kiara confesses that she plans to skip a cousin's reception on the same day by pretending to be ill, just so she can attend their reception instead. Together they discuss what surprises the Beaumonts might spring during the reception - from dance-offs to ball pits to hot air balloons filled with kittens. Here too, it's a lovely moment - two of the smartest court members having fun talking about weddings.

d. If your LI is Drake, Kiara talks to him instead. First about the offerings at the dessert buffet, then about the wedding. Kiara is overly chirpy and happy and excited about the wedding, and Drake tenses up when she turns the topic towards the wedding preparations, because those are "complicated". Of course, if you do the LI scene with him at the ice palace, you will find out that he doesn't like talking about it because he would rather keep things simple and focus on his bride, and the nobility is all about perfection and elaborate preparations. Very possibly the Kiara-Drake conversation was written this way as a lead-up to his conversation with the MC at the snow palace. (and perhaps also to dissuade people who would like to ship Drake and Kiara, especially given the backlash Kiara got from fans just for having a crush on the man).

The main focus of this conversation of course is to give out the message that the MC's upcoming wedding is something that still excites people, and that even people afraid of staying in court don't want to miss it.

3. The third conversation between Olivia and Lucretia is given the suspicious sounding music from ES, and begins with Lucretia trying to find out more about the MC. Olivia doesn't tell her much beyond what everyone else knows, and Lucretia leaves her with this cryptic statement:

I feel we're going to have a Big Reveal about what actually happened to the Nevrakises and whether they really were traitors or not.

• With that we finish our little stint at investigation, and in comes our next chance to spend diamonds on our respective LIs!

• I love how Liam's outdoor kink has been referenced two chapters in a row now 😂

•

(Screenshots: @kennaxval for Hana, @mariamatsuo for Drake and the Vika Avey YouTube channel for Maxwell).

Again, like the previous scene, the LIs have their own individual stamp over their ice palace scene. The beauty of it is not just that they all seem different in the way they make love to the MC, but that their reactions to the ice palace itself vary from LI to LI.

Liam gives us a legend. He tells us about the prevalent pre-wedding tradition in Lythikos, where an engaged couple would have their village build them an ice palace the following winter. Kind of like a seasonal barn-raising, which also involves a community coming together to build something for the couple. It says plenty about Lythikos and its people (I won't elaborate because at some point I'm going to be writing essays again). But it also confirms for us how immersed in Cordonian culture Liam is, and how much his Queen will learn when she is with him.

Hana gives us a fairytale. She tells us a story her mother used to read to her at night, about a frozen kingdom, an ice palace and a princess with a frozen heart, which thawed the moment she found true love. The fairytale Hana tells us bears similarities to Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen", and more to the film it inspired, Frozen. But snow maidens are a staple of certain European cultures (particularly Norwegian and Slavic legend), so it could be a mix of many stories. It's fitting that Hana relates the ice palace to a story, connected as she is to literature and folklore and romance. In a lot of ways, hidden beneath the fable of the ice princess is Hana's own story.

Drake gives us a memory. As a follow-through to the conversation between him and Kiara in Maxwell's armoury scene if the reader bought it (unbeknownst to him, because he doesn't know the MC was overhearing them) he gets to be more open about not being very interested in planning weddings. His ideal would have been to take his bride to his mother's ranch in Texas for a wedding very reminiscent of his parents' union, and were Cordonia not in this condition that's exactly what he would have done. It's very like Drake, whose most powerful emotional associations are connected to his once-happy childhood and his memories of his parents, particularly his father.

Maxwell gives us an gift, made with his own hands. When he brings the MC to the ice palace, he suggests creating ice sculptures, and both make one of each other. It's a sweet, funny and affectionate scene, with both of them exchanging cute banter about Maxwell's "secret affair" with "Ice MC" and his tongue getting stuck in ice while pretending to kiss her 😂 It's very Maxwell. He's very hands-on, likes to do fun things, likes to entertain. And that's exactly the vibe I'm getting here.

The love scenes are tender and sweet and hot, and I think each of these scenes is worth the diamonds you'll spend. The scenes are tailored perfectly to fit the personalities of each LI. This is exactly what I hoped to see with scenes like the bathtub scene at the beginning of the book, and the spa scene. If they continue with this kind of quality content going forward, then I'm really really glad they took that hiatus.

