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secret-smut-sideblog · 1 year ago

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(sooo thought I should probably masterlist these so here you go, have fuuun) nsfw in red, pg-13 in ourple

I'm also on ao3!

Dragon Age fics

It Happened Quiet - (a short slutty lucanis x f! rook drabble)

idk what to call this series yet (I update on ao3 first! ❤️)

Please Be Rude - short and indulgent introduction to my rook and lucanis' dynamic. written pre-release so forgive ooc or contradictions. part one. lol. lmao even

House of Self-Undoing - After they came to an agreement to be bound to one another, Lucanis invites his deadly charge out for coffee...

Leave the Bodies Where They Lay - After receiving the gift of her touch, Lucanis finds himself raw with regret. And with another mourn watcher joining their ranks, Rook must endure her rage at being turned away from her home...

Sleeping With the Lights On

Pushing it Down and Praying

The Wolf - Waking in a prison, Lavellan finds herself the captive, then leader, of a force trying to close a rift in the sky. Recruiting a gruff dark stranger in her journey...

I Who Bend the Tall Grasses

The Bear and The Dove (lavellan x blackwall, ANGST, slowburn, smut, completed (?) series)

The Raven - After her estranged clan contacts her, Vella loses her composure when the Chancellor spews hate at her. But her guard dog is all too happy to bite...

The Lamb - The rift set to be closed once and for all, Vella hopes to spend one last night in his arms. The world set to crash down around them, she must finally sleep...

The Sparrow - In her purgatory of snow, Vella tries to reach somewhere shaped like home. Her love and her cause lost to her, a voice guides her forward...

The Hound - Finally reaching Skyhold, Vella reaches her breaking point after Blackwall pulls and pushes her away again. Anger flaring hot into him when he comes to darken her balcony...

The Swan - Following the anger Vella had burned into him, and her silent forgiveness, Blackwall seeks her out to ask for something shaped like atonement. And to maybe, selfishly, hope for something more...

The Spider - Fallen through a rift, then back into the world, Vella finds herself wracked with grief. Her love there to catch her, and unravel some long held grief of his own...

The Halla - Reunited with a Dalish clan, Vella hopes to help any way she can. And, returned to the soft of his bed, hopes her love will let her help him as well...

The Dove - Using the full force of her foresight and the strife within decisions made, Celene's Grand Ball proves to be bloodstained and venomous. Leaving Vella exhausted to old and new injuries, tenderly caught by his soft love...

The Mockingbird - Chasing after the trail of her runaway love, Vella is forced to see his crimes firsthand...

The Phoenix - The trial to judge her lost love upon her, she must make two heavy choices with new eyes that will change everything...

The Fox - Still on the tender outskirts of her love, Blackwall struggles with regaining her full favor as they must venture to a monumental decision in the Arbor Wilds...

The Rabbit - The battle for all of Thedas nearly drawn to their door, Vella and her bear share an urgent night of passion before it all falls around them...

Monster Fucker fics

Bones of Ribbon - Headlights had been a consistent bother in her new home. On a rainy night, she had enough. Assuming an inconsiderate neighbor, she discovered something far different on the street below...

Tongues and Teeth - When her monster comes to her again, Merricat learns more about them. And as they are comforted in her, are drawn ever closer...

You've Seen The Butcher - Fate conspires to put Merricat in the path of Blackwood's hunger. To feed their need and their desire, and the intertwining of both, she opens herself to them...

Oneshots

Devourer - (astarion x f! reader) Your beloved vampire has gotten very comfortable with you. But you wonder of he's been holding back some of his more supernatural tendencies...

Bloodlust - (astarion x f! tav) Tav invites her bloodthirsty friend out for some late night reconnaissance, both of their cravings being fed...

Lay on Hands - (astarion x f! tav) In the early hours of the morning someone cant keep their hands to themselves...

Pulling Strings - (astarion x f! tav) Tav has caught on that her favorite vampire doesn't enjoy touching or being touched by others. But she has a suggestion to possibly help that piques his interest...

Satiated - (astarion x f! dark urge) With Astarion starving in the Underdark his bloodthirsty friend sees his hunger, knows it quite well. And with a promised death in their future, seeks to help him sate himself...

Cold Comfort - (astarion x f! dark urge) Finally reaching Moonrise Towers, she finds her urge overtaking her, taking an innocent life. Astarion seeks to keep her company through the long night...

Heavy Metal Lover - (karlach x f! tav) With her touch newly returned, Karlach is hungry for contact. Seeking out Tav for a little hand to hand combat that quickly turns heated...

What Lies Between - (gale x f! tav) After a magical misfire, Tav and Gale are trapped tight between stone. Weeks of sexual tension between sorcerer and wizard come to a head...

Possession - (gale x f! tav) With natural challenge and charge between them and a misstep at connection, an unexpected competitor appears in camp. Things must come to a burning head between sorcerer and wizard...

Night Wandering - (gale x f! tav) After Tav's little magic lesson from her favorite wizard and the heat momentarily shared between them, she's feeling pent up. If only his tent wasn't directly next to hers...

Black Out Days - (gale x f! tav) Tav's pain rising to an unbearable level, she indulges in some found herbs to find relief. But her sanctuary is laced with some heated side effects...

Supine Bound - (gale x f! tav) With Tav believing she's crossed a boundary of intimacy twice with Gale, she invites the wizard to get some retribution...

Warm Company (halsin x f! tav) With her crush on the vampire tearing her heart, a large kind druid seeks to make her feel wanted...

You Know Me Too Well (gortash x f! dark urge) After the coronation, she can't get the familiarity he showed her out of her mind. She needs answers, and the Archduke is more than happy to indulge her...

Eyes on Fire (gortash x f! dark urge) The visage of the Archduke won't leave her, and itching for blood, his favorite assassin is about to pay the Lord a very welcome visit...

North Star (kar'niss x f! tav) Finding a drider in the darkness, Tav offers for him to join her party. The safety and clarity he receives in her presence and her surprising admiration spurn his many legs to move much nearer...

Miniseries

When The Night Is Over - (1/2) Tav was no stranger to vampiric hunger and found her new companion in the throes of it. He held tightly to his mask, but her offer to guide him could crumble it...

Even If It Bleeds - (2/2) When a hunter threatens one of her own, Tav urges Astarion to take matters into his own hands. Further encouraging him to seek out his own needs, his own desire...

Pillow Talk (1/2) Tav innocently offered to help Astarion with his morning routine. But things get very close, and Astarion is shocked how her sweet face belies the sinful mouth she has...

Lover, Please Stay (2/2) Tav keeping him at arms length, Astarion makes a plan to woo her back into his good graces. But his hunger, for her and her blood, proves distracting...

Warm Water (gale x f! tav) 1/3 With one of Tav's love languages being physical affection, Gale tries to keep his touch hungry skin from her. The sirens call of her arms could overwhelm him, but he's far from the only one heeding her soft song...

Warm Honey (gale / halsin x f! tav) 2/3 Both druid and wizard seeking out her warmth, Gale makes a plan to win her affections. Yet both scent and sound could conspire to be his undoing...

Warm Blood (gale / astarion x f! tav) 3/3 With a sanguine competitor now circling with the large druid, Gale can no longer put off his advances...

Girl Talk - (1/4) One late night Astarion turned their conversation to a more sensual topic and was delighted to discover Tav lacked experience with men. Naturally he was more than happy to lend a hand...

It Will Come Back - (2/4) Their shared night has been tormenting him, after staking his claim he found himself needing to be near her. And after a night of drinking, seeing her with someone else, he had to have her again...

Heat Signature - (karlach x tav, 3/4) After nearly freezing to death Tav needs Karlach near. Very near, it seems...

Unpunishable - (4/4) After Karlach spent the night with Tav, Astarion is feeling very normal about it. So normal that he needs her in his tent all night. Just to feed, he swears...

The Tav in question... (for reference)

Child Of Dawn series

(gale x f! tav, slow burn, completed)

Nightcall

Non Believer

Dream Girl Evil

Let Me Follow

To Build A Home

Bedroom Hymns

Listen Before I Go

Many Hands

Faith Consuming Hope

A Hole In the Earth

Keep the Rain

What The Water Gave Me

the girlypop... (aurum, my tav)

Gale and Aurum, Bad Ending (pain!)

Prayer Factory - (gale x f! tav, named) Aurum steels herself to face her old demons at the temple, with her love at her side. But the adrenaline of confrontation leaves her coiled, and a wizard very eager to take her wrath...

Gold Satin Dreamer - (gale x f! tav, named) Inviting his radiant wife to give a presentation at Blackstaff, Gale notices the longing gaze of his less than friendly colleague...

Hard Times - (gale x f! tav, named) After a venomous spat with Gale, Aurum finds herself in the prison of her dreams again. But with several pairs of hands cradling her, she doesn't have to weather it alone. And, perhaps, find her own vindication in the aftermath...

Nose to the Grindstone - (gale x f! tav, named) Aurum and Gale fucking in the dirt. They were left alone at camp, it's not their fault. Smh.

Exhale Inhale - (gale x f! tav, named) After Aurum took a hard hit in battle, Gale blames himself for a break in his concentration. Requesting they practice something a little rough for him to hone his skills...

House of the Rising Sun - (halsin x f! tav, named) After Gale received the Annuls of Karsus, and the subsequent break of Aurum's heart, she cannot shake the lingering betrayal. Driving her to the strong shoulder and warm arms of another...

AA Break Up Series

(ascended astarion x f! tav, drama and smut, completed)

We The Drowned

Take Me Back To Eden (shadowheart × f! tav)

Like Real People Do (halsin x f! tav)

I Should Hate You

Chokehold

What Kind Of Man (gale x f! tav)

Seven Devils

All I Wanted

The Moon Will Sing

Strawberry Wine (gale x f! tav)

As It Was

Astarion x Dark Urge

(astarion x f! durge, tenderness and smut, completed)

Dark Signs

Bite The Hand

Prey Drive

A Dangerous Thing

My Love Is A Dagger

Bloodcall

Little Miss Murder herself (my durge)

Distance

(astarion x f! plus fized tav, tenderness and smut, completed NOTE: these are old as hell lol)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

First Light (Prologue)

The Drow (indulgent prologue chapter)

My Portrait of Tav (I do be drawing..)

Tav Headcanons (being indulgent)

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babyniigo · 2 months ago

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Caregiver Emu for Little Nene? Maybe something where they're riding coasters and stuff at the Wonderoands x Showtime theme park!

I rlly like your stuff ty ty tyyy!!

CG! Emu and Little! Nene

Emu is the bestest caregiver in the world! Whenever she has her little on her arms, she’s quick to care for them and cheer them up! ��₍ ´ ꒳ `₎ა

Little nene is soooo shy! She keeps hiding behind her cgs usually, but when she’s beside Emu, she feels safe enough to hold her hand and walk by her side ૮꒰ ྀི >⸝⸝⸝< ྀི꒱ა

As long as Emu is holding her hand, Nene feels sooo safe and happy! Which is why Emu always takes her to Phoenix Wonderland to keep her baby entertained!!! ໒꒰ྀི˶˃ᆺ˂˶꒱ྀི১

I think they love riding the teacups together, the ferris wheel, and any boat rides ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა

Because they’re all such safe and nice options and nene can snuggle with her cg without being surrounded by too many people! ૮꒰ྀི∩´ ᵕ `∩꒱ྀིა

I think Emu tends to buy them matching headbands, matching plushies, and matching meals and nene feels delighted to be matching with her cg! ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡

Plus she feels so cute and small when she’s wearing cute headbands and holding soft plushies ૮ ⸝⸝っ·̫ •⸝⸝ ྀིა

Also also!! Emu takes them to a nice cafe in Phoenix Wonderland, where she spoon feeds Nene and wipes her mouth with a napkin when they’re done nomming! ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა

To end the fun day! Emu takes Nene on the ferris Wheel and they cuddle their while watching the sunset! Nene gets a bit sleepy because she feels so safe and cozy by Emu’s side! (⸝⸝ᴗ_ᴗ⸝⸝) z z 𐰁

Haiii! I saw your other ask and don’t worry thankfully it wasn’t eaten! I’ll be doing ur new reqs too so don’t you worry hehe! ପ(๑•ᴗ•๑)ଓ ♡ Thank u for all your support and for requesting! And also for alll your kind words I hope you have a wonderful day! ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ♡‧₊˚

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writing-until-i-drop · 3 months ago

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Wildflowers For A Hangman Ch. 15

Summary:

Daisy, a career novelist, moves in with her college best friend Phoenix who has been permanently assigned to Top Gun with Dagger Squad. She finds herself instantly connected with a cocky pilot who's soft only for her and Jake can't help but want to know everything about her. When the past comes knocking at both of their doors, will they stand together or fall apart?

Or: The Dagger Squad can't cook and Jake falls in love with a woman who makes a mean lasagna while they work their personal trauma.

Jake "Hangman" Seresin x writer!femOC | 18+ (eventually) minors dni. Fluff, smut (eventual), idiots in love, past trauma.

A/N: Daisy spends time with Jake's family and Jake tries his best to get back to her.

AO3 Link

Previous Chapter

Helen came over first thing in the morning, helping mama and I cook biscuits and gravy from scratch. She brought a scrapbook with pictures of her, Caroline, and Jake as kids and sat with me in the living room, flipping through them.

“Thank you for not telling him,” Helen squeezed my hand. “It’s got to be hard not being honest with him.”

“Penny, she’s engaged to their squad leader Maverick, said they probably won't get any phone time. Maybe five minutes the whole deployment so hopefully, he’ll be back before I get put in the position of lying to him.” Helen squeezed my hand again,

“We’ve been worrying ourselves sick on how to tell him, pops wanted to tell him right away but we were all just so…”

“Worried, I get it,” I rubbed my thumb over her knuckles. “But the second he gets back from his mission, I’m telling him and no one is going to stop me.”

“You’re practically married already,” Helen teased. “I would be the same way if it was my husband.” I sighed, resting my head on her shoulder,

“You all seem really sure that Jake and I are going to get married.” Helen laughed, squeezing my hand.

“Well, it’s more like hoping but you have to see it from our perspective.” I turned to face Helen head on, her eyes were soft and unguarded, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Jake’s never been serious about a girl before, he never even brought a girl home during high school and those girls already knew us.”

“Seriously?” I shook my head, laughing softly, “I mean, if there was anyone I would have wanted my parents to meet it would have been Jake. No, don’t make a sad face,”

“This isn’t my sad face,” Helen scrunched her nose.

