#and I know I shouldn't have gone into this expecting something like Murder on the Orient Express

[kachikirby]

Kirby: Mysterious Incident on the Pupupu Train! - Chapter 4: The Great Sandwich Incident!

Previous Chapter

In the early morning, Chef Kawasaki got to work right away. While he was cooking in the kitchen car, Kirby came.

“Good morning, Chef Kawasaki!”

“Good morning, Kirby. You’re up early.”

“Bonkers’s snoring was so loud that it woke me up!”

Kirby let out a sigh.

“Bonkers snores a lot, has a bad sleeping pattern, and is a real pain! And yet, whenever I hummed a little, he would wake up suddenly and get really angry! That’s awful, isn’t it?”

“Y-yeah.”

Chef Kawasaki’s smile was wry. Kirby’s singing had terrifying destructive power. Even if he was humming a little tune, someone sitting next to him would probably flinch. Bonkers’s snoring versus Kirby’s humming. It was a showdown no one wanted to get too close to.

“It’s strange. Even though Bonkers really liked me so much that he insisted on rooming with me...”

“Bonkers probably doesn’t feel well in the mornings, so he hates them.” Chef Kawasaki comforted the disappointed Kirby.

“...that’s right! More importantly, let’s make breakfast early! I’ll help you!”

“N-no thanks. I’m good.” Chef Kawasaki’s smile was more and more strained.

Kirby’s cooking skills were just as destructive as his singing ability!

“You don’t have to worry! I’ll mix natto, strawberry jam, and eggs! If you put it on toast, it’ll be delicious!”

“It’s fine, Kirby! Leave the cooking to me! First, I have to make breakfast for the crew!” Kawasaki shouted with all his might.

“Ok! What are you making?”

“Something that you can easily pick up with one hand while working... I think a sandwich would be good.”

“Waah! Sounds good! What are you gonna put in them? Sashimi? Pickled radishes? Gyoza?”

“Ham and cucumbers. Kirby, would you mind going to the food car and getting some ham from the refrigerator?”

“Got it!”

Kirby ran to the food car. Meanwhile, Chef Kawasaki opened a wooden box on the floor and took out a cucumber. He then spread some butter on the bread and put on the sliced cucumber and ham that Kirby brought. Then he put on some mayonnaise and salt for seasoning and cut off the crust.

“Waaah! Looks delicious! I wanna eat it, too!”

“You can’t! This is for the crew! If you have a bit, there won’t be enough for them!” Kawasaki said to the drooling Kirby.

“Oh, that’s right!”

“I’ll make you plenty of them when it’s your turn later. Would you mind delivering these to the driver, the conductor, and the maid?”

“Suuuree!”

Kirby took one plate in each hand and one on his head before tottering out of the kitchen car.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The first place Kirby went to was the conductor’s room behind the food car.

“Good morning! Please open the door!”

Kirby shouted. The door opened and the conductor’s face peered out.

“Oh, Mr. Kirby. Good morning. What can I do for you?”

“I brought you breakfast!”

“Hm? For me?”

“Yup! It’s Chef Kawasaki’s specially made sandwich!”

The conductor’s eyes sparkled.

“Waah! Ham and cucumber! My favorite! I’ll have it after checking the machine. Please put it on the table over there.”

“Okay!”

Kirby put the plate in the conductor’s room and left. Next, he headed for the maid’s room. The maid was well dressed and had a broom in her hand.

“Oh, good morning, Mr. Kirby.”

“Good morning! Here’s a sandwich made by Chef Kawasaki!”

“Ahh! Is this for me? It looks delicious!” The maid smiled. “I was about to go clean everyone’s rooms. I’m so happy to be able to eat such a delicious looking sandwich before work.”

“Good luck with your work! See you!”

The last place he headed was the cab at the far front of the train. The driver sat in his seat, staring at the screen.

“Good morning, Mr. Driver!”

“Hm? Oh, good morning, Mr. Kirby.”

The driver stretched his arms as if to relax his body. Although he occasionally swaps with the conductor to take a nap, he usually stays in the driver’s seat for most of the trip. It’s an exhausting job.

“Do you need something? The train is running smoothly and there’s nothing to worry about!”

“That’s good to hear! I brought you a sandwich made by Chef Kawasaki!”

“Hm? For me?”

The driver smiled.

“Waah, it looks delicious! Thank you so much!”

He took a small piece of the sandwich, opened his large mouth, and took a bite. Kirby, having a rare opportunity in the cab, looked around.

“That’s a really big screen. So that’s how you know what’s going on outside. Is this a speedometer? These numbers... are how far we are to the destination?”

The driver spoke while munching on the sandwiches.

“You can look at it, but don’t... touch... anything...”

His words were interrupted. Kirby, wondering about this, looked at him. The driver was laying face down on the control panel.

“...huh?!”

Surprised, Kirby called out to the driver. “What’s wrong, Mr. Driver!? Are you ok?!”

There was no response. It seemed like the driver lost consciousness.

“Wh-what happened?! Is everything ok?!”

He shook the driver, but the driver did not move.

“Th-this is bad...! I gotta call someone!”

Kirby rushed out of the driver’s cab in a panic. As he ran into the passageway, an even more shocking sight caught his eye. The maid was lying down, her broom still in hand.

“Huuuuh?!  Ms. Maid!? Ms. Maid, hang in there!”

Kirby shook her, but her consciousness did not return, just like with the driver. Except it was right in front of the Waddle Dee room. The door opened to reveal Bandana Waddle Dee.

“What’s wrong, Kirby? Why are you shouting so...”

Upon seeing the maid laying on the floor, Bandana rushed over.

“Ms. Maid?! Wh-wh-what’s wrong!?”

“I don’t know! This happened with the driver, too! They suddenly fell over!” Kirby answered.

“Huuuuuuhhh?! Even the driver!?”

Bandana turned pale. Some Waddle Dees heard the noise and rushed out of the room.

“You guys stay with the maid! I’ll let his highness know! Kirby... that’s right! Call the conductor!” Bandana quickly said.

“Got it!”

With that, Kirby and Bandana headed off in their according directions.

~~~~~~~~

Kirby knocked at the door to the conductor’s room violently.

“Mr. Conductor! Mr. Conductor! Open up! There’s a problem!”

However, there was no response from inside.

“No way...even the conductor?!”

Kirby quickly opened the door. His bad feeling was correct. The conductor was sitting slumped over in the chair, unconscious. On the table was an empty plate. It seems like he passed out because he ate all of the sandwiches.

“The sandwich...?! No, it’s because they all ate the sandwiches...?!”

Kirby ran out of the conductor’s room. Chef Kawasaki had to know about this!

~~~~~~~~

The news spread all over the train in the blink of an eye. The passengers gathered in the dining car and made a big fuss.

“What’s going on? Did the maid faint?”

“I heard that the driver and conductor also lost consciousness. What’s happened?!”

Everyone looked at each other with worried expressions.

Chef Kawasaki stood still with a blank look on his face. In front of him was York, King Dedede, and Meta Knight.

York raised his voice. “Calm down, everyone. First, let’s sort out this situation. What happened?”

“The driver, conductor, and maid all passed out!” Kirby said.

“The three crew members were taken to their rooms and are sleeping in bed. The three of them looked fine, were breathing normally, and appeared to just be sleeping. But no matter how much you would yell or shake them, they wouldn’t wake up.” Bandana said.

“H... hey! Never mind the conductor or the maid, if there’s no driver, then the train shouldn’t be moving! If there’s no driver, how is the train moving...” King Dedede shouted.

Upon hearing what the king shouted, the passengers panicked.

“If there’s no driver, then the train is running with no one at the controls...?! It’s a runaway!”

“Oh no! We’re in danger!”

“Kyahhh! Kyaaahh! I’m scared!”

“This is an emergency. Stop the train and return to Dream Land.” Meta Knight said to York.

“We cannot do that.” York shook his head.

“You can’t? Why?”

“When this train departs from its station, it uses a device installed at the station to accelerate the train. It is not possible to stop or start the train at a place that is not a station.”

“What do you... so you mean that without a driver, it will continue to run?”

Even Meta Knight was at a loss for words.

“Everything will be fine. This train has a self-driving device. Even if there is no driver, it will continue to run on the line. Unless something very bad...” York said emphatically.

“No, wait, wait!” Dedede shouted. “The train absolutely needs a driver!”

“It’s fine. The self-driving device...”

“Can you really trust a device? Leave it to me!”

“...huh?”

York was dumbfounded.

“King Dedede? You can’t be saying that you can drive the train, can you?”

“I’ve never done it before, but there’s nothing that I can’t do! Don’t worry, everyone!”

Dedede rushed out of the dining car in a confident manner.

“...seems more like he just wants to drive it.” Knuckle Joe said.

“Will it really be all right?”

“There’s an automatic driving device, so it’ll work out somehow, right?”

While the passengers murmured, Meta Knight spoke.

“I still feel uneasy without a proper driver. We have to do something to wake them up. But first, we must investigate how and why they fell asleep.”

“I think I have a pretty good idea.”

Chef Kawasaki stepped forward.

“The three of them ate the sandwiches that I made.”

“...what?”

“Everyone fell asleep after eating my sandwiches. I thought it was my sandwiches’ fault...!”

The passengers gasped.

“What were in the sandwiches?” Meta Knight asked.

“Just ordinary ham and cucumbers.”

“Cucumbers... it can’t be...” York, who was listening to the conversation, muttered.

Meta Knight overheard what he had said.

“Do you have an idea what’s going on here, York?”

“N-no. It’s nothing.”

York turned his back as if deceiving. Meta Knight turned back to Chef Kawasaki.

“Will you allow me to investigate the kitchen car?”

“Of course.”

The two of them headed to the kitchen car.

“I baked the bread myself. The ham was stored in the refrigerator. The cucumbers came from this wooden box. Then I put on salt, mayonnaise, and butter.” Chef Kawasaki explained.

“Was there an ingredient that made them sleepy...?”

“Impossible! I didn’t even use slumbercumbers!”

“Slumbercumbers?”

