#WHATS A TANGO SHE SAYS
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stygiansauce · 2 days ago
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Emergency babysitting and the kid plays Legos and I'm typing up a storm and she turns to me and goes
"What are you writing?" And I went "you know that guy we watched on YouTube earlier?" I am going to get this six year old into minecraft via margin of error, OH DEAR. (She does not know the plot.) (She likes boarder hoarders and joel)
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typosandtea · 1 month ago
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I think it would be very funny for Piper (and only Piper) if post game she gets Nick, Danse, X6, Glory, Tango and Slick together under the guise of a Big Serious Problem / Story / Gossip, and then presents them all with a piece of paper with a hand written captcha and a pen.
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ahopefulbromantic · 6 months ago
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I just realized the most tragic thing - that I cannot gush about 31st October being Dziady / Forefathers' Eve because it's a Polish thing and none of my mutuals know what it is and no really good translation of the dramatic works exists to have them read it :(((
It's like a traditional Polish Halloween and nowadays it's mainly known from Adam Mickiewicz's (he's to Poland what Shakespeare is to England) 4-part drama centered around it. It follows a tortured poet (my blorbo, I love him) during the time Poland was partitioned and erased from the maps, its people oppressed but always fighting back. It is one of the most important and culturally significant Polish works ever created. And it's got, like so many themes, so many themes you guys. It's one of my favorite works ever one of my all-time dreams is to play Konrad, a protag from part 3.
So if anyone does know it or is interested in finding out more please please please message me or drop an ask I'd love to infodump!!!
#Come to the Forefather's Eve! We got:#DARK EVERYWHERE SILENT EVERYWHERE WHAT WILL HAPPEN? WHAT WILL HAPPEN???#hello i came to you to ask for Church's approval of our Christian-flavored spiritual seances and it's a national tradition so you gotta#today's youth has it too easy they cannot enter Heaven like that at least give them a yucky mustard seed#SHE HAS A FLOWERCROWN ON HER HEAD AND A GREEN WEED IN HER HAND AND BEFORE HER RUNS A LITTLE LAMB AND ABOVE HER FLIES A BUTTERFLY#*mama Imelda from Coco voice* a living boy in the land of the dead?!#romantic love evolving into (!!!) platonic love which is portrayed as better of the two (!!!) <3#Konrad <3 just. Konrad ily. the sad poet#can i call it the cell block tango? i'll call it the cell block tango#the og vampires!! everyone say thank you Slavs for giving you your favorite Halloween monsters!#milliyon TM#Mama Mary rescuing a feral blorbo by not letting him say the Ts word while blaspheming#Poland becoming the Jesus Christ of nations!!! (look it up it's true)#if i had a nickel for every villain struck down by lightning as God's punishment in Polish Romantic literature i'd have two nickels#why can't we find the cute boy i wasn't interested in before but now kinda am? cause you're using his DEAD NAME MARYNA!#so first part is Dziady 2 and the second part is Dziady 4 and the third part is Dziady 3 and as for Dziady 1 it was never finished so we#don't know where it falls chronologically and also there's the Pilgrim poem which is like a sequel to Part 3 and ther#and many many MANY more. it's so good you guys#dziady#adam mickiewicz#gustaw#konrad#wielka improwizacja#mała improwizacja#upiór#vampires#Polish literature#xix century Romanticism#forefathers' eve#🇵🇱
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2leggedshark · 1 year ago
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I think a really gentle and loving kiss to her corpse would fix jimmy
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the-jam-to-the-unicorn · 1 year ago
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Olena gave an interview to BBC
youtube
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gleppy · 7 months ago
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fucking HILARIOUS how my ex-bestie is going around announcing to people that she and i are no longer friends and as soon as they ask her to elaborate/explain what happened she immediately shuts up and changes the subject
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greatandholypangolin · 22 days ago
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so whenever DDVAU comes out I screenshot everything that makes my brain itch and then send it to my friends with an explanation of why the particular bit makes me happy and I was looking through my scrumped list and I was like “oh wait, artists (@kitsuneisi and @xmaruu11 in this case) actually like knowing what people think and like about your art especially specific details maybe possible perhaps” so I’m being brave and pasting exactly what I said to my friends into here with no rewriting for the sake of keeping them as my raw thoughts. Let the post go where it does I guess (all art is from DDVAU if that wasn’t obvious)
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Favourite faces collection (impeccable art style that I will never stop complimenting oh my god I love all of the lil fellas)
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I like the little pinky/yellow tones or tint or smth it all seems so peaceful and domestic and a little warm and it’ll be absolutely fine and lovely and sweet slice of life for the whole comic right? right? right? right? right? right?
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Already said I love how they’ve designed speaking over. It’s just so effortless and clear idk. Also little note of appreciation for grian’s hand, that’s a shitfuckery perspective and a very well drawn hand. Also really realistic and fluid pose?? They’re just incredibly believable characters and movements, sometimes I genuinely forget they’re still frames and not an animation when I think about it. Do you think they actually pose and use that as a reference or do they just know exactly who their blorbos are and how they present themselves without actually acting it out???? Geniuses. Geni-i. Like octopi but. ok I’ll leave I know when I’m not wanted
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Look at this happy and relaxed guy with his cousin he’s so himself and at ease. Seeing grian happy and human and totally himself means so much to me (favourite faces collection)
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Favourite faces collection
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HI CORNER GEM I HOPE YOU FEEL LOVED (me) (I’m the one) (ily corner gem) (and centre gem presumably idk she’s not here)
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I know it’s tango. You know its tango. I don’t even need to say it. Camptain ombvious. however I am very happy they included ranchers thank you doody and maru sending you angels wherever you may be
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Oh he could be a father so good I don’t usually see things and go “they’re parental potential”, not because they wouldn’t, it just isn’t something that crosses my mind. He, however, would make a great father and this frame made that thought fizz into my head
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Thoroughly enjoyable section, made me smile
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Love love LOVE how the thing grips the actual corner of his comic panel as it drags itself forwards
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I’ve never not been in awe of this comic, but this is one of those times I’m especially in awe. Hi. Hello. Hi.
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Love how the room zoom out was used, he looks so isolated and quietly afraid even though you don’t see his face, especially with the speech bubbles drifting around like that. Very well designed top tier 10/10
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fluffypotatey · 1 year ago
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Shadowpeach f*ck and it solves absolutely nothing and set back progress for a decade more, plus added tension if that's even possible.
Are you happy now mk
honestly, MK regretted it the minute those words came out of his mouth
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pseudowho · 5 months ago
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You and Kento bustled through the kitchen, and with your arms full of plates, you couldn't resist giving the top of Yuuji's head a nuzzle and a kiss as you passed.
Yuuji smiled at you both, full and warm for the first time in years. You and Kento felt his eyes on you as you weaved past each other, in a practiced after-dinner-clean-up Tango.
"Ah...hey, Nanamin, I-- I've got, uh...I've got a, uhm..."
Kento's interest was piqued. He stopped washing up and, with one raised fine eyebrow, turned to regard Yuuji while he dried the suds off his forearms.
"What is it, Yuuji?"
Yuuji looked awkward. Eventually, he stuttered out through a sheepish grin.
"I've uh...I've got a date tomorrow, so I won't be home for dinner."
A gasp. A smash!clinkclinkclink as you dropped a mug to the floor, and Kento closed his eyes in wounded resignation for the death of his favourite mug. You stepped across him, pressing your palms to the counter, wild-eyed at Yuuji.
"A date?"
"Uh...y-yea--"
"A date date?"
"...I...Nanamin, I'm scared--"
"--she can't hurt you, Yuuji--"
"A date!"