“It is your sad face, it’s Jake’s sad face too.” Helen broke first and it felt good to be laughing alongside her, like I wasn’t alone in this situation. “Come on, I think it’s time I teach you how to bake my M&M cookies.”

Helen had to head out after the cookies were finished and I made up a plate with two of them, humming my way down the hallway to the small office pops had been holed up in all day.

“Pops?” I knocked on the door softly, opening it when I heard him welcome me in. “I brought you some cookies, I know you don’t have an appetite right now but I have your son’s assurance that you’re a man with a sweet tooth.”

“Is that right?” He chuckled, his frail frame shaking. “When I smelled them, I was hoping there would be some for me.”

“I’ll give mama my recipe if you like them,” I laid the plate down on the desk, rubbing his shoulder. “If you like lasagna, I can also make that for dinner one night.” Pops smiled up at me and I could see the man Jake would grow up to be in his eyes and it made my insides go all gooey, thinking about running my fingers through Jake’s hair when it was gray like pop’s.

“You don’t have to, sweetheart. You’re a guest here,” I shook my head,

“I like feeding others. Plus, cooking will help me keep my mind off of everything.”

“I’m real sorry you had to be put in the middle of all this,” He ran a hand over his face, “We should have told him when this whole mess started again but the timing never seemed right according to my girls.” Pops sighed, “I regret it now, meeting you, I know you would have helped him through it.”

“There’s no need to second guess it, Pops. If he makes it here in time, we’ll all help him through it. If he doesn’t, I’ll make sure he’s taken care of and we’re all going to be here for you.” I rubbed his shoulder reassuringly, “Eat your cookies, I’ll go talk to mama about when I can make that lasagna.”

It took two days to convince mama to let me cook dinner for the family and she insisted on helping me every step of the way. She shooed me out of the kitchen when the dish went into the oven, banishing me before I could get a head start of the dishes. When pops found me wandering the halls, looking at the plethora of pictures hanging on the walls.

“Smells good out there, she kick you out?”

“I tried to start the dishes,” I laughed, sipping on the wine mama had pushed into my hand. “Care to give me a tour of these photos?”

“It would be my pleasure,” He offered his arm and I took it, letting him lean on me as we walked down the hall. Pops stopped at each photo, telling the story behind each one. The day that Caroline won the state science fair, the first time Helen rode barrels, and Jake’s Eagle Scout ceremony. The Seresin family history was lined up on the walls, neatly hung and perfectly dusted.

“Oh my goodness, they look so beautiful,” I gasped, spotting the photos of each of the girls on their wedding days, being walked down the aisle by pops. He pulled me to a stop in front of them, a ghost of a smile on his pale face.

“I walked my other two girls down the aisle on their big days,” Pops squeezed my arm. “And if you’ll do me the honor, I’d like to do the same for you. Then I’ll hang your picture on this wall too.”

“Are you sure?” I wiped at the tears that had spilled down my cheeks, feeling a mixture of elation and sadness, once again reminded that my dad wouldn’t be there to walk me down the aisle himself.

“I’m sure,” He kissed my temple. “You’re going to be a beautiful bride, just like my other girls.”

The last thing I wanted to do after getting back to base was to sit on a flight to Texas but it was the only way to get to Daisy, so I bought a ticket in the Uber to the airport. Rooster had taken my gear back to base for me and I knew I still smelt of jet fuel and sweat but I didn’t want to wait, all I could think about was getting to Daisy.

“You look excited, Lieutenant,” The older woman at the desk smiled as she printed my ticket. “Going to meet someone special?”

“My girl’s waiting for me in Texas,” I was grinning like an idiot, “Can’t wait to see her.”

“Well, have a fun trip then,” She passed back my military ID and ticket, pointing me towards the terminal I needed to be in. I just couldn’t knock the smile off of my face, even as I passed through TSA. I decided against giving anyone a heads up that I was on my way, wanting to surprise them instead.

I waited patiently, tapping on my knee until boarding, listened to the flight attendants give the safety briefing, and then closed my eyes. After a few minutes there was an announcement that we were waiting for one final safety measure to be checked off but it didn’t bother me. I was on the plane and just a few minutes away from being in the air.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your pilot. I’m sorry to say that this flight has been canceled due to the flight crew reaching their maximum allowed hours. When we pull back to the gate, please make your way to the help desk to rebook your flight.” The plane erupted in angry shouts and groans. I ran a hand down my face, what the hell was I going to do now?

Taglist: @dizzybee03 @littlezee80 @nervousenemyduck @carolina-on-my-mind03 @mizzzpink @beltzboys2015-blog @writingrose @hookslove1592 @closetspngirl @samanddeaninatrenchcoat @shanimallina87 @owenniasstars @cevansbaby-dove

#top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick #bet writes #jake seresin #fanfic #hangman x oc #jake seresin x oc #wildflowers for a hangman fic

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shirohige-pirates · 23 days ago

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A Truly Mythological Christmas

Cisfem!Reader x Marco the Phoenix

Also on Wattpad // Ao3

18+ - this story is going to get steamy in ways not allowed for your holiday Lifetime specials. Swearing, cheating, assassins, intrigue - you know, all that simple small town stuff.

Chapter 5: Chill

“You don’t seem to be stocking up for any proper feasts,” you admit, sitting out on the porch was Dadan the next day. “I expected we’d be making another run today to get ahead of the last-minute shoppers.”

You were dressed warmly enough, you more than Dadan, who was a bit of a human space heater on her own. Drinking coffee after breakfast was enough to keep you warm with little more than some jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and a flannel. The wool-lined boots weren’t hurting anything, but your favorite thing about them was being able to wiggle your toes because the insulation was so thick and squishy.

It was like having nice thick socks with tread.

“Thatch offered for me and the boys to celebrate the holidays up at the manor.” She answers. “I made sure you were welcome.”

“I’m sure they’re making enough food to feed the town if they wanted to.” You grin.

“You did push him in the lake.” Dadan muses, giving you a sideways look.

“He deserved it.” You insist. “Besides, I bet he’d be more likely to offer an apology than bar me from the manor. At least over that incident.” Pausing a moment you take a drink of your coffee. “When I threatened to cut his pompadour that was maybe a bit much on my part.”

Dadan laughs. “Boy sure does like his hair, I’ll give him that. He’s a good lad though.”

“Mm.” You agree taking another drink. “Ah! No playing match maker while I’m here.” You point, and Dadan is pointedly not looking at you. “I want to relax. No ‘oh she’s single now’, none of that ‘I bet he’d be willing to move to the city’, either. The best I can hope for at this point is a one night stand with someone hornier than a brass orchestra.”

Dadan nearly chokes on her coffee and you laugh. “Sorry about that mom.”

“Just watch those comparisons around the boys.” She grumbles, mopping up the few drops of coffee that got away from her. “I don’t need them catching me off guard like that.”

“Not for a few more years at least.” You muse. “Ah, that reminds me, Makino told me about the halvard, and I was going to head up to the hill and pay my respects.”

“Don’t take the tunnels.” She says. “There’s a lot of memorial items in them from the townsfolk and so they haven’t been cleaning them out. Hard to say what’s decided to nest in there, best to just drive up to the overlook and hike a bit.”

“Alright.”

You and Dadan both watch as a silver car comes down the road and pulls into the driveway. You recognize Edward Newgate’s Mercedes, a 72’ 300 SEL, and aren’t surprised to see Marco behind the wheel. You just aren’t sure why he’s at Dadan’s this morning.

Getting out, he lifts a bag from the passenger seat, holding it up as he approaches the two of you on the porch.

“The stuff we were out of stock on yesterday, yoi.” He explains stepping up enough to set it on the porch. “I hope you can still make use of it. If not, I can take it back.”

“Aww, you didn’t have to go through all that,” Dadan says, picking up the bag and looking in it. “Appreciate it though, it’ll make dinner easier tonight.”

“No problem, I had a couple other deliveries to make this morning, so I was already out.”

“The Stop’s doing deliveries?” Dadan inquires and Marco shakes his head.

“Not officially, but in the winter I take stuff over to Crocus and Teach.”

“Teach?”

“Ah, yeah. He… had a rough spot for a few months there and ended up in an accident at the end of it all. He’s doing better, but he lost a leg and messed up his back.. Was a couple years before Pops and Roger died. It gets cold and he has a hard time getting around, yoi.” Marco explains. “I know you didn’t have the best-.”

“No, no, that’s… That sucks. It’s good he can lean on y’all. He’s… uh… gonna be at the holidays?” You try not to sound worried, but Marco knows the story, so it isn’t like there’s anything to really hide.

You were a junior in high school, along with Marco, Thatch and Izou, when Teach was a freshman in college. He’d grown sweet on you, and six months of increasingly frustrating behavior, a few intense arguments between you, him, and his brothers, as four of you tried to get him to understand you weren’t interested, had all culminated in a near miss.

Teach had gotten drunk worse than you’d ever seen before, and seemed intent to take what he wanted. You’d beaten him bloodier than he had you, but once he pinned you, it was over. You didn’t have the strength to over power someone so much bigger.

Fortunately, Thatch and Marco had found you before anything worse happened. They pulled Teach off of you, beat him near to death, and got you to the hospital.

He apologized, literally on his hands and knees, a couple weeks later. He probably would’ve done so sooner, but Marco and Thatch broke his jaw, two ribs and four fingers. You’d never seen either of them so angry before, or since. If Teach had followed through on the unthinkable, they might have actually killed him.

As sincere as you believed his apology was, it was still just uncomfortable to be around him.

Marco shakes his head. “He won’t. He won’t be alone for the holidays, but he’s not going to be at the manor.”

You can feel yourself relax from a tension you didn’t realize you were holding onto. “That’s good then.”

“Well, I’ll get this put up,” Dadan says, stopping a moment to look between the two of you. “If he’s not too busy maybe he can give you a lift up to the overlook. You’ll still have to hike, but it’ll save some time.”

Marco looks from Dadan to you. “The… Going up to the hill?”

You nod. “I wanted to pay my respects before things got too busy, or too cold.”

His smile is a little sad, but his tone is still cheerful. “I’m done with my deliveries, if you’re ready now I can swing by the overlook before I head back to the store. You’ll be alright walking back?”

“Yeah, I was planning on walking the whole trip, I’ll be fine coming back.”

“Take one of the snails.” Dadan says, holding the door open for you. “Just in case.”

“Yeah, yeah, mom.” You grin getting up and following her in. “I’ll be just a minute.”

“No rush, yoi.”

A snail was a short wave radio, and before cell phones, they were about the only form of hand held communication. The technology was really popular in a farming town like this one, were a couple repeaters tucked away in trees up on the surrounding hill was enough to give the snails five times their usual reach. Dadan’s only rule when you were growing up - the only fully indisputable one, really - was that you’d have a snail when you went into the backwoods or up into the hills.

She didn’t expect you’d get lost, you grew up knowing the land too well. Her concern was if you had an accident. Better for her to come to you, than for you to have to crawl back home, or be found by search and rescue the next day if you were lucky.

In this case you’re pretty sure she wanted you to have the snail in case hubris got the better of you. It had been a few years since you’d gone on a proper hike, but you walked something like 40,000 steps a day in heels for work. Still, level flooring wasn’t the same as hills and rocky paths.

Sitting in the passenger seat, soft music playing on the radio, you were glad for the lift up to the overlook at least.

“Thanks for this.”

“Certainly.” He replies. “If I had the time to wait, I’d give you a ride back.”

“I appreciate that, but it’ll be nice to walk the woods again.” You admit. “Oh, this feels like one of those, if I don’t ask for your number I’m going to need it for something, and if I do ask I won’t have to pester you while I’m here, kinds of situations.” You say, pulling your phone out of your pocket.

He laughs, and gives you his number. “I don’t think you’d be able to pester me, yoi.”

“I could take that as a challenge,” you tease, sending him a few messages back to back of pineapple emojis and pictures. You can hear his phone’s muffled chime with each message.

“Just don’t send anything too risky,” he hums. “I don’t want to risk checking my phone and giving some poor customer a shock.”

You laugh, a cackle that seems to want to do exactly that, but you shake your head. “I won’t fluster your delicate sensibilities, pineapple.”

“Is that to say I could fluster yours?” He prompts.

Pressing your lips together you look away from him and out the window, desperate to be sure your voice was steady when you spoke. “My sensibilities aren’t so delicate.”

“A challenge then.”

You can feel the shiver roll up your spine, but you manage to stay still. Turning back to look at him you do your best to give him a look that, you hoped, conveyed the idea that you were still in charge in this little conversation.

“Bring it on, minor league.”

Marco pulls into the makeshift lot by the overlook, putting the car in park. “I doubt anything will happen, but if you have cell service, call me. It’ll be easier for me to hike to you than Dadan.”

Smiling you open the car door and get out. “I doubt anything will happen too, but thanks.”

Closing the door you tap the roof of the car before walking away. You wave without looking, whether he’s looking or not, but you don’t know that you could’ve dealt with looking at him any longer. It was stupid to get attached. Some light flirting - no, teasing - was totally normal between childhood friends.

That’s all this was, and that was okay. Marco was a good guy. He wasn’t going to lead you on, into anything that couldn’t be, and you weren’t going to do anything to hurt him. It was safe.

What was a little holiday sex between two consenting adults anyway?

“Gods girl, don’t get ahead of yourself.” You mutter, shaking away thoughts that felt a bit wrong to be carrying on your way to a grave.

The walk was a little longer than you expected it to be. You thought that the distance would feel shorter now that you were older, but somehow the woods seemed even bigger than before. Bird songs filled the air, and the soft crunch of underbrush were the only sounds to speak of. You could feel the woods breathing around you.

It’s what Dadan had called it.

Knowing how the woods drew breath was knowing how to walk them. How to avoid the rabbits when you weren’t hungry, and how to find them when you were. How to avoid one-eared bears when you didn’t want to deal with them, and how to track them down when you needed to.

It reminded you of Katakuri, for some reason. Knowing the rhythm of the forest, and his ability to read people. The forest was simpler, in your opinion, but maybe it was something you could work on later. Trying to read people the way you did the trees.

Once you cleared the tree line, you saw it.

Your breath was visible in the crisp air, your own breathing a little heavier than you’d like, but the walk back would be easier. It was uphill to get here, downhill to get home. Not that you were worried about your breathing right now.

