#active wear vendors

[missroy33]

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[sugurugetoshairbrush]

gosh i’m so loving ur stoner suguru stuff…u are so good i love ur work !!!!

tysm!! appreciate you for reading <3—think I’m obsessed with him [prev] [nxt]

tl;dr bong rips with stoner!suguru getou (gone wrong)

it’s not long before suguru invites you back to his place. first, he messages to check if now’s a good time. then, he’s calling to ask if you’re free next weekend. he mentions there’s going to be a block party on his street—an unofficial hempfest of sorts. according to him, the turnout is always huge, and this year, he’s supplying bud for the event.

“we’re setting up a mobile cannabis bar,” he explains, nonchalantly. 

“flashy, easy to distribute from.”

apparently, the event is where gojo’s new strain, bleu dragon’s breath, will debut. “we’re not working the event,” suguru adds bluntly. “we’ve done more than enough in production; they can push the product themselves.”

you laugh at his tone. “what are you, some notorious drug lord?”

he brushes it off with a chuckle and says he’ll pick you up from work friday to avoid the traffic jam that’s sure to hit later.

“and,” he adds with a mischievous lilt, “we’ll pregame with gojo. he just got a new bong—we’ve gotta break it in.”

naturally, you’re down.

by midweek, you realize how big this block party really is when you see flyers plastered around campus. they’re everywhere—on bulletin boards, lampposts, your timeline—featuring bold graphics and a list of attendees: caterers, vendors, and a handful of local influencers.

the day of, suguru pulls up outside your job in his sleek black car, turning a few heads as you approach. your older coworkers eye the tinted windows, whispering amongst themselves.

he greets you with a warm smile as you settle into the passenger seat. “how was work, pretty girl?”

he’s wearing a black nike tech set—your favorite color on him, not that there’s much competition since it’s about eighty percent of his wardrobe. his hair is half-up, the loose bun framing his face just right.

you tell him about the ridiculous filing error that ate up your entire shift. as you talk, he takes your hand, brushing light kisses across your knuckles.

he gets a call from shoko a few minutes later, muttering an apology before answering. it sounds like some last-minute adjustments for the event.

by the time you reach his street, it’s buzzing with activity—tents going up, booths being set, a dj assembling his gear. suguru parks on a side street, and you walk the rest of the way to his building. inside, the energy is palpable, music blasting from the first floor.

upstairs, you hear the shower running and gojo belting out some song at full volume. suguru rolls his eyes. “obnoxious as always,” he mutters, leading you to his room.

you’ve packed a change of clothes in your work bag. setting it down, you hear a loud beep from the kitchen.

“that’s the sushi bake,” suguru says. “gojo’s idea. guy’s a munchies connoisseur.” he heads off to grab it from the oven while you change into an olive-green two-piece skirt set. after refreshing your curls and makeup, you find suguru divvying up the sushi.

“damn,” he whistles as you approach. he feeds you a piece, his gaze lingering. “tastes good, but not half as good as you look right now.”

his hands slide to your waist as he presses a soft kiss to your pulse point.

you hear another whistle, this time, from behind you. “that’s all you, suguru?”

you turn to find gojo, freshly showered, white hair damp and sticking to his forehead. he’s wearing light gray cargos, white adidas, and an azure zip-up that matches his eyes.

“if not,” he grins, “I can easily take over.”

suguru shoves his shoulder. “satoru, please—don’t push it.”

gojo giggles, pulling you into a quick side hug. “what can I say? It’s to be expected when you’re with a baddie. I’d know—I’m a baddie myself.”

you laugh. “I know that’s right.”

suguru groans, “I’m going to change.”

while he’s gone, gojo fills you in on the event lineup and gushes about his new bong, which sits on the coffee table. it’s sleek, with royal blue detailing, almost like a microscope. he tells you that the cannabis bar is going to be managed by shoko tonight, they hired toji, from the first floor, and his buddy as servers. he says they’re always in need of work, as gojo bluntly put it, “they’ll do anything for a dollar.”

when suguru returns in a black compression shirt and windbreaker pants, your brain stalls. the shirt clings to his muscles, accentuating the ridges of his abdomen and the curve of his biceps. he’s leisurely brushing his hair out with a paddle brush, framing his face, and you resist the urge to drop his drawls. 

he grabs the bong and grins. “ready?”

the three of you pile onto the couch, gojo calling dibs for the first hit. he sprinkles the weed into the bowl before packing it down and lighting it. wrapping his lips around the tube, he inhales deeply. smoke billows, rising steadily as the water bubbles. when he exhales, his face twists in pain, and he erupts into a coughing fit.

suguru slaps his back. “it’s okay to cough, man.”

once gojo recovers, suguru takes a hit, inhaling sharply and blowing smoke out through his nose. he smirks. “just not built like me, satoru.”

gojo glares but says nothing. you take the bong next, asking gojo to light it. following suguru’s instructions, you inhale, the smoke harsh on your throat. you manage half a hit before passing it back, coughing softly.

“pulls smooth,” suguru says, finishing your rip with ease.

the session continues until you and gojo are slouched, thoroughly toasted. only suguru’s still going strong. you poke gojo’s side. 

“you feeling it?”

he cracks an eye open, pupils hazy. “… yeah, you?”

you blink at him, grinning stupefied. you both dissolve into giggles, drawing a look from suguru. 

“what’s so funny,” he runs his hand through his hair twisting at the ends, “giggling like a couple of schoolgirls.”

“you wish,” gojo wheezes. “your secret fantasy.”

suguru stretches, “it scares me that you keep adding yourself into the equation,” he stands and walks to the window, peering out. “we should head out soon.”

now that he mentions it, you hear the rhythmic thump of music playing outside, the muffled shout of the dj over the mic. 

suguru taps the window, “I lent them my speakers, the sound output capacity is insane.”

you rise to your feet, reaching down to swat gojo’s shoulder. he glances between the two of you, his eyes heavy and bloodshot. “kaay~ ‘m ready,” he drawls.

as you shuffle out, suguru checks his phone.

“shoko says the bar’s a hit. everything’s running smoothly.”

“as it should be,” you murmur, slightly delayed, trailing him out the door.

outside, the street is teeming with life. cars are jammed along both sides, a few haphazardly parked on sidewalks or half-on, half-off lawns. people are everywhere—some lounging on car hoods, others weaving through the crowd. you catch sight of a few familiar faces from uni as you pass. the dj setup dominates the scene, blasting music loud enough to vibrate through your chest. the largest crowd is gathered around a black tent housing caterers busy with trays of food.

suguru steers the three of you toward the cannabis bar, nodding at familiar faces on the way. the bar is sleek, its emerald-green counter illuminated by a glowing marijuana leaf at its center.

behind the counter stands toji and another man, both in black muscle tees under matching green aprons. a long-haired brunette, presumably shoko, sorts through mylar bags behind them.

toji spots suguru and waves broadly. “my boy! appreciate you hooking me up with this gig. you really came through.”

his voice is louder than your nerves can handle in your current state, so you linger behind suguru, offering a small wave instead. shoko picks up a mylar bag—sapphire blue, sparkly, with a dragon head spitting fire in the corner—and starts discussing marketing strategies with toji’s partner. you’re about to zone out entirely when your phone vibrates in your hand.

gojo satoru has added you to a group chat

bongbros  gojo satoru: what’s fr goign on rn XD

gojo’s timing is impeccable, and you have to stifle a laugh.

you: idk i fee l like im stuck you: can’t stop staring loll

gojo satoru: tryna figure out y toji & shui r working in wife beaters wtfff

you snort.

you: nah cuz y it look like yall hired former inmates from a reentry program

sugu: lmfaoao sugu: toji genuinely has no shame he woulda done it shirtless

gojo satoru: slut

sugu: guys fr though say something your starting to look weird af

you glance up to find suguru glaring at you and gojo while shoko patiently explains the menu to an inquiring couple.

gojo clears his throat, “looking good, toji. how’s little megumi?”

of all the things he could’ve said, that was the wrong one. suguru crosses his arms, and toji’s jaw tightens.

“actually, the boy’s doing good. his mom’s bringing him today. wanted to show him I can be a good father figure or whatever.”

“dad!”

as if summoned, a child barrels into toji’s side. he’s small, with spiky black hair and wide, curious eyes. his tiny fists clutch toji’s waist.

“didn’t think you’d be here,” the boy says. “mom said you were lying.”

toji groans, ruffling the boy’s hair. “don’t listen to her when she says shi–uh, stuff like that, kid.” 

he fist-bumps megumi before ushering him off. “go run around, sport. saw some other kids out here somewhere.”

megumi spins on his heel and dashes off, shouting a cheerful, “see ya!” over his shoulder.

a dark-haired woman, her shoulder-length hair as wiry as megumi’s, approaches, hands on her hips. “now where did that boy run off to? don’t tell me you lost him already.”

you deadpan at suguru, who’s busy typing on his phone.

bongbros sugu: this is about to blow my high. how do we leave

gojo peeks at the screen and quickly improvises. “guys, nanami just texted me. he’s down the street. let’s go.”

without hesitation, you, suguru, and gojo slip away unnoticed, leaving toji and his ex mid-argument.

“good save, satoru,” suguru mutters, his hand settling on your waist as he guides you through the sea of people. you poke gojo in the back playfully.

“came up with that lie pretty quick.”

gojo chuckles. “no, I’m actually a terrible liar. he really did text me—he’s over there.” he points down the street.

suguru drums his fingers lightly on your side. “you go ahead. we’re grabbing drinks from the tent.”

gojo flashes two thumbs up and spins on his heel. “text me~!”

the turnout is massive. everywhere you look, people are holding emerald-green cups from the cannabis bar–thc infused drinks. the atmosphere is charged—friends chatting, couples dirty-dancing near the dj booth, laughter blending into the music.

in the catering tent, the servers are polished, dressed in slacks and tucked-in shirts. suguru orders a beer, and you ask for a frozen wine, craving something fancy. the drink is fruity and refreshing, a cold burst of relief in the humid air. you let out a content sigh.

“cotton mouth?” suguru teases, popping the cap off his beer.

“you don’t even know. feels like I haven’t had anything to drink in years.”

he chuckles, taking a long sip, his throat bobbing as he swallows. the sight draws your gaze for a moment longer than you’d like to admit.

suguru smirks and leans closer, his hand sliding down your back to give your ass a playful squeeze. “can’t have that now, can we?”

he kisses you, the malty scent of beer mingling with his warmth. your free hand moves to his arm, fingers tracing the firm muscle beneath his sleeve. the two of you sway gently to the music, the air thick with liquor, sweat, and smoked barbecue.

another kiss lands on your temple, tender and lingering, before your phones buzz simultaneously.

bongbros gojo satoru: guys guys guys guys gojo satoru: sports cars doing donuts gojo satoru: nanami’s got the lambo gojo satoru: djfojfjdsd

sugu: stop blowing our shit up

gojo satoru: D:

sugu: on our way

by now, the sun is setting, casting a warm orange glow over the scene, but somehow the energy has only intensified. hollers echo down the street, engines revving as the smell of burning rubber fills the air. suguru had mentioned nanami before—a childhood friend from their hometown. he’s a salaryman, and from what you’ve heard from gojo can be pretty uptight, but is insanely wealthy.

you spot gojo’s hand waving high above the crowd, his ridiculous height a beacon. as you approach, you see a yellow corvette drifting at the fork in the road, tires screeching, while onlookers cheer wildly.

gojo is leaning into the open driver’s window of a sleek green lamborghini. the man in the driver’s seat is handsome, with slicked-back sandy-blonde hair, sharp cheekbones, and a jawline that could cut glass. you blink, wondering if everyone in suguru’s circle is preternaturally attractive. there’s got to be something in their water.

“ah, there you are.” suguru’s voice snaps you back to reality as he introduces you to nanami, who greets you with a polite nod and a brief, “pleasure to meet you. heard lots.”

gojo is grinning like a kid, egging nanami on. “c’mon, rev it! assert your dominance, nanamin~”

before you can roll your eyes, you feel a tug on your shirt. confused, you glance down and find little megumi, his lips stained blue from a popsicle that’s dripping steadily onto the pavement.

“hello, miss.” his voice is timid, and his big eyes flit nervously to the side. “um my dad told me to tell you that you look really pretty tonight. he said you should talk to him later.”

you blink, stifling a laugh as his cheeks flush pink.

“and that’s it. I only said yes so I could get this popsicle.”

he’s so earnest it’s hard to be mad at toji’s sleazy attempt to use his own kid as a wingman. you pat megumi’s head gently.

“thanks for telling me. you can let him know suguru will talk to him. now go enjoy that popsicle!”

the boy beams and darts off, leaving a trail of blue drips in his wake. when you turn back, suguru and gojo have joined nanami in the lambo, chatting casually. deciding to tread carefully, you pull out your phone to message gojo privately.

you: soooo toji’s kid just told me his dad thinks I look pretty. how mad will that make suguru?

gojo’s eyes widen as he reads the message.

gojo satoru: :0 come again?? gojo satoru: using his son is crazy work gojo satoru: but just tell him. he’ll prob just be annoyed

gojo is wrong. suguru isn’t just annoyed—he’s pissed.

when you relay the story to the group chat, suguru immediately gets out of the car, his jaw tight. 

“I’m sorry, he did what?”

in hindsight, telling a cross-faded suguru wasn’t your best move. you try to downplay it. “it’s fine, just tell him off later. no big deal.”

suguru rolls his neck, drawing in a deep breath. gojo scrambles out of the car. “whoa, whoa, what’s going on?”

suguru hands gojo his beer and flashes you a deceptively calm smile. “I think I’ll talk to him now. he’s got some nerve.”

you and gojo exchange panicked looks before rushing to follow him as he storms through the crowd.

“toji!”

toji looks up from where he’s crouched by the bar, snuffing out a cigarette. he grins sheepishly, straightening up.

“hey, neph. c’mon, ’s all love. jusst jokes.” his words slur, he must’ve got into something despite working the event.

suguru doesn’t stop, an unreadable look on his face. 

“stand up.”

toji chuckles nervously but rises to his feet. “no hard feelings?”

suguru tilts his head. “where’s your son?”

“two streets down with the neighbor ki—”

THWACK.

suguru’s fist connects with toji’s cheek in a brutal arc. gojo curses, spilling beer on your top as he stumbles forward.

“shit, shit, shit!”

toji staggers back, clutching his face, but suguru doesn’t advance. he exhales slowly, his voice low and sharp. “you’re fired.”

toji scoffs, but before he can retort, megumi’s mother shouts from across the yard, “now, toji, I know your sorry-ass didn’t just lose another job—”

gojo grabs you by the wrist, steering you and suguru away before the scene escalates further.

his grip is firm, unfaltering, as he weaves through the crowd until you all regroup behind a tricked-out silver nissan. suguru leans against the car, running a hand through his hair.

“sorry, guys,” he starts, his tone low and tense. “I shouldn’t have done that. he’s been disrespecting me all week.”

you shoot him a sympathetic look. “I don’t care about the punch—it is what it is.”

gojo snickers, folding his arms. “honestly? someone had to do it.”

“but,” you continue, your voice soft, “what about the bar? you don’t want this mess tied back to it.”

suguru sighs, nodding. “you’re right. I should go back, smooth things over. shoko already texted me the numbers—we’re good to pack it up early.”

gojo glances down at you and his eyes widen in realization. “shit, I didn’t mean to spill beer all over you. I can take you back to the apartment so you can clean up.”

you look down, grimacing at the sticky fabric clinging to your chest. “yeah, it’s starting to get gross.”

gojo extends his hand out, palm down. “sounds good. okay, bongbros—on three!”

suguru visibly cringes, briefly cupping your cheek in his hand before heading back toward the bar.

gojo pouts dramatically. “rude.”

the apartment building is eerily quiet, with most tenants likely still outside. now that you’re away from the thumping music and roaring crowd, you realize your ears are ringing.

on the elevator ride up, you and gojo start debriefing the night’s events, laughing at how surreal it all felt.

“I still can’t believe it,” gojo says, shaking his head. “he just—boom! punched the shit out of him.”

you’re giggling when you trudge inside. gojo flicks on the lights and immediately flops face-down on the couch.

“jus let y’rself into sugu’s room f’clothes,” he mumbles into the cushion.

in suguru’s bedroom, you peel off your soaked top, smoothing out your skirt—which, miraculously, stayed dry. you grab some wipes from his dresser to clean the sticky residue off your chest and arms before rifling through his closet.

you settle on one of his white button-up shirts, the fabric loose and soft as it drapes over your frame, the hem brushing the top of your skirt.

gojo calls out from the other room. “hey, I’m gonna run back downstairs—sugu says toji and megumi’s mom are in a drunken spat. gonna check on the kid.”

“go ahead,” you reply, sprawling across suguru’s bed. his scent surrounds you, and in the quiet privacy of his room, your body finally relaxes.

the dizziness from being crossfaded creeps up on you, making you feel hot and languid. catching your reflection in the mirror, you notice how disheveled you look—hair tousled, the button-up hanging loosely off your shoulders, revealing a hint of your lacy black bra. your skirt has ridden up just enough to tease the matching panties beneath.

your phone buzzes.

sugu: you okay? sugu: sorry again. sugu: if you want to leave, I understand.

you: sugu I’m not mad

sugu: were you able to change?

you smirk. lifting your phone, you lean forward slightly, letting the shirt hang off your chest just enough to entice. angling your phone, you snap a couple photos.

you: 2 attachments sent

you watch the text bubble appear, then vanish, then reappear.

sugu: fuck. sugu: you look so fucking good. sugu: my pretty girl.

you: you like?

sugu: so much. sugu: I’m almost done. want me to join you?

you: that’s not all I want…

you record a voice memo, your tone low and sultry. “I want you to come up here and undress me, sugu—I need you.”

you hit send, watching as he saves the audio. for a few agonizing moments, nothing happens.

then a notification pops up—not from suguru, but from the group chat.

bongbros gojo satoru: OMFG gojo satoru: LMAOOAOAOAO gojo satoru: SUGURU’S PHONE JUST CONXECTED TO THE SPEAKER

your stomach drops.

gojo satoru: sounded sexy btw gojo satoru: sugu please don’t punch me 4 that^

you: the whole message played???

gojo satoru: nah, just the first 2 secs

you: omg

gojo satoru: LMAO sugu just had the dj start scrubbing a track so it seemed like part of the set gojo satoru: his face is so red

sugu: almost just had a fuckign heart attack sugu: my phone auto connected to bluetooth

you: I’m sorry suguu :( you: <3

sugu: <3

gojo satoru: <3

sugu: satoru

gojo satoru: :P gojo satoru: guys megumi is gonna stay over tn his parents are having drunk make up sex in the backseat of toji’s honda gojo satoru: I was keeping him distracted with games on my phone were coming up now

sugu: me too i feel fried

by the time gojo returns with megumi, you’re completely drained. you help him set up blankets and pillows on the couch while megumi disappears into gojo’s room with his phone.

gojo flops onto the couch dramatically. “I just… can’t.”

smiling weakly, you drape a blanket over him before returning to suguru’s bed. shedding your skirt, you collapse onto the comforter, exhaustion pulling you into a haze.

suguru slips in quietly sometime later, flopping on top of you.

you wheeze, tapping his arm. “can’t. breathe.”

he rolls to the side, cradling your face with his hands. his dark eyes soften as he presses gentle kisses to your nose, forehead, and cheek.

“you stayed,” he murmurs, his voice tinged with relief.

“of course,” you whisper, smiling.

suguru pulls you into his arms, his chest flush against your back as his lips brush against your neck. his warm, steady presence lulls you into that foggy space between wakefulness and sleep—until his lips press slow, deliberate kisses along your neck, and you let out a shaky moan.

his fingers twitch against your waist, his breath hot and heavy in your ear. “that’s what I like to hear,” he murmurs.

his hand moves with a desperate sort of hunger, tracing the curve of your breast before slipping beneath the lace of your bra. when his finger grazes the metal of your piercing, the mix of cool and heat sends a jolt through you, drawing out a whimper you can’t contain.

“so sensitive.”

his tongue drags a wet stripe up the side of your neck, and his foot hooks around your ankle, guiding you to straddle him. his palms slide down your thighs, spreading them as he pulls you flush against him.

“you drove me crazy tonight,” he breathes into your ear, voice laced with want. “your voice message… so needy.”

you nod, squirming as his fingers hook into the waistband of your panties, tugging playfully.

“say it,” he demands softly.

your bottom lip slips free from your teeth, likely raw from all your biting. “need you so badly, sugu.”

the desperation in your tone has him groaning low in his throat. “I’ve got you, baby,” he murmurs, his breath fanning against your skin. “but you gotta be quiet for me.”

his fingers find your clothed clit, moving in maddeningly slow circles. your breath stutters as you nod weakly in agreement. his pace quickens, and his tongue flicks teasingly at the shell of your ear, making you momentarily forget how to breathe.

“baby, you’re soaked,” he whispers, his voice tinged with amusement. “these panties are drenched.”

he slides his fingers along the fabric, slick from your arousal, and you squeak when he skims over your clit. his hands spread your thighs wider, one steadying you while the other pulls your panties to the side.

“be a good girl and stay quiet,” he instructs, pressing two fingers inside you with deliberate slowness.

they’re thick, filling you to the point of blissful ache, and the sensation draws breathy, shallow moans from your lips.

“shhh.”

his fingers curl inside you, seeking the spot that has your thighs trembling. he sets a steady pace, each motion purposeful. between his hot breath, the mounting pressure in your core, and the obscene sounds of your wetness, you’re overwhelmed.

your release builds fast, slick gushing around his fingers. you whisper his name, fighting to stay quiet, even as he speeds up. his free hand finds your clit, rubbing tight, relentless circles.

“feels good?” he asks, the rasp in his voice nearly enough to undo you.

you manage a stuttered, “s-sugu, feels so good—ah, ’m close.”

“already?” he teases, his smirk audible. “gonna come for me? come all over my fingers?”

his words are your undoing. your stomach tightens, and you gasp out, “sugu, gonna—”

before you can finish, he withdraws his fingers, leaving you teetering on the edge. a strangled moan escapes, muffled when he clamps his hand over your mouth.

“shhh, baby.”

your tongue darts out to lick at his palm, and he groans low in his chest. his fingers flick over your clit, and you shudder as he pushes them into your mouth.

“suck.”

you obey, wrapping your lips around his fingers, the taste of yourself flooding your senses. he continues working you, fingers stroking deep inside, drawing out your climax. your walls flutter around him, your muffled cries vibrating against his fingers as you ride out the waves.

when you finally catch your breath, your body feels languid, boneless. he withdraws his fingers with a wet pop, leaving a string of saliva between them and your lips.

“you did so well for me,” he coos, pressing soft kisses along the side of your neck. his hands smooth over your skin, tucking your panties back into place as he cradles you against him.

the buzz of satisfaction hums in your veins, and his words blur into the haze of post-orgasm bliss. as he rests you on your side, his touch soothing, sleep pulls you under. the last thing you think is his name, whispered like a prayer.

[@tojisth3rdwife consider this my formal apology for bum!toji]

[whispereons]

Oracle!Reader Part 2

Masterlist - Part 1, Part 3

The waves hit the boat gently as you wait for the sound of people to get quieter. Once the cawing of birds is the most prominent sound, you jump out of the boat onto the shore. You walk up Amakane Island and keep your head low as you pass by stalls and people.

You get to mask stall which is thankfully empty at the moment. A jagged fox mask with the lower half missing and gold accents catches your eye. You put it on right as the vendor comes back to the stall.

You smile excitedly at the two men feeling more confident with your identity hidden. The mask showing the bottom half of your face is a necessary sacrifice. Body language is a double-edged sword for lying that you've learned to wield expertly.

"Hello, are you the vendor for these masks? I really like this gold one, I couldn't resist trying it on. How much is it?"

The vendor sees the mask you're wearing and laughs nervously.

"Hello dear customer but I'm afraid it broke when two other customers were fighting over it. You could come back tomorrow, and I could give you a mask with that same color or you could pick a different mask now."

You skirt around the offer and distract him with more questions. It's not like you have any mora to pay with. Your tone is sympathetic and sweet.

"I'm sorry to hear that happened. If you don't mind, I would like to know why they were fighting over it."

"Well as everyone knows, gold is heavily associated with the creator and that happened to be the last mask. The Yashiro guard that usually stands guard is escorting them to the prison."

"Oh, I see. Actually, do you mind answering some of my questions? You see I'm a traveler and I like to listen to stories about the creator. Each region has their own variations about the creator so I'm curious about Inazuma's!"

Your smile is bright, and the man seems to perk up at your words. He begins explaining about acolytes, praying times, the creator's image and even more.

Simply put the playable characters are acolytes and it's a high honor if they have been awakened. Which is a fancy word for saying that you pulled and won them.

No one knows the creators real name meaning you can still live on as Y/N. They believe that after creating the world you were now resting inside a different world. That now that you were awakening acolytes, you would be arriving soon.

It's when he mentions sacrificing that you feel dread pool inside you. This is a cult; you have a fucking cult. Ironic how Ei almost sacrificed you to yourself.

After getting all the information you needed from the man, you walk away. Still wearing the mask without paying for it. The vendor will probably realize in a little while, but you would be long gone by then.

You look back at your boat wondering how you could get rid of it. Ei saw it meaning that she'll be able to recognize it as long as you have it nearby.

You look at Byakko Plain where a teleport waypoint should be. If you could get to it, activate it then your plan of discarding the boat should work.

As you walk across the sand and soft waves from Amakane to Byakko you see 3 treasure hoarders and a nobushi. Right in the middle and right in your way.

Could you outrun them? Probably not. Fight them and win? Maybe the treasure hoarders but that nobushi is dangerous. Your only choice is to retreat and have one of your acolytes defeat them. It felt weird referring them like that but this whole thing is bizarre.

Just as you turn around, you hear them yell. The nobushi pulls out his sword, a treasure hoarder takes out throwing knives, another a crossbow, and the third uses a paddle.

You have no choice but to fight. Gritting your teeth, you skid across the sand to avoid getting hit by the knives and arrows. The nobushi sprints and slashes his sword to hit you at the same time the paddle treasure hoarder rushes after you.

You jump away just in time to see them hit each other instead of you. The sword stabs the paddle guy right in the stomach and the two other treasure hoarders freeze at the sight. The nobushi pulls the sword out unfazed.