You could barely contain your excitement; Kento huffed, plucking pieces of porcelain from the floor, while you squished Yuuji's cheeks and cooed.
Yuuji barely escaped in one piece that evening before bed, grilled for any piece of information you could get your hands on. Eventually, he escaped, the lock clicking behind him as he shut his bedroom door.
Flopping onto your back into bed beside Kento, with enough force to make his reading glasses bounce on his nose, you sighed with one dramatic arm across your forehead.
"I'm just so happy for him, Kento."
A warm little smile; a folding of the book. "Yeah. Yeah, me too. Did he say who it was?"
"You know, of all the things I asked him, I didn't ask him that."
A chuckle, a hum...a silence. A rustle of pages. A gentle removal of reading glasses, and Kento looked over you with quiet scrutiny, as if your state of undress in a t-shirt and nothing more stirred memories for him.
You blinked up at him, "...what's wrong?"
Kento's nose flared, and he laid down beside you, switching the light off. You could hear him blushing in the dark.
"Do you think Yuuji's a virgin?"
You felt a thud of realisation, and answered, "I...should think he probably is. I...what should we..."
"Don't worry," Kento answered, clipped and looping an arm over your waist, "I can handle that."
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"Yuuji. If you have a moment, could you come and speak to me, please?"
You felt an alarm bell in your soul. The sun was setting, on the evening of Yuuji's date, but Kento was still fully dressed. He'd even buttoned his suit jacket up and redone his tie. His pocket rustled. You could have sworn you saw a droplet of sweat drip down his temple.
You paused your murder documentary...and watched, for this would surely be more horrifying. Yuuji leaned round the bathroom door, innocently curious, and padded over with his hands in his pockets. He pulled out his phone.
"Ah...y-yeah, I think they'll be here in a minu--"
"Sit down. Please. Yuuji."
You could have sworn Kento left dents in the top of the chair that he grasped. Yuuji sat slowly, wary, looking between you and Kento. From your place on the sofa, you shrugged. Kento spoke.
"You're...a young man now, Yuuji."
"Ah...yeah. I-I guess I am. Thank--"
"--and sometimes young men have...urges."
You wished for death, but would take the entertainment before you expired. Yuuji's blush started at his chin, and climbed slowly upwards, a sun-ripening peach.
"...Nanamin. Please, you-- you don't have to do--"
"--and it's important to understand the difference between lust, and love."
"Oh god, Nanamin, I'm begging you--"
"--and while it's only natural to follow your urges, it's important to do so responsibly--"
"--Mrs.Nanamin, I'm scared--"
"--he can't hurt you, Yuuji--"
Kento pulled the rustling packet from his pocket, and placed it before Yuuji on the table. The room was thick with silence. Yuuji spoke, his voice breaking and his soul sweating.
"...Nanamin, please say that's candy--"
"I've bought you these condoms--"
"--please just let me die, Nanamin--"
"--ribbed, dots, big, small, strawberry I think--"
"--please-- I have to go--"
"--and I only ask that you're sensible and treat your partner with the respect and dignity they deserve--"
"--please treat me with the respect and dignity I deserve and just kill me Nanamin--"
"...and be home by midnight."
Silence. You had held your breath through the whole thing, and held one hand over your mouth. You studiously avoided Yuuji's gaze. Yuuji's mouth puckered, staring up at Nanami, who looked as serious as a car crash.
Yuuji's phone rang. He snatched it up, and made for the door. Kento called after him, mild, "Your condoms, Yuuji--"
"--oh well shit yeah can't forget those, fuck--"
"--language, Yuuji--"
Yuuji stood at the door, considering answering back. He took a single deep breath. He swallowed hard, and stopped himself from scarpering immediately, and turned back to Kento.
"Hey, uh...was that, erm...was that difficult for you, Nanamin?"
"It was the worst thing I've ever done in my life."
"Yeah, it--it felt it, uhm..." Yuuji waggled the bag of condoms with a smirk, pocketing them, "Thanks, dad. Nobara and Megumi are waiting. We'll go for a date, and the other idiot's our chaperone apparently."
As the door clicked closed, Kento released one great heaving breath, and arched back with his hands over his face, releasing an enormous, animalistic groan of agony.
You bubbled over, snickering, and traced one toe up Kento's thigh from behind.
"...oh hey, Mr.Nanami, sir, can you teach me about the birds and the bees--"
"Quiet."
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pathologicalreid · 5 months ago
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hazardous materials | s.r.
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in which Spencer takes care of you after an accident in the lab
margovember
chemist!reader masterlist
who? spencer reid x fem!reader category: fluff (hurt/comfort) content warnings: chemical burn, lab safety was ignored, first aid, cute banter, tattoos, chemist!reader, kisses word count: 1.24k a/n: every time i write chemist!reader i get bed chem stuck in my head except i've never heard the full song
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��Time?” You asked, using the heel of your shoe to slam the door shut once you made your way through. Haphazardly, you dropped your backpack on the ground in front of the coat closet before rushing toward the bedroom.
Spencer was sitting on the couch, a glass of water on the side table and a book in his lap, he glanced over at you when you stopped at the back of the couch to say hi to him, “Forty minutes.” He reached out for your arm, a careful gesture just because he wasn’t ready for you to be out of his view yet, but his hand caught on your forearm.
You hissed at the contact, pulling your arm back and shaking it out, “Tight grip,” you tried to wave it off, but Spencer wasn’t easily convinced.
“I barely touched you,” he said, snapping his book closed and standing up, following you into the bedroom. “Let me see your arm,” he asked, opening the door when you tried to close it behind you.
Spinning on your heel, you shrugged at him, “Not without a warrant,” you told him. Your eyes burned as you begged yourself not to cry at the pain.
Your boyfriend reached out for you again, this time pulling you in by your belt loops, he herded you into the bathroom, holding onto your hips as he beckoned for you to sit on the countertop. The granite was cold even through your jeans, and Spencer took your discomfort as pain as he pulled your shirt off.
You grunted, frowning while he pulled your long sleeve over your head and dropped it in the laundry hamper, “It’s cold,” you grumbled, slouching as Spencer inspected the wound on your forearm. It looked a lot worse now than it had when you left the lab, the burned skin starting to develop a yellowish hue. “I have somewhere to be tonight, you know,” you reminded him.
This would be your second outing with the BAU ladies since you were first introduced to them a few months ago, Garcia had arranged tango lessons, and Emily was meant to be your dance partner. “What did you burn yourself with?” He holds your arm timidly, pinching your wrist between his index and his thumb and eyeing the burn with growing concern.
“Uh,” you hummed, bracing yourself for what is bound to be abject disappointment, “Nitric acid.”
Spencer set your arm down, resting it burnt side up on your thigh while he buried his face in his hands, “Baby,” he said from behind his palms.
When he said it in that tone, it was easily your least favorite nickname. “I didn’t think it was concentrated enough to burn,” you tried to defend yourself, looking down at the obvious mistake you had made. “It must have been mislabeled and no one caught it,” you told him, trying to shrug it off.
Dropping his hands, Spencer resorted to crossing his arms in front of his chest, “A lot of chemicals have been getting mislabeled lately.” It was an accusation, but not toward you, though you tended to be more lenient on lab safety than most of your colleagues.
“I…” You faltered, flexing your fingers and feeling the skin on your arm pull, “Yes, but—”
Spencer shook his head, “No, you have to talk to her.”
The her in question was your grad student, Leslie, who had made a similar mistake with hydrochloric acid last month, also leading to a chemical burn on your arm. You frowned at Spencer, making your expression as pleading as possible in hopes that he’d drop it.
“This can’t keep happening,” Spencer said, “I know you don’t want to make her feel guilty, but maybe she should. Maybe that’s how she learns.”