• Okay we're back to the ballroom now. With Madeleine super drunk on...um...some pineapple drink.

• Madeleine is the only person to have the pineapple drink, and she seems to have an affinity for pineapple's since Maxwell offered her that Pineapple Paradise Punch in Fydelia. Everyone else is drinking Lythikos Nog.

• Madeleine collapses in the middle of Olivia's speech!

• The security detail uses "Code Locusta" to refer to poisons. Which is fitting, because Locusta was a very notorious maker of poisons during the time of Claudius and Nero (around AD 54 was when she contributed to the assassination of Emperor Claudius, and his son Brittanicus a year later). She was not only someone who was an expert on poisons and hired for that purpose, but also someone who used her skills to bring down royalty at the behest of their enemies. This could be a bit of a stretch, but I think this ties in symbolically with the plot of the movie scene in Liam's playthrough, where the enemy of the throne is someone who also can claim to be a royal. Especially considering poisons have been used to kill Liam's mother, and now to kill a supporter of the Crown and the MC, and a member of a very powerful Cordonian noble house. And yet...the other noble house - the Nevrakis family of Lythikos - stays untouched.

• The last time I recall "Locusta" being used in literature was in Alexandre Dumas' (père) The Count of Monte Cristo. A chapter of this book, in which a woman attempts to poison her stepdaughter so the family fortune could be passed on to her son, was titled Locusta as well.

• Something is rotten in the state of Denmark, folks. Or should I say, in the Kingdom of. Cordonia?

• Can I just say I love the parallels between Lythikos in Book 1 and now? We learned a little about Olivia's past in passing from Liam here, and now it will hit us in full force in the form of Lucretia. Constantine didn't seem to be in Lythikos, and returned to tell Liam that he was going to die soon, and now we visit the same estate after he has given his life to save his son.

Olivia gave us the worst place and the worst treatment then, and the best now. We convinced Kiara to support us in this very ballroom, and perhaps we might have to do so now too. It was here that Madeleine proudly claimed she was neither unrefined or insecure...but now she doesn't care about propriety.

I recall it was here for the first time that Maxwell stans were given the chance to express affection towards him, and it's here that they now get his first character development scene in Book 3. Most of all...it was here that the initial 3 LIs started to open up to us, in different ways, (if we paid) and now we return...an engaged couple - shedding all our layers and keeping each other warm in the cold (again, if we pay). I have many fond memories of Lythikos, and this chapter definitely brought me back there xD

• Tumblr isn't allowing me to write further for this post, so I will be writing my theories and who I believe is involved in the next post.

[mixelation]

this got a much higher response that I thought it would, so here's some spitballing on what I was imagining Sakura up to when she's offscreen and vague thoughts I had on what happens next (uh, spoilers I guess?):

I think Sakura figures out pretty quickly the general time they're in (which is after she makes genin but pre-chunin exams), then goes to confront Hiruzen. I'm not 100% sure how one persuades the Hokage that they're a time traveler from the future, but she does it in only a couple hours so maybe she knows... special codes, or something? Or maybe Inoichi is free right that second and he's like: holy fucking shit, this sure is little Sakura.

Anyway, while I was actually writing the fic, I did imagine Sakura telling Hiruzen she has Orochimaru with her and him giving her permission to access his abandoned lab. That's why she's tells Orochimaru that the Hokage says it's now safe to access the lab (which is meant to sound like "there was an accident but it's all good now!" to the genin present but indicate "we're allowed in there without fourteen ANBU agents showing up immediately" to Orochimaru). But later I thought: actually, that's a fantastically horrible idea... even in a crackfic, there's no WAY Hiruzen would just accept "oh yeah, future Orochimaru is totally fine and harmless, can you let him in the village?"

So Sakura lies about the exact situation. It IS a crackfic so we can handwave a lot of stuff and say Hiruzen trusts her... she can prove she's Tsunade's apprentice and close with Hokage 5-7 (5-6? I think if Sarada is 5 then Naruto has a few years before he's Hokage). She maybe doesn't even mention having another person with her (or she says the other person is someone whose identity Hiruzen can't know for Time Paradox Reasons and he assumes it's someone important's child or something). But she does float the idea of accessing old labs-- she knows they're there, she knows they got left untouched for years after being scrubbed down after Orochimaru defection, she knows they'll have some access to useful tools for solving their problem while also giving them privacy from the rest of the village, and she can lie and say that in her time, they're back in use and she personally has worked there.