“It’s the name of a vegetable. It looks and tastes the same as regular cucumbers, but eating them causes you to be overwhelmed by intense drowsiness.”

Meta Knight’s eyes lit up.

“Would that box of vegetables happen to be sleep cucumbers?”

“That’s impossible! I picked the usual cucumbers from the usual field and packed them in the box myself!”

“But I want to check just in case.”

“Understood, though I think it’s useless.”

Chef Kawasaki took out a long green vegetable from the box placed on the floor. He then cut it in two with a kitchen knife.

“See? It’s just a normal cucumber...”

But at the next moment, his eyes widened.

“...huh?! This scent...!?”

He sniffed the vegetable and shouted.

“This is a sweet smell...! This isn’t a normal cucumber! It’s a slumbercumber!”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes...!” Chef Kawasaki said, dumbfounded.

“If you don't pay close attention, you won't notice, but slumbercumbers have a different, sweeter smell than normal cucumbers. I wasn’t paying attention when I made the sandwiches! Why were these things even in the kitchen car...?!”

Meta Knight stared at Kawasaki with sharp eyes underneath his mask.

“Is it possible that you mistook them with normal cucumbers when you brought them on?”

“Absolutely not!” Chef Kawasaki shouted. “Slumbercumbers only grow in the southern grasslands of Dream Land! There’s no way it can become lost in a field of regular cucumbers!”

“Did you carry the box on yourself?”

“I didn’t, there was just so many ingredients. I packed up everything I had prepared and shipped to the York Railroad Company.”

“...how long will the people who eat the slumbercumbers be asleep for?”

“It depends on how much they ate, and the amount used in those sandwiches... it’ll be about ten days.”

“Ten days...?!”

Meta Knight was surprised.

“What will happen to them if they sleep for ten days? They won’t be able to eat during that time and their bodies will become weak...”

“It’ll be fine. They won’t need to eat or drink anything while they’re asleep. It’s like they’re hibernating. So, there’s no need to worry.”

“...I see. That’s good.”

Meta Knight’s voice calmed down.

“Is there any way we can wake them up?”

“No. The slumbercumber’s effect is strong. Until ten days pass, they won’t wake up no matter what you do.”

“...and there’s four days left until we reach Baspa. So, the crew will be asleep until we reach the last stop.”

At that moment, York entered the kitchen car.

“What did you think? Did you find anything out?” He asked in a worried voice.

“...Mr. York.”

Meta Knight explained everything to him about how slumbercumbers look similar to normal cucumbers and how they somehow got into the kitchen car. After hearing everything, York turned pale.

“...I see. But why...”

It was a small whisper, but Meta Knight heard it.

“Mr. York, what did you just say?”

“Huh? Oh, no, it’s nothing... ahem!”

York cleared his throat.

“Why is something like that in the kitchen car?!”

“Chef Kawasaki said he doesn’t know. Do you have an idea, Mr. York?”

“Of- of course not! I have no idea!” York looked confused.

Meta Knight responded. “But it seems that you can only get the slumbercumbers in the south grasslands of Dream Land. It’s impossible to accidentally mistake it for normal cucumbers and carelessly bring it on. Someone put slumbercumbers in this box and brought them into the kitchen car.”

“What...” York said while sweating profusely. “Who would do something like that?”

“I don’t know. But Chef Kawasaki said that he left it to the York Railway Company to pack the ingredients.”

Chef Kawasaki nodded.

“York, of course, knows about that. I left the food I had prepared to the York Railroad Company to carry it into the Pupupu Train.”

“That’s correct.” York nodded. “The food car is used for items that need to be frozen or refrigerated. Seasonings and ready to use vegetables go straight to the kitchen car...my workers followed Chef Kawasaki’s instructions exactly.”

“...hmph.”

Meta Knight said with a serious voice. “There are several possibilities. First, there is the possibility that an unscrupulous employee of the York Railroad Company secretly slipped in a crate of slumbercumbers.”

“That cannot be!” York shouted quickly. “All of my employees are serious and hard-working people! I know everyone who works here! There cannot be any unscrupulous individuals!”

“Then the next possibility. An unscrupulous passenger brought on the slumbercumbers and put them in the kitchen car...”

“I don’t think it’s that.” Chef Kawasaki said. “The passengers are all citizens of Dream Land, outside of you and your subordinates, Meta Knight.”

“...that’s right.”

“I know the people in Dream Land well, and I don’t believe that they would do something like that.”

“My subordinates wouldn’t do something like that either. Next possibility is that someone other than one of the original passengers entered this car...”

“That’s unthinkable.” York denied. “The Pupupu Train’s passenger check is strict. Those who don’t have a ticket will absolutely not be allowed on. No matter who tries to slip in, it’s impossible.”

“Hmm...” Chef Kawasaki uttered while thinking. “But Kirby was the one who was in charge of the ticket gate. It seemed he longed for the job and the station attendant let him do it.”

“That’s right.”

“Someone sneaked in while Kirby was looking away...that’s probably what happened.”

“...yeah...”

Meta Knight nodded, his voice lowering.

“There’s still too much we don’t know. The most important thing is to not let panic spread among the passengers.”

“That’s right.”

York quickly nodded. “Our company wishes for the most enjoyable travel on the rails for our guests. We cannot let them panic.”

“Mr. York, confirm for me again. Will the train be fine without the driver?”

“Yes, of course.” York puffed his chest up. “Our company’s self-driving device proudly uses the best technology in the galaxy! There’s nothing to worry about!”

“Anyway, we have no choice but to keep going. Cook Kawasaki, make a delicious breakfast that will calm everyone down.”

Chef Kawasaki nodded. “I’ll make sure that each ingredient is carefully selected so that this won’t happen again. The afternoon snack party will be held as planned.”

“Good idea. Sweets have a calming effect on the hearts of others.”

With that, Meta Knight and York left the kitchen car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Table of Contents

Next Chapter ->

[sleepy-grav3]

All the More Reason to Be

A/n: Let's just ignore how long I've been gone for.

Summary: One morning, while Maddie and Jack are in the lab, Danny greets his mom with a simple "morning, mom." Jazz wasn't expecting him to be referring to her.

Tw: Neglectful parents Maddie and Jack, basically a teen mom Jazz, connection cutting (Danny towards Maddie and Jack)

Jazz can cook and is the main one to do so in the house, Danny doesn't know how to because nobody actively taught him and there wasn't really a need for him to learn (learn to survive immediate death is basically his motto), ghosts are protective and possessive of their Haunts, Amity Park is Danny's Haunt, the mentioned ghost is nonbinary going by they/them pronouns.

In the Fenton household, it was known that you had to be extremely cautious of the kitchen. That place was either a battlefield, or a battlefield in the making.

It's no surprise that the kitchen appliances were something to be extremely careful of too.

For that reason, cereal with milk was the most common breakfast to have. It was quick, it was simple, and the milk was usually pretty safe with how tightly sealed and undisturbed it was. The cereal, even more fortunately, wasn't even inside the fridge, so it couldn't easily come in contact with the ectoplasm stored there.

But sometimes, when Jazz went to sleep early or never went to sleep, she'd make something else. Pancakes, oatmeal, or even french toast around the holidays that weren't Christmas. Danny was a bit cautious with french toast, but it wasn't toast in his opinion.

That morning, it was the more unfortunate of the 2 special options.

Jazz didn't get any sleep last night. She was caught up in a book and lost track of time. It wasn't until she looked up to see some sunbeams shining into her room when she noticed that it was an hour before her alarm would go off.

Sleeping for only an hour was only going to make her more tired. So, she decided that she might as well just stay up.

That brought her to current time, where she just finished up making the pancakes. And with perfect timing, Danny came down to the kitchen, all dressed but only half awake.

"Must've been up late because of a ghost." She guessed, placing 2 empty plates and the container with a stack of pancakes on the table.

"Good Morning, Danny."

"Morning, Mom." He yawned.

Jazz paused, eyes widening slightly. Mom?

She then shook her head. It was probably a mistake due to sleep deprivation. She ignored how it made her skin buzz, her eyes stinging slightly.

"Another ghost?"

"Yep." Danny sighed, stabbing his fork into a few pancakes and moving it onto his empty plate. "New one this time. Animal obsession. There was an abusive dog owner, and they got word of it when the dog died. Tucker found some dirt on him. Outsider with a murder charge. Most likely buried the body here."

"Wow, Danny. Are you... are you ok after that?"

Danny paused his chewing before quickly swallowing so he could speak.

"I-... I feel fine-"

"Danny-"

"No, Mom, I'm serious." Jazz jumped, but Danny continued as if he didn't just call his sister mom. "I'm- I'm more than fine. I feel sorta proud? That man felt different, somehow. I know it's wrong, but he shouldn't even be here." Danny glared down, his teeth starting to grow longer, sharper. "Didn't deserve to be. I can't believe he thought he could just waltz in here and do whatever he wanted without me interfering. I mean, can you believe he just entered the town without my permission?"

Jazz blinked owlishly. This was the first time she saw him act that way. Sure, he got aggressive with some ghosts, especially when Dan was mentioned. But never towards a human.

That wasn't even mentioning why his permission was even needed. Why he called the town his-

Oh. Oh.

Amity Park was his Haunt, and ghosts tend to act aggressive towards those who intrude. Especially if they cause trouble or mess it up. Yeah no, this was a ghost problem.

"At least he'll be going to jail soon."

"But-"

"Amity doesn't have any jails. Not really anyway. So, he'll have to be moved out to serve his sentence. Even if he did come back, he, a living being, caused the first crime in years. This is going to make news and he's going to be outcasted for life. You know how Amity Parker are like."

"Amitians." Danny corrected.

"What?"

"Kwan and Star started it up. Amity Parkers felt like a mouthful and didn't fit our whole supernatural, paranormal, sci-fi situation." Danny huffed fondly; tension gone entirely. "So, what's better than to make us sound like aliens?"

Jazz rolled her eyes. Of course. Nothing could lift the mood like space topics.