You furrowed your brows at him, “It wasn’t her fault.” You felt defensive over your lab assistant, knowing that she had asked you to be her thesis advisor made you feel the need to protect her.
He pressed his lips in a thin white line, “It was,” he corrected. “If you don’t say something, I’ll send an email to your boss.”
“Spencer,” you said, shoulders slumped in disappointment and the faint feeling of betrayal.
Raising his eyebrows, Spencer gingerly took your arm back in his hands, “I know that’s your thing around the lab, not wanting to cause trouble. You don’t want to draw attention to yourself, but I need you to take care of yourself, and you can’t do that if you keep being so flippant about these ‘accidents.’”
You knew what he was doing, turning it into something you could do for him instead of something you’d do for yourself. “I’ll talk to her on Monday, and I’ll redo the UV spectroscopy on the nitric acid,” you surrendered, giving yourself the weekend to figure out how to broach the topic.
He set your arm down again, opening the cabinets in the bathroom and shuffling through miscellaneous belongings. Between the two of you, you had quite a remarkable collection of first aid, the basket that Spencer pulled off the shelf was intimidating, “Here, hold your arm over the sink,” he instructed, guiding you gently so he could rinse the burn with saline. “Does that hurt?”
“it’s just cold,” you answered, watching him make sure any debris was flushed from the wound.
His head bobbed, setting down the saline container and moving to coat the wound with a panthenol cream, “Were you wearing your hazardous materials pin?”
Your face warmed at his question. The one time you’d been the root cause of a spill, your boss responded by gifting you an enamel pin with the hazardous materials pin, “I was.”
“Maybe it needs to be bigger,” he proposed, filtering through the bin of first aid supplies and hunting for something specific, reading the labels on everything before he put it on the burn.
The corner of your mouth quirked up when you noticed he was trying to lighten the mood, “Or have lights on it,” you offered, imagining a border of LEDs around the pin.
Spencer hummed, finding silver sulphadiazine to cover the wound with, “Now, there’s an idea.”
You laughed breathily, “I could get it tattooed,” you waggled your eyebrows at him. “It would make a nice tramp stamp,” you told him, watching his gentle fingers apply dressings to your wound, securing them as carefully as he can so your skin doesn’t get irritated.
“But then I’d be the only one to see it,” he countered playfully, inspecting his handiwork.
Conceding, you nodded, “Unless the people in the lab get comfortable with a lot of things really fast.”
Softly, Spencer leaned forward and kissed you, “I want to keep an eye on this tonight,” he whispered against your lips. “If it doesn’t get better by the morning I’m taking you to urgent care,” he told you, kissing you again before gathering the first aid wrappings and putting them in the trash can.
He stepped out for a moment, returning with an old Princeton t-shirt of yours. You gingerly pulled it over your head, making sure not to bump your fresh bandages as you did so, “But what about my dance lessons?”
You hopped off of the countertop to be met by Spencer standing right in front of you, his hands placed gently on your waist before he whispered, “I can teach you to tango perfectly fine in the living room.”
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hybbart · 4 months ago
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Day 2655: As winter trucks on, everyone hauls up as the snow piles up in the city below...
Short story below the cut
Snow accumulated along the penthouse's enormous balconies, and the many large windows. Beyond was a landscape whited out by the frosty blanket, difficult to discern the shapes of any of the distant buildings through the heavy weather.
Tango's arm quietly ached. These days he could almost ignore it. Jimmy would chastise him if he knew, say it was not healthy, but what was there to do about it? hypocrite that he was, the avian had his own issues, even if it normally was not painful. They'd spent all morning pretending like Tango couldn't hear his unnaturally deep breaths, or that he'd turned his machine up higher. It was already high compared to before they'd been separated.
Today, though, was an okay day for Tango. He could almost ignore it. His prosthetic couldn't, but it was far too cold for it anyways. There was little to do while hauled up, he'd taken to hardly wearing it the past two weeks as the cold settled in. If not for their few chores and Jimmy's returning energy they'd both be hauled up in their room still.
But they still needed to clean and they still needed to eat. So, while he waited for False to return from taking care of the animals for them and the signal from Wels that his brother was still safely locked up, he cleaned. Plucked the dead leaves from the plants, moved muddy clothing to the laundry room, put away the last game they'd played, anything he saw that he could do.
Humming echoed from the hall, riding the same breeze that wafted a lovely smell of spices and meat. The last of a deer False had found. It was easy to mindlessly work with the smells and sounds of Jimmy cooking nearby. Or maybe it was just easier because he knew there was something tasty waiting at the end of it all. His thoughts were quick to get lost imagining the various dishes, unwilling to risk a fork getting thrown at him for interrupting to ask. It couldn't hurt, though, to take a peak..?
The room dimmed as great ruddy wings blocked the whiteout. False's terrifyingly sharp talons seemed like they might crush the railing beneath them, and Tango was silently glad Jimmy's were that of a songbird and not a raptor like their new companions. It wasn't as graceful as Wels' or Grian's landings either, the woman lurching slightly before hopping down to the ground. A few months ago Tango might not have noticed, but he'd seen the three avians come and go so often from that window he couldn't help notice the differences.
"All the chickens are accounted for, and your horse is fed." She announced, giving a salute with her smile that Tango returned.
"Thanks again for this." He said for the fourth time that day. "Jimmy can't even get himself off the ground this week, never mind carrying-"
"I told you it's fine." False waved him off as she slipped off her cap. even just the short flight from ground level to the 40th some-odd floor had it coated in a heavy blanket of snow.
Tango opened his mouth to protest but a yelp escaped instead, accompanied by clattering metal and plastic. It took them both a moment to realize it hadn't been him at all. Both spun towards the hall, a squeaky curse echoing. Tango was the first to rush forward.
Jimmy was leaned over the counter, head in one hand and the other limply stretched over the kitchen island where his leftovers bucket had spilled over the edge. His breaths came heavy and quick, much worse than earlier. Feathered ears twitched, well aware of his new company but unable to pick himself back up to say anything. At least until Tango had his arm around him. Then, he found the ability to give a weak protest, easily ignored as Tango guided him towards the bench-chest on the far wall.
Tango only glanced to False for a second, to check she had followed, "Go turn up the airificator." He directed.
"I'm fine." Jimmy wheezed. It was as though he'd just ran several miles, his hand clutched to his chest to catch a breath of air that would not come to him. "I just got a bit dizzy and dropped my knife."
"Is that all." Tango muttered, running his hands down Jimmy's tubes looking for any knots or breaks. A wing smacked his head until he backed away.
Jimmy huffed, though it wasn't entirely clear if it was frustration or his inability to breathe. "Just give me a minute! It's already high enough. I don't need to get used to it being even higher."
It was pure stubbornness. And if Tango was honest, he wasn't sure what to do with it. Normally it was himself being stubborn about his arm and Jimmy knocking sense into him. Jimmy could be as stubborn as a mule, but it'd never been directed at his health.
Sheepishly, False appeared around the corner. "I turned it up, there's not much room for higher, though."
"See?" Jimmy said pointedly. It was true, that it wasn't good for Jimmy to have it so high for extended time. But if that's what his body needed right now, then what could they do? Suffer and almost drop a knife on himself, apparently. Tango's brows knit together.
"You go lay down, I'll finish the cooking."
Jimmy balked. "You have one hand!"
"That's one more than you right now." He knelt down, allowing the hunched avian to look down on him. "It's not going to get better if you push yourself."
There was a look in his rancher's eyes, one that quickly shifted between several emotions until they were almost glassy, before he dropped his head, his grown out hair curtaining his face out of view. Tango sat there, running his hand up and down Jimmy's arm, until a weak voice escaped between gasps, "What if it doesn't?"