The two treasure hoarders watch in horror as paddle guy coughs up blood and falls to the ground.

"What the hell man?! Why would you stab him like that?!" The treasure hoarders start yelling and aiming at the nobushi. The nobushi glares at them and starts walking toward them. The blood on his blade glints in the sunlight and you try not to think about the blood that is splattered on your shirt.

Using the argument between the nobushi and treasure hoarders, you pick up the paddle. The nobushi will probably kill both treasure hoarders and attack you again.

It's better to take out the nobushi and fight the treasure hoarders then run away. As you sneak up behind the nobushi, the treasure hoarders see you and stay silent.

The nobushi prepares to swing and cut down the treasure hoarders. It exposes the back of his neck, and you swing the paddle hard. Your hit lands and the paddle breaks from the force.

The nobushi falls to the ground leaving you exposed as you pant from the strength needed for the blow to be effective. The treasure hoarders stare at you in some shock as they tremble from their life so close to being over.

"So, uh truce?" You offer as you stand up straight. They look at their weapons and look back at you. Their hesitance unnerves you and you drop the broken paddle remains. They get a dangerous glint in their eyes now that you're unarmed.

You smile and pick up the nobushi's sword in a flash. Pointing it at them, you spoke with a drawl.

"Which do you think is faster? Your shitty aiming knives and arrows? Or this sword that's almost as tall as you?"

You touched the teleport waypoint as you watched the treasure hoarders run away. That sword was heavy as hell and only the adrenaline coursing through you in that moment gave you the strength to lift it so easily.

You held a small bag of mora, an old handguard, and 3 treasure hoarder insignia. You opened the bag that you got from the house you woke up in. You put it all in and close the bag. You didn't expect that enemy drops would still exist. The blood on the materials stained your hand and left you a chill.

Watching the teleport become gold you open the screen and open the map. You click on the first teleport waypoint you opened on Kannazuka. The same one where Ei found you.

There were two options, both had the words 'teleport waypoint' but one was gold. You pressed the gold option, and your vision went white.

Pressing your hands to your eyes, you open them slowly. It actually worked. You teleported to Kannazuka island. In a daze you walk to the waverider and summon the boat. You open the screen and teleport back to Byakko Plain.

Your eyes close automatically as you teleport. When you open them again at Byakko Plain, you look to see the boat gone. Pushing down the relief at it working, you try to remember what you needed to do next.

The cold wet feeling of blood on your clothes was creeping you out. Plus your clothes were so unique that Ei could definitly recognize you from it.

You pace the path as you think. The small amount of mora you put in your bag was all you had. But how much could a shirt, pants, and shoes cost? A potato was like 100 mora so the price should be around 4,500 mora. And even that's the least amount it can cost.

You open your bag to check the mora and instead of seeing inside the bag, a screen is there. It's the same screen you see when you open your bag in Genshin.

Well at least you won't have to worry about weight or food expiring. But unlike the bag you have in Genshin, this one is nearly completely empty. So, it's not connected to the bag you have in your account.

You look to the bottom and see 108 mora. You select the insignia and handguard. You try to trash them to see if you can get any mora from that. The game warns you nothing can be recovered, and you cancel the trashing.

Maybe you should just steal? It's your only option at this point. No one would be willing to accept help from a bloody masked stranger, nor will they accept 108 mora as a down payment. You really wanted to avoid stealing more than this mask. Clothes take a long time to make considering how the technology here isn't as advanced.

You trip over something small and pointy almost falling face first into the ground. You catch yourself and look to see that it's.

"Ushi?"

The cow moos at you and before mooing at a group of people running towards you.

"BEEFCAKE!"

Itto runs and picks Ushi up in a twirl nearly smacking you in the process. Kuki and his boys catch up as they breathe heavily. The only thing you can think as you watch Itto baby Ushi is.

'Dear god the game did not do him justice.'

Itto is huge, as tall as the nobushi you fought, and his muscles are nowhere near as flat as his game model.

"Boss, be more careful! You nearly hit them when you threw Ushi!"

Kuki scolds Itto as she points at you. Itto stops and looks at you in surprise seeming to finally notice your existence. Putting Ushi down Itto ruffles your hair and laughs.

"You mean this kid? C'mon if Ushi didn't nearly hit them, something else would."

"Sorry about him, he'll call anyone shorter than him 'kid'."

"It's fine, the bull, uh Ushi, you called him? Didn't hit me."

"Either way sorry about that compadre, but it's a good thing it didn't hit you. As an acolyte if he did hit you, you would probably be six feet under."

As gruesome as Itto's words sound, his actions are the opposite. He has an arm slung around your shoulders and a bright smile. Kuki who is usually more composed seems to be smiling judging by the crinkle at the edge of her eyes.

"Wow, you're an acolyte? Makes sense, a lot of vision users are. My name is Y/N, what are yours?"

Itto perks up at that and releases you. He stands in front of his gang facing you. The sun makes his red horns glint as he spreads his arms animatedly.

"I'm Arataki 'The One and Oni' Itto! I have many names but for time's sake I'll skip them this time to introduce you to the Arataki Gang."

He points to each of his members as he introduces them. "This is Shinobu Kuki, my deputy. She has a permit for everything - literally everything and is also an acolyte. Ushi is the auxiliary member; I call him Beefcake. Akira, Genta, and Mamoru are my boys and have been some of the longest standing members of the gang."

"You mean the only other gang members."

Shinobu corrects him. Spinning around to face her Itto shushes her a comically number of times. Not very quietly he whispers to her.

"Hey, hey don't ruin it for me. A new person is the best to get to join the gang."

Those words make you perk up as you watch Itto continue whisper-yelling at Shinobu. Honestly you wouldn't mind living as a member of the Arataki gang. It's not a criminal gang like the one you were in, in your old world. In fact, it would be even more fun than a normal job.

But there's no way you were staying in Inazuma with Ei hunting you down. You need to steer the conversation away from this into something more productive.

"Sorry if this is rude to say but are your horns real? This is my first time in Inazuma, so I've never seen anything like it before."

Itto abandons Shinobu's side to stand in front of you and comb his hair back with a proud grin.

"Indeed, they are real. Guess you didn't realize my clever wording in my title as the 'One and Oni' Itto. I'm a red oni and the best one there is!"

"That's why you have those red markings right? Plus, your clothing and accessories have all those horns too. So cool!"

Your voice heightens in a way that is similar to a fan. His reaction is just what you wanted. With a smile he juts out his thumb at himself as Shinobu shakes her head.

"Glad to see you recognize my awesomeness! Go ahead and praise me some more!"

"Don't encourage him anymore or else we'll be here for hours."

"Relax Shinobu, an amazing oni like me wouldn't let them stay out here for so long. C'mon Y/N we'll lead you to the city!"

Rubbing the back of your neck, you look down as you sheepishly admit.

"I don't think I can go in with clothes like these. Some treasure hoarders and a nobushi attacked me on my way to the city. So now my clothes are all cut up and dirty."

"What?! That's horrible, I swear if I see them, I'll-"

"Calm down boss, let's get them a change of clothes and then you can go after them."

Shinobu also seems a bit pissed at your story, interesting.

"We should have a spare uniform with the other materials, right? We can get the clothes along with the materials."

"But what if they got hurt? We can't have them walking like this! Akira, Genta, Mamoru! I'm gonna need you three to get the supplies and the old uniform. Shinobu and I will keep our new friend Y/N company in case anyone else tries attacking them."

You inwardly sigh in relief at not having to walk. Your heels still hurt from the electricity.

The boys hesitate as they give you a glance. Unlike Shinobu and Itto who seem to have an instant liking to you, the boys are unsure. Shinobu tries to explain to them.

"I know boss gets scammed nearly every time something like this happens, but I have a good feeling about Y/N. It's like I've meet them before, almost like an old friend."

The boys nod and leave feeling more assured with Shinobu on your side. Itto pats her back with a grin.

"You explained it almost as well as I would have."

"But maybe you should have gone with them. It'll be difficult to carry all those materials by themselves."

"Ah, have more faith Shinobu. They'll be fine. The shrine will look great."

This talk of materials and a shrine give you an inkling of what they're doing but you question them to be sure.

"By shrine, do you mean you're making a shrine for the creator?"

"That's right! It's almost the anniversary of the creator awakening the traveler, so we wanted to do something special. But it'll take some time for the boys to get back with the stuff. Why don't we have some fun in the meantime?"

That smile on Itto's face turns competitive as he stares down at you. It's infectious and before you know it, you have the same grin.

"What game are you suggesting? It would be fun to try an Inazuma game. You'll probably need the extra help of it being familiar too."

"Oh hoho! Shorty's got jokes! I'll take you on in any game. But since you want something Inazuma style then beetle fighting is the obviously best choice!"

Shinobu sighs affectionately as she watches Itto explain how beetle fighting works to you. She can't help but feel drawn to you and Itto feels the same way.

You find a huge purple reddish beetle and carefully carry it to the stage Itto set up.

"That's a good one Y/n, seems like the beetle likes you."

Shinobu comments as you bring it into view. The beetle moves in your hands as docile as a lamb and you pet the hard shell.

"That's great to know. Hope you won't be too mad when I beat Itto's ass."

"As if, just be prepared for him to challenge you to a 100 more matches."

"He wouldn't actually do that right?"

Shinobu adjusts her mask as she stays silent.

"Right???"

She only laughs as Itto bounds up to you both holding a good-sized purple beetle.

"I can tell this little guy has a beetle fighting spirit like no other! Be prepared to lose Y/N!"

With both beetles on the stage, the fight begins. Or that's what you would think if Itto's beetle wasn't immediately defeated.

You give your beetle a nice pat for a job well done as Itto picks up his beetle shocked.

"Alright, I lost that time, but this next round will be different. He just got stage fright is all."

Another round goes and you win again. Itto challenges you again and surprise, surprise you win again. This loop goes on and on until the boys arrive with the clothes and materials.

You cheer tiredly as Itto finally stops challenging you to help his gang with building the shrine. You pick up your tired beetle and hold him close to you as you watch them begin building.

Itto's beetle pinches your leg lightly to get your attention. You smile at the purple beetle and hold him too. Now out of battle the two beetles are friendly with each other.

"Never again Shinobu, that was at least 35 rounds."

"37 actually but hey, who's counting?"

You chuckle at her words and watch as she takes the uniform from the boys. She walks back and hands you the clothes.

"There's a small stall right on the outskirts of Inazuma City. You can change there."

You look at where she's pointing and thank her before going to it. You enter it and take off the mask. After changing clothes, you look at yourself in the mirror.

The outfit itself was Inazuma style with near unnoticeable patches. You never imagined you would be wearing clothes like this in Teyvat. Putting on the mask and looking back into the mirror, you feel more like a part of this world.

Was it because without it you would be hunted? Were you just able to disassociate better with it on? Or were you truly so isolated from the person you wished to be, that living with a mask and an altered identity was more comfortable?

You shake off those thoughts and leave the stall. You get back to where the Arataki gang is building the shrine. Your shrine. And sit beside Shinobu who is supervising to make sure they don't accidentally kill themselves.

You casually chat with Shinobu slowly bringing the conversation to the topic you want. You finally get to say the sentence that will serve as information bait.

"Actually, I'm trying to find a boat to Liyue. I want to keep exploring."

As much as you would love to stay in Inazuma a while longer to look around, Ei isn't the only one you were worried about. Yae, Heizou, and Ayato were all threats in their own right.

They're all good at sniffing out lies and mysteries. And you happen to be the biggest one, especially with this mask.

But Shinobu never got to reply to your comment as Sara approaches you all. Her stare is intimidating as she glares at Itto. Her voice has that same crisp professionalism that you remember her for.

"What is it that you all are doing here? The residents are complaining that your noise is distracting from their daily activities."

Itto gives an annoyed huff and stands up to face her.

"Me and the gang are building a shrine, thank you very much. I never do anything to attract more trouble, seriously what do you take me for? Like obviously I am the trouble, duh."

The way Sara examines the half-built shrine is similar to a stranger looking at a little kid's art piece.

"At least you're doing something productive for once. Despite that, you still need a permit to build one."

Shinobu sighs and stands up. Sara examines the permit from Shinobu before handing it back to her. Just as Sara was about to leave, she finally notices you.

"And who is this? You didn't drag them into your shenanigans, did you?"

The accusatory tone in her voice directed towards Itto made you smile but Itto's sputtered defense was what made you laugh. Sara watches you before approaching you.

"What is your name? I don't think I recognize you as a local or as a frequent traveler. I'm Kujou Sara, general of the Tenryou Commission."

"It's nice to meet you Sara, I'm Y/N. This is my first-time visiting Inazuma."

You smile innocently at her knowing how strict she was at her job. She went silent before saying.

"Your hair, your jaw shape even your smile is so similar to the creator."

Your heart drops when you hear that. Shinobu and Itto look at you too, they can see the resemblance. But your smile stays on your face with ease.

"I've heard that before but thank you for the compliment. Being similar in those features is a blessing."

Your tone is wistful like a shy admirer. Sara's suspicions seem to ease but she becomes curious instead.

"Where are you originally from? How often are you compared to the creator? Were you born with those similar features or did your face naturally change into it?"

With each question Sara gets closer and closer. Her tone has a rare curiosity and just a hint of reverence. It was a good decision to be wary of the cult and all the acolytes. It seems like most of them would react the same way Ei did if they saw your face.

"Your presence. If I'm not wrong, it feels exactly like how the creator would control us."

Her tone becomes cold and as you had no time to answer any of her questions, the suspicion has tripled.

You jump back as lightning flashes right where she was as she retreats a step. She stares at you waiting for your answer. Shinobu and Itto seem to fade in the background as you stare at Sara.

They all want answers. Answers that you don't have. The truth will only be seen as a lie and what lie could you possibly tell them that-

Oh.

That could work. Yes, it can definitely work.

You sigh and turn your head to the side while lowering it a little.

"I was hoping to keep quiet about this longer until I was sure of it but if you insist then I should tell you all the truth. Especially Itto and Shinobu since they've helped me out a lot."

You spin a story on how you woke up with little to no memories at a little shrine near Ritou. You rest your cheek on your hand as you recall how you heard the most beautiful voice state that you were now the creator's oracle. How you were told that you were not going to be controlled but be a way for everyone to communicate almost directly with the creator.

As you finish, they all stare at you with in slight suspicion but no hostility. You smile to yourself as you realize that they are willing to believe. That they could be convinced of your lie.

You play with your hands as you solemnly tell them that you understand that they may not believe you. That the creator even warned you of this being the most likely possibility.

Your smile is gentle, and your voice is a little hopeful as you explain that by communicating with the creator you could prove your status as an oracle.

"Prove it. Show us that you are truly the chosen oracle of the creator."

Sara says firmly.

"I want to believe you Y/N and I hate agreeing with Kujou chicken but I'm serious about the creator. I'll need to see this proof too or else I'll having to actually knock you with Beefcake as revenge for lying by using the creator. I speak for Shinobu and the gang."

You can see Shinobu roll her eyes at Itto's theatrics, but she doesn't interrupt. You smile and nod your head.

"Of course! Using the creator like that is blasphemous. I just need a small shrine to pray in private. If anybody sees or interrupts me, it could make the process go wrong."

Sara accepts that and leads you to a small temple in the middle of Byakko Plain. Which most definitely did not exist when you were still just a player.

You walk inside and stare at the murals that decorate the walls. It's you, undoubtedly so. Some are beautiful, while others are hauntingly sad. You can't help but let your eyes linger on the mural of you embracing a crying Thunderbird that was slowly becoming a Thunder Manifestation.

Probably Kapatcir, the Thunderbird that bonded with Ruu on Tsurumi Island. You never bothered to really memorize this kind of stuff but perhaps being the creator has made you automatically recall everything.

Sara leads you deeper into the temple until you stop at a alter. The altar itself is beautiful. A cobblestone base with Sakura, Amur Maple, and even some Otogi wood used to make the structure of it.

It reaches almost as high as the ceil and the trees wind around a statue of yourself. The statue depicts you with a peaceful expression and clasp hands.

You try to ignore the blood stains that cover the base of your statue. You go into a kneeling position and clasp your hands. Sara leaves the temple and it's only when the light from the door is gone that you relax.

The candles around your altar keep the temple bright and you open the screen.

You already know from experience that simply telling them private information will just lead you to be more suspicious. Instead, you switch out their weapons. From fully leveled weapons to dull blades, you close the screen.

You leave the temple and head back to where the gang and Sara is waiting. You hear the sounds of Itto trying (and failing) to challenge Sara to a rematch as you get into view.

Shinobu sees you first.

"Y/N! Did you finish praying?"

You nod with a gentle smile.

"I did and they answered my prayer. As we know, the creator can really only affect the acolytes so please take out your weapons."

"Gladly, I mean their grace gave me a wonderful fully upgraded Whiteblind that makes me even more powerful than I already am!"

Itto summons his weapon and holds it over his shoulder in a pose. Yet in his hands is a level 1, one star, Waster Greatsword. Shinobu sighs and breaks it to him.

"Boss look at your weapon."

"What? Why would I? It's fine, the creator gave me it before they even- Oh my archon, this isn't my claymore!"

As Shinobu and Itto squabble, Sara looks at the Hunter's bow that she now has. It's so unlike the Sacrificial bow that she normally wields. She feels weak with it, like the creator deemed her unworthy of their gifts.

Looking back up at you, she speaks with a small sadness that doesn't go unnoticed by you.

"It seems you are telling the truth. I apologize for doubting you. There has never been anything on an oracle appearing, so I was suspicious. Could you please pray and ask-"

"Y/N! You have to speak with the creator again! There's no way I can wield this hunk of junk. Not when I know that my great Whiteblind that was given to me by the creator is somewhere out there."

Itto shamelessly cuts Sara off. You laugh and reassure them.

"Don't worry, I'll pray and ask them to change it back. It was only temporary after all."

You leave quickly to the temple and change the weapons back. Shinobu didn't bother taking out her sword, but you still gave her, her correct one back.

You get back in time to hear Sara announce her departure to see Ei.

"I must report this to the Almighty Shogun. The existence of an oracle could mean a great deal of things. Including the chance that the Almighty Shogun can inquire the creator through you as to why she has not been awakened yet."

You didn't pull for her before and you certainly won't after how she chased you. Ei could even take you awakening her as a sign of approval of hunting you.

And there's no way you can let Sara tell Ei about your existence yet either. You would be seen as suspicious due to being found on the same day the 'imposter' was found. You needed a firm reputation as the oracle before you could ever meet Ei again.

"And I have to stop you from doing that. You see there's a reason the creator wants to keep my oracle status quiet. The creator wishes to not only see the world but all the acolytes naturally. Lumine is a famous traveler, people naturally act differently around her. But I'm not well known so everyone's true or normal attitudes are revealed to me. They want to see them as their truest self and warning the Electro Archon beforehand will go against the creators wishes."

Yes, it contradicts how you want people to be aware of you being an oracle, but it's works better than you would expect. Sara is too devoted to go against the creators wishes so she'll stay quiet. Shinobu is trustworthy and will keep quiet to please the creator.

But Itto and the gang? They'll either boast or let it slip easily. Anything that is told to stay quiet or secret almost always gets spread even faster. And since no one would dare speak to Ei casually nor will she actively look for information, Ei will still be oblivious. Only Yae could possibly let Ei know and you plan to be gone by then.

Sara keeps her head down as she speaks.

"Our truest self? Truly, the creator thinks far ahead than anyone else. Can I ask you a favor? How does the creator view me? I treated you with suspicion when you were only doing the creators will. Is that my truest self?"

You reach out your hands and grasp both of hers. She seems so sad and resigned that you can't stop yourself from using your title to speak plainly.

"Sara, the creator has seen you and your truest self is not what you believe. They see just how devoted you are to the Electro Archon and to them. The way you take your job seriously to protect the people of Inazuma, how you do your upmost to preserve their will. They wish that you would grow more when it comes to your emotional state, but they love seeing you take pride in your work. There is nothing to fear."

The way you tilt your head makes it obvious that you're staring directly into her eyes. Your skin, your hold on her hands, that piercing but warm gaze. Your features so similar to the creator. It's like she's looking at the creator in the flesh.

"Your grace..."

Sara whispers before jumping back as you're pulled away from her.

"Hey! Stop hogging Y/N! Weren't you going back to your boring workplace? If you're gonna stay any longer than you should just agree to my rematch."

Itto is holding you by the back of your shirt lifting you above the ground as he glares at Sara. You wanted to laugh at his clear jealousy.

Sara grits her teeth in annoyance.

"I was just conversing with Y/N, but I will be on my way now."

With that Sara leaves with Itto putting you back down as he stomps his foot like a kid.

"That stupid chicken, why did you hold her hand? You could have just held mine, I'm way stronger!"

"Didn't she beat you in a fight?"

"Well yeah, I admit that, but she always refuses a rematch! She's too chicken to accept it because she knows she'll lose!"

"Boss the shrine is done!" "Let's go get the offerings now." "Maybe some candles, candy, and lavender melon."

You struggle not to fall as Itto drapes his whole arm on you. He turns to his boys with a grin as Shinobu helps you escape his grip.

"Good work boys, we'll get the best stuff."

You walk with the Arataki gang as they gather stuff to offer. Sometimes they ask you which one is better to offer since you can communicate with the creator. It's not like anyone will believe that you, a scrappy lying human is their beloved creator.

You smile and shamelessly pick anything you like. You were the creator after all, this totally wasn't self-serving in the slightest.

Taking it back they light the candles and offer the gifts. There's a rare moment of silence as you all pray to the shrine. Well at least they were, you were too busy trying not to fall asleep from such a busy day.

It's only when you are eating roasted lavender melon with them all that Shinobu speaks on topic you needed.

"I almost forgot, Y/N, you planned to leave Inazuma right?"

"What!? You're leaving already? Why?"

Itto's whiny dramatic voice made you smile.

"I'm not leaving yet; I don't have any transportation. I'm following the creators will. As the oracle it's my duty to spread the creator's thoughts and feelings. It's my honor to be one of the bridges between the creator and Teyvat. While Lumine is used to let acolyte be awakened, I am used to communicate."

Itto groans before sighing.

"Fine fine, I understand. You know what? I'm such a great oni that I'll even bring you to meet a guy that can help you. Pretty kind of me, right?"

Perfect, a possible transportation to escape Ei.

"That does sound great! I would love to meet them."

You can basically see Itto's ego grow with every word you say. Before Shinobu can say or do anything Itto lifts you up onto his shoulder. His hand holds you steady as he laughs at your panic.

"Then what are we waiting for? Feel free to admire my greatness as we go to see my guy."

Shinobu waves sympathetically as Itto hauls you towards Inazuma City. He asks you loads of questions about the creator and how they view him.

"Do they think I'm great? Am I their favorite? Of course, I'm their favorite, I am Arataki 'Numero Uno' Itto after all. Just look at me."

"They think it's funny how you always find a way to accidentally consume bean products."

"Oh god no, don't even mention beans. I can't believe they saw me in such a weak moment."

"They also wanted to whack every human who threw beans at you with a beehive to see how they like being allergic."

"You're not lying about that right? Cause that's the best news I've ever heard in my whole life!"

It's fun, the whole walk with Itto was fun. It's even better than you imagined being in Genshin would be like. You wanted to continue living like this. But the looming threat of Ei hanging over your shoulder seemed to stain your mood.

Your hand brushed against your mask. It's a reminder that you probably can't ever live your life here without it. It's still a cult that may attack you at any time.

With that grim reminder, dread pools in your gut as Itto leads you closer to Thoma.

Oh god, oh fuck if it's Thoma then it's Ayaka and if it's both its Ayato. And Ayato could definitely figure you out. Maybe you'll be fine, not everyone that meets Thoma will eventually meet Ayato.

"Thoma! My bro, my guy, my dude. This is Y/N, and they need your help getting a boat to Liyue. They're a super sick oracle for the creator and got a big mission to follow the creators will."

Shit. That one little word is repeated in your mind as Itto keeps talking. You were right about how saying 'it's a secret' makes things spread faster but you didn't want it to happen while you were still here! Thoma has a smile frozen on his face as he listens.

"I'm sorry they're the creator's oracle? I really mean no offense, but this is quite hard to believe."

Thoma smiles sheepishly while Itto pushes you in front of him to face Thoma. There's no point in trying to remind Itto to keep your identity on the down low. Holding out your hand you speak cheerfully to Thoma.

"Yeah, you aren't the first acolyte to not believe me. It's understandable since I'm the first."

Thoma shakes your hand, it's a little hot but not burning. It seems visions really do affect their bodies.

"How did you know I'm an acolyte? I'm just a simple housekeeper for the Kamisato Clan."

"Like Itto said, I'm an oracle. The creator grants me knowledge needed to meet and communicate with everyone."

"Well, I'm sorry Y/N but there's no way I can help you with your identity as an oracle so, sorry to say, suspicious."

It makes sense, Thoma while being a nice guy is loyal to Ayato and Ayaka first and foremost. It's one of his key defining traits and that also means he's loyal to the creator too. Itto tries to convince him by retelling how you switched the weapons, but Thoma doesn't believe it.

"Okay if I tell you information that only very few people know that can prove that I'm truly an oracle, will you help me find a boat?"

"Alright but I have very high expectations. I refuse to help someone that might be using the creators title to trick people."

"To the public knowledge, Lord Kamisato was awakened and then you were awakened. But that isn't the truth. That was a switcheroo Lord Kamisato made to avoid enemies using the truth against the Kamisato Clan. You were awakened long before Lord Kamisato but had to stay quiet about it per his instructions."

Thoma looked at you with slight suspicion. Only Ayato, Ayaka, and Thoma knew about this, yet you a stranger did. But he just couldn't shake off the nostalgic feeling you gave him.

"That's honestly really shady but I can't deny that you're impressive. The only people that know about this would never say anything unless they really trust you."

He smiled kindly like you always seen him do in the game.

"I'll honor our agreement and help you find a boat."

Itto cheered at Thoma's agreement and waved goodbye as you and Thoma left. The gang caught up and started walking to God knows where as you and Thoma walked through Byakko Plains.

"An oracle huh? That does explain why the feeling of being awakened seems to surround you."

The grass swayed as the moon rose higher in the sky.