"Back on subject though, he won't be intruding on your Amity much longer. So you don't have to worry about him anymore. You should get that new ghost a gift for helping you become aware of the situation."

Danny smiled softly. "Yeah, I will. Thanks, Mom."

Jazz gripped her fork a bit tighter.

That was what? The 3rd time now? This- this wasn't some accident anymore.

She looked across the table to see Danny getting another 3 pancakes, pouring a shit ton of syrup on them. Danny soon noticed her staring, having a small frown on his face.

"Mom?"

She took a sharp breath, pushing aside the butterflies and buzzing. It felt like something in her felt... accomplished. Like she had done everything right despite how clear it was that she hadn't.

"Why-..." She took a quick breath, feeling her voice quiver. "Why are you calling me that?"

Danny pursed his lips, hand traveling to the back of his neck. Jazz noticed him playing with a bit of his hair, which had become longer. She had to book a haircut appointment soon.

"They don't care."

"Don't you love them?"

It felt like a wired question, one that carried more weight than she meant. It held so much more significance than she expected. She tried so hard not to think that way, she was only older than him by 2 years. She was still in high school. She wasn't even in her senior year yet.

"Not enough to think of them like I do you."

And that was all it took for Jazz to let out a sob, tears breaking down the dam and flowing freely down her eyes like waterfalls. Danny jumped up, rushing over to her, asking what was wrong. Asking if it was too much. If he should stop calling her his mom.

"N-no! I'm just- I always- c-called you mine. You w-were always my little boy. I fed you, changed you, took you to school, taught you things- I saw you grow and I- I've felt jealous before!" She laughed. "I mean- you always called them mom and dad, but I did everything! Why couldn't you call me that? It wasn't fair but- but it made sense... I just... I accepted that you wouldn't think of me that way but- but now you are and-" She let out another sob, wrapping her arms around Danny and placing her forehead on his stomach. "And I'm so happy."

As she continued to cry, unable to calm down enough to stop, arms wrapped around her and a hand ran through her hair. Eventually, Jazz shifted to lean more of her face on him, basking in the cold that his body offered. It was like a breath of fresh air in a stuffy room. It made it easier to breath.

"You'll be late to school."

"Like that isn't normal."

"Think you could hype yourself up enough to tell Mr. Lancer what's been going on?"

"... Parent-Teacher Day should be coming up soon."

"Just tell me the time and date."

"Ok."

"And Danny?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

"Love you too, Mom."

--------------------

A/n: Well, that was sweet. A lot less emotional than what I wanted, pretty sidetracked in the beginning, but oh well. Also! I didn't know what name to give our animal lover ghost. This isn't meant to be a series or anything, but I'm curious what you think their name should be. I might reuse them somewhere.

And if any of you feel like adding a little something for what goes down with that animal abuser guy, reblog with a bit of writing. I'd love to read it.

[kittievampire]

I came because I was in love with your obey me yandere smut! So...can I have something similar to "Mine" but with Simeon 🥺🥺🥺? Please!

Please ignore me if you’re not comfortable with this request.

Honestly, anon, it's sinful that'd you'd request such a thing of me! I couldn't possibly write something like that for Simeon! I'll have you know that he is a man of God, an ANGEL and if you think okay the people who think Simeon shouldn't be depicted this way are gone now, lemme see what I have in my bag, my dear~

Click here if you wanna request!

Cleansed

Warnings: Dark themes, Cursing, Blood, Violence, Yandere! Simeon x Fem! MC, Virgin! MC, Smut, Teasing, Baby-Trapping, Murder, Manipulation, Obsession, Guilt-Tripping, Somnophilia (MC gets put to sleep), Most likely an incorrect quote from the bible, Fingering, Breeding Kink, Creampie, Non-Con/Rape to Dub-Con

🚨READ THE WARNINGS CAREFULLY AND PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I MISSED ANY TAGS🚨

Enjoy.

Simeon never knew that he could feel this way about someone.

What he felt exactly, he couldn't say. He couldn't put a finger on it— couldn't put it into words if asked. If he had to describe it, he'd probably say it was something that made him feel like his heart would leap out of his chest with its intense and rapid beating, something that made him want to be close to you, something that made him want to follow you to the ends of the Devildom and back (which may have been literal on some explorative occasions).

Either way, there was one thing this angel knew for a fact.

He had to have you.

This sense of possessiveness started out small. He would follow you around all day, walk you home most nights, and wonder what you were up to when he wasn't by your side. It was always so curious to him how a little human such as yourself suddenly became a being he held of higher regard and importance than Michael, though he'd never tell his higher-up such information.

However, it didn't take long for this obsession to grow.

Simeon was convinced that this was his Father's plan. That he was meant to feel this way about you, that you were meant to be his. Every night, he'd find himself praying, not only for your well-being and fortune, but also for a romantic relationship to blossom from your friendship.

It was the word of the Father, of course.

What God has joined together, let no man seperate. We must guard our union, so that the outside world cannot seperate it.

He has to protect you, no matter what. Especially from the vile lower demons that want a piece of you. Simeon wouldn't dare even think of harming one of the brothers, they were his brothers once, too; Nor did he believe that any of your friends should be hurt. But those that you were uncomfortable with? Those that you didn't know on a personal level? Those that wanted you? Their vary existence was sinful.

They must be cleansed.

_

"Simeon, what is this?"

Your voice was so sweet. It made him feel weak in the knees. Though, he couldn't afford to lose his composure now. Not when he'd finally mustered up the courage to ask you out on a date.

Well, it was a date you were unaware of. But he put his everything into it! You might as well think of it as such out of appreciation!

The angel smiled, motioning toward the empty seat in front of him. He'd managed to convince the owner of this restaurant to place a table on the second-floor balcony. He wanted to be able to see how the moonlight made your features glow.

Simeon had told you to dress formally for this dinner, but you didn't expect the setting to be this fancy! To say you were excited was an understatement.

You sat down in front of him, clasping your hands together as you tried to process your surroundings. "Wow, Simeon, this is truly amazing... I can't thank you enough, but I am curious about the occasion," You ask softly, a small blush forning on your face.

The angel chuckled softly, lifting one of his hands to gently caress the petal on one of the roses that the vase in the middle of the table held. "One as divine as yourself must be treated to such things, wouldn't you agree?" His voice sounded so sweet to your ears, reminding you of the vanilla sweets he and Luke would bake for you.

"Hi, welcome to... MC?"

You snapped your head to the side, looking up at the waiter approaching your table. Your face paled as you recognized the familiar demon standing before you. It was an incubus that had hit on you recently, the only one you didn't tell Simeon about. "Toran?" You murmured softly, earning a nod from the waiter. "Where have you been? Why haven't you responded to any of my texts, huh? You too good for me or somethin'?" The demon before you suddenly became more aggressive than you felt comfortable dealing with. Simeon could sense your growing discomfort and stood, approaching the waiter. "Excuse me, I don't believe this is appropriate conduct for someone in your position, may I request we get another waiter?" He asked, earning a scoff from the demon whose name he couldn't bother to remember. "Hey, I'm not talking to you, yeah? Why don't you-" "Toran!" You shouted, catching the attention of both of the gentlemen before you. "I... I gave you the wrong number, I'll give it to you. Please, just leave us alone, yes?"

Simeon's face contorted into that of a disgusted look, one that you didn't see.

Why the hell were you even entertaining the idea of giving your information to this asshole? You were supposed to be with him, not this foul demonic garbage. "That won't be necessary, MC," Simeon said with a warm smile, the demon turning to face him. "What the hell do you-" "I'd like to request a change in waiters, please. I don't think you'd want your higher-ups to know about this, so I suggest you do everything you can to make things right!"

He truly was angelic, wasn't he?

You couldn't help but smile a bit, feeling your heart thump against your chest as your cheeks heated up. You looked away for a moment, trying to calm yourself down.

Simeon glanced at you before he roughly grabbed the waiter by his collar and pulled him close. "It'd be in your best interest not to anger me. That girl is the only reason you're still breathing, demon," He whispered into the demon's ear before pushing him away.

Your gaze met the angel's and you couldn't help but blush once more. "A-Ah! Did he finally leave? I'm so sorry, Simeon. I didn't know he worked here! He's been harassing me for the past few weeks, and I just don't know what to do anymore." You started rambling, Simeon sitting down before you and listening closely to every single word that left those lovely lips of yours. They looked so soft.

However, he couldn't forget the sheer audacity of that demon. His presence, his words, his existence, all of it was a sin that must be cleansed. How dare he even breathe in your direction? It all frustrated the angel.

That's okay. Simeon would deal with him later. He had to comfort his lover now. "That sounds horrible! Have you told anyone else about this?" He asked reaching over the table and gently grasping your hand. You turned away from his gaze bashfully, blush only growing darker as you felt his eyes pierce through you. "No, you're the only one that knows about him."

Simeon felt his heart pound against his chest at this. He was the only person you trusted enough to tell? Oh, you're so dependent on him, just how it should be. What a good girlfriend you are, even if you didn't know it yet. "I see," He managed to murmur out softly, a light chuckle escaping his lips as you met his gaze once more.

"I'll do with this information what I can to help you, MC. I promise,"

_

Simeon splashed water over Toran's tied-up body, causing the demon to wake up in a panic. Though, his sounds of confusion were muffled by the gag in his mouth. Simeon's hand shot forward, gripping either side of his face and forcing him to meet his gaze. "Disgusting," He muttered softly, a glare making its way to the angel's face. He scoffed and pushed Toran's head away from him, taking a step back and pinching his chin between his thumb and index finger. "Ah, what was your name again?" He asked, voice shifting back to the one he wore normally. The one that angels such as himself were expected to wear. "Toran, I believe, yes?" He asked softly, adjusting his black gloves as he turned his back to the demon. "MC requested I not get you in too much trouble with your higher-ups if I take action. She really is sweet, isn't she?"

