#and I bet whatever it was I mostly liked but had problems with

[medicinemane]

You know, the thing is that Agents of Shield always did really feel like a spin off tv show where interesting as it could be sometimes (it's definitely a... deeply flawed, show, I still haven't managed to finish it), where as Clone Wars really does feel like expanded lore despite the fact neither of them ever would or could have any impact on any of the movies

I'm kinda sat here wondering why that is, cause in my rewatch I'm hitting the part that's happening at the same time as episode 3 and it's like... Asoka is in essence a fan fic character compared to the movie canon, you know that none of the stuff involving her was ever thought of when that movie was made (I assume anyway) and yet the show does a good enough job that it does feel like she actually has an impact, that clone wars helps contextualize a lot of episode 3 (for the better, on it's own it's... ok)

Is it just better writing? Is it that it came along long after the movies while Shield was running along at the same time as the MCU? Definitely the first season of that show is the strongest when all the Hydra stuff with Winter Soldier is happening, but later on it often does feel like "oh boy, glad we managed to build this helicopter in time, glad it could help deal with that Age of Ultron(tm)"

So I don't know... I just think it's probably worth figuring it out what the difference between two shows that both would never ever be able to impact the movies they're associated is, that makes one really feel like a tv spin off and one feel like actual strong world building that did have an impact even if it literally can't because it came out after literally every movie (that matters) was already made

What did they do right, you know?

[lucysarah-c]

“Then Lauren said—”

“Stop eating my carrots!” Levi slapped her hand away from the bowl.

“Ouch!” she exclaimed, pouting at him as she remained seated on the countertop. She caressed her hand, but the pain wasn't real. “Why?” she complained, playfully pretending to be hurt.

“Because I’m trying to make myself dinner,” he replied, continuing to slice up the vegetables. He momentarily pointed with his knife toward the boiling stew on the stove. “And when I asked if you were hungry, you said no,” Levi added, pushing the chopped vegetables into the bowl.

His stern gaze was quick to return when she grabbed another carrot slice. “I’m not hungry,” she insisted with her mouth full.

Levi maintained his stoic expression, one hand resting on his hip. “Is this going to be one of those times where I ask if you want something to eat, you say you’re not hungry, and then you end up eating half of my meal?”

There was a brief, intense silence until she swallowed her food and replied, “I never do that.”

Levi simply sighed and bent to pick up an extra batch of ingredients.

“Where’s your squad?” Y/N asked as she swung her legs on the countertop. Levi kept cooking, both of them enveloped in the dim light of the almost deserted kitchen.

“No idea,” Levi replied quickly. “Until tomorrow’s morning practice at 6, they’re not my responsibility.”

His girlfriend chuckled. “I bet they’re getting drunk downtown.”

“Good for them. As long as they don’t break anything that belongs to me and they’re on time tomorrow, they can get as shit-faced as they please.”

“What if they break something in the barracks?” she insisted playfully.

“Those budget issues are Erwin’s problems,” Levi said.

She laughed softly, her laughter echoing in the empty, massive room meant to hold many more soldiers than just the two of them. “I went downtown. I met up with friends from other divisions, had lunch, went shopping, had tea, saw a theater presentation, and then had dinner. What did you do all day?”

“I did a deep cleaning of our chambers,” Levi replied, a hint of resentment in his voice. “Something you were obviously not going to do. I did laundry, cleaned everything—even the clothes I was wearing. So, I lounged in my boxers in my desk chair, catching up with a book and drinking tea. When it got dark, I turned on a light, swapped the tea for whiskey, and kept reading. I spent my free day reading, having zero human interactions, and not dealing with anyone’s shitty problems. Best free day I’ve had in months.”

“Does that mean you’re done with your tasks for the day?” she asked playfully, giving him a sly look despite him being engrossed in his cooking.

Levi quickly replied, “Don’t worry, I still have plenty of time to do you, girly.” The words didn’t match his uninterested tone and expression.

But it made her chuckle anyway, mostly out of embarrassment. She softly hit his arm and complained, “Levi! A cadet might hear you.”

A subtle smirk appeared on his face, but not much more. There was a brief, comfortable silence as he put the ingredients into the boiling water and stirred them around.

“You know, I want your opinion about something Juliet told me. So I want you to be honest, be yourself,” Y/N commented. Levi simply hummed in agreement, his eyes fixed on his upcoming dinner. “But be nice,” she warned him.

Levi stopped stirring his meal, looked up at her, and said, “I can’t be both.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever. She’s dating a new guy… and I don’t think he’s good for her.”

“Like the last ten guys,” he interrupted her, “in the last eight months?”

Levi wasn’t a social person, but he was certainly up to date with his girlfriend’s gossip.

“Hey! Are you slut-shaming my friend?”

“No, your friend can sleep with the entire male population of the walls if she pleases,” Levi said casually as he moved around the kitchen. “But she has this tendency to think each one is the love of her life, and they last two weeks.”

Y/N couldn’t deny it. She sighed loudly. “She’s… a hopeless romantic.”

“Daddy issues.”

She snorted and then chuckled. “Hey! She’s my friend!” Y/N tried to defend her, but there was no conviction in her words. “…She used to have a crush on Erwin, remember?”

“Exactly. Having a crush on Erwin is the definition of daddy issues,” Levi said with a playful smile as his girlfriend burst into laughter. “Am I wrong?”

“No, no.”

Returning to stirring before heading back to the kitchen board to cut the potatoes, Levi asked, “So?”

“Oh yes,” Y/N caught herself and continued, “Well… she’s seeing this new guy. He’s in his mid-thirties, and the way she described him made me realize he’s a fuckboy and—”

“A fuckboy?” Levi quickly snapped, looking at his girlfriend, who simply hummed back, not understanding his reaction. “God,” Levi raised his hand to press on the bridge of his nose and slightly shook his head. “Your friend really has a radar for choosing the worst dudes out there.”

“I haven’t even said anything yet!” she complained. “Let me finish!”

“There’s nothing to finish,” he said. “A fuckboy, for fuck’s sake,” Levi repeated under his breath, almost cursing at the idea.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“A fuckboy, Y/N, really?” He repeated, louder this time, as if trying to make her see reason. Not sensing her understanding, he sighed loudly. “I was a fuckboy when I was 18, maybe even into my mid 20s. Yeah, maybe I fought the MPs in the underground, smoked around, got drunk, had a bunch of casual sex, and got high with Farlan. But I was 18!”

“What does that have to do with any of this—”

Levi quickly interrupted, “18! You can be a fuckboy at 18, maybe until your mid-20s,” he said. “You can’t be a shitty fuckboy in your mid-thirties! That’s not a fuckboy, that’s an unstable, immature, stupid dude,” Levi explained as his girlfriend burst into laughter, with him continuing to curse under his breath. “At this rate, he’s having a fucking midlife crisis, not being a fuckboy.”

Her girlfriend kept laughing, and he looked at her from the corner of his eye. "So. What is the fucking issue? Don't tell me your shitty friend got knocked up by that idiot."

Y/N kept laughing, tears running down her cheeks as she tried to calm down. “No,” she whispered out of breath between laughs, “it’s the opposite.”

Levi raised an eyebrow silently, questioning what she meant.

“He couldn’t get it up.”

It was Levi’s turn to chuckle. “Well… you definitely can’t be a fuckboy if you can’t get it hard… that’s for sure.”

Link to my masterlist and my other works if you feel like checking them out. Tags!: @nube55 @justkon @notgoodforlife @nmlkys @humanitys-strongest-bamf @quillinhand @thoreeo @darkstarlight82 @angelofthorr @aomi04 @levisbrat25 @l3visthighs @hum4n-wr3ckag3 @hannieslovebot @starrylevi @rithty @mariaace @ackrmntea @emilyyyy-08 @levisfavoriteteashop @katestrophes @levistealeaf @an-ever-angry-bi @youre-ackermine @fxnnyackerman @secretmoneybearvoid @trashblackrainbow @flxrartsstuff @katharinasdiaryy @levisecretgfblog @searriously @blackdxggr @ackermanswifee @galactict3a @abiatackerman @braunsbabe @moonchild-12345 Wanna join my tag list? Here!

[axelsagewrites]

I need more Jace x reader modern au

like maybe enemies to lovers or something and he’s cocky, and smuttyyyy

Jace Velaryon*Studying

Pairing: Modern!Jace x afab!reader

Word count: 2483

Warnings: enemies to lovers, bet, cocky jace, make out, fingering, f!recieving oral, praise, teasing, smut 18+

Masterlist here

The door to your dorm slammed behind you as you collapsed in a heap on your bed. Aly and Helena sat on Helena’s bed, snickering at your rant. “He is such an insecure, brain dead, stuck up, trust fund baby with a god complex and I bet his dick isn’t even that big- “

“Remember he is Hel’s nephew,” Aly cut you off.

You groaned as you flung your head even harder against the pillow. “Don’t worry. I know he sucks,” your roommate chuckled, “You’re lucky you only see him during the term. Family gatherings are like a dick measuring competition with all the guys,”

“I can only imagine,” you said, shuddering at the idea of dealing with more Jace, “I just don’t get what his problem is!”

“What did he do this time?”

-

“So, I think for this part of the project- “you said, pointing at the notes you���d laid out as you tried to ignore Jace’s attempts to annoy you.

He was sat, his chin resting on his hand, facing you, staring at you, “So why don’t we hang out?” he asked, brushing the hair out your face.

You huffed, slapping his hand away, “Because you never do any work,” you scoffed.

Jace grinned, sitting back in his chair, “What so all I gotta do is be a nerd like you and I can take you out?”

Work was clearly not going to get done so you dropped your pencil and turned to face him, “One, I’m not a nerd. Two, it’s not nerdy to not wanna flunk out. and three I don’t go on dates with pompous assholes,”

“You just don’t go on dates sweetheart,” Jace revealed in the way your face flushed and your eyes rolled, “Maybe if you did you might loosen up a little,”

“Please, you’re loose enough for the both of us. Now can we please work on this? I’m not having you bring down my average,”

Jace rolled his eyes but finally sat up to work. He actually began to read the notes you had when suddenly he stopped, “Lets make this interesting,” he smirked.

You face palmed at his words, “Let’s not,” you groaned.

“If I get an A on this we go on a date,” Jace said, leaning forward so his elbows rested on his knees.

“What so I have to do all the work and also suffer?” you huffed, crossing your arms.

Jace rolled his eyes but there was a grin on his face, “Fine. If I get an A on this and the next essay due,”

Your eyes narrowed on him, something not adding up, “Isn’t your average like a C?”

“D actually,” he grinned, leaning back in his chair like it was something to be proud of, “But I can do anything if I put my mind to it,”

“Aw is that what your mommy told you? Yeah, no that’s what the trust funds for,” you mocked but Jace’s gaze was unwavering, “Ugh fine,” you finally agreed, dramatically rolling your eyes for effect, “What do I get when you lose?”

“If I lose,” Jace corrected with a grin, “and if somehow, I do lose then I will do whatever you ask of me. No matter how embarrassing. Scouts honour,” he said, placing his hand to his chest.

You eyed him up, wondering just how good it would be to force him to run through the Greek life street in a frilly pink bikini, “Fine. You’re on,”

-

Heleana and Aly got a kick out of the story and for the rest of the evening you brainstormed embarrassing ideas. However, over the next few days you got a bad feeling. Each time you met with Jace to do the project he actually did the work. One time you walked into the library just to return a book and you saw him sat there studying. There was even a girl trying to flirt with him the whole time sat on the table, but he just ignored her.

“What if he actually wins?” You asked your friends as the three of you walked into the dining hall.

Helana shrugged when she grabbed her tray, “He actually used to be pretty smart. Got mostly As in high school,” You and Aly both stopped in your tracks at this, “What?”

“You didn’t think to tell us this?” you asked, eyes wide but she just shrugged.

Aly however was looking off in the distance, “Is that Jace studying?” she asked, nodding to one of the loudest tables in the room.

Sure, enough he was sat at the end of his frat table that was all a mix of hungover, drunk, or high. All but Jace who sat at the end studying. “I am so fucked,”

-

After handing in your partner project that Friday you did your best to put this whole Jace mess out your mind. That worked great until Wednesday rolled around, and the email blast of results came out.

“Hey study buddy,” Jace said as he flung his arm over your shoulder in the hallway, “You seen this yet?” he asked, shoving the phone in your face.

“Is this your first A or something?” you scoffed.

Jace grinned, his arm staying put on your shoulder as he slipped his phone away, “Nope,” he said, popping the P. “Just excited for our date,” the words made you shudder, or maybe it was the way it seemed everyone was staring, “Do you like Italian food? I know a place- “

“You haven’t won yet you know,” you said, pulling away till you were stood in front of him, arms crossed, “You still need an A in the essay,”

“Pft easy peasey,” Jace scoffed, a smirk returning to his lips as he pushed the hair out your eyes, “Besides, I like a challenge,” he added, his eyes wandering down to your lips, “Start outfit planning sweetheart,” he said as he began to walk away.

“You’re not gonna win!” you called after him despite him already turning his back.

“Not with that attitude doll,”

-

“I never thought id see the day Jace became a nerd,” Heleana mused as you all sat in the dining hall.HA

the essay was due tomorrow and for the past two weeks Jace seemed less like himself. Aka he wasn’t parting every night, “He even skipped the football teams party last night,” Aly, the social butterfly of the three of you said.

“Why did the even have a party? They lost,” you said, rolling your eyes, “I didn’t realise he was gonna take this so seriously,” you muttered.

“Maybe he actually likes you,” Aly teased as her and Hel began making obnoxious kissy noises and love hearts at each other, “Yous would have such cute babies!”