"All you acolytes tell me that. I can't feel it myself, but it sounds amazing."

"It is, like being embraced by the creator themself. Do you truly not remember much about yourself or your life before becoming an oracle?"

The butterflies dance with the fireflies as the sound of hilichurls dancing can be heard faintly.

"Other than my name, my bag and the clothes on my back, I truly had nothing. My only knowledge of Teyvat is the one the creator shows me through dreams, visions, and stories."

"This must feel like a whole new world to you then. But you're adapting quite well. Would it be presumptuous to ask what the creator thinks of me?"

The path splits to two at Konda Village and Thoma leads you to the right. Nerves prick at you as remember that Ritou is on the left. Where is he taking you?

"A malewife."

"A what?"

"It must be some slang from their world. But it isn't an insult from what I've gathered. In fact, I think it's a compliment."

Thoma blushes a little as he stares straight ahead. You turn your head to hide your smile at his cute reaction. Chinju forest surrounds you as you pass under a red gate and walk along the stone path. You really hoped he wasn't taking you where you think it is.

"But if you want a deeper answer, the creator sees you as a loyal person. As kind and helpful you are to others, it's your fierce loyalty that keeps their eye on you. It burns as bright as your flames."

His eyes shine at your words as he looks up at the sky wistfully. The moon seems to reflect in his eyes.

"Do you mind if I tell you something a little personal? I just feel comfortable with you so easily."

"Go ahead."

"When I still lived in Monstadt with my mom, my dad would send me letters from Inazuma. My parents had their differences, but they never failed to speak so highly of the creator. His letters always ended with a reminder to look for the creator in my hard times."

His words made your shoulders heavy. With guilt or responsibility? You don't know yet. You could only take some solace in the glowing blue flowers of the forest.

"When I left Mondstadt to find my dad, I took a little boat and sailed with a bottle of wine. It's a miracle I didn't die. It was the creator's grace."

You remember reading that part of his character story. It was a shame he never found his father nor the bottle of wine.

"When I was on the boat as the storm raged and it was falling apart at the seams. All I could do was pray, pray that I would somehow survive. When I woke up, I was on Inazuma. My lord and lady were the ones who found me and took me in. That's why I gave them my loyalty just like I gave my loyalty to the creator."

You're standing at the front of the Kamisato Estate when Thoma stops and smiles at you. His eyes were almost closed with how hard he was smiling.

You could tell he was happy, you wished you could feel the same. Because at that moment all you could feel was relief. Relief that you wouldn't have to feel responsible for all their misplaced faith.

You were not a God; you did not save them. But if they knew the truth that you were their beloved creator, you don't know if you could actually tell them that.

"Thoma..."

You trail off, not wanting to lie in such a personal moment. You clutch the strap of your bag. Thoma looks at you with gentle eyes patiently waiting for whatever you have to say.

"The words I'm gonna say right now are mine, not the creators. Even if you didn't sail to Inazuma and almost drown. Even if you didn't meet Lord and Lady Kamisato. I still fully believe that you would be just as great and loyal to whoever you chose. A friend, a lover, even if it was an animal. Anyone would be lucky to have someone like you care for them. You, yourself even without that vision is just as incredible."

You start off softly but feel a rise in your pace as your words come together. You look up at him and smile brightly. All your teeth show, and you feel that happiness he displayed earlier.

Thoma sucks in a sharp breath as his heart rate speeds up. His face burns for reasons he can't seem to comprehend. Why did your words have such a strong effect? How do you look so ethereal with the moonlight shining on you?

A guard calls out to you both from the top of the stairs.

"Thoma?! Is that you?"

You peak past Thoma to see a guard walk closer. Before you could see Thomas's face, he turns his head around clears his throat.

"Hey Hirotatsu! This is Y/N a special guest I brought to meet our lord and lady. Depending on how the meeting goes, they might become more than just a special guest."

His words remind you of your situation. He brought you to Ayato and Ayaka. You'll have to lie and use all sorts of tricks to survive with your life and identity intact. You hope desperately that Ayato doesn't ask you to take off the mask.

Thoma turns to you with a apologetic smile.

"I know this isn't Ritou like you were probably expecting but I promise you. If you can prove your oracle status to my lord and lady, they'll provide you with the safest and fastest way to Liyue."

His smile turns almost sad as he says his next words.

"I'm sure you understand why it's important for me to make sure that you travel in a safe boat."

You know what he's saying. You know that this is technically emotional manipulation. But damn it, he's looking at you with warm eyes and a nervous smile that makes you want to pinch his cheeks. You were weak in this area.

"It's fine, I'm no fake. I'll prove it to them just as I proved it to you and everyone else so far."

You speak with casual confidence and face the stairs that lead to hell. Ayaka wasn't the issue, she's sheltered to a degree that you could spin a tale and have a good chance of escaping. But Ayato? That man believes few things and trusts even fewer.

A pleasantly hot fingerless gloved hand takes yours heating you up. Thoma leads you gently up the stairs. You follow him like a moth to a flame knowing that you're close to being burnt to a crisp.

Something to add is that if Y/N changes things that happened or says something that doesn't align with what happened. It was completely intentional. I just don't want to write "You lied, you paraphrased etc at almost every dialogue. I'm riding on my creative high and taking full advantage of it. Plus, I'm finally almost done getting used to writing again. I loved all your comments, reblogs and hearts! And my taglist is open to whoever wants to be in. Just leave a comment and I'll add you.

Taglist: @vvyeislazzy, @nikqi, @the-dumber-scaramouche, @etherisy, @yourlocalstranger123, @ra404, @iruiji, @goldenglow149, @haru-tofuu, @lsleepysimpl, @bebobeboben, @yuyuzi-ling, @amidst-the-tempest, @resident-cryptid, @mxd1zzy, @mochicurls21, @nervouseaglelover, @thedevioussmirk, @yumuramma If you are in italics that means I couldn't tag you! Usually you'll need to check your settings to fix that.

[drdemonprince]

is there a reason a lot of transmascs and trans men gravitate towards puppy play/pup related kink? it’s something i’ve noticed on the online trans community

It's not a transmasc specific thing at all. Pup play's stock is up in a massive way across a variety of communities for several reasons.

Pup play's popularity began with the gay male community, where it largely originated. Most of the major manufacturers of pup play gear are still gay men's fetishwear companies, and the kink has been enjoyed in that scene for decades because it evokes a kind of soft masculine playfulness and a gentle power dynamic, with potential elements of deindividuation and primalness that speak to a variety of people.

(It also gives men an opportunity to be tender with one another in a way that doesn't evoke gendered baggage of casting any partner as "the woman," or as less of a "man," and that also I think lent it massive appeal. )

The gay male kink community tends to have a lot more money and access to more clubs and venues than other queer communities do, and so we see a lot of experimentation and trendy-ness in its kink scene. Lots of guys have the expendable income to buy up new gear, and dungeons to play with them in. Because of this, sexual trends move quickly in the gay male world -- piss similarly had a deluge of popularity in recent years, and hypno as well. Chastity too, and now latex. Anything new and exciting that you can buy, wear, and play with will have its moment in the scene, and sprout a whole new cottage industry around it. Once the gay male dollars are flowing in, a whole kink economy forms.

As pup play was becoming a more widespread gay male kink activity, furries caught onto it as an alternative to the more expensive and cumbersome fursuiting. This has been VERY noticeable as someone who has been attending Midwest Furfest continuously since 2017. The first few years that I was going, I never saw any pup hoods (and friends who have been in the scene far longer than me have echoed this as well). There just wasn't an overlap between pups and furs much at all.

Now at furry events, there is a MASSIVE contingent of pups, and many events centered on pups and pup play. Everywhere you go at the conventions you will see hoards of pups roving around with their owners, and vendors of pup gear peddling tails, collars, muzzles, hoods, hand mitts, leashes, and more.

Compared to fursits, pup hoods are cheaper, easier to clean, easier to find, less prone to damage, more comfortable to wear, lighter weight, and can be snapped onto a belt loop or fanny pack and carried around all day. Yet it still provides an animalistic appearance and anonymity, and the ability to play with an inhuman headspace. Furries flocked to pup hoods because it had a low barrier to entry -- just $50 or so for a headpiece, many of the models customizable in a variety of colors. You can even use your pup hood color to flag what you are into!

After pup play exploded across the furry scene, it got exposed naturally to a larger contingent of trans people. Lots of furries are trans people, and vice versa, and so pup hoods spread from the Rockets and Mittens to the Aidans and Cassandras of the world with ease. Even people who aren't furries or especially kinky now find pup play adorable, for it taps into a lot of existing kinks that are also really popular right now.

We're in a zeigest that emphasizes softness and comfort, and the longing for escape from the capitalist grind and the world's horrors -- people are listening to womblike music in softly lit rooms with the curtains drawn and fantasizing about becoming stay-at-home girlfriends and cottagecore boywifes and shit.

Becoming an adored puppy who sexually services their owner in return for pets and snacks and never has to work a day in their life is highly appealing to a TON of people. Some of them, indeed, are trans guys. But if you explore the fetish and porn worlds widely (as I do), you'll see that pup play has also become massively popular among cishet people too!

Puppy girl Jenna is a massive Tiktok and OnlyFans phenomenon! Even the most basic of ahegaoing chicks on redgifs are wearing muzzles and tail butt plugs! Everybody is into puppy play right now because it is an accessible, nonthreatening, cutesy kink that allows people to envision themselves existing safely within a comforting power dynamic where they can be adored and all their problems are gone. Lots of headspacey, cuddly, escapist kinks like Bimbo have become popular for these reasons too.

And there you have it! From the early days in the leather bars to today's era of cage tours on Tiktok, pup play is very much IN with just about every sexually adventurous crowd. This has been the devon price kink stock report.

[cherrrydragon]

➤ find something worth saving (it's all for the taking)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: HOME

← back to chapter list

SUMMARY ↳ Home is where the heart is. Tony's eyes study you carefully. "You sure you're okay?" "I'm home, Tony," is all you say." pairing: jon kent x gn!reader x damian wayne warnings: none wc: 3.2k

all of your replies from last chapter really made me chuckle, glad to see that the writing hit like it was supposed to lol

Miguel refuses to let you go anywhere without getting checked out by somebody. A Spider-Doctor looks you over, poking and prodding at you. She asks you a bunch of questions, some miniscule and some strange.

“Does it hurt when I press here?”

“Is your vision blurry?”

“Does your body feel different on an atomic level?”

She deems you good to go. Your friends are all waiting for you outside the office. Miguel immediately hands you a Web-Watch before stalking off somewhere (grump, you swear). It feels heavenly in your grip. Man, how you missed it. You quickly wear it, placing it just under your web-shooters. The weight of it is reassuring.

With a glance at your friends, you feel a surge of gratitude for their unwavering support. “I should…”

Peter smiles, waving you off. “Go, kid.” The rest of them nod encouragingly. You almost want to cry at their understanding expressions. The watch beeps as you put in your destination. That familiar hum of the universe greets you as the portal opens up. With one last wave to them, you enter it.

Earth-143258

Queens, New York.

Home. You’re finally home.

You breathe in the air. It’s night time now. Avengers tower stands tall, a lighthouse providing a way home. The cool night air swirls around you, carrying with it echoes of past memories. You decide you’ll walk there.

As you walk through the familiar streets, the city feels simultaneously unchanged and yet subtly different. The sounds of the city—distant traffic, people chatting, the occasional siren—blend with the comforting hum of all that New York is.

The familiar sights and sounds evoke visuals, reminding you of the countless times you've swung through these very streets, fighting crime and protecting the innocent.

Passing by old haunts and familiar landmarks, your heart swells with a mix of nostalgia and determination. You catch glimpses of everyday life—families out for an evening stroll, street vendors closing up shop, and the occasional patrol car passing by. Each step feels like a reunion with a part of yourself that you've missed during your time away.

Avengers Tower looms ahead, its imposing silhouette against the night sky serving as a beacon of hope and security. With each stride, you feel more grounded, more connected to this world than ever before. As you approach the entrance to the main lobby, you pause for a moment, taking in the scene before stepping inside.

“Welcome home, [Name],” greets FRIDAY. It sounds like she’s smiling. The warmth in her voice is noticeable, almost as if the building itself is happy to see you return. The spacious, modern interior of the lobby feels like a sanctuary, a place where you've spent countless hours.

“Where’s… where’s everyone?”

“Would you like me to tell them you’re here?”

You swallow. “No, can you just. Can you tell me where they are?”

FRIDAY's voice, smooth and comforting, responds immediately, "Of course. Tony is in his lab, working on a new project. Natasha and Clint are in the training room, sparring. Steve is in the gym, and Bruce is in the kitchen.”

You nod, feeling a mix of relief and anticipation. It’s been too long since you’ve seen them, but you need a moment to gather yourself before facing even one of them. After a few moments of reflection, you stand up, feeling more grounded. It’s time to reconnect with your team, your family. You decide to head to the lab first. You have to see Tony first.

The lab is a hive of activity, filled with the hum of machinery and the soft glow of various screens. The familiar sights and sounds embrace you like a well-worn glove. Tony is hunched over a workbench, tinkering with what looks like a new piece of tech. For a moment, you simply watch him, the flickering lights casting shadows on his face.

“Hey, Tony,” you call out softly, your voice carrying a mix of emotions.

Tony freezes, pausing his work. He turns around slowly, and for a heartbeat, his expression is unreadable. “I’ve officially gone crazy. I’m seeing things.”

You step further into the lab, your heart pounding with a mixture of nerves and excitement. Tony's gaze remains fixed on you, his eyes narrowing slightly as if trying to discern whether you're real or a figment of his imagination.

You chuckle softly, trying to ease the tension. "If you're seeing things, then we both are, because I'm definitely standing right here."

Tony sets down his tools, his eyes scrutinizing. "Well, I'll be damned. Look who decided to drop back in from the multiverse." His sass seems infinite.

He strides over, and before you know it, you're enveloped in a bear hug that speaks volumes of relief and genuine affection. "You’re here," he murmurs, his voice gruff and wavering. “You came back.”

You smile, eyes watering. “Miss me?”

“Every damn day,” he replies fiercely. “It’s been months, kid.”

Your heart tightens at his words, and suddenly the dam breaks. A choked sob escapes you without your permission. You bury yourself deeper in Tony’s embrace. Tony only holds you tighter. The weight of everything comes crashing down on account of you finally letting go of everything you’ve been holding in for far too long.

Tony feels like a lifeline, grounding you in a flood of emotions built up. You’ve longed to feel this safe since you first landed in the other universe. His silent reassurance speaks volumes. There is no need for words in this moment, only the warmth in familiarity.

Tony doesn’t pull back until you do, brushing a hand down your face to wipe away your tears. “You wanna go see the others?”

You nod, feeling a rush of gratitude for Tony's understanding as you sniffle. Tony asks FRIDAY to gather your folk into the common room. He fills the silence with mindless chatter about what’s happened since you’ve been away—small little missions here and there, new tech he demanded Miguel to learn about.

“Oh, I’ve gotta let Wanda and Strange know you’re back. Wanda especially has been a little restless.”

“You asked them for help?”

He looks at you. “You were suddenly stranded in the multiverse. Why wouldn’t I?”

Your legs feel so numb you’re not sure how they still work. “Right.” A realization overwhelms you with a sense of belonging. It’s a feeling you haven’t felt in a while.

When you enter the common room, a wave of nostalgia hits you. You just want to sink into the comfy couches and take a three year nap. It feels like stepping back into a cherished memory. Natasha and Clint are already there, looking up as you and Tony walk in. Natasha’s eyes widen imperceptibly, you’re surprised you catch it. Clint’s usual expression breaks into a warm smile.

“Hey, stranger,” Clint says, voice barely above a whisper. His smile is warm, genuine, and it feels like coming home.

“We were starting to think you were avoiding us.” Natasha’s steps toward you are careful and coordinated, everything about her is. But her eyes are softened.

You manage a watery laugh. “Missed you guys too.”

Natasha is the first to move, closing the distance between you with her characteristic grace. She wraps you in a hug that is both gentle and firm, conveying unspoken words of relief and joy. It surprised you greatly, her willingness to openly show affection like this.  Clint follows suit, patting you on the back with a warm hand.

“Steve’s on his way,” Natasha says, stepping back but keeping a hand on your shoulder. “He’s been worried sick.”

Bruce arrives next, hair messy. His eyes dart around the room, landing on you. He breathes a sigh of disbelief, crossing the room to get to you. Bruce's hug is tentative at first, as if he's afraid you might disappear. But when he feels the solid warmth of your form, his grip tightens.

“Hey, kid.” It’s all you need to hear. You smile and wrap your arms around him. 

“Hi.”

Before long, Steve bursts into the room, his expression a mixture of disbelief and joy. His eyes widen slightly when he sees you, and for a moment, he seems rooted to the spot. Then, with a few long strides, he closes the distance between you.. “You’re really here,” he says, pulling you into a hug that almost lifts you off your feet.

You return the hug with equal fervor, feeling the tension and weight of your absence melt away in the embrace of your friends, your family. “Where’s Bucky?”

“Currently breaking several traffic laws to get here,” he chuckles, letting you go reluctantly. 

“And Pepper?” you ask Tony, looking over Steve’s shoulder at him.

Tony blinks. “FRIDAY, please tell Pepper [Name]’s back.” You roll your eyes, not really surprised. “She’s out right now,” Tony says, giving a winning smile. “Nevermind that, let’s throw a party.”

Chuckles fill the room as Tony rounds behind the bar. Typical Tony, ever the partygoer. “Can I drink too?”

Tony squints at you, so you pull out the puppy eyes. “Come on, I deserve it. I was so far from home,” you pout. 

“One drink. One,” he points at you, turning to grab you a bottle to pour.

“They’re not legal, Tony–” cuts in Steve, because of course.

“Don’t be a party pooper, Cap.” Tony passes you your drink. You grin at Steve as you sip it. “You’re a bit of a rule breaker yourself.”

Steve chuckles, shaking his head in mock disapproval as he takes a seat nearby. You imagine a warm blanket settling on you after a long night. Everyone gathers around, sharing stories and catching up on what has transpired during your absence.

Sam shows up with Bucky, walking towards you with a grin and his arms out. You don’t think you’ve ever received so many hugs in one night before. Bucky awkwardly pats your head, then pokes it for “leaving us so long.”

Wanda shows up next, dragging Vision behind her. She smiles widely upon seeing you, looking a little wistful. You kind of wish the drinks you’d been sneaking could take effect. Cursed super metabolism. Too many emotions have been felt tonight.

"Wanda," you say warmly, reaching out to embrace her. She returns the hug with a heartfelt squeeze, her voice tinged with relief. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”

Vision nods, a faint smile on his lips as he greets you warmly. Wanda’s eyes shimmer with unshed tears as she embraces you tightly, whispering how much she missed you. “Strange sends his regards,” sniffles Wanda, fondly brushing her fingers against your forehead.

The doors to the common room slide open again, and this time, it's Pepper who walks in. Her eyes widen as she takes in the sight of you standing there, and she rushes forward, enveloping you in a tight hug. "I can't believe it," she murmurs, her voice trembling with emotion. "Welcome home."

You feel your heart squeeze. You would’ve thought she wouldn’t be able to meet you tonight, since she had prior plans, but here she is. For you.

Throughout the night, amidst the laughter and shared stories, you find yourself reconnecting not just with your friends (read: family), but with a part of yourself that had felt lost. Tony asks FRIDAY to play your favorite song. 

Tony's eyes study you carefully. "You sure you're okay?"

“I’m home, Tony,” is all you say.

He seems to relax at that, nodding slowly. “You are, and we’re not letting you out of our sight anytime soon."

The night outside is calm, New York’s lights twinkling like stars. The moment feels precious. You wish you had your camera to capture it.

Your camera that was gifted to you back in the other universe.

Hm.

You're fingers start to fidget with your green and blue bracelet.

Eventually, the revelry winds down. Everyone bids their goodnights, and you find yourself standing on the balcony of Avengers Tower, gazing out at the cityscape that stretches before you.

The night air is cool against your skin, carrying with it a sense of peace and contentment. You take a deep breath, letting the moment wash over you. In the quiet of the night, with the city bustling below, you feel a renewed sense of self.

You will all your worries away. You’re right where you need to be. You’re heart must truly lie here.

You find that your room is the same as you left—comfortable, familiar, and filled with reminders of your life here. Pictures litter the walls, ones of you, of your friends, you with your friends. The bed is inviting, and you collapse onto it, exhaustion mingling with the exhilaration of being back home.

You reach for your Web-Watch, now resting beside you on the bedside table. It's a tangible reminder of where you've been and where you are now. In the other universe, you felt like you were constantly flying. Never a moment’s rest. At the very least, you were flying with people you liked.

But here, in this room, surrounded by mementos and the quiet hum of the city outside, you feel grounded. This is your home, your family, and they've welcomed you back with open arms. 

No matter, now you just want to sleep. You nestle into the softness of the pillows, allowing the weariness of your journey and the emotional release to finally catch up with you. Your thoughts are a jumble of faces and voices, memories and new beginnings.

Sleep comes easily, cradling you in its embrace as you drift off into a deep, restful slumber. 

Gwen’s Earth has always been pretty. Soft hues captivate you. It’s a world where the sky seems perpetually painted in pastels, casting a serene glow over the city below. Since you dipped on them last time to go home, they’ve decided that today is hang out time.

It’s always a sort of dance, swinging with the others. You and Gwen are more effortless in your grace, Pav comes close. The two of you twirl around each other, feeling the rush of wind and the freedom of the swing. The cityscape blurs past, a vibrant tapestry of lights and shadows.

“Show offs!” yells Miles, a ways behind you. Gwen's laughter rings out beside you, a melody of happiness that lifts your spirits even higher. The two of you share a glance, matching grins under your masks.

Miles zips past with a playful whoop, joining in the aerial dance with his own unique flair. He’s getting faster with his swinging. Hobie passes by as well, bumping you with his shoulder teasingly. You all swing through the cityscape, weaving between skyscrapers and navigating the intricate web of New York's skyline. 

As the night winds down, you find yourselves perched atop a familiar rooftop, looking out over the city sprawled beneath you. The lights of the city twinkle like stars, a breathtaking sight that never fails to inspire awe.

"I missed you guys," you admit, the words carrying a weight of sentimentality. "Being here, with all of you."

“Awe,” coos Pav, hands squishing his cheeks.

Miles grins, nudging you playfully. "You’re the one that disappeared on us.”

You laugh, feeling a surge of gratitude for these friends who have become your family across dimensions. "I promise, no more disappearing acts without warning."

With a final glance at the city below, you feel a sense of peace settle over you. In this moment, you’re surrounded by friends who care about you. Who could ask for more?

Together, you watch the sunrise paint the sky in hues of orange and pink, a new day dawning over the city that never sleeps.

“So…” hums Gwen, hands behind her back. You raise an eyebrow at her. “What was it like?”

You shake your head good-naturedly at her. Pav nods at her, looking at you. “Yeah, what did you do there?”

“Well for starters,” you clap your hands together, turning to face them all. “You guys got DC comics in your universe?”

“Like, Superman and stuff?” ask Miles.

You nod. He blinks. “No way.”

“Yes way,” you chuckle at their reactions, enjoying the disbelief on their faces. “Yeah, and guess where I landed.”

“Central City?”

“Themyscira!”

“Metropolis?”

You suck in air through your teeth dramatically. “Gotham.” They share a wince. Seems about right. "It's like someone took the grittiest, darkest parts of New York and turned them up to eleven," you explain, gesturing animatedly. "Never a dull moment. You've got Batman and the whole Batfamily running around. Don’t go to a carnival because Poison Ivy will attack it.”

Gwen raises an eyebrow. "Wait, you hung out with the Batfamily?"

You nod. “Yeah, I got like, initiated. I got myself enrolled in school, and Damian Wayne got involved. That snowballed into me getting involved with their superhero world, ‘cause you know, I wasn’t gonna stop being Spinnerette.”

Hobie fist bumps you in agreement. “Met Superboy, he’s a real sweetie. Consequently met his parents, and holy shit, Lois Lane is so cool.” Gwen nods hard in agreement. “I also technically made history when I remade Tony Stark's new element.”

You shrug at their stares. “I was trying to build a watch to get back home!” you defend, then turn to Hobie. “Which, by the way, you have to teach me how you did it. I’d rather not get stranded again, thank you.”

“Sounds like you had a blast over there,” teases Gwen, hooking her arm around you.

You scoff. “Once I got past the looming realization that I could be stuck there forever and never see my friends and family again, sure.” It’s a joke, but not really. “It was a bit unfair, I guess. I knew just about everything about them and they knew nothing about me. But I did… make friends there.”

“Just friends?” Pav leans in. You gulp, remembering what happened just before Miguel found you.

“Just friends,” you huff, shoving Pav back playfully. “Damian’s about as complicated as you’d expect, but he’s a good friend. Touchier than I thought he’d be. Intense, blunt, but still kind. And Jon’s… Jon’s Jon,” you continue, thinking back on your life in Gotham. “Real sweet, like I said. Earnest, kind, and desperately needs some brown contacts,” you chuckle fondly. “They’ve got a dynamic going on. But they’re also… just people. Like us.”

“Sounds like a really crazy telenovela,” hums Miles.

“Trust me, it was,” you agree, thinking of the rollercoaster of emotions and events you experienced. “But it was also… eye-opening. I learned a lot about myself, about what I’m capable of, and about what really matters to me.”

You lean back on your hands. “I just hope everything's okay. I kind of just… left.”

“You wanna go back?”

You hesitate, considering the question carefully. “Part of me does. I left things unfinished. But another part of me…” You glance at your friends, feeling a swell of warmth in your chest. “Another part of me knows that this is where I belong. With you guys. With my family.”

“Damn right,” says Gwen, punching you lightly in the arm.

“They don’t need me, anyway. I just hope they’re not too worried.” The sunrise bathes the rooftop in golden light, casting long shadows and warming the cool morning air. You take a deep breath, feeling at peace with your decision. For now, in this moment, you’re exactly where you need to be.

notes: if you don't know, '143' is slang for 'i love you', each number corresponds to the number of letter in each word of the phrase. reader's universe, earth-143258 means 'i love you in every universe', same rules.

[cloudcountry]

sneaking riddle out to a summer carnival!!!

SUMMARY: you take riddle to his first carnival!

