#Side note: I'll be posting in the morning for now until I get a more stable schedule.

[fried-manto]

Little au I'm working on ^^

[hedgehog-moss]

The lower rung of the ladder in my kitchen broke last month and I stuck a little Post-it note on the wall to remind myself to step over the missing rung so I wouldn't break my leg every time I go up or downstairs—but then my mum came to visit and she saw me hopping over the gap in the ladder with practised ease and her face was the definition of "you live like this?" And she went to get a screwdriver to unscrew the ladder from the wall so we could carry it outside and repair it.

Some people see a broken ladder and immediately open a toolbox to fix the problem; some people see a broken ladder and stick a Post-it note to the wall to train themselves to step over the problem forever. (I admit my response is inferior.)

I think I felt daunted at the thought of tinkering with this ladder because it's been here in the same place for over a century and I pictured the whole thing crumbling into dust if we tried to move it—but no, it's still solid, except the lower rung. Which wasn't damaged by time, but by Pandolf. (And some insects. But mostly Pandolf.)

When he was a baby, for a week or so after I took him home, he was extremely upset about having to spend the night in his dog bed in the kitchen while I went upstairs to my bedroom, he would cry and cry and one night in a fit of despair and rage he attacked the ladder. The next morning I found the lower rung (the only one he could reach) looking like it had been attacked by a termite colony, but it was Pandolf's pointy little puppy teeth. By the look of it he'd spent half the night furiously gnawing on it until he dropped from exhaustion—his reasoning was clearly that if he destroyed the ladder, I wouldn't be able to go upstairs anymore and would be forced to spend the night on the floor of the kitchen with him.

It's really hard to be mad at baby Pandolf, though. Go on, try.

Eventually he got used to sleeping in his dog bed and he abandoned his ladder destruction project, but the lower rung has been fragile ever since, and it finally broke last month.

My mum is extremely efficient; she sent me to the barn to find some kind of thick board (you can find anything in the barn if you have a torch and aren't afraid of bats or century-old spiderwebs) and when I came back she had prepared all the tools and taken all the measurements.

The worst part was tapering the sides so the rung would fit in the notches, because if one side was a little bit thinner than the other then it was wobbly—

—plus I used a file at first and it took forever (Pandolf was so bored), but then I remembered I own a sanding machine and it went a lot faster. So much so that my mum said I should make a second rung while I was at it—she was motivated to replace all of them, but then it started raining and we decided the rest of the ladder is solid enough and we'll replace the rungs two at a time.

I always forget that it feels satisfying to fix things! There's this little spark of pride from then on when you look at the repaired thing because you helped make it. I tend to procrastinate because I assume it'll take ages or I'm worried I'll do it wrong, until someone who's more confident with their hands than me goes like "no come on, we just need a saw, a file, a hammer, it'll take an hour tops" and we do it and it's never as difficult as I feared. (My mum: "We gave you a toy toolbox when you were little, to smash sexist stereotypes, and you're afraid of fixing things :( ...") (I cheered her up by reminding her that my brother smashes sexist stereotypes by being also afraid of fixing things.)

But yeah I spent half an hour sanding down the sides of these two lower rungs and now I look at my ladder and remember the delightful feeling of getting the tapering just right and inserting them into their slots effortlessly like a VHS tape into a VCR. I have a whole new affection for my kitchen ladder now.

[w2soneshots]

Two becomes three -George clarkey

words: 2.4k+

warnings: unplanned pregnancy, sickness, worrying, birth.

summary: you and your husband George’s journey to unexpectedly becoming parents along with your social media posts during your pregnancy.

notes: hello my loves! Here’s the request. I love writing fluffy fics like this🥹. I hope you all enjoy this extra long one shot!!🧸🎀🤍 (please lmk what you think!)

Liked by wroetoshaw, mollymae and 934,125 others

y/username: baby has entered the chat @georgeclarkeey

-comments-

chrismd10: congratulations guys❤️

faithloisak: how cute!! So happy for you two🥹✨

max_balegdae: ahhhhhhhhh

y/nfanpage21: there's no fucking way!!🙊

user27549810: the random George jump-scare at the end lol

user60286430: didn't they just get married like five seconds ago?😅

I met my now husband George four years ago. He followed me on instagram, I followed him back and not long after that we were dating. Last year he proposed and just under a month ago we had our wedding, which was beautiful and only had our closet friends and family.

An hour ago I took a pregnancy test. I was only a day late on my period but I took it just in case. I could hardly believe it when I saw two lines and it was so faint that I convinced myself I was seeing things so I decided to sleep on it and then tell George when I knew for sure.

But I just couldn't keep it a secret. I blurted out, "George, I think pregnant." As soon as he walked through the front door after his shoot with Arthur tv. He was baffled. "You- woah- you think?" I nodded. He took a moment to process what I just said. "And you took a test?" He finally asked. "Yeah, the lines were really faint though. I was gonna wait until tomorrow to tell you but- it just came out."

He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I let out a soft sigh of relief. "If you are then I'll be so happy," he whispered into my hair. I smiled, though he couldn't see me. "I'm so overwhelmed," I mumbled. His hand made its way up to my hair and he gently ran it over my scalp, silently reassuring me.

That night everything felt so strange. You're supposed to take the tests in the morning anyway for the most accurate results so we were just waiting and trying not to get our hopes up in case it wasn't positive.

The next morning I woke to an empty bed. I reached for my phone and then read the text George had sent me just ten minutes ago; "gone to buy more tests, hopefully I'll be back before you're awake x" I sighed softly then got up.

As I was brushing my teeth the front door clicked open and soon George was walking into the ensuite. He smiled softly as he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, looking at me through the mirror. "Ready, love?"

"You look. I can't." I quickly passed the upside down test to George as we sat on the end of our bed. Just seconds before, the alarm on my phone rung but I couldn't bring myself to look at the test.

He took it and flipped it over. A wide smile spread across his face as an excited chuckle escaped his mouth. "Seriously?" I asked, shocked. "Y- yeah, you're pregnant!" He shot up of the bed. I giggled. "I'm gonna be a dad!" He pulled me up and into a bone crushing hug.

The next two months weren't very fun. At the beginning we were both so ecstatic. Then the morning sickness hit. I could barely eat, sleep and it was becoming impossible to make up excuses for why I couldn't go out.

George was like my rock through the entire ordeal. He was by my side every time I had to run to the bathroom, he held me and gently stroked my back as I tried to get some sleep, he pleaded with the doctor when we went for my first appointment hoping there was something, anything they could do and he let me ramble on about how I just wanted to feel normal again.

Slowly our friends figured it out and offered their help. The girls put together a basket and Faith made sure to include everything that helped her through her first trimester, Chris came round to keep me company while George had to go and film something for a brand deal and George's sister sat with me as we online shopped since I couldn't really go out.

When the sickness slowly started to ease off everyone was so relieved, George especially because he hated seeing me constantly upset. I was finally able to enjoy pregnancy, announce it on instagram and suddenly the last few months were erased from my mind.

Liked by faithloisak, arthurtv and 513,290 others

y/username: love, hate relationship with the heat

-comments-

taliamar: you're glowing babe!!💞

-> y/username: 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼

georgeclarkeey: 🐊

y/nfanpage21: the puppy🥹

user85299106: this is adorable

At twenty two weeks we went on our little baby moon. I spent twelve days relaxing in the sun while George fussed about suncream and making sure I was in the shade. Since becoming pregnant he's been much more protective, which I don't mind since it's never overbearing. He's just trying to help in anyway possible.

"Good morning sleepy head." George greeted me quietly, sitting on the side of the bed next to my sleepy form and gently pushing the messy hair from my face. "Mornin'" I mumbled, shuffling slightly. He leaned down to press a soft kiss to my forehead before asking if I wanted some breakfast, to which I immediately nodded.

We left our little apartment after getting ready and walked hand in hand down the street towards the cute little outdoor café we'd spent quite a few mornings in the past week and a half.

"Thank you." I smiled at the young girl handing me my pancakes. "Will that be all?" She asked politely after placing George's breakfast in front of him. I nodded and she walked away.

"Mmm, I'm so glad I can actually enjoy food again," I said after swallowing a mouthful of food. George just stared at me. "What?" "I just love watching you." I chuckled. "That sounds a bit creepy babe."

When the day came that our baby moon was over I was sad to be leaving such a beautiful place that I'd made life long memories in but I was secretly very excited to be going home and getting back into normal life.

Liked by chrismd10, taliamar and 623,309 others

y/username: clearing out my camera roll✨

-comments-

arthurtv: fifth slide?😭

-> georgeclarkeey:🫃🏼🤰

faithloisak: stunning!!!

y/nfanpage21: you, the bump, the flowers, all so cute💝

user10479624: you're both going to be the best parents

The next few months were spent relaxing and preparing for the arrival of our baby, who we found out the sex of just after our baby moon. We had a little gender reveal at our apartment with our families and a few special friends. We decided on a cake, classic, cute and delicious.

"I can't tell!" George announced. I stood next to him, my hand holding the knife that was cutting through the cake. Both of us were trying to peek at the sponge but it wasn't until I pulled the slice out that we spotted the pink.

Immediately the room erupted into cheers. I placed it down on a plate along with the knife and I turned to my husband. Tears welled in my eyes and when he wrapped his arms around me and pulled my body off of the ground the commotion around us seemed to disappear and all I could focus on was us.

"We're having a girl," I whispered, as though I was trying to convince myself that this was actually real. He gently placed me down, his hands landing on my hips. "I knew it. Dad intuition goes crazy." I giggled before pushing onto my tip toes and placing a loving kiss to his lips.

After that day I was suddenly obsessed with buying baby clothes, what the nursery was going to look like and the realisation hit me that I was actually going to have to push a human being out of my body, though George was quick to reassure me about that.

"Baby's the size of a small pineapple this week," I informed George as we sat on the couch, my feet resting on his lap as he slowly massaged them through my socks. I turned my phone around so he could see the app that keeps track of the baby.

"That's huge." He muttered, eyes widening slightly. I chuckled. "When she's done cooking she'll be the size of a pumpkin." "Oh god, I'm sorry." My brows furrowed, an amused look on my face. "What are you apologising for?"

"You're gonna have to lug around a pumpkin sized baby," he replied, deadly serious. I just laughed, though I wasn't particularly looking forward to that.

The months flew by and suddenly I was actually carrying a pumpkin sized baby in my stomach. At thirty seven weeks my back constantly ached, I needed to pee every five minutes, I wasn't sleeping properly since I had a future gymnast kicking around in my stomach and all in all I was just uncomfortable.

Since I could now go into labour at any second George was watching me like a hawk. Every grimace when I felt an extra strong kick, every sigh and every time my hand touched my stomach he would sit upright and just wait for me to say something.

"I'm fine, George," I'd say. "Just checking," he'd reply and that interaction would repeat itself another one hundred times before the day ended.

"I won't go if you don't want me to, Chris can find someone else last minute," George whispered as we lay in bed, my back pressed against his chest as he gently drew circles on the side of my bump. "No, I'll be okay. It's only a few hours," I mumbled back, half asleep. "Okay, just promise you'll call me if anything happens?" "Promise."

He left early the next morning to film the football video for Chris' channel, meaning I woke up alone. I went about my routine like normal though it felt like it was taking me longer to do my usual things, like I was moving at snail pace, which was slightly strange but I brushed it off.

An hour later I lay on the couch scrolling through instagram when I felt a twinge in my lower stomach. My brows furrowed slightly. "That was weird," I thought but I continued to scroll.

Until I felt it again. This time I decided to keep my promise to George and phone him. It ring a few times before he picked up. "Everything okay? Is it the baby?" He said immediately in a rushed tone. "I'm not sure, I just feel... weird."

He took in a shaky breath. "I knew I shouldn't have come today! I'm coming home." "It's fine, I'm- we're fine. Calm down-" "no no, I'll be there in twenty minutes, love you." And with that he ended the call. I sighed, feeling slightly bad that he'd had to leave the shoot but also a little relieved.

Just under twenty minutes later he burst through our apartment door. I stood in the kitchen, hands on the countertop as I took a deep breath, eyes squeezed shut. I heard his bags drop then the sound of his feet racing towards me.

"You said you just felt weird!" He placed his hand on the small of my back. I looked up at him as the pain subsided. "I did! It started getting worse after I called you."

George collected himself. "Okay okay, you're having contractions?" "Mhm, think so," I responded quietly. "How far apart?" "Like five minutes." He thought back to the birthing class we'd gone to last month. "I think we've got some time and the woman said the first kid always takes a while so let's not stress," he tried to reassure me and himself.

"I'll go get the bag, you just- uh... breathe." I chuckled softly, already calmer now that he was here. He emerged from our bedroom minutes later with the small suitcase in hand.

It took half a hour to get out of the door, drive to the hospital and get checked into a room. After that we could both relax.

The contractions weren't unbearable but I wanted the epidural as soon as possible. "Hmf-" I squeezed George's hand. "Another one?" He asked softly. All I could do was nod. "You're doing amazing sweetheart, so so good. I'm so proud of you."

Once I got the injection I felt like a million bucks. I couldn't feel the contractions, just a little bit of pressure. I sat in the bed happily as I ate my ice chips. Before I knew it, it was time to push.

Liked by sidemen, prettylittlething and 1,004,586 others

y/username: we've been in our little baby bubble this week but I wanted to officially introduce you to Maddie Clarke🤍👼🏼💫

-comments-

georgeclarkeey: my girls❤️

max_balegdae: yasss mother

taliamar: congratulations🥺💓

y/nfanpage21: I'M CRYING

user02781643: they're literally living the dream life omg!!

"She looks just like you," I said as I watched George's eyes fill with tears, his arms secured around his daughter, just ten minutes after she'd entered the world. He glanced down at me. "I love you so much, this is officially the best day of my life," he whispered. I smiled fondly and somehow I fell in love with George all over again, in a completely different way.

We spent a day and a half in the hospital before being discharged. It had been just me, George and the baby in a little room so it felt amazing to go home. I waddled after my husband as I watched him carry our newborn -who slept soundly in her car seat- out and toward the car. He strapped her in then helped me into the backseat.

"I get what people were taking about now," I said as he stared the engine. "Huh?" "I saw a video about the 'hot dad walk' out of the hospital and I totally get them." He chuckled, though he was cautious of the sleeping baby.

After a few days and once we were in somewhat of a routine his family came over to visit. His slightly younger sister was so excited and could barely keep quiet. "She's adorable. Oh my goodness, look at her little feet!" "Okay everyone, no touching until you've washed your hands!" He announced, pointing towards the kitchen sink.

I watched with a smile on my face as he fussed over whether Maddie's head was supported, it was extremely sweet how much he cared for and loved our daughter. I couldn't wait to watch as he became the best dad ever.

[misotsukiiyeooo]

“Are you mad at me?”

Pairing: Chwe Vernon x F! reader

A/N: Hope you enjoy!

Genre: Angst + Fluff

Word count: 4.3k

Synopsis: Vernon couldn't tell that you were upset until hours later. So he attempts to make up for it.

Still upset with the fact that Vernon completely ignored you while you were talking to him. You decide to be a bit distant with him, petty you thought but you were still pretty upset.

"Babe, do you want to go outside with me? I'm going to the store." He peaks his head through the door viewing you lying on the bed, scrolling through your phone, not even looking at him you respond. "No, I'm alright." You state barely audible. He brushes it off and goes out. Time passes and you're sitting on the couch, away from him and you can't believe he still hasn't noticed your attitude towards him. Making you even more upset you get off the couch, mid-movie walking to the room, and slamming the door softly. An hour passes meaning the movie's over, Vernon walks into the bedroom, observing your body, facing the wall while you once again scroll through your phone. He raises an eyebrow, usually, you'd turn around and practically jump on him. But since yesterday you've been acting distant with him. Getting under the covers, resting his head on the pillow he bites his lip, nervously he looks over to your back. "Are you mad at me..?" Seeing you turn off your phone and make an excuse made his heart drop. "I'm tired." You pretend to go to sleep while Veron's now fidgeting with his fingers. "Oh alright..." He looks at your back for a couple more seconds before attempting to sleep himself.

The sun kissing your face wakes you up only to see the other side of the bed cold and empty. 'Way to make me grumpy in the morning' you thought. Getting out of bed walking to the bathroom only to see a pink post-it note on the mirror. Vernon's handwriting, you take the note reading it. "I had to go help Seungkwan out at his house, can you buy some more snacks for when I come back home?" Scoffing, you crumble the paper and throw it out.

Next thing you know, You're at the store getting his snacks. 'Why do I do these things to myself' You grunt filling up the basket with chips and candies. Driving home, you call Joshua, your therapist. "Hey, Y/n! What's up?" He answers jolly per usual. After ranting about Vernon you hear him hum. "Do you think he knows what he's done?" "No.." you know where this is going. "So then don't you think you should tell him? You know Vernon better than anyone, he won't know unless you tell him." You secretly knew all along however, it would've been nice if he at least acknowledged he was in the wrong. you huff, "You're right...like always. I'll tell him about it when I get home. Thanks, Shua." "Anytime, Y/n." You hang up, time to talk to Vernon. Sighing at the thought.