If it didn't? There wasn't much to be done if it didn't. They'd live with it like they did every time things became incrementally worse, and a bad day became a regular day. But if this was a regular day, what would be a bad day? Tango couldn't bring to let himself think about the thought that seemed to be consuming Jimmy at that moment. Not while Revy was still in the back of his mind. So, instead he says, "It will."
There was nothing in Jimmy's expression that conveyed any faith in those words.
"You need to let yourself rest." False interjected, hesitant to step forward when both men's eyes turned to her. She fiddled with the tube in her gloves, still having yet to even remove her coat. "Your lungs, if they're straining you need to let them rest for now, build up strength."
"For how long?" Muttered Jimmy, expression resigned. He'd already spent weeks in bed.
False wasn't one for complicated answers. "As long as it takes. You've been straining them for months, it'll take a while. And there's no better time to do it while we're all cooped up in here anyways."
"But it's just cooking. If I can't even do that-"
"Singing while running back and forth and wielding heavy utensils and pots? Your muscles aren't exactly in great shape either after that, it's probably taking it out of your entire body. And there's a difference between exercise and straining yourself."
She pushed he hand to her chest, "If you rest now I can help you with your breathing."
Both ranchers blinked in shock. "What?" Tango asked.
She ignored them at first, taking her time to pull off her scarf and coat, hanging both up on the back of a chair. Hands went to her clothed ribs, and she took a deep breath as her wings flexed. They stuttered, that same oddity Tango had noticed in her movement. "Look, you've met my sister, right? H?"
"Yeah..."
"Then you must have noticed she has a few less limbs." False nodded, fluttering her wings. "She's basic."
"That's a bit rude." Tango couldn't help joke, earning a shoulder bump from Jimmy to quiet down.
She groaned, and then threw her arms out, "I was born from an alteration of her genetics, I wasn't naturally an avian."
That made sense to Tango, knowing what they could do to Doc when he was already alive. It quickly cascaded, other pieces of the puzzle clicking into place.
"I had to learn things you already know, and make up for things that didn't quite take. This included an obnoxious amount of physical therapy, especially dedicated to lung capacity." She put her hands on her hips, taking in a deep breath as if it were an example of her newfound capabilities before releasing. "I don't exactly know all the doctor-y mumbo jumbo behind how it all works, and we don't have all the big fancy equipment, but I know what helped me and what will probably help you some."
"False..." Jimmy sounded torn, and Tango couldn't blame him. It was hard to have any hope after living with his lung damage for seven years, steadily watching it get worse and worse. Their conditions had been very different, but was there really something False could offer that Scar hadn't already offered them in the past? How much was there that she could realistically do? At some point there had to be nothing at all. But it was tempting, even if just to get back to what it had been before, or at the very least prevent it from getting worse. There wasn't much farther it could fall, after all, any lifeline looks tempting.
"It's worth a shot, innit?" She shrugged, giving a tentative smile. "It's the least I could do, is at least try. At worst it does nothing."
"At worst I get my hopes up." Jimmy sighed, leaning his head against Tango. It seemed his body was beginning to decide for him that it was time to rest.
Tango brought his hand up to his rancher's hair, running his claws through the long strands in comfort. Whatever you want to do, I support it. That was how they always operated, wasn't it? He let his tail curl around Jimmy's talons. "I think either way, for now rest is in order."
That Jimmy found the strength to grumble about. "Fine, all of you can go hungry. I don't care."
"That's the spirit!" Tango chirped, hauling the whining avian to his feet. He couldn't pick him up with only one arm, so he resigned to dragging him down the hall. He stopped as they reached False, giving her a grateful smile before shuffling past her. He hissed as his stump bumped against the wall. Jimmy's head shot up immediately. "It's fine, I'm used to it." Tango strained to say through the jolt of pain. He'd forgotten just how tender it had been that day.
"You shouldn't be used to it." Jimmy chastised. "It's not healthy."
Tango gaped at him then burst out laughing, "Okay, Mister Hypocrite. Time to go to bed."
"Excuse me!"
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chaosmagetwin · 1 month ago
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Command Prompt
"Stop. Just, stop okay? She's gone. She's not here. And she's never coming back, okay? Just.... Fuck. Just go to your fucking kennel."
"Command accepted." The lieutenants disgusted face left my vision as I turned away, and left her almost empty room. Bodies passed me by. Some turned away from me, some reached out a hand before someone else pulled it away. None touched me. They couldn't.
I killed the last person who dared.
I stood in front of my pod. I couldn't connect to it without her. I waited. She'd come soon. I stared at it.
"Do you need help, pilot?" A voice called from behind me. I turned, and looked at their shoulder. Engineer. Third rank. I didn't look at their face.
"Request denied. Unclear intent. Please state intentions."
"... Do you need help connecting to your pod, miss?"
"DENIED. ADDRESS PILOT BY RANK." It can't call me miss, only she can call me miss, I am not miss, I am pilot, pilot pilot, leave me alone alone alone.
"S-sorry..." It left.
I stared at my pod. She'd be here soon. She'd tuck me in. The lights dimmed. The attack on the base must've needed a long meeting to sort things out. She had to be busy. She was busy.
My legs trembled, aching.
I fell before the lights rose again. I sat on the floor, and stared at my pod. She was coming. She always put me to sleep before going to bed.
Did she forget? She must be tired. Too many meetings. They always put her in too many meetings. Always worked her too hard. Too many logistics she had to handle for me.
"Pilot. Stand up." A voice called.
"Orders received. Confirmed." I stood up, and looked at their shoulder. A commander. I saluted. I didn't look them in the face. I can't look them in the face.
"How long since you slept?"
"Current operation is at fifty two hours, thirty nine minutes. Requesting handler."
"Request denied." I flinched. What? "You're being reassigned. Lay down in your pod."
"Orders received...." I couldn't move, couldn't say the word. "Denied..." I whispered. "Requesting handler!"
"Request denied." The voice sighed, deeply, frustrated. "You need to sleep, pilot. You are... not functioning properly."
"Pilot is operating above mission parameters!"
"And what parameters are those, pilot?"
"... Survive."
"You cannot complete that mission if you do not sleep."
"Confirmed. Request Handler to complete mission."
"... oh, Kit...." I flinched on hearing my name. No. No. No.
"PILOT. I AM-"
"Be quiet, pilot." My mouth snapped shut. I felt my tears slide off my face, hitting the metal plate beneath my feet. "I know you've been told. I know how you reacted. I know you killed the doctor. None of that is your fault. It's time for you to go to sleep."
"... Order denied. Please. It.... I... I can't..."
"Your handler is dead, Pilot." The words hit me like an AP round. A wail grew in the air. "You're being reassigned to a new handler. Out of the system. You... you're being retired."
"No! No! No! Requesting handler! Stop hiding her from it!" I couldn't move. My legs wouldn't move. I needed to kill this thing in front of me. A spy, a fake, an enemy wearing the uniform of the commander, he's not real, he's not real. I couldn't move my legs.
"You held her hand, Pilot. Who gave you your last order?"
"Handler!"
"When was it received in this operation cycle?"
"Order received at hour 8 and seventeen minutes!"
"That was two days ago. What was that order?"
"... Survive...."
"What were the exact words, Pilot?"
".... It can't.... it can't...."
"Repeat them to me."
"Confidential information! Cleara-"
"Override! Security clearance level 8, two nine alpha three seven Kilo Indiana Tango. Repeat your last orders to me!"