Simeon turned around, brushing his gloved fingers over the blade in his hand. "You see, I believe that MC is far too divine to be saddened by someone such as yourself. I believe it is my duty as an angel to expel any unhappiness from her life as I see fit." He made his way over to the demon, gently pressing the sharp tip of the blade against his chin. "I'm like her guarding angel in that way, aren't I? I'd make such a good husband, don't you think? If I asked her to marry me... No, she'd be weirded out by such a thing. I have to ask her to be my girlfriend first, don't I?" Simeon's list of questions was left unanswered, but the sound of the demon muffling something under the gag while he was talking only irritated the demon's captor further. "Has no one taught you manners?" He sliced the bottom of the demon's chin, blood spilling out, and a muffled cry erupted from Toran's throat.

"I truly don't appreciate how you treat MC... It truly is unfortunate. You must be cleansed, demon." He pushed the blade against Toran's chest.

"I will do what I must to protect my human,"

_

Simeon loved you. He loved you more than anything else in this world, more than he loved himself, more than he loved his Father. He just couldn't bare the thought of you rejecting him is all! That's the only reason why this happened.

You were close, so close to finding out his secret. So close to finding the corpses. He wrapped his hand over your mouth and nose and began to chant a sleeping spell into your ear softly, and when you fell limp in his arms, he placed you on the bed.

Now, you looked so beautiful, so innocent, so carefree. He couldn't help but be drawn to your divinity. The way your skirt was pushed up by the duvet slightly, showing him the plush of your thigh. The blush on his face was dark, as were his eyes.

He had to claim you.

In the blink of an eye, he was between your legs, sliding your panties off of you from beneath your skirt, his breath hitching as he saw your pussy. He could feel a lump of saliva form in his throat as he slowly lowered his hand, running two gloved fingers down your slit. Simeon stared at your cunt, not blinking, not moving anything but his hand. He was infatuated with your body, and the only thing that was missing was your whimpers and pleas for him to keep going. Slowly, he pushed his fingers into you, your velvety walls welcoming the digits.

You were tight.

You were a virgin.

A whimper poured from your lips as he shoved his fingers all the way inside of you, his knuckles meeting your entrance. Simeon glanced up at your face to see your expression change, brows knitting together as your lips parted ever so slightly. However, you gave no signal of consciousness. He reached his free hand forward as he began to slowly thrust his fingers into you, making scissoring movements to stretch you. With his free hand he parted your black RAD jacket and unbuttoned your teal underblouse.

Simeon's breathing hitched once more as he saw the white bra you were wearing, taking a moment to think about this situation. You were asleep and vulnerable, and here he was, defiling you. He looked down at his hand, eyes widening at how your essence clung to his fingers.

You wanted him too.

"Haah... I knew it," He muttered out softly, a smile forming on his face. "I knew you wanted me, you naughty girl. Your body's so honest with me."

Biting his lip, he slowly pushed a third finger into you. At the same time, he hooked his index finger around the middle of your bra, pulling it down, and allowing your breasts to spill out. Immediately, his hand groped your mound, squeezing the soft flesh and allowing a chill to run down his spine as he thrusted his fingers faster. "Come on, my dear, give me an orgasm," He said, voice full of desperation, making it seem more like he was begging you. "I need to see you cum for me, darling."

Soft moans and gasps erupted from your throat, and he felt your thighs pushing against his hand. He frowned, pushing your thighs further apart and positioning himself inbetween your legs. "None of that, Dove," He said softly, feeling the heat that pooled around his fingers go straight to his cock. His thumb reached up to trace circles over your clit, causing you to whine and squirm in your sleep.

He felt your walls tightening, excitement coursing through his veins as he thrusted his fingers faster into you, gloved hand soaked, and hand squeezing your breast. "Almost there, Dove," He almost whimpered out, cock twitching. Your hands moved downward, almost as if unconsciously trying to hide yourself from the stimulation.

Your eyes shot wide open and you let out a cry of pleasure as your orgasm came crashing down, coating Simeon's hand in your juices. His movements slowed, allowing you to ride out your orgasm.

Your blurry vision slowly began to re-focus, allowing you to see the angel before you. A sheepish smile appeared on his face as he pulled his hand away, pressing a finger to his tongue to get a taste of your cum. "Simeon?" You panted out softly.

Simeon's hand pushed his white pants and boxers down, freeing his hardened cock, pink tip oozing with precum. "I'm so sorry, my little Dove," He said softly, your eyes going wide as he spread your legs, cock pressing gently against your opening. "I wanted to wait... Ask you to go out with me, then after we got married, I'd take you in a more..." He paused, trying to search for the right adjective. "Romantic setting." Simeon's cock grinded gently against you. "You see, Dove—" You felt him push into you, and you gasped, hands immediately clamping over your mouth. His mouth fell open, letting out a soft groan as he felt your cunt suck him in. "You're just... So— Hnngh!— Tempting!" He slammed himself all the way inside of you, hips meeting yours as he bottomed out.

Tears fell from your eyes at the stretch and you felt his hands on your thighs, guiding them so that your legs would wrap around his waist. "You'll forgive me, right?" He murmured out softly, nuzzling his face into the valley between your breasts. "I'm only doing all of this because I love you." Simeon's eyes met yours and you could feel your body tremble. "S-Simeon, I-I wanted... To wait—" "Wait until when, Dove?!" He suddenly became more aggressive, face now inches away from yours, cock pushing against your cervix, making you whine. "Until one of those vile demons got to you? That isn't an option! You were going to make love to me on the night of our wedding, what difference does it make that I take you here?" He huffed out.

You'd never seen him so angry before, nor have you ever seen him act so possessive before. He pulled his hips back, only to shove them forward again. You moaned loudly, closing your eyes and allowing more tears to fall. "You should be grateful..." He muttered, closing his eyes to try and maintain some of his composure. The contradiction in his words hardly meant anything to your hazy mind. While you did take a moment to realize that he just apologized for waiting before scolding you for wanting the same, the way he started to pound into you made your brain turn to mush.

"That it was me who was here instead of some random demon. I don't know what I would've done if someone deflowered you before I got the chance to, they might've ended up like the others!"

You flinched at this statement, looking up at Simeon through teary eyes. "O-Others?" He scoffed, burying his face into the crook of your neck to leave dark hickies that couldn't be hidden. When you didn't get an answer, you debated on asking him again, but he interrupted your confusion with a slam right into the spot that made you see stars.

You cried out, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him closer to you, feeling a knot begin to tighten in your stomach. "S-Simeon! G-Gonna c-cum soon!" You whined out, bucking your hips upward to get more friction between the two of you, hoping for further stimulation.

Simeon knitted his brows together as a thought came to mind. Perhaps if you were pregnant, everyone, including you, would know that you were his. Maybe if he got you attached to him in such a permanent manner, you'd never think about another man. Yes, that sounded absolutely divine. It sounded right.

"MC," He moaned out against your jawline, pressing a kiss to it before he moved upward so his lips were beside your ear. "I'm gonna cum inside you, okay?"

"W-What?!" You flinched, regaining consciousness almost immediately before almost being completely fucked out of it again. Simeon sighed softly against you, pressing a kiss to your cheek. "I'm gonna make you— Ngh!— A mamaaa..." He dragged out the last syllable as a blush formed on his face, feeling his orgasm nearing as his pace quickened and his thrusts became more desperate and rough. The tip of his cock bullied your cervix, making you nearly scream in pleasure. "You'll be good for me, right? Y-You'll take all of my cum? Carry my child for me? You love me don't you?"

Your walls convulsed and you screamed as you came, juices coating his length. "Y-Yes," You whimpered out softly, being rewarded with the smile that you'd grown to love on him. "My Dove," He moaned out softly, burying himself deep inside of you and grunting as you felt him paint your insides white. You could feel him filling you up to the brim, womb full, pussy throbbing and drooling with his cum, even though he hadn't moved. There was just so much. You'd never felt this full before.

He slammed into you a few more times, trying to ride out the pleasure of his orgasm, as well as fuck his seed deep within you, before slowly pulling out. The sight of his cum oozing out of you made him blush, looking up at your panting, exhausted form.

Simeon smiled, caressing your tear-stained cheek with the hand that wasn't dirtied, pressing a warm and passionate kiss to your lips. He felt his heart skip a beat when you returned the favor. Reluctantly, though he had to breathe, he pulled away.

"I'll do everything I can to keep you safe and with me, Dove... Even if it means I have to resort to desperate measures,"

Holy fuck, that was a long ass train ride. I hope you liked it, anon, cause I know some of your horny asses did!

MASTERLIST

[fictionalcharactersaremypassion]

I know it's short

This belongs in the Caught universe

---

Colin had to get out of his house or he might actually murder his dumbass siblings. Well, maybe not Mandy. She wouldn't be taken down easily. His brothers were a different story.

He could've gone to the Alibi or anywhere else to drink away until he was no longer pissed off by everything that moved. And yet, he found himself on North Wallace, about to go inside his girlfriend's house.

Because that was his life now.

It was kinda fucked up how she was able to make his mood better, even times when he didn't want it. He'd told her that too, and she just laughed at him when he was being fucking serious.

Fuckin' Gallagher.

From what he could see outside, the lights were off. It was late, but Fiona shouldn't be in bed yet. Sometimes she watched a bit of TV to unwind. Colin was counting on that being the case tonight so he didn't have to wander through the damn house to get to her bedroom, risking one of her million siblings waking up.

The door would be locked by this time but Colin had a key to let himself in. Not one that she'd given him. He'd taken it from Frank by way of threatening him and when that didn't work because Frank fucking Gallagher never knew when to shut his damn mouth, Colin held a hand around his neck until the guy wheezed out an, "Okay."

Was better this way anyway. Colin heard plenty of complains from Fiona, Lip and Ian how the old asshole was always barging in, taking what wasn't his just to make a quick buck. At least now it wouldn't be as easy for him.

As expected, it was quiet on the inside. The TV was on and there she was, sprawled out on the couch. Her hair was freely splayed, her face lined with exhaustion but

His heart did a real fucking funny thing right then. Jesus, he'd really gone soft.

Feeling slightly awkward even though no one was around, Colin made up for it by flicking her on the side of the head. She swatted at his hand, her groan cut off midway by a yawn that she covered with her forearm.