Sakura goes back to the clearing she left Orochimaru in with the idea that all she has to do his keep anyone from noticing him for the fifteen minutes it takes to sneak him into the lab. And then he immediately tells baby Team 7 his real name.

Itachi and Kisame straight-up just go get dango in Konoha, so I think once you're in the village, it's fairly easy to keep a low profile? And.... baby Sasuke and Naruto are really cute. So Sakura gets bullied into taking them to lunch. Plus, it gives her time to come up with a way to get them to not tell Kakashi Orochimaru tried to teach them water jutsu. Seriously, why did he do that???

And, if I were to continue the fic, I think this gives Orochimaru enough psychological leverage to get Sakura to let him take the genin with him into the lab, or maybe convince her to go find Kakashi for them and him alone with them again. (His motivations are 70% to fuck with Adult Sakura in particular, and like 30% weird nostalgia for his favorite ex-student Sasuke.)

My ideal direction for this AU would be for Orochimaru to play Adult Sakura hard enough that he convinces her to help him kidnap Sasuke, just because that would be really funny? But it would take a lot of finagling and build-up for that to seem like a good idea on Sakura's end. Like I fully believe in Orochimaru's ability to do this, just not my ability to write it LMAO.

....also there'd be at least one conversation where Orochimaru complains that there's no way Ino and/or Hinata are sufficient caregivers for his precious Mitsuki in his absence. He's sure they're fine for an average child like Sarada, but Mitsuki is so gifted and talented--

(ignore that Orochimaru has 100% dropped Mitsuki on, like, Suigetsu for babysitting)

Also My_Shipping_Senses_Are_Tingling commented, "and that’s how saskue naruto and sakura all immediately trusted them in the exams and proceeded to become rouge ninja" which I think is really funny. Like I think it'd be funny if Team 7 went through this whole ordeal with absolutely no idea how dangerous Orochimaru is or how close to a breakdown "Mingo" is and come out of like: "Well, those were some cool adults we learned a lot from!"

Then when contemporary Orochimaru confronts them in the forest of death, they react very.... positively? Trusting?? And he has no idea why but he's going to roll with it. Come on kids, we're going to go fucking with Proctor Anko. I'll get you one of those scrolls if you behave well.

prompt: postcanon orochimaru time travels to team seven's genin days. maybe postcanon sakura is there too, because they were in the middle of supervising a playdate or something. it's a very confusing experience for everyone else

prompt filled on AO3!

Orochimaru and Sakura Travel through Time by Misfit_McCoward

“WHAT DID YOU DO?” Sakura screeched. The ground cracked ominously under her feet.

“Sakura-san, please,” Orochimaru chided. “Not every forbidden jutsu is my fault.”

[tearoomsaloon]

you know I actually have all your killer emperor fics saved on my phone; i don't have data and when i'm alone and sad, they always cheer me up. thank you so much for writing them :) i was wondering if i could prompt you to write maybe something like where rey finally starts seeing ren, just ren and not an emperor or a sith and she sees him as home

I don’t think I’ve actually felt so…touched before. I’m so happy something as small as my writing can put a smile on your face on a bad day. You can absolutely prompt me, 100%. You’re an angel, thank you so much for making my day. This one will be long, my present to you.

“It’s a fine day today, for all it’s worth.”

She’d been hearing sentences along those same lines for hours now, always directed towards her husband. He took them stoically, thanked the speaker, and continued to the next face to greet. It was a dual celebration today; his birthday, and the date of his ascension.

It would be improper to ask him why everyone needed to clarify that is was a good day even though it happened to be the current date. If she were to bring it up, he’d likely scowl and dismiss her back to her handmaidens, no longer privileged to stand beside him for the evening.

“What happened today?” she instead asked one of his many retainers.

The man paled, conflicted between answering the Empress’ request or keeping his lord’s privacy from his wife. “There was an event years ago, your grace.”

“It’s ‘your highness,” her husband corrected. He loomed over her shoulder like a glacier over an ocean. “She’s not a duchess, she gets the proper styling.”