Halvards were stones of remembrance. Guardians that watched over those sent to war, or lost in disasters. Halvard Stones were large, formless white stones where people would stack smaller stones around them, usually with someone’s name carved into the smaller stones. The halvard would then watch over those lost who couldn’t be buried where they belonged.

What the town had put up for Roger and Pops wasn’t exactly a halvard, but it was a kind of formless headstone. Which made sense, because anything else would eventually be found.

It was also more likely that they cremated them and let the hills have their ashes, so you doubted anything was buried beneath the stone.

The stone was cold and smooth beneath your fingers. It was cold because it was cold outside, it was, but it felt so warm you didn’t know what to do. Warm in a comforting way, though the cold stone wasn’t hurting your fingers, but you couldn’t shake the sense of being hugged.

“H-hey, Pops… I…” Tears rushed up to your eyes, twisting your mouth and gripping your heart even as you felt comforted. “Sorry… ‘m sorry… I’m late, but.”

Sinking down to your knees, pressing your head to the stone, you sob.

You thought you had time.

He was so strong. Larger than life. A force of nature. A calamity in the eyes of those who feared him, and an enduring mountain to those who loved him. No matter how terrible the storm, no matter how cold the wind, there was nothing that could bring down the mountain.

You stayed there, knelt by the stone, sobbing and apologizing, until your tears had run their course and your apologies had warmed the stone. There was nothing you could do. There was no reason to hold onto any guilt, especially since part of coming up here had been to let go of it. You made the choices you could, knowing what you knew, there was no way to go back and correct that.

“When’s the next time you think you’ll be able to visit?”

“I wish I knew. Candy Land just absorbed another company, I might not even see much of my apartment this weekend.”

“Keep an eye out for a chance, little warrior. I want to talk to you about something.”

“I have a few minutes to spare now, Pops. Maybe a full hour Sunday?”

“Some things, child, have to be said face to face.”

“If you say so. I’ll do my best, hang in there for me.”

“Gu-rarara! Don’t make it sound like I’m death’s door!”

“Of course not. There’ll be plenty of time, but I’ll try not to make you wait.”

You thought you had time.

#a truly mythological christmas #marco the phoenix #x reader #reader insert #mdni #hallmark au

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cursed-40k-thoughts · 2 months ago

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with fuegan being officially announced, do you think we'll see any other phoenix lords this edition or is that our one and done?

personally, i'm hoping for karandras or baharroth to get new models as well, but i also know eldar releases are a sloooooow drip feed

I hope we get more. I’m surprised we didn’t get Karandras, seeing as we got plastic Scorpions kinda recently.

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quinloki · 9 months ago

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You know I've seen two yanderes sharing someone before but I don't think I've ever really seen someone write a yandere with multiple victims. Untapped potential if you ask me. Also puts you in the position of being weaker than both parties, even if one of them is on your side. Marco has the strength and stamina to take what Shanks doles out in the bedroom, but you... don't. Unfortunately, Shanks is really into your overstimulated cries and fucked-out expression as he urges Marco to keep rutting into you or worse, doing it himself. Marco grits his teeth and offers himself up, hoping to give you a break, a deal your shared captor begins taking full advantage of. Also Shanks being a total voyeur when it's you and Marco... both before you know what's going on, when Marco is allowed to visit you and after your taken. On rare occasions Shanks will just have you two... entertain him.

Gods the ideas that just flooded me.

Cw: yandere, mind break, implied double penetration, yandere, etc etc. - themes are pretty set for this little impromptu series at this point, mdni

When the veil is pulled back and you’re completely aware of the truth of things, you accept it for your sake and Marco’s. Sex is sex and love is love and you can hand over your body for sex, even if it’s not ideal, as long as Marco’s by your side.

But as Marco fears, Shanks’ desires toward you shift from merely seeing you as a means of control, to something he wants. Maybe even more than that - cause Shanks knows that Marco gave in because of you. If you give into Shanks in the same way than it just deepens everyone’s bonds as far as he’s concerned.

Loving you is loving Marco, and vice versus.

He separates you both again, explaining to you that he’s fallen for you, and his heart - his tender loving caring heart - needs you to return that love. He won’t threaten Marco for it, his love for the Phoenix won’t be changed by your answer, but you -

You won’t touch Marco or know release until you confess your love for Shanks.

At first you won’t give in - you love Marco and no one else, and Shanks’ feelings won’t change that. But then you start to learn how his observation haki works, and every time you try to sneak to Marco, every time you try to relieve any need that builds in you, he catches you every time.

Not even a week later he starts adding pressure. You don’t eat unless Shanks feeds you himself. You don’t sleep unless it’s in his bed. He cleans you too, and then one night you’re blindfolded, and he begins to tease you.

He works you to an unbelievable edge and stops. Again, again, and again. You’re exhausted and there’s no relief in sight. If you’re honest, if you confess your love for him, he’ll grant you release.

It continues until you pass out.

Repeats the next day.

The day after.

You have no idea that Beckman and Marco are both in the room. Marco to bear witness directly, Beckman to keep him controlled and quiet.

You’re either asleep, or being teased. Exhaustion sinks beyond the depth of your bones and starts to crack your will. You don’t know what day it is, how long this has gone on, but you feel that hand against your thigh and sob.

“Please, I love you, please.” You blubber the words, and the hand shifts from teasing to soothing, warming your skin.

“See? I knew you did.” He coos, body warm against yours. “And Marco?”

You’re quiet for a moment, unsure of the “right” answer, and so resign yourself to whatever fate the truth holds. “I love him, too.”

“Of course you do, that’s how it should be.” He praises you quietly and you feel yourself getting moved around. The bed creaks before you get near it and extra hands lift you and move you to straddle someone.

Someone’s at your back and the blindfold is pulled away. Your eyes focus on Marco beneath you as Beckman pulls the gag from his mouth. He gives you a warm smile, even though he looks almost as exhausted as you.

“You did good, pretty bird, it’s okay.

“I love you.” They say it at the same time. They do both love you, and they’re going to prove it as Shanks guides both of them into you.

Whew, yeah, but I imagine it’s a mess of rotating who’s watching, and it nearly breaks you to realize that watching Shanks take Marco is incredibly hot. Letting Shanks lead things, following his desires, makes everything so much easier that it almost seems silly to fight it.

As you descend into acquiescence Marco follows you. Shanks couldn’t have hoped to break him in 100 lifetimes, but Marco will follow you to pandemonium and beyond. If you find comfort in submission he will too.

#quin answers #anon asks #reader insert #x reader #yandere #marco the phoenix #red hair shanks #toxic musings #dead dove #mdni

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startrekfangirl2233-writes · 11 months ago

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Firebird

A Natasha 'Phoenix' Trace Origin Story

Slight Natasha 'Phoenix' Trace / Jake 'Hangman' Seresin

Description: Natasha Trace is used to being marveled and stared at. She's the only woman in her flight class. For the most part, the staring only leads to occasional requests to join the remainder of her cohort for drinks at the nearest bar to base. She always refuses. Her COs have enough to say about her without resorting to the usual criticisms of her gender, which going to a bar would garner.

But Natasha's only human. When she seeks out a bar to get drunk where nobody knows her name, she's surprised to find the one man she never wanted to see off base dropping into the seat next to her. The conversation that follows changes her life and gives her a callsign.

Warnings: Mysogyny, Discussions of Strength and Power as a woman in a male-dominated field

A/N: Hi everyone! Nice to see you here! I wrote this fic for @thedroneranger's Pick Your Poison Challenge to accompany her fabulous Phoenix Cocktail Moodboard Grit & Glam. I wanted to explore a headcanon of how Jake gave Phoenix her callsign and ended up venturing slightly into Hannix territory. I hope you all love it! The italicized lyrics at the end are from the song Firebird by Galantis.

AO3: Cross-posted here!

Wattpad: Cross-posted here!

My Masterlist

“Oh, come on, Trace.” This, she’s used to. It’s what she gets when she’s the only woman in her flight school class. “It’s just a few drinks tonight!”

It’s the overly insistent, ridiculously charming blond man who’s asking her that Natasha’s not used to. Seresin, at least she thinks that’s his name, asks her to go out with the rest of the class every night despite her refusals.

“It’s not happening, Seresin.” She keeps her tone light and her eyes on the NATOPS she’s rifling through and making notes on. After all, there’s no denying that Seresin is easy on the eyes, with his green eyes and shining blond hair, broad shoulders, and muscular physique. Maybe in another life, she’d have fallen for the lines he feeds girls at the bar hook, line, and sinker. But in this life, she wants to be a Naval Aviator, wants to be the best of the best. No six-foot blond is going to stop her, not when she’s so close.

“C’mon, Trace. It’s just one night of drinks.” He sounds oddly frustrated at her lack of response. “You don’t have to be so frigid all the time, you know? What’s one round of drinks amongst friends and colleagues?”

“Well, Seresin,” Her voice is sardonic and a little sarcastic as she packs up her notebook and her NATOPS. “There’s nothing wrong with a round of drinks amongst friends and colleagues. But you’re neither of them. So I have to say no. Goodnight, Seresin.”

Her voice is just loud enough, cutting enough, that the others hear from the huddle they're in on the other side of the room. They're ooh-ing and aww-ing and ribbing Seresin with every iota of their limited intelligence as she sweeps out of the room. Of course, Natasha also hears the way one of the others, Williams or maybe Monroe, calls her an ice-hearted bitch, but that's nothing she hasn't heard before. Seresin is awfully quiet, and she's sure he would normally have joined in on their censure of her if she hadn't seen the small flicker of hurt that wafted through those crystalline green eyes as she swept out of the room.

She can't figure out why he's so adamant about her socializing, though. It’s not as if Natasha is a stranger to having fun. Once upon a time, when she was a young tomboy, she used to sneak out to bars and other unsavory establishments and party all night long. It had been fun roaming around wild in the hot, sticky San Diego summers, dangling out of an old Pontiac Firebird. She’d slept half-naked under the stars, smoked hand-rolled cigarettes, and drunk too much alcohol. Of course, joining the Navy had put a stop to that kind of reckless, foolish, youthful abandonment.

It still doesn’t explain Seresin’s behavior. He’s never once attempted to be cordial or nice or even kind for the entire time she’s known him. All Natasha knows is that Jake Seresin is filled with the same urge to be the best that she is. It’s a conundrum that she turns over in her mind late that night and in any spare moment in which her brain isn’t being crammed full of more flying techniques and NATOPS sections. The same conundrum seems to be captivating Seresin as well. Each day for their classes, he takes the seat behind or near hers and spends the time boring a hole into the back of her regulation slicked-back bun or into the side of her face. She spends the week with the heat of his gaze prickling across the back of her neck and distracting her thoroughly.

That’s the only reason why she fucks up on Friday afternoon. It’s supposed to be an easy maneuver. It’s one she’s had swimming in front of her eyes whether she’s awake or asleep. But she messed up. Others in her cohort messed up on the hop, too. But of course, it’s Natasha who’s standing at parade rest facing down their CO as he spits in her face all of the reasons why a woman isn’t talented or determined enough to fly a fighter jet. It’s the snickering Natasha can hear in the background from the others, which has her spine straightening. It shouldn’t be so common to be lambasted over every mistake just because of your gender. But there’s a reason why so few women in the armed forces are aviators. There’s a reason why Natasha has faced only one of these particular dressing-downs only once in her career prior to today. But nothing her CO is saying can even touch the dressing down she’s giving herself.

When she’s dismissed, she stomps her way into the ladies’ locker room and tries her best not to sob where anyone important can hear it. The deluge of hot water drums over her head and beats her stiff muscles into some form of flexibility, but it doesn’t beat the whiff of failure from her skin. She stands under the deluge until her fingers prune and the water cools. She’s shivering and shuddering as she towels off and pulls on her clothes. But the clothes she pulls out of her gym bag aren’t jeans and a T-shirt but a sundress. Natasha slams her forehead against the locker door because this is yet another symptom of her distraction. This was the dress she was supposed to wear to brunch with college friends in town. Not the outfit she wants to walk out of base wearing. At least she’s managed to pack the matching heels as well.

Unsurprisingly, Natasha hears wolf-whistles a-plenty as she clacks her way out to her car. The comments make her angrier and feel even worse. At one point in time, sometime between the beginning and end of that long, unfulfilling shower, she’d made up her mind to drive home and collapse onto her sofa and maybe drink an entire bottle of wine. But the more the pigs she has to fly with notice her uncharacteristic attire, the more her mind changes. Now, all she wants is alcohol, enough to drown out her thoughts and to lift her mood. It might be time to bring back the wild little thing who’d run circles around folks back in San Diego.

The bar she ends up at a couple of hours later is what people would pick for a night out on the town. In truth, Natasha had two major criteria for picking this place. It’s not within five miles of the base, and it serves an elderflower and gin flaming cocktail. Something about it feels fitting to her current state of mind.

The sky has darkened in the time between when Natasha sat down and now. Natasha’s not sure how long it’s been, but she feels a million times better than she did before. The bartender was very kind and plied her with round after round of Phoenix cocktails all afternoon long. It’s just her luck that she’s tilting a drink between her fingers, watching the pinkish-purple shimmering liquid dance in the light, when a body drops heavily onto the barstool next to her. It's a bar, so obviously, bodies have been dropping into the seat next to her as the night progresses. But this particular body is wearing a very recognizable cologne and speaking in a very recognizable tenor to the bartender.

“Can I get a whiskey on ice for myself and another one of those flaming things for the pretty lady next to me?”

“It’s not a flaming thing.” Natasha's words are slurring but still sharp as she rotates on the fiddly little base of the barstool and faces exactly who she thought she'd be facing - Jake Seresin. Her voice is gritty with the burn of over-proofed smooth liquor as she responds.

“It's a Phoenix cocktail. What are you doing here, anyway, Seresin? I didn't think fancy bars were your idea of fun.”

“Mmm, they’re usually not.” There isn’t a bite to his words tonight. “I like my bars to come with their own history, usually.”

He pushes the Phoenix cocktail he'd ordered over to her and watches, enraptured, as the bartender snuffs out the flames.

“You don’t seem the type, Trace, to get rip-roaring drunk in a bar all by your lonesome.”

“Whatever gave you that idea?” Natasha is ginger as she sips from the warm glass, careful not to scald her mouth on the flame-kissed surface.

“You did.” He purses his plush lips, rolling the whiskey from the sip he just took on his tongue with his eyes lidded in the lowlights of the bar. He looks like a man who has cultivated that expression solely for the purpose of making a lady weak at the knees, not that Natasha would ever call one of his usual types a lady. His pink tongue slips out of his mouth and swipes away a droplet of the amber-colored liquid. He leans forward, gently tucking a loose tendril of hair behind Natasha’s ear.