Walking into the house, eyes widening upon seeing Vernon hold a bouquet of your favorite flower and cute squishmellow. He bites his lips nervously. "Listen, I'm not exactly sure what I did...I sound like a fucked up boyfriend not paying to their girlfriend, but trust me I noticed you were upset. Probably a bit late but if you could explain to me what I've done wrong, I would never, ever do it again.." He emphasizes the 'ever'.

His nervousness turns into a worried expression after seeing you cry like a child. "Did I say something wrong?.." He attempts to approach you but stops himself mid-way. "Vernon, I-" You try to talk all choked up. "Vernon, I'm sorry, I should've talked about it with you instead of acting out of character...Now thinking about it, it was so stupid." He hugs you. "Tell me, if it upsetted you that much, I should know so I won't do it again." Calming down you mumble into his chest. "Well, I was trying to talk to you three days ago on the couch and you completely ignored me...I was pretty excited to talk about it but you didn't respond at all." You finally let out. "Oh my...Babe, I'm sorry but I'd never just ignore you for no reason. I had my AirPods in...I didn't realize they were that loud in my ear." You look up at him. "Are you telling the truth?" He chuckles and nods. "Great, now I've made a fool out of myself." Sinking your face into the crook of his neck he giggles. "I can't believe you actually thought I would ever ignore you. But still, I apologize for having my AirPods too loud in my ears. I won't do it again." Now chuckling, he wipes your tears. "Am I forgiven?" Admiring your face he picks back up the bouquet and squishmellow smiling. Grabbing his cheeks, tiptoeing, you kiss him. "Of course you are, Mr.Headphones."

Reqs are open!

Taglist!!

[loganwritesprobably]

Chronic Pain

Content/Warnings: Crocodile/GN!Reader, pre-slash, Reader has chronic pain, Reader is a Buggy pirate

Notes: This is very self indulgent but hopefully people will enjoy

It was hard sometimes, life as a pirate. Even now that you were grounded, on land 90% of the time at Karai Bari, it was hard. The difference between being at sea and being on land was minimal when it came to you, you even still slept in a hammock.

You were a Buggy pirate at heart and you always would be, but since Crocodile had arrived you'd grown increasingly close. He'd decided you were the "least incompetent" amongst the crew and so when he needed a task to be completed that either couldn't be done by Daz or he'd be "wasted" on it, he sought you out to complete it instead. You didn't mind so much. Manual labour work had always been hard for you and while Buggy understood you did feel useless, and often that meant you overworked yourself and caused yourself more harm than necessary. Work for Crocodile was rarely of that nature.

Delivering letters, collecting the paper from the news coo, reading paperwork and contracts for him, confirming kills of marines, posting new bounties - they were less straining. But, some days there was nothing he needed you for, and so you'd default back to your Captain's side and do what he needed.

Yesterday had been like that. You'd found the crew working hard, asked where you needed, and you simply joined them. First was moving a new shipment from the docks to the big top, then was transporting some of the new shipment to different areas of the island, then erecting a new tent, then moving old and broken materials to another part of the island for disposal. It'd been a lot of heavy lifting and walking, which was awful for your joints, but you'd gotten on with the work despite the discomfort.

Today, you were in awful pain. You'd managed to make it to breakfast with a grimace on your face and a small limp, and the crew had been worried. You'd intended to ignore it, until Cabaji snitched on you to Buggy, who sent you back to bed to rest. He'd scolded you, but he'd done it gently and with concern. He struggled with pain too, and yet he never seemed to stop, so you'd called him a hypocrite under your breath before retreating to your hammock to take a nap. You'd been tired anyway.

You were woken again not even an hour later by Crocodile himself, who had apparently been looking for you to get some work done for him. Daz Bones was elsewhere, and so he'd had to find you personally.

"Sir?" You asked, rubbing a hand over your face with a yawn. You enjoyed the short few moments of bliss before your pain kicked in again.

"Why are you still sleeping?" He asked harshly, and you sat up slowly, brows furrowed as you concentrated on not falling while trying to ignore your pain.

"Sorry sir. Captain Buggy sent me back to bed this morning to rest, but I can be ready in ten minutes if I'm needed." You replied, ready to do whatever was needed. You liked Crocodile a lot, more than you probably should, you were only too happy to assist him.

"Why the hell would he do that?" Crocodile questioned with a sneer, looking you up and down as if scanning for injuries.

"I have chronic pain, sir. I overworked myself yesterday and woke this morning in more pain than usual. But, I'm prepared to work if you need me." You wanted to be honest, because you didn't doubt that Crocodile would be able to identify a lie immediately, but you also didn't want to lose his favour. Those quiet afternoons you spent together both doing paperwork had a special place in your heart. Crocodile regarded you for a long moment, considering his next steps. All you could do was sit and not wither under his gaze.

"I understand the feeling," he said after a moment, words clipped as if he didn't really want to be talking about it, "don't push yourself so hard. I'll speak with Buggy about having you work with me full time, doing less strenuous things." Crocodile nodded once he was done, mostly to himself, pleased with the course of action.

"Whatever you'd like, sir. I'm happy to help." You replied, and you were in fact only took happy to do what he'd suggested. You could see the way Crocodile chewed the inside of his cheek with uncertainty for a moment, a side effect of not having a cigar in his mouth, and then he shook his head and returned to himself.

"Yes, well. Rest today, captain's orders, I'll see you bright and early tomorrow." And then he turned and left before you could respond or argue.

You had a lot of mornings with Crocodile in your future, it would appear.

Requests are open! See below links for my other works, and how to leave requests. I write both canon/canon and canon/reader requests for your enjoyment

AO3 | Fanfic Masterlist | Request Rules | Fic Trades Guide | WIPs

Tags: @claryeverlarkf

[wileys-russo]

as you would assume all alessia x reader 😭

getting into a fight with alessia, would she be stubborn or very apologetic

alessia not being able to sleep without physical touch, but you can't sleep because you're too hot

being up late studying but alessia is tired from training and just wants to cuddle up but you really can't yet

taking care of her after a rough day

you don't need to post this one, just a couple ideas :]

couldn't fit all of these into one blurb but did a lil clingy gf less moment bc we love a touch starved blondie

touch starved II a.russo

"i can clean up later baby you look shattered, please go to bed." you tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind your girlfriends ear, no denying you were positively infatuated with the striker.

"only if you come with me." alessia demanded with a pout, balling your top in her fists and tugging your body closer, your arms wrapping around her and playing with the baby hairs on the back of her neck, the italian a good half a foot taller than you.

"i'll be in later i have to finish this paper, its due by midnight." you bit your lip guiltily, admittedly having procrastinated your uni assignment just a little too long. "are you gonna be in the living room?" the blonde asked hopefully, assuming she could then at least lay down beside you as you worked.

"office, i need the scanner and printer." you shook your head, stomach lurching with guilt as the girls face visibly dropped at the answer she had hoped against hearing. "tomorrows my rest day i'll just stay up and wait for you, watch some more of my show." alessia decided, unwrapping herself from you and heading for the lounge.

"less you've been up since like four in the morning, just go to bed." you smiled at the stubborn nature of the older girl who shook her head, curling up into a ball on the lounge and flicking on the tv.

"i can't sleep without you there." alessia frowned and your heart melted at her words. "yes you can, you manage it on away games and camps." you smiled, cupping her face and tracing the frown lines on her forehead, smoothing them out with your thumbs.

"that's different!" alessia protested, though she visibly struggled in trying to explain how.

"fine but don't fall asleep in here, you'll hurt your neck again!" you cut in to save her further struggle and warned seriously as the striker rolled her eyes. you bent down to peck her lips before padding off to your office, which was really just the third bedroom of your shared flat. alessia often needing a quiet neutral space to do her media duties you'd both deemed it a more appropriate use of the space since you already had a guest bedroom set up.

around an hour and a half later you were tracking along well, you had another two hours until your paper was due and you were already halfway done.

craving something sweet to help your motivation levels you made your way toward the kitchen, though glancing over at the lounge you sighed noting the now dead asleep mop of blonde hair still curled up in a ball.

switching routes you made a beeline for your girlfriend, squatting down beside her and gently poking at the blonde who groaned and turned around to her other side as you turned off the tv.

"babe please go to bed!" you requested while shaking her as her bright blue eyes sleepily fluttered open and she stretched, the slight wince on her face as she moved her neck not going unnoticed by you.

"told you your neck would hurt you idiot." you remanded with a shake of your head, standing and offering her a hand up, a mistake on your behalf as the girl interlocked your fingers but instead pulled you to fall on top of her, long limbs wrapping tightly around you.

"alessia!" you laughed trying to squirm out of her grip but with the taller girls build much more muscular than your own, there really wasn't a point. "don't leave me i miss you, i haven't seen you all day." she mumbled into your shoulder as you rolled your eyes playfully.

"you were only at training for a few hours, we just had dinner together and i'm right here!" you rewarded her neediness with a kiss, alessia's large hands making their way under your top and caressing your bare back. her perfectly manicured nails gently scratched against your skin and your eyes fluttered closed in relief, a sense of calm settling over you, you could happily melt into the girl and never get up again.

but unfortunately you knew this was an option not available for the taking.

"do you not love me?" you asked rhetorically, snapping the half asleep girl to attention as she scoffed. "of course i do what sort of a question is that?" she accused only hugging you tighter as she pushed her legs to slot inbetween your own, your body now well and truly trapped in her iron clad grip.

"loving partners let their girlfriends do their assignments and further their education, do you not want to be able to brag that your girlfriends a fully qualified physiotherapist?" you challenged, admittedly now becoming quite uncomfortable in her grip, it was peak summer and without the luxury of air conditioning you were beginning to get quite hot tucked in so close together.

"actually no because then everyone's going to want your hands on them. don't pretend like you haven't already promised half the girls free massages and adjustments once you graduate!" alessia quipped, though the pride and adoration in her eyes betrayed the playful sarcasm of her statement.

"yeah these magic healers will sadly no longer only belong to you!" you grinned wiggling your hands in her face as she rolled her eyes and playfully bit the tip of your index finger, you flicking at her nose in retaliation.

"but seriously i need to finish my paper and though you are the hottest girl on the planet right now you are actually the hottest girl on the planet, i'm melting!" you whined, alessia allowing you to pull her hands off and untangling her legs from yours.

"go to bed my love, i'll be there in like an hour once i finish." you assured, alessia nodding with a defeated sigh as the two of you stood, exchanging a lingering hug and a goodnight kiss before you parted ways.

alessia headed off to the bathroom to get ready for bed and you back to the office, though not before a quick detour to the kitchen for something sweet.

"if you're not beside me in an hour i'm coming to get you!" alessia yelled from the bedroom before you heard a loud squeak and a thud which would have been the blonde belly flopping onto the mattress as she did every night, normally on top of you.

smiling at her words you zoned back into your paper, eyes flicking between your computer screen and your pile of messily scribbled notes which were spread everywhere all over the desk around you.

true to her word and being unable to fully fall asleep without you beside her in bed, alessia leant against the doorway exactly an hour later, clearing her throat as you spun around in your chair to face her.

giving her a brief look of both guilt and nerves you didn't have to say much more for alessia to catch on you still weren't finished. "i'll be back again in twenty minutes, and if you're still not done then i'll be back every ten minutes after that for a kiss." the blonde pouted as you couldn't help but smile at her clingy nature, this nothing new as the harder the striker was pushed in training the more she sought out your affections when she returned home, nodding in agreement.

"i'm trying." you assured seriously and your girlfriends face softened. "i know, and i want you to get it done so we can spend the day together tomorrow stress free. i've got plans!" alessia tilted up your chin, pecking your lips as you gave her a curious look.

"plans?" "for me to know, for you to eventually find out." "that's not a terrifying thought." "are you accusing me of being a bad planner?" "well...you did forget our-" "for the one hundreth time i didn't forget our anniversary, i just simply got the dates mixed up."

"do your paper, i love you." alessia stole another kiss, running a hand fondly through your hair before padding back off to the bedroom.

what felt like only minutes later, though you knew had been much longer due to your girlfriend popping in repeatedly to steal a kiss and try to hurry you into bed with her, you bit down on your bottom lip as your eyes glanced down at the time, seeing you suddenly had only five more minutes to finish your references index.

muttering to yourself your fingers flew curiously across the keyboard, and with what was surely seconds to spare you clicked submit, exhaling deeply and leaning back in your chair, burying your face tiredly in your hands.

closing your computer you darted quickly around the flat, locking up and flicking off lights and lamps, eventually stepping into your bedroom with a small sigh of relief, checking the window was cracked open to try and diffuse the heat of the sticky summer night.

alessia sent you a toothy smile as she scrolled through her phone, eyes occasionally flicking up to stare at you as you changed into an oversized shirt, tossing your shorts and bra into a corner to be dealt with tomorrow.

"hiii." alessia grinned and opened her arms as you finally made your way toward the bed, the girl laying on top of the covers due to the heat. "hello." you smiled tiredly and collapsed into her, reaching over to flick off the bedside lamp, engulfing the room into darkness as alessia placed her phone on charge.

sincere words of endearment whispered inbetween tender kisses and soft giggles, the two of you slowly began to doze off, though no sooner had alessias body relaxed did yours tense up, the combined body heat of the two of you making your brow line bead with sweat.

checking the italian was soundly sleeping you carefully shuffled away, placing a bit of distance between the two of you as your eyes shut, finally starting to drift off.

"c'mere." alessia mumbled tiredly, reaching blindly back out for you eventually grasping at your top, pulling you back toward her.

"baby i'm sweating its so hot, can we just have a little bit of space? we can still hold hands?" you tried to bargain softly, gently removing her hands from where they clenched tightly to your top and interlinking your fingers, alessia mumbling something incoherent but not making any move to argue as you let out a quiet sigh of relief.

though it couldn't have even been a few seconds later before there was rustling beside you and alessias body flopped on top of yours, the taller blonde burying her face in your neck and grabbing your arms, tiredly wrapping them around herself as she tangled her legs with yours and muttered something you again couldn't quite understand.

sighing in defeat you slid a hand up her top and began to absentmindedly trace patterns on her back, moving your other hand to tangle in her golden locks and scratching your nails against her scalp like you knew she loved, pressing a kiss to her warm forehead and accepting you simply weren't going to sleep well tonight.

but for the seemingly touch starved blonde sleeping soundly on top of you, it would always be worth it.

[totorolaughs]

GOJO x READER | MY BLUE MOURNING BIRD

cure!reader death , angst, smut, sexual content, trauma. gn pronouns, teenager! gojo satoru, anal sx, note: hi, I'm still on hiatus but I wanted to post this since its just rotting in drafts. I'll be out of hiatus I'll post moore ( smut..just pure smut /j) orignal on ao3; translator is @ihrtbrainz REQUEST - OPEN | CLOSED

The sun was bright as the wind howled the sound of leaves rustling filled the air, bright sky blue eyes gleamed as his eyes locked in with yours. you felt a smile tug on your lips warm as a summer day, your fingers entwined with one another as you stroll in sync – side by side, the air was fresh as it could be the warm feeling of your fingers interlaced creating a comforting feeling within each other.

“Your eyes are as pretty as a morning blue bird, Satoru.” He laughed “Oh shut up! That's so cheesy, man!’ Satoru loved cheesy and cringy.

The sky turned gray and the now dark clouds cried. Satoru now stood in front of a grave. The grave was poorly taken care of and destroyed by age. He fell onto his knees as his fingers dug and crawled into the mud the tears of the clouds created.

Satoru sat up from his bedding in a cold sweat, rubbing his eyes as his breath heavy. He wasn't able to sleep after you disappeared, it kept him up at night even when he was able to fall into a slumber that didn't help since he suffered from dreams, which were more like nightmares than actual dreams. They would always begin in the same way as if it was a twisted game his own mind was playing on him; peaceful and comforting dreams would fill his mind before transforming into a depressing once peaceful dream filled with despair so heavy it would cause his chest to ache.

He opened his bedside drawer, blindly digging through it his fingers in the darkness of his bedroom brushing against numerous things until he felt it.

The polaroid picture your parents took of you and him when your days were still filled with bliss. You and Satoru were sitting in an inu cafe. A basset hound puppy got on top of Satoru's head as you both were about to get your picture taken by your parents.

The polaroid taken as you laughed which showed off your smile as Satoru smiled at the camera before the feeling of the puppy could register in his head just moments to late before the polaroid was taken.

He misses those days. He misses you. He misses the way you smiled along with the sound of your loud hyena-sounding laugh, as Satoru looks back on the fond moments he had spent beside you; his cheeks were no longer dry and were now a wet with his tears, A hiccup arouse from his throat as he tenderly ran his thumb on the polaroid.

Why did you have to disappear?

Was it him?

Satoru Gojo.

Was he the cause of your disappearance?

His stomach twisted into a tight knot as the thought of him being the cause of your disappearance. Why wouldn't these stupid thoughts leave his head? Of course he wasn't, why would his mind even come up with that possibility?

Is what he would tell himself in a pitiful attempt to block away that thought whenever he would look at polaroids he took of you it wouldn't make him feel better like his mother said but instead made him feel even more sorrowful.

Satoru thought about burning them and pretending he never had never ever known you, he attempted to burn a picture of you by holding it up to a lighter as soon as the corner of the polaroid caught on fire panic rose just as quickly it was lit just as quickly it was put out your face in the picture was burned into a charcoal black.

Never again.

oh how, he hopped you would come back.

he wants this to be just an awful dream he would awake from.