She was ushered away without an answer, fingers like iron bars around her upper arm.

“I apologize, it’s not my business.”

“Damn right it’s not,” he hissed, sharp teeth flashing in a mouth of red. “Keep to yourself for the rest of the evening. If I want you later, I’ll find you myself.”

Coldly dismissed like a servant girl. Rejected, again. It was getting exhausting, wearing out his patience and then being cast aside. She left the grand hall, dejected. Better to see herself out before she upset him more than stick around and blow his temper out of proportion.

It took a half hour for her handmaidens to pry her from her ensemble. She locked herself in the fresher after and spent an hour taking off her makeup and showering. Face scrubbed and puffy red, she felt a little less miserable. Not presentable, not in a state in which she’d wish him to see her, but less upset. Staring at herself in the mirror, she cannot recall the last time her husband had seen her barefaced.

Hours upon hours later, she’d fallen asleep with the light on, a datapad curled in the sheets beside her. He was careful entering, quiet on his feet. He’d been so touchy all evening, it wasn’t fair to have snapped at her. It wasn’t fair to keep it from her either, but such a vulnerability…it was one of few things that cut him to his core.

She jolted awake when he neared, her eyes wide and unsettled. Uncomfortable. Damn. “My apologies.”

Rey sat up and cracked her neck, sleep clouding over her nervousness. “You said you’d fetch me if you wanted me?”

“I was going to ask if you wanted to spend the night in my bed, but you look tucked in already.”

“No, no, it’s all right,” she said around a yawn. “It’s your birthday.”

He managed to stifle his cringe.

She was slow to wake, to wrap a robe around her shoulders, to follow him down the long hall from her quarters to his. In some ways, he found it odd they were married. He’d practically stolen her from the desert and sweet-talked her into helping him win a bet (not that she knew), and she was still there at his side. It was rare, so rare, they spend time together. The last time they shared a bed was over a month ago. Too long in his opinion.

He undressed slowly while she practically flopped into his bed and crawled under the blanket. She could have just said no if she didn’t want to stay with him. No, she was content away from his beastly presence.

“I’m going to fall back asleep if you take any longer,” came her voice, floaty and laced with dreams.

The last of his robes shucked, he switched off the lights and followed after her, deliberating whether or not to touch her, to lay an arm around her.

“You can if you want,” she mumbled, listening in over their bond.

He kissed a bare spot on her shoulder and drew her in by the waist. “I’m sorry for snapping earlier.”

“You were within your right. You can keep secrets from me, any and all.”

“I shouldn’t.”

“It’s your decision, you’re the emperor.”

They were supposed to be on equal ground. “Sleep well, princess.”

She chuckled. “I’m not a princess.”

With a sigh, he held her tighter.

Rey took up snooping as a hobby. If she couldn’t ask and he wouldn’t tell her, she was going to figure this out for herself. It took about a week to find the right part of his vast library to look. Flimsies and display discs lined the walls, each with their own distinct home. He kept records of previous years, news reports, logs, anything and everything. She took a few stabs at which year the event happened during and came up empty for five years back.

It was seven years ago. He was still practically a child.

“Crown Prince Ben Organa, 19, has been thrust forward onto the throne years too early. The prince’s eyes were glazed, his mind no doubt still lingering on the assassination that occurred earlier this morning, leaving him orphaned—”

Rey dropped the holopad, hand flying to her mouth to hide her small scream. She’d never asked what happened to his parents, why he’d taken his throne at such a young age. She assumed patricide, but the more she read, the more unlikely that looked. For starters, his mother had been empress regent, her husband, prince consort.

She was careful leaving his quarters, hoping he was still in meetings with his war cabinet. Slipping back into her rooms, she felt like her mental image of him was beginning to crumble. He had rough edges and sharp teeth, but he hid a softness, a weakness. Not from everyone, but from her. He didn’t want her to see him vulnerable.

“But you have now, haven’t you?” He was there in her room, standing in front of the windows overlooking Coruscant. With a deep breath, he glanced at her over his shoulder, amber eyes dulled. “You couldn’t help yourself.”

Ashamed, she turned away. “We’re supposed to be equals, Kylo.”

His laugh was humorless. “What other burning questions do you have for me?”

“You changed your name?”