“When you told me you’d only have drinks with your friends and colleagues.” He leans in closer until all Natasha Trace can hear is Jake. All of a sudden he seems to surround her with his presence. She can smell the smokey whiskey on his breath, the rich scent of his cologne, and the gentle scent of soap crowding out the scents of the bar. And then there’s the heat of his skin, elusively, unbearably comforting against the bare skin of her shoulders.

It feels good being this close to somebody else. But Natasha can’t let Jake Seresin, of all people, know just how lonely it feels to never be able to let her guard down. He can’t know how much it will set her apart from the others in their cohort above and beyond the way her gender already does.

“I did.” Her voice comes out in a whisper so quiet Natasha’s not sure he can hear.

“Yet you’re out here drinking something purple and pink and ridiculously sweet, all while looking like there is something you’d desperately like to forget.” He settles back in his stool, a long leg hooked on the footrest of her stool as he peers knowingly at her. “Are you trying to forget the dressing down Smith gave you today?”

Natasha shrugs, alcohol making her limbs uncooperative. “Others made mistakes, too. Why were mine so severe that they deserved a public audience? Or if they were severe, surely someone else had made a mistake equally as severe and deserved the same treatment?”

She sips on her drink, trying to ignore how her eyes sting, and her throat is tight. “Of course,” she rasps after swallowing, “it’s not like the perfect Jake Seresin knows how to make a mistake.” Natasha realizes that she’s murmuring that fact like it’s a secret, leaning into his lushly scented space like she craves the nearness of his skin. Maybe she’s already drunk too many of these pretty little drinks for her sanity?

“I make mistakes, Natasha.” He’s just as close as she is to him; the two of them nearly braced against each other like they’d collapse, marionettes without strings, if they weren’t so close and if they couldn’t prop each other up.

“Who said you can call me Natasha?” Her words are as spicy as the sips of top-shelf liquor dripping down her throat, but her smile is as sweet as the syrup of a maraschino cherry. He chuckles, dimples on full display as he tugs her stool closer to compensate for her listing sway on her tri-legged perch.

“What made you start drinking these lovely Phoenix cocktails, hmm?”

Oh, the room seems to be swimming a bit more. Jake’s so close Natasha can see motes of amber in the mercurial stormy green of his eyes.

“How much do you know about phoenixes, Seresin?”

“No matter how much I know, I get the feeling you’re going to tell me anyway, Natasha.”

She snorts, swigging back the last bit of her drink, running the tip of her finger along the rim of her glass, mesmerized by the sparkling residue left behind on her skin.

“Phoenixes are mythical beasts found in Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology. Of course, you probably know how they set themselves on fire and are reborn from the flames. As a result of this imagery, they were associated with immortality.” Huddled in against the counter as they are, Natasha can’t say if there is anyone else even in the room.

“But they’re more than that to me.” Her inhale is shaky even as she sips from the cup of water, cold and crisp, which has suddenly appeared at her elbow. “It’s probably painful to be burned alive and then reborn as a chick. But it also takes a lot of strength.”

To her surprise, Jake is still listening, one long-fingered hand tapping at the water glass in her sweat-damp palms when she pauses, prompting her to drink sip after sip.

“I…” She swallows with a mouth as dry as the Sahara Desert. “I, well, I hope to somehow have that same strength. So when a day like today happens, I find a bar that serves Phoenixes, drink them all night until the sting of failure and my despair and my loneliness wash away.”

“Is it working tonight?”

Natasha hums as she drinks yet another sip from her never-ending, always full glass. “I’m not sure it ever really did.”

“For what it’s worth, we both know you weren’t making more mistakes than any of those other idiots we fly with.” His smile is special and soft, filling the cavity of her chest with a softly flickering warmth at odds with the sharp burn of the liquor. “You’re good at what you do, Natasha. You could fly circles around all of them. You fly circles around me, too.”

Natasha can’t believe what she’s hearing. There’s no way Jake Seresin is admitting that Natasha Trace can be better than he is. She stands without realizing, her legs about as sturdy as those of a newborn giraffe. All of the alcohol rushes to her head with a vengeance.

“Have you closed out your tab?” She nods, desperately trying to keep a hold of her swimming head and her roiling stomach. She staggers her way out of the bar, trying desperately to navigate to the Uber app without stumbling over her high heels or face-planting into another of the patrons. An arm wraps around her waist before she can even get to the doors.

“C’mon, Natasha.” Her feet are steadier due to his support. “I’ve got you, darling.”

The endearment, in an undertone colored by a Texan twang, sounds tenderly fond as it’s rasped into her ears. The air is cool outside the bar as she staggers to a stop against a truck in the parking lot. There’s a click as the doors unlock, and when Jake opens the door, the step is so high that when she lifts her leg up, she nearly falls into the gravel, so impaired is her sense of balance.

“I’ve gotcha, darling.” Those same big hands brace her under her knees and behind her shoulders as they heft her into the seat of the truck. Sitting in the cab, she’s even more surrounded by his scent. But he doesn’t close the door immediately. Instead, Jake Seresin unlaces each of her strappy heels and sets them in the footwell of her seat. His fingers, warm and calloused, massage firmly at her stiff, aching arches until she feels like putty in his hands.

“You’re pretty good at that, Seresin.” He smiles again, a devastatingly tender quirk of his lips that barely creates that dimple in his cheek she’s quickly coming to adore.

“I like working with my hands.” It seems like he’s downplaying the true reason. This humble side of Jake Seresin is something she’s never seen before, something she likes. She fists her hands in the collar of his soft pullover and tugs him up until his arms are braced on the seat on either side of her, and his face is inches from her own. Thinking back on it, Natasha’s not sure who made the first move. All she remembers is the taste of whiskey on his tongue as her fingers grasp at the soft curls against the back of his neck. His mouth feels divine, thin lips just the right level of wet and soft as they move against hers. There’s heat making her flush as his hands cup the back of her neck.

When Jake Seresin pulls away with a question in his eyes, Natasha’s almost sure she can guess the words about to leave his lips. It’s going to be some variation of ‘Would you like to come home with me’, no doubt. But instead, he presses more of those warm, tender kisses across her bare shoulders, throat, collarbones, and cheeks. When he presses a lingering kiss to her forehead, Natasha’s eyes flutter closed.

“Let me take you home, darling.”

Those words, in a hauntingly tender tone, stick in her mind all weekend long, even when she’s hungover and curled up under her sheets. It feels like something has changed between her and Jake Seresin, inexplicably and totally. Or maybe it’s the sense of confidence Jake Seresin has instilled in her. One night, a few drinks, and his presence are all she needs to boost her mood? It’s ridiculous. Walking into the classroom on Monday morning at 0700 hours sharp and seeing Seresin laughing with the others like nothing has happened feels almost like a slap to the face. He doesn’t look at her or speak to her. Natasha’s sure the Jake of that hazy dream-like Friday evening was only looking for one thing, which he didn’t get when he needed to babysit her drunk ass.

By the time she’s in her flight suit and kitted out with her helmet in hand, she's ready to smoke every man she has to fly with, especially one Jake Seresin. Sure enough, Natasha’s cold, calculated, and on her game that day. She doesn’t make a single mistake. Of course, Smith doesn’t so much as nod in her direction, but it’s enough to hear the men grumble as her flight is used as the exemplar for their hop. When they’re dismissed, nobody tells her goodbye. Monroe and Williams are still whining and moaning about her success and their subsequent dressing down from Smith. But Jake Seresin’s smiling at her, that crooked tender grin, and saying, “See you tomorrow, Phoenix!”

Under the stars awaken To the sound of a firebird

I DO NOT CONSENT TO HAVE MY WORK POSTED, TRANSLATED, OR PUBLISHED ON ANY SITES OTHER THAN ON AO3, ON WATTPAD, OR ON TUMBLR BY ME. IF YOU SEE MY WORKS ANYWHERE OTHER THAN HERE, ON WATTPAD, OR TUMBLR, THEN THEY HAVE BEEN POSTED WITHOUT MY PERMISSION AND I WILL BE WORKING TO TAKE THEM DOWN.

Taglist:

@desert-fern @horseshoegirl @dakotakazansky @sarahsmi13s @teacupsandtopgun @callsignspitfire @roosterforme @mak-32 @beyondthesefourwalls @thedroneranger @cherrycola27 @kmc1989 @chaoticassidy @shanimallina87

#star writes #top gun fanfic #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick fanfic #top gun maverick fanfiction #top gun imagine #natasha phoenix trace #phoenix #natasha trace #jake hangman seresin #hangman #jake seresin #natasha phoenix trace x jake hangman seresin #natasha trace x jake seresin #phoenix x hangman #jake hangman seresin x natasha phoenix trace #jake seresin x natasha trace #hangman x phoenix #hannix

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saltyyuuri · 2 months ago

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Sova x Reader; Lucky catch part 4!

🍀lucky catch🍀

word: 3200 ish

part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 5 - part 6

song: Love & war, yellow claw

note: sorry for slow post, I am sleep deprived and I was trying to not feed into my meme energy too much typing this. There's mention - alcohol consumption in this chapter :)

🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀

Neon was dragging you along with the small group of agents, unable to protest as she didn't take no for an answer at the moment. Along with you came Jett, Phoenix, Yoru and Iso. You were 6 agents, all heading to a club for the evening- and you were Iso's plus one for the night. There was a reason why you were dragged along here- not necessarily because you were a party go-er of even wanted to come- actually, the reason was far from that.

🍀-Back at your dorm, a few hours before leaving to the club-🍀

''C'mon (Y-N)! we wanna go to the club, but you know how clubs are!'' Neon whined, gesturing over to the three guys in your dorm, along with Jett who was giggling. ''Not really, no- I don't go to clubs, mind you.'' You replied to Neon, rolling your eyes at her amusedly. ''They're picky on who they let in- so if we all want in, ideally we need to have an even number of girls and guys- or else the guys won't be let in.'' Neon explain, making gestures as she pointed the guys, then herself, Jett and you.

''That's stupid, you're telling me the club is sexist in favor of women?'' You asked, cocking a brow at her. ''Exactly! The more pretty girls, the more it attracts desperate men- so more money for them. How do you not know this?'' Neon said in surprise, to her this was common knowledge, but for you- this wasn't the type of thing you cared enough about. ''Because I don't go clubbing.'' You replied flatly to Neon. Before the hyper blue haired woman could reply once more, this time Jett spoke up. ''Usually we would have been good to go- but this time Iso wanted to tag along- so we were hoping you would join us?'' Jett spoke up amusedly, extending the invitation once more. ''So essentially, I'm just back-up for his pass in?'' You retorted bluntly, a slight deadpan starting to form on your face.

''I'll buy your drinks.'' Iso butt in finally, a small smile on his lips, amused by your blunt remarks. At this point, everyone in protocol was more than aware of your bluntness- and also your sarcasm. ''Oh really? Bribery- how charming.'' You retorted towards Iso, cocking an eyebrow. ''...I'll make you dinner?'' Iso tried once more, adding yet another offer to the table. ''Damn, you really want to go-'' You mumbled out, eyebrows raising in slight surprise. You were going to add something before he cut you off. ''And if you need an outfit, I'll buy it.'' He added, a firm tone but smiling as he just kept adding to the offer.

''Damn, damn chill Iso- I don't know why you're trying to buy everything but chill-'' You said, cracking up, hands raised in defeat. Phoenix, Jett, Neon and Yoru stared silently but with anticipation at your reply, still waiting on you to finally agree. ''Fine, jeez, I'll be the plus one- but you don't have to buy everything-'' You finally said, a small sigh of defeat leaving you- but once more interrupted by Iso. He simply pulled out his wallet, handing you his credit card. ''Anything you need, pass it on my card. My treat.'' ''Iso no I am not-''

''Oh she will gladly do so- now come along (Y-N) lets get you an outfit!'' Neon cut you off before you could decline his damn credit card- actually, you were full on dragged out of your dorm before any protests could leave your mouth. Actually, that resumed your afternoon- being dragged off by an overly hyper Neon, making you try things on repeatedly before using Iso's card to pay for everything. By the time you came back, you were being bossed around on what accessories to try, shoes and hair styles, Jett also getting involved. You were stuck essentially being their doll as they played dress up on you- slowly starting to wonder how you'll survive the night.

Iso did hold his other bribes though, he made you a nice dinner while the girls had fun getting you ready- to which he seemed to pity you when watching them work. The girls even took pictures of you when they were done- proud of their work. You were unbothered to know why- and also too absorbed with eating your dinner- a culinary heaven, to deal with this.

🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀

So here you were, dragged into a crowded club, arm linked with Iso's, just how Jett linked her arm with Phoenix's and Neon with Yoru- it nearly felt like we were on a mission, smuggling in the boys while us girl were just the pretty faces. Your little group went in without any issues, settling down at a table. You could finally stop being latched to Iso, taking your own seat as you looked over the cocktail menu. It was finally the first moment of the evening since you agreed to be a plus one that you actually sat without anyone touching you. You were hoping it would stay like that for a good part of the evening- you weren't sure just how much touching and grabbing you could tolerate more in the day.

You placed your drink order, and true to his word, Iso put your drinks on his tab, even after telling him once more he didn't have too- his reply was simply ''Don't worry, I can easily cover it- being a hitman pays off.'' To which you gave his a look of disbelief- you couldn't tell if it was how casually that info had been dropped of how casually he flaunted- either way, you pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed. Obviously, augmenting about expenses was going to be useless tonight. ''Plus, my grandmother would slap me if she knew I asked a lady to be my plus one and let her pay.'' Iso added, a small smile forming on his features as he added the extra tidbit of info so casually.

If the song 'Love & War ' was playing- The exact line of the chorus ''I can't Do this anymore'' would be exactly what was going through you mind at this moment- the exact melody and meme energy of being 'fed up- shocked'. You facepalmed, letting out a sigh. ''Okay- I get it, stop adding oil to the damn fire-'' You muttered out, leaning back in your seat. The others at the table were cackling at the small talk between you and Iso, especially Neon, since she could tell how slightly fed up you were getting with Iso's antics.