[mosaickiwi]

Fall Unto Me (part four)

Part one, part two, part three

The end of Angel!Angel and Demon!Ren yayyyy I'm sooo excited to have the rest of my brain back!!! IT'S FINALLY OVER (mostly).

A very long and nonsensical string of writing thoughts and notes on it will be posted much later. Also if anyone wants to ask questions I can answer them in the infodump or on discord if you want a more immediate response... I hope you enjoy da finale 👉👈 sorry this is my baby i really love talking about it but it was impossible til now fjdslkjflks

cw// religious themes

14 Days With You is an 18+ Yandere Visual Novel. MINORS DNI

That mundane, quiet night had taken a turn for the better. You could barely move a muscle after trying to settle your curious desires for your devilish companion, though they still remained. The books and red string were put back where they belonged before you found yourself cradled in strong arms and curled under silken sheets.

Ren had brought you to rest in bed, arms keeping you securely nestled at their side. His bare chest felt incredibly warm against your cheek. The sound of their heart beat steadily, and you moved your head to hear it better. Mesmerizing, and comforting. 

“I'm… tired? Fatigued?” you muttered aloud. It was so hard to stay awake, your eyes kept fluttering. You’d never been quite so drained before.

He gently held your chin to look at you, smiling all the while. “Why do you think? You’re an absolutely ravenous angel. Were it not for that fatigue, you’d surely still have me pinned on the floor with your head thrown back in—”

“Hey!” you interrupted him. The casual way they said it had you suddenly embarrassed. Being aware of your newfound… ‘ravenous’ side was something else entirely.

“It was a wonderful sight, my love, little angel,” he sang your praises with adoration, ending at a word. That word. The one you didn’t know.

An odd little pet name you were all the more curious about.

“What's that word you keep saying?” you asked and his eyes suddenly widened. “I love all the endearing things you call me, but that one—I can't place it.”

“...Oh, love,” he whispered, muffled as they leaned down to press a kiss to the crown of your head. “I’m so sorry. I won't use it anymore.”

“Huh? Is it something bad?” You weren't sure what he meant by that, but you knew well and good they'd never say something cruel to you, let alone call you by a cruel word. Nonsensical as the question was, no other reason came to mind.

“Not at all. It's my favorite word,” his voice was soft, almost heartbroken. “I didn't think you'd forget it so soon… I'll tell you when you're ready, I promise. For now, you only need to rest.”

A simple nod in response on your part. You accepted the answer so easily. There was nothing to worry about anymore. With how exhausted you were from the act, sleep was a natural decision. You could talk in the morning. Or any morning after, you no longer minded. Eventually you'd leave, so what was another few days or weeks?

You settled in and closed your eyes, lulled to sleep by their heartbeat in your ear.

💜🖤💜🖤💜🖤

Cold. You woke up cold. Jolted awake from your own nightmare of falling, drowning in the endless clouds that you once walked upon with ease, only to land in the depths of the freezing ocean below you. With a hushed gasp, you sat up in bed.

The devil was asleep right beside you. Pink hair stained with eerie grays from the moon’s glow through the open window, horns so dark they almost blended into the shadows, ghastly inked patterns that crawled from their shoulders down to their hands. 

One of his was laced tightly with yours. 

You trembled as you slowly pried his fingers away, crawled backwards on the bed until you felt nothing under you and almost fell like that cursed dream.

But the same hands you struggled to get away from caught you. You found instant comfort in his touch, despite the disgust that climbed up your back when you woke—where did it come from? Why were you even trying to get away? 

“I've got you, it's alright,” Ren murmured softly. He guided you to stand, wrapping a wrinkled shirt over your naked shoulders along with his arms. You held on as tight as you could. Your fingers were shaking. 

“I need to—I need to go, Ren. Now,” you gasped into his chest. Your entire body was unsteady, vision blurred from tears you weren't capable of shedding. Whatever you were saying didn't make sense in your head. You needed to go… somewhere. You could picture the place—it had sunkissed clouds as far as the eye could see—but did it have a name?

He read your mind, gently offered the word you couldn't think of, “Heaven?”

There. Home. You nodded. 

“You'll only get hurt.”

“I already know I'll have to repent before my god,” you muttered sheepishly and pulled away, clutching the shirt like a cloak. His knowledge was vast as ever, but what did a demon know of heaven’s affairs? 

“No, little angel. If you even make it that far,” they cursed the realms under their breath and followed as you left the room in a sudden hurry. “They'll take whatever is left of your halo and wings.”

You didn't waste any time throwing open the cabin’s door and walking out into the cool night air. Forced to pause at the sight in front of you, you stared; the breathtaking field of flowers was fully blooming. They were finally as high as Ren promised, the tallest with their golden petals proudly on display in the hallowed shape of a halo.

The beauty only helped his words to sink in. Whatever is left of your halo and wings? You turned around, fully expecting him to be right behind you.

You were face to face as you questioned him, a bite of anger held in. “What do you mean?”

Blue eyes that only seemed paler in the night, once full of hatred for heaven, pooled with long lost grief. “You've fallen from their grace,” he said quietly.

“That doesn't happen.” You denied it quickly. Such a thing had never happened in all the histories of heaven, you at least knew that without ever reading those records. If what he said was true, it’d be common knowledge. A warning that all angels would heed.

“It does, because I—”

A bell rang in the darkened night sky above. Ren froze with unknown fear for a split second and hurriedly reached towards you, shouting something. Another bell obscured their voice, then another and another until the number grew to so many your thoughts drowned in their thunder. Someone was calling you home.

Before you even realized it your wings sprouted forth and threw the unbuttoned shirt he'd given you to the wind, bringing a burning anguish so suddenly intense to bloom in the middle of your back that you fell to your knees. Ren immediately kneeled in front of you. The pain and desperation in his voice pulled at your very core, except you couldn't understand a thing. The bells were so loud. You cried out sharply. It may as well have been silence from what little else you could hear. 

A cracking noise managed to cut through the clamor of the bells above. Translucent shards of stained glass dropped from your head and piled themselves in the dirt at your knees. There was so little of it but you recognized the golden shade, illuminated by the fire licking at your shoulders.

The halo that you'd gained once the library's doors had beckoned you. The few pieces that remained of it, anyway.

Your heart stopped, then started anew. A feeling worse than the holy fire that was turning your beloved wings from feathered grace to ash. He was right; you'd fallen long before this night.

A thousand bells began to still, one by one. You could start to hear Ren again, though only a few words were clear.

“...At night… Forgive… Happen… …Never wanted this for you.”

The last feather fell away into nothing, and the burning in your back, along with the bells, died with it. All the heat you could feel was the demon only inches away, his desolate gaze fixed to you.

You blinked, tear stained cheeks now icy from the salted wind blowing across the ocean. Bits and pieces came back as memories.

The simple, towering clouds that decorated the heavens far as the eye could see. A sun that shined brightly, an everlasting sunrise that greeted you no matter the day. The library that once seemed like paradise you were destined to guard for the rest of time. All echoes of the being that was no longer you.

Something was missing. 

“My… that word,” you whispered. He'd told you it was his favorite word. One that you’d forgotten. “... It was mine?”

He smiled as best he could. It didn't reach his eyes. “You remember it.”

“A little.”

“Then... let me say it for you?” he asked and you nodded. They leaned close, the word slowly leaving their lips with reverence, sadness, unwavering love.

Nothing about it sparked as familiar on the surface. But the word once belonged to you, that empty part inside understood it. Fresh tears welled in the corners of your vision. “When did they take it from me?”

Ren gently wiped your cheek as the tears overflowed again. “I don't know.”

“How—it was mine,” you repeated with a sob. You felt the cold seeping through you and huddled into his embrace. Their body felt more warm and inviting than anything around you. There was nothing—no one else you could ever reach out to anymore.

“I’m sorry. We only have eternity together, my love,” he breathed, tucking your head below his chin with a strangled noise. “I'll say it each and every day so you'll never forget it. I don't want to lose your name, either.”

[btsmosphere]

Supercharged | JJK

Chapter 11: Right Beside You

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🗲summary: It starts with a blow to the chest that changes your life. When your city’s most celebrated hero pays a visit, it turns out the noble Bolt has no trouble tossing lives aside. Lives that won't be missed. Lives like yours. Seven mysterious and powerful men give you another chance – one that starts to feel more like a curse the moment you meet golden boy Jungkook. The boy who wants you as far from his brothers as he can get you. Is it you he hates, or the blue lightning that now runs through your veins? And could it be his golden light that illuminates your heart when darkness threatens? 🗲this chapter: Jungkook has you to thank, if only he knew how.

🗲pairing: jungkook x female reader 🗲word count: 5.7k 🗲genre: angst, action, eventual fluff, enemies to lovers, slow burn, superheroes/villains au, found family 🗲rating: pg15 🗲warnings: violence with superpowers, swearing, past trauma (mentioned assault and torture), mentioned homelessness

a/n: the found family is strong with this one😌🥰 hi everyone, thank you for joining me for this next part of the journey! sorry for being super offline this week, it's been an exhausting one and I'm still a bit mentally checked out as I write this note, but all of the positive comments have been lovely to see🥰special note for the anon who wanted a sneak peek, I just couldn't find a good spot to post for this chapter and didn't have the energy to comb through for one either. I'll consider for future parts when I have more time to do so, but in the meantime I would love just to hear what you enjoyed so far💞enjoy the chapter!

Jungkook didn’t speak to you about that night. Barely even looked your way the next morning when you slunk in to have breakfast.

It was entirely unfair that he was there bright and early, looking completely put-together in that handsome way he always did – or maybe it was one of the perks of having a face like his. A lucky side effect of his stubbornly ignoring you was that he didn’t seem to notice, certainly not acknowledge, your envious staring at him, before you were able to catch yourself and rid your mind of these thoughts.

You, however, had only gone back upstairs when you felt your eyes drooping again, long after Jungkook had disappeared. Even then, it was to fitful sleep. All the midnight epiphanies in the world weren’t about to make you forget your guilt over Hoseok.

So now, it was safe to say you were tired.

Hunching over a plate, you said little, but at least tried to smile at Hope, who caught your gaze. Yoongi eyed between the two of you, and you shrank again, unable to stand the thought he was also wary of you. Maybe Jungkook was just the most open about it.

You wondered over your toast whether Jungkook had a similar reason for being awake last night. Whether he knew yours.

Did he realise that you had been up because of your guilt-ridden nightmares? Would that make him feel better, to know you were being punished for your actions by your own psyche?

You hadn’t thought to question his own presence in the training room at night until now, though. Not that it was a particularly pleasant train of thought. Did he have nightmares of his own? Worse still, were they the same as yours? Had your near miss caused him the same fear it had you, enough to invade his sleep?

At the end of the table, Jungkook spoke in a low voice to Jin. There was no chance for you to guess what they were talking about.

Yet you were still watching. You couldn’t look away, almost wondering if you could see inside his head if you looked hard enough. Puzzle him out.

A scraping sound and movement beneath your hand jerked your attention away.

Your eyes darted to your plate – or where it had been. They followed as it dragged itself swiftly across the table, stopping in front of a clasped pair of hands. And Jimin’s eyes, intent on you under raised brows, made you shift.

“Well, if you’re not going to eat it,” he smiled innocently.

With a pout, you made a swipe for the toast you had abandoned on your plate in your (rather long) moment of distraction. The plate, of course, swiftly darted away from your reach, then switched directions.

Huffing, you gave up, slouching back sulkily in your chair while Jimin laughed.

Another hand reached over to slide your breakfast back to you, this time met with no protest. Jimin was still laughing, glittering pink dying in his eyes, and you smiled gratefully to V, your food restorer.

Lesson learned, you did keep your attention to yourself this time as you finished without looking back up.

As such, you missed the sharp eyes that had finally turned towards you.

At a loss, and not keen as usual to head to training, you followed Jimin and V over to the couch and sunk into it after breakfast, ready to waste away some of the morning. The other two kept muttering between themselves, but you were happy to let them go on unbothered.

A weight dipping the cushion beside you made your head turn in surprise.

Hope flopped against the back of the sofa, looking up at you with a smile.

“Did I ever tell you how I got my powers?” he said, tone casual.

Meanwhile, you tried not to widen your eyes. While all the boys, for obvious reasons, knew about the cause of your powers’ arrival, you weren’t sure about theirs. It wasn’t something you could just… ask.

Or so you thought.

It had been one of the worst nights of your life, so you imagined it was similar for them. Why should they want to share that with someone they didn’t trust?

Maybe Hobi did trust you, though. Because when you shook your head, he shifted his elbows onto the back of the sofa, leaning forward to confide in you.

“I was a student,” he began the tale, “training for stunt work on the side. I had to work this shitty all-night convenience store to afford it… not exactly in the safest end of town.”

You could only imagine it all too well. You realised Jimin and V had stopped their chatter, lapsing into silent attention to the story, although they must know it already.

“One night, some random guy tried to rob the place. When he started attacking a customer, I vaulted the cash desk to stop him. He beat the shit out of me. Had a crowbar and everything. But then, when I was on the floor – couldn’t move anymore, not even stand – it’s like I suddenly woke up. I don’t know how else to describe it.”

Watching his face carefully, you found no words. It was clear the experience had been terrifying, his expression clouding for a moment as he told you the worst of it. You had never seen him look so serious.

He shook himself lightly, meeting your eyes again, and the normally permanent smile returned to his face.

“Suddenly I got the energy to fight back. Since then, I’ve moved faster, been stronger, than I ever was before. It turned a few heads on the stunt team, which is how Namjoon got wind of me.”

“Wow, that’s… scary,” you settled for, though it didn’t do his story justice.

“Yeah,” he nodded, before turning fully to you, a look fixing you in place. “Nothing compared with a slip in training.”

You wilted at the painful reminder which blindsided you. So that’s what this was about?

Hope clapped you on the shoulder.

“I still trust you, yeah? That’s not up to Jungkook.”

Nodding, you finally managed a weak smile of your own.

“Thanks.”

Not knowing how to settle back into the sofa, you shifted and spied V whispering something to Jimin. Jimin shifted back to look him in the face, brow tilting in question. V nodded.

Then Jimin spun to you.

“Tae also wants me to tell you… how he got his powers.”

Your eyebrows shot up.

“Really,” you shifted your gaze to V, “don’t feel you have to. It must be tough-”

“It may be hard to talk about, but you should hear it,” Jimin assured you, “we want you to know.”

Your heart softened at this double show of trust. Giving a nod, you watched Jimin take a bracing breath.

“I was the one who found him,” he began, “Namjoon sent me. He heard about the place, wanted to investigate… it was a testing centre. They were keeping him there like a prisoner, seeing what stuff they could inject until he…”

Jimin choked off the sentence. You didn’t want to hear the end of it.

Jimin’s eyes were wide and betrayed such dazzling emotion you could hardly look. It was no wonder he was such a fierce protector of V, that they loved each other so strongly.

“In the end, they gave him fire. We’re not even sure if they meant to, if they knew what they were doing. But they were using him, and I had to get him out of there.”

Letting silence stretch for a moment, you waited until it was clear he wasn’t going on.

“Good,” you spoke quietly. Shifting your eyes to V, you found him looking at you calmly, though the darkness in his eyes was heavier than normal. “I’m glad you made it here.”

Jimin squeezed his hand.

Though you tried to swallow it down, you couldn’t help your next question. You wouldn’t ask what happened to Hope’s would-be killer, but this…

“What happened to the lab?” you whispered.

V’s gaze remained unblinking.

“Burned,” he said, in that rare, low voice.

Not leaving his gaze, you only nodded.

You may have been accepted by your friends. Their trust bolstered you, it did, only… Something didn’t sit right while you were still so perplexed at your precarious footing with Jungkook.

When he did show up, Jungkook seemed oddly distracted all morning. Weirdest of all was that his mood didn’t drive him away to the gym like usual. He sat at the end of the sofa until Yoongi arrived, fishing controllers from the dreaded Drawer of Cables. Playing a few rounds of video games was fun, but you still found yourself glancing a little too often at the detached Jungkook. When a controller got passed to him, he nearly won without breaking into a sweat, only to apparently zone out and fall off the map near the end.

The others laughed at him and yelled their own victories, the two of you the only ones not joining in. At least you cracked a grin, but Jungkook seemed to have drifted.

Maybe, with the others knowing him better than you did, their lack of notice was a good sign. Surely you couldn’t be the only one caught so off-guard by his silence? Or maybe it was because of last night. None of the others had heard your odd midnight conversation.

With Jungkook acting this way, you had wondered how training would play out. If he would even show. You wouldn’t blame him after yesterday with Hobi, and… whatever that had been last night.

No, you wouldn’t blame him, but strangely you found yourself hoping for the opposite in any case. Some sign from him about what last night meant… or at least that you should forget about it.

In the event, your wondering was never answered.

Namjoon marching into the room wasn’t what any of you had expected. Usually, that meant business. And today was no exception.

“Are you guys ready to head out?”

Which meant that if you weren’t, now was the time to prepare. All you needed to do was grab shoes, and then you were following Jin as he grabbed keys and headed down the front stairs to the garage.

Behind you, Hobi was desperately searching for a second shoe, only having found one in his room. Yoongi had been begrudgingly roped into helping, and his sighs filled the air at regular intervals as he found yet another spot empty.

Jimin was hopping around as he tried to run to the door before tying his laces.