COMMENTS: takes place post-overblot. honestly this can be read as heavy pining or established relationship LMAO also riddle wears heels outside of his housewarden's uniform shut UP

please be nice to me i am rusty i fear

TAGLIST: i'm going to be doing this again so let me know if you'd like to be tagged in stuff!!

Riddle’s first instinct is to turn right on his heel and walk out of there, and if it wasn’t for your hopeful smile and bright eyes he probably would have. The bright flashing lights, the screaming, and oh Great Seven, the food were all things his mother would have screamed at him for participating in. He supposes that's why you brought him here.

Just the two of you. No Ace, no Deuce, not even Grim is here with you.

The smell of grease and sugar is in the air as your fingers intertwine with his. The action catches him off guard, and you use it to your advantage and drag him deeper into the carnival. He vaguely hears you ask for tickets, making small talk with the vendor as they exchange a handful of tickets for your thaumarks.

(Letting someone else pay for his activities would also be something his mother would yell at him for, he thinks. He’s too busy trying to figure out how safe the ferris wheel is to examine the thought further.)

He’s glad Grim isn’t here. The thought makes his mouth twist in displeasure at how immature he’s being, but deep down he knows the direbeast would be hogging all of your attention. It’s easy to dispel the thought when you grab his hand and lead him into the chaos that is the carnival.

“Which ride do you want to start first?” you ask, a bounce in your step as you turn back and smile at him.

Riddle eyes each one warily. They all look rather horrifying, and if he’s honest with you he’d say he doesn't want to ride any of them.

His eyes catch on the drop tower, and it’s at that moment that the tower drops, and Riddle watches with wide eyes as the people on the ride plunge to the bottom, screaming like they're going to be killed.

“It’s for fun! Adrenaline, you know?” you say hastily.

He’s certain he’s gaping at the ride like he’s seen a ghost.

“We could try some games...?”

Riddle takes a moment to compose himself, shaking himself out of his stupor. He’s never been so out of his element, but he knows for sure you’d never lead him astray. You never have.

“Which one is your favorite?” he asks, watching your face relax.

“I think we should start with the ferris wheel.” you smile softly, and he can't tell if you're dodging the question or if that is your favorite ride, “But you don’t have to if you don’t want to. It’s a good ride to start with when you’re nervous.”

He wants to thank you, but the words get stuck in his throat. He lets you chatter about each game and each ride as you pass them, the ground beneath you uneven and bumpy. Riddle is glad you told him to dress comfortably—as ridiculous as it would have been to wear a pair of his heels for a carnival, he’s struggling even in his dress shoes.

You should always look presentable. There is no use complaining.

He feels you squeeze his hand again. You’ve found yourselves in front of the ferris wheel, with the queue shorter than he imagined it’d be. He looks over to you with a question in his eyes, and you giggle.

“Sage Island isn’t that crowded around here, you know? It’s already pretty isolated from everywhere else.” you say, “Don’t worry about it, just let me take the reigns today, okay?”

You bump your hip against his playfully as the line starts to move, and Riddle stumbles after you as you squeeze into a cart. You bounce in your seat as the attendant shuts the door and sends you up into the sky.

Riddle has seen the movies, the cheesy ones were the cart was a little bit bigger and the view was a little bit brighter, but he never understood the appeal of sitting there and watching rides move with someone else.

Now he gets it.

Your hand is still touching his, and he swears if he focuses hard enough he can feel your pulse against the heel of his palm. Riddle spares a glance at you, only to find you looking at him with a hopeful smile.

“Isn’t it nice?” you ask, voice soft and sweet and kind.

“Yes.” he nods, choking on his words as the scent of your shampoo wafts towards him.

You’re both so close.

The ferris wheel starts moving again, and Riddle feels a stab of disappointment in his chest. You laugh at his pout, bumping shoulders with him.

“Don’t worry, we get to go again!” you say, and he perks right back up.

He loves the ferris wheel. He wants to go on it again sometime, if you’d let him.

It seems like only a few minutes before you’re off of the ride and you’re pulling him over to all the food stalls, The smile on your face is infectious as you rattle off the different types of carnival food, talking about the strawberry variants of each one. It fills his chest with butterflies to see you so attentive—truly, he feels spoiled when you buy him a strawberry funnel cake and a caramel apple and even strawberry flavored shaved ice. In return, Riddle insists he pay for your food, and you laugh before accepting.

“I just wanted to treat you.” you confess, sipping on the drink your ordered, “You worked so hard during exams and even worked with others to make sure they were doing okay. Deuce did really well because you inspired him to work hard. You’re amazing—and you deserve a day off every now and then.”

It takes him off guard, just how candid you can be, especially with someone like him. Maybe it’s because you’ve seen him at his most vulnerable, you’ve seen parts of his past only Trey knows, you took the time to get closer to him when everyone else kept their distance, He knows now that that distance was his own fault, which is yet another thing you helped him realize, and—

You’re still doing more for him, over and over again. It’s like a debt he’ll never be able to pay back.

So instead, he reaches over and grabs your hand, the pads of his fingertips pressing into your palm.

You look over at him.

“Hm?”

His heart feels like it’s caught in his throat, but he forces the words out.

“Thank you for today.”

The smile that stretches across your face is the widest one yet. It’s triumphant, like his smile was the prize for winning a game you’d been playing for far too long.

“Of course, Riddle.” you scoot closer, “It’s no problem at all. I hope you’ll do this with me again sometime.”

He will. In a heartbeat, he will.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Some people in the comments of that wild kink at pride ask are saying there isn’t kink at pride anyway, i have a different experience but i think mine also is evidence for allowing kink at pride. I’ve been going to my local pride since I was tiny and there has been kink and sexual stuff*, but it never affected me at all and I was able to ignore it. It’s not like it was every person and booth, I didn’t combust at the concept of sex and Nobody tried to engage with me because people don’t magically forget how consent works.

*to clarify, when I say kink gear and sexual stuff at pride I mean I always see people selling/wearing/holding and sometimes joking around with stuff like harnesses, leashes, pup masks, whips, paddles, sex toys, erotic art, etc, (which is what people are arguing about as far as I can tell) not like doing whole scenes or active sex in public. Which might be the cause of some people’s confusion here

for sure, even at the tamest small-town prides I've ever been to there have been attendees in harnesses and pup masks and chokers (although the chokers are indistinguishable from what someone gothy might just wear as part of a daily look, anyway), and there have been vendors selling dildos and art that has utilizes the leather pride flag or depicts nude bodies.

and that's like. that's it? that's all there is to be "exposed" to at the average pride event: people wearing masks, which kids and teens haveba pretty solid grasp on. a sex toy, which most kids won't recognize and don't care about and most teens already know about. art featuring nudity, which the teens, again, should know about and the kids could also see if they visited an average art museum. hell, my 4th graders can have mature conversations about what genitals look like! people who may be scantily clad, which any child or teen who has been to a pool or beach has seen before.

(hell, that one's not even exclusive to people in kink gear. I was at a table for my extremely unsexy office job at this year's pride wearing a small rainbow halter top that shows off a lot of tit, because it's fucking hot and I didn't want to sweat to death. I interacted with a lot of young people, and none of them exploded from the sight of an adult's cleavage.)

and this apparently looming threat of, what? one of these adults choosing to be creepy to a teen? that's not pride-specific; that can happen literally anywhere that adults and teens are in the same space including, famously, school and the fucking home. do we just bubble wrap kids and leave them in a safety vault from the onset puberty until they turn 18 to make sure they never experience anything remotely sex-adjacent?

[puttersmile]

Through the Looking Glass

Chapter 1: Carnival in Critterville

Bobby Bearhug nervously sidled up to the young dog. “Dogday you know the carnival is finally opening this weekend!”

The bright orange dog’s ears perked up at the girl’s words. 

“I know and I can’t wait!” His eyes brimmed with excitement. Bobby grinned at his infectious enthusiasm. 

“What if both go together? I think it would be nice to go with you.”  Bobby was careful to not use the term “go out” in her proposal on purpose, she didn’t want to be so forward. 

Dogday nodded. “Actually I planned to invite everyone to go together. It’ll be a big day for everyone!”

“Mhm!” The enthusiasm in Bobby’s smile faltered but she carried on. “A big day for everyone. I’m sure they’ll love it!”

Finally the weekend came and excitement was the prime word in Critterville. Everyone loved the carnival. A place where friendships and spirits could shine. The atmosphere of laughter and the scent of sweet treats, provided a perfect backdrop  to bond and challenge each other in fun games. The carnival was more than just a collection of rides and attractions; it was a celebration of the critter community and the happiness they found in each other's company.

“Come ooon you guys are too slow!” Hoppy Hopscotch tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the others to catch up.  Her friends faithfully trotted down the path behind her but at a much slower pace. 

“Give me a break,” Bobby Bearhug used a paw to sweep non existent sweat off her brow. “Hoppy, I don’t want to be exhausted before I even get there. Just go on ahead!”

“How about  a race?" Dogday picked up his pace to match Hoppy’s. "Last one there buys a cotton candy bucket!”

Hoppy’s frown flipped into a smirk. “Hah, I’ll point you out to the shop guy. He’s going to need a description by the time you get there.”

“You’re on.”

“Snooze you lose!” The little green rabbit was off in a flash, leaving a dust trail for the others to follow. Dogday giving his all just to keep up. 

“Wow Dogday is getting faster.” Craftycorn complimented while Bubba sighed. 

“He still doesn’t stand a chance.”

“Geeze it's not like the carnival is going anywhere.” Kickin shrugged. “It’s going to be here all summer.”

The vibrant sounds of laughter and excitement filled the air as Bobby Bearhug and her friends strolled through the bustling carnival grounds. Critters from all over the island were gathered here, mingling around vendors, rides and games. Kickin motioned towards Picky who had gotten there extra early to set up her own stall to sell caramel apples.

The smell of popcorn and cotton candy wafted through the air, mingling with the distant strains of carnival music. The sky was a brilliant blue, dotted with fluffy white clouds, and the colorful tents and rides stood out like a lively patchwork quilt.

Bobby looked around with a warm smile. Her friends were just as excited as she was, each of them buzzing with anticipation for the fun activities ahead. Craftycorn, was practically bouncing on her hooves. Dogday and Hoppy were well ahead of everyone else scanning the area with eager eyes, ready for action. It seemed Dogday hadn’t bought a cotton candy bucket…yet, but Hoppy didn’t seem to care as she eyed the rides. Dogday’s glare was set squarely at the carnies, a giraffe wearing a sharp vest and hat was waving a cane at all of his prizes, daring anyone to come and try and win his game.

“Its about time you slow pokes got in here. Look at all the rides and games!” Hoppy exclaimed, she seemed ready to burst. “There’s so much to do! Even more than the last time!”

“I want the front seat on every rollercoaster!” Kickin claimed. “That is the only way to ride!”

“I’m going to test my luck at the balloon darts,” Dogday announced, rubbing his paws together with determination. “I’ve got a good feeling about today.”

“Win a big fluffy doll for me!.” Craftycorn shouted. “But I’m going straight for  the Ferris wheel. I want to see the whole carnival from up high. The view would make for a great painting!”

Bubba  continued to observe in silence, more reserved, then surprising everyone by showing interest in the art activity tent. He pointed his trunk  in its direction. “I think I’ll check out the art tent. It seems… interesting.”

Craftycorn tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Art? Since when did you get into art, Bubba?”

Bubba shrugged, a thoughtful expression on his face before crossing his arms defiantly. “ Why wouldn’t I? It’s interesting how colors and shapes can express emotions and ideas.”

Craftycorn giggled. “Well, look at you, Bubba! Maybe some of my incredible love for creativity is rubbing off on you. Hmmm?”

The elephant’s ears turned a slight shade of pink, and he looked flustered. “I wouldn’t go that far,” he mumbled, avoiding her amused gaze.

As her friends chatted and made their plans, Bobby found herself standing a bit apart, her eyes wandering over the various attractions. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. The ferris wheel sounded nice and she could go now with Crafty, but she figured it would be best to save that for later. Maybe during the sunset. Maybe with Dogday. Ahem, but that was a distant hope. In the now, the excitement around her was contagious, but nothing seemed to call out to her.

Just as she was starting to feel a bit lost, her eyes landed on an intriguing tent at the edge of the carnival grounds. The sign above it read “Mirror Maze,” the entrance was adorned with swirling patterns and reflective surfaces that shimmered in the sunlight.

“A mirror maze? That wasn’t here the last time the carnival rolled into town.” She thought. 

Curiosity tugged at her, and Bobby felt herself drawn to the tent. She took a few steps forward, her heart beating with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. The idea of navigating through a maze of mirrors sounded both challenging and fun.

When she reached the entrance, Bobby noticed there was nobody attending it. The tent seemed abandoned besides a painted sign which said “FREE ADMISSION. PLEASE ENJOY”. Bobby squinted suspiciously yet there was an inviting allure. A mysterious urge compelled her to go ahead and explore.

The cool air inside was a welcome contrast to the warmth outside, and the reflective surfaces created a dazzling, almost magical effect. She could see countless versions of herself, each one leading in a different direction.

For a moment, Bobby felt a pang of uncertainty. Should she actually be here? She quickly brushed her doubts away remembering the sign outside. With a determined smile, she decided to embrace the challenge. She started forward, her eyes scanning the maze for clues and pathways.

The mirrors played tricks on her perception, making it hard to tell which way to go. She giggled at her own reflections, tall, short, thin, wide. The maze was like a puzzle, and she was determined to solve it.

Finally, after what felt like both an eternity and a brief moment, Bobby reached the end of the maze. She found herself in a small, secluded chamber. In the center stood a large, ornate mirror. It was grander than the others, its frame decorated with intricate designs.

Next to the mirror sat a small card. Bobby picked it up and read the words written in elegant script: "Is this the worst you?"

The question confused her. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, feeling a slight chill run down her spine. “The worst me? What is that supposed to mean?”

 Being alone in the maze, with this enigmatic message, unsettled her more than she cared to admit. She hugged herself, the coolness of the maze was suddenly too much. 

Bobby took a deep breath. “Oh come on! Shake it off, Bobby. This is probably just some kind of riddle.” The  cryptic question was honestly baffling, as she glanced around the chamber for other clues. She was about to turn away from the mirror when suddenly her reflection moved in a way she did not. Her reflection smiled and waved at her sweetly at first, as if acknowledging her presence. Bobby’s heart skipped a beat.

The smile warped. The reflection’s eyes became hollow, dark voids that pierced into Bobby’s soul. The sweet demeanor turned sinister.

Bobby screamed, her voice echoing through the empty maze. She turned to run, panic surging through her veins. But as she did, the lights in the maze went out, plunging her into complete darkness.

Bobby felt dethatched, like floating in a void, before the lights flickered back on. She blinked, disoriented, and found herself still in the maze. The mirrors reflected her confused expression as she quickly made her way back to the entrance. Her heart pounded in her chest, the unsettling experience still fresh in her mind.

As she stepped out of the maze, she realized it was now nighttime. The carnival was eerily silent, the once lively grounds now deserted. The vibrant colors of the tents and rides were muted under the dim light of the moon. Bobby’s sense of disorientation grew as she tried to make sense of what had happened.

Confused and scared, she began to run towards home, her mind racing with questions. How long had she been in the maze? Where was everyone? Why did everything feel so wrong?

“Bobby!” a familiar voice called out.

She stopped abruptly, turning to see Dogday running towards her. Relief washed over her for a moment, but it was quickly replaced by terror when she noticed his appearance. His right ear was half missing, the remaining half covered in bandages. He looked thinner and exhausted, like a shadow running though the grayed city of tents.

“Dogday, what happened to you?” Bobby asked, her voice trembling. "Your ear is-"

“You know how dangerous it is at night,” Dogday interrupted, his voice filled with ragged concern, ignoring her question. “Where have you been? I was worried.”

Bobby’s heart ached at the sight of her friend. “I was… in the mirror maze, but then… I don’t know. Everything went dark, and when I came out, it was night.”

Dogday’s eyes widened. “The mirror maze? Bobby, you’ve been missing for hours. We thought something terrible had happened.”

“Hours?” Bobby repeated dumbly. Nothing made sense. She looked around the empty carnival grounds, the eerie silence pressing in on her. Dogday reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her attention back to him with an insistent yet timid yank. 

AN: Attempting an attempt at a fanfiction. Based on @sctigthesecond 's selfish critters au. I'm using them as the basis though I might add my own ideas. I've wanted to write a fic like this for a while but yeah I'm a draw person not a write person so we'll see how well this goes. It's time for me to traumatize my Bobby girl. If I make it any farther then I'll post it on A03. Yee!

“We need to get inside. Thank the stars it isn’t raining.” Was the last thing he said before he started to pull her towards the carnival entrance and back towards the path through the forest heading for their homes.

Part 2 Here

[yuurei20]

Malleus Info Compilation part 4: Malleus and Emotion

Like most of the students Malleus seems to be a very emotional person. Lilia describes him as “upset” and “brimming with jealously” upon seeing Sebek in his ceremonial robes (which Malleus himself has never been able to wear for their intended purpose, as people keep forgetting to invite him to important events).

Malleus himself, however, insists he is not “worked up over it”, as “Humans always avoid me. This is nothing new.”

Malleus explains that “Fairies can be surprisingly stubborn and petty. You’ll find previous few as mild-mannered as myself”, to which Idia responds, “their deadpan humor is totally OP” (Malleus’ form of humor seems to involve a level of sarcasm that rivals even that of Leona).

We see Malleus become legitimately angry at campus visitors during the Halloween event. Lilia restrains him as he insists, “They need to be turned to charcoal!”.

Threats are fairly normal for Malleus, who has voice lines such as “Have you considered that I could use lightning to smite you where you stand?” and “Are you looking at my horns? You’re welcome to touch them…though I can’t guarantee what would happen to you if you did.”

During Firelit Sky Cater explains “Malleus has a playful streak” as he teases Grim by disappearing and reappearing in the street, with Grim trying to get behind him to shade himself from the sun.

Another time we see Malleus look annoyed is when Trey insinuates that an unchaperoned Malleus is a danger to Silk City and when an ice cream vendor teases him with “stretchy ice cream”, though he insists he “was simply impressed with the performance”.

Unlike the other characters Malleus did not meet Grim and the player at the Opening Ceremonies because he did not know they were happening; he was not invited (in homage to Maleficent not being invited to Aurora's christening in Disney's 1959 Sleeping Beauty?).

Malleus will often simply disappear. Despite Lilia’s assurance that “I always know exactly where (Malleus) is”, Lilia seems to have just as much difficulty keeping track of Malleus as Sebek and Silver (whom we see Malleus actively flee away from in Book 3).

When Kalim comments, "I didn't know you could get lost" in the Firelit Sky event, Malleus responds, "But I am not lost, Asim. Rather, those in my entourage have lost sight of me. It's happened quite a lot over the years."

[daughterofcain-67]

ℳ𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝒫𝓊𝓂𝓅𝓀𝒾𝓃 𝒮𝓅𝒾𝒸𝑒

(Beau Arlen x Female Reader)

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: It's finally Autumn and the residents of Montana are excited to celebrate the upcoming holidays, whether its Halloween, Thanksgiving and eventually Christmas. But Beau Arlen wasn’t really thrilled. He wasn’t into the Pumkin Spice season and didn’t really have a reason to celebrate since his divorce. Beau hadn't been to a Fall Festival since before the divorce with his ex and honestly didn't plan on going. But you convince him to live a little, make happier memories while he's here and give him a break from the cases he's a part of. And maybe the both of you may walk through opened doors.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: none! simply fluff with the new Montana sheriff~

Autumn was finally here! You couldn’t have been more excited. You no longer had to worry about the scorching heat of the summer, or the mosquitos that would bug you at night. Now you could finally enjoy the cooler weather, wear your hoodies and cardigans and anything else that was cozy for this time of year. You were so ready for the warm cappuccino and the hot chocolate while snuggling under a blanket to read books or binge your favorite movies.

But the part that you were most excited for was the upcoming Fall Festival! At the festival here in Montana, there were plenty of vendors where people would sell homemade items or foodstuffs. There was games, some rides, and other activities for the kids. There would even be a band and a place where people could dance in the evening, enjoy each other’s company, and there were different fire pits in the night where people could roast marshmallows and make some s’mores. It was nice family fun for everyone and it always got you ready to kick off the Autumn season.

At this particular moment, you had gotten some breakfast treats for the cops in the sheriff’s office and you had gotten some coffee for the new Sheriff in town. You wanted to butter him up for a little proposition you had.

See, you knew he was new in town, and you were made aware through Hoyt that he was divorced. It wasn’t necessarily a good split from what you've heard. You didn’t know how he spent his holidays now, and you wanted him to have fun this holiday season and invite him to the festival! How bad would it be since the two of you would simply go platonically. It's not like either of you were really looking for a relationship anyways.

Plus you needed a break from working in the PI's office and give your brain a rest from the research and tackling different cases for clients. So far it's been predominantly cheating husbands and runaway teens for you.

Coming out from her office, you see Jenny with a smile on her face when she saw you, "Hey! I was just about to swing by your place."

You lifted a brow slightly at her comment, "Um, what for?"

"I kind of needed some advice for a case. But judging by the looks of it, you've got your hands full. Let me help you with that." She smiled and took the box of treats and set them down on one of the tables to the side where some of the officers have been known to put snacks out for everyone once in a while.

"I'd be happy to help, but can I catch you around your lunch break? I kind of needed to talk to Sheriff Arlen for a second." You said and Jenny leaned back a little, raising her brows before she smirked.

"You're asking him to go to the Fall Festival with you, aren't you?" She asked and you looked down at the coffee in your hands.

"It's more of a proposition of two acquaintances trying to find something to do. It's not like it'll be a date." You shrugged, but you knew Jenny would still have that slightly condescending smile on her face, the one that implied she knew better.

Honestly anytime you told Jenny that you were thinking of even talking to Beau, she made you feel like this was some sort of high school suspense drama or something that the kids watch these days where the girl is too shy to talk to the guy or the girl thinks it will never work out. Or something else of that somewhat cringy nature.

You were two adults, you were pretty sure Beau was in his mid forties, you were barely into your thirties. You were trying to be more mature than what Jenny had playing in her mind. Then again she did have a teenaged boy running around so maybe she watched some of those little shows to try and have the conversations stay relevant with her kid. Who knew.

"You know, it's okay to have a crush on a guy even if you aren't a teen anymore. It's not taboo. How do you think divorced people meet other people and re-marry?" Jenny asked and put a hand on her hip and you gave a half smile.

"I think all I can use right now from the Sheriff is a friendship. My divorce from Tristan is still relatively fresh, remember? It's taking a lot for me to even want to ask him to come along. Then there's him and his divorce. And you know how his divorce went better than I do." You reminded her, but you watched her just shrug.

"All I'm saying is don't slam any doors shut when they're barely starting to open up. Keep an open mind and see what happens. I'll catch you later. I'm gonna go see Cassie and see if she can help with the case while you ask Beau out." your friend teased and you playfully rolled her eyes before she walked off.

You walked over to the Sheriff's door and you lifted a hand before knocking on the door. Once you heard him telling you to come in, you opened the door and saw the man you were looking for sitting at his computer screen. His brows narrowed at the screen so much that you could see a wrinkle from how hard he seemed to be focused.

"You think you have time for a coffee break?" You asked and you could tell you broke his train of thought from the way he blinked at the screen before lifting his head up to look at you.

Then you saw that smile that could sweet talk any girl, charm any cop to do what he asked them to do... damned him and his charisma.

"Y/N! What a surprise to see ya. What can I do for ya, Darlin'?"

You swore you needed to find a way to make your heart stop throbbing when he called you Darlin', especially when you knew he called a lot of people different nicknames as a habit he claims he picked up from Texas. He didn't mean anything by it other than just a friendly gesture and you knew it.

"Well, I was in town for breakfast. Turns out I bought too many breakfast items and decided to bring them over here. And I assumed a certain sheriff needed some caffeine." He smiled at what you were saying and let out a chuckle while he turned his chair around so he could get out of it and walk over.

"You're a doll. Thanks." He said and when he went to reach for the coffee, he hesitated before he looked at you, "It's not Pumpkin Spice, is it?"

You laughed and shook your head and handed him the coffee, "No, just the normal way you like it."

He let out a slightly dramatic sigh of relief and he took the coffee before you smirked, "That's not to say I didn't get some pumpkin related treats amongst some other things for breakfast." Beau cringed a little, making you giggle to yourself at his reaction.

"Hey, not everyone's a hater around here when it comes to that sort of thing." You reminded and he shrugged while he took a sip of the coffee, humming with delight.

"Anyway, what have you been up to? I know it's been a while since I've had my hands tied with the past couple of cases lately." He said, but you could understand that he's been busy. You didn't exactly envy him for the workload he had on his plate.

"Just working with Cassie and working on cases wherever I can. Mostly a lot of runaway teens that we just got back to their parents, and paranoid spouses worried about cheating husbands. I just finished up with my last case and we haven't had anymore clients walking in, so it's kind of slow at the moment."

"Man, I wish I had your work load." Beau chuckled and you shook your head.

"No you wouldn't. Guys like you are better off where there's more action. You'd hate how slow it is right now."

"You sayin' I'm the antsy type?" He asked curiously and you shrug.

"I'm saying you'd be happier doing something most of the time rather having longer periods of downtime." You said, "Just from what I've seen from you."

He hummed a little and took another sip of his coffee. You looked over at his desk and saw all the different casefiles scattered about and you bit down on the corner of your lip, wondering if you should even suggest taking him away from work.

"Hey uh... I know you have a lot on your plate right now. But I was wondering if you wanted to go to the festival tomorrow? Given you have a little less going on." You said and he looked at you confused.

"Festival?"

"Yeah, the Fall Festival's everyone's been getting ready for. It'll be a lot of fun and it gets you out of the office for a while."

Beau looked down at you. Jenny had mentioned something to him about the Fall Festival but since Carla left with Emily, he hadn't really celebrated any holidays. He didn't really have a reason to since Emily preferred holidays with her mom and step family. He tried to celebrate the first couple of years after the divorce but it wasn't the same and he didn't see a point in it anymore.

"Actually I think it'd be better if I stayed here, Darlin'. This work ain't gonna finish itself and I'd rather be ahead of the game." He said.