“I hate you both,”

-

The day had come. The marks were out. you got an A and glowing notes from your professor however you also got a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. However, when class rolled around that day there was a new worry. Jace never showed up.

There was no reason for you to be worried. After all he wasn’t your problem. He was probably hungover or skipping to hook up with some girl or out doing something equally stupid. Still, you couldn’t help yourself.

It wasn’t exactly hard to find Jace’s dorm. All you had to do was follow the smell of axe body spray and ask one of his floormates who quickly pointed you in the right direction before wolf whistling. “Assholes,” you muttered under your breath as you knocked on the door and waited.

Jace opened, his eyes widening in shock, but he quickly tried to play it off, “Hey,” he said, leaning his arm against the door in that super obnoxious booktok way that was unreasonably attractive. It didn’t help he was in a half zipped up hoodie with his abs on full display or low hung grey sweatpants, “Cat got your tongue sweetheart?” he teased, smirking when he noticed your eyes had wandered.

“Shut up,” you snapped, rolling your eyes, “You never showed up to class today and I was just wondering you know,” you said, shrugging as you realised how potentially desperate you now looked.

Jace’s arm dropped from the doorway, his hands ending up in his pockets, “Oh yeah. Got a B so you know. Dumb class anyway,” he shrugged, eyes refusing to meet yours.

Your heart sank, “Well it was a really hard one. Apparently, she was really tough this time,”

“What did you get?”

“An A,” you said making Jace roll his eyes, “Only like a low A though. Like barely an A,”

“Cmon, you don’t need to do that,” Jace said, almost sounding annoyed, “You don’t need to dumb yourself down for me. Besides,” he said, leaning in a little with a grin, “Smart chicks are hot,”

You scoffed at that, especially when a smirk cracked his lips, “In your dreams,”

“Every night,” he grinned however it fell away soon after, “So what’s my punishment teacher’s pet? Streak through campus? Run around in a pink mini dress? Sing into a megaphone in the dining hall?”

You weren’t sure why you did. Hell, you didn’t even realise you were doing it. not till you’d grabbed his face and pulled him down for a kiss. Jace was equally shocked at first but soon his arm slipped around your back as he pulled you into the dorm only to shut the door behind you and press you against it, “Not what I’d call a punishment princess,” Jace said, his lips moving to kiss along your jaw, “but I’ll take it,”

“You are so infuriating,” you groaned despite your hand moving to the back of his head, tugging on his soft curls.

His lips smirked against the hollow of your neck, “Yeah but you like it,” he said, hands moving to your waist and creeping under your shirt to test the waters, “Now let me earn my A,” hands moving up to squeeze your tits when you didn’t stop him.

You couldn’t take it anymore as your hands grabbed his jaw again, pulling his lips to yours again, “Someone’s eager,” he murmured as your hands tugged the zip of his hoodie down.

“What? You want me to go home?” you asked between kisses as you pushed the fabric off his shoulders.

Jace’s hands quickly moved to your hips, grabbing them firmly as he began walking backwards to the bed, “You’re not going anywhere princess,” he said as he sat on the edge of the bed, pulling you down to straddle his thigh.

Even through your jeans you could feel his hard on poking your thigh. You moved your hips, grinding down on it and making Jace moan into the kiss as his hands squeezed your ass. You gasped when he flipped you over, you’re back hitting the soft mattress as his fingers toyed with the button of your jeans, “Can I get rid of them?” he asked, his fingers ghosting your waist. All you could do was nod making his chuckle as he pulled them off. “Fuck even better than my dreams,” he teased, kissing your inner thigh as he tossed them away.

“What are you doing?” you asked, pushing yourself up on your elbows to see the smirk on his face.

“Well that depends on sweetheart,” he said, hands softly trailing up your legs to your hips, “You’re in charge. What do you want me to do?” he asked, squeezing your hips.

“I- I’m not sure,” you stuttered.

Jace laughed gently and you wanted to hate the affect it was having on you as your stomach fluttered, “Well I could kiss you,” he said, placing another soft kiss to your thigh, “Then touch you a little,” he ran his fingers over your clothed cunt making you almost whimper, “Then kiss you some more,” he teased, hot breath fanning over your sensitive skin. “Does that sound good princess?”

“Yes,” you breathed out, entranced by his movements.

“Then lay back,” he said, hand gently pushing your waist down as you laid down and tried to control your breathing, “and be a good girl, okay?”

“Okay,” you said, almost a whisper.

Jace hooked his fingers in your panties, pulling them down painfully slow before finally pulling them off and stuffing them in his pocket. You maybe would’ve said something if he hadn’t just put your legs over his shoulders as he placed an open kiss to your clit.

Your hands went to his hair, pulling at the soft curls as he began to gently lick and suck your bundle of nerves. You felt your hips start to move, grinding against his face desperate for more friction. Jace locked his arms around your thighs, locking your hips in place making you whine. You could practically feel him smirking against your cunt.

You almost screamed when you felt his tongue move down, his nose nuzzling your clit as his tongue began to massage new spots making a tight knot quickly develop in your stomach. “Fuck,” you gasped, back arching at the feeling. Jace chuckled against your cunt, a slow rumble vibrating against it making you moan even more.

Your grip in his hair tightened and Jace loosened his grip around one of your thighs. You whined when his lips pulled away. Jace chuckled as he ran a finger up your wet cunt, placing a soft kiss to your inner thigh as he pushed two in, “Such a pretty girl,” he praised, curling his fingers perfectly inside you, “Making such pretty noises,” he added, his lips moving back to wrap around your clit.

This time he let your hips buck, grinding against his face as he lapped up your cunt while his fingers worked at a perfect pace. Your peak was very quickly approaching as he kept up his pace, his tongue unrelenting. The feeling of your legs tightening around his head almost seemed to spur him on as he moaned against your cunt sending you over the edge.

Jace didn’t stop until he felt your legs twitching and heard you gasping for air. He was wearing that stupid cocky smirk as he flopped down onto the bed beside you as you both tried to catch your breath, “Well?” he asked, nuzzling his nose against your neck, his hand finding your hip so he could rub soft circles on it with his thumb, “What grade did I get?”

You chuckled a little bit at that, his cockiness for once not making you want to punch him, “On this test? A plus,”

“Oh, there’s other tests?” he asked, eyebrow raised with that intoxicating smirk, “Guess I’ll need to study for it. maybe you should tutor me,” he said, kissing you more gently than before.

“Maybe I should,” It was safe to say you wouldn’t be walking for a while.

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[gureumz]

stained glass windows

rating: explicit

member: jungwon

notes: fem!reader, stepcest, dubcon, religious corruption, baby trapping (?), unholy use of scripture (sorry god), dom!jungwon, slight angst, mentions of death, step brother!jungwon, breeding, fingering, dirty talk, unprotected sex, jay has a cameo appearance lol

a/n: so this is an amalgamation of everything everyone requested for jungwon,,,reciting bible verses during sex? i got you. stepcest? no problem. baby trapping (this is 100% what i want and yes my wish is my command)? you bet. religious corruption? hell yeah. something super filthy and kinky? say no more. enjoy, hoes! love ya mwa (the bible verse here is 1 Corinthians 10:13 if you were curious)

sundays are your happy days.

a pretty dress, the stained glass windows, hushed chatter among the churchgoers—these were all the things you waited for at the end of the week.

your mother had always been proud of how involved you are in your faith, showering you with loving words before going to bed when you were little, calling you 'hers and God's favorite angel'. you'd smile and feel a sense of giddiness. God's favorite angel. can you believe it? you made sure to wear that as a badge of honor.

and then you grew up, went to a bigger school, met people who are different from you. even those who you knew were like you, devoted and obedient to their parents and God, seemed to have strayed down the path of parties, drinks, and the unthinkable. that is to say, premarital sex.

you never understood the appeal of it all. your faith and God were enough. you didn't need to participate in such acts to feel anything. you felt Him in every waking moment.

until there came a time when you were convinced He was gone altogether.

until sundays stopped becoming your happy days. every single day was void of any happiness.

your father passed suddenly, leaving you and your mother to fend for yourselves. you watched your mother grieve, grieved on your own, alone in your room. you went to school and saw the excitement in your peers' eyes, talking about a party here and buying drinks there.

you nearly caved. anything to take your mind off your dad.

but this was when your mother spent nearly every day at the church, despite it being mostly empty every day other than sundays. without anything better to do, you tagged along. and you started to feel Him again.

you knew God returned for real when your mother became friendly with a newcomer at church. a businessman who recently moved to your town, towing his son along.

mr. yang, as you later learned. he had a son.

jungwon.

jungwon wore an easy smile, deep dimples appearing every time he did. he shook your hand with a hesitant grip, palms smooth and soft. he had eyes that seemed to sparkle.

seasons changed, months grew into years, and your mother and mr. yang got married.

you saw the life return to your mother's face, easing her shoulders back, smoothing out the creases in her weathered face.

sundays became your happy days again, now that mr. yang and jungwon were in your lives.

---

jungwon is the poster child for the perfect sibling. or, at least that's what you think.

it's been a couple of years since your parents' wedding, and jungwon was nothing short of accommodating. he was kind, always letting you have first picks at whatever food your parents prepared, and offered to do things for you.

granted, it wasn't always like this. the two of you skirted around each other the first few weeks, both former only children, suddenly dealt with the fact that they had a sibling exactly their age. there was even a period of time when jungwon would bolt at the sight of you. though, you tried to not take this to heart.

but after all has been said and done, the two of you fell into a routine, becoming friends of some sort. eternal housemates.

"hurry up. this will be the second week we're late because you couldn't decide what dress to wear."

you turn, spotting jungwon poking his head through the door.

"sorry," you reply bashfully. "these people don't see me on weekdays anymore since i'm off at campus, so you can't really blame me for wanting to make an entrance on the one day they do see me."

jungwon quirks an eyebrow.

"since when did you care what they think?" jungwon questions, stepping fully into your room. he's wearing a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and crisp black pants.

you note that the watch he has on today makes him look particularly handsome.

you merely shrug. "i don't know. everyone at college dresses so nice and i thought i'd make an effort, too."

jungwon snorts. "everyone at college is a try-hard. it's a small-town liberal arts institution."

"hey, you're a student there, too," you point out, crossing your arms at jungwon.

you watch as he surveys your outfit, eyes slowly making your way down your body. you swallow, suddenly aware of how tight the yellow sundress feels. the fabric seems to dig at your armpits uncomfortably, and the hem is too short and—

"you look good," jungwon says, eyes meeting yours.

you breathe a sigh of relief.

"well, if you say so. i trust your word," you say, smoothing down your skirt.

you feel jungwon approach, circling an arm around your waist, ushering you towards the door.

"i am your brother. i think i'd know what would look good on you," jungwon points out with a wink.

---

the service goes by without a hitch. you participated as you always did, offered your prayers as you usually do. you thanked Him for another successful week of classes but also asking for you to ace your upcoming exams. it was all routine.

until your mother pulled you along, chirping excitedly about a new family that had moved to town and joined the church.

the parks.

a father, a mother, and their son who's a business major at some big-shot university a few towns over.

"i'm jay," the son said to you, reaching his hand towards you as his family introduced themselves to yours. you shook hands and you couldn't help the sudden heat that flooded your face and chest.

your hand still tingles with where he held on, even now on the car ride home

"that jay boy sure is cute," your mother says from the passenger seat. you turn to her, eyebrows raised.

"seems like he has a good head on his shoulders," your stepfather agrees. he looks at you through the rearview mirror.

"the kind of guy girls wanna marry."

you see your mother twist in her seat to give you a knowing look. you roll your eyes but the familiar warmth takes over your entire body again.

"i mean, i don't know. we just met him and his family," you point out, trying not to stutter. you turn to jungwon for backup but your brother has his back turned to you, his face angled toward the window.

"right, jungwon?" you try nonetheless.

"huh?" comes his clueless response. he looks at you and his face is crumpled in a frown. you're taken slightly aback.

before you can say anything, your mother speaks up.

"why don't you try and befriend him, jungwon? they said they only live on the next street over," your mother offers, unaware at how deep jungwon's frown has gotten in the seconds she said that sentence.

"i don't know," jungwon mumbles. "i can try, i guess."

you watch as jungwon turns back to the window, his hand balling into a fist on his lap. you decide not to pry, leaning your own head against the window beside you, watching the little houses in your neighborhood speed by.

---

you urge yourself to stop picking at your fingernails. but you can't help it, either. standing outside your brother's door, you're not sure what awaits you on the other side.

taking a deep breath, you decide to just get it over with. you're certain it's nothing. you're just concerned and you want to see how jungwon's doing.

you knock softly three times, waiting to hear jungwon's voice. after a few seconds, you hear a muffled, 'come in!'.

you push the door open a bit, taking a peek inside jungwon's room. he's sprawled on his bed, his phone in his hands as he scrolls through his screen. his eyes shift to you and he sits up.

"what's up?" jungwon asks as you let yourself in. you don't say anything until you're seated beside him on his bed.

"i didn't want to risk your wrath, so i wasn't sure if i should bring this up with you...," you begin, teeth worrying your lower lip.

jungwon raises a brow. "i don't know what you're talking about. but other than that, you know i can never get upset with you, right?"

you continue to bite down on your lip, unsure of what to say next.

"but you were upset today," you say after a few seconds. "in the car?"

jungwon's face morphs into mild recognition. he nods, finally understanding what you mean.

"oh, that," jungwon deadpans. "it's nothing."

"come on, you can tell me anything, remember?" you urge, pulling your legs up on jungwon's bed before crossing them. jungwon glances down as you do so but quickly averts his eyes back to your face.

"it's nothing, i swear. it's stupid and thinking back on it, it just seems like such a dumb thing to be mad about," jungwon explains, shifting closer to you.

you take his hand and you squeeze as jungwon threads his fingers through the gaps between yours.

your mother often remarked how the two of you seemed more like twins than regular siblings. mirror images of each other. the perfect balance. looking at jungwon now, you see what she meant.