Namjoon walked through the sudden chaos, unfazed, raising his voice slightly.

“Bosun’s just had to flee his place at the edge of town. Says there are people inside already. So we’d better move.”

The garage door slid open as you reached it. Jungkook was already waiting. He had been the first one to his feet when Namjoon entered with a battle plan, and you got it. Some good action would force unwanted distractions from your mind like nothing else.

He pushed away from the wall, squaring his shoulders as he stepped towards the waiting cars. And stumbled.

You bit down on your lip, but it was as if he could sense your instinctive laughter. Yours were the first place his eyes glowered as he recovered balance.

Ducking your eyes, they landed on a sneaker strewn on the ground.

“Oi, Hobi!” you called, launching his missing sneaker up the stairs past Namjoon, who was now descending.

“Thanks!” came his call, and then he was beside you in an instant, yellow light flashing in his eyes.

“Hey, only one of us has speed powers!” Yoongi complained, jogging down the stairs last.

Namjoon’s eyes flickered over the lot of you and then you were piling into cars. Jimin tugged you after him and V into Jin’s car, while the others took the neighbouring one.

With the unexpected attack already apparently underway, Jin cut all the corners he could as you sped across the city. You remembered seeing Bosun’s name in one of the various files Jin was sifting through as he and Namjoon desperately tried to strategise their way out of this game already in motion. Clearly, his wasn’t one of their top places of concern as he hadn’t been relocated yet.

You were beginning to see why. The streets you passed grew less and less maintained, cracks, weeds and broken signs whizzing past your window. This was more similar to the end of town you used to live in, before Bolt. And you would assume it to be way off his radar.

Apparently not.

Jin pulled up in some alley beside an unassuming and leaky-looking warehouse. Fumbling to open the glove box, he passed you each a small receiver along with instructions.

“Jimin, V, take that side. The back entrance is around there. With any luck they aren’t expecting us, but be ready for anything. Y/N, go the other way, check it’s clear. Then head to the front where you’ll meet the others.”

Nodding hastily, you all scrammed from the car. Jimin patted your shoulder and flashed you a grin – a nod from V and they were sprinting away to the left. You peeled off right instead, focus setting in the moment your feet were in motion.

Rounding a corner, you were faced with a near-identical alley, narrow and shadowy with puddles nestled in cracks in the concrete.

Eyes scanning, you first checked the windows in the long expanse of wall. There were few, high up and tiny. From here, you could see no one looking back out at you. Hopefully that meant the surprise factor was still on your side.

It was when your eyes returned to the street in front of you that your steps faltered. Closer now, a figure became clear in the shadows that you hadn’t made out before.

Slowing, you squinted at them, hands already twitching. But they hadn’t made any move, although they had clearly seen you. Crouched against the wall, they looked directly your way as you approached hesitantly. Maybe they just didn’t know who you were? But if they were guarding this place, surely any passerby could be classed as a threat?

So why weren’t they attacking?

You stopped fully, now only paces from them. You saw it was a young man, maybe even a teenager. His eyes were large as they looked at you from below unkempt hair, and while they had a hard edge of practised hostility, all you read there was wariness and fear.

Hands retreating under fraying sleeves, he shifted uncomfortably the longer you stood in front of him. Worn-out shoes with a hole in the side shifted near to a puddle.

Frowning, your eyes caught sight of a bag he was sheltering with his body.

Breath slowed uncomfortably in your throat as it dawned on you. He wasn’t with the people attacking the warehouse – he probably had no idea anything was even going on in the building behind the two of you.

“You should get out of here,” you met his eyes again.

He didn’t need telling twice. Since you had showed interest in him, his discomfort had been clear, and he finally shot to his feet, still clinging to the overstuffed backpack behind him.

Then your eyes were torn from his nervous ones by a blast from the end of the alley.

Whipping around, you were briefly dazzled by a burst of gold light. Inexplicably, it put you at ease – or the knowledge of who was behind it did.

What had you instantly back on edge were the two silhouetted figures that now ran across the entrance to the alleyway. The sight of weapons clutched to their chests had your fingers flexing, feeling your powers simmer defensively.

It had begun.

A second after the armed people emerged, one of them was sent to the floor by a human-sized bullet – Hope. Their gun skidded away, landing in a shallow puddle with a splash.

Starting forwards intently to aid your team, you spared one last glance back at the boy you had found in the alley.

Those same fearful eyes were now fixed past you at the violence unfolding as it spilled from the warehouse entrance. Rigid, he seemed frozen to the spot.

“Go!” you barked, “I mean it!”

And then you were running. If he had any sense, the kid would get moving.

Another sharp blade of gold light descended, nearly knocking over the remaining assailant ahead of you, but they ducked and staggered on, the blast clashing with the neighbouring wall. Tracing the source of the attack, you spied Jungkook’s vantage point on the roof, his head visible though only a brief blur as he raced after his target.

Fixing your eyes front, you charged head-on at the fleeing man.

And he spotted you too.

Whatever weapon you were facing now, you didn’t fancy finding out. He was aiming it, giving you a clear view down the barrel.

Your step never once faltered. You didn’t need to reach for a weapon.

You were one.

Blue fired from your fingertips before his could move on the trigger. It caught him, flinging him backwards, flipping before slamming against the ground.

Still hot-footing it to the heat of the action, you glanced to Jungkook, smirk already lifting your lips, ready to share the momentary victory.

But he hadn’t changed direction. Instead, he was flying towards you, descending from the rooftop on a pillar of gold, and his other arm was aiming behind you-

Turning, you caught sight of the fleeing boy, almost out of sight now.

Your heart dropped in slow motion, but your body acted without waiting for permission.

Well-aimed gold streaked down the alley. Hand raising, you threw an arrow of blue to meet it. Lightning collided in the air, your shot throwing his off, a missile of sparking blue and gold smashing against the warehouse.

Outrage painting his face, Jungkook hit the ground, already dashing towards you and the boy. Readied his arm again…

“Jungkook!” you cried.

Not stepping out of his path, the two of you practically crashed into each other. Your hand caught his shoulder, restraining him as you twisted to look behind you.

The boy was on the ground, metres from the impact. As you watched, he scrambled to his feet, hoisted his backpack over a shoulder and ran, finally disappearing into another street.

“He’s not with them,” you panted, “…he’s just a kid.”

Turning back to Jungkook, you expected rage, frustration… but not this. His eyes were fixed on the spot the boy had fled from. As his eyes tracked, slowly, back to your face, he inhaled softly. Held it. Slack-jawed horror washed over him.

Struck by the force of emotion surfacing so suddenly in his eyes, you lightened your grip and took a step back.

A heavy frown pressed on Jungkook's brows, gaze once again growing distant, drifting to the alley behind you.

“I didn’t think…” he mumbled, but his lips stilled again, parted in horror.

“You’re not supposed to expect it,” you whispered.

Eyes fixed on Jungkook’s intently, you caught the sharp flicker as they returned to you. Lucidity flooded back to him and his throat bobbed in a hard swallow.

As he looked at you, his frown eased imperceptibly, realisation widening his eyes instead.

“He would be dead.” Jungkook’s voice was brittle.

Your heart was only now slowing in your chest, the shock of adrenaline subsiding. All it took was another blow from somewhere behind the pair of you, ringing out through the confined space, to pull you away from Jungkook.

His head turned; you stepped to see around him. Dropping your arm fully at last, you broke into a sprint once more, knowing even before you heard his steps that Jungkook would be right beside you.

You eyed the warehouse and alleyway disappearing in the rear-view mirror. Soon they were eaten up by the maze of roads taking you back into the city that was none the wiser.

There hadn’t been many more attackers. No one of note, only bolstered by weapons of Bolt’s previous acquisition. In the end, the group of you had driven them out with relative ease.

Which was good. Bosun had shaken hands with Namjoon outside in relief as he found his work still intact.

But you wondered if you were the only one nagged by another win without sight of the orchestrator. Bolt seemed to follow you everywhere, without ever showing his face. You took your eyes from the cars around you to a news stand as you drove past. Blue splashed over the front cover, Bolt took his place in the glorious spotlight, right where he wanted.

Did the readers know what he had working behind the scenes?

The weapons these fighters were decked out with, you knew them. But you also knew Kuyang had never made so many of them as you were now encountering on each shout.

“Do you think Namjoon-hyung will mind if we skip training?” Jimin was nudging V with that playfully devilish grin of his, “we basically had a workout already!”

Glancing at the rear-view, you saw Jin raise a brow and shared a private smile with yourself. You didn’t think Namjoon was the one Jimin should be worrying about.

Then you sat up.

“Hey, Jin?” you spoke.

He hummed, glancing to you in the mirror, but your eyes had caught something else.

“The same car is still behind us.”

Jin’s hands tightened on the wheel and he shot a look to follow yours.

“You’re sure?”

He braked a little too sharply as a car pulled from a turning ahead of you.

“I’m sure. Not that red one, the black one behind it, do you see?”

Narrowed eyes scanning the mirror, he nodded.

“Since when?”

“A good few roads. Since the lights.”

Jimin had gone quiet, all three of you now watching Jin closely for an answer as he pursed his lips. Though you sincerely hoped it was simply a harmless coincidence, you had left the busiest roads and were nearing home. Best not to take chances.

“Let’s see what they’re about,” Jin said, voice low and calculated.

A challenge.

A turning approached, so he indicated and slipped into the right-turn lane. Tentatively, you turned your head, enough to eye the black car. It carried on behind the red one and you relaxed – for a moment.

Then, just before you were obscured by the corner, it, too, switched lanes.

Your car took a collective breath in.

Jin tilted his head.

“Interesting.”

Chewing your cheek, you glanced sideways. The same nerves were reflected back in Jimin and V’s eyes.

“Jimin, can you text Namjoon that we have a potential tail?” Jin asked, tone suddenly lighter, “might be late. And in the meantime-”

He turned again, taking you down a much smaller road. The opposite direction to your original destination.

Driving straight on, he waited until the black car showed itself behind you. There was almost no doubt in your mind now.

“Joon says he’ll see us back home,” Jimin said, lifting his phone up surreptitiously to snap some images of your stalker, “and that they’re all clear. Although maybe whoever’s following them is just more subtle about it.”

Jin chuckled with him, but it was brief.

“Well, without Y/N spotting it, I’m not sure I would be much the wiser,” he mused.

Another glance in the mirror, and the black vehicle was indicating, pulling between parked cars. Didn’t tuck itself all the way in, with what could be an effort to keep a view clear of your car heading further down the road.

“Oh, were heading this way after all, hm?” Jin asked dryly.

Looking back to the road with determination, he took a right. Not long after, another right, where he swung around and stopped, facing out onto the road you had just left.

It didn’t even take that long. Your lungs hadn’t even started straining from the breath you held.

The car drove in front of you.

Jimin was ready, taking another picture as the driver passed, but there was no double-take or visible glance your way. They had a hood up, mask and dark glasses on.

The car carried on, but this game wasn’t going to last. As Jin pulled out, they were already slowing down, turning onto the road parallel to yours.

A burst of speed had you pressed back in the seat.

“Jimin, can you stop this guy? I’ve seen about enough.”

Jimin hummed a casual agreement, but you saw the smirk that grew on his lips, the glint in his eyes before pink light bled into them.

Sure enough, at the next intersection, the black car was right there. Jimin held a hand up, splayed his fingers, and that was all it took. Your stalker hit an invisible wall. The tyres froze, car stuck fast on the road it had been speeding down.

Jin put his foot down.

Several turns and roads later, with no more signs of the same vehicle, or of any repeat followers, he finally turned on himself, resuming your intended route at last. Didn’t stop you all keeping lookout, even as you waited for the hidden wall to slip aside and let you home. Especially then.

It was a relief to spill up the stairs to the scents of cooking – tteokbokki, if you weren’t mistaken.

The second lot of relief came when you saw Yoongi was the one behind the stove. Bound to be a solid meal, trusting him.

While the group noticed your return, Hobi jumping to his feet and Namjoon striding forwards, checking on all of you, you paused on the top step. Just cast your eyes around, for a second. Sometimes these moments would hit you from nowhere. Some outdated part of you expecting to have to cook for yourself after getting back from an already exhausting day, only to find your team making things easier.

In the small ways, just as much as the big, your life had changed. In the small ways, it was definitely for the better.

Letting a fond, awed smile slip onto your face for a second, you breathed in.

Jimin’s laugh met your ears, and you turned back to the moment. He clapped a chuckling Jungkook on the shoulder, giving a playful shove before he moved on towards the table. You moved to follow, only to find Jungkook hadn’t budged.

Residual smile still on his face, eyes wide and cheerful, his gaze rested on you. There was a slight hesitation, his smile growing fainter, nervous as he appeared to stall in front of you.

“Thanks,” he said quietly. It would almost be conversational; if only you had had a casual conversation with the guy, you would know. “Glad you’re all back safe.”

At your stunned stare, he squeezed a hurried smile back in place, and fled to Yoongi’s side in the kitchen. Your mouth hung open, eyes following Jungkook’s back even as Jin marched past.

“Yah, trust me to take care of the kitchen hyung,” Yoongi complained to the back of Jin’s head as he bent to sample a spoonful of sauce.

“I’m just taste-testing,” Jin defended a second later with a cheeky grin on his face.

Yoongi didn’t bat an eye.

“Well if the inspector’s not happy, report me,” he harrumphed, “go sit down.”

Jin allowed himself to be shoved table-wards, self-satisfied smile permanently on his face.

Still hovering beside Yoongi, Jungkook finally looked back at you. It would have been subtle, too, if you had been able to tear your eyes from him yet. He gazed up from below his hair.

A small, startled expression flitted across his face – not so intimidating now, huh? – before your view was mercifully blocked by Namjoon.

“I heard you noticed the tail back there. Good spot.”

Smiling, you bobbed your head.

“Thanks,” you eyed the floor, “I don’t even know what made me look for it.”

“Whatever it was, I’m glad you did. It got us all back here. I’ll be working on finding out who they were, though, and what they were doing after us.”

Your eyes flicked back to his face, a flicker of unease shooting across your expression.

He sighed, his turn to drop his gaze this time.

“I’ll keep you all posted. For now, it’s done. And I believe dinner is in order.”

Stepping aside, he ushered you past, only somewhat assuaged. That hadn’t been some usual attack which you could put down all-guns-blazing. Someone following you… that was different. Someone playing a long game. And there was one person you could already think of who was running one of those.

In the time you had been speaking with Namjoon, Jin had somehow returned to the kitchen, though Yoongi was silent about it this time.

Yoongi passed dishes as Jin scooped food into them, Jungkook rooting through the cupboards for something too. Slipping into a seat, you watched them idly. Jin set the steaming plates on the side, which is when Jungkook leaned over to chop chives over the top. You sure were in for a luxurious meal. A decent reward, you thought.

Turning with the next plate, Jin paused. Didn’t set it down. He stared, frozen, at Jungkook.

Catching on a second later, the younger man looked up like a caught puppy. Even if he hadn’t been doing anything nefarious.

An amused smile stole over Jin’s face.

“Since when do you cook so fancy, Kook?” he grinned.

“F-fancy?” Jungkook blinked. “Isn’t this… how you make it?”

Jin shrugged, setting down the plate and turning to grab the one Yoongi proffered impatiently.

“Never thought to add them,” Jin mused, “looks nice though. Tell me, where did you pick up such cheffing tips?”

Jin was half-joking, still plating up, but something was dawning on the younger man.

Jungkook looked comically horrified, gaze darting between the green chives in one hand and the scissors in the other. He paused like that just a little too long to sound casual when he finally regained his voice to mutter:

“This is how Y/N likes it.”

Any hope of sounding nonchalant died as Jin’s eyes bulged from his face. Yoongi froze, eyebrows raising, before looking over his shoulder to you with a questioning smile.

Namjoon, mercifully, looked down to his lap with a private smile, but he was the only one. Hobi broke into a grin and Jimin spun to laugh openly at his younger brother, who looked thoroughly grumpy now. Jungkook’s mouth was fixed in a solid pout, his hard glare not helping in the slightest as the declarations of joyful surprise clearly got to him.

In the face of Yoongi’s now wiggling eyebrows, and a disconcertingly intense stare from V, you laughed weakly.

For a second, your eyes met with Jungkook’s. He snapped his gaze away an instant later, firmly hiding his flushed cheeks with his turned back, recommencing his chive-chopping rather more aggressively.

Jin clapped him on the back exaggeratedly, before scooping a dish up.

“I think this has the most,” he smirked, sliding it to rest right in front of you, “the Y/N speciality, made just for you.”

With a roll of your eyes and an exasperated laugh, you took the bowl.

“Yah, leave off! You brought this on yourself, you know. Why not teach Jungkook your way?”

“Wha-” Jin broke off, flicking a dish towel at Jungkook’s back, “how many times have I made tteokbokki with you, punk?”

Shoulders a little looser, Jungkook ducked out of the way.

“You mean made for me,” he defended.

Leaving Jin to splutter behind him, Jungkook marched over to the table with two more chive-topped bowls of food which he set down a little too hard, landing with loud clunks.

The others dutifully moved on to other things as the plates all reached the table and the lot of you dug in, grateful after an eventful day. When Jin made a comment about the added flavour of the dish, it was genuine and not a dig at their youngest.