They started to chatter along, sipping on the drinks that had been freshly delivered to the table. You zoned out of the conversation for a moment, instead quietly sipping your drink, observing the decor inside the club. It was pretty typical, the mainly backlit room way filled with neon lights, signs and lasers for the dancefloor part, giving more ambiance for those who wanted to dance the night away. Near the bar area, there was warm lighting, allowing a bit more visibility- the bar counter being made of wood and marble, bottles mounted on the wall behind the counter in an aesthetic way. Music remixes were playing loudly, base blaring through and making the tables vibrate slightly.

Speaking of vibrations, your phone, resting in a pocket of your outfit- a lowcut jumper that looked more like a dress, was buzzing, signaling you had received a few texts. You fished it out your pocket, discretely unlocking it and checking it while your group was busy augmenting over something. You tapped onto the messaging app, refreshing it to see who had texted you, curiosity getting the better of you. You were surprised to see Sova had messaged you- he didn't typically text you, so you were wondering what was going on. With another quick tap on the touchscreen, you opened his message.

Sova: ''Hey! Didn't have time to pass by your dorm earlier, but Neon sent me pictures of you; you look really nice! :) ''

You blinked, confusion starting to show on your face as you read the message- You knew the girls had taken pictures, but you didn't know what they looked like, nor did you know they had sent them to Sova, of all people. A slight blush settled on your cheeks- flustered by the simple compliment on his part, embarrassed your friends had sent him pictures behind your back- and as you sighed, Neon finally noticed the look on your face.

''What's up with you, (Y-N)? what's got you so flustered?'' Neon asked you teasingly, now everyone's attention turning to you on cue. You cleared your throat, pushing back your momentary embarrassment to speak up, not willing to let them think you finally would crack and let your facade of 'hard to embarrass' fall over this. ''Did you send Sova pictures of me?'' You asked her bluntly, a brow cocking her way, looking unimpressed. ''I did. Why, did he text you back about it?'' Neon replied, a curious and mischievous look on her face, grinning as she spoke a bit too enthusiastically.

''He did-..'' You started, pausing for a moment before deciding to mess with her, slightly wanting payback. ''And he's confused. He's asking me why the hell you sent pictures of me.'' You finished off, keeping a serious face- voice firm as you spoke. Neon's expression fell, looking a bit nervous as it seemed her plan has backfired- or so she thought. ''W-what?'' She stuttered out, a small blush spreading on her face as she looked embarrassed, maybe slightly guilty. ''He's annoyed now- Thanks.'' You continued, trying to keep face- wanting to see how long you could play this off.

''(Y-N), I am so sorry- that wasn't my intention-'' She started to apologize, confused looks starting to form around the table. Jett and Phoenix looked like they really wanted to ask what was going on- but for the sake of not worsening things kept their mouths shut. Yoru played it cool, acting like he was bored of this already, but you could tell he still was listening in. And finally- Iso just looked clueless- like a lost puppy trying to figure it out on his own. The atmosphere at the table was starting to tense up- Neon looking like she was trying to find 1001 ways to make it up to you already.

You finally cracked, a smile forming on your face, amusement starting to show as you were starting to feel bad for making Neon feel and look so guilty. ''I'm kidding, he said I looked nice.'' You said, watching as her expression went from feeling bad to a mix of surprise and mild annoyance. ''(Y-N), Dammit! Did you have to- ... You're such an asshole!'' She exclaimed, groaning as she raised her hands in defeat. The atmosphere relaxed once more, everyone else at the table finally catching on I was messing around. ''Serves you right, next time don't send random pics of me to Sova without asking. ''You lightly scolded, a giggle escaping you as you sipped your cocktail.

Neon took a moment to calm down before speaking up, focusing on the positive news. ''So, he thinks you look nice, huh?'' She said with a small smile, any annoyance that was previously there completely gone. It impressed you how quickly she recovered and moved on- but what did you expect? It's neon. ''He did. Proud of yourself?'' You retort, rolling your eyes. ''Very much- yes. What did you reply?'' ''Nothing yet, I left him on read.'' You hummed, taking another sip, watching as she gave you a look of disbelief, face palming.

''(Y-N), for the love of- I am trying to help you two, can you freaking help me help you here?!'' She exclaimed, looking discouraged and slightly agitated, once more leaving the rest of the group in confusion. You sigh- well, any secrecy on the matter was out the window now since she was practically yelling it to the entire club. Before replying, you looked at the rest of your group- Jett, Phoenix, Iso and Yoru- knowing hiding it would just leave them all confused. ''For context- since Neon is practically yelling it to the world-I like Sova, he's just hella oblivious.''

There was a collective 'oh' that came from the others, small nods or smug looks were being sent your way. You turned to Neon once more. ''I was going to reply to him, but you called me out first.'' You finally said, a deadpan expression on display. ''Okay, jeez- just text the guy back before he thinks you thought his message was weird or something-'' Neon urged you, waving to your phone. You once more roll your eyes, taking your phone once more and prepared to type a quick text back to Sova.

You: ''Hey! No worries, anyways Neon and Jett were a tornado around me earlier- you probably wouldn't had been able to say much without one of them being hyper LMAO'' You: ''Oh, and thank you btw 😙'

You sent both replies, looking up to see anticipating looks all around the table. ''What?'' You asked them, an eyebrow raised. Neon sighed, instead of asking, snatching your phone to read you reply. You sigh, just letting her do as she pleased without complaint. ''Rude, throwing me and Jett under the bus-'' She said, rolling her eyes before following up with a smile. ''But a kissy face emoji? That's bold-'' She said smugly, everyone's interest caught now. ''It's the normal one- not the actual kiss- like c'mon that's not that flirty-'' You defended yourself.

'' I dunno, (Y-N). A kissy face is a kissy face, not matter which you send-'' Phoenix said, a cocky grin on his face. Jett butted in, a smirk forming on her lips. ''Phoenix isn't wrong- a kiss is a kiss- buuuut Sova is also the clueless type. could pass by unseen.'' She said with a chuckle. Neon perked up, a grin on her face. ''Oh my god, that reminds me you guys- (Y-N) once said 'Love you' to Sova when he left her dorm after bringing her food- he didn't even realize!'' She said, a cackle escaping her lips- the gossip mill now resetting onto your love life. ''No way- He didn't say nun'? Not even like a smile or a nod-??'' Phoenix said, leaning in. ''No! like, he just walked out!'' Neon said, fueling the gossip fire. Yoru and Iso weren't participating in the gossip, but they definitely were listening in, not missing a word.

''Damn- that's though!'' Jett said, turning to you, a sympathetic look on her face. You shrugged- you knew the partial reason why he didn't respond that day was because you had once again teased him- so he probably either thought you were taunting him once more- or flat out didn't hear you. Your phone buzzed once more, and since Neon had taken it from you moments ago, she read the message first.

''Sova replied! He's saying... 'I figured as much haha! Are you having fun though? Neon said you guys were at a club for the evening.' '' Neon read out, looking up at Jett and Phoenix, the two piping up ''Reply yes!'' Jett said first, Phoenix following up with ''Oh wait, tell him something like 'wish you were here though'!'' You cringed at what Phoenix said, shaking your head. ''Hell no, I would never say that- Don't send that-'' ''Too late, I texted him ' Yes, we're having a blast! Would have been better with you here though, princess' With the same kissy face.'' Neon cut you off, giggling as she read out the reply. You groaned, grabbing your drink and taking it down in a go- ordering another one immediately. The group giggled before Neon pipped up once more.

''Hey, it's semi- realistic! You call him princess all the time!'' She cackled out, sipping her own drink after she spoke. ''Yeah, as a joke to piss him off!'' You retorted, letting out a sigh. ''...But-... yeah I guess that's a 'close enough' in character for me reply. Still corny as hell though.'' You finally admitted.

The more the night advance, the more drink got chugged, and the more text messages got exchanged between Sova and you- or rather, between Sova and your 'council', as the 5 other agents were essentially controlling your phone for the evening. You were getting pretty drunk anyways, so typing wasn't going to be your strong suit- the only issue, is you lost track of anything that was being said, to busy giggling at whatever side conversation had been started. The group decided to call it a night, everyone was pretty tipsy except Neon, who was in charge of your phone. She had been so focused, she didn't really drink much.

She sent another message to Sova, sliding your phone into your jumper's pocket so you wouldn't look for it too much later, knowing you weren't sober enough to even remember if she gave it to you or not. Everyone stumbled into the transport car back to the dorms, the drive back being loud and giggly- pretty typical for a bunch of drunk adults. Everyone tried to walk straight once back in HQ, trying to not be too loud considering it was the middle of the night.

What you didn't expect- Well, not that you could really think at the moment, so expecting things wouldn't be a thing right now anyway- was Sova to still be awake, waiting near the entrance. You giggled out, giving him a wave and a smile, barely muttering out a very slurred ''hey princess!'' to him as you walked in, leaned onto Neon for support. Sova chuckled, shaking his head as he wrapped an arm around you, freeing Neon from you- allowing her to aid Phoenix and Jett, the other two most drunk agents that were both leaning heavily on poor Iso- of course Yoru had disappeared in his rift the moment you had all arrived to not deal with the drunkards.

''You definitely had too much to drink.'' Sova said with a chuckle, taking small, slow steps in direction of the dorms, making sure to not go too fast so you wouldn't stumble. ''Nooooo... Just maybe like... 4 margaritas?'' You giggled out- honestly not even sure of the number yourself, you hadn't really counted, and since you weren't paying, you may have just let lose. ''Neon said you had 14.'' Sova said, snickering once more as he gave you the real count of just how much you had drank. ''Oh damn- aren't I the overachiever!'' You declared, stumbling slightly as you walked. Sova wrapped his second arm around your waist- catching you from your small stumble, taking a moment to stabilize you.

He kept the chatter short- knowing that you wouldn't remember much anyways the next day. He guided you back to your dorm, helping you settle in bed- taking care of getting your shoes off, taking out any hair accessories and even taking your makeup off with the makeup removing wipes he had found on top of your dresser. You had fallen asleep moments after he had taken the hair accessories out, making removing your makeup much easier for him.

Before leaving your room, now that you were settled in and mostly cleared of anything that could cause discomfort- he placed a soft peck on your forehead, a soft smile on his lips. He didn't linger much longer, letting you rest in peace for the night.

And boy would you need that rest, because the next day, there was a hangover waiting for you... And a lot of text messages to read- lord knows what Neon and the others sent in your place while you were out of it.

#sova #valorant #valorant fanfiction #sova valorant #valorant x reader #sova x reader #valorant sova #fem reader

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alexinlalalaland · 1 year ago

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HC about Gekko

Just some HC's I came up with while playing the game and just trying to come up with plot lines for my own FanFictions. Please note those are HC and not something confirmed in game, maybe two thing will be taken from game, but other than that this is purely my imagination :)

I like to think he's a pretty tall guy. Not as tall as Breach or Brimstone but he's most likely the third tallest Agent. Praying to got this HC won't be destroyed

He loves to cook. He used to do it with his mom all the time so he gets excited when it's his turn to cook a dinner for the Agents.

Speaking of food, he 100% likes sweets and spicy things.

He probably has a secret stash of goodies hidden away in his bedroom. God help tge poor sould that find those. He has given Thrash specific instructions to not let anyone take them.

You know how he saved his buddies and all ? He lowkey has PTSD about being chased by Kingdom Co. The nightmares wake him up at night and keep him up until mornings. It wasn't until Fade noticed when he confessed about his troubles. Ever since then he had regular sessions with the Turkish Agent to overcome his fear.

Him, Phoenix and Jett are the bestest of friends. They just fit eachotgers energy and feed of the positive vibes. He also likes the company of Neon, Raze and Killjoy. Heck he even played a copule rounds of Chess with Cypher he lost those of course

Harbor 100% teaches him Hindi and tells him stories about his adventures. And Mateo soaks them like a sponge. He loves listening to them

We know Wingman right ? Of course we do it's the cutest Spike Demon ! But you know what ? I bet he's a trouble maker alongside Thrash. Like one of them means trouble but put two of them together and oh boy, we might have a problem. Broken vases, glasses and picture frames ? That's the least they could achieve together.

Mateo has asthma, like one if his voice lines suggests. I think he dosen't like to work with Viper due to this one reason, even though the scientist assured him that as long as he keeps his distance, everything will be alright

Gekkos Trailer ? The one when he dyes his hair ? Call me crazy but I could hear a dog in it, so I like to think he has a dog. A stray he found on one of his skateboard escapades to the city. It would be a lage bread, probably a mix of German Sheppard

That would be all for now, hope you guys like it <3 I would love to read about your HC's for the greenie <3

~Alex

#gekko x you #gekko x reader #valorant #hcs #just a thought #I was bored and wanted to share

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defodisturbed · 10 months ago

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Mastermind - Recoms x Singer!Recom!reader

(A/N: heyy... hey.. im back :3. im sorry for leaving for SO LONG im dealing with a lot of personal stuff right now but im really trying to write more. i want to get faster at typing and i also needa feed my children. also most of this fic will be exposition and the events leading up to the climax like im not even joking its so long. hope yall enjoy this one. mwah) (and yes I based the songs on Taylor Swift and if you're gonna be in the replies being hateful, gtfo my page (kindly))

What if I told you I'm a mastermind?

And now you're mine.

I had always hid my true past from my teammates. Practically everyone. I only really had a journal, and even that was locked away under my rug under my bed. Nobody knew it was there, and nobody could access it without waking me up or making some kind of noise. It was a sacred book to me. I could talk to... something with it. I could express my feelings of wanting to go back to the way things were, but never wanting to leave Pandora. Never wanting to leave my friends. And never wanting to leave my lovers.

I'm a recombinant for the RDA. When I died in my human body, they had my DNA and were already growing my new body to be revived. I have my memories of my past life, and it was awesome. Until... my mom found out she was drafted for the mission on Pandora. I, being the best kid ever, took her place. My fans were scared for me, and tried to convince me not to. They'd heard it all, how dangerous Pandora was. Especially for a singer with no military experience or knowledge. But I accepted my fate. For my mother. For my family. I had siblings back home, and with me going on tour all the time, I wouldn't be able to take care of them if my mother was gone. So I accepted the fact that I was most likely, if not definitely, going to die on this mission.

And I did. My family recieved the news, but also learned about Project Phoenix. They were relieved to know that their kid was going to be revived, just maybe not the same.

-----

"Hey, ma. How're you?" Prager asked as I sat down at the table. It was lunch at the cafeteria. They pretty much just fed us protein-filled slop most of the time. Rarely, they would throw a cookie in there if it was a holiday on Earth.