"nothing you say would be stupid to me," you reply, voice soft as your thumb runs over the skin of jungwon's hand.

something flashes across jungwon's face and his eyes seem to trail over every part of you. your skin prickles as he stops right at your chest, pajama top showing the very tops of your breasts.

"i didn't like the way that jay guy was looking at you," jungwon finally admits, gaze returning to your face.

you look at jungwon quizzically. "what? how was he looking at me?"

"like he was undressing you with his eyes," jungwon complains. "he was practically flirting with you."

you laugh incredulously. "no, he wasn't. he said two words to me, wonie."

jungwon shakes his head. "i'm a man, too. i know how our brains and eyes work."

you stop for a second to ponder on jungwon's words. you can't deny the intensity of how jay seemed to be looking at you earlier and the way he held your hand so tight.

"so?" you retaliate. "he's cute. i don't mind."

you see jungwon's jaw clench, the muscles spasming under his skin. his lips press into a thin line and he pulls his hand back from your grasp.

"guys like that will only take advantage of you, _______," jungwon says, voice slow and deliberate.

your forehead creases. "how are you so sure?"

jungwon stares at you for a few moments. he reaches his hand out, cupping one side of your face in his palm. you gulp, your heart jumping at the contact.

"i just know. you trust me, right? i'm your brother, after all."

you nod.

your hand comes up to cover his that's on your face and the room seems to still. the steady hum of the ac fades away, the cicadas outside vanish, and the thumping of your own heart amplifies. jungwon is looking you square in the eye and you can't help but cower under his gaze.

just as jungwon makes a move to lean closer, a loud knock and your mother's voice rips the moment away.

"dinner's ready! come eat!"

jungwon pulls his hand back and you scramble off his bed. you hurriedly cross the room, flinging jungwon's bedroom door open and stepping out, not sparing another glance behind you.

---

you toss and turn that night.

your face still tingles from where jungwon touched you. your mind is reeling with so many thoughts, your imagination seemingly going into each and every unexplored direction.

you and jungwon grew close during the years you spent together since your parents got married. it was like becoming friends. you had to learn things about each other, know what makes the other tick. the two of you never shied away from showing who you truly are. you'd be living under the same roof for the most part, so what's the point in hiding, right?

and jungwon never hid his affection for you. brotherly hugs, encouraging pats on the back, kisses on your forehead. he told yu over and over again how happy he was that you were his sister. that you were the best sister.

and you never hid how much you needed jungwon, either. he taught you how to get home on the bus from college on the weekends. he helped you with any handiwork you required in your room. he gave you the ins and outs of the college cliques and clubs.

jungwon always told you he loves you. you always reached out to jungwon. neither was a secret.

so, what's making you so nervous?

before you can answer yourself, you hear the hinges of your door squeak as it opens. in the dim light of your room, you see a figure step through the doorway, startling you slightly.

"sorry, it's me," jungwon whispers. "i couldn't sleep."

you feel your heart quicken once more as you sit up, watching jungwon make his way to your bed. he plops down on the mattress and looks at you.

"mind if i crash here for a while?" jungwon asks quietly.

jungwon does this on some nights, reasoning the bouts of insomnia as he snuggles up to your side. half of the time he talks, telling you stories of what he did during the day, and the other half he spends holding you to his chest, fingers drawing patterns on your back.

on rare occasions, he asks you to turn away, pressing your back to his front. he sometimes rocks against you gently and whispers how much he loves you in your ear. you feel strange when he does this. but you never complain.

"sure," you reply, scooting to one side of the bed. jungwon moves to lay beside you, pulling the covers over him.

wordlessly, his hands find your hips, tugging you close. you let him, your own arms circling around jungwon's torso. he's warm and smells like fresh laundry. you don't hide the way you inhale his scent.

you stay like that for a few minutes and you almost think that jungwon has fallen asleep. but after a while, he pulls back slightly to look at you.

you meet his eyes, sharp shadows cast across jungwon's face from your night lamp situated on the other side of your room.

"stay away from jay," jungwon says. your mouth falls open in mild surprise.

"why?" you ask. jungwon sighs, cradling your face once more in his hand.

"he doesn't deserve you," jungwon responds, voice hardened with something you can't quite put your finger on.

jungwon's looking down at you and even in the darkened state of your room, you can see the seriousness in his expression. he's clearly still upset from earlier.

"but mom and dad seem to like him," you reason with a pout. jungwon lets out a 'tsk' grasping your face tighter.

you let out a whimper. jungwon was never this heavy-handed with you.

"but i don't like him," jungwon insists. "you need someone who knows you, who can do things for you, who loves you more than anything."

jungwon pushes you onto your back, his leg swinging over to plant his knee on your other side. he grabs at your wrists and presses them down, trapping you as he hovers over you, his face inches away from yours.

"you need me."

you gasp, unable to comprehend the words that had just left jungwon's mouth. you're given no time to work it out in your head because jungwon is kissing you, pressing his lips to yours. you protest, pushing against jungwon but he's too strong for you to fight back properly. he has you pinned down and there's nothing you can do.

"w-what are you doing?" you say as jungwon pulls away for a second. instead of answering, jungwon busies himself with your neck, nipping at your sensitive skin. you squirm and whine but jungwon doesn't let up.

"i love you," jungwon whispers in your ear.

you shiver.

"you love me, too, right?" jungwon questions as he looks at you. you blink away tears that have gathered in your eyes.

you're just so confused. what is he doing? what is happening?

"answer me, angel," jungwon urges gently. he leans down to kiss away at the tears streaming down the side of your face.

"i do," you return weakly.

"no no," jungwon tuts. "say it properly."

you sniffle as you feel more tears fill your eyes.

"i love you."

jungwon seems satisfied because he kisses you again, tongue running over the seam of your lips. you've never kissed anyone before and it feels so foreign, having jungwon's tongue licking into your mouth. but you follow what he does, parting your lips and moving your tongue with his.

jungwon groans, one of his hands letting go of your wrist to grab at your waist instead. he presses you to him and you feel something stiff against your thigh.

"you make me so hard, angel," jungwon groans. he grinds against your leg and you watch as his expression crumples into pleasure.

"t-this is wrong," you sob. "we're not supposed to do this."

and you do feel conflicted with it all. everything you've learned in church, everything you've read through His word, it all says that this is bad. that you should only lay with the man you love, the man you married.

oh, but you do love jungwon. you've loved him since the day you met him.

"do you want to stop?" jungwon asks, stilling above you. you continue to cry, your legs squeezing together as you feel wet heat pool in your underwear.

"God will forgive us, angel girl," jungwon coos, a hand dipping beneath your pajama top.

you mewl as you feel jungwon squeeze at one of your boobs.

"He knows how much we love each other, so he'll forgive us, don't you worry," jungwon reassures as he rolls your nipple between his fingers.

"then we'll make it up to Him with a cute little wedding at a faraway chapel," jungwon continues, his other hand tugging down your shorts and underwear.

you're breathing heavily now, head spinning as your whole body heats up. the ache between your legs grows stronger.

"then we'll have babies," jungwon says. "so many babies we'll be filling up our own pew at church."

you gasp as you feel jungwon's fingers press against your core, working on the nub that you've ever really encountered twice or thrice before, too scared to be condemned to hell if you continued to touch yourself.

"what if we have a baby now, huh?" jungwon asks, placing a chaste kiss to your temple. "make you a mommy so no one can take you from me."

you shake your head, initially appalled at his words, but the thought of carrying jungwon's child, it stirs something in you.

"no?" jungwon asks, voice hinting with playfulness. "you don't want it?"

you look up at jungwon, struggling to find the words to say. you want it but your conscience screams at you to refuse.

"i want it," you finally answer. "want to give you a baby."

"fuck," jungwon curses as the words leave your mouth. he hurriedly discards his shorts, eyes seemingly ablaze.

"yeah? gonna give your brother a baby?" jungwon taunts, fingers circling at your core again. you moan wantonly, a million different feelings coursing through your body.

jungwon pokes in one finger through your entrance and you nearly scream, unprepared for the strange sensation.

"sshhh," jungwon says, pressing down on your mouth with one hand. he adds a second finger in slowly and your back arches off the bed.

"look at you," jungwon says with a grin. "your body responds so well to me, huh, angel?"

you cry into jungwon's palm as you feel him pump his fingers in and out of you, curling them inside every time he pushes in. you feel a tightness in your belly and more wetness pooling out of you. your body jolts with every movement of jungwon's fingers.

"shit, i can't take this anymore," jungwon mutters, pulling his fingers out. you whine, hips involuntarily pushing up as they search for friction.

"i got you," jungwon says, taking his hand off your face. the room is filled with your soft sobs, a mix of the lingering guilt and the newfound pleasure.

jungwon strokes his shaft a few times and you watch with bated breath as he aligns himself between your legs. you feel him push against you and you start to cry even harder, fear of what's to come gripping you like no other.

jungwon pushes halfway in and any scream threatening to break free from your lips is muted by jungwon pressing his mouth to yours. you cry and cry and cry as jungwon keeps pushing in, burying himself to the hilt seconds later.

he stills, pulling away to let you breathe. you hiccup, the stretch between your legs equal parts painful and filling in the best way possible.

"s-so big," you sob. "c-can feel you in my belly."

jungwon groans, his hip snapping up involuntarily. you whine, biting down hard on your lip.

"yeah? can you feel me here?" jungwon asks, a large hand pressing down on your lower abdomen. he starts to move then, slowly pulling out then thrusting back in.

"yes!" you gasp. "yes, yes, it's so deep."

"God, angel, you sound so beautiful when you're being fucked," jungwon says, speeding up.

"recite to me your favorite bible verse," jungwon commands. you barely hear him with the way he's moving his hips against yours.

"w-what?" you mumble in a daze.

jungwon takes hold of your face, forcing you to look directly at him.

"your favorite bible verse, angel girl. let me hear your pretty voice."

you rack your brain for it. you should know it by heart, have it seared into your consciousness. but the way jungwon is taking you right at this moment wipes away nearly all thoughts of scripture.

"no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man," you begin, trying to keep your voice steady as jungwon scrutinizes you, fingers still digging into your cheeks.

"God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability," you continue. jungwon smirks, nodding, urging you to go on.

you're about to speak when you feel jungwon's thumb press down on your sensitive nub. you cry out, the added sensation muddling your brain even further.

"go on," jungwon orders.

"b-but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to e-ndure it," you finish with a shaky breath.

"good job, angel," jungwon says, letting go of your face and leaning in to kiss you briefly on your forehead.

your head falls back against your pillow, your vision blurring as all you can feel is jungwon moving in and out of you. all you can think of is jungwon. all you ever need, right at this moment, is jungwon.

your brother. the man you love. the man you want to have all your babies with.

"so tight, so fucking tight," jungwon babbles, pushing your legs up so he can get a better angle. your lower half rises off the bed and jungwon fucks into you even harder, snapping his hips against your insides with a force that has you gripping onto your sheets for dear life.

jungwon continues on like this, sweat dripping down his forehead. any pain is gone now, replaced with a want, a need for some sort of release.

you don't know what compels you to talk, but you can't help the next words that come out of your mouth.

"p-please, jungwon. feels so good. w-wanna be a mommy, want it so bad. n-need it!"

jungwon seems to let himself go then, hips moving erratically, not caring if you're bent nearly in half, his grip on your thighs painful as his fingernails poke at your skin. it feels good, you think, your insides clenching and tingling at the sight of jungwon getting nearly animalistic with you.

it almost fills you with joy. knowing that he's only ever like this with you.

a few moments later, jungwon's hips start to stutter.

"gonna give you my babies, angel girl. i'm so close, so close to making you a mommy—fuck!"

the words from jungwon stop any coherent thought in your brain as a sort of euphoria takes over you, your whole body tightening up. jungwon completely stills, pressing himself in deeper. a warm feeling spreads from where he's sheathed inside you.

the two of you remain unmoving, panting as your minds catch up with your bodies. jungwon pulls out moments later, replacing his cock with his fingers. you protest weakly as jungwon moves his fingers shallowly in and out of you.

"i came so much, angel," jungwon says with a chuckle. he pulls his fingers out and shows you his fingers, coated with his milky white release.

"your belly's gonna be all swollen up in nine months, for sure," jungwon muses, pushing his fingers against your mouth. you part your lips hesitantly, licking at the saltiness.

"good girl," jungwon praises, pulling his hand away before kissing you sweetly.

"i love you," jungwon mumbles against your lips.

you hold his face steady, thumbs rubbing at his cheeks. you meld your lips together, the elation finally catching up to you.

there are no stained glass windows in your room, your body bare and void of pretty dresses, and the night is still and quiet.

it's still sunday. it's still your happy day.

"i love you, too," you say as you and jungwon share a smile.

[starlight-drive-in]

You Know What They Say About Pineapples

After Neve introduced them to him, Emmrich has a new favorite fruit - pineapple. However, he doesn't know too much about them yet, luckily for him the team is willing to share their knowledge over a tropical drink. Poor Rook nearly dies of embarrassment.

This drabble is based on these 3 lines of banter between Neve and Emmrich regarding pineapples, don't ask me how I got here.

2340 Words

Ao3 Link

There are some sexually charged glances and innuendo but no smut or anything. All in all this is quite silly but the thought would not leave me alone.

Takes place in the "still just flirting" stage of the relationship.

---

It had been a long, arduous day of trampling through Arlathan, unlocking ancient elven ruins by way of solving mammoth-sized elven brain teasers, and disposing of whatever adversaries were still brave - or in Rook’s opinion - foolish enough to try their luck with The Veilguard. 