Still, Jungkook picked quietly at his food. It may have been bold to claim he was avoiding your eye, as you couldn’t really remember a time he had sought it out, but though he was only a seat across from you, he didn’t once look at you. What was worse was that you couldn’t help but notice. Couldn’t stop your attention straying to him among the boys’ chatter which should have been distracting you.

At least he ate it all.

You made a point to collect his plate once you had all finished. Namjoon had already disappeared, Jimin gathering the rest of the dishes to wash.

Rounding the table, you lifted the empty dish from under his nose, making him look up.

“Thanks, Jungkook,” you said, before he could look away. You didn’t smile, just returned his startled gaze with your own steady one.

He had to know you weren’t laughing at him. Even if a sprinkling of chives was nothing to be embarrassed about in the first place.

Ducking his gaze after a long second, he followed the others to flop down on the sofa.

Watching with amusement, you had to force yourself to move too. You placed the dishes on the pile and distractedly grabbed a towel since Jimin had started washing. It was funny… Not long ago, you wouldn’t have thought the abrasive, menacing Jungkook you knew then could ever look like a deer in the headlights.

“What are you smiling about?”

An elbow from Jimin brought you abruptly from your reflections. Yelping, you swatted him away.

“Nothing,” you insisted, grabbing desperately for a dish to dry.

Your response only encouraged the teasing smile spreading across your companion’s mouth. You didn’t like the way his eyebrow quirked. He fixed you with a scarily knowing look that had you gulping.

Then he shrugged and turned back to the dishwater.

THE CHIIIIVES😂Thank you for reading! How are you enjoying them all getting along?💜

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[happiest-hotch]

Appreciation

a/n: so i was watching Don't Worry, Darling for the first time and all I could think about was the dining room table scene with Aaron, so I had to write it

Summary: You cook your husband dinner and he makes sure you get the appreciation you deserve

CW: oral sex (fem receiving)

WC: 1.5k

There's an evergrowing list of things you love about your life post-BAU. The reason you had to go into WITSEC was terrifying, and it changed your world and perception of security, but now that you're out of protective custody, things are better than ever.

Vermont being so beautiful helps, as does the lack of stress from Aaron choosing not to return to Quantico and his endless list of Unit Chief duties. After being with Aaron for a crazy six years, the slower-paced life is perfect. There are no missed dates and mutual guilt because Aaron always felt terrible for canceling last minute, and you felt bad that he felt bad. 

One of your favorite things is when he comes back from work. There's more than enough money between his FBI 'retirement' and your shared investments for him not to work, but he's thrived off structure for so many years that he's not ready to give it up. His hours are nothing like when he was at the BAU. There are no missed holidays, and he's never missed a school event of Jack's.

That morning, Aaron told you he'd be home 'late,' which is 6 pm these days, not 2 am. Although Fridays are date nights, you like surprising him, and you've got a few extra hours, so it seems like the perfect chance to make a more elaborate meal.

You're just turning off the oven to let the roast sit when you hear Aaron's key in the door. Excitedly, you skip over to greet him. 

"Hey, handsome." You say with a grin. Aaron in a suit is a pleasure you get to see every day.

He puts his bag and keys down on the side table. "It smells amazing in here." He notes. "Did you make a pork roast?"

You nod, not having the time to answer before he kisses you. Unlike the peck you were expecting, his lips are firm against yours as he walks you back through the house with his hands on your hips.

"With roast vegetables?" He checks when he pulls back, his lips only an inch from yours. 

"Mhm." You agree, but you can't tell him what specific vegetables you've cooked before he kisses you again. You're boring together, but you usually have a routine: a welcome home kiss, a drink, maybe some hugs in the kitchen, and dinner. His affection isn't anything new or unwanted, but it's notable.

"And those nice brussel sprouts?" He asks. 

You have to grab his face to move it away from yours so you can actually answer. "Yeah, because the only way you'll at them is with cheese."

Aaron kisses you firmly again, guiding you until your butt hits the table. "You love me." He sing-songs teasingly. 

You chuckle. "Yeah, I love you." 

"Good because I love you too." He replies sweetly. 

Then he's kissing you again with renewed vigor, and you're slightly stunned by his boldness. His hands drift from your waist to the back of your thighs, hoisting you up onto the table with ease. On instinct, your thighs spread to let him stand between them.

"Mmm." You mumble against his lips, pulling back for some air. "What's gotten into you?"

"What? I can't thank my darling wife for a delicious homecooked meal?" He wonders, making it easy for you to identify what's made his eyes darken. "Jack's out, right?"

You brush your nose against his with a soft smile that he mimics. "He is, but how do you know it's going to be delicious?" You joke. 

Aaron chuckles, quickly coming up with a witty reply. "I'll thank you for the effort then." He decides.

You grin. "Alright, get to it." 

He winks, planting another kiss on your lips before sinking down to his knee. 

You're thanking yourself for wearing a dress that gives him quick access when he bunches the skirt further up your thighs. 

He starts with gentle kisses trailing up your inner thighs, designed to be loving and teasing. Your skin heats with his mouth on it.

"Someone had after-dinner plans for tonight." He teases, fingers tracing along your underwear- your lacy white underwear- to accentuate his point.

"The order wasn't important." You say through pressed-together lips to keep from moaning. 

His laugh pushes warm air against your core, making you tense on reflex. "Relax, baby." He instructs. "Let me take care of you."

You lay back, getting ready for what'll no doubt be a mindblowing orgasm. Aaron pushes your panties to the side, fingertip tracing over your most delicate skin. You can feel him smirking at how you quiver, completely at his mercy. Because this technically is your reward, he doesn't excessively tease you, and you barely have a few seconds before his lips are right where you need them. He starts with slow kisses up and down your slit before his tongue finally dives in, making you gasp.

"Fuck, Aaron." You moan as his tongue darts around, tasting every inch of you. "Feels so good."

Your praises make him double his efforts, pressing firmer into you with his tongue. Your walls flutter around him, but it doesn't do anything to dissuade his work as he keeps lapping you up. 

You card your hand through Aaron's hair, tugging him closer to you, and he gets the message. He moves his head from side to side, brushing his nose against your clit and making you squeal with delight. Like the expert at working your body that he is, he focuses on a different part of you, licking a fat strip with his tongue flat against you before reaching your clit. He anticipates your next move as well because his hand has been ghosting over your thigh, knowing you'd tease and try to close them, so when you do, he grips your thigh, spreading you again. 

"Baby." He growls in his low, warning tone. "Keep your thighs spread." 

"Okay." You agree, biting your bottom lip to keep from moaning at his hot breath fanning your clit. 

He notices because, of course, he does. "And I want to hear every one of those beautiful moans." To test that you're going to follow his instruction, his lips latch onto your clit, sucking firmly, and your jaw drops open, and a loud moan falls out.

Satisfied with you, he keeps the same movement going, focusing all his attention on your bundle of nerves, cycling between sucking and blowing and licking, with no order. You're screaming a mix of his name and curse words above him, feeling pleasure stream through your body. There's no doubt a proud smirk on his face, but your eyes are so tightly shut from the bliss that you can't see it.

"Please don't stop." You whimper, subconsciously rolling your hips against his face as you chase your high. 

"Ready to take my fingers?" He asks, his voice all low and deep against you.

"Please." You whimper out, overcome by the pleasure but still wanting more. As his middle finger slightly nudges you, you grip the edge of the table. He momentarily pulls off your clit, forcing you to focus on the feel of his fingers. He's swift with his motion to push it deep into you, resulting in a loud moan falling from your lips. His ring finger joins, stretching you open, and you silently thank the universe that he's part of the ten percent of left-handed people because the coldness of his wedding ring against your warm core is a delightful contrast.

You see stars when he starts to move his fingers, thrusting them in and out of you. "So good." You manage to moan out as you arch your back. 

"Here." He offers out his free hand to you, and you stop gripping the table's edge to hold it. You know he likes to feel how much pleasure he's giving you, so you squeeze it as he works you. 

His lips reattach to your clit, giving you so much bliss from both places, and you scream out as you get closer. 

"A-Aaron, I need to- shit- cum." You say, words no doubt slurred together. 

He knows, and he knows how to get you over the edge. "Mm-hmm." He mumbles against you. The added vibrations are enough to do it, making you moan his name while squirming on the table as you reach your high. He works you through it, lips, fingers, and tongue not letting up until you're gasping at the overstimulation.

Spent, you lay against the table as Aaron readjusts your underwear and dress before standing up. 

"That good, huh?" He asks despite knowing that, yeah, it really was that good. 

"Absolutely." You agree, letting him pull you upright with the hand you're holding his with. He leans in to kiss you, and you can taste yourself on his lips. "Thank you." 

"Thank you." He says. "Do you think dinner's burnt by now?" 

You shake your head, hopping off the table. His hands hold your hips, helping support your unstable legs. "The oven was off, so it's just probably cold." You assure him before smirking. "Oh, I meant to ask, since that was just appreciation for me cooking, what do I get if the meal actually is delicious?"

Aaron chuckles. "We'll see, but I have a feeling you've already got some requests." 

[cybernecromancer365]

Yennaia Ficlet

A.N. Quick bare bones scene I wrote to get used to the characters. I’d love some feedback about how they sound because I’m not sure if I’m getting it right. Also this is supposed to be post season 3, in a world where Tissaia lived. I'll probably use this for my story later.

---

There were two knocks at her door.

“Come in.” Tissaia said, knowing only one person dared to visit her this late. Outside her window a black, starry sky hung over Aretuza.

The door opened and Yennefer stepped in. Tissaia softly smiled, glancing up then back to her book. “You’re back late.”

Yennefer crossed the room with a quiet sigh and stopped at her bedside. “We…may have to do some damage control.”

Tissaia quickly looked up, a jolt rushed through her and a shiver down her spine at the sight of blood running from the right side of Yennefer’s neck down the front of her black shirt.

Tissaia shut the book, threw back the bedcovers, and got up, her hands reaching for Yennefer’s waist—

She pulled them away with a start at the cold wetness soaked to the right side of Yennefer’s shirt.

“That too.” Yennefer said coolly and Tissaia’s eyes widened at the red on her palm.

“What on earth happened?”

“A…misunderstanding…of sorts.” Yennefer smirked a little. “Jaskier called it a bar-gument. Get it?”

Tissaia didn’t share her chuckle, only eyed her with a furrowing brow.

“You don’t find that funny…” Yennefer averted her gaze and cleared her throat. “It really wasn’t that bad—”

“You’re covered in blood.”

Yennefer stepped away with a grin. “But I’m fine. You know I can’t die.” Yennefer uncapped the decanter on Tissaia’s desk and poured the wine left from their early dinner into an empty glass nearby.

“And now do they?”

“…” Yennefer took a swig and shrugged. “I don’t think they’ll care. They’ll probably forget what they saw by morning.”

“And what exactly did they see?”

Yennefer took another swig, deeper, and Tissaia hurried over, grabbing her wrist, taking the cup from Yennefer's hand. “What’s wrong with you?” She set the empty cup to the desk quick and grabbed Yennefer’s chin. “Let me see your eyes.” Yennefer’s dilated pupils answered her concerns. “What did you take?”

Yennefer searched for a refute.

“Don’t lie to me. You know I can pull the truth out of you if I want.”

“I do.” Yennefer smirked and went to grab Tissaia’s waist but the Rectoress pushed her hands away.

“What did you take?”

“Have you ever heard of Fisstech?”

Tissaia’s eyes widened.

“Harmless, really. It was Jasi’s idea.”

“Jasi?”

“He told me I should loosen up.” Yennefer softly smiled at the end and poured another glass. “It doesn’t have much effect on me.” She downed her second cup of wine.

Tissaia pulled apart the fastenings on Yennefer’s shirt, opening the collar more. A few were already undone, and a part of the shirt flap hung open. She tip-toed to inspect the cut to Yennefer’s jugular, noting the younger woman’s twitch at her touch.

“So, the story…we wanted a bit of fun, danger—”

“Danger?”

“So we end up at this Nilfgaardian bar—”

“What?” Tissaia had Yennefer’s shirt in her fists. “Are you insane?”

Yennefer quieted.

“They kill Aretuzans.”

“They didn’t know I was one…until the fight—”

“In which you what?” Tissaia raised her voice slightly above normal.

“Jaskier got into it with an off duty member of Emhyr’s guard. One petty argument led to the next, and that led to a brawl. I stepped in to help, blew the guy across the room. And then half the bar came for me. One guy surprised me, tried to cut my throat. Of course blood went everywhere, but when I didn’t die…”

With a small huff, Tissaia finished undoing the last fastening on Yennefer’s shirt. She took the mage’s glass and pulled the shirt off, arm by arm. “Go sit by the fire.” She nudged her in the direction of the fireplace and Yennefer obeyed the order, sitting then stretching out to lay—

“Not when you’re covered in blood.”

Begrudgingly, Yennefer sat up. She longed to stretch out on the warm bear pelt rug in front of the fireplace. In the background, Tissaia whispered a spell over a bowl in her hand.

“I’ll regenerate. You know I’ll be fine.”

Tissaia brought over two bowls and a couple of towels. She knelt at Yennefer’s side, dipping the corner of the cloth into water that rippled iridescent colors. Carefully she pressed along Yennefer’s skin, wiping the dried blood from the wound on Yennefer’s neck. The gaping gash had already healed some. By morning it would likely be gone.

Yennefer leaned back with a small blissful smile touching her lips at Tissaia’s soft strokes across her skin. The solution stung when it seeped into the open wound but she barely flinched. Yennefer tested her luck and laid on her good side, resting her head in the Rectoress’s lap.

“Why do you take care of me?”

“Keep coming back like this and you’ll be cleaning these yourself.”

Tissaia didn’t mean that, Yennefer knew.

“There’s something I’ve always wanted to know…”

“Hm.”

 Yennefer closed her eyes. “Why did you stop calling me piglet?”

Tissaia was quiet for a moment. “We both know you’re much more than that.”

Yennefer took Tissaia’s hand from her neck, kissed it, and let go.

Tissaia moved down, pulling out a sizeable glass shard from Yennefer’s side and Yennefer stiffened with a grimace.

“Ow!”

“There’s more…” Tissaia said and dropped the glass into the empty bowl. Yennefer's brow furrowed and her jaw clenched as Tissaia pulled out the broken bottle shards. She buried half her face into Tissaia’s lap. She could feel the glass between her skin more now than she could before. Her high was fading and she hadn’t drank enough wine to numb the pain.

The glass shards clinked against one another as Tissaia dropped the remaining pieces into the bowl.

The sharp throb in Yennefer’s side subsided and the cool cloth pressed to the wound with a soft touch. Tissaia was a better nurturer than she probably thought. Yennefer smiled knowing she was likely one of few to ever see Aretuza’s great Rectoress sitting on the floor.

“You’ve changed since we met.” Yennefer said soft.

“Oh?” Tissaia said with a bit of feigned surprise.

“When I first came here I was sure you’d have my head, or that I’d end up in a dungeon somewhere.”

Tissaia stopped her strokes on Yennefer’s side, her expression falling grim.

“I hated you for a moment, and I didn’t know why.” Yennefer softly chuckled and Tissaia picked up the dry towel.

“I think I gave you a few reasons.”

“In my eyes you were a Queen. Powerful…and beautiful beyond measure.” Yennefer sat up and touched Tissaia’s cheek. “You still are.”

Tissaia allowed a small kiss but didn’t put much into her return before she pulled away. “Let me finish.”

Yennefer laid back down and Tissaia moved Yennefer’s arm up, away from the wound she cleaned. “…All I wanted was to be perfect enough to make you proud.”

Tissaia stopped again, biting back her emotion and blinking away her watering gaze.

“And then you remade me into something I never could’ve fathomed.”

At Tissaia’s silence, Yennefer looked to the woman watching the fire with a tear rolling down her cheek. She sat up but Tissaia wiped her own tears before Yennefer could.

Tissaia pressed a hand to Yennefer’s shoulder and Yennefer laid back down, her hand wrapped around Tissaia’s thigh. The cloth pressed gently to the angry punctures at Yennefer’s side. “I didn’t choose you for no reason.”

“Why did you?”

“Your chaos called to me.” Tissaia let silence linger between her phrases. “Of course I didn’t know it was you at the time. I was simply following a trail.”  She cleaned the last bit of blood and dried the spot. "There."

Yennefer looked at the cuts in her side, which were starting to shrink. “Already getting better.” She rolled onto her knees and wrapped an arm around Tissaia. She kissed her. “Thank you.”

Tissaia touched her cheek. “You have made me proud. More than you know.”

Yennefer looked down. She didn’t know what to say, so she kissed her again, inching forward. Her hand knocked into a bowl and Tissaia pulled away.

“Careful.” She smiled into the kiss and Yennefer stopped.

She didn’t feel like being bothered with cleaning or making space. So she scooped Tissaia into her arms, stood, and walked to the bed, thankful her new form allowed her a level of strength she hadn’t had before her death.

“Yennefer.”

She heard the surprise in Tissaia’s voice and smiled. She lay Tissaia down and climbed over her.

“Since when are you able to do that?”

She ignored Tissaia's question, responding with kisses pressed to the Rectoress's neck. The tip of her tongue brushing against Tissaia’s skin. She wanted to taste her even more. She wanted to feel the rile of Tissaia’s chaos and the Rectoress’s fingers squeezing into her back like talons gripping a kill.