"Let me rephrase that..." He heard you trail off and he saw that certain look of determination in your eye. He's seen it when you were dead set on completing a case or laser focused on doing something. Hoyt said you had your stubborn moments even if they were sometimes few and far between.

"For the sake of your brain, you know, not exploding from the information overload on your abundance of cases, you and I are going as friends to the Fall Festival and you and I are going to have fun. Gets us both out of the offices and out of the house. Plus it gives you some new memories to make while you're here."

Beau couldn't help but grin at you, "For the sake of my brain, huh? How nice of you to consider my sanity." He chuckled before he tilted his head for a moment, "What time am I picking you up?"

He watched as a grin formed on your lips and he couldn't bring himself to saying no to a smile like yours, "How's ten sound?"

"I'll grab ya by ten then." He promised and your grin went to a full smile.

"Great! I'll see you tomorrow morning. Don't get into too much trouble before then." You told him and he smiled as he watched you leave the office.

Maybe you were right about getting out of the office for a bit. It couldn't hurt that much and he could give his cases a break for some time. It was sweet of you to invite him along but he wondered how hard it was for you to ask him.

Unbeknownst to you, Jenny told him you were divorced as well. Yours was only about eight months ago and Jenny told him that you buried yourself in as much work as you could in the beginning of it but Hoyt convinced you to kind of ease up successfully about a month ago. Although you didn't really go out much with other people the whole time. From what he understood, this was the first time you really invited anybody to go out and do something with you like coming to the festival.

Maybe you needed this just as much as he did even if he didn't want to admit it.

He couldn't help but wonder how bad your split was, but he was pretty confident that you wouldn't want to sit and compare notes with him about ex's.

All he needed to remember was what time he needed to pick you up for this thing.

The next evening came around and it was already close ten. You were sitting on the couch in your living room while you waited for Beau to pick you up to go to the Festival. You honestly hoped that you'd have fun with this thing. Honestly you were shocked at yourself for even following through with inviting him.

You could hear Beau's truck pulling up and you got up before grabbing your belongings you wanted to take with you. You heard your phone go off with whatever sound you had that would alert you when you had a text. When you grabbed your phone from your pocket you saw that Beau messaged you.

BA: I'm here Darlin

You grinned, putting the phone back in your pocket before you started making your way outside. There, you saw the familiar grey truck and Beau waved at you from the driver's seat.

You grinned and waved back before walking over and you opened the door and sat in the seat.

"Hey." You grinned and he smiled, returning the little greeting.

"So are you ready for the festival?" You asked, buckling up.

"I'm more ready than I think I'll ever be." He insisted, "It's just been a while since I've been to one of these things."

"It's been a while for me too. I haven't been to any kind of festival since I got married. He wasn't really into that kind of thing." You said, placing your little bag down on the floor board, "But anyway, I think my favorite part of the festivals are the vendors. I would do a lot of Christmas shopping early and the vendors had cute little gifts I'd get."

"Yeah, those little vendor tables do have neat little goods don't they?"

"Yeah. And then there's the snacks people come up with too! Some of my favorites when I used to come to this festival was caramel apple ice cream." You said, starting to get excited to come to one of these things again. Honestly even when you were married you should have come to these things even if Tristan didn't like to come.

"That sounds pretty good actually. But ice cream when it's cold?" You could hear Beau questioning your logic a little and you shrugged.

"Sometimes I like cold desserts even when it's cold outside. But then in the times where I don't really want something cold, I loved their cinnamon apple fudge. I had never heard of anything like that but the vendor that year made it taste really good. And I tried a pumpkin pie flavored piece of fudge and that was really good too."

"You guys really go all out here for Autumn don't you?"

"Wait until you actually pull up. I've just talked about little gifts and desserts. It's way better than it sounds." You smiled and you watched a grin begin to form on his face.

After a few minutes you and Beau finally made it to the fair grounds.

When the two of you got out of the truck and made your way to the entrance, Beau's eyes widened. From the looks of it, this was about the size of some sort of city fair. There looked like there were even rides he didn't expect to see and he saw some kids playing some mini games like cornhole while some other kids were playing with horse shoes.

"Wow... You weren't kidding. This place has a ton goin' on." He admitted as he walked beside you.

He hadn't been to something like this in so long that he had forgotten what to initially expect but he had to admit, this did look like fun. Definitely worth stepping away from the office for a while.

"See? I told you it'd be fun." He could practically hear the smirk in your voice and he smirked as the two of you continued to walk together.

From that point on, he basically let you drag him wherever you wanted to go as you showed him around. You convinced him to try some caramel apple fudge. Of course he was a bit skeptical of that kind of flavor but it beat the ice cream, it was way too cold for something like that.

Then some of the rides caught his eye and he saw one that he hadn't gone on since he was in his twenties. It was a pendulum swing and he heard a mixture of laughter along with screams from some girls probably mad at their boyfriends for taking them on that ride. Then he looked at you.

"Why don't we go on that ride?" He asked you, and when you looked at what he was motioning to, you got a little hesitant.

"Are you sure?" You asked and he chuckled.

"What? A spinning swing too scary for the PI? Besides, if you made me try that fudge, I get to take you on a ride." He teased, getting a kick out of messing with you a little.

"What? No! Of course it's not too scary. You've got a deal." You said and he watched you walk over to that line, making him chuckle before he started following after you.

You two waited in the line and he watched the way you were looking up at the ride, watching the way that it would swing back and forth. He couldn't help but wonder what you were thinking about. Whatever it was, you seemed a little deep in it.

But before either of you knew it, it was your turn to board the ride.

When you went onto the ride you and Beau found some spots that were next to each other. You could feel your heart racing in your chest.

Honestly? You didn't think you'd be riding something like this while in your thirties. But you had to admit, stuff like this was bringing back a memory or two. They were bittersweet, but you were trying not to remember the last time you were on one of these. So now you were making new memories and you were happy about that.

Once you were secure in your little spot, you took in a deep breath. A part of you did get a little nervous about these things when you were a kid with the speed and heights of stuff like this, but you supposed it was a little amplified because it had been so long.

Then, the ride started.

The swinging began and you could begin to feel the wind in your hair, then when you felt the ride start to spin around mixed with the swinging, you could feel the adrenaline coursing through your veins. And after a few minutes the ride was finally over.

When it came to a stop and you were unbuckled, you could still feel some leftover adrenaline and you were laughing to yourself as you looked up at Beau who was smiling at you after he was finished unbuckling himself.

"I guess I was wrong. Not to scary for you after all." He chuckled and you smiled.

The day went on and you two practically killed most of the day and into the early evening. You could hear some local band beginning to play and when you and Beau walked over to some table to give yourselves a break from walking.

"Beau! Y/N!"

You looked in the direction you could hear the voice coming from and you saw Jenny walking over with Cassie and Denise.

"Well look who joined the party!” You grinned as you got up and hugged all of them.

“So you convinced the good ole sheriff to come out and about, huh?” Denise asked with a playful grin.

“Well I wouldn’t say convince. More like friendly force. She brought coffee so I couldn’t complain too much.” You could hear Beau reply and you chuckled.

You and Beau slid on your benches so the other three ladies would have some place to sit.

“How how long have you guys been out here?” Cassie asked you and you smiled.

“Well since this is Beau’s first Fall Festival here, I thought we should get sort of an early start so he picked me up around ten this mornin.’” You answered.

“Wow, so you’ve been out and about all day, huh?”

“Yeah but it’s been fun. Never in a million years did I think I’d try anything that wasn’t normal fudge. I don’t know if I’d get something like that again.” Beau laughed.

"We've spent most of the day riding on different rides and looking at some of the vendors for some Christmas gift ideas." You spoke.

"Christmas? Already? It's barely the end of October!" Jenny said with a chuckle but you grinned.

"It's never too early to star looking at gift ideas."

"You must be some kind of over achiever. I just wait 'til the last minute. How Tristan cheated on somebody like you, I'll never know." Cassie said and you went quiet.

Beau heard the way you seemed to go silent and watched Hoyt lightly smack Cassie's arm just for Cassie to start rambling.

"Sorry, I just meant that you're great and that he just-"

"No, it's okay, Cassie. You didn't mean anything by it." Beau watched you look at the other girl and smile. But he could tell it wasn't that genuine smile he'd seen you wear earlier that day.

"Well... It's getting kind of chilly. I'm gonna go grab some coffee or cider or something." You said and Beau watched you get up and grab your bag before going to one of the trucks you guys passed.

He tucked his bottom lip between his teeth, wondering if he should go after you. Once he decided to go and check on you, he excused himself. He started looking for you, which didn't take too long for him to do and luckily the line for the coffee was short.

By the time he got to you, you already had your cup and you were sipping from it. That same look you had when the both of you were in line for the first ride was on your face again, but this time you looked a little sad.

As he made his way towards you, he reached out and placed a gently hand on your upper back since he came up from behind. He saw you look up at him before suddenly looking away and start to wipe your eyes.

"You alright, Darlin?" He asked.

"Yeah, coffee was a little hotter than I thought and burned my mouth is all." Unfortunately, even with hot coffee, Beau didn't think your pain tolerance was low enough for you to tear up from a burnt mouth.

He pulled you to the side so you two wouldn't be in the way of people getting their drinks, then he wrapped his arms around your smaller figure. Then he placed his head on the top of your own.

"I don't know how bad things were with you and that Tristan guy, and I won't ask. But I know it probably took a lot for you to ask me to come along with you to this thing. And it's good for both of us." He said softly.

"You told me yesterday that besides getting out of our offices, this would be a good time to make new memories. And that's exactly what we've done today, right?" He asked.

There was a couple of seconds of silence before Beau heard you speak again.

"Yeah.. it was pretty funny watching you eat that fudge and see your reaction to it." You said and he smiled before he lifted his head and looked down at you, seeing you start to grin again.

"Hey, it's not my fault they used a little too much sour apple flavoring." He said and he grinned when he heard you start to laugh.

"Come on.. Let's get out of here. I know the perfect place for us to go and end tonight on a good note." He promised.

The next thing you knew, Beau was taking you in his truck to some back roads. You could tell he was getting more comfortable around these roads. Maybe that was from some of the rides he’d take with Cassie or Jenny to help them with their cases.

Either way, he ended up taking you through the back roads to the top of some cliff side that used to be part of an old hiking trail. There was an opened area, the sky was clear and you could see the stars. You smiled to yourself as you looked out the passenger window but eventually the truck came to a stop.

You heard Beau’s door opening and you started to unbuckle. Then Beau came to your side and opened up the door for you. You thanked him and got out of the truck.

When the two of you were out of the truck, you watched Beau open up the door to the bed of his truck. You watched him hop up into the bed then he offered a hand to for you to take. Once you made it into the bed, you watched Beau open up the toolbox attached to the back and you tilted your head when he pulled out some blankets.

“Do you always have those back there just ready to go?” You asked him with a smile and he grinned.

“A good boy scout is always prepared, right?” You could hear the sheriff and you smiled. Then you helped him get the blankets laid out before the both of you sat down and got comfortable. Then there was another blanket Beau set aside and the two of you got beneath the blanket.

Once the both of you were settled, you looked up at the stars and started to think. This had been the most fun you’ve had in a while. You felt happier that day than you had in the past several months since the divorce.

“Thank you… for coming with me today. You were right. It did take a lot for me to ask you to come. It took a lot for me to even want to come to this thing anyway.” You said.

“Thanks for havin’ me come along, Sweetheart.” He said and he could tell you wanted to open up about something, but he wasn’t sure if you knew where to begin.

“When… When I split up with Emily’s mom, it wasn’t easy. It was even harder when Emily chose to go with Carla, but I can’t get mad at her. That’s her mom. It didn’t help when Carla went and got married to Avery.” He began, hoping you get a little more comfortable if he talked first.

“I used to celebrate some holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas with it just bein’ me and some buddies before I stopped. Haven’t really had much of a reason to go out and go to festivals and what not. The last time I’ve even gone to one was when Emily was a lot younger, Carla and I were in a better spot then but that was that Thanksgiving and Christmas were the last holidays we spent that were happier.”

“Splits are never easy. But like breakups, they get easier after some time. The feeling’s never completely gone, but it’s easier to cope after a while. Putting yourself out there and making yourself go out to places like this, it’s a step in the right direction.”

When he finished talking, he felt you put your head on his shoulder. It wasn’t exactly what he expected you to do, but he was glad that you were a little more comfortable. Then he wrapped an arm around you, pulling you a little closer. Then he heard you starting to speak.

“Tristan… He was the love of my life. Or so I thought.” He heard you begin.

“I met him when I was in high school. We weren’t high school sweethearts, he had a bit of a roaming eye and I wasn’t his type at the time. But by the time I graduated college I ran into Tristan again. We hit it off pretty well and we got married when I was about 26. Unfortunately the honeymoon phase didn’t last a long time. The first two years were great, then the next few were rocky. Then the last few… It was pretty much like Hell. We couldn’t go a day without fighting. Then I found out he was on some dating websites. That lead into a really big argument and we agreed to try counseling. I thought the counseling was working and the last couple of months were happier.” He felt you get a little tense and he moved his arm along your upper back to try and help you relax.

“The last time I came to something like this was with Tristan. He wasn’t really into riding rides like we did today. I went to one of the rides by myself and when I came back from one of them, I saw him with some other girl. I didn’t know if they knew each other, or if he just picked up some random girl. But I caught them making out and that was when I had enough and wanted a divorce.” He heard you continue and he frowned a little.

“I know making out isn’t going all the way and having sex with another person, but to me it’s still the same thing. It’s the morality of it you know?” You continued and he could understand where you were coming from.

“Is that why you were lost in thought when we were in line for that ride?” He asked and felt you nod against his shoulder.

“Yeah… Just brought back some. Bittersweet memories I guess.” You said before you looked at him, and Beau thought his heart was about to stop on him.

“But I guess old memories can be overpowered with new ones, right?” You smiled and so did he.

“Well, I’ll tell you what.. I know Halloween is comin’ up and I know I’ll be busy that night but if you don’t have any Thanksgiving plans, maybe the two of us can do a little something to get us out of this muck we’ve been in.” He suggested and he watched the way your eyes seemed to light up at the idea.

“Yeah, I’d really like that, Beau. Maybe we can do something like that around Christmas time if you don’t have any other plans.” Now it was Beau’s turn to smile.

“Sounds like you’ve got my holidays booked this year. Sounds good to me.” He said and he pulled you a little closer to his side. When your head when back on his shoulder again, he turned and kissed your crown lightly as the two of you looked back up at the sky once more.

“Not bad for a Montana festival.” Beau said with a teasing tone, “Not quite like Texas, but it’ll do in a pinch.”

“Oh? Well maybe I’ll have to go down and visit just to see how their little fairs are.” You replied and gave him a little nudge.

“Oh, Darlin’, There’s nothin’ little about Texas.”

“Oh really? Does that go for you too?” You asked with a smirk and he looked down at you only to let out a deep chuckle.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

You chuckled at the fact that Beau was playing along but you didn’t think anything would come from this. You couldn’t deny that you would have loved something to develop with the good looking sheriff but you had to stick with what you told Jenny. What you needed was just a friend right now.

You looked up at Beau who was looking up at the stars again. His eyes seemed to sparkle with the moonlight. You leaned over and softly kissed his cheek. When you looked at him, you saw him shift his gaze towards you.

Then, he leaned down and you could feel the warmth of his lips and the tickling from his beard against your mouth. You could taste the coffee on his mouth since he bought himself one before you both left the festival. He smelled like warm cinnamon and some sort of wood like he preferred campfires.

You relaxed against him and began to kiss him back, his hand slowly moved to your hip as you shifted. But when your lips parted, both your foreheads touched.

“And I thought all you needed was a friend.” You breathed out and you could tell he was smirking.

“Well, there’s always Jenny, Cassie and Denise that are the friends. But… is there something wrong with something happening with the both of us?” He asked you.

“Well… On one condition.”

“And what’s that, Darlin?’”

“You can’t make fun of me if I’ve got some pumpkin spice paraphernalia in my fridge.”

“See, that’s half the fun, Sweetheart.” You laughed and rolled your eyes at the remark.

“Okay, only if you try some of the creamer in your coffee, just to say you tried it.”

“Ugh, alright.” You could hear the annoyance in Beau’s voice and you chuckled.

“I’m joking.” You reassured and took one of his hands.

“But I think you’re right. I don’t think it would hurt if something hypothetically happened.” You said and he gave your hands a gentle squeeze.

“I think… this could be a good adventure for us.” He said and you leaned in to kiss him again.

So what if you kind of jumped the gun. Jenny said not to shut the door when it’s barely been opened. But you were pretty sure that this door was opening up more and making a way for new possibilities for you. Beau seemed really sweet and ever since he came to Montana, things have been happier for you.

So… on to a new adventure!

Thank you guys for reading and I hope you enjoyed! No matter what stage in life you’re in, there’s always a chance for a new adventure! Life has many doors that can be opened, don’t be afraid to walk through 💕💕💕

Tag List:

@roseblue373 @deans-spinster-witch @posiemax @deanwinchestersgirl87 @impala67rollingthroughtown

[vvolfy]

The brothers + MC at the mall (in the human world)

Lol, these hc’s were also brainstormed by @absoluteyeet​ and @stardustursa​

American malls, for the win LOL

Divider credits to @rubystarraven​ (if its not okay I can take them down they’re just super cute!)

Lucifer:

Would spoil MC without hesitation, and especially of the risque variety.

   Reluctant to tag along because he would have to babysit his brothers (as usual)

   Would visit stores that specialize in formal wear, (appearances matter), expensive colognes.

   MC drags him into Bath & Body Works, but he doesn’t stay for more than 5 minutes before he loses his sense of smell and develops a headache.

   The type to stand outside of stores with his arms crossed, only to say he isn’t rushing anyone. (he is)

   He’s like a cranky old man. From complaining about the malls music choice to criticizing anyone that passes him.

   Any food vendors that sell fine chocolate would pique his interest.

   100% avoids mall vendors. You want to fix his D.D.D? Too bad so sad. Mammon already scams him. He doesn’t need another.

   Bookstores (Barnes & Noble) would be his go-to.

   As would antique shops. Those are his favorite.

   Would be the first to leave the mall. Honks at the rest to hurry up.

   A MC plushie from Build A Bear would perk him up, I think.

Mammon:

  Has a coin purse, despite being broke. Lucifer takes it and hits him with it when he makes bad choices.

   Obviously cannot be left unattended. (Do your job MC)

   Spoils MC unconditionally after stealing Goldie back. (Spoils himself as well.)

   The type to haggle prices.

   Has been kicked out of most stores for haggling/stealing.

   Food? Yeah. Like everything else, it goes on Lucifers tab please.

   Resorts to stealing and gets caught.

   Tries to steal cologne from Bath & Body Works while MC is shopping, only to spray himself in the eyes.

   Makes MC at Build A Bear, makes MC pay for it.

Leviathan:

   Only tagged along to go to Gamestop, Hot Topic, Spencers, and for the Asian food vendors. Otherwise he is being forced to go. Send help.

   On his phone and switch the whole time, headphones on full blast. (He’s a pro at playing and walking.)

   “I guess I’ll h-hold your hand MC. N-Not that I like you o-or anything-- y-you’re just so n-needy you’ll hold a filthy Otakus h-hand--”

   “Can we go now?”

   Talks MC’s ear off at his favorite stores. (Always listening ofc)

   Due to sensory reasons, he avoids Bath & Body Works, though he’ll wait outside for MC.

   Loves stim toys. Walks out of Hot Topic with a bag full of em.

   You can find him at the arcade! Claw machines are his favorites!

   He would share Dippin’ Dots with MC.

   Would go to the pet shop to see fish and snakes ofc

   Would go to Barnes & Noble for the mangas, duh

   He would spoil MC in his own way. “It’s not like I l-love you or anything! I just didn’t want y-you to feel left out! Ugh!”

   I think he would love Build A Bear. He would so build Lotan and Henry, and carry them everywhere. He would also love a plushie of MC.

Satan:

   In this for Barnes & Noble or any bookstore really.

   Actively avoids the others. (Except for MC)

   Loves the cafe in B&N, would eat croissants with the blackest coffee while reading.

   Lucifer physically curses Satan to follow him if he doesn’t leave w/ them.

   Accompanies MC where ever they go/want to go. (Spoils them too.)

   Would stop at the pet store to see the cats. Expect him to be there for a long while. Cats > you.

   Stops at Bath & Body Works for warm scented candles.

   Like Levi, Satan would LOVE stim toys.

   Starbucks 100%

   Would go to the movies with MC to watch movie adaptions of books.

   The last to leave the mall, by closing time. Lucifer is angry.

   Leaves with like, 50 new books.

   Loves a cat plushie from Build a Bear, though a MC plushie would be better.

Asmodeus:

   Would live in a mall for eternity if he could.

   Takes his sweet time in every single store.

   Manipulates a few human lackeys to carry his and MC’s bags. If he can’t find anyone, then Beel would suffice.

   Takes MC to Sephora or Ulta to spice up their vanity wardrobe.

   Would definitely take MC to Spencers for the risque stuff. ;)))

   Bath & Body Works spree. (He has a huge collection of their products, duh.)

   Would make MC at Build a Bear 100%, along with a bear of himself. (Rose bear for him!!!)

   Wouldn’t splurge at the food court tbh, he doesn’t want to get dirty.

   Would be the one to help MC choose fashionable clothing. (Lingerie, etc)

   Though he does his own nails, I think he would still go to the salon w/ MC to both get their nails done. Mani/pedis, duh.

   The type to try every. single. beauty. sample. in existence.

   If you thought Mammon was a heavy spender... lol

Beelzebub:

   “Hey MC, I’m hungry.”

   Pulls MC to every food vendor until they flood a table with various snacks and food (Onlookers are shocked)

   He would carry MC’s bags to exercise so long as MC feeds them.

   His way of spoiling MC would be sharing his food, but I think he’d also buy MC stuff, like what he sees them taking an interest in, you know?

   Would definitely hit the gym or martial arts training, whatever available in the mall at the time.

   For additional exercise, carry both Asmodeus and his bags.

   Would mistake soaps and candles at Bath & Body Works for food. Lord help us.

   Better dip with Mammon before Lucifer kills the three of you for embarrassing him. (And that shoplifting charge)

   Carries MC anytime they say their tired, or when MC wants a piggy back ride lol

   Would love any food related plushie MC gets him, though he eats it because it looks too realistic.

   Frequently checks on Belphegor who decides to sleep on a massage chair.

   Helps MC reach the taller shelves.

Belphegor:

Tired Edge Lord(TM) didn’t want to go until he was yoinked into Spencers by MC. More face jewelry for him. Plus some quality time with MC is always best. (Works at Hot Topic too)

Finds a massage chair, falls asleep instantly.

(If) Lucifer manages to get him out of the chair, it’s a team lift.

Will wake up to MC or food, or both. Both are nice.

If he’s awake enough he would love it if MC shared their Dippin’ Dots with him.

If he has enough energy he would gladly hold MC’s hand as they walk together.

He would definitely be a candle man, and would love the soft scent candles Bath & Body Works sells.

Would love Build A Bear like the others. Cow plushies, and a plushie of MC are ideal to snuggle with.

Loves stim toys like Levi and Satan do.

[weaveandwood]

Writing prompt - You and Gale are in the markets - What happens next.

I'm sorry if these annoy you.

These never annoy me! I love writing them. I've had some pretty intense writer's block this week, and I think this one helped me work through it. Happy Saturday!

NSFW 18+ Word Count: 2200 CN: Oral Sex, Vaginal Sex, Gale x Named Female Tav

“What do you think? The sweet roll stand next?” Ora asked, her hands full of boxes and bags from the shopping they had just finished up at the Waterdeep market. She had been home for a month, a whole glorious month, and they had settled into something comfortable. She hadn’t gotten that far off look in her eye at all this extended break, and Gale’s anxieties about waking up to find her gone without a trace had disappeared. 

It was an unseasonably warm fall day - not that Gale was complaining. His wife flourished in the sunshine, and though she was never really one to show a lot of her skin in public, when she got warm she tended to wear a top without sleeves. This one had thin straps and was deliciously low cut, showing off one of his favorite parts of her body - though if he were being honest, everything about her body was his favorite. It was all he could do not to stare, and she had caught him more than once in just the last hour. Gale, eyes up here, she had said, playfully bumping into him as they walked down the crowded street. I’m sorry, you are just so beautiful, I can’t take my eyes off of you. You can’t blame a husband for admiring his wife, he had replied in an attempt to save himself from further teasing. 

He held some of the boxes and watched her make small talk with the vendor, who had become fast friends with her once she was home more regularly. She asked about her latest adventure, how her poor husband was faring without her, if she had tasted any better rolls in any of her travels. “Never, I always look forward to getting these ones, best in Faerun!” Ora responded with her sincere smile that lit up her face and made Gale fall deeper in love, if that was even possible. Still, it was impossible to not notice from his vantage point behind her how her leggings hugged every curve, the years of adventuring honing her body into a masterpiece. One that he was finding he needed to get his hands on. Soon.

Ora turned around then, a small box of rolls in hand and caught Gale with a dark look in his eyes. One she recognized well, one she loved being on the receiving end of. 

“See something you like, sir?” She smiled at him as he moved his eyes slowly up her body, taking her in, committing her to memory just as he did every single time he looked at her. He closed the distance between them, leaning down and whispering in her ear. 

“It is taking all my self control right now not to take you into a dark side street and take these maddening clothes off of you and show you just how much I like what I see.” 

A sharp intake of breath. She liked when he spoke to her like this, detailing the things he wanted to do to her. “Hmm, it’s really too bad Waterdeep doesn’t really have dark side streets at midday, I would be quite willing to go along with your request. You know, it’s a shame I don’t wear dresses really, I see how they can be convenient for this kind of activity. What are you going to do about this problem?” She smiled, a devilish look on her face.

Gods, he loved her. 

“The tower is much closer than the cabin from here…” he trailed off. They hadn’t spent much time in the tower since that third Midwinter Festival when everything went wrong. Still, they were almost at the end of the market. “Or there’s the inn a street over that we could rent for the night. Repeat our second Midwinter?” He remembered that night fondly - the night with the glowing rabbits. The night he was so nervous she wouldn’t show up. The night she did, and made him believe that they could be real again. 