“I put a close to a broken chapter in my life. Next.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it’s not your business.”

“I’m your wife, Kylo.” She heard the choke in her voice and swore. “We’re supposed to be a team. You can trust me.”

“It’s not about trust.”

“Then what is it about? You don’t tell me things that are important to you, about your past, who you are as a person. We’ve shared a bed maybe six times, and none of those times have we been intimate.”

“So?”

“We’ve been wed for a year and a half,” she growled. “Maybe you should have left me in the desert.”

“Maybe I should have.” He brushed by her in his exit, temper like a forest fire scorching on his heels.

Sliding down onto her sofa, she hoped this little outburst wouldn’t land her in a ditch somewhere below the city.

She found him in his office two nights later, his hands steepled, eyes closed. He had been careful not to run into her and she hadn’t seen tail or tooth of him since he’d left her emotionally bloody.

“I want to apologize,” she started, eyes as far from his face as she could manage.

“Don’t.” Golden eyes opened, fire lost from his gaze. “Come here please.”

Hesitant, she stepped around his desk, unsure of what he meant when he rested his arms on his chair.

“All the way to me, princess.” He pulled her onto his lap, wrapping her tightly to his chest. “I was young when it happened. It changed who I was, how I saw myself. How the the empire saw me. I grew cold, trading emotions for ruthlessness.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine, it’s the hand I was dealt.” Ren kissed her forehead, lips lingering a moment too long. “I’m grateful I found you, I wouldn’t trade you for anything.”

He carried her to bed after pouring his soul out, drained and exhausted. He kissed her on the cheek and disappeared, leaving her with a mountain of unanswered questions.

It was difficult to sleep, her feeling swirling and clawing. She’d been so angry with him and now she felt...distraught. Mournful for a tragedy that was not her own. She wanted to comfort him as best she could, but he was still distant, emotionally. She wondered, somewhat hopelessly, if he’d ever truly let her in for good.

Not to her surprise, he disappeared again. The palace was enormous and it was easy for him to evade her, to avoid another confrontation. The next time she saw his visage was over the HoloNet in the middle of an address. His dark curls swam around his face, long blue and silver jewels dripping like dew across his head. He had such an interesting face, his nose long but elegant, brow regal, alabaster skin speckled with spots.

She’d never really looked at him before, never fully noticed his attractiveness. It had been clouded over by the nights of bloodstained hands and wild animal eyes. A smile flashed quickly across his lips and her heartbeat skipped. This man was hers, his flaws and scars and all.

Rey didn’t have to sneak to see him the next time, finding he instead came to her. She had a mild heart attack, turning to pull her pajamas from her closet only to find a visitor beside her bed. Her pulse thundered at the sight of him, at the delicate expression in his eyes.

They met in the middle, drawn to each other. He let her brush his cheek with her fingers, let them lace back into his silky hair. The kiss to follow was tender, slow, all-encompassing. She followed him when he broke away, stealing him back for a second more.

“I want to kiss like that more often,” she said softly into the warmth of his neck. “I want you more often.”

“And you’ll have me.” He tilted her chin up, nipped at her cheek, her ears. “Starting tonight, if you want me to stay.”

She looked up at her husband, grinning. “I’d like that,” she said, pulling him down for another kiss, pulling him towards the bed.

[capsicletho]

I Like Me Better When I'm with You

author: @clareae

pairing: tony stark x reader

genre: angst and fluff

trigger: mentions of sex but nothing happened and nothing is described

word count: 2951

summary: It started out as one of the jobs of being Pepper’s assistant, delivering Tony the documents he needs to read or sign. But you were the first person (aside from Pepper herself) who would actually sit in front of him in the lab and kept on pestering him until he signs or reads it so you can get home. Tony liked having you around, so every time you stopped by he’d stall on signing the papers just so that you could keep him company longer. You didn’t allow yourself to feel things you’re not supposed to, but it turns out you weren’t the only one having a hard time being without the other person.

a/n: Inspired by my new favourite song I Like Me Better by Lauv and prompt number 204 and 205 on this list!

You arrived in New York City as a fresh-graduate looking to challenge the Big Apple; it was always one of your dreams to make it to Manhattan and make a huge change for yourself and your family. Although you started out as an intern living in a studio apartment with no hot shower, and your parents always thought that it would be better if you stay in the family business, you had faith.