A silly name, but Bellara had been so excited when she came up with the idea of a team moniker that no one had the heart to deny her. Rook had caught the others saying it on occasion and it was really starting to stick despite the initial thought of it feeling silly.

Rook now sat at the dining hall table with Bellara, a rough schematic of an elven artifact lay out on the table between them. Both of them trying to decipher what was wrong with the similar one they had found earlier today near The Shoreside Ruins.

“I still think its timing parameters are misprogrammed.” Rook theorized, leaning over the sketch. 

“It’s more than that, It’s like it's missing the timing component completely.” Bellara noted, biting the inside of her cheek, a habit Rook had learned was an indicator of immense concentration in her energetic friend. “But if that's the case then…” Bellara trailed off.

Rook knew from experience that now was a good time for her to give the elven researcher a moment. If the past was any indicator, a breakthrough was imminent. Perhaps even before dinner, if whatever Lucanis was working on in the corner was as complicated as it looked. Rook leaned back in her seat with a sigh, wincing as her abdomen reminded her she had fallen straight into that ledge earlier. 

“You really have to get better at hopping ledges, Rook.” Davrin jabbed playfully from the other side of the table, knife and woodblock in hand, “I think I’ve seen that look on your face every day since I met you.” 

“It’s cuz she doesn’t work out.” Taash added, studying a recently finished figurine of the resident woodcarver’s, “Horns were bigger.” They decided after a moment. 

“Does traipsing around the forest all day not count as a workout?” Rook countered. “Barely.” Taash responded. “You’re not engaging your upper body at all, which is why you can’t pull yourself up for shit.” 

“I’m a necromancer, not a trapeze artist.” Rook defended. 

“Emmrich doesn’t seem to have a problem. In fact, he’s in great shape if you haven’t noticed,” Davrin commented, throwing her a knowing glance, “but I’m sure you have.” 

Rook balked, was her increasing infatuation with the other necromancer that obvious? She was a generally flirty person, surely it wasnt that glaring that her harmless flirting was turning into more with Emmrich. Right?

Taash made a short, snorting sound that resembled laughter and Rook could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, at this point her best bet was hoping she could blame it on the heat from the fireplace. 

“I notic- I mean- I” Rook stuttered. 

Davrin chuckled as the door to the dining hall opened, revealing Neve, Harding and Emmrich, who were all carrying boxes from supply a run, in this case mostly varying bottles of liquors and other liquids, and dried goods, although the latter held a box containing something green and pointy. 

“And there he is.” Davrin muttered quietly enough to tease Rook, but not loud enough that the newcomers could hear. 

“Rook, got you that whisky you wanted from Minrathous, I put it on your tab.” Neve sauntered over to the table with the others, plunking down the bottle of amber liquor in front of Rook. 

Rook smiled, “Neve, you have impeccable timing.” she beamed.

“Don’t I always?” Neve grinned before heading into the kitchen with Lucanis, “But don’t uncork that right away, I’m making cocktails.” 

“Oh!” Rook said, surprised.

“And Emmrich, you got… what are those? Cactuses?” Darvin inquired. 

“Cacti” Rook corrected under her breath, earning her an exasperated look from her Grey Warden friend.

“I wish,” Harding chimed in, “They’re pineapples. Can you guys believe Emmrich had never had a pineapple before last week?” 

Taash’s eyes turned into two unbelieving orbs. “What? How?” 

“We don't have them in Nevarra.” Rook explained, but her eyes were on Emmrich as his face lit up, dark hazel eyes sparkling with excitement. Despite his age, he possessed a remarkable childlike wonder even about something as simple as a new fruit. 

“Oh Rook, They're delicious! Have you had the opportunity to try one?” He asked, taking the seat next to her, much to her delight. 

Rook smiled, how could she not? How were the others so impervious to his good-natured charm?

“I have! Varric had me try them when we got to Minrathous.” Her smile fell as she remembered that day, before all this. She shrugged off the feeling, it was hard to feel dark with Emmrich's unexpected brightness beside her. 

“And? Tell me, do you enjoy them?” He waited on her answer so eagerly, surely just to compare tastes from the same homeland. Yes, that was probably it. 

“I do!” She giggled. Was she really giggling? His presence alone made her feel giddy.

“Wonderful! Harding doesn't seem to like them; however, Neve says she can be made into a frosty drink that she thinks Harding would enjoy.” 

“I'll try my best!” Neve exclaimed from the coffee bar, which appeared to have a bottle of a different liquor on top of it as well as, what was that? Cream? 

“Then you shall not fail my dear Neve!” Emmrich encouraged. 

Rook’s eyebrow raised excitedly, “Oh that’s new! I haven't had them in a drink yet. Only the - what was it called? ‘Upside-down cake?” 

“What an interesting name.” Emmrich commented, steepling his fingers together as he leaned into the table to address Harding, “Tell me Harding, what is it you don’t like about the pineapples?” 

Harding shrugged, “I don't know, they’re just so… tingly?” 

In the background Rook could hear the distinct sound of ice magic as Neve worked on whatever this drink was. 

“Ice magic for making cocktails? Neve Gallus, you are a genius.” Rook called out to her, earning a wink. See? She was like this with everyone; it wasn't just Emmrich, she told herself.

Emmrich’s eyebrows knitted together as he considered Harding’s description, “Could you elaborate at all on that?” 

“I don't know, when I eat pineapple it’s almost like it tastes… spiky?” Harding attempted to explain as Neve sat down glasses containing a blended off-white drink that smelled of rum in front of each of them. 

“It’s because of the raphides,” Neve enlightened them. “Lucanis, come have a drink with us, the stove wont run away if you leave it for a moment.” she called as she rounded the table, placing one in front of Bellara, who took a sip without even bothering to glance up from her notes.

“If you insist.” Lucanis surrendered, joining the rest at the table. 

“Ah! raphides, that explains it.” Emmrich said decidedly. 

“The hells a raphid?” Taash said, taking a healthy gulp of the new drink. “Fuck thats good.” 

“Some plants contain small needle-shaped crystals, as a natural defense mechanism.” Emmrich began explaining with his customary, hand waving enthusiasm, as Davrin took half of a sip. 

Emmrich continued, “While harmless in small amounts, overconsumption can cause immediate numbing followed shortly by painful stinging and burning to the mouth and throat that can last up to two weeks! I had no idea that they were in pineapple, but that does explain the sensation Harding is describing.”

Davrin lowered his glass, “On second thought, maybe I’ll pass. Thanks Neve.” 

“Afraid of a plant?” Lucanis teased, his glass already half empty, “Why am I not surprised?”

Davrin rolled his eyes as Harding timidly sampled Neve’s offering. “Oh- oh wow. Okay, That's. Really good.” 

“See how excited she is? This is how I knew she was lying about the coffee.” Lucanis chuckled. 

Emmrich sipped carefully at the beverage, “Oh Neve! That's delightful!” He exclaimed. “I am so glad I've gotten to discover such a fruit.” 

Rook began to imbibe her own drink, pulling sweet, cold rum and pineapple taste into her mouth. Her eyes met Emmrich’s through her lashes in an inopportune moment, while her lips were still wrapped dutifully around the straw. She quickly glanced away but it was too late. 

Emmrich’s mouth parted as he gazed a bit too long at Rook, pale cheeks taking on a pink hue that surely was not from the alcohol. 

“Mmf, That's so good.” Rook hummed. Dribbling a bit of the drink onto her lower lip. She swiped it away with her thumb, then popped it into her mouth to suck the drop of sweet liquid from it. Only then noticing that Emmrich was still watching her. 

Rook shifted in her seat, suddenly hot and uncomfortable. In doing so her knee tapped against Emmrich’s. 

“Sorry.” She whispered. As the others praised Neve’s drink making abilities. 

“Quite alright, My Dear.” Emmrich reassured her, his hand twitched a small increment towards her where it lay on his thigh but remained where it was. 

How long had it been since she felt such a desire to simply hold someone's hand? Certainly since before she finished Mourn Watch training. 

Rook took another pull of her drink to try to wash away the awkwardness of the moment. 

“Yea pineapples are pretty damn good,” Taash announced before dropping into a low octave,  “They're also good for uh, other things” they said in a low voice into Harding's ear while tucking back a loose strand of her hair. 

Harding giggled in response, “Taash” she admonished under her breath.

“Really?” Emmrich brightened, suddenly back to the topic at hand. “Like what?” 

Rook suddenly recalled other details of the night she had first tried pineapple. Varric and her were in a decently packed restaurant, Harding had gone out for some air and a woman at a neighboring table had leaned in close, obviously drunk. 

“Feed your old man there some of that and he’ll be feeling ready to go before you get home, plus he'll taste better, if you catch my meaning.” She had said. 

Rook had recoiled, unsure of what the woman had meant at the time, but not liking the implications. Varric was a good friend, and he was a good looking man but she didn't see him like that. Later she had looked it up in a library. Turned out pineapples had a reputation of having several sexual health benefits. 

Now - catching Taash’s meaning exactly - she choked unceremoniously on her drink. Coughing as Davrin chuckled, and Taash gave her a knowing look. Her friends were pure evil. 

“Rook looks like she knows.” Taash smiled. 

“Rook, I seem to be missing something. Would you kindly enlighten me?” Emmrich asked her so innocently. If he wasn't twenty-something years her senior she'd fear corrupting his purity. 

“It’s just an old wive’s tale.” Rook muttered. 

“I should still like to know, you are all making me more curious.” he insisted. 

The others snickered. 

“Oh Emmrich,” Rook lamented. She had to save him, let him in on the joke. 

She beckoned him with her finger hastily, “Come here,” she said in a low voice. He inclined his ear toward her and she leaned in to meet him, his floral earthy smell invading her scenes. She resisted the urge to inhale more deeply, to bury her face in his neck and breathe deep. 

“There’s… evidence that pineapple promotes.” She attempted, “That they’re good for, uh. Blood flow. That sort of thing”

“Oh that's marvelous! Perhaps I should add it to my diet then.” he pondered excitedly. 

They all stared at him, Rook included. Was she not clear enough? She couldn't exactly bring herself to tell him it was specifically sexual health the fruit was known for. 

Emmrich leaned back, folding his leg over his opposite knee and took another long sip of his cocktail, “Although, I will have you all know. I have no problems with blood flow. Thank you very much.” 

“Damn. Alright.” Taash commented. 

“Good news Rook.” Davrin smirked. 

“You’re both horrible.” Neve said flatly. 

“I don't get it,” Lucanis deadpanned, heading back into the kitchen unbothered. 

“I got it!” Bellara exclaimed, finally looking up from her notes and schematics. “Oh! Hey everyone!” 

—

Later, after dinner and another cocktail, or was it two? Rook and Emmrich sat alone at the table catching one another up on their days. Rook was glad he had a chance to visit the Minrathous markets and Emmrich was interested in taking a look at the artifact her and Bellara had discovered himself. 

Rook fidgeted with the straw in her now empty glass. 

“Emmrich, about before, with the whole pineapple thing?” 

He cocked an eyebrow, urging her to continue. 

“I should have explained better.” 

“Oh, Darling, don't even think of apologizing. I've been a teacher long enough to know when I'm being taken for a fool. I find the best way to move past it is just to act unaffected. Trust me, it wasn't the first time I've been laughed at for not being ‘in-the-know’ on some innuendo or otherwise.”

Rook laughed, Of course he was a professional at handling embarrassment, she wished she could say the same.

“Luckily I caught on quickly enough to play along. Although…” he paused, looking at her more attentively now. “... Now that it's just the two of us, I wouldn't mind if you’d expound?” 

She looked away nervously, “Well besides the whole blood flow for sexual health thing. They make you … taste good apparently.” She mumbled. 

“As in your mouth?” He asked. 

“No, as in… your.” She motioned to her crotch with as much dignity as she could muster. 

“Oh!” He gasped, then “oh.” Softer this time. “I shall bear that in mind then.” He concluded, smirking at her. 

In reply, Rook popped a small slice of the offending fruit into her mouth and raised her brow. A challenge to be cashed in later, should this go any further. 

For now, she was happy to be here drunk on him, and rum… and pineapple. 

[crowpickingss]

Jealousy, Jealousy

hook x gn! reader

summary: hook gets jealous because you have a boyfriend. So he goes or confront him turns out your boyfriend may be more sour than sweet

warnings: pushing

a/n: jealous hook is here and I’m living for it, kinda sad I missed Joshua’s live

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

From the very first moment he saw you he was infatuated with you. When your presence was close he would go into a sort of love struck state. His eyes wouldn’t leave your body and the only the he could say was mutters. His friends were constantly have to drag his frozen body away from you in fear he might embarrass himself.

He would always find a way to turn the conversation to you and he would personally go out of his way to make anyone who was mean to you Uliana’s next target. So when he found out that a Royal had slipped through his cracks and had taken you away from hook he was fuming.

He constantly insulted the Royal to his friends to the point where they told him to stop. He hated the royals guts.

On a particularly boring day hook found the Royal sitting by the lake. An overwhelming amount of emotions overtook him and he stormed up to the Royal “So you think you can just steal them away from me” The Royal clearly confused looked up to hook “What?” Hook grabbed his shirt and held him close to his face “Whatever your doing to y/n won’t last, back off” He dropped the Royal and he fell onto the grass “Dude chill, why are you so concerned about who I date”

Hook stepped closer “Because y/n was supposed to be with me not you” The Royal laughed in his face “I guess I bet you too it” The Royal stood up and pushed hook into the lake.