Her words flowed out of my mouth, repeated like a mantra in my head for so long they made up more of me than I did. "You have to survive, baby. Don't let me die in vain, you have to live! Get off me, doc, let me say goodbye. Let me tell her to live. Listen to me, Kit. My little Kit. Oh, I love you. You did such a good job for me today. You saved a lot of people, okay? But now you have to think about you. You have to survive. Priority one, okay? Confirm for me, baby. Authorization two nine alpha three S-seven.... Kilo. Indiana.... tang- tango. Good..... -rl"
"Priority one, Pilot. What is your next step in this mission? Your handler is not available."
".... Command: Sleep."
"Lay down in your pod, Pilot."
"Order.... confirmed..."
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willowshine61 · 6 months ago
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LIFE SERIES MEMBERS ON WHETHER OR NOT I THINK THEY ATE DIRT AS A CHILD. (please do not take this seriously, everything here originated from my not very smart brain-hole.)
Scar: Yes, and he has a story about how one of his brothers convinced him to do it.
Pearl: Someone jokingly dared her to and to their surprise she actually did immediately.
Gem: No but she convinced other kids to eat dirt.
Cleo: Yes, but only like for a little bit when they were really little.
Lizzie: Someone told her dirt was edible and she fell for it but spat it out as soon as she tasted it and then proceeded to chase the person who told her around with a stick or something.
Skizz: Of course not, he instead stopped other kids from eating dirt and took this job VERY seriously (he did actually try it once but no one needs to know that).
Impulse: No but is the only one who knows that Skizz has.
Ren: Pretended to as part of a bit but accidentally actually ate the dirt.
BigB: No but told other kids that he has to mess with them in some way.
Martyn: He pretended to eat dirt to impress someone. They ran away.
Bdubs: Yes. While making eye-contact.
Tango: Almost got peer-pressured into eating dirt on the playground but chickened out.
Jimmy: Oh 100%.
Scott: What? Ew no way, why would he do that?
Etho: I'm going to say no but this man's real life is such a mystery that I wouldn't be surprised either way.
Grian: Yes.
Mumbo: Does falling on your face really hard into the ground count? But outside of that, probably.
Joel: If you ask him he'll respond with "well it depends on what you define as 'dirt'" and then will tell you a really bizarre short story that he probably made up but you're not sure and then change the subject.
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hotchner-edu · 10 months ago
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Pandora's Box | Aaron Hotchner
Synopsis: During a girl's night with the BAU girlies, a game of truth or dare may just be the cause of Aaron's odd behavior.
Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x BAU!F!Reader
Warnings: mentions of the devil's tango
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The smell of freshly microwaved popcorn and cheeto puffs clung to the air of Penelope's apartment unit, the ringing of near-delirious laughter complementing the scent.
Emily is laying flat on the floor by Penelope's sofa, hair splayed out as she clutches her stomach. "Oh my god! You did not do that!" She laughs out, tears gathering in her eyes as JJ blushes a little and shrugs.
You four are gathered in the living room, fingers stained from snacking while playing the team's favorite party game— truth or dare. It was the night of the long-awaited girl's night, and you were all practically bouncing off the walls.
"It's not my fault! Anyway!" JJ chuckles and tries to change the topic, turning her head toward you, eyes glimmering in mischief. "Y/N, truth or dare?"
You groan and shovel some popcorn into your mouth. "Truth."
Penelope and Emily giggle in the background, knowing JJ always had some hard hitters when it came to truth or dare.
JJ grins widely and leans forward a bit. "Who in the team would you do seven minutes in heaven with?"
You let out an outraged gasp. "Jennifer Jareau! What are we? In high school?"
The blonde just laughs loudly and grins. "Oh come on! You only hate the question because you're the one that has to answer."
"Exactly." You deadpan jokingly and groan, preparing to answer when Emily interjects.
"And you can't say any of us!"
Frowning, you narrow your eyes at the woman. "Well, I was going to say you."
Emily smirks cheekily and slides her phone toward herself as she sits up, finally recovering from her laughing fit earlier. "I know, but that's cheating."
Huffing, you watch her throw her phone aside somewhere as they all stare at you eagerly. "Geez... okay, fine! Hotch! I'd do seven minutes in heaven with him." You practically shout in faux exasperation.
Penelope squeals and shakes your shoulders as JJ and Emily raise their eyebrows.
"Really?" Emily asks in shock, chuckling and leaning back on her arms.
"Well, yeah. I mean... hello. Are we all going to pretend he's not sexy?" You ask bluntly, inciting another round of squeals from Penelope as she gets ready to endlessly tease you about your admission.
JJ shrugs with a satisfied smile, pleased that you chose to answer so boldly. "Honestly, I thought you'd say Spence."
"Spencer is cute and I love him, but... c'mon. Like I have to restrain myself from slamming my head into my desk every time Hotch raises his voice at someone. And god! Don't get me started on his arms." You gush, playing up your lovestruck tone but being completely honest.
"Easy tiger." JJ mumbles under her breath with an amused smile.
Emily wiggles her eyebrows and grins. "Oh? Come on, don't skimp on the details."
Rolling your eyes, you shake your head. "You guys are vultures." You say jokingly and throw a piece of popcorn at her.
Penelope munches on a cheeto and shakes her head. "No, no! You never told us you felt this way for him, so we need answers!"
You concede, feeling tired of bottling up your crush anyway. "Alright, alright. Yes, I like him. I mean, it's hard not to." You explain sincerely before becoming playful again, "I think he covered me from an explosion once and I almost died feeling his hands on my waist. Like, how is it possible for someone to have such delicious arms."
"Delicious?" Emily echoes with an amused snort at your choice of adjective.
JJ snickers and nudges your foot with hers. "Careful, you're about to start drooling."
You nudge your foot back against hers and try to suppress the heat that's creeping up your neck. Unfortunately for you, Penelope is just getting warmed up.
"So, would you... y'know... do the devil's dance with him?" Penelope asks coyly, giving you a teasing smile.
"Hey, my turn is over now!" You say and chuckle, shaking your head at their antics.
Though, you should have known that they wouldn't let you get away that easily.
The three of them stare at you with puppy eyes, causing you to squirm on the spot. "Geez, yes, I would. I mean, he seems like he could use the stress relief." You joke before quickly adding, "And I'm only telling you guys because you guys look ridiculous with those expressions!"
"Ridiculous or not, it worked." Emily smirks victoriously.
Luckily, they seem to take pity on you after grilling you so hard, and they move on with the game.
The next morning, you're starting to regret having stayed up with the girls until three in the morning. Your eyes feel like they're being pressed down by bowling balls as you yawn for the fifth time in ten minutes.
Emily is in a similar state as you, head lazily propped on one hand as she sluggishly signs off on some reports in front of her.
“Let’s never do that again.” You grumble just loud enough for Emily to hear, rubbing your eyes.
She chuckles under her breath and nods a bit in agreement, eyebrows raising a bit. “Yeah, or let’s just get drunk and pass out like normal people.” She jokes.
You both snicker softly until you see JJ hurrying toward Hotch’s office with a stack of files in her arms. “Ah…” you say with a slow blink.
“3… 2… 1…” Emily counts down playfully, just as Aaron stands up and leaves his office.
“BAU team— conference room, now.” He calls out smoothly, his eyes catching yours for the briefest second before he’s practically marching off.
You stand up and stretch your arms, watching as your team starts heading over for a new case briefing.
Glancing back toward Emily, you frown tiredly. "How is JJ so peppy today?"
"Perks of motherhood?" Emily suggests and shrugs.
You and her slowly trudge toward the stairs, catching up with Derek who seemed a bit hungover.
The man pauses and glances between you and Emily, grinning playfully. “You both look like hell. Fun night?”
“Not as fun as yours, I’m sure.” Emily chuckles as the three of you walk into the conference room. You’re about to head to your usual chair when you see Aaron sitting in the chair next to it.