“Let’s go to the corner and then you can cast Dimension Door to get us to the tower?” she said, surprising Gale who completely forgot in his desire that he could essentially get them anywhere he could see. Usually, he preferred to take a leisurely stroll through his beloved city. “Quickly,” she added. This was not the occasion for a leisurely stroll.  

A short, dizzying time later, they stood in front of the tower, Gale unlocking the warded door. As it opened, he let Ora enter first. He shut the door behind them and put the boxes on the entry table before grabbing her hand, spinning her around and kissing her deeply. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that since we walked into the market.” He smiled, leaning his forehead against hers. “You are addictive.” He reached down to her top, untying the lace keeping it tight against her body, loosening it slowly. He trailed kisses from her lips, to her cheek, to her neck. He felt her breathing pick up as he ran his fingers along them hem of her top, slipping under it and lifting it over her head. He stepped back, looking at her - this woman who was so beautiful, so fearless, so sexy, and somehow his. She made eye contact with him as she kicked off her boots, then quickly pulled down her leggings and underwear, leaving her naked in the entryway of the tower. 

He pounced. 

His hands were everywhere. He honestly needed more hands, his desire to feel every inch of her skin was so great he contemplated conjuring a few before deciding against it. For now. He pressed her against the wall, kissing her with a fervor reminiscent of when he was a younger man, an apprentice at Blackstaff, eager to impress, eager to bed equally eager classmates.Their tongues slid against each other as Ora reached between them to unbutton his linen shirt. He quickly shrugged it off, tossing it across the room. 

“Gods, you’re so...perfect” she said, looking at him in wonder as though it was her first time seeing him. As though she didn’t say the exact same thing the night before as they made love in front of the fireplace in the cabin. His lean, athletic build, though not as muscular as he once was when they met, the fine smattering of hair across his chest, down his stomach, leading even further down his body, and his gorgeous skin tone ticked all her boxes. He was everything she desired. She kissed his neck and he unbuttoned his linen pants and quickly let them pool to the floor along with his underwear before kicking them out of the way. 

He reached up to her breasts, the objects of his desire all morning. He paid them proper attention with his hands before bending down, taking a nipple into his mouth and sucking on it lightly, feeling it get hard before moving to the other one. He flicked his tongue over them, her soft moans only steering him onward as he kissed his way down her body as he got on his knees in front of her. He stopped at each small scar on her stomach - some from her times as a Scout, some from their own adventure, some newer. Each scar was given reverence and appreciation for healing and not taking her from him. She looked down at him, his own personal goddess, and he was here to worship. 

She gasped as he placed one hand on her stomach, the other lifting her leg to drape over his shoulder. He looked up at her and with a flattened tongue, licked her from her entrance to her swollen bundle of nerves. She laid her hands on his head, her fingers tangling in his hair as she adjusted her angle, using both him and the wall for support. He continued licking, tasting her, humming softly against her soft skin, slick with her own arousal as she moaned softly, faint echoes reverberating through the entryway with its high ceiling. She sounded like music.

“You taste so sweet, my love,” he said as he looked up at her, leaning his head against her thigh that was resting on his shoulder. He gently lowered her thigh from his shoulder, kissing it gently. He kissed her hip bone, then back up her stomach. His tongue dragged a path from her breasts up to her neck, and she felt him pressing against her, hard with want.  “But now, I need to feel you around me,” he said softly into her ear, his warm breath sending tingles through her body. “Shall we pretend we’re in that dark side street now, my love?” He whispered the spell for darkness near her ear, a faint purple glow emanated from his hands as he channeled the Weave, his movements confident and assured as the light disappeared from the entryway. 

“You do know I can still see, right?” Ora laughed as kissed him, the elven side of her heritage giving her darkvision, able to make out Gale as if he was bathed in a dim grey light. 

“Well, we will have to remedy that,” he said, his hand caressing her face lightly, feeling the shape of it. Running the pad of his thumb over her soft cheek, tracing its way down the deep scar he loved, though she had been a little self conscious about it when their relationship had transitioned from flirtations to something more. She was so fierce. He put his hands on her waist, turning her around to face the wall. He kissed the back of her neck, hearing her breath catch. He pressed against her, his hardness pressed into her delicious curves. 

“I need you, Gale. Now,” she moaned as he flicked the tip of her ear with his tongue, driving her mad. She arched her back, pressing her hips back against him as his hands roamed over her backside. He kissed her shoulder as he wrapped one hand around himself, pulling her hips back slightly with the other to get a good angle as he positioned himself at her entrance. 

“Then you shall have me,” he whispered as he pressed into her, slowly at first - he always loved the feeling of her giving around him as he entered her, her warm body enveloping him. He moaned as she took him as far as he would go, fully seated inside her. “Gods, Ora, you…” he lost his train of thought as he pulled his hips back and thrusted into her again. And again. And again. 

“Have I made…the verbose Gale Dekarios…speechless?” She panted as he pressed her into the wall, her chest flat against it. Her hands braced against the wall to give them both a little leverage and support. She was completely his for the taking. 

His arm wrapped around her waist, his hand pressing flat against her stomach to hold her close to him, his chest against her back. He preferred being able to see her face while fucking her, but holding her body tight against his was nearly as good. He moved his hips faster, the sound of their pants and moans echoing through the high ceilings of the entryway. 

“You take the words from my mouth whenever I am inside you. You render me quite incapable of coherent thought.” He held on to her tighter, one of his hands lowering down her stomach, reaching between her legs to rub her sensitive clit, to help her find her release as he felt his own approaching. “I love you,” he moaned as he kissed her shoulder, sucking it lightly.

She called out his name, her breathing labored as her knees buckled slightly. He dug his fingers into the soft skin of her abdomen to support her better as he felt her starting to tighten around him. “That’s it, Ora, come for me. Please, let me feel you come around me,” he panted, fucking her hard, his hips snapping against her with each deep thrust, a fire pooling low in his abdomen. 

“Gods!” she cried out, arching her back more as she reached her peak. He felt her pulse and flutter around him, sending him crashing over his own precipice. He closed his eyes and threw his head back as he felt himself fill her up, his own cries joining with hers to form a beautiful chorus. 

Spent, he pulled out of her, kissing the back of her neck, her earlobe, her shoulders. He turned her around and pressed her back against the wall again before kissing her deeply. 

“I love you,” he said before he channeled the Weave again, bringing light back into the entryway so he could look upon his love. He tucked a strand of hair that had worked its way loose behind her ear, smiling as he did. She smiled back at him, and his heart swelled. 

“I love you, too.”

He kissed her deeply, then took her hand, leading her up the stairs to the bedroom, to the bed they once shared. They stayed there all night, making love in it twice more before the sun rose the next morning and they went back to their cabin.

[the-wraiths-wife]

I write a fanfiction about Kaz having a sister in Wattpad, named Adjala Brekker. And I just got the craziest idea. Kaz is always the baby sitter for Adjala's kids so why not write headcannons?

So I just made a few headcannons about Kaz babysitting his niece Jordan, and his two nephews Johannes and Kaz jr.

( Everytime you see a mom approved, it means the kids' mother approves of the activity )

1. "Uncle Kaz's House of Schemes": Kaz turns babysitting into a series of elaborate games and puzzles for the kids. It's like a mini heist every time they visit, complete with clues and riddles to keep them entertained. (Mum approved)

2. Kaz's version of "nap time" is "quiet planning time": When it's time for the kids to take a nap, Kaz uses this opportunity to quietly plan his next big scheme. He's convinced they're the perfect cover for his brainstorming sessions. (Mum approved)

3. Candy heist training: Kaz teaches the kids the fine art of candy heists, complete with disguises, diversion tactics, and a secret candy stash. They're the most resourceful trick-or-treaters in Ketterdam. (Mum not approved)

4. The "Ingenious Bedtime Routine": Kaz has a knack for getting kids to bed without fuss. His secret? He tells them thrilling stories about his heists until they're too excited to stay awake. (Mum approved)

5. Tiny suits and dresses: Kaz insists that the kids wear tiny suits and dresses, just like him, when they go out together. It's a comical sight seeing them dressed as miniature versions of him. (Hehe definitely mum approved)

6. Teaching the art of negotiation: Kaz imparts his negotiating skills to the kids, coaching them on how to haggle with street vendors for the best deals on toys and treats. They quickly become savvy little traders. They negotiate with daddy alot too, and their daddy always falls for this (Their dad hates this, so mum approved)

7. The "Kaz Jr. Inheritance Fund": Kaz secretly sets up a savings account for each of the kids, earmarking it as their "inheritance." He insists they learn about managing their finances from an early age. (Uncle Jes and Mumma approved)

8. "The Kaz Bunker" (my fav) : In the event of a "Kaz-sized emergency," he's built a secret bunker (a well-fortified blanket fort) in the living room. It's the perfect hiding spot for epic pillow fights and strategizing. (There's photo evidence -Inej) [mum approved - Kaz's sister]

9. Poker night (ft. Uncle jes, Daddy and uncle Wy) : Kaz introduces the kids to poker night, using candies as chips. It's all in good fun until Jesper's uncanny ability to bluff leaves Kaz Jr and Johannes with an empty stash of candy, while Jordie has a whole lot to herself. Wylan always gives his candy to Kaz jr in the end. Elijah (the kids' dad) sits their and sticks his tongue out to his brother in-law whenever he wins, only to me met by the Lethal Brekker sibling glower. (The mother doesn't aprove of this, their dad does tho)

10. Lessons in lockpicking (childproof, of course): Kaz teaches the kids the basics of lockpicking, with a set of child-friendly locks and tools. They think it's just a game, but it's secretly a life skill. (The parents don't aprove since candy is always being stolen from the kitchen)

11. Kaz and naps : when the kids' parents get back from date night of smth, they see uncle Kaz and the kids in the Kaz Bunker fort, or all of them on the ground, surrounded my toys and Kaz is laying flat on his stomach and Kaz jr is snoozing on top of him and Jordan and Johannes are snoozing in the corner. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how the bastard of the barrel gets his sleep. (Inej has photo evidence) [Daddy and mumma approved]

12: Lifeskills (ft. Uncle Matty, aunty 'nej and aunty Ninny) : so Kaz gets his gang together to preach Lifeskills to his nephews and niece. Uncle Matty adores the mini demjins. Aunty 'nej takes them in sea trips (Aunty ninny brings the snacks) [ pappa and mumma approved]

13. Shark stare classes 101: in which Kaz teaches his little trainees the signature bombastic side eye and shark like stare, along with the lethal Brekker glower, which always has the kids' dad running for the HILLS, cuz they look like his scary wife and terrifying brother in law. (Daddy and Mumma approved ladies and gentlemen)

A fanfic for this :

I'm tagging a few of the biggest SoC enthusiasts I know : @she-posts-nerdy-stuff @ell0ra-br3kk3r-writes @marsconer

[telomeke-bbs]

BAD BUDDY'S BASEBALL MOM – ROOFTOP RUGBY WITH LUCY IN THE SKY… OR ON A BASEBALL DIAMOND?

One of the most mystifying aspects of Bad Buddy was the decision to have Pat wear the now-iconic Baseball Mom tee for the Epic Rooftop Kiss at the end of Episode 5.

It's so utterly incongruous with the drama onscreen. The scene was a pivotal moment for the narrative, with Pat's big coming out to Pran followed by the very steamy demonstration of mutual emotions, after episodes of unending turbulence around where they stood with each other. And The Kiss they delivered was so stupendous, it rocked the Internet to its very foundations.

And for that hugely important moment, Director Aof decided Pat should wear – a big woman's t-shirt more associated with loud, overzealous American moms cheering on their kids at Little League baseball? 👀

At first I thought production simply wanted something open and sporty for Pat, to contrast with Pran being all covered up (mirroring their states of mind – Pat actively seeking to confess his feelings on the rooftop, Pran all closed-off and repressed). That line of thinking was definitely behind a lot of Pat and Pran's outfits, and I assumed they just used a random tee and cut off its sleeves for this.

But in retrospect this seems altogether too blasé an approach, especially since we can see how purposeful the wardrobe decisions were throughout the rest of the series. (The Soon Vijarn Recap video for BBS Ep.5 also makes it very clear Director Aof was closely involved in wardrobe selection, choosing all the outfits for their appropriateness to the narrative – see this link here, at timestamp 23.24.)

(above) The Soon Vijarn Recap video for BBS Ep.5 timestamp 23.49

The examples of the wardrobe reflecting the characters' inner states are copious. Pran's emotional journey in the first half of BBS – learning to open up, getting his feelings returned, and falling into a relationship – was mirrored by his sartorial journey, and he went from all colorless and buttoned-up to a wardrobe filled with more relaxed, expressive and colorful outfits when out in public:

(above) Pran all buttoned-up in his early whites (Ep.2 [1I4] 1.56, Ep.3 [1I4] 12.40 and Ep.5 [1I4] 6.03)

(above) A selection of Pran's more relaxed and colorful sweaters that he wore outside later in the series (Ep.7 [3I4] 2.52, Ep.10 [3I4] 0.26, Ep.12 [3I4] 6.36 and Ep.12 [4/4] 10.14)

Loud extrovert Pat on the other hand was decked out almost from the beginning in bright prints and wacky t-shirts (with some rivaling Baseball Mom in wackiness), all the better to broadcast his outgoing character and personality:

(above) A selection of Pat's bright and wacky tops (Ep.2 [2/4] 5.03, Ep.6 [3I4] 4.37, Ep.8 [2/4] 8.30 and Ep.10 [1I4] 4.52)

The mystery deepened further when the fandom tracked down the maker of Baseball Mom – it looks like a small, possibly home-based business in the US, and the t-shirt is part of a line, one of several related tops (see this link here). It simply wasn't a random tee from some small Bangkok shop (unless the vendor had gotten it secondhand off some American tourist, and was re-selling it locally). This looks like a t-shirt that was specifically procured for the show (possibly even sourced from overseas), rendered sleeveless with low-cut armholes to echo the openness of Pat's personality, and then put on Ohm with absolute intent.

But why?

I'm convinced that there is an element of subversion about this (not the least because the t-shirt undercuts the heavy drama of the scene so drastically). @ranchthoughts has already pointed out in this write-up linked here that the feminine Mom is an allusion to the subversion of gender roles embodied by Pat's character, and I very much agree. It's also possible that this particular tee was chosen because the baseball standing in for (and thus somewhat obscuring) the letter 'O' in the word Mom kind of makes the word call out to M🤍M or MLM. (And here's an afterthought that occured to me watching Only Friends and the promo trailer for My Golden Blood – the baseball bat is also visual shorthand for the emotional violence that Pat and Pran wreak upon their relationship when each figuratively beats up on the other – and on himself too – while acting out their strange, rambunctious relationship as enemies who are secret friends and later lovers.)

But I also do think that there's still more to Baseball Mom than the above, and this particular train of thought was triggered by an Ask from @pandasmagorica about Ep.5's rooftop scene (linked here).

I now think we can piece together a reason for Baseball Mom on the rooftop, but it's only fair to signal that this wackiest of wardrobe choices is getting possibly the wackiest of explanations (and it's a doozy).

Now what @pandasmagorica's Ask triggered for me was the realization that Pat's directness on the rooftop was actually almost the complete opposite of something that he'd been doing very often, right up until Episode 5 – and that was his propensity to torment Pran with the bait-and-switch.

Time and again, Pat would reach out with the offer of something precious to Pran – a smile, a kind word, a tender moment, a suggestion of intimacy – but then quite suddenly he would subvert the situation and switch out the proffered affection with something wholly discomfiting, crushing hopeful Pran's expectations.

There are several examples:

During their childhood, Pat returned Pran's watch after Pran saved Pa from drowning (Ep.1 [4/4] 9.46), signaling the start of his friendship with the lonely little boy next door – only to impose the caveat "But…don’t talk to me in front of people. They might think we're buddies."

That (almost shirtless) bedside conversation at the end of Ep.4 (beginning at Ep.4 [4/4] 10.43), when Pat kept bombarding poor Pran with personal, leading questions, half-begged to be allowed to share his bed and cuddle, before shattering his neighbor's heart by declaring that it was Ink whom he liked romantically.

Tending to Pran’s injured shoulder at Ep.4 [3I4] 7.07, before suggesting he only wanted Pran to recover so that they could compete in rugby again;

Returning Pran’s long-lost guitar to him, then ruining the tenderness of the moment with “I just like to see your face… when you lose” (Ep.3 [4/4] 10.30).

And with Pran deep in his feelings for Pat, the constant intimations of closeness and deeper feelings, shell-gamed away at the last minute, must have been soul-crushing for our poor yearning boy. (This is also what the lyrics of Pran's theme – Just Friend? – are all about, e.g., "I can’t make sense of what you’ve done"/"Are we just friends or are we more?"/"If you don’t mean it, don’t act that way".)

No wonder Pran was trying so hard to keep a distance from the cheerful boy next door, who was always invading his personal space (after having taken over his heart). So much so that Pran on the rooftop was expecting more of the same, which explains his blunt statement "Pat, you've got to stop doing this to me. We are not a thing" in response to Pat telling him that it hurt to see the song they co-wrote in high school played with someone else.

Pran saw this as more of Pat's teasing games, but irony of ironies Pat was being totally serious this time. And yet, even on the rooftop in Ep.5, Pat did a version of the bait-and-switch one more time, but with the polarity reversed for once – he listed all the ways Pran's exile should have brought him joy, only to end with "It was so depressingly lonely for me." 😢

I think Pat learnt early on that this is what you do to your loved ones – because there's actually an example of Ming doing something similar to his son at Ep.8 [2/4] 16.12. Helping to wash Pat's car, he quietly allowed his son to natter on about his day with fibs about rugby practice, before landing a sledgehammer blow saying "When did I teach you to lie?" at Ep.8 [2/4] 16.41. This was an ambush, intended to take Pat by surprise and inflict the maximum amount of damage – and judging by Pat's despondent moping after, Ming certainly succeeded.

But it's not only Pat doing this to Pran, or Ming doing this to Pat, that we see in BBS. Director Aof and his writers actually littered the narrative with other examples of the set-up and switch-out as well, doing it to us the viewers:

Pat may have started out Ep.1 a ruffian, but then we saw that he was really a cheery big kid who needed his popsicles and cuddles from Nong Nao for comfort (Ep.1 [4/4] 8.37 and Ep.2 [1I4] 1.36).

Ink was introduced as a demure girl from the north (remembering that northern Thailand is seen as close to the birthplace of Thai culture) in Ep.4 [1I4] 7.41; then she tripped and let out a curse word at Ep.4 [1I4] 8.01.

Pa's glow-up at Ep.7 [1I4] 2.39 and subsequent story arc subverted her initial (albeit not very successful) portrayal as the frumpy kid sister with no life and no agency as a character.

BBS placed the emotional burden of Episodes 1 to 4 solely on Pran's pining shoulders, and then suddenly whipped it away in Ep.5 and dumped it squarely on Pat (kudos to Ohm, who gamely played Pat as a shining object of affection for the first third of BBS, before showing us that Junior Jindapat was so much more than a lovable, empty vessel himbo, and was instead someone who actually did possess an inner life that he could access).

And perhaps the biggest BBS bait-and-switch of all – Pran's unrequited love for inaccessible Pat turns out to be requited after all, but then without warning it's Pran who spins out of reach on the rooftop.

Looking at BL as a genre, the bait-and-switch is sometimes employed as a storytelling device to provide an unexpected dramatic twist (though whether or not it satisfies is debatable). For example there is the trap set for Lhong in TharnType, the aloof ice prince Sarawat turning out to have been carrying a torch for Tine in 2gether, and Nubsib's reveal in Lovely Writer as someone who also shared a past with Gene.

And if you think about it, all of Bad Buddy itself was kind of one big bait-and-switch as well. They set it up so that – at the start – it looked like the series would be shaping up into a run-of-the-mill, formulaic romance. The roadmap was laid out quite clearly – enemies to lovers, Romeo and Juliet or Kwan and Riam but the BL version thank you very much, star-crossed and kept apart by their warring families.

So we were expecting BBS to follow the usual romcom beats and rhythms, delivering the standard tropes, with the main storyline about how the enemies would fall in love against the odds, then find a way to beat the odds and stay together, or fall victim to it and be forever driven apart.

Except that Director Aof and his team pulled the rug out from under us time and time again, after setting this all up. The idea that Pat and Pran were enemies got turned on its head (they'd been secret friends since childhood). The process of falling in love didn't follow conventional beats at all – Pran was already in love, while Pat was… possibly already beset by emotions, just getting them all mixed up and projecting them onto Ink.

Instead of showing us the main couple falling for each other over the course of 12 episodes, this was firmly established by the end of Episode 5. Instead of their families being the primary conflict driving them apart, it was Pran's overthinking and emotional walls that drove a wedge between them in Episode 6. When family conflict finally did rear its head to threaten their relationship, well Pat and Pran just sidestepped it and carried on.

And the tropes? One by one they fell by the wayside as well. Ink turned up in Ep.4, looking like a formidable love rival for Pran (and he believed it too). Except that she wasn't the stereotype of the evil girlfriend at all – she turned out to be Pat's supportive bestie, while her eye (and camera) were focused on Pa instead. Any stereotypes overhanging macho Pat and pernickety Pran got subverted too, with Pat ditching sports practice for musical theater and Pran a credible street fighter and also a star player on his rugby team – so much for the seme and uke in this BL. The "gay for you" trope got put down (Ep.9 [2/4] 1.41), as was the "wifey" one (Ep.9 [4/4] 8.48). There are so many examples.

Even the end of Ep.11 was a bait-and-switch as well, when a large portion of the fandom was hoodwinked by Director Aof's Ep.12 preview into thinking that we were headed for a break-up. (Fortunately they switched it out for the happy ending that we got instead, thank goodness.)

There's so much of this going on, it seems as though BBS was actually celebrating the bait-and-switch (and in that way kind of subverting its use in BL as well). The thing is, nothing was ever what it seemed in Bad Buddy, and it was all intended to be so, from Day One, because it's solidly a thematic preoccupation underlying the series.

I now think Baseball Mom really plays into all of this glorification of the bait-and-switch as a storytelling device, and its subversion as well. But in a really wacky way, as perhaps is only fitting for the wackiest of Pat's t‑shirts.

So looking back on decades of popular media, who's been crowned the Big Boss of the Bait-and-Switch, the Grand Poobah of Switcheroos, the Queen of the Short-Con, the House Mother of all Bamboozlers?

It’s this little lady right here: 😍

This is Lucy Van Pelt, from Charles Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. Lucy is many things in the Peanuts universe, but one thing she's iconic for is a bait-and-switch prank, where she holds a football and then goads Charlie Brown on to kick it. He usually takes a bit of convincing, but eventually he goes for it and at the last second, Lucy pulls the ball away and poor Chuck ends up kicking the air, sent flying in the process. It's a running gag in the comic strip, first appearing in 1952 and recurring every year after that:

So what's the link with Baseball Mom though?

Football aside, in Peanuts Lucy is also a member of Charlie Brown's baseball team – and significantly she's absolutely terrible at the game. She misses the easiest of pitches, and even when perfectly positioned she gets hit on the head by the ball instead of catching it in her mitt.

So while she may be totally, confidently in charge of the situation baiting Charlie Brown with the pigskin, when it comes to baseball instead of football – Lucy is completely out of her element.

The parallel with Bad Buddy is that master of the bait-and-switch Pat Napat Jindapat – the BBS manifestation of Lucy – was pulling different versions of the Charlie Brown football prank on hapless Pran over and over again, causing much anguish to the latter's battered heart.

But suddenly on the rooftop, the tables got turned and Pran pulled the big switcheroo on him instead – by confirming their mutual feelings with a kiss so dizzyingly sensational that Pat must have been delirious with happiness… only to send it all crashing down by abandoning him there without a word of explanation.

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.5 [4/4] 12.58 – an abandoned Pat stares uncomprehendingly as Pran walks away from the wreckage of their broken hearts

In that moment Football Lucy morphed into Baseball Lucy, from self-assured manipulator to incompetent klutz, all alone in right field when the ball came zooming in from way out left. And what better way to mark this moment than with a t-shirt loudly proclaiming Pat's newly-minted Baseball Lucy status on its front?

(above) The Baseball Mom graphic – BBS's own version of The Scarlet Letter

Yes, I know this explanation is outlandish; that's how it sounded to me too when it first took shape in my head. So I decided to test it, by looking for supporting information elsewhere in the context of Bad Buddy. And the findings are truly surprising. 👀

No characters from Peanuts actually appear (in canon form) within any of BBS's visuals (not that they could, I suppose, for licensing reasons). But Charlie Brown and his cohort of characters aren't unknown in Thailand – there is a Charlie Brown Café (79/335 แขวงช่องนนทรี เขตยานนาวา, Bangkok, Thailand, 10120) that was previously at MBK Centre and a Charlie Brown's Restaurant (315/303 ซ.นราธิวาส24 แขวง ช่องนนทรี Yan Nawa, Bangkok 10120, Thailand) at Belle Park Plaza/Fortune Condo Town:

(above left) Charlie Brown Café; (above right) Charlie Brown's Restaurant

And even though we don't directly see Charlie Brown, Lucy or any other Peanuts characters in BBS, there are oblique references. One of the more obvious ones alludes to Lucy's younger brother, Linus Van Pelt:

When we see Pran out in the world with his PP hobo bag (written up here) or Pat snuggled in bed with his beloved Nong Nao (written up here), we know by now that the bag and the stuffed doll-pillow are our boys' favorite comfort objects, providing psychological security even as they face their personal fears.

(above left) Bad Buddy Ep.2 [1I4] 3.01 – Pran and his PP hobo bag, that he deploys like a shield when outside; (above right) Bad Buddy Ep.2 [1I4] 1.37 – Pat cuddling Nong Nao for comfort when he's all alone

But another name for these comfort objects actually has a connection to Peanuts – they can also be called Linus blankets, after the security blanket that Lucy's brother carries around with him all the time. Just a coincidence? I'm not so sure. (I think it's also significant that all three objects have blue as their predominant color.)