[unluckycryptid]

So two new updates regarding the Rise of Red!Miraculous Ladybug AU fic

-

If you haven't seen it yet, I posted Ch 5 of The Wonderous Adventures of Ladybug and Chat Noire! Check it out below.

Summary:

“My Lady… please,” Chat Noire begged. The heroine in front of her stopped walking but stayed facing forward, her face obscured from Chat Noire’s line of sight. But from where she stood, she could see as Ladybug shook her head, her partner’s hands clenching and unclenching at her sides. “Chat Noire, I- I can’t,” said Ladybug, her voice cracking ever so slightly that Chat Noire would have missed it if it weren’t for her hearing. Before Chat Noire could push any further, Ladybug grabbed her yoyo and swung off, her message clear: don’t follow me.

I also wrote a companion piece to the chapter and posted it separately as a two-shot! Check it:

Summary:

Companion piece to Ch 5 of The Miraculous Adventures of Ladybug and Chat Noire explaining what happened to Red in her encounter with Chat Blanc, and how it all came to be. Ch 1 - The Encounter (Version 2.0) Ch 2 - The Incident

~

Check out my Chapter Notes for all three chapters below!

Warning: Spoilers

Author's Note Before I put up the Deleted Scenes:

So, I originally posted everything on pretty late on Oct 31st in order to get it all in for Whumptober. I woke up the next morning and read it before I went to work and then decided that I hated it in a way that the original ending was cornering me and would have had me deviate from my overall plan for the main story. I decided, alright, I'm just going to delete the whole two-shot and spend some time fixing it to better align with to the main story's future and motivations.

For those of you wondering, what could I possibly have written to cause me to delete the first version? -> I had Red kill off Chat Blanc of the alternate timeline.

It was great for Whumptober, but would require dozen more chapters of main timeline!Red overcoming that trauma which... I only have 12-13 chapters planned for this story and we're already on Ch 5. Plus, I wanna do a reveal and post-reveal stuff within those 12-13 chapters so... yeah I'm already running out of time with that.

But overall, the whole writing process was pretty rough, ngl. In context, I wrote three chapters in the time it would take me to write one chapter, and each of the three chapters were fairly lengthy for me. And I had to make sure all 3 chapters had to intertwine together.

I always knew I was going to have the Aftermath chapter in the main story. As for the Encounter and Incident chapters, it was originally going to be all one chapter, but it got wayyyy too long for my taste so I ended up splitting it into two separate chapters and then posting it as a two-shot.

I also had to make sure that each of the chapters' motivations flowed into each other. It was kind of difficult since I wrote Aftermath first, so I had to backtrack and figure out what scenario would those memories come into play during the Encounter chapter. Incident also had a bunch of problems considering how the first draft of it that I wrote, while good, didn't follow the motivation for either Aftermath or Encounter, so I had to keep rewriting it until it all worked.

And like I said, I wrote the last scenes of Encounter the day I posted it and then I posted it... bruh never doing that again. I definitely should have sat on it a little longer but rewriting it with a bit more time makes me more confident in it as a chapter now.

I'll post the deleted scenes across the three chapters below. Most of them are going to come from The Chat Blanc Incident. I'll post the Version 1.0 on a separate post since this will get too long.

Read The Encounter Version 1.0 Here

-

Deleted Scene 1 - The Encounter - First Meeting

“Chat Noire, what happened here? What happened to you?” Red asked. 

The girl in white ignored her question in favor of stepping into Red’s personal space, intrigue in her gaze. Before Red could step back and ask about the sudden proximity, the other girl reached out and cupped a hand around Red’s cheek. Red watched as the white clawed hand softly grazed her cheek, the other girl pulling her hand back as soon as it made contact, a look of wonder and disbelief dawning on the girl’s face. 

“So you’re not just one of my ghosts haunting me,” the girl in white chuckled in what sounded like relief. 

Red only looked at her behavior in bewilderment before the girl stopped and switched her tone to an interrogatory one, “You’re not supposed to be here. How are you here?”

Red hesitated. Despite the fact that her partner was someone she would trust with her life, just one look in the other girl’s eyes told Red that she shouldn’t say anything about Bunnyx and his portals in time. 

“It doesn’t matter how I’m here. I just need to know what happened, Chat Noire, both to you and to Auradon,” said Red, “I want to help.”

The girl narrowed her eyes at the red and black superhero. “You’re not My Lady, are you,” she stated, “Or else you would remember what happened.” The bitterness in the girl’s tone sent chills down Red’s spine. 

“Chat Noire…”

“Please, it’s Chat Blanc now,” the girl in white—Chat Blanc—corrected.

-

Deleted Scene 2 - The Incident - First Betrayal

“Red, how could you?” the heartbroken voice of Chloe asked, tears streaming down her cheeks as a pair of Card soldiers held her down on her knees. 

“No, Chloe don’t listen to her. Please believe me, I didn’t know anything,” Red begged, dropping down to her own knees in front of the blue haired princess. She reached out to cradle her girlfriend’s face, but the girl flinched as far away as she could given her restrictions from Red’s touch.

“Oh, come now, daughter, you needn’t keep acting. Your plan worked as you said it would. Though it was a bit convoluted if you asked me,” said Queen Reina Hearts of Wonderland as she inspected her nails with disinterest from her throne on the stage. 

All around them, the aftermath of chaos remained. Family Day had come around and Red’s mom had made an unexpected appearance. Although Red had been taken aback by her mother’s unannounced presence, she was even less prepared for the moment her mother had interrupted the Principal’s Family Day Speech by tossing a deck of magical cards in their air, infecting the unfortunate few that were touched by them, some being the Card soldiers they had previously faced, thus revealing her identity as the Card Queen. 

Before Red or Chloe could even think about transforming into their alter egos, the Card soldiers had grabbed Chloe’s mother and held her hostage, forcing the two heroes to surrender. Once it was clear that neither Red nor Chloe would fight back, the Card soldiers surrounded the blue haired princess along with the rest of the civilians not infected by the cards of the Card Queen. However, they left Red un-surrounded as the Queen of Wonderland marched up to the stage, declaring loudly at how proud she was of her daughter. 

“What plan?” Chloe demanded in a low growl, betrayal laced her in gaze. 

Before Red could answer, Reina spoke for her, “The one to acquire your miraculous, of course.” She said as if it were an obvious fact. 

“No! Chloe-”

“And imagine to my surprise when she suggested that we could also get vengeance on dear Cindy over here at the same time,” continued the Queen of Wonderland as though Red had never spoken. 

“Reina, you let my daughter go right now. Your quarrel is with me,” Chloe’s mom—Queen Cindy—urged from her spot, also in the same position as Chloe though she had been taken off to the side of the stage. 

Reina glared in her direction and waved a hand. At the motion, the General Jack of Diamonds, who had been holding Cindy down, struck her in the face. In response, Chloe screamed and thrashed uselessly under the grip of the Card soldiers holding her down. Red attempted to run to Chloe’s mom’s aid, but was stopped by the Jabberwocky landing in front of her.

The Queen of Wonderland rolled her eyes and continued addressing Chloe, “She revealed her identity to me as soon as she got her miraculous, telling me that she had a plan to make me proud. A plan that would allow Wonderland to take control over all of Auradon.”

“That’s not true!” Red yelled desperately. She was abruptly cut off by the feeling of something covering her mouth and pinning her arms down to her sides, but when she attempted to turn to see her assailant, her eyes met empty air. Nonetheless, the force persisted and she could feel breathing behind her. Red’s eyes widened. It was the Cheshire Cat. She realized in horror that to everyone else, it looked like she was just idly standing by, watching the whole thing.

“I will admit, it took me by surprise that she was admitting to being the pesky, newly debuted ladybug hero that had foiled my plan as the Card Queen, but after I revealed such the fact, she asked me to keep playing the role for her plan to work,” the Queen of Hearts gloated falsely, “I agreed, of course. I trust my daughter completely. She had finally told me it was time to make our move once she revealed that she finally had your complete trust, going as far as to pursuing a relationship with you to do so.”

Red tried her best to fight the grip of the Cheshire Cat on her but it was no use. Her mother decided at that moment to descend from the stage and stand directly in front of a helpless Chloe who had no other choice but to look at her.

The Queen sneered as she crouched in front of the blue haired princess, “Did you really believe that my daughter could ever love someone like you? The daughter of the commoner queen? The spare heir? The mere sidekick of your little duo?” 

The Queen reached out and grabbed Chloe’s chin, satisfied at the tears streaming down the girl’s cheek. 

“You and your filthy mother will get what you deserve, thinking you had a chance to stand with the rest of us,” she sneered before her expression changed to a one of consideration, “Though perhaps not all is lost with you. Perhaps you can be deserving of my daughter’s love after all.”

“What do you want from me?” Chloe spat. 

Reina grinned wickedly, “Call upon your transformation and let me make you one of my Card soldiers,” before Chloe could voice a rejection, the Queen turned her head towards the direction of her mom’s captivity, “or else.”

She released her hold on Chloe’s face and stepped back, waiting for the girl’s next move. Naturally, Chloe’s eyes wandered to Red’s looking for any sort of guidance. Red tried her best to shake her head no but the Cheshire Cat puppeted her head to make it look like she nodded in approval instead.

Without any more options, Chloe gave in.

“Plagg, transform me.”

The transformation washed over the blue haired girl in front of the whole school to see. Chat Noire soon found that the hold of the Card soldiers had been released and that she was free to stand up. She did so slowly, keeping her gaze fixed on the Queen of Wonderland who only smirked as she took out a card from her deck.

Red could only watch in horror as her mother approached her girlfriend and placed the magical card on the silver bell that hung around the girl’s neck. The bell blackened and the black cat heroine was swallowed up by the card’s magic. A second later, the magic dissipated and Red’s stomach dropped.

Kneeling on the ground to her mother was her girlfriend dressed in all white.

“Rise, Chat Blanc,” her mother commanded and the girl stood up immediately. Red’s blood ran cold. There was no trace of her partner—her girlfriend—in there. Her mother continued, “I have given you the power of infinite destruction, and with it you will lay waste to this despicable world… starting with her.”

Reina pointed a finger in the direction of Chloe’s mom. 

No. She couldn’t let her do this. She couldn’t let Chloe kill her own mom. Red struggled against the Cheshire Card Card with all she had, managing to free the hand covering her mouth, but that was enough.

“Tikki! Transform me.”

As soon as she felt the transformation wash over her, she used her superstrength to break free from the Card’s clutches and fight her way over to Chloe’s mom. She dodged, weaved, and kicked the Cards holding down Chloe’s mom to her best ability, but even with her super abilities, she was quickly overwhelmed by the number of Card soldiers her own mother had on hand. 

Slowly, Chat Blanc made her way in front of her mother, regarding the woman as though she were a mere speck of dust. Chat Blanc raised her hand and wordlessly called upon a cataclysm, the power manifesting in a white color just like its holder.

“Please, Chloe don’t do this!” Red cried out from under the dozens of Card soldiers holding her down, “Please, you can fight this!”

“Hush now, daughter, she can’t fight this.”

-

Deleted Scene 3 - The Incident - Chat Blanc's fury

The girl’s cold gaze turned on her now, “You know, Red. You were right. My death would be worthless. But everyone else’s…”

“Don’t do this, Chloe,” Red begged as she started backing away in fear, “I-I’ll stop you.”

Chat Blanc walked toward her with her hand raised above her head. She summoned another cataclysm and to Red’s horror, it kept growing and growing. ‘Infinite destruction’, her mother had said. There was no fighting this, even as Ladybug. 

Chat Blanc seemed to know this, too. 

“I’d like to see you try, Princess.” 

And then the world went white.

[pileofmush]

warning: yes we're talking about taz skylar. yes i am opinionated.

i'm making this as a response to the posts i've seen floating around on my dash that are promoting neutrality, and, most annoyingly, whining about the backlash he's receiving.

you guys had your turn to speak so i guess i'll take mine!

no, this is not directed at any particular blog. yes, i am biased, and i'm not going to pretend that i'm not. and finally no, i’m not posting this to seem virtuous or some shit like that. glad we got that cleared up.

anywho. you guys are annoying me 😭

it's always #freepalestinetillit'sbackwards until your favorite british blorbo is questioned. questioned, rightfully so, mind you.

let's go over the facts:

this was posted by twitter user knsiara yesterday morning. apparently, people are also getting on taz about who he follows on social media, but that's none of my concern. i'm aware it takes effort to cull and monitor the values of those you follow. i don't hold that against him. moving on.

the real concern is the charity that he was directly promoting. as in, the charity that he's presumably donated to and encouraged his 1.9 million followers to donate to as well, seeing as it was linked right there in his instagram bio.

so! there is a bit of confusion about who the red cross supports. i've done some basic googling, and yeah it's pretty vague, so i do understand the confusion. it seems the red cross provides aid to both sides, which has already put me off (in no circumstance would i provide aid to the country enacting a genocide. because remember, it's less-so a conflict and more-so a genocide.) but that's beside the point. as you'll note in the right-most screenshot up above, it's the fundraising for the british red cross (BRC), in particular, that has raised some eyebrows.

so who does the BRC support, then?

there we have it. taken right from their site. i've even taken the liberty to highlight it for you: as it stands, the british red cross provides aid to "israel and occupied palestinian territory.”

what does that mean? well, i'm glad you asked. this leads to my next segment...

the assumptions:

does the BRC support palestine? no.

do they support israel? well, you read their words. it's not the clearest statement in the world, but it's to my understanding that the BRC supports israel, as it clearly subscribes to the zionist sentiment that palestinian land belongs to israel. hence, palestinian occupied territory. zionist rhetoric. now, that doesn't sound like an organization that has the people of palestine's best interests in mind, does it?

"but-but that doesn't make taz a zionist!"

oh, brother. he's donating to pro-israel organizations and encouraging his followers to do the same!! let's get serious here.

there is of course the possibility that he didn't research the charity. that he didn't know what he was promoting. and sure! it's possible. everyone's human. we all make mistakes.

but then he went and tweeted that vague as hell tweet implying that he sides with israel…

if it was an honest mistake; if he stood with palestine, he’d say so. morgan davies did, so let’s not pretend it’s a “protecting his job” move… (expanded on towards the end).

now, since i don't follow him, i don't have the timeline of things, such as when he added the BRC to his bio, or when people started asking him about it, but, i mean. the BRC was in his bio, now it's not. he posted the tweet two days ago, and has since deleted it. maybe it's bad timing, but, i'm not inclined to believe it is.

which leads me to my point that i'm highly suspicious of the taz-riders right now...

especially the ones outright complaining about him getting "canceled" and whatnot.

people use the word “cancel” so loosely now. it’s pretty much lost all meaning. choosing not to support taz skyler for his abysmal political opinions does not equate to him getting “canceled.”

dissing him on twitter does not equate to him getting “canceled.” girl no one is taking his netflix check away—he’s got a bag, he’s got a second season, he’s got his loyal stans: he‘ll come back from this. and honestly, throwing the term “cancel” around is ridiculous when we’re talking about matters like palestinian genocide.

yes, taz might have worded his response poorly under stress. but doesn't it still hold implications? what else can we assume if his response to people accusing him of promoting and funding israel is... we have different opinions, and that's okay 🤍

c'mon taz, you can do a little better than that, can't you?

so that's why i'm confused about why others are confused, regarding the backlash. we, the people, have such little control over the shit that’s happening in the world: of course we’ll exercise what little control that we have…

we’ll choose what we consume and who we monetarily support according to our own values.

people wanna talk about "parasocial relationships" and "putting him on a pedestal," but bae, i promise you, it's nothing personal. from me, at the very least. i was never a rider or a hater of taz, personally. but c'mon. he publicly promoted a pro-israel organization, and then made a vague nothing-tweet in response. backlash is warranted.

maybe you should reconsider why you’re so willing to ride for this man you don’t actually know… if we’re gonna bring up parasocial relationships, and all.

that doesn’t mean i support sending him death threats or doxxing him or anything like that, but i mean... if people have opinions, they're gonna talk 😭 getting called out on twitter is not the end of the world.

anywho. give him the benefit of the doubt if you want. but i think he's made his stance quite clear in his actions and inaction.

if you still want to simp over a man who thinks political neutrality toward genocide is acceptable, go ahead and take the watermelon outta your bio. there's no need for performative activism on this site. just admit to yourself that you're only willing to support palestine until it makes you uncomfortable.

as for support of the OPLA, that is, obviously, up to you. i, for one, won't be streaming it on netflix anytime soon. but, there are some actors in the OPLA who do support palestine, such as morgan davies, who publicly shot down the losers trying to angle that palestine is anti lgbtq+ and therefore does not deserve support (as if intersectionality and queer palestinians don't exist, lord) ...so, this is a nuanced convo and i may change my mind when season 2 rolls around if i feel the pros outweigh the cons. or i'll just follow morgan davies into their next project. whichever feels right.

what i won't do, however, is make this site comfortable for the taz-riders lmaoo, because there were a few too many posts advocating for him than i’m comfortable with from my fellow fans of one piece. one piece, of all fandoms, and we’re divided on the morals and ethics of supporting genocide—good lord— nor will i support anyone else on the OPLA cast who has a terrible take on what’s taking place in palestine. repeat after me, there's no such thing as neutrality when it comes to genocide.

free palestine, today. tomorrow, and the next. class dismissed.

posting this on 1/5/24, 7:00 pm EST. as of right now, taz hasn’t come out with a statement addressing the backlash. but hey! opinions can change and i hope he’ll change mine, for what it’s worth.