"Oh, it's going alright, baby. Thanks. Hey, can I ask you a question?" I replied. Prager nodded and leaned in. "Do you think you could ask the Colonel if we could go out in the forest today and just... explore? He doesn't know this, but I actually have some science friends and they showed me some fruits and animals that we can harvest and safely eat. I tried some and Pandora food is good. Like, really good. I wanna surprise the team, and you know Colonel can't say no to you."

Prager agreed and once the Colonel sat at our table, he immediately started.

"Colonel, I was wondering if we could go out into the forest today and just have some fun. Explore, fuck around in some river or something?" Quaritch looked at Prager and gave that ONE sigh. (A/N: its giving "go get my purse") "Fine. But we ain't bringing a baby viperwolf home because Ja wants one." He glared at Ja. He was always the one to see a stray dog and say "please please pleaaaaase mom can we adopt it??" as a kid.

I silently thanked Prager for doing my bidding as always.

-----

We were out in the forest, going over the rules we've memorized by heart now. Once the Colonel finished up, I immediately took off. I was so excited to get some nice food that I didn't realize the cliff drop below me. I was suddenly falling, the wind rushing past my body and feeling almost painful as it hit my face and went away so fast, over and over again.

I dived head first into a lake. The drop wasn't that bad, I realized. Alicia was first on the scene, peeking over the dropoff with a worried look on her face as she hoped to God I wasn't dead. I waved my hand up at her and called out.

"Get down here, this is so fun!! Don't be afraid to get a running start either!" my voice echoed. "Are you okay??" she shouted back. "I'm amazing!!"

Alicia ran over to the others and told them to watch her. She embraced her inner child as she ran as fast as she could and leaped off the cliff. She felt the wind rush past her face as I had, and splashed in the water with me. The rest of my team ran over and looked. We were... fine? Lopez was next. He gladly jumped and plooshed in with us. Then Prager, Zhang, Walker, Warren, Mansk, Lyle, Fike, and finally... Quaritch. He took a chance and jumped.

We were playing and splashing each other with water as we finally relaxed for once. Of course, we had fear of predators. But we didn't care as much anymore. We were playing like kids and it felt so good.

After we dried off and got back to the forest, I took off again. This time, more careful. I found an abandoned basket in pretty good condition and took it with me to collect fruits and veggies. I collected some yovo fruit, some other stuff I didn't know the name of but still knew was safe, and finally it was time to get some meat. I was looking to make some nice Pandora burritos for everyone. I found a nice bow and some arrows, perhaps forgotten by a young hunter excited to show their family their haul.

While I was gathering food, one of my favorite songs got stuck in my head while I was thinking about my life back on Earth. I started humming... then singing the lyrics... then full belting the long notes. I didn't realize Lyle was near, close enough to hear but far enough to stay hidden. He'd never heard my songs because he was in the military before I even debuted. I'm sure he was confused who I was singing.

I got some hexapede meat, some meat from hard fruits, and I also took down a lone viperwolf. I put the stuff in the basket to bring home.

"What the Hell is all of this? What've you been doing this entire time? Why do you have a bow? Did you encounter a native?" Colonel asked. I said I found it and saw no booby traps so I took it. I explained that my friends at the lab wanted some samples so I got some for them. Obviously it was a lie, but I couldn't spoil the surprise.

He allowed me to take my findings and harvest home. I thanked him and was so excited to make him and our team a good meal for once.

-----

I got out my cutting board and my cooking knife and started chopping. I cooked some of that chicken-y stuff and some of that fruit. I thanked Mansk in my head for teaching me these things.

I radio'd everyone to come to my room. I said I had a surprise for them. "I swear to God, if we get there and you're on the bed naked again I will... actually not be mad." Lyle said back.

"This isn't that kind of surprise, Lyle. Just get over here!"

Once they all were in the room, I retrieved a tray with foil over it. The smell wafted into the room as I uncovered the gift. They were all so surprised and hypnotized by the burritos.

"For you guys! You deserve it. Take one, I insist!" I squealed. They all grabbed one and a paper towel and with the first bite, they relaxed their tense muscles and rolled their eyes back. They hadn't had a good meal like this in a good, long while.

"Hey, Y/N, what song were you singing in the forest? You were really loud... must've been one of your favorites or something. Is it on Spotify?" Lyle asked as he finished his first bite. My eyes widened. "You... heard that?"

"Yeah, I heard a little bit too. It was something about a new romantic or something like that." Zdinarsk added. "Yeah you were singing about something related to rings or something too." Mansk said. "I don't know, I could be wrong, but last time I checked, you weren't married." Lopez said.

"Um... can we forget all of that happened? Sorry, I was just getting carried away and I sang some of my own songs and-" I was soon cut off by the Colonel saying, "Wait- your songs?"

I soon shoved them out of my room, begging them to let it go and to not talk about it again. I closed the door behind me as I slid down the metal wall to the floor. I took some big, deep breaths and checked under my bed to check if my journal and hard drives were still there, even though I'd been with them the entire time. Phew! They're still there. I thought.

-----

The next day, at dinner in the cafeteria, I brought my bag with me and sat down with everybody acting like nothing was wrong. Conversation sparked when someone asked, "So what's everyone planning on doing tomorrow? Ardmore gave us the day off." I said I was planning on bingeing my favorite show wrapped in my blankets with my favorite foods. They all agreed and said they would be training, sleeping, exploring, hooking up, or something fun/relaxing.

I suddenly got a call from my friend on the phone. I knew it was something important, because my phone was blowing up with texts while she was waiting for me to answer. I hurriedly ran off to my room for privacy, forgetting my bag full of personal stuff. Including my hard drives. Zdog decided it couldn't hurt to see what I carry around all day, so she started digging. She found my sunglasses, hairbrush/comb, an unopened soda can, some loose candy, and... hard drives?

"Hey does anyone know why Y/N has hard drives in her bag?" Z asked. Nobody knew, so she decided to take them and pass them out for them to watch later. It for sure wasn't porn, Ardmore would've never let it through. It's gotta be some home videos or something.

-----

Zdog and the others piled onto the bed in her room and uploaded the drives onto her computer. They were numbered. They watched the first one and it was a black screen with the sound of a crowd cheering. It was around an hour long. They watched as a... stage appeared. A big one. It was a stadium full of people. A concert? Then appeared the person performing. It was... you. Some already made the connections, while others took a little bit. You were performing for around 70,000 people along with cameras so everyone could watch it live. they watched all of the hard drives all throughout the night, only falling asleep when they went through all of them.

-----

You were in your room, hanging up the call. turns out it was just some cute guy flirted with her at a restaurant. Only then did you realize that you left your bag in the cafeteria. You immediately went back for it, checking everything was there because people just love to snoop. You realized all of your hard drives were missing. You soon were banging on the Colonel's door, asking if he'd seen anybody take them or had anything in their hands. He wasn't there. You knocked on everyone's door and nobody answered. You went back to your room, wailing into your pillow. Those drives were the last thing you had of Earth. Of your entire life before the military. Soon enough, you cried yourself to sleep. In the morning, you slept in. It was your day off, after all. You heard a knock on the door. You recognized it as Z. You opened the door and there she was. She came in without an invite and immediately sat on your bed.

"Y/N. I am... just so sorry. When you left your bag in the cafeteria, I looked through it when I should've respected your privacy. I found hard drives and took all of them to my room and the rest of the team and I watched all of them. In order. All the way through. I am so sorry for disrespecting your right to privacy and watching the videos that were obviously private." She closes her eyes softly, looking down toward the floor with her hands twiddling in her lap. Too embarrassed and disappointed with herself to even look at me.

"Z, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have been so secretive. Especially with the ones who love me most. The truth is, I was a very rich and famous singer on Earth. You probably know that by now. So does everyone else. But I'm trying to work through it and not be embarrassed to share my past."

"It's not your fault. I love you. We love you. You never have to hide anything from us, but if you don't want it to be shared, that's okay too. So... can we listen to some of your songs?" Z laughed. I said yes an radio'd everyone to come to my room. I had a surprise.

MWAH I love yall!!!! hope you guys enjoyed i've had this au stuck in my head since like last year :) 💋💋

@dyingofcookies ITS HERE BESTIE

#zdinarsk #avatar zdog #recom zdog #z dog #z dog x y/n #recom lyle wainfleet #recom squad #recom quaritch #recom mansk #recom oc #james cameron avatar #original character #avatar x reader

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tarotmundomonde · 1 year ago

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Your current karma general reading

First, I want to thank @lilstargazing for suggesting this topic to me. It wasn't one I had thought of but found it very interesting and so here we are!

pick a number 1-5 OR pick a colour: 1-blue 2-red 3-purple 4-yellow 5-green Hope you enjoy! And next will be "Your current karma in romantic love reading"!

1.Welcome to pile number 1. What comes to your current karma, a lot is about communication and the intellectual. Very strong throat chakra and sacral chakra activation, possibly healing those chakras or rebalancing those chakras could be needed. First of all, there could be some hidden motivations surrounding you. There is a strong focus on you claiming your independence and you being the real you. To be your authentic self, to express yourself. You could experience a lot of worry, but you need to overcome that. It seems you are called to do some shadow work, because you are meant to grow. Be mindful of what you feed your mind, the more you focus on the positive, the more the positive will expand. And a part of the shadow work is to become aware of your own hidden motives and what it is you are longing for. And then to find your north star, to find your inner light, to find yourself. It looks like also you are dealing with hunger. For example, you could have a bigger appetite, because you long for more in life or maybe you simply need to eat more healthily. It looks like you are also meant to take a step back, trust and start planning and strategizing. Whatever that would be about, maybe just about daily routines, maybe school or work. It does look like there is a very stong focus on strategizing. And on foreshadowing, predicting what's going to be next, or what's going to be someone else's next move. Also, what's simply the best strategy for you, for example at work or learning and study strategy. Indeed, it's a lot about clarity and clearing things, making space. Maybe literally you need to do some cleaning. And also to get organized, to get things organized, to put things in order and in the right places. Like making things easy for you to find them. There is also focus on service and on kindred partnerships. You are called to tap into the energy of grace and peace and blessings. And you seem to be learning about using power with wisdom. So you are possibly taught lessons about what is to be in your power and what is healthy. And also, it looks like a part of your current karma is that some change is coming or going on, transformation and joyous opportunities. Now, one more thing that came through for this pile is also celebrity. Like said before about being you, there is a reference about shining like a celebrity, to be the star you were born to be. To walk your path. Perhaps it's time for you to confront your fears of exposure, of being seen and noticed. To become a bit more bold and just be you and shine your own light. And as always, don't forget to leave some feedback, if it resonates with you.

2.Welcome to pile number 2. What comes to your current karma, there is a very strong presence of divine protection in your life at this time. There is also a great possibility that you could be into the supernatural at this time. You have a very strong lesson about denial and acceptance going on for you right now. You are definitely going through so many transformations at this time, so it's inevitable that you are experiencing some storms as well. It's life and it's also about stepping into life and to not be afraid of changes. Your life seems to be speeding up somehow. You are experiencing the phoenix effect in so many ways and on so many levels at this time. It seems like life could feel like quite the mystery to you at this time. Having to experience deep emotions and learning not to worry too much and learning to trust life. And learning how to find peace and how to create peace and how to be in peaceful energy. Learning to be grateful about peace, too. Peace is a huge theme for you right now. And then the phoenix effect as rising from the ashes aka taking your power back. To kinda rediscover yourself and to grow into a stronger you. Another big theme for you at this time is discovery and learning great lessons. Don't worry, you have spirit guides watching over you. For some of you, now is a time of studies. Maybe you are a student and so it seems that your studies are currently a big part of your current karma. You could feel drawn to libraries or bookstores or to school buildings or perhaps just generally to some specific types of architecture styles as well. Creativity and creation is a big theme as well. Creative thinking and creative solutions. Your current karma involves working harder and growing smarter. It's time for you to find new ways of solving problems. Whether it's just about some small tasks or situations. There is also a huge milestone for you in the cards. And one more thing is that you are learning that you'll always have what you need or find what you need. So you are taught lessons about gratitude, of assistance and that you have all you need. And as always, don't forget to leave some feedback, if it resonates with you.

3. Welcome to pile number 3. What comes to your current karma, it's like you've been disconnected from your spirit and so you are asked to reconnect with your spirit, with your higher self. There is a sense of much good impending, but delayed currently, because you need first space for you to reconnect with the divine. Third-eye activation came through for you, maybe you need to do some third-eye chakra cleansing and rebalancing. But at this time it is activated, so you could notice yourself having increased intuition and clear seeing and visions. You seem to also be dealing with some sort of power struggles. So a part of your current karma is to take your power back, step back into your power and the right use of power. So you are called to work on having healthy boundaries and also honesty came through for you. And also you are called to see the royal you, to work on your self-esteem and you are going through a time of self-esteem healing. One big theme that came through for you as well is patience and stillness. It's not the right time yet, so use this opportunity to also focus on resting and taking it easy. You might not fully realize it, but you are taking steps forward and moving forward, even if it doesn't seem so at this time. You do seem to have some collaboration going on or coming in. Passion also came through. So there is a focus on your passions like hobbies. Also, sacral chakra healing and rebalancing. One absolute big theme for you is the divine presence. You might be struggling with faith issues at this time, but it's all about finding faith and having faith. You have very strong divine protection present at this time. It seems to be very important that you know that. Now on a lighter side, you are called to become a magnet for love, light and joy. It really wants to enter your life, you are called to enter that energy space. There are magical moments awaiting you, miracles. And true love. And as always, don't forget to leave some feedback, if it resonates with you.

4.Welcome to pile number 4. This pile has heavy student vibes to it. It's very clear that this is a student pile. Your current karma is so clearly all about student life. For example it's pretty clear that you cannot advance in big steps, but instead you are required patience and to build little by little and in breaks. For example you have to focus on one semester at a time, on one exam period at a time. So a strong part of your current karma is studying and teachers and choices and consequences and creation and creativity and wisdom. In the end, this is all teaching you to walk your path and to trust you have the needed inner wisdom reguarding your student life and courage. And a part of you growing wiser is of course possible regrets, like the regret that you didn't study enough during the exam week. Things like that. And then endings. It's so much about preparations, plans, planning and routines. About knowing the outcomes you seek and what you are trying to manifest. It's a lot about using your mind and the intellectual, knowing the best learning methods for yourself and to tend to the small things, to pay attention to details. A lot of mental hard work. It seems a part of your current karma is to find and recognize your gifts and to not settle for less. And you seem to be dealing with so much new information, which is so typical for students. And as always, don't forget to leave some feedback, if it resonates with you.