There's also a nod at Charlie Brown himself later, on the rooftop in Ep.7 [4/4] – Pat's tee is an unmistakeable visual reference to Charlie Brown's signature yellow top with its zigzag motif:

(above left) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [4/4] 1.48; (above right) Charlie Brown in his own iconic t-shirt

After their roles were reversed on the rooftop at the end of Ep.5 (with Pran pulling the ultimate bait-and-switch move back on Pat by walking away after The Kiss), the mantle of Charlie Brown the football prank victim was thrust onto Pat instead, and that is what we see here in Ep.7.

The brand name emblazoned on Pat's t-shirt also rings some bells – it's Patriots, which immediately calls to mind the NFL team from New England, and is another nod at Lucy's American football. (There is also a Minor League baseball team called the Somerset Patriots based in New Jersey; not as well-known as their counterparts – compatriots? – a few states away, but still… 👀).

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [4/4] 2.13

And looking a bit closer the Ep.7 scene on the rooftop (the last one to be filmed among all of Bad Buddy's queues) really starts to overflow with meaning because it's actually a parallel to Ep.5's rooftop bait-and-switch.

It's far too much to include here, so I've put it into its own separate post (see this write-up linked here) – the short of it is that Pat as Charlie Brown plays the bait-and-switch one last time on Pran in Ep.7, but for the very first time turns the last-second switch-out into a win for his beloved instead, rescuing Pran who was floundering with the musical. And this reversal of the bait-and-switch, a redemption of sorts, is what convinces Pran to end their courtship competition and enter into confirmed couplehood instead. 👍

‌

Now all that aside, there's still one more element in Bad Buddy that I think is a direct reference to Lucy's bait-and-switch in Peanuts – and that's all the rugby, doing its part as a stand-in for Lucy's American football.

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.4 [4/4] 2.04 – the boys face off on the rugby pitch

It would never have been possible to feature American (gridiron) football authentically in Bad Buddy (it's not a popular sport outside of North America, to be honest, and would have been totally alien in a Thai setting). So they shone the spotlight on rugby instead, most probably because the ball used for play there is ovoid and almost the same as the one used in American football – it seems like the rugby in BBS is pointing at Lucy and the American football she deviously deploys.

(top) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [2/4] 13.01; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [2/4] 13.02

This would explain why Director Aof and his team opted to feature rugby instead of soccer – the latter is far more popular in Thailand, and would have been a more obvious choice. In addition, soccer would have been far easier to stage – all the BBS rugby scenes had to be filmed at a completely different campus from the primary uni location (Bangkok University instead of Rangsit University) because the latter doesn't seem to have a rugby pitch, though it does have a soccer one. In case you were wondering as I was, the goalposts are starkly different so they couldn't just pretend to play rugby on the soccer pitch – it would have been a terribly obvious fake-out if they had.

They couldn't substitute another team sport even if it was easier to accommodate, because rugby (or rather the ball) was integral to this aspect of the storyline. It needed to be rugby if the intention was to evoke Lucy's favorite weapon of torment.

Further evidence in support of this can be found when you look at the original (rough-draft promo) Bad Buddy trailer that was released in 2020 (I think) to promote the 2021 lineup, before actual filming of the series itself in mid-2021:

The rugby was present even at that early stage (and Toto was on Pat's team! 😂). But what's mindblowing is that they're actually using an American football (the AF500), not a rugby ball (you can tell from the laces, which modern rugby balls do not have). 👀 So the gridiron football was very much part of Bad Buddy's primordial DNA, way back at its inception, even before actual filming began. Another nod at Lucy in Peanuts here.

(above) A screenshot from the original Bad Buddy promo trailer at timestamp 1.48

(above) A screenshot from the original Bad Buddy promo trailer at timestamp 2.15

Now all of this is dandy I suppose, but even with Linus blankets, Pat dressed like Charlie Brown, the oval ball and BBS's insistence on rugby (masquerading as American football) over soccer, for the longest time the hardboiled skeptic in me still wasn't fully convinced that Pat wearing Baseball Mom was actually Lucy in disguise getting her comeuppance, Bad Buddy style.

UNTIL I DECIDED TO LOOK MORE CLOSELY AT THE RUGBY MATCH IN EPISODE 4. And that was the clincher, that cemented the intentionality behind Baseball Mom in my mind, because there actually is a sequence where Pat executes Lucy's signature bait-and-switch move, with the rugby ball standing in for an American football, and with Pran as his fall guy.

The sequence in question starts at Ep.4 [4/4] 3.33, when we see Pat running with the ball, coveted by Pran (in more ways than one).

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.4 [4/4] 3.33

Pran tackles him, but in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, Pat flicks the ball away and before any of us (Pran included) can realize what's happened, Korn is off and running with it instead (and I think he scores the rugby version of a touchdown too).

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.4 [4/4] 3.38

Meanwhile, Pat and Pran are still locked in a full-body clinch – and if you look closely, it's Pat who's actually holding on to Pran, not letting him go (with obvious delight, even if he's unaware of exactly why he's relishing the contact so much).

Much of Bad Buddy is really chaste, but there's something about this moment here that makes it seem like a line has been crossed, and that things have turned inexplicably raunchy somehow. There's full-body grappling, legs spread wide, crotch jammed to butt, a whole lot of heaving and panting. Pat is clearly enjoying every second, almost as though it’s the successful climax of his great big plan to waylay Pran with this bait-and-switch. And of course it's the perfect cue for him to deliver that now infamous, golden line: "If you hug me this tight, you might as well take me as your boyfriend." 😂

Actually Pat had been teasing and taunting Pran with hints of romance even before the game (going so far as to acknowledge that his behavior was flirtatious, at Ep.4 [4/4] 0.48) so it's impossible not to see that body tackle on the pitch as anything but a close encounter suffused with sexual tension – and Pran would of course be the first to notice it. (It's possibly also a subversion of the accidental "falling on you" trope, since it's at once contrived yet consensual.)

If you break it down, Pat used the ball to get Pran to tackle him, only to switch it out at the last minute with something else (close, practically intimate body contact) that poor Pran (drowning in his crush) would have found absolutely devastating. This is practically a playbook version of Lucy doing the football bait-and-switch with Charlie Brown.

To be honest though, I'd always found this rugby clinch a little odd and confusing, and had wondered why they even had this scene. It was logistically complicated to set up (two whole teams of players!), and the bait-and-switch portion would have been extremely tricky to choreograph and film. The whole rigmarole was also a lot of work for just a few seconds of screen time. That the ball slips away unseen also makes it seem anti-climactic for the viewer – but not for master gameplayer Pat, who successfully got his planned payload nonetheless.

And because he did it using Lucy Van Pelt's signature move, I now think the reason for this scene is for it to be held up as the paragon of Pat's bait-and-switch traps in Bad Buddy, and a parallel for the Epic Rooftop Kiss when Pran slaps the old switcheroo back on Pat instead.

On the rugby pitch Pat baited Pran by pulling away (with the ball), and then crushed his heart with physical intimacy (hugging him like a lover, but making it seem like he was only play-acting at returning Pran's love). On the rooftop Pran baited Pat with physical intimacy (The Kiss, proof to Pat that his feelings were returned), and then crushed his heart by pulling away (and taking with him all promise of his love).

Atop Chana City Residence at the end of Ep.5, perpetual prankster Pat couldn't stop himself and went in for the bait (Pran offering himself up romantically), only to see it whisked away from him at the very last second.

Suddenly the rules changed and Football Lucy, the House Mother of all bait-and-switch bamboozles, became the victim of the biggest bait-and-switch of them all, and was thrust into a different game instead. Bereft of Pran and denied his moment of victory, Pat became Baseball Mom indeed. 😔

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.5 [4/4] 13.06

‌

P.S. You can order Baseball Mom (the t-shirt, not Pat 😂) from Amazon at this link here. (If the link doesn't work, you may need to change your "Deliver To" location at the top left of the landing page on Amazon to another country – not useful if you want to buy it when they don't deliver to your location, but useful if you just want to view the page, or get them to deliver to a third party who can then forward it to you. If changing the location doesn't work, try following the other instructions in this post linked here.)

I suspect the fandom has been buying up Baseball Mom like crazy, because it went from limited stock and availability on Amazon (selected locations only), to becoming available for other global locations and on Walmart.com as well – so maybe demand from the BBS fandom has boosted sales so much they started marketing it on more channels? Thai BL soft power trickles down. 🥰👍

‌

P.P.S. I only realized this after a recent rewatch, but American football actually does appear in Bad Buddy – take a second look at all the posters on the walls of Pat's student apartment:

(above, left) Bad Buddy Ep.2 [4/4] 1.06; (above, center) Bad Buddy Ep.2 [4/4] 1.57; (above, right) Bad Buddy Ep.2 [4/4] 17.21

(above, left) A composite image showing American football posters behind Pat at Ep.2 [1‌/4] 2.35; (above, right) more posters above Pat's kitchen sink at Ep.2 [1‌/4] 12.12, with a rugby one sandwiched between two American football ones

In my mind Director Aof really was signaling Pat's link with Lucy and her football from early on, in plain sight. 😊👍🤩

‌

P.P.P.S. OK, just a little aside – this Peanuts fan theory for Baseball Mom is really wacky, but I think the universe is telling me to put it out there anyway because just as I was finishing the write-up, this random post about the Peanuts football bait-and-switch appeared on my dashboard.

What are the odds of it crossing my dash at the same time I'm writing about it, when I've not seen it referenced before throughout my history on Tumblr, ever? (There were a few random Peanuts and Charlie Brown posts that appeared at the same time as well.) I'm not superstitious, but I do think the universe has spoken. 😂

[internet1girl]

Chapter 7: Too Close For Comfort.

Pairing: Johnny Cage x Fem!Reader

Summary: Sparring with a friend leads to something… weird.

Word count: 7.8k Warnings/Notices: named!reader, semi-public sex, fighting, flirty johnny, very sexually suggestive, kinda smutty, a few curse words here and there

First Chapter / Previous part

A/N: another short(er) chapter yayy

Morning shines onto Outworld. The night has concluded, and the darkness outside has now given way to the light of a new day.

Sun Do was just starting to wake up. The rays of the daybreak sun lit up the metropolis nicely, casting a gentle glow onto the stone walls and wooden beams of the city’s buildings. The once-empty streets were now starting to fill with people. Vendors were opening their stalls, villagers were walking in all directions, and the city’s constables were patrolling the streets, on the lookout for any suspicious activity.

The bright rays of sunlight beamed through your window, landing on your dormant face, seeping through your eyelids. You groaned and rolled around underneath your covers, before waking up entirely. Sitting up with a yawn and stretch, you took a few minutes to gather your bearings. You were back in Sun Do… back in your room, in Liu Kang’s estate. Back home.

You get out of bed, pushing yourself off of your mattress with a yawn and a scratch. Damn it, you’d forgotten to shower last night. You couldn’t go out into the city with the scent of the past few days still lingering on your body, could you? With another yawn, you sleepily stumbled your way to your conjoined bathroom, hoping that a nice shower would wake you up a little.

Now, something about you is that you loved to take your showers ice cold. It was always a brutal thing to step into, but it was how you preferred it. They helped get you moving, that and a multitude of other benefits. The heat of warm showers made you sweat, the feeling of your skin growing damp and clammy with moisture after you cleaned yourself off was something that you couldn’t stand.

The sudden contact of freezing water against your bare skin did make you yelp, though - the high-pitched wail echoing around the bathroom. Well… at least you were fully awake now.

You thought on how to spend today as you were scrubbing yourself clean. You weren’t scheduled to do anything, or be anywhere. No, you had the whole day to yourself. And what better way to spend all this free time than by training?

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

A couple of hours later, you were walking down the hallways of Liu Kang’s manor, on the way out to the city.

This time around, you were dressed a little more casually. Your armoured uniform was nowhere to be found, a simple bodysuit with some knee-high boots adorned you. Something a little lighter, but perfect for a training session. Your bō staff was strapped to your side, the compacted weapon rocking a little as your hips swayed with each step.

Right as you were just about to walk out, a familiar voice stopped you in your tracks. Ugh, a part of you was hoping that you wouldn’t run into him today.

"Where you going, princess?" His taunting tone had you freeze up, your hand gripping the doorknob a little harder.

Begrudgingly and slowly, you turned around, a forced smile plastered on your face.

“Cage, good morning…”

Just like you, Johnny was wearing a more casual form of attire. He was dressed in a black compression shirt that hugged his broad form nicely. A sliver of his chest peaked out from the dip a pair of sunglasses hanging off of his collar created. On his lower half, he wore some sweatpants and lace-up boots. His hands were wrapped in bandages, but judging from the way he freely moved his writs, it seems as if it was more so a style choice.

He drank down the way your toned form looked, his eyes travelling down your curves, eventually returning to your face. "You look good, princess. Like, real good. You got somewhere to be? Or are you just out here to tease me dressed like that?”

Your gaze similarly lingered, a little longer than what was appropriate. Gods, the way that compression shirt highlighted his muscles made that warm feeling come back with a vengeance. He was such an attractive man… not that you could bring yourself to admit that, though.

However, whatever he had to say brought you out of whatever that was. Your eyes met his, you desperately tried to ignore your warming face as you spoke.

“I have, actually. I am on my way to the Palace training grounds.”

His eyes lit up when he heard what you had to say. "Oh really? You're heading to the Palace training grounds, huh? What a coincidence, so am I. Looks like we'll be spending some time together today, darlin'." His lips curled into a teasing smile.

You quietly sighed out of defeat. Well, that explained his state of dress. Unfortunately for you, this would mean that he would be with you on your way to the Palace. You feigned a fake smile, trying hard to not let this fact ruin your day. 

"Aww, don't look so upset!” He teased, closing the gap and holding the door open for you. "Come on, let's go."

The two of you exited the manor, and the estate grounds. By now, you both were walking down Sun Do’s bustling streets, side by side. The morning sun brightly shone down on you both, kissing the top of your heads as you made your joint ways to the palace dojo.

For Johnny, this was shaping up to be a great morning. He got to go on a beautiful walk next to a hot girl, what more could he ask for? However, for you… it wasn’t really the same.

"You know, that frown doesn't look good on you. It'd hurt your pretty face if you kept it up." Johnny broke the silence, gently poking your forehead.

You turned to look at him, your face contorted into a scowl.

"What's wrong, princess? Mad at me?" A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest. His smirk was childish as he reached over to poke at your cheek, though you swatted his finger away before he could make contact.

“Are you aware of how much of a nuisance you are?”

Johnny feigned a hurt look, dramatically putting his hand over his chest. "Ugh, you're heartless, you know that, right? I'm a nuisance? I'm an annoyance? That's cold, sweetheart. Real cold.”

He leaned into your ear, you could practically hear his sly smile as he spoke. "I'm so wounded by your words."

You scoffed, a noise of irritation slipping past you. You were trying to focus on the path in front, on the sight of Sun Do’ markets. The sky was bright, the streets were bustling and the air was fresh. It was a lovely morning, and you intended to enjoy it. Unfortunately, the irritating man-child walking next to you was proving this difficult.

“You are lucky that we were leaving at the same time. This was meant to be a solo walk.” Your eyes were on the street in front of you, no longer on Johnny and his stupid handsome face.

"Aww, Jade, don't be like that! Walking alone is boring. Wouldn't you rather have someone to keep you company?" He smirked as he took a step closer to you, your shoulders bumping into each other.

Honestly, you were close to reaching your breaking point. Gods, this man was so ANNOYING! It’s like it was his personal mission to piss you off. You could feel the rage start to bubble up deep within, but for the sake of everyone around, you kept it contained. You were nearly at the Palace by now, only a few more minutes of walking and you’ll be in the training grounds. The opportunity to let all of this frustration out through kombat was perfect.

Just then, a small vending stall came into view. From the looks of it, it was a food cart. A small old woman stood behind the baked treats on display, she must be the owner. You hadn’t eaten all morning, your stomach had been shouting at you all morning. This might have been why you’re this incensed at Johnny, maybe.

Turning to him, you shot a scowl his way that indicated exactly how you felt in this moment. The last thing you saw from the man was a wide grin before you walked away, towards the food cart.

“One of these, please.”

The delicious sight of all the baked treats on display, as well as their mouth-watering aroma, temporarily took your mind off of your annoying companion. They looked good, you were hungry and you had coins in your pocket. It couldn’t be more simple. You ordered one of the pastries you saw, the sight of it making your stomach churn in delight. You couldn’t train on an empty stomach now, could you? 

Whilst the lady was busy preparing your order, you stood there listening to the hubbub of the city around you. The faint sounds of music, the blend of a million different conversations, the smell of the fresh food that lay before you… 

…You really hoped those footsteps approaching from behind didn’t belong to who you thought it did.

"Looks good, huh? You picked what you wanted yet?" Johnny called out, sauntering up and standing right next to you with a smug look on his face as he surveyed the array in front of him.

Maybe if you didn’t pay attention to him, he would go away. Yeah, that should work. You chose to ignore his presence, even as he took a step closer, meaning that your arms were now pressed together. For some reason, the feeling of him against you made you a little… dizzy. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see his side profile, his face inches away from your own. He was so close, it was a little intoxicating.

It was just the hunger affecting you… right?

Johnny was in a similar state of stupor. It was subtle, nearly unnoticeable, but he could feel the heat of your body radiate off onto him, it was like standing near an open fire. The smell of your perfume made him feel woozy… or maybe it was just you. He didn’t realize it, but he was paying you more attention than the wares on display. He took it all in, your face… your hair… your form… 

God, you’re beautiful.

“Would you also like something, sir?” The voice of the lady behind the stall simultaneously broke both you and Johnny out of your little trances. She didn’t know you two, she had no idea of the dynamic between you both. From her perspective, you were just two of many customers.

“Uhhh yeah, I’ll have the same as her." He eventually spoke up, gesturing towards you with his head. He tried to pull himself back together as he cleared his throat and smoothed down his shirt, his motions a little awkward.

Her voice also brought you back to your senses. You returned your focus back to the elderly woman now preparing both of your orders, trying hard to not think about how Johnny’s arm was twice the size of yours.

It’s not like this lead anywhere, though. After a few minutes, your food was ready. The lady took your money and handed you both your orders with a smile, bidding you two a good day as you each walked away.

Ah, but the only problem was that she had put both of your pastries in the same bag. Not ideal.

“Ooo, looks like we're sharing.” Johnny spoke up, a glee in his tone as he glanced at the bag in your hands.

A small frown appeared on your face. The lady must've thought that you were together, hence why she placed your orders in the same bag. Well, technically you were together but... not like that!

No matter, this was a quick fix. Much to his slight dismay, you and him were not going to share. You simply took your pastry out of the bag before handing it back to him. Well, to be more accurate, you not-so-gently shoved the small bag into the way of Johnny's chest, waiting for him to take it before you withdrew your extended arm.

"Awww, don’t be like that, Jadey! Don’t you wanna share with me?" He laughed, his tone teasing. As always, your temper was something that he never failed to find joy in, one of his personal favourite pastimes.

“We are not sharing our food together like a couple of teenagers on a date.” You responded, not bothering to take your eyes off the street in front of you. The fact that the lady had bagged both of your treats together pissed you off a little. That stupid warm feeling coming back pissed you off even more. What was all of this?

Whatever, though. You were hungry and your food was infront of you. Not wasting any more time, you took a bite out of your pastry. Buttery dough and apple-flavoured filling greeted your tongue, embracing your tastebuds. Scrumptious. The pleasant taste of the sweet and salty combo brought a pleasant smile to your face as you chewed.

Johnny followed suit, letting out a small moan as his teeth clamped down on his own pastry.

"Damn, this is good."

You hummed in agreement, too entranced by the amazing taste of the food to remember that you’re supposed to give Johnny the cold shoulder.

Your stomach finally being filled brightened your mood. There really wasn’t anything to be pissy about. It was a beautiful morning, you were eating a delicious treat and you had a beautiful man by your side…

…Thank the Gods that you weren’t thinking out loud, Johnny did NOT need to hear that last part.

Speaking of, he was taking his dear sweet time eating his own pastry, mainly so he could keep stealing looks at that relaxed look on your face. Seeing you smile… it did something to him, to his heart. 

And he secretly loved it. He loved the way your lips curved upwards, he loved seeing you happy and relaxed. He wanted to see more of it, see more of that Jade that you kept under a thick layer of ice. Honestly, he felt like a school boy with a crush - which, to be fair, he basically was.

A few more glances at you would pass before he let out a cough, clearing his throat before speaking.

"So, you like apple then, huh?"

“Is there anyone who doesn’t?” You turned to face him, your cold eyes now housing a sliver of warmth to them.

Johnny let out an exaggerated sigh, a small smirk on his face.

“Well, some people just don’t see how great apples are. Can’t say I blame them, since people can have different opinions…” He paused as he leaned in, his smirk growing into a grin.

“…But they’re wrong, obviously.”

You really didn’t want to give him the satisfaction that was you laughing at his jokes. You really wanted to smother out the urge to giggle that was starting to form somewhere deep inside of you…

But you couldn’t help but snicker a little, the noise muffled by a mouthful of food. Damn it!

“See? I’m funny!” His hands splayed out, a large, gleaming smile on his face at your reaction.

“Barely.” You retorted, mumbling into your pastry. The thought of feeding into his already inflated ego really didn’t sit well with you.

He rolled his eyes at your snark, a dramatic groan slipping past him. Though, by that glint in his eyes, it seemed that he wasn’t offended in the slightest.

“You’re a real treat, Jade. Anyone ever told you you’re a perfect ray of sunshine?”

“Has anybody ever told you about how irritating you are?” You retorted back, trying hard to not smirk a little because Johnny Cage was NOT funny and it was all in your head… or something.

“Aw, are you trying to hurt my feelings?” He leaned in again, wiping the stray crumbs from his mouth, another smirk forming on his face.

“If I wanted to hurt your feelings, I would’ve brought up a failed film of yours…” You muttered as you left his side, walking ahead of him.

By now, the palace was in sight, it would only be a couple of minutes until you reached its gates. The sound of his comical gasp got a sly smile out of you as you advanced onwards. Though, what you couldn’t see was his eyes on you as you walked along, no doubt tracking the movement of your backside with each step.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The palace training grounds were abuzz with activity. Soldiers, Umgadi, assassins and others alike were all going at it with their excellent displays of endurance. Grunts and clangs of weapons filled the air, the energy of everyone present was practically overflowing. You smiled at the sight greeting you as you walked in; you felt right at home.

After finishing the remainder of your pastry and bidding good morning to a few of the instructors, you walked around until you saw an empty training dummy, free for your use. After some stretching, you withdrew your bō staff and engaged in some practice. The noise of your weapon swinging through the air, the feeling of it striking the target’s material, the light sweat starting to form on your forehead, you loved it. Dopamine was coursing through your veins, you were working up such a nice sweat.

“There you are!”

The sudden sound of his voice made you jump a little, admittedly. You hit your training dummy a little too hard, a loud clang reverberating from the smack of your bō to the wood, something that you really didn’t appreciate.

You turned around, facing Johnny and his stupid smirk. You were so locked in with your training that you had no idea that he was standing behind you, hands on hips for Gods know how long.

"Did I scare you, Jade?" He laughed at you, a playful tone in his voice. He couldn’t hide the smirk on his face, nor did he make any attempt to. Why would he?

“Ugh…” Of course, you groaned in displeasure at the sight of him. It had admittedly slipped your mind that he was also headed for the Palace Dojo. For a second, the urge to smack him with your staff was there…

But it would be unwise to cause a scene.

"Aww, what’s with the groan? Not happy to see me?" He walked closer to you, a feigned look of concern on his face.

“No.” You bluntly stated as you swivelled around, not wishing to waste any more of your time here by going back and forth with Johnny. You picked your routine back up, hoping that he would just eventually go away and leave you be. The man came here to work out, not get on your nerves. Although, maybe that’s not how he saw it.

“Oh, come on! Don’t pretend like you don’t like my company, princess.” Your audience teased as he leaned against a nearby wall, arms folded, watching you intently.

You ignored him, channelling your building frustration into each strike of your bō. If you blocked him out for long enough, maybe he would take the hint. Yeah, that should work.

The way your movements were so fluid, so precise, it had Johnny entranced. He could feel his pants start to tighten at each flex of your muscles, blood flowing south at each flick of your braided her. Though, a wave of disappointment did flow through him at your lack of responses. He wasn’t used to women being able to resist his charm and good looks, seeing you brush him off like he was a piece of trash on the bottom of your shoe was a bit of a punch to the ego. But despite that, he didn’t linger on it for too long. After one last look at your… features, he walked off, looking for some dumbbells to warm up with.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Some time has passed.

You had really gotten into working the training dummy, exerting yourself perfectly. You forehead was damp and your hands were clammy, just how you liked it. You felt great, like the strong woman that you always portrayed to the world.

But this strong woman was thirsty. The desire for water kept building up until it became impossible to ignore. You’d been working hard, this was a great opportunity to take a little break. Leaning your staff against the wall, you walked away from the dented training dummy and over to the nearby water station. Your throat was screaming for an ice-cold drink, something to wet the desert in your mouth.

Once your cup was full, you eagerly gulped it down, pouring the cool liquid down your throat. Your thirst finally being quenched felt amazing, the sensation of your overheated body finally cooling down a little was so relieving.

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see somebody sauntering up to you. Hm, no matter. It could be another person queuing up to get some water, too. This station is communal, after all. Call it an intuition, but something was telling you that that wasn’t the case.

“Thirsty?” A deep voice could be heard calling out to you, one that was unfortunately familiar.

You turned around with a defeated sigh, your eyes clamped shut as you mentally prepared yourself to deal with the annoying pest that was Johnny Cage.

He was sweating buckets by this point. A few strands of hair were stuck to his forehead and his hand wraps were darkened with moisture. He hadn’t exactly been putting in his A-game, but he wasn’t half-assing it either.

The compression shirt he was wearing… Gods above. The sweat made the material cling to his skin even more, showing off his large, defined muscles. His broad, sculpted chest was practically bulging out of his shirt. The outline of his abs, all six of them, were heavily defined.

“Like what you see?” He asked, still cocky as always. The feeling of your eyes raking over him had his smirk involuntarily widen, it was such a delicious change of roles. It was a new sensation, knowing that he was able to make you react this way, and not his typical female fans who always threw themselves at him.