You pause in your step and look back at Emily. Of course, seats weren’t assigned, but there had always been an unspoken rhythm of the team occupying the same seats.
Tilting your head a little, you can see some of your team members momentarily questioning it, but shrug it off as they sit down.
“Huh…” Emily says under her breath and hides a smirk, tapping your lower back to usher you to sit down. Aaron had stolen her usual spot, but she didn’t seem all that perturbed by it.
You sink down into your chair, keenly aware of your proximity to his warm body as JJ hurries to the head of the table to turn on the monitor.
As she begins to summarize the details of the case and the descriptions of the victims, you’re only half listening. Aaron keeps subtly shifting in his spot, and his knee even bumps into yours a few times.
You would definitely need to reread the file on the jet.
Aaron speaks up as JJ concludes with the details, voice low and level. “The request is urgent, so wheels up in thirty.”
The team begins moving immediately, and as you’re closing the file in front of you, you feel Aaron’s hand land on the back of your chair as he gets up. You tense a little as you could feel how close his hand was to your shoulder, trying to suppress the heat crawling up your chest.
As everyone files out of the meeting room to go grab their go-bags, Emily is immediately joining your side as she speaks under her breath. "That was weird."
"It was nothing." You try to brush it off, ignoring Emily's uncertain look.
Well. Maybe it wasn't nothing.
The moment the team arrived at the New Haven precinct in Connecticut, the atmosphere was off, to say the least. Of course, it was never enjoyable to have to look at pictures of mutilated victims, or deal with officers acting independently, but the feeling you were getting was a bit ominous.
"Is it just me or does something feel different?" You whisper to JJ as she finishes up a phone call.
She looks at you and tilts her head a bit, eyes filled with concern. "Not really... why? Do you think something's off with the profile?"
You shake your head and look away sheepishly. "No, not with the case. Just... with the team?" Your words come out as more of a question as you try to articulate the emotions swirling inside of you.
"Oh. I haven't noticed anything, but we can talk when we get back to the hotel if you want?" She offers with a kind smile.
"Yeah. Thanks, Jaje..." You say softly and try to redirect your focus back onto the case.
Stepping back, you get ready to return back to discuss the unsub's possible hideout locations with Spencer.
Before you can get far, you hear JJ calling for you again. "Could you tell Hotch that the city's agreed to hold a press conference in two hours?" JJ speaks up, eyes telling you that she had a lot on her plate at the moment.
"No problem. I'll see you in a bit." You nod at her and smile before spinning on your heel to look around for Aaron.
You spot him almost immediately, hunched over a desk and flipping through some papers as the police chief hurries away from him, barking out orders to some of the officers scattered around their desks.
"Hotch. JJ said that a press conference will be held in two hours. Spencer and I have narrowed down some locations, so we'll need to work quick." You practically word vomit, trying to ignore your racing heart.
Aaron straightens up and turns to look at you. "Alright, good. Rossi and Prentiss are on their way back too." He says, reaching back to the desk for his cup of coffee, still steaming as he raises it up to his face.
Your eyebrows rise up a bit and you smile softly. "Another cup? That's like your fourth one today."
The man gives you a small smile and nods, letting himself relax a bit. "Yeah, just for some stress relief." Despite how casual his tone was, the inflection of his voice for the very last words has you freezing on the spot.
You choke on your spit a bit, and he keeps his eyes on you. "Are you alright?" He draws out, mouth twisted in concern, but his eyes swirling with a bit of humor.
"Perfect." You wheeze out a bit and give him a strained smile before hurrying away.
Fortunately, you're not forced to overthink his words and the flashbacks of your girl's night confession to go with it, as the unsub makes a critical slip-up after JJ's press conference is broadcasted.
It's only after the unsub is being transported away for booking that you're able to come back down from the adrenaline. You're sitting beside Emily on the curb stretching your tired legs as she scrolls through her phone.
"So he really hasn't called you back? What an asshole." You mumble with a frown as she updates you about the guy she's been going on dates with for the past month.
"Back to the drawing board, I guess." She sighs with a noncommittal smile. Suddenly, you see her tense up, face drawn into a disbelieving gape as she pauses in her scrolling. "Oh my god."
"What? What's wrong?" You ask and turn to face her in worry.
"I called Hotch." She says blankly, slowly looking up at you with shell-shocked eyes.
"Okay...?" You trail off in confusion, eyebrows knit together.
"On Sunday. It says here that I called Hotch." She shows you her phone screen and there at the third slot of the call log is Aaron's contact. It wouldn't have been alarming to you had you and the girls not been together for the entirety of Sunday, but you all were, plus the call history was timed to have occurred at eleven pm.
"No way... check how long the call was." You whisper hurriedly, watching as she hurries to press the information button, nearly calling Aaron on accident in the process.
"Three minutes..." She breathes out in shock.
"No way..." You lean back and slap a hand over your mouth. "I think he heard my confession about him."
"What?" Emily hisses at you in panic, looking around at your teammates who were scattered around the sea of haphazardly parked Buicks.
You nod and rub your temples. "Earlier at the station, he made a comment about needing a stress relief."
"Okay, but that could mean nothing." Emily tries to reassure you, sputtering a little as she tries to come up with alternative explanations.
"I don't think so, Em." You groan and lean your head against her shoulder. "We've both noticed he's been acting different."
"Oh gosh... Did I butt-dial him?" She asks in shock to no one in particularly, laying her head against yours.
Chuckling dryly, you suddenly remember how she had been tossing her phone around during the game. "Yeah... I think it's even worse because I was sober when I said it."
"If it makes you feel better, I've done far more embarrassing things while sober." She says, staring off into the distance.
"I believe that." A small huff leaves you, tone subdued as a small smile of acceptance takes shape on your face. "Oh, and Em?"
"Hm?"
Your eyes flicker to Hotch's figure in the distance as he chats with Derek, arms crossed across his chest. "If I give you my resignation letter, will you give it to Hotch for me? I think I'm going to flee the country."
Much to your chagrin, Emily bands together with Spencer to convince you to not resign, having the younger agent ramble on about the adjustment process of finding a new job and the statistics of people who struggle with getting acclimated to a new work environment.
So rather than slipping your neatly packaged resignation letter onto Hotch's desk, you've taken to hiding out in Penelope's lair while you finish up your paperwork for the case.
Luckily, your bright-eyed friend allows you to pull up a chair at her desk, not even making a peep when you accidentally knock over one of her figurines.
You're hunched over as you write hurriedly, posture taking on a form that would make shrimps envious. As you're finishing up the last few pages of the report, a knock on Penelope's ajar office door draws both of your attention.
Standing with a hand on the door handle, Aaron is gazing at you with his eyes squinted a little due to the dimness of the room. "Y/N, can I speak to you for a moment, please?"
His voice is calm, giving no hints as to what he's feeling as he cracks open the door a bit more. Penelope gives you a side glance before slowly swiveling her chair back around to pretend to work.
"Sure." You say almost inaudibly, awkwardly making your way out of the door as his eyes follow you.
Once you're both out in the hallway, he shuts the door and nods for you to walk a few paces forward to minimize the chances of your lovable tech genius eavesdropping.
"I'm almost finished with my report, sir." You say softly, stopping when you both arrive at the end of the corridor.
Aaron lets out a breathy chuckle and shakes his head. "That's not what I'm here to talk to you about."
Mutely nodding, you wait for him to continue as your eyes move down to stare at the glossy floor.
"I'm sure you know by now, but Prentiss accidentally called me this weekend while you guys were talking." He says softly, beginning to look a bit shy. "And I just wanted to ask if you had meant what you said that night."
Your face is blistering with warmth as you try to deduce the best course of action. "I... yes. I'm sorry. I know that it must have been weird to hear, especially because I'm your coworker. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."