5.Welcome to pile number 5. If you chose this pile, it seems you have a bit of everything going on at the moment. So what comes to your current karma, one thing is home. This could be about renovation or relocation or just home life in general. A part of your current karma is also status quo and obstacles. And a part of it is assistance and control. So it seems you also need to learn how to accept help from others. You seem to also need to focus more on your nourishment. It's not just about food, but also about what you consume online and through all media, what you feed yourself energetically, etc. You are taught about prioritizing self-care. And about judgment. It seems you are experiencing some level of enlightment at this time. Your wisdom is growing and you are starting to see some things more clearly. There is also a focus on increasing your knowledge, be it through school or taking classes perhaps. A very strong focus on relationships, including friends and colleagues. It's really about learning that you are not alone. There is a sense that you have your own team. A massive energy of unconditional and all-encompassing love being present in your life at this time, it's time for you to tap into it and to learn to feel such love with no judgment. You are learning about acceptance and serenity. And you are learning about life, about experiencing life, about living life. That life is about everything. And as always, don't forget to leave some feedback, if it resonates with you.

#tarot #tarot reading #pick a card reading #pac reading #pick a pile #daily tarot

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agent-toast · 10 months ago

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@dopey-dragon @bewithdagays

ieytd reincarnation au (name under works - do give suggestions) practice fic! not sure if this will be canon or not. also hope it's ok to tag!

my writing is pretty rusty but oh well

link to au context (if it doesn't work please tell me!) but if you want a quick summary, this au is agent phoenix actually reincarnates kind of like doctor who, and each version of agent phoenix is inspired by one of my irl friends and they all have different personalities. but all of them love annoying john juniper

[note: this lil practice fic takes place after ieytd3. zinc, persimmon, mayflower, midnight and crimson phoenix have all returned to their old office after a very eventful evening with the whole Operation: KBOOM thingy. just to be clear, only zinc left for the mission but something something then he came back with the others. fun! additionally, none of the characters are really described because the description is planned to come earlier before the time this fic takes place.]

Phoenix's old office used to be littered with dozens of trinkets stolen collected from their missions - champagne taken straight from Doctor Zor's car, small shiny crystals that tinkled when you hit them on Phoenix's desk (they definitely hadn't done that a million times before their handler came specially to their office just to scold them), a few books from Zor's winter cabin (they were unsuccessful in resisting the urge to burn them), and many more things Phoenix would have definitely gotten in trouble for keeping in their office, if their handler hadn't argued their case.

Now, though, the room was eerily bare, save for their now empty desk and bookshelves.

Support Agent Reginald Crane sat at the desk, one hand rhythmically tapping the wooden surface, and stared round at the room.

Why had he come here? He wasn't sure.

(Oh yes he was; he was worried for Phoenix. There was no point in denying it.)

The office door opened without warning, interrupting the silence. Startled, Crane rushed towards it.

If Agent Phoenix isn't standing in the doorway, I will actually break something.

Thankfully for all nearby breakable objects, Zinc was standing there, a slightly sheepish, heady grin on his face. He looked tired, but alive. Oh-so-thankfully alive.

"Hi. Uh. I kinda have something to explain-"

"Agent, my god!" Crane exclaimed. "You don't know how much you scared me, when your feed cut out I thought you'd- you know, pulled a stunt like that peace summit incident again, but this time there was no way I could see you surviving at all, and-"

He was cut off by the sight of someone very familiar walking behind Zinc through the doorway.

"Damn, handler, what have you been doing with my office, it's turned into a fucking IKEA showroom-" Persimmon stopped, turned and waved at a slightly singed fake potted plant. "Oh, long time no see, you stupid plastic abomination. Good to see you're still flammable as ever."

Crane blinked. "...Agent? Is that-"

"Yeah, uh-" Zinc piped up, "I was going to explain that but you-"

Three more familiar faces walked into the office, and Crane did a double take. "What- how the hell did this happen-"

"If you would just let me explain, handler-" Zinc was close to throwing something out the open window.

"If you want, Zinc," Mayflower stage-whispered into his ear, "I can take it from here."

Zinc immediately stepped back and gestured for her to take his place. "Please do that. Please. I have had enough of this shit for one week." He sunk gratefully into the desk chair nearby, looking ready to pass out.

Mayflower smiled at Crane. "It's been a wild three hours, handler. Not just because I had to babysit these four kids during the taxi ride here." She side-eyed Midnight, who was trying to balance a stuffed shark on Crimson's head.

"...Mayflower. It's certainly been a while since I last saw your face." Crane, thankfully, seemed to have calmed down.

She cleared her throat. "From what Zinc told me, || ||||| ||| | |||| || ||| || ||||. ||| |||||||| ||| |||||, || ||| |||| ||| || ||||||||| || || ||||| ||| ||| |||||||| ||||||||| ||||..." [nuh uh spoilers >:) you dont get this]

"I myself am starting to question whether that was a good idea or not. But hey, we're here now, aren't we?"

Perched on the windowsill, Persimmon called out, "Hey! Handler! Do you know where a girl can get food in this place? Even that old agency van I was stuck in for a week had food. It had oranges, handler, oranges. Though, now that I think about it, it didn't have cheese sticks. Remind me to fax the heads of EOD and tell them to stock their agency fridges with more cheese sticks. Oh, and get air fryers. Do we have enough money for air fryers?"

Everyone stared in silence at her.

"What? I like cheese sticks. And you can't eat cheese sticks cold. Hence the air fryers."

In the corner of the room, Crimson was silently nodding, a serious look on their face.

"SEE?? SOMEONE agrees with me."

Zinc - very muffled, with his blahaj smooshed over his face - mumbled, "Kinda hungry now that Persimmon's been going on about cheese sticks. Let's go eat something." He lifted the shark just high enough for his voice to sound clearer, and continued, "then I should probably go to the hospital. I'm pretty sure I've broken at least more than two bones. Oh, shit, wait, I'm caring about my physical health. That's a first."

"As you can see, Zinc, it's working out very well. Do that more often." Mayflower replied encouragingly.

criticsm highly encouraged as long as it's respectful!

#maintag? maintag.#ieytd #i expect you to die #ieytd au #ieytd reincarnation au #<- placeholder tag #agent phoenix #agent phoenix ieytd #ieytd oc #ieytd2 #ieytd2 spoilers #ieytd spoilers #ieytd fic #fanfic #tw swearing #if you see this hi weny #ieytd3 spoilers

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chvoswxtch · 2 years ago

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Miss ma’am could I have an old fashion with Mr. Castle?👀

Creators choice, go wild my love <3

my fiesty little phoenix,

you can have whatever you'd like. thank you for letting me run wild with this one. I hope you enjoy. <3

headcannon below the cut

frank castle finally takes a goddamn day off

i personally think it's criminal we never got a single scene of what frank likes to do in his free time, so i'm taking it upon myself to make y'all feed into my delusions of what that would look like, because the man deserves a day of fucking peace, so let's give it to him

frank is an early riser. after years in the military, his body is just trained to wake up at a certain time, and no matter how much he wants to sleep in, he just can't

i'd like to think frank sleepily pads through his place, makes himself a strong brew of coffee, and goes outside to watch the sunrise. i think he would enjoy the peace, when it's early in the morning and everything is super still and quiet, and he just gets to exist for a little while, slowly let his body and mind wake up as he takes in the tranquil colors of the sunrise

maybe he'd make himself a nice lil breakfast. he strikes me as a bacon guy, so whatever he makes, just know there's bacon. he likes the applewood smoked thick cuts. don't ask me to explain, i can't. it's just something my soul knows

we saw that frank likes to read, so maybe he spends some of the morning working through a new book. he strikes me as someone that secretly loves murder mysteries, and mysteries in general. i'd like to think he gets really into them and really excited when he figures out the mystery before he reaches the end

"fuckin' knew it was the goddamn maid!"

frank also strikes me as a handyman, and i'd like to think he enjoys little projects. maybe he spends part of the afternoon giving his truck a tune up while listening to classic rock in the garage with a few beers (he's a classic rock guy, don't @ me. y'all saw how excited he got about those bruce springsteen tickets) maybe he's finally putting together some new furniture he got, or even building some new furniture bc he can fucking do anything. maybe he's repainting the spare bedroom bc the white walls were boring and frank's secret guilty pleasures are cooking and home makeover shows

in a perfect world, frank has a dog (it's definitely a sweet, beautiful pitbull) so maybe they go on a little walk together on a nice trail or maybe they go to the doggy park so they can play and when they come back they take a lil nap on the couch together bc it's fucking cute and they're sleepy so why the hell not

i'd also like to think that when the evening rolls around, frank goes to socialize bc the thought of him being lonely breaks my heart in ways i can't explain

maybe he goes over to the lieberman's for dinner and helps sarah cook, teaches david how to fix the sink that's broken in their guest bathroom, plays catch with zach out in the backyard, helps leo with a book report she's writing, and passes out with the kids on the couch twenty minutes into a movie they picked out

or maybe he goes out with curtis to a bar to have a few drinks, gets talked into (and drunk enough) to bust some moves out on the dance floor, giggles with curtis as they drunkenly stumble together to the closest twenty-four hour pizza joint, and ends up having a sleepover with him bc his apartment is closer and the pizza and booze made him sleepy

bonus points if curt doesn't make him take the couch and they just share his bed bc they're drunk and also brothers who cares (you're telling me all that time in the military together and there wasn't a "there's only one bed" situation? sorry, I can't suspend reality that much)

extra bonus points if he goes out with matt, karen, and foggy to josie's and is the only one that can keep up with matt in pool

"can't believe y'all let this bastard cheat you like this. this how you treat your friends, red? hustlin' 'em for free drinks? you're the worst goddamn catholic I ever met."

extra extra bonus points if foggy challenges him to a shot contest but then gets so drunk that frank has to carry him home over his shoulder and karen gets several pictures and videos and matt can't stop cackling

extra extra extra bonus points if he's having to carry matt AND foggy home drunk over his shoulder (bc he could) and karen is still being the absolute mvp getting so many pictures and videos while giggling

i just want this man to have a good fucking day that's all, thank you for coming to my ted talk

#frank castle #frank castle request #frank castle headcanon #court's 2k follower celebration #court's 2k friends celebration #matt murdock #karen page #foggy nelson #curtis hoyle #david lieberman #the punisher #daredevil

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shirohige-pirates · 21 days ago

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A Truly Mythological Christmas

Cisfem!Reader x Marco the Phoenix

Also on Wattpad // Ao3

18+ - this story is going to get steamy in ways not allowed for your holiday Lifetime specials. Swearing, cheating, assassins, intrigue - you know, all that simple small town stuff.

Chapter 9: Cuppa

The wagon really was back in the driveway by lunch the next day.

Thatch steps out of the driver’s seat as Fossa pulls in behind him in another car. His pompadour hasn’t survived whatever they did to fix the wagon, and both him and Fossa are grimy. Both are smiling, at least, so they must’ve enjoyed getting to work on the damnable thing.

“Little warrior!” Thatch says, opening his arms, and then looking at his hands. “Ah.”

Laughing, you step down off the porch and let him hug you. “A little dirt won’t hurt,” you assure him. “I need to get cleaned up later anyway. Sorry I didn’t get to do more than wave at you last night.”

Thatch gives you a wide, toothy smile. “It was good to see you, but yeah, it’s a busy night for me, that’s for sure.”

“You’re going to find a nice girl and lose your mind trying to feed a whole family and spend time with her.” You point out and Thatch’s face goes red.

“I did - kind of.” He admits. “We just met a week ago, and decided it was way too soon to be spending time with one another’s family. But I’ll see her on Christmas Eve.”

You put your hands to your mouth and give him the squeakiest voice you had. “Awwww! My baby Thatch, all grown up and - wait, she’s okay with the pompadour?”

Thatch gives you a sour look, but then grins, puffing out his chest a little. “Says it suits me.”

“That’s good, cause it does.” You agree. “I hope it works out for you, big guy.” He blushes, pink going all the way to his ears.

“Shucks.”

“We fixed the timing issue, and put in a new starter.” Fossa explains. “New set of spark plugs, and oil change since we already had it up on the rack, replaced a few parts with spares we had in the shop.”

Your brows raise. “It might actually be safe.”

Fossa nods. “Damn right it’s safe. We weren’t gonna bring it back over if we couldn’t get it up to snuff.” He grunts and you smile.

“Thanks. I appreciate that. Dadan would’ve driven it until the motor blew itself through the hood.” You grumble.

“I wouldn’t have let it get that bad!” She shouts, coming out onto the porch. “Oi, thank you boys for fixing it up for us. It’ll make the holidays easier.”

“Yeah, but we’re scrapping it for parts when I buy you a new one.” You assert, and Dadan just grunts.

Fossa laughs. “You are still the warrior!” He pats you on the back and you struggle to stay standing. “I swear you’re the only one she listens to.”

“Oh I know at least one other person she listens to.” You say knowingly, giving Dadan a look. Your mom blushes, and grumbles under her breath about head strong daughters, before sitting down on the porch bench.

“Anyway, thanks guys. If you’re hungry you can come in for a bite? We’re about to have lunch.” You offer.

Both of them smile, but decline. “We gotta get back to the house, I’ve got two birds in the oven that we couldn’t find space for yesterday, and Izou’s not going to be able to handle them.” Thatch admits.

The guys head out, and you and Dadan get lunch together. Her shrill whistle cuts through the backwoods like a whip and a few minutes later the boys come running in from the backdoor, stopping in the mud room to clean up and strip of shoes caked with cold mud. The temperatures were going to drop, and the ground was going to freeze, but for now it was only just cold enough to make the mud cake thicker.

Lunch gives way to the afternoon, and you get cleaned up. When you come out of your room, Ace is standing in the hall, all eight years of him, with a very severe look on his face.

“What’s got your face in a knot?” You question, pretty sure you already know. You’re dressed nicer, not like for the feast, but certainly a step up from what you’d been wearing.

“I… don’t want you to go back to the city.” He says, and your eyes go wide. It wasn’t exactly what you expected, but it was similar.

“I know.” You admit, squatting down enough to look up at him. “I promise I’ll visit lots more than I was before.”

“Can’t you stay?” He asks, and there’s something in those little wet eyes that speaks volumes.

“I could.” You reply. “You’re gonna be my little brother no matter where I am, you know that right?”