Two months later you were immediately promoted to become a permanent employee within the Stark Industries and Pepper Potts apparently saw that you were good enough to be her assistant. After almost a yearlong training with her former one, you were deemed ready to handle everything on your own.That’s when you met Tony in person. In one of the board meetings while you were jotting down the meeting points since it was your job to provide a meeting minutes for the next follow up. You thought that having handed everything off to Pepper meant that you wouldn’t see his face around the building anymore, and apparently he thought the same. He looked extremely bored during the board meeting and kept on toying with his gadget.

“Alright, you’re gonna have to excuse me. I’m afraid I’m going to have to leave. I have…errands,” Tony shrugged, not even bothering with a good excuse.

Pepper looks irritated and you knew that she didn’t like it when Tony acts like this–like everything else other than himself didn’t matter. Just before he left, however, he looked at you and pointed his finger at you, “Make sure you let me know what happened.”

“Yeah, and don’t just email it, make sure you drop it off after this and stand watch as he reads everything, because as soon as he walks out of that door he won’t even remember we had a meeting,” Pepper commented with a visible frown on her face.

“You know me so well,” Tony replied, not even bothered to look at her and kept on walking.

That day, you jotted down everything in more detail and immediately typed it up so that you can email it to every individual who attended the meeting. And as per Miss Potts suggestion, instead of going home after work is over, you headed over to the Avengers Tower. You had no idea what you were supposed to do so you walked inside when the doors opened and you were led into an elevator by JARVIS who introduced himself as you walked in.

The elevator led you to an open space; it was a living room with glossy floors and incredible interior. But you are mostly captivated by the view of New York from the smoothly polished glass windows. You knew Manhattan was beautiful, but seeing it from the Avengers Tower surely gave you a new perspective and it made you fall in love with the city all over again.

“You can find Mr. Stark in his lab, just head down the stairs to your left,” the AI said, breaking you from the trance and so you followed the directions and it led you into his spacious yet cluttered lab.

“Didn’t actually think you’d bring it to me,” Tony chuckled, knowing you were coming since JARVIS informed him.“When I said you should let me know, I just said it for the sake of formality.”

“Well, I didn’t think you’d want to miss out on what’s going on with the company that earns you most of your net worth,” you shrugged and handed him the documents.

He looked at you with amusement from your sassy reply and took the folder from your hand. He took one look at it and set it aside. You furrowed your brows, “You’re not going to read it?” You asked.

“I’ll get to it,” he shrugged as he continued to tinker with whatever it was in front of him.

“Huh,” you nodded slowly. You spotted the stool in front of you and pulled it from under the bench and sat down, placing your bag on the floor.

Tony looked up, “What are you doing?” He asked.

“Didn’t you hear her? I was asked to stay here until you finish reading the minutes,” you shrugged. Of course, you knew Pepper wasn’t really serious, but somehow you didn’t like the attitude Tony was displaying. He didn’t care how his company is doing. But then if something goes wrong, somehow you see him as someone who might flip out and get angry over how his net worth is dropping but he didn’t even bother to supervise in the first place.

“Well, kid, you’re going to have a very long night.”

When you arrived, JARVIS informed you that Tony was in the living room, so you opened up your bag and immediately pulled out the folder that Tony needed to sign and a few envelopes containing mails for the billionaire. “Tony, I need you to sign this paper for me,” you said, walking into the house like it’s no big deal, not paying attention to your surrounding. And it really isn’t anymore.

Although it has been almost three weeks since your last visit, you’ve been doing this every time. Whenever you have something for him to read or sign, you’d deliver it yourself and would keep on pestering him until he signed it or at least read a few paragraphs and ever since then, Tony’s involvement in his company have been escalating. 

You don’t always come straight from work, sometimes you had a bath first and changed into something more comfortable and took the work you need to do, in case he decided to stall on signing those papers and you had to stay for long hours there. You’d cook him a proper dinner or ordered some Chinese food for him to nibble on while the two of you worked, and on the rarest of occasions, you even got him to go straight to bed just before you left. The two of you even got to first name basis. In all honesty it wouldn’t take him that long just to read a document or sign something, he just liked having you around.