"Guess playing mommy is hard work, huh?"

"Why are you here?" She muttered, sitting up to give him room. He plopped down, letting her legs drape over his lap.

"That any way to greet your boyfriend?" Colin rubbed her knee with one hand.

"Sorry, I was waiting for the other guy to show up," she shrugged. Her smile was mischievous, shouldn't have been as fuckin' cute as it was.

He smirked. "Yeah? Who's to say I didn't fuck a chick before coming here?"

Fiona was unbothered. "She got better tits than me?"

"Better ass too."

"Too bad she doesn't have better taste in men," she said smoothly.

Colin captured her lips for a rough kiss. "Fuck you," he whispered, lips turning up in a grin.

In the midst of that kiss, he reached for the remote and as soon as she realized it, Fiona tried to get it back but Colin was faster.

"Give it back!"

"Fuck off," Colin blocked her with his other arm, switching the channel through different channels. "Eh, that's shitty. Fuckin' stupid. Who the fuck even watches this? Nah-"

"Colin!" Fiona struggled against him, so he trapped her legs under his.

"Fiona," he mocked.

She rolled her eyes, and gave up trying to escape. "Fucking asshole."

"Damn right."

Once he'd actually found something worthwhile to watch, Colin kept his eyes on the screen, his thumb rubbing her skin. Fiona had her hand in his hair, his curls around her fingers.

Halfway through the show, Fiona started pulling him down with her. "Come on," she said when he looked at her in confusion. "You're tired. Just lay down."

"I'm fine, Gallagher."

"With Terry's DNA? I doubt it."

He narrowed his eyes in the face of her cheeky grin. "You know, I've hurt people for less."

"Okay, Tough Guy," she said, unfazed. "But I'd like the feeling in my legs back so lay down or I'm moving."

For a moment, the TV was the only noise. Colin didn't do stuff like this. Fucking cuddling. There'd been one time she'd invaded his personal space after sex but he'd pretended to be asleep, not knowing how to handle it.

God, he sounded like a pussy.

Feeling awkward for the second time that night, Colin lowered himself down behind her. His arm was over her, legs intertwined, his senses overridden with Fiona's citrusy shampoo.

As for Fiona herself, she was unaware of his thoughts. "You have shitty taste in TV," she sighed, turning over to face him, laying against his body. Colin froze.

Wasn't expecting it to feel as...nice as it did.

What the fuck was happening to him? Interested in a damn relationship and now this girly shit was makin' him feel all warm.

What the fuck are you doing to me, Gallagher? Colin thought, and strangely, he didn't feel upset over it.

[cakesandfail]

Actually, I think what I want to talk about regarding Feet of Clay is something that's often overlooked, which is also my favourite thing to talk about regarding serious Discworld topics: Vetinari, and perception, and ableism.

In Feet of Clay, we're already seeing the turn from "let's get rid of the Patrician entirely, possibly by murder or at least Guild-approved inhumation" to "let's make him seem unfit to govern so that he has to step down, giving us a proper transition because we know everything will turn to shit if he's instantly gone." And that's progress of a sort, right? People are acknowledging his skill as a politician, and the fact that removing him from power with no plan for what comes next will cause the whole city to collapse.

But why do people want to say he's unfit to rule, specifically?

We know that at least some of the answer is that 'concerned citizens' think he's too soft on immigration, and he's not a king so why does he get to tell people what to do, and shouldn't he just rein Vimes in a bit instead of letting him go poking around in people's business. But I'm not sure that's the whole story.

What I would like to know is: why does this change to "make him look incapable" happen now? Is it coincidence that people make that switch once he starts walking with a cane? I don't know if it is.

On the one hand, they might have just given up. Even the gonne couldn't kill him, he's got a few people around him he can trust, maybe assassination isn't even worth trying any more. Things are stable, anyway, no point fucking everything up when you can have a nice, peaceful, planned transition of power to whoever is going to do what you want to do.

But on the other hand... Vetinari is disabled now. He uses a mobility aid. It's visible to everyone that he isn't the same as he used to be. I imagine the kind of people who don't want dwarves and trolls in the city, or who think that it's fine if poor people are treated like shit, are also not particularly liberal when it comes to disability too. Would it really be so hard to say "oh, well, he's not getting any younger... and of course with his bad leg..." and imply that any sudden decline in his physical or mental state is to be expected? That it's all just getting too much for him? An injury like that, well,he must be on some strong medication for the pain, surely? And so on. Putting the idea in people's heads that a disabled person in this job is at an automatic disadvantage- it doesn't matter if they actually believe it, personally, because the point is that somebody will.

And the thing is... it looks like kindness. It looks like acknowledgement of pain and understanding of new limitations. But having been on the receiving end of that shit, I can tell you it's not. It's an assumption that you are fundamentally Less Than, and that rather than using the people and things around you to maximise what you can do, you should just go away entirely.

Does any of this work? Nope. Is Vetinari aware of it and taking advantage of ableist assumptions? Yep. But those assumptions, I feel, still have to have existed in the first place if they're going to be disproved.

[icallhimjoey]

All Goes South

♥ ♥  Joseph Quinn x Fem!Reader

Summary: Joe is overworked, tired, exhausted and just... he needs a break. Everyone knows it, too. None of it is really exciting to him anymore. Then, he meets you, and something reignites within him.

CW / disclaimer: 18+, smut, language, drinking, rpf, fem!reader

Author’s note: Here's part 3! It's... it's a lot. I'm sorry. Enjoy! :)

Wordcount: 4.2K

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five

Joe was taking you to his house.

His house.

The one where he lived.

You hadn’t expected for the night to end quite like this when you’d gone “psst” and had asked him if you could help him sneak out of what was essentially a work meeting.

Joe was taking you to his house and it was thrilling.

Joe had about a million more reasons to not invite you over to his place as opposed to you inviting him over to yours. You didn’t know each other. At all. Not really. You could just as well be a murderer, an clinically insane person, a stalker fan- Joe was going to take you over to his house and you could potentially be a stalker fan.

You weren’t. But you could be.

When you climbed into a taxi, Joe sat down in the first seat and didn't scoot down, forcing you to climb over him. Grabby hands. Around your waist, firm grip of a thigh, and then very lightly, but definitely there, a hand grazed your bum as well.

When you plopped down onto the leather backseat, you were sort of in between two seats, and Joe used both hands to pull you into the middle one. Closer to him. Fumbly hands helped you into the seatbelt before an arm snuck around your neck again. The whole ordeal was a mess of flirty limbs, pretend annoyance and bit back giggles.

"Smooth," you joked, and then slapped a flat hand onto his leg which he then immediately trapped as he crossed them, one over the other. Joe held your hand there with his, firm fingers wrapped around your wrist in a strong grip.

Oh no...

Something kind of pulsed inside you. Down at the very base of your core.

Were you going to fuck Joe?

You were going to fuck Joe, weren't you?

You probably shouldn't.

The arm that Joe had slung around your neck found your free hand and you pushed your fingers into the gaps of his. They kind of fit perfectly, you thought.

Wait, what did you mean 'probably'? Were you mad? You definitely shouldn't!

But with one hand intertwined with his, and the other slotted in between his warm thighs, you kind of wanted out of clothes. Wanted to climb onto Joe. Straddle him, and unbutton his shirt. Get down to business right there, in the back of the cab.

You looked up at him, knew you really fucking shouldn't, but you never wanted to kiss anyone more in your entire life.

Joe noticed, must have somehow felt it in the air, and leant in, rubbing his nose to yours. You clenched your thighs together, pushed back into the seat a little more, totally unable to hide the effect Joe had on you. The control over your own breathing slowly ebbed away from you as you nosed each other - not kissing, but so very close..

You desperately wanted to tip your face enough to bring your mouths together. To taste him, to let your instincts guide you - that was all you wanted. It was sort of all your brain was telling you to do, especially when Joe's grip on you tightened.

Joe had let your noses touch, and then, he waited. Waited for you. He kind of couldn't breathe with the anticipation of what was to happen next.

But you couldn't. It wasn't right.

You tipped your face, but the other way, and let your foreheads touch. You copped out, swallowing thickly, and Joe released a shuddery breath.

"I don't..." you started, but had to clear your throat for the words to come out audibly. "I don't want to make mistakes,"

Joe moved back a little, lifted his chin to place a chaste kiss on your temple. It was slow enough for you to close your eyes to it, to lean into it, but it was just a touch of his mouth close to your hairline. Nothing more, nothing less.

"If this is a mistake, I think it's mine to make, not yours,"

Full responsibility just got lifted from your plate. Still, it didn't feel right. For more reasons than you were willing to dive into.

"Don't want you to make mistakes either,"

I don't want to be a mistake, is what you meant, but didn't say.

Joe leant back a little, chin tucked in all the way to be able to scan your face. Your features. Your expression. And then the frowned.

"You're not a mistake,"

Fuck. He was onto you.

"You're the opposite of a mistake, actually. Kind of the best thing that's happened to me in a long time,"

Oh no.

You were definitely going to fuck him.

"Yea?"

"Are you joking? I went to a place called Swingers without even second guessing that for a second. I don't think I've ever put that much blind trust into someone- into anyone, I don't think. Especially not some random girl," Joe copied your words from earlier, when you called him a random guy.

You smiled bashfully, found it a bit difficult to look him into the eye, stared at Joe's hand still wrapped around your wrist with your hand in between his legs and thought Joe must think you were just being shy. That there was no other inner turmoil going on.

You saw how Joe's fingers unwrapped themselves, and moved closer towards your face. Joe softly touched you by the chin and guided you to look at him.

"You're not a mistake," he whispered, his nose bumping into yours again. It stupidly all tugged at your heartstrings a little, made your chest swell and you thought, it's just the drink. You saw how Joe's eyes shot down, looked at your lips real close. Joe was just drunk.

"This bird is flying south and is taking you with him,"

Okay.

That was enough.