Ace nods, and you can see him struggling not to cry. You brush a bit of his hair aside and when he doesn’t flinch away you wipe one of the tears that escaped.

“And no matter who else comes into my life.”

“I know!” He yells, and finally starts crying. He doesn’t run off, and when you tell him to come in for a hug he does.

“Thank you for telling me.” You say softly, and you can feel Sabo and Luffy come over until all three of you are hugging. Sometimes it takes weeks and months, sometimes years, but every once in a while, when you find your family, you know it in a matter of minutes.

And that could be scary.

“I don’t wan’ you ta date Marco either.” Ace grumbles into your shoulder and you can’t help but laugh.

“Ace, I told you not to say that!” Sabo scolds.

“Marco’s nice.” Luffy declares, and Ace just grumbles in response.

Grinning, you give each one of them a kiss on the forehead. “I appreciate having you three looking out for me. I mean it. If I do end up dating Marco I’ll visit even more often.”

Sabo and Luffy light up at the idea of it, but Ace seems conflicted. Little guy really doesn’t want to let go of his jealousy. That’s okay.

You ruffle his hair.

“C’mon, let’s get dinner going.” You urge the boys downstairs, and pull out your phone as you follow along behind them.

You: Still up for tonight? I’m sure you’re a busy guy, Mr. Business Owner.

It only takes a moment for him to reply.

Marco: Izou’s helping, should be done in the next hour.

You: It’ll be 2 hours before we’re done with dinner, don’t feel rushed. Thatch and Fossa got the wagon working, so I’ll meet you there.

Marco: That’s a shame. 😉

You snort. You know he means it’s a shame he won’t have an excuse to come pick you up, but you’re not going to let him get away with that so easily.

You: It is, but I’m still getting her a new wagon.

His only response after that is an actual pineapple emoji.

Dinner went smoothly. Ace seemed to let go of some of his frustrations with a full belly, and even managed to join his brothers in saying good bye when you left the house after the meal.

You couldn’t help the nerves that coiled in your stomach the closer you got to Makino’s. You hadn’t been there since she took over from her mom, but you doubted it had really changed. Change came to Sphinx, sure, but usually pretty slowly. That just meant it would be comfortable. The atmosphere, and the company, were all already known to you, so there wasn’t any reason to be nervous.

It was the “Just you and I” that kept sticking in your head. You knew Marco meant the two of you at a table, and not the two of you as the only two people in the whole bloody bar, but there was a lot of weight behind the statement. A desire to be able to hang out and have it truly just be the two of you.

You weren’t surprised to see Marco’s car in the parking lot already, but you were surprised to see him leaned against the trunk. He straightened up when he saw you pull in and smiled in greeting, coming over and walking into the pub with you.

“I hope you weren’t waiting long.”

“Nah, ten, twenty minutes tops.” He says. “Not even long enough to get cold, really.” Marco tugs at the thick turtleneck he’s wearing before opening the door for you.

The pub’s fairly packed, as you’d expect post dinner on a friday night, but it looks like Makino expanded it, or her mother did, as there’s a barn style second floor above the original lay out. It added more tables, but also opened up space on the first floor for a bigger dancing area. A location that was very full of people already.

Marco indicated for you to head upstairs, and when you got up there it was much less crowded. There were some big booths, but most of the tables were really only meant for two or three people. The music was muted up here, and unlike downstairs there weren’t any TVs playing sports channels.

It wasn’t exactly restaurant vibes, but it was a pleasant liminal space. Casual enough you wouldn’t feel awkward to have nothing but a couple drinks and maybe an appetizer if you stayed long enough to get peckish.

You aren’t surprised to see Makino come up to take your order just a minute after you got seated.

“You didn’t tell me you renovated.” You say, sticking out your tongue.

“We got to talking about other things.” She retorts, giving you a half-hearted shrug before looking between the two of you. “What can I get you?”

“I’ll have an Old Fashioned.” You say. “And some zucchini fritters. I let Luffy get away with stealing a good bit of my dinner tonight, and I’m already a little hungry.”

“A Negroni,” Marco says. “And maybe some fried pickles to go with the fritters.”

“Sure thing.” Makino says with a smile before heading back downstairs.

You sigh, almost laying your head on the table.

“What’s wrong, yoi?” You can hear the smile on his lips.

“The whole town is going to have us in a tree at this point.” You’re not really grumbling about it, but you can imagine it getting out of hand. “Makino knows the details of my extended stay.”

“Ah, the story I don’t even know yet.” He muses.

“I’d say I’m surprised Makino or Dadan hadn’t already told everyone, but they are a lot better at not gossiping than I give them credit for.” You admit. “Spare me though, let me have a couple sips of a good drink before I start such a frustrating tale.”

“Of course.” He assures you. “You don’t even have to talk about it tonight if you don’t want to. We can just talk about the glory days if you want.”

You smile. “Like pushing Thatch in the lake.” Marco laughs.

“He told me what he said to you before you did that. You know he didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know he didn’t once he came back out of the lake and explained himself.” You say, covering your face. “But come on, how else do you take ‘lemme tickle your tummy with my pompadour’?”

“Not his best moment.” Marco agrees. “What did he say when you threatened to cut it off?”

“Oh he was just being annoying. He’d had the damn thing for years by then, and I think I’d made some comment about him considering a new do.” There’s a sheepish look on your face. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way, but I think he might’ve been having a bad day. He just kept like, using it to get in my way. Blocking my view of the board, almost getting it in my lunch, the whole time going on about how useful it was.

“I didn’t realize I’d struck a nerve so I didn’t apologize.” You admit. “But looking back on it I bet it was the umpteenth time someone had said it to him and he just snapped.”

“Remember the snowball fight?”

“Gods, which one? Oh - oh you mean,” you laugh and Marco’s already nodding.

“You ducked that toss and it hit Izou right in the face.” He laughs. “He thought he was far enough away from the rest of us, but that line!”

You both make a motion across your faces. “The line of lipstick from the impact. Oh no I remember.”

Makino comes back up and gives the two of you your drinks. “The teasers will be another few minutes, but I’ll have ‘em brought up once they’re ready. I’ll be up later to check on you.” She gives you a wink and you stick your tongue out.

“How’s he holding up lately anyway?” You question and Marco quirks a brow. “Izou. He said during the feast that well, I don’t know the details, but screw that fiance, honestly.”

“Ah. Yeah. He’s doing alright. He was a mess for a couple weeks. Hell, most of us were, but him, Thatch and Squard slept in Pops’ room for a while. Julius, Brocca and Palms spend most of the time being therapists, given that they are, and I think it helped. Izou’s sorrow went to rage when Ain tried to walk back her decision.”

Marco pauses taking a drink as a server brings up your appetizers.

“It’s hard to say if it was because of the promotion, but the timing was just too perfect.” Marco explains, popping a deep fried pickle into his mouth as you grab a fritter. “I’m almost grateful to her for it, because he got so angry it pulled him out of his sorrow. Not the way I wanted to see it happen, but, even seeing it coming, it was a hard loss.”

“Yeah… and you?”

Marco pauses, and then gives you a soft smile. “I’d been bracing for dad’s death for three years by that point. It was hard, but I’m just glad I got to be there. I’d been doing so much traveling I kept expecting to get a phone call while I was halfway around the world.”

“I’m sorry it happened, but I’m glad you got to be there.” You say, and lift your drink. “To Pops.”

“To Pops.”

You clink the glasses carefully, and each take a sip, neither of you having drinks that should be finished in a gulp or two.

“As for me,” you say, grabbing one of his pickles. “I was engaged. Izou and I were sharing a drink in shared misery, I imagine.” You admit. ��Since you know the Charlottes, you probably know Perospero.”

Marco’s eyes go wide as shock covers his face for a second. “Her firstborn, huh?”

“Yep.” You pop your lips at the end of the word. “At first I thought it just kind of happened, but looking back I’m sure Linlin had a hand in all of it. Especially since Pero was already in love with someone else.” You take another drink, think about what you’re thinking about and take another drink.

“I’m going to need to buy a new bed when I go back home.” You say, a look of disgust on your face.

Marco grimaces. “Sorry about that, little warrior.”

“Ah, it’s fine. It’s-.” You sigh. “It’s just, getting fired over it is really what gets me. And yeah, it’s not like fired fired, but being forced to accept a severance package, and made to submit your own resignation is, effectively, the same thing.”

“Is there another option?” He prompts and you shake your head.

“I mean, I could send the picture of him in my bed with two women to the papers,” you explain and Marco nearly chokes on his drink.

“You took a picture?” He coughs and you nod, pulling out your phone. “No, I don’t need to see Pero’s, well, anything.”

“Oh everyone’s covered.” You assure him, flipping through your pictures. “I’d honestly like to show it to someone else. Make sure I’m not losing my mind.”

You hold out the phone, face down, and give him a chance to say no, but your words were apparently enough. Marco takes the phone with an apprehensive look on his face before he tilts it up and looks. The look on his face is only there for a split second, but it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

You realize, you don’t think you’d ever seen Marco look angry before. Irritated, maybe, but never really truly mad. But that flash of rage across his face was a little terrifying.

Thatch might have inherited Pops’ booming voice, but Marco most certainly inherited his presence.

“Sorry.” He says, handing the phone back.

“Eh? For what?” You question taking it back.

“That you’re being punished when you didn’t do anything wrong, yoi.” He says, and you hum softly in response. “You really enjoyed your work, and I know Linlin’s not going to see the flaws in her kids, or how she runs her family, yoi.”

“Thanks. But, I mean, it’ll work out, I’m sure. Kata’s helping me track down a comparable line of work, and the money from the severance package is going to make things easier for me and mom an’ the boys. So, even if I want to, I can’t really complain.”

You grab a fritter, but Marco grabs your hand and eats it for himself. It’s a quick action, more childish than flirtatious, but the warmth of his hand on yours is apparently enough.

“Wha-What?” You stammer.

“You stole my pickle.” He says, covering his mouth while he eats his pilfered snack.

“From the thing, from the basket!” You assert, pointing at the little basket of pickles. “Not out of your hand!” Your whole face is flushed, you’re certain of it. You’re not even halfway through your drinks, so you can’t blame the alcohol.

Marco holds up a pickle for you, giving you the single most mischievous smirk you’ve ever seen on his fucking face.

Fine, two can play this game. You decide, mustering up every scrap of determination you had.

Grabbing his hand like he had yours you get the pickle, and the tip of his finger in your mouth. You lick the end of his finger before letting his hand go and leaning back into your seat, a smug look on your face as his cheeks dusted pink.

To his credit he kept his expression fairly neutral, so the blush was a big win.

“I suppose we’re even now.” You hum and Marco nearly laughs before leaning toward you.

“I suppose so.” Those three little words roll off his lips and draw a line down your spine and suddenly you feel like you’re in over your head. He takes a fritter from your basket, and you take a drink of your Old Fashioned.

“I-.”

“Let me take you on a proper date.” Marco says evenly.

“A… proper… Marco, I…” You pause for a moment and take another sip. “I’m not going to stay in this town.”

“I know that, yoi.” He answers.

“I don’t… if I’m just going to have a holiday fling, I don’t want it to be with someone so important to me.”

“I don’t want just a fling.” He looks you in the eyes and you feel pinned to the wall. “You never asked me if I’d go to the city with you, and I understand why. But I would.”

“You’ve got the store, I-.”

“My brothers can handle the store, yoi. They can take care of the business. I didn’t grow up with a dream of taking it over. After all the traveling I’ve done, settling down to a nice quiet life in the city sounds perfect.”

You snort. “A nice quiet life in the city.”

“I just know, we never really tried before.” Marco says looking down at his drink before looking back up at you. “I would like to take that chance.”

“If it doesn’t…work.” You press your lips together. You weren’t really afraid of that, honestly.

“We give each other space, move on, and continue being friends.” He pauses, reaching his hand across the table and you let him gently hold yours. “We can take it slow. I can come up there and stay for a couple weeks once the holidays are over. I…” His fingers flex against yours. “Would like to be happy with you, not just happy for you.”

You put your face in your free hand to shield yourself from this man as much as you can. Even if you are leaving your other hand in his.

It felt a little like falling into some kind of prophecy. The town had believed the two of you were dating every time you turned around. But you were friends. Maybe not just friends, but dating never seemed like the right word. You weren’t flustered around Marco. You didn’t have butterflies in your stomach, and you didn’t lay awake at night thinking about him.

But, he was always there, so there was nothing to fret. He was going to be your friend for your entire life. Him, Izou, Thatch, Haruta, and the long, long list of Edward children. Sure you’d all go do your own things when you grew up, but he would always be there.

He would. Wouldn’t he?

“A date.” You agree, looking at him from behind your fingers.

“Tomorrow night.” He prompts, giving you a sweet smile.

“I’m going to be here for weeks.” You remind him, lowering your hand and grinning.

“I’ve already left us both waiting far too long.” Marco insists and you find yourself looking away again.

“You’re killing me.” You say, running your hand down your face as you try desperately not to blush yourself into a stupor. He doesn’t say anything, just looks at you with that easy gaze, those hooded eyes. The soft shift of his fingers against yours. The clink of ice in his glass as he takes a small sip and gives you time to reply.

“…Tomorrow then.” You murmur the words softly enough you know he probably didn’t even hear them.

“Is dinner at 7 a good time?” He questions and you can’t help but laugh.

“Dinner at 7 is a good time.” You reply, squeezing his fingers and finally managing to look at him again. “Am I meeting you somewhere?”

“Ah, it’s a proper date, little warrior.” He grins. “Which means I get to pick you up at 6:40.”

You laugh. “I suppose that means I should get dolled up a little.”

“I would never demand such a thing,” he says with a wink, leaning back and slowly letting go of your fingers. “Wear whatever you’re comfortable with, pretty bird.”

An interruption from Makino, checking in on the both of you, breaks more of the tension. You order new drinks, switching who got what, and spent the rest of your time talking about your younger days. You talked about work a little, the good things you’d done, and the interesting things he’d seen on his travels.

He was so relaxed, as far as you could tell, but you bet he had been horribly nervous leading up to it. No matter how cool he’d managed to play it. No matter how well he hid the pink that crept across his cheeks. You knew.

Not that it was doing you much good right now. He might’ve been an uncoordinated and awkward boy at one point, but he certainly outgrew most of it.

A hug at the end of it, a kiss on your forehead. Marco told you to sleep well, and dream sweet.

He was already looking forward to seeing you again.

#a truly mythological christmas #marco the phoenix #x reader #reader insert #mdni #hallmark au

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