Tony watched as your eyes fluttered close, your cheek squished because you were pressing them against your folded arms on top of the bench. He chuckled, picked up the document to his left and read it. He always loved the way you typed up these reports; they were detailed and it didn’t bore him to death no matter how many pages there were. Tony smiled a little bit, remembering how you told him you had to type it up to seem like a story so that he would be engaged in at least the most important parts of the meetings.

He signed the last page, acknowledging the things happening in his company and then paused. He didn’t want to wake you up, but there was no way you’d want to stay in the tower either; you’d have no room to stay in. Tony watched you for a bit longer, keeping his eyes on you before he reached out to gently touch your shoulder.

“Hey. (Y/N),” he called out to you softly. You woke up from your brief sleep, jolting out of it. “Time to get home, kid,” Tony said and handed you the folder.

No one replied you, and you weren’t surprised but as you looked up you didn’t see Tony. Well, you didn’t see him at first but you spotted the man sitting under a slim blonde as she straddled him, being so engaged in their make out session that they didn’t notice you there. You froze in place, knowing that you should probably get out of there and give them some privacy, but you couldn’t move.

Tony spotted you from his peripherals and immediately stopped, shoving the woman off him and onto the empty space next to him and stood up. She exclaimed his name in surprise, but Tony just looked at you and he froze in place as well, but as soon as he made eye contact with you you reached for the elevator button.

“(Y/N)…”

“I’m sorry, I’ll- I’ll come back later,” you muttered, not sure if it was loud enough for him to hear but you quickly disappeared behind the elevator cursing at yourself for saying something like that. As the doors opened to the first floor of the tower you exhaled realizing you had been holding your breath the entire time. 

You felt a little bit lightheaded and your mind was clouded, and everything next happened in a blur. You sat in a taxi but you didn’t even remember hailing one, and you finally got to your apartment but didn’t even remember the journey. All you can see in your head was how his hand was all over her and somehow you didn’t like it. Your heart was pounding so much and your fingertips felt cold that you had to sit down by the door the second you opened your apartment door.

You knew he was a jerk sometimes, he can do that annoying hyperverbal thing where he just can’t stop talking about himself and how great he can be. But behind that there’s a hardworking man, incredibly determined to make things right despite his wrong attempts although no one can see how he was trying so hard to make things right. You’ve witnessed it with your own eyes.

You’ve always denied it, but you knew you liked him. Of course, you didn’t allow yourself to like him. You didn’t dare dream of being accepted to the Stark Industries the first time because you were afraid you were going to be rejected. You considered yourself lucky when one of your big dreams came true; it was even better: being accepted as Pepper Potts’ assistant was beyond what you had hoped, but even you weren’t that dim to believe that things like that happen twice to the same people. And plus, aside from the obvious age difference, he used to date your boss.

You lied in your bed exhausted. You wished you could’ve drifted off to sleep immediately, but your mind kept on repeating on the horrendous scene you saw back in the Avengers’ Tower, but you keep on trying to block it out; it’s been hours since you last closed your eyes, but you were never fully asleep. That was when you heard the knock on your door which caused you to sigh and finally opened your eyes. You glanced at the clock on top of your nightstand. 00:24.

“Coming,” you groaned out, pulling your covers back.

When you opened it, you saw the billionaire standing there; still wearing the same clothes he was wearing when you saw him last.

“How did you know where I live?” Was the first question you uttered to him.

“JARVIS is a pretty good AI. He picked up your address every time you tell it to the cab driver. Then the guy downstairs let me in.” No doubt he bribed him.

“It’s midnight, Tony, What do you want?” You asked, trying to keep your voice down to not disturb the other tenants of the apartment.

Tony remained quiet. He realized now that he’s standing in front of your door, the idea didn’t seem as good as it was when he had a drink in his hand. He looked at you raise your eyebrow, knowing that you were waiting for an answer.

“You had something I should sign,” Tony blurted out his false excuse instead of the real reason he was there.

This time you rose both brows in disbelief, “You came all the way here at this hour to sign a paper that I was going to send you tomorrow?” You crossed your arms in front of you. “She couldn’t have been that bad, Tony,” you teased.

He sighed, looked away, and then back at you. “But okay, since you’re here. Saves me the trouble of having to mail it to you.” You shrugged as you turned on the living room lights before turning around and walking further into your apartment to get the papers you left on the coffee table. 