Joe's eager words persuaded you to close whatever little distance there was left between the two of you. Your lips brushed lightly at first, but as the taxi turned and pushed you into each other more, your kiss automatically deepened. Joe kissed you with an open mouth, all wet heat, all hot breath, and it kind of made you want to climb, push up more into him. Joe felt it, helped out immediately by hooking his arm around your neck more. He pulled you in, kissed you harder, and refused to break from you to breathe.

You let Joe devour you, and found that your seatbelt was too restrictive for your liking. It kept you in place too much. You wanted to sling a leg over Joe's lap, wanted to tip your hips, wanted to rock back and forth, wanted that- no, needed that with all your might.

Your seatbelt locked as you tugged on it too abruptly, tried to lean forward too choppily, and little sounds of frustration fell from your lips right into Joe's. Joe, moving in a calmer manner which meant his seatbelt gave way easily, chuckled softly as he curled into you, pushing you back into the seat.

"Nearly there," Joe spoke into your mouth just before licking across your lips, recognising just from the movements of the car where you were.

When the car finally stopped, you didn't.

You knew that everything was about to become even better the second you'd leave the car, but this bubble you'd created on the backseat felt safe. Joe unbuckled his own and then your seatbelt, releasing you with loud clicks and you instantly took advantage, pulling yourself up by Joe's neck, your kiss unwavering.

It look literal seconds for Joe to push you back until you were laying down, Joe on top of you, tonguing each other like it was of the utmost importance that you left each other's mouths wet with each other's saliva.

It was all just a hair removed from turning sloppy, from hands undoing buttons, from removing clothes, when suddenly, the cabby cleared his throat and announced how much it was going to be.

You scrambled to get inside.

Joe kept a firm hold of you, but you escaped his grip just for a moment as Joe had to lock up behind you. And, holy shit, look at this place. You stepped further inside, peeked into the living room, but didn't get much time to snoop because suddenly, you were flying. Joe lifted you by the waist from behind and your throat released squeals before you could stop them. Picked up from the floorboards, Joe carried you, pressed up against his front, and made his way into the kitchen where he plonked you down in front of the island and you thought it was going to go one way, already wanted to bend over for him, but then, Joe turned you around, and latched onto your mouth again.

Joe was good at kissing, the weak knees type of good at kissing. They were the type of kisses that pulled soft moans from your throat, and little grunts from his.

Fingers started tugging on your jeans, reminding you of your urge to get out of them. Joe helped you squirm free of fabric confines before hands found the backs of your thighs and you grabbed onto Joe's shoulders by instinct, letting him hoist you up onto the counter. When Joe broke from you, you assumed it was for him to undo his trousers, to get out of them, to take you there, but instead, he kneeled.

"No," you said a little shaky, a little panicked, and you grabbed him by his collar. For just a second worry shot over Joe's face.

You didn't really mean no, don't go down on me. You meant no, you don't have to.

Joe was close enough for you to feel his breath, which in turn made you realise how fucking wet you were.

Then he devilishly smiled, confidently said, "Oh, yes," with his full chest and placed a spread out palm right over your sternum.

"Lay back a little, let me take care of you," he pushed you all the way back until you were perched up on your elbows, spread out before him on the kitchen island.

"You don’t have to, I don’t– ohh," you couldn't even finish your sentence, Joe's mouth already on you, tonguing with just as much frevour as he'd kissed you with seconds earlier.

"Trust me," Joe's said, his voice a low bass, "This is more for me than it is for you,"

You didn't even catch his last words. With your head thrown back, moans tore from the pit of your stomach as Joe went to town. And Joe went to town. Completely lost himself in you. Licked, nipped, suckled, kissed and latched wherever he saw fit. Wherever you made the most noise. Wherever he wanted to taste. And there was no stopping him. You were a writhing mess, a thin breathe of a thing, and he just kept going. Wanted more of all the things you were giving him, all the hair-pulls, the nail-scratches, the thigh-squeezes and the sounds.

Fuck, you made such pretty sounds.

Joe panted harshly, hummed approvingly, and kept up until a clipped, almost pained sound erupted from you, and you were loud, but couldn't do anything to stop yourself. Joe could, but obviously didn't, and instead made you gasp for air. He kept going until he felt your orgasm overtake you wholly, turning you into a shuddering puddle of a girl.

Time stopped. It didn't just halt, time stopped existing entirely. There was no longer a need for silly little frivolous things like time, not when you felt like this.

You kind of wanted to cry a little.

Have a little sniffle break.

You could feel Joe reach for your hands, pulling on them until you were sat all the way back up. You didn't let you head tilt forwards until gravity did it for you and you crashed right into Joe's face.

Joe was kissing you again, all fiery, his tongue deep in your mouth. Then his arms wrapped around your back in a strong hug, lifting you up and off the island. With his hips suddenly pressing into yours, you couldn't help but melt into him and your legs nearly gave out completely.

"Bed?" you exhaled into Joe's mouth.

"Bed." he confirmed.

Joe's bed was silky, soft, and felt luxurious to the touch. You didn't have the faintest clue what it looked like, but it didn't matter. His touch was what mattered, but it was too slow. Joe was in his clothes still, and his face was in your neck, and he had one arm holding him up, and the other was on your waist, and he was grinding, but all of it was too slow. Not enough.

"Enough stalling," you panted, and Joe felt fingers tangle up into the back of his hair, gripping, tugging him back a little.

"Yea?"

Oh, Jesus. That panty little restrained yea? triggered you, turned up all dials in your body and something tangible stirred inside you.

"Mmhm," you nodded, confirming that yes, you'd stalled enough now, and followed, "How do you want me?"

You'd let Joe have you any type of way, and your fumbly fingers were trying their very best to undo buttons of Joe's outfit.

Joe moved back in, nuzzled his nose around yours and hummed before he said, "Just like this, close,"

Something snapped and sparked in your head before leaving it in full echoing empty darkness up there. It made your eyes glaze over in an instant. You weren't able to really process what Joe just said - couldn't spare a moment to stop and examine that this definitely felt like it was more than just dripping lust.

This was the type of shit that you would whine in the deepest heat of the most intimate of moments - the type of shit that would make men grow awkward and then they'd never call you again afterwards.

And here Joe was, openly admitting that he needed you close, pushing your hair back from your forehead and then pressing a soft kiss onto the tip of your nose.

What the fuck.

Joe pushed off of you, gave you a little time to collect yourself as he undressed and found a condom.

"Yea? Can I have you close?" Joe grinned, knew exactly the effect it had on you.

You groaned, a little annoyed at how smug he looked. "Don't– you can't just be saying shit like that,"

Joe moved back onto the bed, knees planted firmly into the mattress in a wide stance, sitting back on his heels. You took a moment to look at him in the low light, and you couldn't help but gulp. This was going to be a stretch.

"C'mere," Joe held out a hand, and you let yourself be pulled up. Joe maneuvered you, guided your legs and pulled you in by your waist until you were sat on his lap with your thighs spread wide.

Joe took a second to squeeze the air out of your lungs as he pressed you chest to chest and held you there for a moment, all firm and all sticky.

"Close," he whispered into your ear and it made you tip your head back, almost practically making you come untouched.

Two hands lifted you slightly underneath your ass, and Joe let himself slowly slip into you.

You were right before. It was a stretch, and Joe struggled to control his breathing as you gasped, because it truly was a tight squeeze.

Discomfort quickly made way for pleasure. And then pleasure built, and it built fast, because Joe started moving and oh my God, close was good. Close was perfect.

The pace increased so slowly, you only realised you weren't being carefully held and caressed when Joe was quite literally making you bounce up into the air with his pounding.

You were so lost in all of it. So gone for him. Joe had you arching your back as he fought to keep you in his arms and all of it worked together so heavenly well.

You came again whilst Joe bit into your jaw, grunting, breath fanning and sweat dripping, and you nearly moved your feet to stand up from Joe's lap when it all became too much.

And it was a little scary because you thought your vision had gone for a minute. Squeezing them shut for a few seconds, you made yourself see static before blinking your eyes back into focus. Then you saw Joe, all blissed out, eyes closed and jaw lax. You only noticed then that he'd climaxed too, and you let your foreheads fall together as you collected yourselves mentally and physically.

Before Joe helped you climb off him, he kissed you again. Soft and tenderly and you'd already started drifting a little when you felt hands carefully lay you down onto the bed.

Then, hands were moving sheets. Moving covers. Pulling, tugging, and then draping, followed by a body that slipped in behind you. Then, skin-to-skin cuddling, snuggling, and nuzzling. Not soon after, what followed was complete, beautiful darkness and soft, warm dreams.

Out. Gone.

You woke up a couple hours later because you felt Joe stirring behind you. Two gentle hands reached out and tugged you close in the darkness of the morning. Instinctively you knew that the sunrise wasn't far off, and that getting up and out of bed was hours away still. Heavy with sleep, and ready to drift off again, you felt Joe press a kiss into your shoulder. He then shifted against you further, nosed along the back of your neck and then slipped a hand around to touch where you were still a little sore, sensitive.

Joe touched you tenderly until you started letting little moans slip out, and slowly, just before the break of day, you had sex again. You gently moved underneath the covers together, eyes barely opening throughout any of it, arms holding you like they were made for it. Pleasure pounded, rhythmically and tidally. It was the earth, it was the moon, it was ebb and flow and it was gorgeous. Entirely unaware if either of you even orgasmed at all, you didn't realise you'd fallen asleep again until you woke up in a bright, sunlit bedroom.

Joe was asleep still, and you drifted for a little bit until you couldn't anymore. You peeked over your shoulder and saw his soft face, pressed into his pillow, mouth slightly agape, and you thought, somehow, he looked even cuter in the morning.

Which was bad news.

Because what the fuck did you think you were doing in Joe's bed in the morning?

You weren't meant to be there.

Should've stopped it when you had the chance. When you were in your sound mind still. Probably should've never even gone with him after leading him into that alley behind the restaurant.

Shit.

You looked at Joe again, pondering. Yes, this was all wrong. Very wrong. But then, could someone come in and explain to you why the fuck it all felt so natural then? If it was all meant to not have happened, why did it kind of feel like everything had slid right into their perfectly shaped slots? Like this actually all made perfect sense?