[lostloveletters]

Bruised Fruit Chapter 1 (Michael Corleone x OC)

Summary: Gloria falls like overripe fruit from a wilting tree branch, and Michael Corleone intends to devour her amidst the rot and decay that's long since taken root in his family, intent on dooming her with him for a chance at another heir.

Note: I first posted this and two other chapters to AO3, which I'll link if you'd like to read ahead as I begin cross-posting to here.

Warnings: Canon divergence, sexually explicit content, infidelity, period typical attitudes, negative discussions of abortion, Catholicism, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) related to WWII, breeding kink, death, angst, emotional manipulation

Do not interact if you are under 18 or post thinspo/ED content. I will block you.

AO3 Link | Masterlist

"I’m going to Cuba," he told her in a quiet, postcoital moment.

"Are you secretly a Red, Michael?” she teased, her brown eyes sparkling in the golden glow of the lamps in the hotel room they occupied. “Getting in with the rebels before they storm Havana? They’ve already got Santa Clara.”

He rolled his eyes, but the smile on his face betrayed his amusement. "You and your newspapers. Do you seriously think Castro has a chance?"

She took a long drag on her cigarette, pondering her answer for a moment. "His people have nothing to lose."

"I’ll be fine."

"How long will you be gone?"

"A few weeks, maybe a month," he said, twisting a strand of her long black hair between his fingers, silent for a moment as to test the waters, "I’ll wire you."

"Wire your wife."

"Gloria—"

"I’m not saying that to be confrontational. She’s pregnant, focus on her,” she said, passing him the cigarette. “Where does she think you are tonight?”

“She knows I’m in Vegas, just not with you.”

She hummed, her fingers brushing the tender, bruised skin on her hips, a shade of lavender that would no doubt blossom into a plum monstrosity by the morning. For a man over a decade her senior, he was insatiable, devouring her with a ferocity as if she were ripe for the picking.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked, his gaze following her fingertips.

She shook her head. “Are you staying over?”

“Yes. I have to head out early, though. Lots of people coming in for Anthony’s first communion.”

“Get some sleep then. Don’t let me keep you up.”

He grinned. “You always keep me up.”

“Bathroom’s that way. I’m tired,” she said jokingly, turning over to bury her face in her pillow.

“I’ll wire you when I get to Havana. A few days from now, probably. I have some things to take care of first.”

She mumbled something from her side of the bed, eyes closed while he continued on in Italian. He landed a playful swat on her ass. Yelping, she turned over, glaring at him.

“Rude,” she scolded, “you know I don’t understand Italian. What’d you say?”

He laughed softly, pushing some of her hair out of her face. “I love you.”

“That’s not what you said.”

“I called you lazy and insufferable.”

She smiled. “I love you too.”

“Good night, darling,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her lips.

“Night.”

When Gloria awoke the following morning, Michael was gone, though he’d left a note for her. With no reason to stick around, she returned to her apartment, the third one she has lived in since she moved to Las Vegas. It was more spacious than she needed, but Michael insisted, though he rarely visited her there. Their rendezvous were almost always in the hotel room at the casino that was exclusively reserved for him. Safer that way, a more public place with plenty of his men around. She wasn’t ashamed of their illicit relationship, but it made her feel exposed. As soon as they stepped into that elevator together, everyone knew what they were planning to do.

She sighed, sitting on the couch and running a hand through her hair. Her next shift wasn’t until the following evening, and she wasn’t sure what exactly to do with herself. Michael being in Havana was a test run of what was to come.

After Kay had the baby, she’d see less of Michael, busy being the doting husband, the proud father. Just as she didn’t receive an invitation to Anthony’s first communion, she wouldn’t be welcome at their new son’s baptism. She wasn’t sore about it. If she were Kay, she wouldn’t want her around the family either.

Her fear wasn’t that he wouldn’t return, but rather that he would, and she’d never work up the courage to build a life for herself without him. Moving to Vegas was her first attempt at that, but less than a year into the job, she was practically shoved into his hands, and he hadn’t let go since. 

She glanced at the box of newspaper clippings on the entryway desk, to most people, it was little more than evidence of an obsession with the Pacific Theater. Gloria had been young when the war broke out, not fully understanding the difference between the branches of the military, only that her brother wasn’t fighting in Europe, and she rarely heard from him. The newspapers she had poured over introduced her to places like Guadalcanal and Peleliu, small islands that she could barely see on a map, yet somehow Jackie and millions of other men were there. 

Then Life ran a special edition on war heroes, featuring Marines like her brother. A decade after its publication, when Fredo had requisitioned her to keep his brother company in the casino while he ran off to attend to some last minute business, she recognized Michael immediately, unable to stop herself from asking the former Captain about his service. When Jackie returned from the war, he had little to say about what he experienced in the Pacific. In fact, he had little to say about much of anything. Shell shock, they called it, aptly describing the shell of a man her formerly outgoing brother had become. Michael Corleone wasn’t a shell, enthralling her with the details of such places as Guadalcanal and Peleliu with the emotional distance of an observer rather than a participant. 

As their acquaintanceship escalated into an affair, she saw the scars for herself. Both the physical evidence of his being wounded in action, and the invisible ones that’d rear their ugly heads late at night when they’d begun sharing his hotel room. If not manifesting through bouts of insomnia, then through nightmares that left him dazed and agitated when she managed to wake him from them. 

Between the shell shock and his diabetes, she felt like she had to keep a close eye on him. Not only out of genuine concern, but a matter of personal pride. Just because he wasn’t her husband, it didn’t mean she couldn’t take care of him. God forbid he return to his wife in anything less than mint condition. It was the least Gloria could do.

He would be gone for some time, though, and as she always did during his longer trips, she grabbed her phone, making plans with friends to keep herself occupied. She had a life without him, secure in her independent lifestyle. If she were busy enough, she didn't think of him that often. 

Almost a week later, she received the telegram from Michael at work, nearly forgetting his promise to wire her from Cuba.

In Havana. Beautiful weather. Miss you.

She asked the front desk to wire him back.

Miss you too. Have fun. Stay safe.

She didn’t expect a response. There was nothing else to say.  

Gloria went about her business as usual, working and meeting friends for dinner and dancing when she could. Her style was undoubtedly cramped by the Corleone family associates who tailed her wherever she went. She wondered if it was humiliating for them to be the ones assigned to covertly babysit the Don’s mistress. After all, if the people behind the attack at his Lake Tahoe home truly wanted to cause her harm, there were ample opportunities to do so in Vegas.

Her bubble was small, safe, and secure despite living in the City of Sin. Her proximity to Michael almost always ensured that. In his absence, a mere phone call popped that bubble. 

“Hello? Is this Gloria Marino? This is Kay Corleone.”

“Kay?” she repeated incredulously.

“Can we talk?”

The two women had met just once in person. Michael briefly introduced them when giving his wife a tour of the casino shortly after the family had moved from New York to Nevada. It was the only time Kay had ever stepped foot in the place. Even then, Gloria was sure Kay was smart enough to size her up at first glance, knew she wasn't just another back-of-house employee.

“I figure I’d be the last person you’d wanna talk to.”

“You’d think, but after all this, I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t warn you. No one was there to warn me, or maybe I was too stubborn to care.”

Gloria hesitated. “You don’t owe me anything.”

“I know. Consider it my penance.”

“For what?”

“Michael’s going to divorce me when he gets back from his trip.”

“He would never do that.”

“He will.” The certainty in Kay’s voice was shocking, but she didn’t pry. Kay wasn’t telling her for a reason. Prior knowledge of whatever was being omitted would put her in danger with Michael. “He will, and he’s going to go to you afterward. He trusts you.”

“Kay, I don’t—“

“I did something very selfish and desperate, something I can never be forgiven for,” she said cryptically. “You’re going to bear the brunt of the aftermath. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Gloria whispered, unsure if things would really end up that way. 

“Goodbye, Gloria.”

“Bye, Kay.”

The line went dead, and she stared at the phone in her hand for a few moments. Michael would only divorce Kay if the baby were out of the picture, and the woman’s surety only confirmed that was the case. The aftermath. She could only hazard a guess as to what that meant. Nothing good if she needed to be forewarned.

Days later, when she heard about Kay’s miscarriage through the grapevine, it still didn’t exactly click. Not until there was a knock at the door at a little after one in the morning. She figured if she ignored it long enough, the culprit would get the message and go away, but the knocking was incessant.

Shuffling out of the bedroom, she turned on one of the lamps in her living room. She looked out the peephole, shocked to see Michael standing there, waiting impatiently for her.

“Gloria, open up!” he shouted, banging on the door again, causing her to flinch a little.

She took a deep breath, knowing it was a futile attempt to prepare herself for whatever she was about to get into. His expression unreadable when she opened the door, she gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Michael, you’re back,” she said cheerfully enough. “How was the trip?”

He was silent as she ushered him inside. Turning on another lamp, she nearly froze at the state of him. Bags under his eyes, unkempt hair as if he’d been running his hands through it. 

“I warned you about those rebels,” she joked, only to receive a glare in return, his dark eyes almost black as they leered into hers. “Sorry, I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Okay,” he scoffed, a coldness laced in his voice that settled as an unfamiliar freeze in her veins. “You have no idea what I’ve been through these past few days.”

“I heard Kay miscarried. I’m—“

“It was an abortion,” he snapped. “She murdered our baby.”

Gloria’s eyes widened at the news. Her hand shook as she made a sign of the cross for his unborn son’s soul.

When Kay had called, she never expected the pious wife to commit a mortal sin, damning herself with no hope of reconciliation. Gloria knew other women who had gotten abortions, an inevitability when they weren’t careful enough with the carousel of carefree men that came through Las Vegas. It wasn’t something respectable women with husbands did. Being the wife of a crime lord was hardly respectable, though.

"He was a boy!" he shouted. His eyes were glassy, voice breaking in a rare display of vulnerability. "We were going to have a boy."

"I’m sorry."

"I can tell."

Exasperated, she asked, "What do you want me to do, Michael?"

"Marry me. I want you to marry me."

"No."

In the four or so years she’d been with Michael, she only experienced the lover, not the husband, a different beast entirely. Husbands meant expectations and ownership, something she was woefully unprepared for. 

"It wasn’t a question."

"Then I suppose you’re going to carry me off like the Arabian Nights? Drag me kicking and screaming to join your harem?”

“No harem. Just you.”

“Michael—“

“You’ll marry me. You’ll give me another son.”

Michael was the furthest from a holy man she could fathom, but the way his eyes blazed with a biblical ferocity, she believed for a moment that he could alter the will of God with the sheer magnitude of his desperation and humiliation. He wanted to send her into the depths of purgatory to retrieve the boy he was entitled to, the sacrificial lamb that freed his soon to be ex-wife from marital bondage. Forget that he already had a son, a young, healthy boy. It was the principle of the thing, a man of his influence and import being deceived by his otherwise unassuming wife, her dainty hand dealing the death blow. ‘It was an abortion.' Checkmate.

“Darling, you’re the only person I trust,” he implored softly, his hands cradling her face as he tried intentional gentleness over impulsive tyranny. “I love you.”

She wasn’t getting any younger. Most people considered her an old maid. Her mother sure did, sending letters that increasingly implored her to come home and settle down before it’s too late. Her best prospect was standing before her, a man who wasn’t one to be denied. Senators and executives bent to his will, whether a flexible reed or a rigid board, they all would bend. If not, they broke. He’d break her just to put the pieces back together in his image, a mosaic of desperate domesticity. 

Her time ran out. Perhaps wishful thinking, or naivety in hindsight, but she always expected Kay to grin and bear it. The expectations of Michael Corleone were her cross to take up. Seeing no better option than to give in, she kissed him, allowing the pads of his thumbs to dig into the peachy skin of her cheeks, deep enough that if they were fruit, the tender flesh would be pierced, juice dripping down his hands. He lapped her up in kind, his mouth laying claim to her.

“Tell me you love me,” he pleaded against her bruised lips.

“I love you, Michael.”

And she did love him, but loving Michael was a burden. She couldn’t blame Kay for what she did. It was a long time to carry that weight. His love was demanding, unforgiving, red-hot to the touch despite his cool exterior. There were only so many times a woman could stand to get burned.

They ended up in her bedroom, no longer her domain but his, she could feel the shift as soon as he walked in, eyes hungrily taking her in like a hawk circling above a rabbit. Her nightclothes quickly discarded, leaving her naked and vulnerable before him. She laid back on the bed as he shed his own clothes, and felt an unfamiliar nervousness settle in her stomach. Perhaps it was the magnitude of the act, no longer for leisure, but purposeful, real. If it didn’t take then, he would try again and again until he got what he wanted.

Michael climbed over her, stroking his hard cock before positioning it at her entrance. Leaning down, he kissed her again, his lips taking the brunt of her pained whimper as he slid his length inside her. 

His fingers made their home on her hips as they always did, squeezing as he thrust harder and deeper inside her. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

“That’s it, darling,” he praised. “You’re doing so well for me.”

Kissing the base of her throat while plowing into her appealed to an animalistic instinct in him, and he sunk his teeth into her tender flesh, claiming her, marking her.

In turn, she dug her long fingernails into his shoulder blades, only to find later she’d drawn blood. 

“Michael, please just—it’s too much,” she choked out.

“Just a little longer.”

He released one of her hips, moving his hand between them to rub circles in her clit. The moan she let out only encouraged him as he thrust faster, bringing the both of them closer to climax. 

Closing her eyes, she felt that familiar tightness build in her abdomen. Pleasure tingled through her brain, to her fingertips. She could grab it if she wanted to, reach out for ectasy and make it hers.

“Look at me, Gloria. I want to see you,” he ordered through gritted teeth. “I want to see you become a mother.”

Her eyes shot open, looking at him in near disbelief at his gentle vulgarity.  

Before she could even attempt to respond, he brushed the pad of his thumb over her clit again, and she came, her cunt squeezing his cock, coating it in her juices, hips involuntarily bucking in his unrelenting grip. His name fell from her lips in a delirious whine as her orgasm coursed through her body. He shuddered, cursing under his breath as he slammed his cock deeper into her, letting her cunt milk him dry.

They were silent for a few moments, save for the weak whine Gloria made when Michael pulled out from her. Glancing at her hips, he could see the familiar blossoming of finger-shaped bruises. He kissed her again, his fingers brushing her sensitive folds, collecting the cum that was leaking out before pushing it back inside her, nothing wasted, nothing left to chance.

His lips trailed down her face, to her neck and each of her breasts until finally settling on her belly. He nuzzled his nose against it, the soft, fertile flesh ripening beneath his touch. She felt almost dizzy at his primal display of affection.

“It’s gonna be a boy,” he whispered against her stomach as it rose and fell with her heavy breaths. “I can feel it.”

[natashaslittlegirl]

Whatever you want - Romanoff's Assistant

DO NOT COPY ANY OF MY WORKS. MINORS DNI +18 ONLY.

Summary: You and Natasha attend to the Stark Family's Party.

Boss ! Natasha Romanoff x Assistant ! Reader

Warnings: none

Natasha Romanoff's Masterlist RA Masterlist RA Account Chapter III aesthetic

The week passed already, with your new routine, wake up, get Miss Romanoff's coffee, work until your lunch break and continue until the end of the shift. She didn't have many patients this week, it was more meetings and duty calls.

Miss Romanoff was pleased when you brought her the fully signed folder.

You started your friday a earlier than, got your coffees and headed to work. Once you were on the 27th floor, you left the coffee at Natasha's desk and reviewed her patient's files. You hear the elevator door open and saw your boss walk by.

"Good morning, Miss Romanoff."

"Morning, Y/N, come to my office in five minutes."

"Yes, Miss Romanoff."

You waited for her to settle down and knocked on the door to enter, she asked you to sit down and you saw her open the drawer of her desk. She handed you a gold metallic card and with your name on it. This was the card that she mentionated when you two talked about your contract.

"I need you to go buy yourself a dress for tonight, whatever your preference is, not so short, heels and if you want a purse. Don't worry about the amount, buy whatever you want." She took a sip of coffee and then continue talking. "You have the rest of the day off, go now. Oh, and I need you to leave me your address and phone number on your desk so I can send James to take you to the event," James is her personal driver "just in case, I'll wear black, you can go now."

"Yes, miss romanoff, do you need anything else or me to buy something for you?"

"No, it's fine, thank you." She didn't look at you again and you assume it was time to go.

You left written your address and number on a post it note on the desk, put the card in your wallet and head out to the barista. You're thinking of going with Kate, if she has some free time to go shopping for tonight, you are always open to second opinions.

You enter to the shop and see that it is empty, weird. You greet Kate and ask her if she can come shooping with you.

"If you can't it's fine, Kate, I can go by myself and send you pictures." you said that when you see her hesitate.

"And miss seeing you in a tight dress? You're crazy, let's go." You see her take off her uniform, a brown apron, grab her bag and you go to the door, she turns the sign from 'open' to 'close' and you leave to the center, not before locking the door. You two walk the avenues until you find the Saint Laurent store, a very kindly woman asks you what youare looking for and guides both of you to the clothing dress sector.

Kate starts to look from one side as you from the other one, she shows youa blue dress but you feel that does not go with you, you just shake your head and she hangs it again. You keep looking more in the part of the black dresses, they never fail. She shows you a red one and that might be an option so you keep it separate from the rest.