Once inside, Tony looked around in your small apartment. “You weren’t gonna drop by?” He asked.

“I don’t want to be walking into something I’m not supposed to twice.” You turned around and it just dawned on you that with Tony inside he could see the entire apartment–not that there was much to see to begin with. Thankfully nothing embarrassing was lying around, but you still felt a bit self-conscious. “Here you go,” you handed it to him. “You should probably take it home and just take your time in reading it.” He took the folder from you and thumbed through it quickly. “I guess that concludes our business,” you hinted at him so that he would leave.

Instead of leaving, however, Tony dropped the folder on the coffee table and pulled you by the  waist so that you and Tony were standing face to face–your bodies close together. Your breath was caught in your throat again, not knowing what was about to happen. Tony tilted his head to the side, cupped your cheek and planted a soft kiss on your lips. It was a brief kiss, but it was enough to leave you breathless. Even after he pulled away, it took you a while to register what just happened.

“What was that for?” You asked, still a little bit shocked.

“I didn’t do it,” Tony simply said. “I didn’t do it with her,” he added, just to make sure you were clear on that. He let you go and started pacing around, trying to string the words in his head together. “When you walked away I realized something,” he began to confess. “I like it better when you’re around. You just…you make me feel better and I like me better when I’m with you. All those times with Pepper proves that I can be in a relationship, contrary to popular beliefs, but then it didn’t work out with Pepper not because I wasn’t faithful or anything, but it’s just because we’re no longer the same people. She doesn’t understand what I want to do, and I can’t just give up what she wants me to give up–it’s not that easy for me. But you understand; you see right through me. All those times in the lab talking: you’d think it’s nothing important, but that right there is who I am.”

“Are you saying you like me?” You gave him a skeptical look, but who could blame you; he had another blonde wrapped in his arms not a few hours ago.

“You hadn’t come in like a month,” he tried to reason. You rolled your eyes at his exaggeration. “It felt lonely; I didn’t like it. And I thought that’s what I was supposed to do to stop feeling lonely, but when you came in I realized what not being lonely felt like.” He stopped pacing around and looked at you meaningfully, “Don’t feel like being alone tonight,” he shrugged a little as if hoping you would understand and see that it’s no big deal; he just wanted to be with you.

You smiled. You had no idea he felt this way about you; like you truly mattered. Out of all the women he could have, he picked you. There were so many things to talk about, still, but tonight was not the time. The two of you are exhausted, and somehow being in his arms felt right. You dared yourself to step forward, and he took the hint and wrapped you in his arms again. “Stay,” you whispered as his forehead touched yours.

A moment later, the two of you were tangled in your sheets. Just talking for what seemed like hours. Well, mostly it’s him trying to convince you to visit him every day whether or not you have anything for him to sign or read.

You groaned, “Do you know how expensive cab fares are? I’m going to be broke just spending my money on cabs for you.”

“I’ll have you picked up and dropped off,” he shrugged.

“No way. People are going to start talking if they see me being picked up by one of your fancy cars. I don’t feel like being the girl they gossip about in bathrooms,” you pouted.

“Fine, then quit.”

“I can’t quit!” You argued. “How am I going to pay for my rent?”

“I’ll pay for your rent,” he shrugged. “Actually, on second thought, I’ll get you a bigger apartment. It feels so stuffy in here, you have so much stuff. That would be good, you can move to the one closer to the tower”

You raised your eyebrow as to say ‘what?’ because your apartment was incredibly roomy despite how small it is. He’s just making excuses. You shook your head, “No, it sounds like you’re my sugar daddy that way.”

“Are you actually initiating sex?” Tony asked, a playful look on his face.

“Oh my God!” You exclaimed in frustration at the man, swatting his hand as he laughed.

Tony reached for you and pulled you into his hug as you tried to hide your sheepish smile. You couldn’t contain the butterflies zoo inside your stomach, it felt like it was going to burst out. “You are strangely comfortable,” you whispered, loving the way your body fits perfectly against his. He leaned down and kissed you; soft, gentle, but passionate. You were blushing really hard, and as Tony pulled away and drifted off to sleep, you felt as if you weren’t going to be able to sleep at all.