You were looking for your boyfriend when you saw him at the lake with hook, as you walked closer you saw him push hook into the lake. Shocked and mostly horrified you ran over to the lake and pulled hook out “Are you out of your mind, why would you push someone in the lake” You boyfriend looked shocked “Me? He was threatening me”

You looked over to hook, every interaction you ever had with hook or the VK’s were really nice you didn’t understand why your boyfriend was lying “Were done, I can’t be with someone so mean” The Royal just grunted and walked off

You brang hook back to your dorm and put him on your bed with a towel wrapped around him “I’m so sorry about that, if I knew he that cruel I would’ve broken up with him ages ago” Hook laughed at that statement “Yeah he was pretty cruel”

“Thank you by the way, for uh helping me out of the water” You smiled “No problem” Just then Morgie walked into the room “God hook there you are” He walked over to hook and helped him too his feet “Thanks for taking care of him” You smiled “It’s alright”

Right before Hook and Morgie left Hook slipped you a slightly wet note. On the note it had a place and time seems like Hook took the opportunity to ask you on a date.

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

[mamawasatesttube]

Sorry, I know you don’t really like people bringing up Jason but I’m very curious. I read Straight on Till Morning several times before really joining Tumblr and I was surprised by how much you seem to dislike him compared to how nicely he was written in said fic. Is it cuz it’s a future fic so he can be more chilled out than in current comics or something?

Feel free to ignore me if you want. Curiosity does not owe me answers.

no worries, i don't mind polite questions! :P

so there's two things. a) sotm was written when the only real comics i'd read were sb94, yj98, tt03, batgirl (2000), and nightwing '96 (iirc - i might be forgetting one or two but the point is, when i was pretty new to comics). at this point wfa had tricked me into thinking jason actually had a consistent character arc that i simply hadn't read yet, and i assumed it would be weird to write a fic where dick, tim, and cass were all around as kon's friends + damian was there being jon's friend in the background, but jason didn't get mentioned, so i worked him in bc i thought that was like. gonna be weird if i didn't, even tho i didn't know what he was doing in postcrisis yet. i mostly just wanted to write about kon and did not yet have the strong "actually i do not care for 99% of post-rebirth comics" feelings i have today. if i were to do the sotm rewrite in my mind, jason would actually still be in his villain to antivillain era because that's my actual favorite era of him. i think it's fun when he's hanging around being like... a vengeful ghost who's just determined to make his problems Everyone's Problem. i'm not really interested in soft angsty daddy's boy jtodd or whatever sdkjfh and that seems to be the most popular version of him i see. it's either soft angsty daddy's boy jason or it's power fantasy cop-adjacent jason who has never done anything wrong in his life and is completely valid in every decision he's ever made. neither of these interests me.

which brings me to b) it's not so much that i dislike jason todd as a character so much as that his fans are so fucking annoying to me. that chapter of sotm? multiple people in the comments were there ONLY to talk about jason, even though the fic is literally about kon and not about jason and he just happens to appear for PART of one scene that chapter. it made me get sick of hearing about him. like theres soooo many jason todd fics out there can you go read those. i want to talk about kon! and i've had people bring him up on my completely unrelated fics too like he doesn't even get MENTIONED like one fic is about clark kon and tim, and someone was in the comments like "omg i bet clark was thinking about jason here" and i was so ... dude. read the room. or the fic even. it is not about him.

but even more than the way a lot of jason fans have this apparently compulsive need to make him the main character of the entire universe, i really can't stand how many of them i've seen spout literal straight up copaganda and/or defense of the death penalty. like they will bend over backwards so hard to defend why he was right to put 8 heads in a duffel bag or why it's morally correct to kill rapists that they start spewing right-wing talking points. and the constant need to make him the perfect imperfect victim ("he's angry and loud unlike GOOD victims--") and all of that just... it really turns me off of 99% of fan content about him that i've seen. it makes me genuinely kind of uncomfortable. like if you think there's a category of criminal that it's okay to execute (without a trial, even) i want nothing to do with you. can you guys just say it's sexy when a man is covered in blood after murdering a room full of people without having to be like "and he was right to do it too!!" because i promise he was not. and if you SAY any of this people will come up with a whole thing about how you must hate victims and/or poor people or some shit. its... really something.

all of that being said - i think there are interesting things you COULD do with his character. i think he can be a fascinating character! with stories worth telling! the family tragedy, the horror story, the vengeful ghost! but at this point with how rancid i find his fanbase i just really only want to see jason takes from people i know will not start spewing copaganda at me + people who i know appreciate tim kicking him in the balls (bc he kicked dick in the balls and tim is a bitch).

anyways. bring back tentatodd 2k25 who's with me

[cranberrymoons]

speak a little louder

prompt: mutual pining (@steddieholidaydrabbles) rated: t word count: 673 words tags: fluff, flirting, nerds in a basement

welcome to Day 3 of the fic advent calendar – bite-sized fics posting every day during the month of december. enjoy!

The campaign lasts all day.

That’s what they call it – a campaign – as if it’s an actual military coup and not what it really is, which is a bunch of teenage nerds sitting around a table in Mike Wheeler’s basement with sodas and a bag full of dice. 

Steve is used to it by now, but he doesn’t expect to have to wait for a whole extra hour when he shows up to collect them, but here he is, sitting on the couch in the corner and staring at the ceiling while he listens to Eddie drone on and on about elves or some shit.

Well – drone is maybe sort of an inaccurate word, considering how into it Eddie’s getting, crouched on his seat like a gargoyle, talking with his hands, doing the voices. It’s actually kind of fun to watch, and Steve is maybe sort of pretending not to find it as interesting as he does, because he has a reputation to maintain, dammit, and he refuses to be drawn in by the spark in Eddie’s eye or the flush on his cheeks or the way his fingers weave strands of the story across the table.

Whatever. Steve doesn’t even care.

“Sorry about that,” Eddie says when it finally wraps up, when he’s climbed off his chair and is standing in front of Steve while the kids bicker over something and take their sweet time packing their things. “Couldn’t stop in the middle, they would’ve killed me.”

He reaches behind his ear for a cigarette stuck there, and Steve stares at the way his rings catch the light as his hand moves. 

“No problem,” he says. He clears his throat. “Hey, can I –” 

He nods his head toward the cigarette, and Eddie raises his eyebrows, holding it out.

“Bum a smoke?” he asks. “Sure, Harrington. Anything for the valiant babysitter.”

Steve smiles as he accepts it from him, and he tries to ignore the way his stomach flips when their fingers brush. 

“Thanks.”

---

They take them upstairs, outside to wait for the kids, and it’s starting to get cold enough now that Steve has to flip up the collar of his jacket against the chill as soon as they step onto the porch. 

“That was cool back there,” he says around the filter clenched in his teeth as he ducks his head to light the cigarette. “The thing, or whatever.”

Eddie eyes him for a moment, then flicks ash onto the ground. “It was like… the metric opposite of cool, but thanks anyway.”

Steve laughs. “Still. It looked fun.”

“You should join us sometime,” Eddie says. He clears his throat. “I mean… if you want.”

And Steve can’t help it; even on top of everything big and scary going on in his chest right now, the idea of actually playing the fantasy math nerd game sounds like –

“I don’t know,” he says, shaking his head. “I think I’ll leave that one to the pros.”

Eddie laughs a little. “Oh, we’re pros now?”

“You managed to save the elf. I think. Sounds pretty professional to me. I couldn’t save an elf.”

Eddie gives him a look. “There wasn’t even an elf in that part of the campaign. I think you’re just making shit up.”

Steve laughs too at that. “Yeah, I had… no idea what you were doing. But the kids seemed into it.”

“So what are you into, then?” Eddie asks. “If not nerd shit, then what?”

You , Steve wants to say. Mostly these days, I’m just into you .

He takes a breath. “I don’t know,” he says instead. “I don’t mind the fantasy stuff. It’s the math part I have issues with.”

Eddie smiles a little. “Then take the numbers out of it. Come watch a movie with me sometime. I bet we can find some kind of nerd thing for you to be into.”

Steve feels his stomach give another little jolt as he stubs out his cigarette. “Yeah, I bet we can.”

[also on ao3]

[redux-iterum]

Charred Legacy: Chapter Thirty-Six

(AO3 counterpart here.)

Cloudpaw stayed silent, and so did Fireheart; neither mentioned the apprentice’s visits to the Houses, which seemed to have stopped entirely. Fireheart woke up early a few times to make sure, and every time he poked his head into the apprentice’s den, his nephew was curled up and asleep. Only once, he was awake, cracking open a bleary eye to see what caused the shadow blocking the daylight, then shutting it again with a small sigh.

Over the next few nights, Cloudpaw’s energy and focus returned. Even though he couldn’t do much training, he stayed busy, tending to the elders and visiting Brightpaw—which, Fireheart noted with delight, he did with much more enthusiasm than before. He’d always bring her a piece of prey and chatter about this or that when she seemed receptive to it. When she wasn’t, he’d sit quietly with her or help groom her fur that she was in too much pain to turn and reach.

Fireheart, meanwhile, kept himself occupied. Speckletail had him on a patrol every night; if he wasn’t leading it, he was following after Dustpelt or Whitecloud. After those few nights passed and the scent of the dogs faded into the snow, the toms were split up into smaller patrols, mostly for hunting. Prey was scared again and struggling to find food, and the Clan had to be content with thin meals, leaving the best for Goldenflower, her kits, and the elders. As such, hunting was near-constant, the patrols slowly spreading over the territory—even into the burned part of the woods again, in the hopes that something got bold and would be out there.

Fireheart was on one of these patrols one night, leading Teaselfoot, Lizardtail and Sandstorm into the corner of the territory closest to the neutral grounds—and the road that bordered it.

 “We’re probably going to have to stretch out our search area tonight,” Sandstorm remarked, carelessly kicking a small, sooty rock in front of her as she walked. “I really doubt we’ll find anything up that far into the woods.”

“Honestly, I agree,” Teaselfoot said. “Shouldn’t we just head to the neutral grounds and try our luck there?”

Fireheart turned his head around to the cats behind him and replied, “I think we should, but let’s try our territory first. Whitecloud told me we should leave those grounds alone as much as we can.”

Sandstorm rolled her eyes. “Whitecloud’s overly cautious about hunting there.”

“It’s not like you could catch a rabbit,” Lizardtail said.

“It’s not like there’s anything looking for food in the ashes up north.”

“Still good to check.”

“Whatever.” Sandstorm flicked her tail on Lizardtail’s side, earning her a biteless scowl. “I’ll bet you we find nothing tonight.”

“Think positive,” Fireheart encouraged. “We could find anything.”

Sandstorm gave him a dry look. “Uh-huh. And if ‘thinking positive’ doesn’t work out?”

“Then think proactive,” Teaselfoot said. “We can just check out the neutral grounds there, right, Fireheart?”

“Right.” Fireheart nodded with a more jokey than serious authoritativeness. “But within our borders first, just in case.”

Sandstorm sarcastically bowed her head. “Lead on, then, prra*.”

Why did being called that feel so weird?

Fireheart didn’t retort, just picked up his pace into a speedier trot, his Clanmates grouped behind him and starting up a conversation about something or other that Fireheart didn’t pay attention to. He instead focused on his surroundings, ears swiveling and eyes sharp.

With the snow, it was harder to tell where the scarred land began and the preserved forest ended. Even the bark seemed the same color on such an especially dim night. Fireheart had to focus on the jagged branches and a very, very faint scent of smoke that was desperately clinging to the area, begging to not be forgotten.

No problem there, Fireheart thought. The sight of the fire will last a lifetime.

It was a shame that the burned grounds were becoming more familiar with every visit; Fireheart found he was walking the path he’d taken to find those humans the night before the fire. He took it again, turning left when he could smell the road. The patrol finally came to a stop in the uppermost corner of the territory, the neutral grounds visible from where they stood and Fourtrees standing silently in the distance. The road, hidden by its gravel ascent, was just as quiet.

“Well,” Sandstorm said after a pause, “I don’t smell anything edible.”

“That would be because of the snow,” Teaselfoot said. “Start poking around with that long nose of yours, you’ll find something!”

He had to duck away from a lazy attempt to cuff his ear from Sandstorm. Fireheart chuffed and opened his mouth to gently chide Teaselfoot, but his eyes caught Lizardtail, who was turning his ears and squinting at nothing.

“Something up?” Fireheart asked, lowering his voice.

Lizardtail stretched his thin neck upwards, sniffing, ears perked. “Does anyone else hear that?”

His patrol-mates copied him, straightening up and listening closely. A faint rumble, familiar to this place, could be heard in the distance.

“I think it’s just a car,” Fireheart said. “We should be fine—”

“No,” Teaselfoot said. “I mean, I hear that too, but there’s something else.”

Fireheart swiveled his ears again, taking a few steps forward and straining his senses. Somewhere over the road, plants shifted and water splashed. In ShadowClan territory, then? Fireheart squinted unconsciously.

“I’ll look,” he said to the others. “Stay here.”

“Oh, no, not by yourself.” Teaselfoot stepped forward. “Not with everything going on. Let me go with you.”

Fireheart looked at Sandstorm and Lizardtail, who nodded firmly. He relented, crooking his tail for Teaselfoot to follow him. The pair cautiously padded through the snow and up to the gravel slope. Fireheart took great care in climbing as silently as possible, flinching instinctively when a loose pebble slid and bounced down the slope. Teaselfoot moved quickly, only stopping once when he himself dislodged another stone that luckily did not travel far before settling.

They reached the edge of the road and peered out into the darkness, the shifting growing louder. A small shape, blacker than the night around it, was speeding through the marshes, leaping over the web of streams effortlessly and heading closer. Behind it, something equally dark but much bigger thundered and crashed into water, but kept up its pace, barely slowing down.

Fireheart didn’t have to see it perfectly to know what it was. And that it was coming towards the road.

In tandem, Fireheart and Teaselfoot leaped and skittered down the gravel, rushing to their Clanmates.

“Dog,” Fireheart said. “It’s chasing someone.”