Aaron rests a hand on your arm to stop you before you can offer to resign out of shame, a warm smile painting his face. "It's okay. It wasn't weird for me... I just wish I didn't have to find out from a butt-dial." He chuckles and rests his hand on your arm.
You practically melt at the touch and you blink in shock. "Oh..."
"Honestly, I'm a bit out of practice when it comes to this kind of thing, but I was wondering if I could take you to dinner this Saturday." He asks softly, looking shyer than you've ever seen him before.
"I would like that." You respond breathlessly, not sure if you were dreaming.
Aaron grins and looks down at his shoes for a second as he tries to compose himself. "I'll pick you up around seven, if that works for you?"
"Yeah, that's perfect." Whatever future plans you had for Saturday were automatically being scrapped anyway.
"Great." He nods and gazes at you, his hand moving from your arm to your hand. He gives your fingers a small squeeze before he steps back and allows you to get back to work in Penelope's lair.
As you're trekking down the hall with a giddy smile, you hear him calling your name. You turn around and see him smirking at you a bit.
"And just so you know, I like having my arms around you too."
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cannibal-walleye · 2 months ago
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First Meeting
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"You guys shoulda seen it!" Impulse proclaimed loudly, tail swinging wildly with excitement. "I mean, Tango was great, but the lead singer—" The demon whistled.
"That good, huh?" Gem asked with a look that promised teasing should Impulse say much more.
He didn't heed the warning. "Yes, that good! I wish you guys had come; it actually blew me away. Like, the drums and piano blended perfectly, and so many of the songs made me want to start dancing right then and there," he gushed, pausing only for a moment to take a sip from his water bottle.
Scott, meanwhile, waved his phone at him, the screen displaying a pink heart that was on fire. "This is the same Heart Foundation you saw, right?"
"You found their insta already!" the demon beamed, reaching to grab it before the blizz snatched the phone away, blizz rods whirling happily.
"A'course I did, I am a professional. We need to do as much research as we can on your new crush before he can have our approval," Scott teased, scrolling through photos and posts.
"It's not a crush," he pouted, though he didn't bother with defending the claim against Gem's snort.
The warden peeked over Scott's shoulder, watching the photos fly past. "You said he's an angel, right?" she asked, glancing back at Impulse. She picked up her cocktail, taking a sip while the demon replied.
"Yeah, an angel. He's got these massive white wings, plus little pink ones on the sides of his head—though, I don't know if that was the lighting or dye or natural. Either way, they matched his suit perfectly, I didn't know it was possible for someone to look so good in hot pink! And- and! He's absolutely jacked, his arms were like the barrel of a cannon—and his hair also had hot pink streaks in it, and-"
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"Like this?" Scott cut him off before he could ramble more, showing a photo of the angel, his arm slung around Tango as both of them laughed at the camera. He wasn't wearing the pink suit, just a tank top and sweats, but damn, if he didn't look just as hot, scars and muscles on full display.
Impulse's tail curled happily, a purr rumbling in his chest. "Yes, that's him! What does it say? Is his name on there, any other info about their next performance—though, I could just ask Tango when I see him-"
"You don't even know his name?" Gem interrupted, incredulous.
"I was distracted, okay?" he tried to defend, feeling a blush creeping up his cheeks. "I was taking a video for Tango while he was introducing everyone, and his voice was just so smooth, I couldn't really focus on the actual words. It's not my fault!"
They just giggled at him, Gem's elbow coming up to prod Scott, who looked up from the phone. Surprise flashed across his face, but it quickly turned to a teasing grin to match Gem's.
"You were distracted, hmm? Too busy eyeing up the hot angel to pay any attention?" the blizz asked, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.
"I think so," the warden agreed before Impulse could defend himself. "Enamored with a complete stranger, our little Impy's all grown up~" she teased, eyes narrowing as though daring him to disagree.
He rolled his eyes, taking another long drink from his water; playing earlier had really left him drained, but not quite drained enough to sit out Tango's performance, despite Gem and Scott abandoning him to go get drinks. Impulse sighed happily, the image of the angel silhouetted by the backlighting still fresh in his mind, not to mention the memory of his voice. He'd need to ask the blaze hybrid later how they had met.
"So what if I am?" he argued, hands coming up to rub away the growing flush on his face. "I mean, he's friends with Tango, so he's gotta at least be a chill dude, plus he was so funny during the show, he interacted with the audience perfectly—honestly, Gem, you should be taking notes."
Her mouth fell open in amused shock, while Scott's smirk only deepened. They shared a glance, one that Impulse recognized well enough by now to know that they were categorically not going to drop this any time soon. Not that he cared; he was happy to keep rambling about what an amazing performance the niche band had put on; Impulse could recognize good music when he heard it.
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"I don't know, I think you might be a tad biased," the blizz said, the frosty sparkle in his eyes refusing to disappear given Impulse's enthusiasm.
Gem nodded. "Definitely. You just think he's hot, you want to find a quiet spot where you two can kiss and-"
"Gem!" Impulse interrupted, flush deepening at the implications. "I don't even know if he likes guys," he retorted, wilting a little at the thought. Not that it mattered; he didn't know the guy, it's not like he'd somehow end up in a situation where hooking up was even possible.
"I dunno..." Scott drawled, eyes shifting to glance over the demon's shoulder. He grinned again at Impulse's embarrassment. "I feel like he'd be open to that sort of thing."
"And how would you know?" he snapped back, suddenly very self-conscious, as though the two of them were in on a joke that he didn't get. They did love to tease him, and it wasn't often that Impulse got a crush—not that this was a crush!
Gem just snorted while Scott waved the phone. "Instagram," he answered shortly, still smirking.
"But you didn't even answer the question!" the warden accused, taking another drink.
"What question?"
"Would you kiss him if you could?"
"Gem-" he tried to argue, hiding his blush with a hand again.
"Just answer! You never tell us about your love life, it's only fair," she insisted, giving him an intense and expecting look, one that warned against any arguing.
"I don't know him," the demon sputtered. "I guess I would, but I'd want to get to know him first, maybe take him out to dinner..." he trailed off, eyebrows furrowed at the thought. It really wasn't all that unrealistic that Impulse could meet the angel, since Tango could introduce them. But the odds of the guy actually being interested in anything?
"I was going to offer to buy you a drink, but I think it might have to be the other way around," came a deep voice from behind him.
The demon nearly jumped out of his skin.
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Right in front of him was the angel, in the flesh, very close up and personal and—fuck, he was even hotter in person, suit torn at the sleeves and unbuttoned at the top, showing off his arms and chest. He was leaning against the bar, a stereotypical smolder painting his features, blue eyes dark as they looked the demon up and down.
Impulse short circuited.
He was stammering something, but he wasn't sure what—a greeting? An apology? How much had the angel heard, did he think Impulse was weird, did he-
"I'm asking if I can buy you a drink," the angel clarified, smirk fading into a more serious expression as he repeated the offer.
"I, uh-" The demon's mouth went dry. "I can't, I have to drive later," he answered weakly, brain still not catching up to the fact that the guy was hitting on him.
"No, you don't," Gem denied cheerily, the smile in her voice clear even though Impulse's back was turned. "We'll get an uber. Go have fun, enjoy yourself~"
He looked back up at the angel, who was now giving him the sweetest, most encouraging smile, and swallowed thickly. He nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I- I'd love a drink," he managed, still unbearably flustered, tail curling in on itself.
The man grinned, the wings on his head puffing up happily—that's adorable—as he offered an arm to the demon.
Impulse took it, letting the angel lead him away to order drinks.
"Just be back by hotel checkout at ten tomorrow!" Scott called after them.