Finally in the fitting room with three dresses. The red one Kate found and two other black ones you picked out. The first dress, the red one, is long, with a delicate neckline, sleeveless and a slit on the left leg that goes from the thigh to the ankle.

The second, a black one just like the red and the third, black, tight, until a little above the middle of the thigh with a slit also on the left side, neckline under the breasts, not as subtle as the previous dresses, you won't have to wear a bra with this, but you think that this is the one.

Of the long dresses, Kate thought black was the finest, but the reaction she had when you went out with this was the last thing for you to decide.

"Romanoff is going to have a cardiac attack and a pool between her legs as soon as she sees you." That is a very Kate comment.

"Are you serious or are you just playing around? Does it look good?" In fact it fits you well, it fits you perfectly. It straightened you waist and made you see a more delicate figure.

"Y/N/N, how your ass looks in this dress is going to be what lands her in the hospital." You couldn't help but laugh out loud at her comment, but deeply you just hope Miss Romanoff sees you like that.

You also chose a pair of black triangular point high heels and a patent leather envelope.

You two spent a while more walking through Central Park until you decided to have lunch, you chose an italian restaurant. You both ate alfredo pasta while we talked about everyday life. Kate went back to the cafe while you made your way home, took a nap with Lena for about two hours, it was still early. When you woke up you made a coffee and took a bath to start getting ready. As you go out notice that you have a message from an unknown number.

Unknown number

James will pick you up at 7:45, be ready. NR.

You smile at her message, add and answer her.

You

Yes, Miss Romanoff.

You take the dress out of its bag and admire it, it's beautiful. You start to dry your hair, let it loose, luckily you don't have to straighten it since you already have straight hair.

You do a subtle makeup, concealer, foxy eyes and mascara. Red lipstick and gloss, a little highlighter and voila. You look at the time, 7pm still have time. You choose the accessories, a gold necklace just the right length for your neck with a dangling chain that ends between your breasts to give more style to the neckline of the dress, a matching bracelet, gold earings and two rings on your left hand.

You prepare the envelope, lipstick and gloss, deodorant, perfume, wallet and that's it. You put on the dress and heels, a touch of perfume and ready. You take some photos in front of the mirror that is in the living room, feed Lena, give her some kisses and sit on the couch to wait for James.

7:45pm you hear a horn outside your building and at the same time your phone rings indicating a message.

Miss Romanoff

James is outside. NR

You

I'm going.

You kiss Lena and leave the apartment, lock the door and go down the elevator, eighteen floors is a lot to go down the stairs in high heels. As you go out you see James, a tall man in his forties, you guess, he is standing next to the car, waiting to open the door for you.

"Miss, Y/L/N?"

"Yes, it's me" you get in the back once he opens the door and he drives you to the event. It's not your first time at an event like these, but she doesn'y have to know. James leaves you at the door with the instruction to go inside and wait for Miss Romanoff there.

You hope no one recognizes you, thats's kind of impossible but, come on, let's see what the night awaits.

You entered at the event and a lady at the reception asks for your name to be able to pass, she gives you a card in case you need to leave. The room is full of people, it's beautifully decorated, white curtains on the walls, round tables with silk tablecloths and golden chairs.

Before you can continue looking at the decoration you see her walking towards you, her hips slowly moving from side to side, mesmerizing. She is so beautiful. Long black dress with a slit on the left thigh, a plunging neckline with delicate straps, stiletto heels and a black handbag as well. Just a necklace as an accessory, she definitely doesn't need them, she's amazingly stunning.

"Y/N," she stops in front of you "Come, I want to introduce you to some investors."

"Yes, Miss Romanoff." She turns around to walk and her hips look so much more mesmerizing from this angle.

Natasha introduces you to three investors, she tells them about you degrees and your work in her company. She talks so proudly about your work that you can't recognize her, is she really proud of you, well, what you achieved? Or is she just showing you off as a trophy?

You talked about the company, what they were willing to invest in and what they wanted to win with it. Taking advantage of this charity event, Miss Romanoff, convinced the three men to donate in favor of her company and later, in the week, you all would have a meeting to go deeper in matter.

She has an enormous ability to make people do what she says, she seems to cast spells, you don't know how she does it, but you'll do anything she asks of you.

Miss Romanoff catches your eye and tells you to head to the bar, she orders two martinis and hands one to you as you both sit in the tall gilt chairs. You see that she opens her purse and takes out her phone, she looks intently for a message, smiles and types her reply, which you can't see actually and puts her phone away.

"Y/N, I need you to pay attention to me," when people start with that phrase something important is going to happen "there is a woman coming now, who I need to associate with my company in some way, any way actually. I need you to get her attention and try to convince her to donate for Romanoff's company, do you understand?" She takes a sip of her martini and raises an eyebrow waiting for your response.

"Yes, Miss Romanoff, but why me? I'm sure you can convince people better than me."

"Because I say so and you are going to do what I order you, is that clear or do I have to repeat myself?"

"No, Miss Romanoff. I will do as you order." You see that characteristic smirk on her face.

"Good girl."

You run out of words. She really just called you good girl? oh my-

"She's here." she says looking at the the door cutting off your thoughts, You see the woman you have to convince. Miss Romanoff gets up from her seat and pat your thigh for you to follow her, you swallow hard and go after her.

"It's good to see you again," Natasha says after hugging the women "I want to introduce you to my new assistant, Y/N Y/L/N." Natasha runs her hand behind ypur lower back and pulls you in front of her.

"Nice to meet you, Miss?" You ask.

"Maximoff, Wanda Maximoff, darling." what a beautiful name for a beautiful woman.

"It's a pleasure Miss Maximoff." she puts a smirk on her face and oh god why do all the beautiful women do this to you?

"The pleasure is all mine." She turns her attention back to Natasha to ask about her daily life, you take this as an exit and head to the bar again to order another martini.

Natasha's pov

I watch Y/N ​​walk over to the bar as Wanda starts asking questions about my life. Seriously? Is that dress did she choose to wear? Don't get me wrong, the way it settles her perfect  figure against her body, oh, suddenly I find myself jealous of a fucking dress.

"She is hot." Wanda says and I turn confused to see her face.

"What did you say?"

"Don't say no, I always trust your taste in women because, we have the same taste." She winks at me and I roll my eyes.

"She's my assistant, Wanda." I pause to lick my bottom lip, suddenly seeing Y/N talking so closely with the waitress dries my mouth. Wanda hummed and I excuse myself to go get her. I walk to her seat watching her laugh at something the girl behind the bar told her, "Y/N, a word." It came out in a harsher tone than I expected.

"Yes, Miss Romanoff, sorry Kara, we'll talk later." she excuses herself to the waitress as she smiles at her and then looks at me. "What do you need, Miss Romanoff?"

"I need you to do your job, not giggle and messing around with the waitress, that's what I need." again, rougher than I expected. She widens her eyes confused, "I told you you had to convince Wanda, why did you leave?" I try to explain to her more calmly so that she relaxes.

"Sorry, Miss Romanoff, I thought it was none of my business to hear what you were talking about with Miss Maximoff." I see her gulp and start playing with the ring on her left hand.

"It's okay, Y/N, stop doing that," I grab her hand to make her nervous go away. She looks me in the face, "now go and convince Wanda to invest in my company." she nods and before she releases my hand I lean in close to her ear and whisper.

"If you don't convince her of it there will be consequences." I tease her and with that I hear how she lets out a gasp and walks away looking for Wanda.

Your Pov

You feel how your underwear is getting ruined because of Miss Romanoff. You see Wanda talking to an investor so you decide to go to the bar to get some martinis to share with her. Once you have them ypu wait for the man to leave and you approach where she is.

"Miss Maximoff, a martini?" you hand t to her and she gladly accepts it.

"Well, how to say no to such a pretty girl?" She takes a drink and you hear a sigh escape from between her lips as she taste the liquid "It's very nice."

"Indeed," you take a sip of your drink too as you look directly into her eyes, Natasha asked you to convince her, but she didn't say how "Miss Maximoff, have you thought about which company to invest in yet?"

"Not yet, I would like to talk to more people before making a decision. Why? are you here to convince me, darling?" she asks ypur raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe I am, maybe I just want to hear from you, you'll never know."

"Well, if you keep bringing me drinks to share, I might think about investing in Romanoff's company," She looks you up and down, "although, thinking about it, I might invest just to spend more time with you, is that okay with you?" 

"Everyone has their ways." You raise your arms as if excusing you and you hear a giggle come out of her mouth. Wanda and you talked about the company, what she expected from it to grow and win. After talking with Wanda, Miss Romanoff and you went talking to several investors, they all seemed pretty convinced of your proposals.

After a while everyone is called to sit down for appetizers while the investors make their decisions, Natasha and you are at one of the center tables but not in front of the stage. The waiters bring the tasting plates while the money is counted. A few minutes go by and Tony Stark makes his presence, the only thing you can think of is that he doesn't want to go talk to you, although you're more than sure he will.

"Good night everyone, in case there is someone who does not know me, I am Tony Stark, Owner of Stark Industries and today I am hosting this event, in a few minutes I will announce which is the company that raised the most money and the names of the investors will be given in a list to the owner of the winning company, good luck to all!" and after that speech he disappeared backstage again.

you're starting to get nervous again, your leg swings and tremble under the table, Miss Romanoff notices and puts her hand on your thigh. "What's up, Y/N?"

"Nothing, Miss Romanoff, don't worry." she nods and looks back at the screen at the side of the stage, without moving her hand from your thigh, well, that makes you even more nervous.

The waiters remove the plates and Tony comes back out with an envelope in his hands. "Ladies and gentlemen, the winning company is" please not Natasha's "Romanoff's company! please give a round of applause to the best psychologist in all of New York please!"

Everyone applauds as Natasha gets up and you feel her squeezing your flesh for you to get up and follow her, you do it and walk to the stage going behind her.

"Congratulations Natasha!" Tony says handing her the envelope with what you guess, will be the names of the investors. Tony turns his head and looks at you surprised but he doesn't say anything.

"Thank you very much to everyone who invested in Romanoff's company, I promise I will not let you down." People clap again, including you, until Natasha steps offstage and you return to our seats.

You go to the bar to get a glass of whiskey for yourself and a martini for Miss Romanoff. While you wait for the drinks you feel an intense gaze, Natasha's gaze, you can't see her much since you find Tony in front of you, fuck.

"Did you really think I wouldn't come to see you, little one?" He comes over to hug me "I'm so sorry about your parents, I'm going to visit them soon." You half smile at him.

"I'm fine, Tony, and so are they now. Don't worry" The waitress calls you to deliver you the drinks and you thought it was your right time to escape but,

"So, you work with Romanoff now, huh?" he tells you as he turns to see Natasha and so do you, coincidentally she is watching your little interaction.

"Yep, that's right. It's about time I found my own way out. If you'll excuse me, I have to go get her martini, but it was nice seeing you again."

"The pleasure is mine, little girl, say hello to your dad and mom for me, okay?" He hugs you again and walks away. You make your way back to the table and meet Miss Romanoff's confused gaze.

"So, do you know him?" she asks you pointing at Tony with her head.

"Yes, Miss Romanoff." You don't give any more explanations and Natasha doesn't ask you again.

The event ends and James picks you up and drops you off at your apartment door. Miss Romanoff must have called him. You stripped you of your clothes and take a hot bath, in the end, it wasn't so bad.

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

[aihoshiino]

chapter 131 thoughts

PLEASE NOTE BEFORE READING: because of the content of this chapter, i will unavoidably have to discuss CSA, grooming, victim blaming and parental abuse and the long term effects of surviving these things. the chapter in question does not depict any of the above but reveals that this is an aspect of Ai's history we were not privy to before and as The Ai Guy, this is something I can't NOT dig into. Basically, stay safe and if you're not in the headspace for it, I'll see you next chapter!

First off though, it's immediately striking to me how quickly the lines are being blurred between the movie's fiction and Ai's reality and how unclear it is when we transition from one to the other. The narration appears to be picking up from Ai's DVD but the visuals are very clearly from the movie as we can tell when Melt shows up as Ichigo. Not only that, but when Ai is introducer to the other B-Komachi girls, we see Mei portrayed as being there even though we know for a fact via 45510 that the founding members were Ai, Takamine, Watanabe and Nino. Over and over, we are shown that the movie is increasingly breaking away from the actual story of Ai's life out of a need to dramatize and fictionalize it into something that can be commodified.

In short, even though this is the supposedly 'real story' of Ai's life, it's just the same shit over and over again. Slicing her fundamental humanity into hunks of meat that can be prepared into something for the public to tear into. That this tragedy is being perpetuated personally by people who supposedly love and wanted the best for her really got me doin the Tragedy Enjoyer boogie

enjoy that one single joke btw i get the feeling this post is going to be pretty light on the yuks

Speaking of inaccuracies, of particular note is the way this retelling clashes with Viewpoint B in a way that feels extremely intentional -- if this was a straightforward retcon, I don't think the people behind OnK would be so far out of their way to make that story as widely accessible as it now is (the audio drama and bundling it with the Spica novel). 15YL depicts Ai as running away and conveniently falling in with Saitou as soon as she got to Tokyo and being whisked out of the children's home and placed in someone's care at great cost to Saitou, all before she formally joined B-Komachi. The reality is so much more dull and mundane: Ai just stayed in the children's home even as she worked as an idol until she aged out of the system. But sad, commonplace reality like that doesn't sell movies.

This especially becomes clear when we finally get to the real meat of this chapter and the introduction of a character whose presence has lingered on the fringes of the story since the prologue arc: Ai's mother, Ayumi Hoshino.

Ai's mother has been a dark shadow lingering in the corner's of Ai's history ever since the start of the story. In both the side stories, her abuse and abandonment of Ai is emphasized and we know that Ai experienced horrific physical abuse at her hands, likely hand in hand with emotional abuse and neglect. Ai is a child who describes herself as a 'people hating liar' who has never loved or been loved by anyone. It paints an incredibly grim portrait of her past and her mother was a boogeyman to such an extent that I'd even seen people speculate she may have had a hand in her own daughter's death.

But of course, the sad and mundane reality isn't quite so dramatic. Abusers very rarely look or act like cartoonish monsters. Ayumi Hoshino isn't some Saturday morning supervillain who cackles evilly as she gloats about making her daughter's life a misery. She insists that she loved Ai and that of course she planned to go back and get her daughter in the same breath as confessing to violently abusing Ai -- AN EIGHT YEAR OLD CHILD -- because she was jealous that her adult boyfriend had taken a sexual interest in her.

I genuinely can't overstate how much this reveal shook me. Based on the way this is phrased, I do not Ai's stepfather followed through on his intent, but I have absolutely no doubt that she was made aware of it given that Ayumi confesses that she began to physically abuse Ai out of jealousy and that the family fell apart as a result. I'd picked up on a lot of stray threads relating to this idea in Ai's behaviour but I had never followed it through to the end result of 'Ai narrowly avoided CSA and was abused by her mother for it'. So many aspects of Ai's behaviour suddenly click sharply into place with this piece of information. Her fucked up relationship with her own totally normal sexual desires, her tendency to blame herself first before anyone else when things go wrong for her - how is she supposed to do anything else when she was abused and then blamed for her own abuse by her own mother?

It's also so, so telling that even as Ayumi cries and paints herself as the martyr in this situation, she admits she would do it all over again and centers Ai as the reason for their marriage falling apart, Ai's beauty and her growing into a woman as the cause of their issues rather than centering her own anger and jealousy or, you know, blaming her boyfriend for being a fucking pedophile. Though she cries and talks about 'atonement', Ayumi doesn't mourn her daughter's suffering but focuses on her own pain and her own regrets. It's so frustrating to read because it's real. Real toxic parents are like this. Real abusers behave like this. Ayumi Hoshino is, as I've previously discussed, yet another example in OnK of a mother who failed her child when she was needed most and it says so, so much about what an incredibly strong and kind person Ai is that she broke that chain and was such an incredible loving mother to Aqua and Ruby.

One last thing before I move on: something that has been a quiet underlying motif of Ai's tragedy for a while is the ways she, as a child, was often... is there a word that's the opposite of infantilization? Adultification, I guess? The point being, she was often objectified, sexualized and evaluated as an adult woman despite being a child. Ayumi's confession takes this implicit idea and makes it explicit and textual: Ayumi did not see her daughter as a child being victimized but as an adult woman to be evaluated and destroyed as a sexual rival. Even before she became an idol, this enforced adultification has been inflicted on Ai as a method of abuse.

oh god. jesus, right. other things happened in this chapter.

I won't lie i did the fattest eyeroll imaginable when I saw Akane hanging around outside lol. Her not revolving around Aqua was nice for the, what, three chapters while it lasted?

maybe I'm being unfair because I think it would be weird for her not to be interfering after she did her death note ass I'LL STOP YOUR PLAN speech back before the arc kicked off but I was so, so glad to see Akane doing literally anything in this story that wasn't solely about Aqua and this feels like some horrible foreshadowing that she is once again going to be reduced to orbiting Aqua because Akasaka is terrified of letting her do anything else. can we PLEASE get some akane focus that isn't to do with Aqua!!! I'm on my fucking hands and knees here bros

break next week.... oshi no ko is my favourite biweekly manga