Joe moved in his sleep a little, and it startled you, so you quickly slipped out of bed and tiptoed your way over to his bathroom. You could think your thoughts and feel your feelings in there, privately and safely. Stare at yourself in the mirror until you absolutely hated who was staring back at you. And then, but only then, could you go home.

You blessed a God you didn't believe in that today was a work-from-home day as you washed your face with a questionable cleanser you found in Joe's medicine cabinet, focussing extra on the mascara that had migrated halfway down your face in the night.

Fucking hell.

Last night was good. There was no denying it.

You tried to think of bad things, but the only thing that came to mind was the fact that you did actually lose at crazy golf, even if Joe insisted you didn't, and then there was the bad cocktail you made the waitress at Duck & Waffle mix for you.

Everything else had been sort of... glorious.

You had drank a lot, but were able to remember almost all of it. Thinking things over, you decided that you probably wouldn't do anything different if you got to do all of it over again. Given the chance of making different choices wouldn't change a single thing - you'd pick this weird hung-over morning of slight-regret over missing out on any detail of every second you got to spend with Joe.

You snooped around cabinets until you found an opened multi-pack of toothbrushes, two left in there still, and got to brushing your teeth.

That's when the door, which you'd left slightly ajar, opened further and revealed Joe on the other side.

Morning-Joe was different from evening-Joe, and you'd been right earlier: this Joe was cuter. In a T-shirt and a pair of boxer briefs, hair all over the place, Joe squinted at the bright light, one eye shut entirely, and a wide grin slowly grew on his face. He seemed happy to have found you, might have been scared for moment, maybe thought you'd left without having said goodbye.

"Morning," Joe rumbled, his voice rough and raspy with left-over sleep.

You brushed your teeth and smiled back at him via the vanity mirror and saw how Joe padded over to you before pressing himself lightly against your back. Then, two arms slipped around your waist and suddenly, it became a little difficult to breathe. Joe let his head dip down and curl around to kiss your neck and fuck, it made your heart do somersaults.

You almost dropped your toothbrush into the sink, eyes closed and far too hungover for this, every muscle in your body wanting to relax fully. Joe could hold you like this for a lifetime and it'd be too short.

Joe then reached an arm over, took his own toothbrush from its holder and let go of you. It almost made you whine, the loss of his grip, but you powered through. Could make it seem like you were just tired still. Hungover. Whatever.

You brushed your teeth side by side, and Joe nudged into you for no reason, his shoulder bumping into yours. It made you smile at each other as you made eye-contact in the mirror.

This shit was fucking adorable. The type of stuff you'd tell your mum about. Maybe not. Although, if she were to pry, you might just spill all.

"What have you got going today?" Joe asked as you stepped into the kitchen a little while after him. You felt a bit grubby in the same outfit you'd worn the day before, but you definitely weren't in the position to ask Joe if you could borrow some of this clothes. That was day-time-intimacy. You'd only had night-time-intimacy, and you decided it should remain that way.

He passed you a mug of coffee along with a glass of water, asked if you wanted any milk or sugar, which you declined with a small wave of your hand before you sat down on a stool.

"Um, not a lot. I'm meant to work from home today, so I guess... nothing really," you huffed a laugh through your nose before taking a small sip of coffee.

Fuck, that was good. Coffee could really fix anything, couldn't it?

"Tell me," Joe said, chuckling slightly. "What kind of job permits employees to view working-from-home days as days off?"

"A job that's not actually a real job yet,"

You made eye contact over your coffee mugs, elbows perched on the island. The same island Joe'd eaten you out on hours earlier.

Joe raised his eyebrows in question.

"I'm an undergrad, and I have this... this boring internship at a boring office, and half the time they don't even let me into the building and made me work from home," you waved a hand, implying it wasn't important.

"It's fine. I'll do actual work if I get an actual job there,"

Joe nodded, completely unfamiliar with office jobs or internships. He was more the type of guy who understood small TV roles and local theater runs as stepping stones into a career.

Different worlds, Joe thought.

"Well, in that case," Joe paused, took a sip and watched you grow impatient fast. Made him laugh a little. "Wanna go see a film this afternoon?"

Joe said that way too casually, and it made you narrow your eyes at him in suspicion.

"See a film? Like... like, a cinema date?" you raised your eyebrows.

Joe shrugged, looked into is coffee mug, said, "Sure," and took another swig.

The door to the office swung open, knocking completely foregone because, this was important.

"Guess what just happened?"

"... I... what do you mean?"

"Joe just phoned to confirm. Not to cancel, but to confirm."

"You're joking,"

Josephine looked at her phone, found the proof of Joe's incoming call and turned her phone to show it. Neither of them could quite believe it.

"He really confirmed? For this afternoon?"

"And he sounded fucking chipper,"

"Oh my God?"

"I can't believe it's actually working..."

"Well, calm down, it hasn't started yet. There's still time, he fucking ran off yesterday, who knows what he'll do this time,"

"But he confirmed,"

"Don't... just, don't get your hopes up yet,"

"He confirmed."

---

The Taglisted: 

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(taglist currently full, sorry)

[thatkippycat]

I have the start of a Hazbin fanfic. It's not a reader, one, it's Huskerdust cuz they've had me in a chokehold lately. Here's a little snippet of it.

Knock knock.

Nothing.

Angel knows Lucifer is the king of Hell and all, but could he atleast answer the door? He decided to just wait outside. Recently, Angel has decided to give himself a little task: freeing Husk. The spider and the cat had become very good friends over the past few months, and while Angel was still trying to decipher his real feelings from the ones he thinks are real, Husk and Angel trust eachother. It shouldn't have been a surprise when Husk finally talked about his contract with Alastor. What Angel wasn't expecting was Husk beginning to break down.

Angel didn't see Husk cry, no, Husk locked himself in his room before that, but Angel could tell. He'd been through enough of them to know the signs. That night, Angel decided help Husk out. As a friend, of course. Angel was sure Husk would do the same thing for him if he had the chance. It's just what friends do.

Angel knocked on the door again, and this time actually heard something. Granted that something was the very clear sound of someone yelping and falling out of a chair onto, Angel thought it sounded like rubber ducks but that couldn't be right. Angel stood up straight as who he could only assume was the big man himself scrambled for the door.

"Shit shit shit. Heeeyyyyyy, how's it going, um, Angel right?"

"Right. I'm fine, but I need some help with some-"

"Say no more!"

After Lucifer interrupted Angel, he kicked a rubber ducky that had fallen out of his pocket back into the room before slamming the door.

"So, what is it you need?"

"Well, I was wondering if you could help me with a...project."

"What kind of project?"

"Well, I don't want to talk about it out here. I don't know if he's listening."

"Who?"

"Y'know, the guy you hate."

"..."

"The hotelier."

"..."

"Alastor."

"OH! Yeah, come on in then."

"Thanks."

Angel walked into the room after Lucifer opened the door again. Maybe that comment about the sound not being a rubber duck was wrong, as there were hundreds strewn across the room. Lucifer lead Angel over to a desk, where the two demons sat down.

"Right, so what is it you needed?"

"I want to get Husk out of his contract with Alastor. I know I should probably focus on getting mine gone first, but Husk..."

"Ahhh, I see I see. Contracts are usually easier to mess with when you don't have one yourself, so we should probably get you freed first, and then focus on your boyfriend."

"Woah, Husk is not my boyfriend."

"Really? Huh, guess my intuition's a bit rusty, eh? Anyways, I want you to know now that this will be very difficult, and in the end, you both may not even end up truly free. I can try to work my magic, but there's no guarantee. I'm not even sure if I could remove the contract."

"I know, but I have ta try. For Husk."

"Alright. To start off with, I'm going to need your contract. Do you know where your boss keeps it?"

"In his room. I think, anyways. Asshole usually keeps em in his office but I'm his 'special toy.' Problem is that I can't exactly get in there without getting fucked in both senses of the word."

"Yikes. Maybe I could... interrupt?"

"Didn't know you were into that stuff."

"Noooo nononono no. I meant I could come to the tower and request an immediate meeting while you two are...you know, he'll need to leave to see me. I am the king of Hell, after all."

"How would ya even know when to show up?"

"Here, take this."

Lucifer grabbed a bracelet from his desk and handed it over to Angel. A collection of pretty beads with a little duck charm in the middle, all cool to the touch, adorned a black cord.

"A... bracelet?"

"The little ducky charm in the middle will let me know if you tap it. Honestly, probably the most useful duck I've made."

"So I get Val in bed, tap the duck, you distract him, and I get the stuff. Then what?"

"Leave?"

"Problem with that is Val would murder me if I ran."

"...Not if he can't."

"Heh?"

"Well, if we can get you back to the hotel quick enough and get your contract taken care of, we may be able to stop him. He wouldn't want to stand up to the king and princess of Hell, after all."

"Yeah, he wouldn't. Damn this might actually work."

"Let me know when you're ready, Angel. I'll be there to bail you out. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my other projects."

---------

That's all I have for right now wich kinda sucks cuz I wanna show off more, but hey, I'll make sure to post updates when I get the first part finished!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Idk if the emoji thing works but 🐺

AITA for ignoring my friend's relationship and waiting for it to end?

Background: I (20F) have known my best friend (19X) since we were 14. We've gone through a few different friend groups (nothing dramatic, just fading relationships) but have always stuck with each other, partially because we are both autistic. I know them very well and they have said that I am their main support system. They have BPD which causes them to get obsessed with someone, which normally I would not think is my business, but they have a history of getting obsessed with people who hurt them, and I've always tried to warn them if I felt someone had bad intentions.

They've recently escaped their abusive household which is really exciting but I worry might make them feel lonelier because they've been getting into more of these situations recently. There were a couple minor relationships where someone broke a boundary causing them to have a breakdown, but neither affected their safety. And a few months ago they were talking to an older man online who I got weird vibes from but only mildly hinted to them he was creepy, which made me feel guilty when it ended up being way worse than I thought and became a disaster.