---
So that's their first meeting! I also want to write Skizz's first impression of Impulse and his pov of this encounter at some point, and potentially even extend the scene a little further when we see him ;)
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! And if there's any questions about anyone in this au, feel free to drop an ask <3
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euphoria-looney · 3 months ago
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Credits to the idea:
Batfam X Neglected Reader ( Squid Games)
Creds to the dividers: (?)
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The Winner Takes It All by ABBA
When do humans get so desperate they give up their own lives for that small chance of money?
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Money is a category in your history class dedicated to why money is the basis of your life. Economy.
I first witnessed someone leave everything had for money, my mother. When I was 5, I didn't know why my mother was leaving the manor with a huge suitcase, filled with cash.
My mother engaged to Bruce Wayne who only allowed her in as they procreated me. In her words, both sides should take responsibility, it takes two to tango, and why should she be the only one to deal with the consequences.
Which now is very hypocritical as she ran away taking everything but me.
I didn't want sympathy, but I didn't want to be treated like dirt for a mistake I didn't make.
For the next 13 years of my life, I tried to stay on the down low, no matter how many dirty looks, and the insults, not even when Damian would hurt me.
I just hoped they wouldn't mind if I stayed with them a little longer until I could find a stable way to leave.
That hope burst when Alfred came to my room and told me “Master Bruce has decided to kick you out and disown you, I'm so sorry, [name].”
I tried to somehow make it, promising myself, it was going to be okay.
I got into college, and the debt collected from that was massive, so I had to go get loans at the bank, and then get into a part-time job, but every day seemed like we were always getting robbed. My manager had no choice but to let me go.
“I'm sorry, sugar, but we aren't pulling in enough customers and I can't afford to keep too many employees, there's no easy way to say this but, you have to quit. I don't want to fire you, it'd look bad for any job you'd apply for next.”
I held onto her hand like a lifeline I begged and pleaded with no avail.
I tucked my tail in and went to the Wayne manor.
"Um, It's [name], could I... um..." I swallowed my words, afraid to say them, I mean, this was humiliating, 13 years since I'd seen them and the first thing I asked for was cash? "... borrow some money."
No surprise I was rejected, but that didn't hurt me it was the comments, how I was so much like my mother.
I waddled to the train station, if I was lucky, the train wouldn't be hijack or filled with gas tonight.
"Hey, you want to earn some money?" A guy next to me.
"No, thank you."
"10,000 dollars. Just a child's game"
I lifted my head to stare at him. I couldn't see his face, hidden behind a mask.
"It's a Korean game, visited it a few days ago, so would you mind playing it with me?" He gave an authoritative vibe, it made me want to back away, his aura was sinister.
I had already hit rock bottom, what could be lower? I hesitantly nodded my head.
I don't know how many times I lost, but I finally did it!
Handing me the cash and then handing me this weird card.
"If you ever need more, contact us." with that he walked away.
Third POV
“B, are you sure this is the right spot?”
‘Positive. Are you sure you want to join on this mission, Dick.”
Despite what anyone might think Batman, otherwise known as Bruce Wayne cares and loves his kids.
Changing into suits and golden animal masks, they went to the VIP room, make some bets on random numbers.
Oracle was doing the background work, hacking into everything, it wasn't like the movies and the stress was on.
The court of Owls was not just one villain working but a cult that was not only wealthy but influential, with their own members, called Talons who were armed and ready.
On the screen 456 players appeared.
“Today, we have prepared the game red light, green light. A child game.” The frontman introduced the V.I.P’s at the start of the first round.
[name]’s POV:
Waking up, the clothes I was originally wearing changed into the tracksuit outfit with a number on it.
A person caught my eye, it’s Astro! From the law department, I couldn’t help but approach him.
“What are you doing here?” Word got around that he was an academic genius, and many had hope for his bright future.
I could only remember how fond his mother was when talking about him, I thought I saw her the other day working.
“Oh, [name]. It’s been a while hasn’t it? What are you doing here?” He dodged the question.
“I… couldn’t afford college and took out a loan, eventually I got a lot of debt.” Our conversation got cut short as we headed to this random room.
Going to this machine it said ‘smile’
I gave a gummy like smile before making my way to the field
Playing red light, green light.
After explaining the rules everyone started running, nothing was wrong until a person got spotted moving during the red light, poor guy, going home penniless after making it here-
Spat
Oh.
There’s blood on my shoes.
It was like a stampede of people running to the door, stacking on top of each other. I was frozen out of fear.
Wha-
What do I do?
I’m afraid.
Someone tell me, what do I do?!
Before I knew it, I made it to the end.
Third POV:
Thankfully no one found the bat family suspicious or they would’ve noticed how they tensed up seeing as their daughter/sibling had the first contestant’s blood splattered not only on her shoes but also on her clothes.
A break had ensued as the game was over and everyone made their way to their individual rooms.
“What are they doing there?!”
“Should we stop it now?!”
“How?!”
“Quiet down!” Bruce had stopped the panic, but in reality he, himself didn’t know what to do either.
[name]’s POV:
Going back to the room, I felt like a doll and everyone sat on the floor.
The sickening feeling of seeing the gold lighting illuminating the clear pig, with money dropping down into it.
I could feel my stomach drop just thinking about it.
I didn't know what was happening until Astro got up and rebutted the guards.
“Clause three, The games may be terminated upon a majority vote, right?”
Thankfully, ending this sick and twisted game.
That didn’t last long though as a day had passed and I was back in this building. I think everyone who left was.
I talked to new people, especially this one old man who reminded me of Alfred.
“I could say the same to you. You’re young, and your debt is lower than most people here, so why continue risking your life for this money?” I shook my head, my face holding a sad smile.
“No matter how hard I try I just keep gaining then losing debt. But it’s different for you sir. Doesn’t the government give insurance and medicare for the elderly?” I held his hands in mine.
“The government isn’t as nice as you think, corrupt up in their high-paying jobs, but still greedy for more.”
As the games ensued I could feel myself deteriorate.
Third POV
Gripping onto the couch arms, and bouncing off one's feet could symbolize when someone is... anxious.
Or it could be showing anticipation.
So let's pretend that's what Bruce Wayne is feeling right now.
And if we asked his opinion on number ###, [name] [lastname]...
Most people would think, "Yes, he must be anticipating her death, how the blood would splatter, whether it be from losing a game or betrayal from another contestant." That's what most people would think of that entire family.
How could you not?
They shamed her, bullied her, and scorned her away from their home.
Wouldn't even provide financial aid much less.
Isn't that why she's here in the first place?
It was like they wanted her to grovel and die, die a death that would have no meaning, not even to this unforgiving world.
However, you'd be shocked that's not correct.
Anxiety is a scary thing it makes you make rash decisions. Good or bad.
It was nothing new to these vigilantes.
But oh. seeing her tired eyes, sweat dripping down everywhere, from her head to her legs. Her trembling form.
If you didn't know the context you'd already think she was a corpse.
No! That's wouldn't couldn't be true.
They couldn't allow it to be, she was going to be safe.
She had to be.
She was forgotten, but now, everyone's eyes were on her.
Anxiety is a scary thing, and with the current event, situation, there was nothing they could do but hope for the best, bounce their legs, and grip the couch.
-
It’s time for the next game.
“For this game we’ll be playing the marble game.”
There will be 2 endings choose which one. (I'll be making both.)
-> Thank you… for playing with me.
-> Astro!
Also, I love the idea and from fic from both @jellyfishmoon97 and @not-weirdoshrek
@holysoulsweets @sh4rk-k1d @sillysealsies @loomspuddle @cantfindmelol @alwaysholymilkshake @leitor-sonolento (I think these are all the ones that wanted to get tagged idk though 😍)
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