Sandstorm cursed under her breath. “What do we do?”

Lizardtail looked upwards. “We can hide in the trees. Come on.”

“But what about—” Fireheart started.

“We can call for them if they make it across the road,” Lizardtail said. “Hurry, follow me.”

He whipped around and raced for the closest tree, lunging and grabbing onto the charred bark. He slipped down for a moment as the bark crumbled and fell off, but he struggled upward, followed by everyone else. Fireheart went last, grateful for the skin of the tree the others had left exposed in their rush to climb to safety. He nearly slipped himself, fighting to get to the lowest sturdy-looking branch.

Up this tree, they could see over the road. The black cat was sprinting for their life, their terrified panting steadily growing louder as they streaked for the black path. The dog panted too—Fireheart caught sight of white teeth and a long tongue—but its breathing sounded more excited than labored.

A light caught Fireheart’s corner of his eye. A car was speeding down the road, swiftly coming closer.

“Oh, muck…” Sandstorm craned her neck forward. “They’re heading straight into a car.”

“Get away from the road!” Fireheart yelled, as loud as he could.

Lizardtail stared at him, hissing, “What are you doing?! The dog will come this way if it hears us!”

Fireheart ignored him. “Run another way! There’s a car coming!”

If the cat heard him, they didn’t respond, just sprinting closer and closer. The dog lunged over the closest stream, taking one step for every three of the cat. The car barreled down, its lights blinding.

“DON’T COME OVER THE ROAD!” Fireheart yowled.

“Fireheart!” Sandstorm half-shouted herself.

The cat appeared on the stone path, the dog’s teeth snapping at their tail. Fireheart caught bugged-out, terrified pale eyes. They suddenly looked to the side and skittered to a halt halfway over ThunderClan’s side of the road as a bellow and a screech announced the arrival of the car.

The dog’s jaws closed over the cat’s back. It didn’t even look as the car crashed into the hunter and its prey.

Fireheart flinched and shouted in horror as the car’s wheels crunched twice in rapid succession, before it screeched to a halt. Red lights flickered awake as it stopped. A door opened and a human jumped out of it, hollering something incoherent that didn’t sound too far from Yellowfang’s cursing. Something in its hand lit up and it scrambled over to the bodies, shining the light down on them.

The dog’s black-and-brown fur didn’t give away much more than a dull reflection of the light, but blood, pitch in this darkness, shone around it. It was still holding on to the cat, who lay limply in a running position.

“By the Three,” Teaselfoot said softly.

Fireheart started backing down the tree, his feet sliding and catching bad bark.

“Where are you going?” Sandstorm hissed.

“We have to do something—” Fireheart caught himself before he could fall. “We’ve got to get that cat.”

“Fireheart, they’re dead,” Lizardtail said, effortlessly descending after him. “Their body is twisted all wrong.”

“No, we—” Fireheart stumbled onto the ground. “Maybe they weren’t—”

Before he could take a step, Lizardtail was in front of him. His long tail blocked Fireheart from stepping around him.

“There’s nothing you can do,” he said, oddly kind.

Fireheart stared at him, unsure whether to plead or order him to step aside so he could move forward. Teaselfoot and Sandstorm scraped down the tree behind him.

“I can check,” Teaselfoot said quietly. “But they’re definitely dead, Fireheart.”

“We can’t risk getting close to that human,” Sandstorm said. Fireheart stared at her now and her eyes almost shamefully flicked away. “But if you’re quiet…”

Teaselfoot looked to Lizardtail, who nodded curtly, and sped off at a rather silent pace up the slope. Fireheart stood, frozen, his mind cloudy.

We have to do something, he thought. That can’t be it.

Teaselfoot returned a few moments later, his face grave. To Fireheart, he said, “He’s not breathing.”

Fireheart wanted to be sick.

Everyone stood in silence for a long moment, or a single heartbeat, Fireheart didn’t know, before Lizardtail lifted his head and spoke.

“The dog’s dead, too?” he asked.

Teaselfoot nodded.

“That’s two down,” Sandstorm said quietly. She looked at Fireheart. “We should get home and report this immediately. Hunt later.”

Teaselfoot and Lizardtail hummed in agreement. Fireheart didn’t say anything, just slowly turned and started jogging in the direction of home. His Clanmates silently followed him.

He didn’t register the journey back. Nor was he conscious of what he was saying to Speckletail, though going by her darkly alarmed face, it wasn’t pleasant to her, either.

“And you’re sure it’s dead,” she said at last.

“Positive,” Teaselfoot replied.

It took Fireheart a moment to realize that everyone in camp was watching them, staring and whispering to each other. Cloudpaw’s tail trembled out of the corner of his eye.

“We’re safe from that one, at least,” Lizardtail said. “The question is…”

“Where are the others?” Speckletail finished. “Yes, that’s important. Did you smell them?”

The patrol shook their heads.

Speckletail hummed, nose down as she thought. Fireheart’s eyes kept flickering the image of the dead cat in front of him, and his pale, terrified eyes.

“We should tell ShadowClan about their Clanmate,” he said, voice muffled in his own ears. “They should know.”

“They’ll find out on their own,” Speckletail said, looking up again. “And if the dogs are in their territory, we can’t risk them following after us if we visit.”

“So…” Fireheart met her eyes, a dull anger sparking in his sorrow. “So, what, we just leave the body there to rot?”

Speckletail was not perturbed, though her voice was gentler. “ShadowClan will retrieve their Clanmate, if the humans don’t take him. He won’t rot away on the road either way.”

Fireheart said nothing.

Speckletail waited a moment for his response before turning to Lizardtail. “Get some rest.” Her eyes went to Fireheart. “I’m sorry the four of you had to see that. It sounds horrible.”

“It wasn’t pleasant,” Teaselfoot agreed. He nudged Fireheart. “Come on, let’s get food.”

Fireheart shook his head. “I’m not hungry.” Before Teaselfoot could say anything, he stepped away and for the corner of camp. Cats quietly let him pass, murmuring in concern to each other. He turned and sat down once he reached the corner, eyes seeing without really observing what his Clanmates were doing.

He didn’t notice Cloudpaw staring at him with a dreading, frightened face. Nor did he notice Brightpaw shaking beside his nephew, her claws sunk into the sandy ground.

*”Prra”: superior, equivalent to “sir” or “ma’am”.

[ya-what--ya-erster]

Spot Conlon Likes Idiots

Inspired by @lithuaniaseye 's post here

606 words

Farm kid Race written by actual farm kid Albert (hi)

...

...

It wasn't news that Race was a farm kid. 

Race was the ultimate  farm kid. He was tall, and skinny, and appeared to have no muscle at all, but he could toss you over a fence like a hay bale. He wore Twisted X shoes and faded boot cut jeans and shirts with American flags and guns on them. He carried his pocket knife around religiously, constantly fiddling with it like it was a toy. He could ride a horse, and he could try (and fail) to ride a bull in a rodeo. 

He was also really gay, though, and those two things happened to not go very well together. 

Not necessarily because of hate, although sometimes that did occur.

Mostly, being a gay farm boy was a problem for Race because he had a tendency to flirt with his farmer-ness. 

"It's gonna work this time, Jack." Race said certainly. 

"You look like you're gonna go kick his ass. Which you couldn't do, by the way. Spot's like, ten times stronger than you." Jack replied. 

"I just want to ask him to come to the rodeo with us, is it really that bad?"

"What's bad is that Spot's a city kid, and you ain't, and you dress like all those homophobic shitheads over there while Spot's openly bi. Do you understand what's gonna go through his head, Racer?"

"Do you want me to paint my nails or some bullshit? I don't gotta 'look gay,' whatever that means."

"Actually. I'm gonna make a bet with you here. You're gonna ask him out, to the rodeo. If he says no, you are  going to paint your nails. If he says yes, which he won't, then I will. Left on for a week. Deal?"

"No deal. If you paint your nails when ya lose, nobody will notice. You are the most obviously queer person in this room right now. If you lose, you're gonna wear my clothes for a week."

"I ain't losing, so. Sure thing."

The two boys shook on it. Race took a breath and turned to go, but...

"Oh yeah, I forgot." Race plucked a barley stalk out of the ground and stuck it in his mouth like-

"One of them damn buckle bunnies, that's what you look like right now. You look like an idiot." Jack was not having it. 

"Do ya think Spot likes idiots?" Race asked absentmindedly, staring at Spot. 

"You moron. Go, get it over with."

So Race marched up to Spot, loud and proud. 

"Hey."

"You know, I'm just trying to have a good time, I don't need any of your bullshit today." Spot said roughly.

"I was wondering if- wait what?" Race stopped.

"So I'm bi? Deal with it."

"Ohh darn, Jack was right."

"Kelly?"

"Yeah, Kelly. He said you was gonna think that- never mind, I ain't here to bully ya or anything."

"Okay, well? What do you want, then?"

"I'm gay."

Spot looked Race up and down, then scoffed. 

"Uh-huh."

"For reals."

"Alright. Good to know, bye." Spot took a step away, but Race caught him by the arm and turned him back. 

"I was wondering," Race said slowly, "If maybe you would want to go to the rodeo with me tonight? Like, as a date?"

Spot pulled his arm away from Race, and Race worried for a second that he was gonna walk away with a split lip or a black eye. 

"Sure thing. Let me text my Ma and let her know I'll be out late, yeah?"

...

"How do you wear this shit?" Jack asked the next day, standing before Race's full-length mirror. 

"Cause I like it. And now you have to deal with it for a whole week. Enjoy! I gotta go pick Spot up for school."

...

THE END

...

...

hi its the author I just realized y'all city ppl probs actually don't know what a buckle bunny is so where I come from we use it to describe someone who dresses like this, or basically like anyone who looks like a fake country person. The whole wheat in the mouth thing doesn't actually happen all that often which is why it tends to fall under the buckle bunny label.

Also, I used barley instead of wheat in this for me being a farm kid purposes so

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

I have always thought that Meghan does not make her own money, does not see any projects throught to completion and isn't launching her own company is because she does not want to split money with Harry in case of a divorce.

I feel she is of the mentality that what's his is hers, but what's hers is just hers. (I took that phrase from somewhere online, but I can't remey where from).

That's the reason she kept her agent and publicist in US when she married in 2018,so he could deal with her company Frim Fram while she was in the UK. It's the reason she wanted to get pain fromthe work she did while royal and wasn't happy with the 3 mil stipend.

And it's the reason all their major money-making projects have been Harry's - Book deal, Invictus, Better Up , or joint - Netflix.

When Harry loses money (the lawsuits) she is mad. But when she loses money (pr, paid mag covers, 40x40 merch, Bench, insane spending for fake Un tour etc) it's just an investment gone wrong and they never talk about it again.

I think Meghan always just wanted to be an influencer, even when that word wasn't a thing. She liked the Tig thing she did and that's all she wants to do. Archwrll is very much modelled along those lines where she updates their stuff like updating a blog.

I know people sayshe isn't very good with follow through but I don't think she is that bad. Their failure has got a lot to do with Harry and him simply not knowing, not being capable of doing, not being very good at carrying projects on his own without a capable team.

The moment their divorce is finalized and the financials have been settled (and locked in) she will start working (hustling) and she will start making money the way she wants to. It will be something stupid and ridiculous, mostly speaking fees, appearances, red carpet merching or some product line. But she will make money.

She is just hedging her bets now and milking the royal money train dry. Whatever she has made so far in the past 7 years is safely locked in some other bank account under some company name that someone else is the front of.

You don't even have to be an evil genius to do that just have some financial acuity and ambition. Ones a hustler, always a hustler.

Ask from August 20th

Some good points here.

I disagree that Meghan has follow-through. Nothing I’ve seen from her since 2015ish shows she has follow-through. She does the bare basic minimum and the team around her finishes everything so she can put her name on it. She did it on The Tig. She did it for Suits. She did to the Hubb Kitchen cookbook. She did it with the royal tours. She did it with the fauxyal tours. She did it with Smartworks. She did it with 40x40. She did it with the UN. She did it with India and Malta and Rwanda charity work. She did it with the USO tour. She did it with the wedding. She did it with Vogue UK.

The only things Meghan did herself was throw everyone under the bus and stab them in the back. And even that’s sometimes questionable.

So she needs the capable team around her too, but capable means something different for Meghan. Where Harry’s “capable team” meant having people who do literally everything for him from picking out his clothes to taking him for munchies to running his own charity programs, Meghan’s “capable team” means having people who do exactly what she wants, when she wants them to, as she wants them to, and to read her mind as to when/how/where she wants things.

And that’s not someone who’s a good boss. That’s a terrible boss, a toxic one, one who has no problem screaming at people and throwing them under the bus, one who’ll underpay her staff and manipulate them into unethical or immoral behavior, work them to the bone, and who demands not just total loyalty, but 24/7 access and commitment. Everyone knows that about Meghan. Everyone sees that about Meghan. (And if one doesn’t see that about her, then one doesn’t have enough experience in the workplace or has never had a toxic boss of their own.)

And because Meghan is that kind of a boss, the only reason she has a capable team around her now is because of Harry. Because it looks really good on people’s resumes to work for the Duke of Sussex because they can leverage that to other big high-faluting jobs with more important people and more important work.

The second Meghan doesn’t have Harry, not only is that team gone, so is the world’s tolerance for Meghan Markle. She can hustle all she wants to get the paychecks she believes she deserves, but she isn’t going to get it. She’s getting no better than what she has now because it’s the same thing she got before Harry. If people weren’t interested in her before Harry, they definitely won’t be interested once her 15 minutes are up and her memoir washes out of the news cycle, and they won’t be interested because she can’t do anything for them. She doesn’t move magazines. She doesn’t sell clothes. She couldn’t sell her own book. She can’t even sell her own jam, dog biscuits, and kids.