Now, you wouldn’t say that you were checking him out, per se, but…

Johnny in this state was insanely attractive, it was hard not to stare at the rock-hard abs under his shirt, or the way his chiselled face was framed under his damp hair. Just a few seconds of looking at all of those outlines was enough to rapidly send that dumb warm feeling into overdrive. This man was so-

Fuck, no! Whatever sorcery this was would NOT have an effect on you, in the name of the Elder Gods! Quickly, you tore your eyes away from him, sharply inhaling as you desperately tried to erase the mental image of what was infront of you. You took a few moments to compose yourself, before meeting Johnny’s sunglasses-covered gaze again.

“…Did you walk over here to pester me again, Cage?”

“Nope. Just coming to get some water.” He quipped with a grin, although your statement wasn’t 100% wrong.

He took a step towards you and, in response, you took a step away from him. One to the side, so that he had access to the water station, something that got a chuckle out of him. Look at you, trying to deny your little crush. How cute.

You didn’t have time for this. Your little break was over, you had drank all the water that you desired. You were supposed to be training, for the Gods sake. You weren’t supposed to be wasting time staring at Johnny and his… features!

You turned around, swivelling on the heels of your boots. Your training dummy, and your bō staff awaited you. However, just as you were walking away, Johnny’s voice calling out to you stopped you in your tracks.

“Hey, Jade!” He took a sip from his cup, clearing his throat before speaking again.

“Wanna spar with me?”

This… actually wasn’t that bad of an idea. The chance to channel out all of your Johnny Cage frustrations, as well as put said man in his place through kombat, was just too enticing to you. You took a moment to think about his question, your gaze on the floor as you thought about all the ways that you could beat Johnny into submission. Eventually, the pros vastly outweighed the cons. When was the last time you got a chance like this?

“…Yes, I do.” You turned around to face him, a small smile on your face.

“Sweet.” He said simply as he set his empty cup down on the edge of the water station.

You turned around to go and retrieve your weapon. A sly smile was plastered over your face as you walked. The mental image of finally putting this nuisance in his place was incredibly satisfying, your heart practically skipping beats over the fantasy.

Ah, but you only took a few steps before Johnny’s voice once again stopped you in your tracks.

“Oh, by the way, you can’t use your staff!”

Fuck. This was not what you wanted to hear. Your beloved bō was your main weapon, that green stick was what you mainly fought with.

…Not that it mattered. You were also thoroughly trained in hand-to-hand kombat, your karate prowess was something that you were confident in. A little rusty in, but still confident regardless. Yeah, you could definitely take Johnny without your staff.

Right?

“We’ll be fighting hand to hand, princess.” He teased, smirking at the way you stalled in your stride, his voice a deep purr that made your stomach jump.

Well, technically this was a fair fight. He always fought bare handed, it would only be fair for him that you also did so in this instance. You really shouldn’t be mad about it.

The both of you walked over to an empty mat, near the middle of the training grounds. After a few stretches, you took on a fighting stance, ready for what was to come.

“I promise I’ll be gentle, dollface.” He teased, his voice cocky as he too stretched. He took off his sunglasses and placed them down to the side, not before sneaking in a few flexing poses and then joining you.

A sparring match ensued.

Johnny was larger and physically stronger than you, that was true, but this did nothing to deter you. You were faster and more versed in martial arts than him. You were determined, you would beat this man.

Grunts could be heard from both of you as you two danced around the mat underneath. The occasional brief contact was electrifying for both you and him. This was surprisingly fun.

For Johnny, there was something incredibly exciting about this all. He loved it. The sight of you like this, your chest heaving from the constant movement, the way your body twisted and turned as you darted around… it was hot. Extremely hot. It made his heart race, rapidly thumping in his chest. Not only was he getting a great workout, but he was also getting some physical contact with you, to see your pretty face all flushed up close.

Unfortunately, Johnny was one of the few shit-talkers in the world that could actually back up their ego. You had forgotten how well he could actually fight, having only seen it a handful of times. And damn it, he could fight well. You could barely land a hit, no matter how hard you were trying. With every attempt to strike, he either blocked, dodged or countered. All with that stupid grin on his face. The way he would spin you around, laughing as he did so, it was like the two of you were dancing rather than fighting. It was so annoying - you thought this was going to be easy, too!

You were trying hard by this point. Your hits and kicks grew more sloppy, your strikes filled with frustration. The need to knock him on his ass was consuming you, overwhelming your mind. Why was it this damn hard?! 

To be fair to you, you were no slouch. You did get a few good licks in, and this whole thing did really keep you on your toes. You were an excellent fighter, both with and without your bō staff…

Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough.

Eventually, Johnny knocked you to the floor. You hit the ground hard, your exhaustion forcing your body to stay down as it recovered.

He was stood over you, his boots on either side of your hips. His grin was wide, to a near-sadistic degree. His heart was pumping wildly, the adrenaline coursing through his veins was borderline euphoric. Well, that and the sight of you between his legs was just-

You flopped onto your back, the feeling of your braid pressed up against your spine making you wince ever so slightly. Your eyes met his as they reopened.

You… you couldn’t believe this! Johnny Cage had just bested you? No fucking way. This couldn’t be happening. And yet… it was.

Oh, you were pissed. Your teeth were gritting hard, quiet growls were emanating from your snarling mouth. Johnny’s dumb grin only fanned the flames of your rage, his gleaming smile making you want to do something… dishonourable.

“Wow… I didn’t think you could be beaten that easily.” He snickered, his hands planting themselves on his hips. He felt like he was looking down at a masterpiece, like a Renaissance painting or something similar. “Were you even trying?”

“…Best two out of three.” You angrily spat out, refusing to look him in the eyes anymore. His remarks just further enraged you, you had to physically stop your leg from swinging up.

He let out a bark of laughter, damn did that sound fun. “Only if you can handle losing again.”

He held out his hand and pulled you up, the feeling of you crashing into his chest electrifying for both of you. He felt so firm, so warm, it had a weird effect on you.

It’s not like that led to anything, though. You took a few minutes to catch your breath, your hands on your knees as you keeled over. Your failure stung, you allowed your defeat to fuel the next round upcoming.

After you had your breath back, you walked back onto the mat, across from him. Taking on another fighting stance, you signalled that you were ready for the rematch.

A second sparring match ensued.

You and Johnny danced around, jabbing at and blocking each other’s strikes. That electric feeling that came with each brief moment of contact was back. You were now more familiar with his fighting style, now that you saw it up close. The same could be said for him. The knowledge of what the other were capable of, and how far their skills went, was there. It made you both more cautious, but this caution didn’t stop your mutual hits from being powerful and fast. 

Eventually, the fight concluded. Though, the outcome was not the same as the previous round.

In contrast, you had knocked Johnny to the floor, a sweep kick sending his body crashing to the mat with a thud. You stood over him, a shit-eating grin plastered on your face. This was great. Finally, you had proved your dominance bested him. Sure, it took two attempts, but you got there regardless.

You looked him up and down, he was laid out between your legs. Sure, that dumb warm feeling was there, but it was overshadowed by the overwhelming sensation of pride coursing through your veins. You had to bite your tongue to hold back a snicker as you watched him try to gather his bearings.

“Well… looks like I’m the one on my back for this one.” He said with a chuckle, still breathing heavier than normal from the fight.

You started to chuckle, a deep vibration emanating from your core. You couldn’t help it, the sight below was too great.

“That was fun.” Some of Johnny’s cockiness had rubbed off on you. Besting him had made you a little arrogant, it felt like a drug high. Your eyes were trailing over every inch of his body. The way his muscles flexed and contracted with each breath made you stare just a little too long, though he thankfully didn’t pick up on this.

“You’re starting to get cocky, princess…” He started to sit up a bit, wearing a smirk to mirror yours.

“Tch. Dunno what you’re talking about.” You scoffed, the high of the sparring round starting to wear off.

You bent down, extending an open hand to help him back up on his feet. This was a best two out of three, after all. The next round between you two was match point.

“Uh huh, if you say so….” He muttered as he took it, getting an unintentional faceful of your chest as you hoisted him up.

As he was catching his breath, you were fixing your hair as well as smoothing out your bodysuit. By this point, the goal of training was out of the window, the two of you were solely focused on sparring with each other. This was fun, you surprisingly both liked it.

After a few minutes, you were both ready for the final round. You both took your stances on the mat, ready to give it your all.

A third sparring match ensued.

Unlike the first two, this one was a little more… physical. You weren’t as reluctant to come into closer contact with Johnny, and he wasn’t as afraid to come into closer contact with you. To call it wrestling would be slightly more accurate than to call it sparring.

This round was more equal, more balanced. The two of you were now more familiar with styles of kombat. Not to say that it wasn’t fun, because this was incredibly entertaining. There was contact everywhere, the sounds of sweat-slicked clothes touching, heavy breaths, loud grunts and laughter. Johnny was laughing the entire round, and a smile could be found on your face as you tussled with the man.

The sparring match turned out to be the best fun both of you had had in a long time. You two were so different, but equally matched. It was great. But eventually, it had to end.

The round concluded with Johnny in a rather compromising position; you once again knocked him to the floor. You were now straddling his hips, sitting on top of him, your thighs on either side of his waist. You had his wrists pinned to the mat and above his head, looming over his shiny face with a sly smile. The round, and the two out of three, was yours.

No words were said between you two, you were each catching your breaths after such an intense few minutes. Your eye contact didn’t break, though. Both of your focuses were on the other’s slick faces, just… looking.

Johnny was breathing deeply, his chest rising and falling with each breath he took. Your thighs around his hips, your hands holding his wrists, your warm body quite literally surrounding him, the eye contact he held with you, all of it was driving him crazy.

Thank the Gods you were positioned on his stomach, and not a little lower. Otherwise, you would’ve felt something rising underneath.

Your grin faltered a little as your adrenaline wore off. With that, the feeling of Johnny’s body underneath you started to make itself clear. The way you were on top of him, you could feel his hard abs right under your thighs, under the area between them.

That warm feeling was certainly there, but this time it was spread throughout your whole body. The sight of a breathless Johnny, the feeling of his muscles underneath, the sweaty scent of him in general, it was all making you a little dizzy. Your eyes glossed over with desire, you couldn’t help the… impure thoughts that were now running through your mind. Your eyes travelled down to his lips. They were perfectly shaped, and parted a little so he could breathe. They looked so soft, so supple, you just wanted to-

No. You weren’t doing this. Not here, not now. You were in public, for the Elder Gods sake. There were plenty of people around! In the heat of your sparring, you both had admittedly forgotten that you were indeed still in the Palace training grounds.

As soon as your first true intimate moment started, it ended. You released your hold on his wrists, leaning back and taking a moment to stand up and breathe. Your company was still lying on the ground, blankly staring up at the ceiling. He was still trying to control his breathing, and to control his thoughts that were coincidentally running rampant right now. Your body against his felt great, like a perfect puzzle piece. You were so warm, like the world’s prettiest teddy bear. A teddy bear that just kicked his ass. He was glad that he was still on the ground, so that the accumulating blood in his dick could properly flow back into his body.

You took a few minutes to both catch your breath and to calm the electricity all inside of her. You hated how aroused you were. The adrenaline in your veins was almost fully worn off, the high was gone. You felt… sticky. The sweat covering you no longer added to the euphoria, now you just felt unclean. Your thighs subtly pressed together, to calm your pussy that was screaming for more. Whatever just happened can’t and won’t happen again…

…Right?

You couldn’t look at Johnny - not for now, anyway. Your back was turned to him, trying hard to snuff out your… unladylike thoughts.

Though, after a bit, you turned to face him, still on the floor. That warm feeling started to flare back up there and then, but you harshly stomped it out, forcefully. Whatever this was, you had had enough of it.

Through heaving breaths, you spoke out to him. “That… was…”

“Mmph… that… that was… fun.” He breathlessly agreed, running a hand down his face in an effort to cool down.

“Ha, sure. Fun.” You scoffed. Fun wasn’t really the word for it, but whatever. Johnny’s comment kind of brought you back to your senses. You allowed yourself to snicker a little, walking over and bending down slightly, extending out a hand, one that he accepted whilst avoiding your gaze.

“You fight well, Cage.” You complemented, once he was on his feet. You were now less focused on… whatever that was and more on your previous sparring. Admittedly, that was the most fun you had had in a while.

He gave you a smug, flashy grin. “What can I say? I’m very talented.”

“Well, you weren’t talented enough to best me two times.” You placed a hand on your hip, eyes narrowing as your lips curved upwards into a snarky smile.

“Oh? And you didn’t use your… feminine wiles on me to win, did you?” He jabbed as he mirrored your stance, taking on an expression just as sassy.

In an instant, you were rendered extremely flustered. The conceit on your face fell through, your smile dropping like the first splatter of rain. You hated what he was implying. Feminine wiles? By the Gods.

You tried to splutter out a response, something to one-up this bastard, but the noises that came out of your mouth were not coherent. Thankfully, your rosy cheeks could be covered up by the adrenaline of your sparring, and not from your companion’s silly comment.

“…I don’t have time for this. It is time I return to MY training.” You finally spat out, giving Johnny a scowl before spinning on your heels, strutting back towards your neglected training dummy and bō staff.

“What, got all hot and bothered from me calling you out?! I mean, can ya blame me, princess?!” He called out to you, snickering as you stormed away. He had only been messing with you, and this was the exact reaction he wanted. You never failed to deliver!

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The rest of the day played out normally. Well, as normally as it could.

You spent the rest of your day training, honing your bōjutsu prowess. Every now and then, the memory of your and Johnny’s little… moment did flash through your mind, and that stupid warm feeling started to flare up again. And, as soon as the memory formed, you shoved it to the back of your mind, where it belongs. Why did your stomach feel all weird and light whenever you thought about how Johnny was pinned underneath you? Why did you kind of like the sensation? What the fuck was this?

You channelled all of your frustrations into your bō strikes. You hated this weird hold him and his presence held over you. It’s almost like you liked him or something- 

Ugh, by the Gods, NO! A woman of your standards could never stoop so low. You - Jade Houzuki - absolutely, 100% did NOT have a stupid schoolgirl crush on Johnny Cage…

Right?

Speaking of, Johnny had cut his training short a while back. You had really riled him up, he couldn’t focus on his exercise without thinking about how you were literally on top of him. He stepped out of the training grounds a few hours ago, he needed some air. And that’s when, by a fortunate coincidence, he crossed paths with Kitana. And, well… it really wasn’t hard to imagine what happened next.

The two of them ended up in a private area of the palace, rather… indecent. Johnny was completely ravishing the princess. His hands were everywhere over her body, his mouth marking whatever bare skin it could find. Kitana was pressed up against the wall, stifling her moans as he had his way with her. Despite their status, they were both equally passionate about each other, and that translated into how they acted when they had moments alone.

This was great, he had taken his attention off of one beautiful woman and was now focused on another. You had put him in the mood, and Kitana was the woman he was taking all of it out on.

He needed to get his feelings out of his system somehow.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

By now, it was the evening. Sun Do’s skies had a lovely amber hue to them, it darkened with each passing hour.

You were still in the training grounds. You were one of the few people still working out at this point. You had exhausted yourself, your body was now completely drenched with sweat, the green of your outfit way darker than this morning. Training was great and all, but at the end of the day, you were still human. You needed to rest, you needed to give your exhausted muscles a chance to cool down.

You were finishing up for today, strapping your bō staff back to your hip, looking forward to the cooldown that was the walk back to Liu Kang’s estate. Today was great, the incident between you and Johnny actually ended up fuelling your energy for training. All the others that you sparred with this afternoon stood no chance against you, today’s palace dojo’s champion.

You were so focused on cooling down that you didn’t even notice a small serving boy shuffle into the grounds, making his way over to you.

“…Excuse me, Lady Houzuki?” The serving boy meekly spoke up after a few moments of standing across from you, working up the courage to catch the attention of your intimidating presence.

You turned around upon the mention of your name. You did have a slight scowl on your face, admittedly expecting Johnny and his dumb smirk to be right behind you. Ugh, what did he want now?

Your harsh expression softened when your eyes settled on this boy. He was tiny, at least a foot and a half shorter than you. He was shuffling around in his spot, his hands fiddling with each other, too afraid to make eye contact with you. Your expression softened even more when you realised that this boy reminded you of Hiroshi when he was younger.

“Yes, child?”

He fidgeted some more, though once you spoke to him, he finally looked up to make eye contact with you. Despite the fear of the scary assassin in front of him, the boy still had a task to carry out.

“L-Lord Liu Kang wishes to speak to you.”

“He does?” Your eyes widened, the mention of Liu Kang capturing your interest.

“Y-yes, ma’am.” He nodded, his voice a little shaky. “Please follow me.”

The young boy made a beckoning motion at you. He walked at a steady pace, leading you out of the training grounds. You both made your way through the lavish corridors of the palace, the boy craning his head behind him every now and then, making sure that you were still following him.

He led you out of the palace, through Sun Do’s streets, and to Liu Kang’s estate. The walk had concluded right outside the door of his study. Walking in to see Johnny staring back at you was weird, to say the least. Neither of you expected to see each other again so soon.

He was about to greet you with one of his typical flirtatious comments, but a quick, sharp glare from Liu Kang shut his mouth before he could form a word.

Turns out, Liu Kang had summoned you both for your next mission. After the revelation that Shang Tsung was concocting a modified version of Tarkat, he thought it wise to craft a means of potential prevention. He needed samples of Tarkatan DNA, for the palace scientists to work on and derive an antidote from, just in case the worst happens. Considering the success of your past two missions, both you and Johnny were selected for this new one.

Their mission was to travel to a Tarkatan colony, a few hours away from Sun Do, and retrieve DNA samples. Simple enough, right?

“So, do the two of you understand?” Liu Kang had just finished informing you both on what needed to be done, he was now awaiting your mutual confirmation with a patient look.

“Yeah, sure. Me and Jade will get it done. That’s a promise.” Johnny had to hold back his giddiness as he spoke to Liu Kang, the usual cockiness in his voice ever-present. His smirk was snarky as he turned to look over at you, that ‘bring-it-on’ look in his eyes practically shining.

“Yes, Lord Liu Kang. We will not fail you.” You returned Johnny’s smirk with a judgmental side-eye. You were admittedly less annoyed about the current circumstances than you should be, but you still weren’t exactly ecstatic about it. Though, Johnny is a great fighter, some good extra brawn. It’s not like this was a total loss.

Liu Kang nodded, satisfied by your conformations. He glanced at your determined and, dare he say, fierce expression. Then, he looked at Johnny’s contrasting smirk. He wasn’t a fool, he noticed how with each mission, you and Johnny seemed to grow a little closer. He had high hopes for this new one. Maybe, just maybe, the possibility of a good friendship between you both is still in the cards.

Hm…

A/N: merry christmas xoxo

[starstuddedevents]

Are you ready for a week of good old fashioned halloween fun? Join Star Studded HQ as we embark on the scare of a lifetime down in New Orleans.

THIS IS A MANDATORY EVENT! All celebs must be in attendance. If you're on hiatus during this week, we completely understand and would just ask you make an effort to say your celebrities were there.

For any social media posts or outfits your celebs might wear, please be sure to tag #starstuddedhalloween24. We highly encourage plotting and would be thrilled to recieve some gossip tips for any drama that might occure.

Below the cut there will be an itinerary posted for ideas of which we hope will spark some creativity. Of course, these are all just suggestions and your celeb does not have to attend every single event that is posted.

Another post will be made in due time with details regarding accomodation and the roommates list.

* THIS EVENT WILL BE RUNNING FROM OCTOBER 26TH TO NOVEMBER 1ST. *

DAY ONE

Saturday October 26th

ARRIVAL

At 3pm promptly, guests will start arrive to 'The Ritz-Carlton' in New Orleans, where they will be staying for Halloween week.

SETTLING INTO ROOMS AND MEETING ROOMMATES

Between the hours of 3:10pm to 5:50pm, guests will be escorted to their rooms to settle in, unwind from their travels and meet up with their aasigned roommates.

HALLOWEEN FEAST

As a warm welcome, from 6pm a huge welcome feast will be thrown for the guests in The Ritz-Carlton's dining area. This will give celebrities chance to mingle, enjoy the company around them and fill their stomachs with tantalising food and drink, perfect for a fall evening before settling down for the night.

DAY TWO

Sunday October 27th

BREAKFAST

From 6am, all the way through to 12pm, The Ritz-Carlton will be serving delicious breakfast options for their guests. The celebs have endless options including, savoury muffins, avocado toast, porridge, hashbrowns, pancakes and more.

HALLOWEEN MARKET

between the hours of 9am to 5am, local markets will open up in the towns around New Orleans for people to browse. Given the time of year, these vendors usually sell an array of halloween and fall inspired nick-nacks, clothes, decor, as well as food and drink.

ROCK THE BOAT - HALLOWEEN BOAT RIDE

Celebs are encourage to join in the party on New Orleans most popular halloween boat ride as they sail down the Mississipi River. Departing at 7pm sharp, enjoy everyone's favourite spooky classic songs performed by a live band. Food and liquor will be provided upon arrival. Halloween attire is optional, but a small effort is preferable. Celebs be returned back to the docks at 9pm.

ALL DAY, OUTDOOR MOVIE THEATRE

Through out the entire day of the 27th, a local movie theatre known as "The Broad Theatre" will showing all of the classic slasher movies for everyone to enjoy for a full 24 hours. Classic movie snacks and drinks will be served. People attending are encouraged to wrap up warm and bring their own blankets to fight the Fall chill in the air.

DAY 3

Monday October 28th

BREAKFAST

Breakfast at The Ritz-Carlton will once again be served from 6am, finishing at slightly earlier time of 11am. There will still be a variety of breakfast options to keep guests happy.

FALL TIME FOOD FEST

Between the hours of 12:30pm and 3pm, the streets and communities of New Orleans will come together to host an outdoor fall time food festival, featuring sensational treats to fill guests stomachs and autumnal drinks to fit the vibe. as a source of entertainment, live music will be played by a local bad, along with a variety of halloween activities including apple bobbing and a scavenger hunt for an engaging experience everyone can enjoy.

ZOMBIE PAINTBALL

From 3:30pm to 5:30pm, celebs are invited to a the "NOLA paintball park" where they're encouraged to act like children again. Guests vs Zombies. The mission to survive while being chased around by a team of actors with professionally applied zombie makeup as they stay in character and hunt the guests down with paintball guns.

COCKTAIL PARTY

At the historic "Derbes Mansion" (rumoured to be haunted), located in the beautiful Esplanade Ridge neighborhood in New Orleans, guests are invited to attend a sophisticated cocktail party beteeen the hours of 6:30pm - 9pm.

DAY FOUR

Tuesday October 29th

BREAKFAST

As usual, breakfast will be served been the hours of 6am and 12pm at The Ritz-Carlton.

HOWL-O-WEENIE

For some lighthearted fun, guests are invited to Magazine Street in new orleans to witness the frighteningly sweet dog costume contest between 1pm - 3pm. All breads of dogs are welcomed and will be scored by a panel of judges on their costume. With canines involved, it'll be hard not to drop dead from cuteness overload.

GHOST HUNTING

For those that believe in an afterlife, from 3:30pm - 5pm, guests are invited to take a walk on the spooky side as they search for the paranormal (with professional equipment) at a famous haunted hotel in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

MURDER MYSTERY DINNER

Hosted by "the dinner detectives" at the Doubletree New Orleans airport, between 6:00pm - 8pm guests asked to wear their best clothes, as they are tasked to assess clues to solve a terrible crime while feasting on a fantastic meal. Guest are asked to be vigilant, the culprit is hiding in plain sight somewhere in the room.

VIVACIOUS BURLESQUE EXPERIENCE: DEVILS NIGHT

For one night only, between the hours of 8:30pm - 10:30pm, experience a devilishly outrageous evening of all-star burlesque entertainment, death defying circus feats and a dazzling array of haunting variety acts on the big stage. Hosted at the "joy theatre" in new orleans.

DAY FIVE

Wednesday October 30th

BREAKFAST

The day will once again begin with breakfast provided by the Ritz-Carlton between 6am and 12am.

PUMPKIN CARVING

In the spirit of all things halloween, the Coyote Ugly Saloon in New Orleans is hosting a pumpkin carving contest between 12:30am and 1:30am.

HALLOWEEN PARADE

From 2:00pm to 5pm "crew of brew" will be throwing their yearly halloween parade. Featuring mind blowing floats alongside beautifully horrific props and sculpture, with wonderfully terrifying actors playing their parts. Thjd won't be an event to miss. Loud music to be played, drinks and food available. The route begins in Elysian Fields Aenue and will end in Andrew Higgins Drive.

A SANDRRSON DRAG-TACULAR

Between the hours of 5:30pm and 7pm, guests are invited to the "always lounge & cabaret" for what promises to be mesmerising time. Enjoy the incredible talents of local New Orleans drag queens as they bring the house down with their wicked humour, fierce moves and captivating perfomance, all while capturing the essence of popular halloween characters.

BAR CRAWL

Hosted by "brews and boos" between 8pm and 2am, guests are invited to join the halloween inspired bar crawl. Local bars in the Feench Quarter of New Orleans have all come to together for this event. Spooky themed cocktails along with usually alcohol beverages will be served as guests are escorted from bar to bar.

DAY SIX

Thursday October 31st

BREAKFAST

As usually, breakfast will be served between 6am and 12pm in The Ritz-Carlton.

THE ESCAPE GAME

The escape game is an escape room in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Guests will have one hour (2:30pm - 3:30pm) after entering to find their way out. the 60 minute adventure will have a unique, immersive, halloween twist which ensures a thrilling adventure to the finish line.

NIGHTMARE HAUNTED HOUSE

From 4:30pm to 6pm, guest are invited to attend a ghoulish, haunted house in Elmwood, New Orleans. Professional actors will be dected in their most terrifying costumes, aiming to scare the pants off the people who dare enter. With incredible props and a professionally created sets, guests are asked to enter this house at their own risk.

HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARTY

Hosted at The Ritz-Carlton, grand ballroom between 8pm and 4am. Guests must be wearing costumes in order for entery to join in on the fun. An open bar, fun music and a good time for all. This halloween party is not one to be missed.

DAY SEVEN

Friday November 1st

BREAKFAST

For the last time, The Ritz-Carlton will be hosting breakfast from the hours of 6am and 12pm.

CHECKOUT AND DEPARTURE.

After a fun week of halloween festivities, guests must say goodbye to New Orleans as they enter back into the 'normalcy' of their own daily lives.