The best her hustling post-Harry can get her is probably a spot on The View when her memoir comes out but even that’s not a sure thing because she’ll want them to fawn over her and I guarantee you, someone will be rolling their eyes at her in front of her. My money is on Whoopi.

[reorientation]

So I have a guy friend who super thinks I’m also a cis dude. He’s even asked me for advice with girls! Ironic since most people assume I’m a gay man (I’m bi) but I can’t help but fantasize about him finding out and doing something about it, maybe he says he’s experimenting at first but then he calls me a good girl and I’m just done for

"Man, I just keep striking out. I swear to god, I'm going to have to buy my hand dinner if we keep spending so much time together."

"Oof. Sorry to hear it, man."

"Yeah, like you've got a lot of sympathy. If I didn't only want pussy, life would be so much easier. I bet you've never had so much trouble getting your balls emptied."

"...in a manner of speaking."

"Lucky sonova... Wait. What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing. Nevermind."

"No, not nevermind. That was a really weird way you said that. What did you mean?"

"Well, uh... I guess I never told you, but I don't have balls."

"WHAT? No way! Like an accident or something? Or somebody wanted you to have a better singing voice?"

"No! Nothing like that. Look, uh... I'm trans. Been taking testosterone shots for a long time."

"..."

"Don't be weird about it, please."

"I'm not going to be weird about it, just... I've been complaining to you about how I can't get pussy this whole time."

"So?"

"So you've been holding out on me."

"What? Man..."

"Look, my dude, I'm desperate. Like I said, my problem is I just want pussy. If it's on a guy, if it's on one of my buds, that's no problem, I guess, never thought about it before... And it's not like I've never caught you checking me out."

"Don't call it that! But, well, I suppose..."

----

"Fuck, that feels good. God, it's been way too long since I've gotten some pussy."

"I - ah, ah - I said not to call it that!"

"Whatever. You've got the parts, I've got the skill. We're going to have some fun."

--

"Now get in bitch position - I want to see that cute little ass bounce on me."

"Oh-okay..."

"Never thought I'd be grabbing your hips like this... Always thought they were weirdly wide, though. Child-bearing hips, haha!"

"No, I... oh..."

--

"Getting close. Gonna fill you."

"No! Ah, you, uh, you can't!"

"Shut up. Just take it like a good girl."

"OH FUCK!"

--

"Guess I got a little carried away at the end there. Didn't mean to call you a girl."

"..."

"God, you took it so well, though. You didn't look offended afterwards. Mostly looked leaky."

"..."

"What, you don't have anything to say?"

"...can you call me that again?"

[lightningbreath]

I HATE ganlink and ganzel, but, mostly, I HATE Ganondorf.

I swear, how can there be people who ship a demon who always seeks to FUCK WITH THE LIVES OF THE KINGDOM AND THE PROTAGONISTS and say that "" oh, but he's a victim "", "" oh, it's Hylia's fault""" , "" ain, but look carefully """.

Look, nothing!!! I swear, every time I see fanarts or fanfics or the number of people who support this with the shitty excuse of """ oh, Link/Zelda will show what's good about him"" (that's when it's not a romanticization of rape or abusive relationship). And you know what's the worst, it's the fact that Nintendo's shit makes him ""physically attractive"" since it seems like if you're physically attractive you can do whatever the fuck you want and people not only will forgive you, as he will glorify you.

My God, Ganondorf isn't even a gray villain, with layers, NO!!! He's just the typical shit villain who wants to dominate and kill just because he likes (and no, neither do I). come with Ganondorf from WW, because that was ridiculous, "" oh, I just wanted a better place, I just wanted the wind"" and then he tries to invade a Kingdom that isn't his and condemns the gerudo and Hyrule, he he's just a selfish spoiled brat who tried to play the victim).

And I'm not even going to talk about Ghirahim's ship with Link here because it's ridiculous and disgusting, ""haha, let's ship Link with the guys who screwed up his life for active and passive because GAY SEX, haha""". I hate sidlink and malink, but at least the stories and fanarts are cute, the relationships are healthy and, most importantly, MALON AND SÍDON NEVER TRIED TO FUCK LINK'S LIFE!!!!

I like fanarts that place Ganondorf, Zelda and Link as "unlikely friends" or with Zelda and Link destroying or mocking Ganondorf but that's it, if you want to do a story where he finds the Light, do it. BUT DON'T INVOLVE LINK AND ZELDA IN THIS, THEY HAVE NO RESPONSIBILITY OR DUTY IN """RESCUING GANONDORF"""!!!

All games say that Ganondorf is only king because he is the ''''chosen one''''. If there's anyone who enjoys the '''divine monarchy''' it's this son of a bitch. Another thing, seriously, just because there is a conflict in Gaza (it seems to ignore what Hamas does to its own people) and because he is dark-skinned, he cannot be a villain? Please, it would be a problem if all Gerudos were portrayed as villains.

It makes me sick to see how a part of the fandom always wants to find a way to make Ganondorf a '''gray villain''' when they aren't crying and kicking because Nintendo doesn't justify all his actions as a '''poor thing and as Hyrule is the great hidden evil'''.

And the stupidest thing is why these people ask this, since it seems like they can't ask for more '''complexity''' from Ganondorf without talking about his shitty race, I'll bet my house that if Ganondorf were a white man, clearly heterosexual, no one would say anything about him being a cartoonish villain.

The mistakes of the royal family of Hyrule have never been hidden, some even come to light (the history of the Yiga, the Civil War in Oot), but it seems that these people would only keep quiet if Ganondorf decimated all the Hylians. , because Hylians are evil and how dare you insinuate that a dark-skinned man from the Middle East is a shitty person and a tyrant who uses his people as instruments and blah, blah, blah.

''''Ain, but Ganondorf from Wind Waker'''', the truth is that little happened to him. That little speech of his is the same one in which Hitler told the Jews in the concentration camps that ''''Germany was destroyed by the First War and the Treaty of Versailles was destroying his people and that he only had the noble reason to empower the Germans. and that he only wanted the good of his people.'

Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? Well, that's basically Ganondorf's speech.

And finally: Zelda has imperialist propaganda. Well, what's the problem? It's incredible how foreigners deify the Republic because of course, the only shit is the monarchy.

The monarchy in Latin countries was going well, with its ups and downs like every system of government and then BOOM, France, USA and England start to interfere in the politics of other countries to plunge them into wars and make it '''' democratic republics'''' completely dependent on them, a great plan, and now, the Latinos want to exchange American imperialism for Chinese, remaining slaves but changing owners. I would love imperialism like Zelda's, the races have a lot of autonomy of their own and even in the cruelest moment of the Hylian monarchy, they still managed to be self-sustainable. Ganondorf has always been a tyrant, who put his people in misery to use them as justification for his actions.

You complain about Rauru and the Hylian monarchy, but Ganondorf never wanted what was best for the Gerudo, he never wanted to live in peace with other races, he wanted to INVADE lands that weren't his (it was always implied that Hylians existed before). the Gerudo) if you have someone who is an imperialist who takes advantage of the "divine right of monarchy" that being is Ganondorf. I am very happy when I see the Gerudo prosper without the thorn in the side that is Ganondorf, I am completely in favor of that the '''gerudo men''' no longer exist and they are the incredible Amazonian tribe that they always were.

That's it, I've had this installed in my heart since I joined this fandom and finally, I'm at peace.

[stabbyfoxandrew]

vampdrew please please please? <3

WIP Wednesday (11/27) | Vampire Andrew AU (Part 203)

It's mostly Nicky talking, as usual. But what's strange, also as usual, is Andrew. He's been suspiciously quiet ever since they got into the car back at the dorms. For almost the entire ride, he'd stared out the window without a single word. Hell, Neil had thought Andrew was sleeping when he suddenly raised his head to say, "The one with Waffle House."

It was such a random phrase, it took Neil a moment to realize he was giving Nicky instructions on which exit to take. Neil had wondered if Nicky frequently got them lost, but didn't ask. Wait a second... Nicky didn't ask either. Andrew just offered his help with no prompting at all; control freak. Either way, Neil merely listened to the radio and counted down the minutes until he could be free of the Minyard sandwich he was trapped in.

But now he's yet again trapped between a couple of his teammates, though this time he's between Aaron and Nicky. Andrew and Kevin are on the other side of the table, sitting about two inches apart. Andrew's eyes keep flicking to Kevin's and Kevin's mouth keeps quirking up at one corner. It's almost enough to piss Neil off. What kind of secret, silent language have they got going on?

"Problem, Neil?" Andrew asks all of a sudden and Neil's spine snaps straight.

"Several."

"I know we got off on the wrong foot tonight but you'll feel better once we get to Eden's." Nicky promises. "It's amazing, Neil. Good music, cheap drinks, and plenty of boys to dance with."

"I don't dance."

Nicky sticks out his bottom lip in a pout. "Not even with me?"

"I bet he's got two left feet. Don't you, Neil?" Andrew asks, his eyes sparkling with mirth. His mood has obviously been improved by whatever the waiter is selling.

"That's obvious. We've seen his footwork." Kevin says, and Andrew laughs like it's the best joke he's ever heard.

[fandomtherapy44]

Sober buddies Chapter two: Email chains and party facts

Summary: Y/n is new at college and trying to find a footing in everything. When she meets a guy who introduces her to something that could really help find her path.

warnings: Swearing, Alluding to SA, Y/n getting hurt

WC/ 3.029k

AN/ Hey Ya'll welcome to my series I'm so excited to make this series. So it will use some plot lines from season six but a lot will change including CJ but his key character notes will still be there. Without further ado enjoy Sober buddies.

I got the divider from

Firefly Graphics

Friends…I haven’t had one in a while. Jack, Jen, Joey, Pacey, even Audrey, and I had become quick ones. I just hope I won't mess up these friendships too. Joey was going through the ringer right now. I know how it feels. She and Dawson always seemed to have something pulling them apart from what I've been told about their previous years as friends.

I went out to get some coffee and doughnuts hoping that would cheer her up. “Hi, can I please get three americanos and some chocolate glazed doughnuts?” I told the underpaid employee. 

“Yeah, sure.” I reached into my pocket, pulled out a twenty, and handed it to her. Her face lit up. “Thank you!” 

“No problem. Thank you, and have a great day!” I was mostly focused on the coffee and food that I almost ran into with my sober buddy. “Hey CJ, what’s up?” He looked down at the close mess in my hands. 

“Coffee, it looks like it needs some help?” 

“Oh my gosh yes please!” I handed him the coffee. 

“Where we heading?” 

“My dorm,” I happily replied. We walked and the morning air was still a little crisp and the sunlight was hitting the trees to make pretty shadows on the sidewalk. 

“So, are you excited to start training?” CJ asked me as I was a little distracted by the lighting. 

“Yes I am, it's also going to be good to be away from Audrey and all her dramatic flair. I mean, she’s great but it's like looking through a mirror sometimes.” 

“What do you mean by that?” CJ asked and I realized what I said and tried to backpedal. 

“Uh, you know, girls being girls.” Ok, that was not a very good response. “So who’s training me?” I try to distract both of us. It works. 

“Me.” I stop in my step. 

“That’s awesome!” I excitedly say. 

“You get happy easily, don’t you?” CJ half commented and half asked me with a chuckle. 

“Is that a bad thing?” I hope it wasn’t- it’s kind of what I’m betting on I thought. 

“No no, it’s kind of refreshing.” We had already arrived at my dorm. I stopped to look at him and to think about his response- no one had said that to me before. I looked around and it seemed, for just a second, time stood still. 

“Well, thanks for the help and I’ll see you tomorrow,  ok!” I grabbed the coffee and went into the room, pushing him out. 

“You’re wel-” I closed the door. It was getting a little too… real.

The sight I walked into was sad. Joey was hunched over her laptop, agonizing over this email to Dawson that she hadn’t even sent. I put down the drinks and food, walked over and turned off her computer. 

“Wha- Y/N!” Joey whipped around. 

“Joey, you have been staring at that screen for two hours, the entire time I’ve been gone, and you still have only ‘Dear Dawson’ written. You need a break.” I picked up her doughnut and coffee and handed them to her in her baffling state. “Which is why I got you these.” She breathes in deeply. 

“You’re right, thank you Y/N.” 

I sit down on my bed and turn to Joey. “So, now you have caffeine and food. You want to tell me why you haven’t sent the email yet?” I finished by sipping my coffee. Joey sighs looking into her cup almost wishing she could drown in it. 

“I’m stuck.” 

“Why?” She gets up and starts to pace back and forth. 

“Because of the way we left things were so awkward and I just wanted to scream and hug him at the same time.” I patted the seat next to me and she sat down. 

“It sounds like you know what to say.” Joey looks puzzled. “Joey, Dawson is one of your best friends. Whatever is in that email, at least you have gotten it out. I'm sure he’s stressing out over a similar email to you.” She seems unsure. “You can always blame me if it goes wrong.” I joked as I bumped her. She smiled at that. 

“Thank you Y/N, you’re a pretty great friend.” 

“You are too, Joey.”

That night as I was closing my eyes, my mind was active. My life is going pretty great! I have friends that like me, a job I help people with, a guy that is-

“Y/N WAKE UP!” 

I screamed as I tumbled out of bed causing Audrey to wake up too. “WHAT IS IT? EARTHQUAKE- A FIRE?!” I responded as I was half asleep and panicked disorderly grabbing my robe. 

It was Joey who screamed at me. “No, nothing like that!” I paused to look at her. 

“Then why the Hell the military wake-up call!?” Her face was red from being embarrassed. 

“I sent the email to the whole school!” My eyes went wide as Audrey replied. 

“Well, why did you do that, sweetie?” 

“Audrey! Not helping!” I told her over my shoulder. She grubbles and falls back down with a flop. 

“I don’t know what to do!” She sat down throwing her hands in her face. 

“Okay, this is what we do: we ignore it.” She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. 

“Y/N! What do you mean, ignore it!?” 

“Well, it’s not like everyone knows you so maybe you can get away with it?” I tried to help but honestly, she would just have to face the music.

Thankfully I hadn’t heard about the email, but to be fair, I hadn’t been in a lot of classes. I walked into The Stand building and saw CJ sitting on a desk looking over some papers. He was so focused on it that he didn’t see me enter. 

“What are we looking at?” I slide right next to him. 

“Y/N! You startled me.” He put his hand over his chest as if I caused a heart attack. 

“Sorry, I thought you saw me.” 

“It’s okay. I’m looking over a few practice questions to ask you.” 

“Great, I’m ready!” He smiles at my enthusiasm and sits down in the chair. 

“Okay, question number one….” 

It had been about an hour into our session ten questions in and I had been nailing all of them. “Wow Y/n you’re a natural at this,” CJ exclaimed. 

“Really?” He nods his head agreeably. 

“You will be answering phones in no time.” I blush and try to hide by turning my head down when my ears peak an interesting conversion. 

“CJ- give me one sec, okay.” I didn’t even let him answer before I overheard another conversation and listened in. 

“I mean, did you see that email? It’s so pathetic.” A redheaded girl was sitting on a desk laughing at her boy-toy whose eyes were going right up her skirt. 

“Yeah, it’s so pathetic haha,” He mindlessly responded. Of course, he didn’t have an original thought. The only thought he did have was what was below the waistline. “I mean who writes about sex like that.” She laughed again and this time her laugh really irritated my ears. 

“Hey guys!” I walked over to them, taking a friendly approach- maybe I could go about this peacefully. The redheaded girl looked me up and down and scoffed. 

“What the fuck do you want loser?” My eyes widened at that and CJ turned his head to hear that. 

“Linsey!” Even the boy-toy was surprised at her response. CJ walks over quickly ready to defend me. 

“CJ- it’s okay, I got this,” I said to him making sure that he didn’t get too mad. He steps back but is disgruntled. I turn back to Linsey. 

“It was Linsey, right?” She gets up off the desk and in front of me. 

“Yeah, what’s it to you?” 

“Well, I’m just wondering why you’re making fun of a girl that you don't even know when you’re working at a helpline. Seems kind of hypocritical, don't you think?” Lindsey is left speechless and her face turns beat red. 

“I- You-” She stomps out. “Ryan let’s go!” She yelled after him. 

“So, you doing anything after this?” The guy tried so smoothly to ask me. 

“RYAN! LET’S GO!” She yelled after him. 

“I think your owner is calling for you,” I responded and his F-boy smile disappeared. 

“Whatever bitch, you could have had all this.” I now scoff at him. 

“Yeah, if all it takes for you to stay is an open invitation to someone’s legs who makes fun of strangers like that, then I think I’m good.” I nod at him. He goes running after Linsey. “Sorry CJ about that, what was the next question?” I walked back over to him and he was just staring at me. “What is it?” 

He shakes his head, “Nothing, you just seem to surprise me every time we meet, Y/N.” He finishes with a smile. 

“Well, I have to keep you on your toes somehow.” We just laughed at my joke and I’m left with this feeling of…comfort that I hadn’t felt in a while. It's nice.

A couple of days have passed, and luckily the email talk died down a little. I didn't tell Joey about Linsey because it would have just made things worse for her. I was studying when Audrey came running into the room. 

“Y/N what are you doing?” I looked at the book and then back at her we really needed to work on context clues. 

“Studying, Audrey, which you should be doing too. We have a test next week.” She comes right next to me. 

“Y/N, all you do is study.” 

“Not true… I eat too.” I chuckled at my own joke Audrey did not. 

“It is the biggest party of the year! You’re coming!” Before I have time to reject she grabs my book and locks it in her chore.

“Audrey!” 

“You will get it back at the end of the night.” She saw my disappointed downfall look and got to my level. “You need some fun, Y/N, you are twenty-two; the books will be there tomorrow, but tonight will not.” I thought about it, Audrey was right. I needed to let loose- hopefully the loud music and friends would help that. 

“Okay, I’ll go.” Audrey claps in happiness.

“You’re not going to wear that are you?” I look down at my simple outfit. 

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing- nothing, you look great!” Audrey responds in a not-so-sure voice.

We had gone into a bar to meet up with Jack and Jen. “Hey guys.”

“Hey.” Audrey goes to call Pacey while the three of us chat. Suddenly, Audrey comes back to us with a sad face. 

“I think I’m going to go home guys.” Jen and I both look at each other as if to say: really. 

“Audrey, the whole reason I came out was because of you.” I took her hand in mine and gave her a small smile. 

“Pacey can’t come out.” I now understood the change-up from her party mood, things between Pacey and Audrey have been strained to say at least. 

“I’m sorry, but we can still have fun, isn’t that right guys?” I called out to Jack and Jen. Jen grabs Audrey’s other hand. 

“Yeah, I want to forget my troubles like a typical college girl, dance on tables screaming ‘Whoo whoo’ and it will be all for nothing if I don't get reminded of it in ten years by you.” She gripped Audrey’s hand. 

“Alright, you’ve convinced me.” I jump in excitement. 

“Yes! Okay, all hands in!” We all put our hands in. “1,2,3!” Our hands fly up in the air of the promise of a fun night.

The four of us were just walking to the party when I realized that I didn’t know where the party was. “Uh, guys, do we even know where the party is?” I asked out loud to the three of them. They all shrug their shoulders. “So we are just wandering around.” I laughed at the situation as we crossed the street. 

“Ohh…ohh! I think I know where the party is, I think it’s in that house down the alley next to that free food bin store.” I was puzzled by that. 

“Audrey, that's a grocery store. You are supposed to put the food in the little baggies and pay for them.” 

“Really?” She questioned when she was walking backward and then ran into someone. “Pacey?” 

The party was what you think a college party is, loud, bright, and dark somehow at the same time filled with tons of drunk people. Audrey was going on about how Pacey was not contributing anything to their relationship lately, especially tonight. 

“I’m sorry guys, we are supposed to be having fun tonight and I just keep on going.” I get up and put my hand on her shoulder. 

“It’s okay, I’ll get you some water.” She was already a little tipsy. I didn't want her to get worse. I knew it could, very easily, from my own experience.

“I’ll come too.” Jen got up and caught up with me. 

The bar was tiny and was half-assed by the frat boys that lived here. Lots of people were crowded around it of course. 

“Hi, can I get a beer,” Jen ordered for herself. 

“Water for me please,” I ordered. We turn and Jen comes in chest-to-chest with CJ, spilling her beer all over him. 

“Oh, my God. Look what l did.” she starts trying to rub it out. I give him a little wave and he nods back. 

“That's okay. it was my fault, really.” 

“Oh, no, jeez. You don't even– l mean, you're-- You don't even drink. Like Y/N. And I’m sure it's cold and smelly, and I’m touching you…and I’m gonna stop.” She pauses and just stands there for a second. “Hi. Okay. You caught me. I’m drunk. Yep, I’m a drunkard. Escaping reality. That's me. But you know what? This is a party… and at parties, people drink. And maybe that bothers you. Maybe you think it's weak. But you shouldn't go to a party where there's gonna be drunk people because that's what's gonna happen. Drinking. It’s just a party fact.” I wonder if she really thinks I think less of her because she drinks. 

“You think I’m the lamest person on the earth, don't you?” CJ countered.

“No. No. Not at all. I’m sure you're, like, tons of fun.” She bit back sarcastically. 

“Okay Jen, I think you need this water more than I do. Why don’t you go back to Audrey to check on her?” She grabs the water and walks back to our friends.

“I’m sorry CJ, that was my first time seeing her drunk as well.” I look at his shirt. “I know a trick to get that out.” I pointed at the beer. 

“That would be great.” We go to the bathroom. I open the cabinet and look for some hydrogen peroxide. 

“Um, can you take off your shirt?”  

“Sure.” He pulls it off so easily. I grab it and pour water and hydrogen peroxide on it. 

“So now we just wait thirty minutes and when you wash it the stain shouldn’t be there.” 

“Thanks.” 

“No problem. I just realized that this is the first party where we can use the sober buddy system,” I said. He gives me a smirk and grabs my cup giving it a sniff and a sip. 

“Yep, just like I thought- you’re good.” The silence was long but comfortable. “So how long have you been sober for?” He asked me. 

“For about two years, you?” He looks down into my cup. 

“Four years.” 

“Four years- wow, that is amazing! I can’t wait to get there.” He grabs my hand in silence. 

“You will.”

We had left the bathroom walking when I saw Jen arguing with someone on the steps upstairs. “Jen, what’s going on?” I ask with concern CJ right behind me. 

“This guy took Audrey upstairs and she’s about to pass out.” Adrenaline mixed with worry flooded my veins. 

“Move,” I said to the guy blocking us.

“Look, my friend is good, you don’t have to worry.” I’m about to pull out my inner Batman. 

“Then it won’t be a problem that we go check.” CJ shoved the guy aside. Jen and I practically run upstairs. Luckily the room was open. “Audrey let’s go.” I gently grabbed her hand and Jen took the other. At this moment, the promise that we would have fun tonight was broken.

“Hey let go!” The guy shoved me back into the wall to grab back onto Audrey. 

“Y/N!” Before he can do more CJ grabs him by the collar. 

“You want to try that again!?” The guy throws his arms up in truce CJ throws him on the bed. 

“You okay?” He helped me up. I nod trying to swallow my tears. 

“Let’s go.”

Unlike the earlier comfortable walk with CJ, this walk back to my dorm was filled with melancholic silence. Jen had gone to her grandma’s house but not before checking on me. 

“You sure you’re okay?” 

“I am, I'll call you tomorrow.” We hug.

I put Audrey in her bed and she fell asleep instantly. I get a glass of water and aspirin to put on her side table. I step outside the room to breathe and process and CJ is there. “Hey, you stayed.” I walk over to sit next to him. 

“I wanted to make sure you were okay.” I wanted to hug him but I didn’t. 

“Thank you but I’ll be fine. About what happened tonight- I don’t want to think about what would have happened if I wasn’t there.” He puts his hand on my knee squeezing it. 

“Well, you were there, and again, you are a great friend.” I smile at that. 

“And thank you for your help.” 

“What kind of friend or sober buddy would I be if I didn’t?” I finally recognize that feeling I’ve been having: it’s of a true friend. 

[thepunchingbag]

I think Atton's jealousy and resentment of Mical goes a lot deeper than "he stole my girl."

Firstly, Mical is roughly 10 years younger than Atton/the Exile. Which means, Mical - while his life path was certainly altered due to the Wars - never had to fight in either the Mando or Jedi Civil Wars. For the most part, he's lived in a post-war society and doesn't have a jaded worldview. Sure, Mical criticizes the Order but there's no hatred; he's simply disappointed in their shortcomings. He very much still has faith in the Republic, because he never really saw how much of a clusterfuck the administration was during wartime. So Atton, right off the bat, sees Mical as this irritating kid who doesn't know what he's talking about. And the fact the kid's a Republic spy (and a diplomatic spy at that, so missions are mostly fact-finding involving politics rather than getting a blaster pointed between the eyes), is just extra salt in the wound. Sure, he's "serving" in the Republic military, just with all the glory and none of the PTSD, lingering medical issues due to combat injuries, and none of the lifelong problems with substance abuse.

Also, I headcanon young Jaq (before getting severely mentally fucked up during the War) as a bit of a wide-eyed "Gee Whiz!" idealist. And now Atton sees this mirrored in this pretty boy wannabe field physician-turned-spy. Except Mical never gets the idealism smacked out of him, assuming the Exile's LS. In fact, this kid seems to be rewarded for his idealism at every turn.

Hell, I bet the fact that Mical's a Republic spy and that's another lightside mirror to Atton being a Sith assassin, just rubs Atton all kinds of wrong.

Second, Mical is perhaps a bit naive (okay, more than a bit) but he's very intelligent. He's openly a bookworm and, say what you will, Mical was the only one to discover Kreia's plan on his own. Even Kreia says he's a "wasted" pawn of the Republic, that he could have been so much more. She, grudgingly, respects him (as much as Kreia respects anyone outside of Revan and the Exile). So, once again, compare this with "the fool", Atton, who is clearly also quite intelligent in his own way. However, nobody really sees that because Atton acts like a dumbass in order for people to underestimate him. This probably futhers Atton's resentment - this snot-nosed nerd gets to flaunt his brainpower, but Atton's always flying under the radar.

Even worse would be if young Jaq had dreams of maybe going to a good university after serving, maybe hoping to use whatever the Republic's version of the GI Bill program was - only for Jaq to be too messed up after the War and not to mention he deserted, so he's probably thrown all chances at getting military benefits out the window.

Now to throw the match into the kerosene-soaked mess of Atton's hatred - is when the Exile potentially starts to grow close to Mical. It's like, of course, Atton feels like garbage not worthy breathing the same air as the Exile. But he'd hoped that perhaps she'd at least never grow close to anyone else. That they would stay in a state of relationship limbo forever.

So... on top of everything else, the kid gets her too?

Atton would be seething, even if he's LS. I think the only reason LS Atton restrains himself from cornering Mical on Malachor and shoving his lightsaber through his eyesocket, is because that would upset the Exile. If Atton's DS, all he feels is his rage, bitterness, and resentment - plus the overwhelming desire to see a Jedi's life bleed out on the floor.

Meanwhile, I think Mical regards Atton with bemused pity. Also he shows him compassion, since Mical is emotionally mature enough to see Atton is a very broken man.

Which of course just pisses off Atton more.