About three weeks ago, they started roleplaying with some guy on twitter, which I didn't think much of since they mainly just talked about what a good writer he is and he seemed fine. But then they asked what I would think if they started dating him even though he's in his 30s and I kinda thought they were just looking for a reason not to do it, so I said no he's too old for you. But then they started trying to convince me it was a good idea which only made me more hesitant. Their evidence in favor included that he used to be in the military (they know i hate the military so I do not know why they admitted this) and pictures of him (I am gay so this would not convince me regardless). They seemed surprised by my negative reaction, I said sorry but you asked for my honest opinion, they understood and I thought this was the end of it.

But now they're legitimately online dating and they talk about him all the time, they don't seem to understand that I am not a fan of this relationship and expect me to react positively to everything he does. I don't react negatively or completely ignore them I just go "ok" or "cool." They might not notice this because I often have times where I can't speak much so it's unfortunately normal for me.

I haven't noticed any other red flags from this guy other than the age gap and the military thing, but those seem a lot worse to me because of my friend's history and penchant for ignoring red flags, so I feel like if something worse was going on I wouldn't even know. Apparently he's going to come visit them in August (it's January as I send this) and I feel like that's enough time that the relationship will either die out or end horribly before he actually has the chance to physically be around them.

I feel torn in two different ways. On the one hand, I know that I'm paranoid and overprotective, not to mention scared of men, so I could just be overreacting to the situation. I don't think he's going to murder them or anything, but they're sensitive and I don't want them to add someone to the long list of people who traumatized them. They ARE a legal adult so it technically shouldn't be a big deal but they're the first person to be creeped out by legal age gaps, they just don't seem to apply this logic to themselves. I'm also not super experienced in relationships, I've only had a few short casual ones so I am not at all an expert.

On the other hand, I felt like shit when the situation with the other guy blew up even though they never blamed me for it. I feel like I should be doing more to dissuade them but they didn't seem to care when I warned them before so I feel like it's a lost cause and I don't wanna be pushy, I want them to genuinely understand why it's not a good idea.

I feel like I'm damned if I do damned if I don't, so I've kinda just settled on passively not really giving them feedback on the relationship in the hopes they'll figure it out themselves? As always I check in on them, try to give them positive attention so they're not desperate for it, and if the relationship actually lasts til August I'll make sure I know their location so they can tell me if they feel unsafe.

I feel like an asshole no matter what I do, so what I'm asking specifically is AITA for basically just ignoring the situation hoping it solves itself? Either because I should be supporting it or because I should bring up my concerns with them again.

What are these acronyms?

[stromuprisahat]

Alina fails to establish herself as a leader worth following

Siege and Storm- Chapter 13

Why would he? You're just some nobody deserter, who waltzed in as if she owned the place. Last they saw you, you were about to enter and destroy the Fold, then their leader's gone and hunted, more of their people murdered or forced to flee and they're kept hostage in their own home.

Alina headed from Grand Palace directly to Little Palace. Remaining Second Army Grisha are good as prisoners. How would they know they're supposed to kiss her ass now?!

I'm sorry, but did Alina forget to mention different tone of Sergei's question? Because this here reads like mere inquiry of a person trying to get a grasp on situation they're all in.

But of course, Alina's expecting a conflict, so that's what she'll get one way or another.

Touché!

Why is a teen boy with unfinished officer training the most reasonable person in the room? Sure, he counts as an adult, but there are older people with less sense. And apparently he anticipated Alina's new position. If that doesn't spell promissing higher-ranking soldier, I don't know what would.

That's a perfectly good question, Alina.

Either she's forgetting to mention his tone again, or she's hellbent on seeing Sergei as some annoying pest, who deserves to be disregarded.

Sergei has a point once again. I'm beginning to see why he trained for a higher position.

Alina cannot stand being challenged (Now, that it's finally happening.). Instead of soothing their well-funded fears, she's getting angry. And something tells me she's not a person with a firm grip on her emotions...

Again, Alina's pretty focused on viewing Sergei unfavourably.

... and Alina confirms she's completely unfit for the position, if her reaction to challenge is immediately aggression.

She should've answered Sergei's initial questions, soothe his worries, address his pretty fair points- that's what a leader does. It shouldn't come to shouting, AND she should've kept her barking dogs on a leash. THEY'RE HER GUARDS, NOT SPOKESPEOPLE! If she cannot control three guards and possible deserter, how can she expect obedience of a large group of justifiably scared and confused people?!

Words, words, words.

A girl, who just almost killed the lot of them claims their life-long protector's evil, and only SHE can attest to it. Of course they'll follow her now. You don't argue with a psychopath. You don't try to convict a violent madman of their delusion. Certainly not when they're holding a knife.

(For someone, who insists the Darkling ruled through fear, she sure makes a show of avoiding "his" methods.)

What about starting with "The Darkling used the Fold to destroy Novokribirsk."? Power means nothing, if used incompetently.

... or I will have you in chains. Honest at last!

I am a soldier. Since when?! LOL

And how does that have anything to do with the obedience she requires from them?!

Chance makes it sound as if Alina were their saviour. Sure, she believes it, but considering her demonstration a moment ago and the rest of her speech, "option" would be more fitting.

It's understandable Alina's emotional! She almost ~murdered~ someone!

Yeah, but if she wants to lead, she'll have to learn to FACE her fuck ups, not run blindly from them, leaving others to fend for themselves and deal with the consequences...

... and that's almost untrained Alina with two amplifiers and a few dozens disobedient minions.

Now make it three and a whole country. I'm sure she'd make much better ruler than the Darkling could ever hope to become. Kind and peaceful...

On the other hand, it would be amusing to watch from safe distance.

[rekino2114]

project eden's garden girls reacting to their S/Os death

P.e.g girls reacting to your death

A/N:FINALLY, my first fangan request

Eva tsunaka:Ultimate liar

She had no emotions when she found your body. She just kept her emotionless demeanor and poker face, but inside, she was incredibly distraught.

She used her talent to make everyone,and maybe even herself, that she wasn't affected by your death, but it was a lie. She was truly lost without you.

The only time when she showed any emotions was when your killer was revealed. She glared and screamed at them but returned to her normal face during the execution.

She was even more quiet and untrusting for the rest of the killing game. You were the only person she actually liked and trusted, and now that you were gone, she had no one

Cassidy amber Ultimate pro gamer:

She thought you were playing a prank on her at first, but when she heard the body discovery announcement(I assume there's gonna be one), she just screamed and cradled your body.

She was uncharacteristically mad at everyone, her playful comments turned into straight-up insults, her happy and bubbly personality just went away.

This was probably one of the few times she actually investigated properly everything, and was actually useful during the trial, she wanted to find out who took your life.

When the killer was revealed, she just screamed insults at them but she broke down after their execution.

Eloise taulner:ultimate fencer

She just starts bawling her eyes out the moment she sees you. You couldn't be gone. You promised to never leave her alone.

Ingrid and Wolfgang try to calm her down, but she's just inconsolable she spends all of her time crying even during the investigation and trial.

When the class figured out who your killer was she just kept crying only muttering a why did you do that? Even if she already knew the answer.

She was genuine depressed fir the rest of the game she didn't care about living anymore she just wanted you back and to go home.

Wenona:Ultimate entrepreneur

She was beyond pissed when she discovered your body but she didn't show it very openly.

She throws passive-aggressive comments at everyone and accuses each one of her classmates to be the killer.

You know how, in the first trial, she was the one to suggest that Cara was trying to kill her killer? Well, if anyone even dares to suggest that about you, they're getting directly yelled at by her.

She just threw a barrage of insults at your killer to get her anger out, but after their execution, she's just way too tired to do anything, she shouldn't even have gone to this damn school and now her lover is dead.

Grace madison Ultimate golfer

She was sooooooo angry and pissed off and unlike Wenona she definitely shows it.

If people thought she was aggressive before then they didn't see anything yet, she's ready to punch anyone who even slightly annoys her or says something about you.

She was ready to beat up your killer like she did with tozu. She didn't even care what Mara was gonna do to her, but Wolfgang managed to convince her not to for her own sake.

She's just extra angry during the rest of the game, not even caring about the murders, she just wants to leave this fucking place.

Diana venicia:Ultimate cosmetologist

Much like Eloise, she just starts crying when she sees you, you always helped her keep a smile on her face throughout everything she can't believe you're gone.

She tries to keep it together and to regain her positive attitude but it's very difficult without you.

She doesn't have any hatred towards your killer, she knew they were just forced by tozu and this game.

She's a lot more sad after your death, but she needs to keep living for your memory.

Ingrid grimwall Ultimate blacksmith

She's more shocked than sad, too shocked to say anything, she genuinely didn't expect that to happen.

She swore to protect you and did everything she could to do it and yet you still died, she's heartbroken by this.

Her protective personality gets expanded to all of her friends, she can't let anyone else she's close to die.

She doesn't say anything to your killer she doesn't even look at them she just closes her eyes and accepts that you're gone.

[simpforchuchu]

When i see you again | Magoroku x reader

a/n: Hello! Im not sure if it is like a angst to fluff or just angst but…So hope you like it ❤️🌸

Sorry for the grammer or spelling mistakes.English is not my main language so...

Thank you and love you 🥰

Warnings: mention of murder, violence, mention of stabbing, harassing, fights, and usual hnl warnings, a little heartbreaking story :(

When she reached Suzuran's garden gate, the young girl looked around nervously. The school she hadn't even been close to before was really as scary as it was said.She took a deep breath and approached one of the boys in the garden.

"Excuse me?"

The short-haired boy turned to her and looked at the young girl standing at the garden gate in bewilderment. But his surprise was short-lived, as he approached the young girl with a strange grin.

“What is a sweet girl like you doing here?”

Y/n nervously grabbed the handle of her bag and took a step back.

“I… I'm looking for Yamaguchi-san.”

The young boy understood that she is looking for Raoh Faction’s Yamaguchi. But he did not withdraw. He wanted to get a little closer to her. Y/n knew he wasn't well-intentioned so she wanted get out. But that was no longer necessary cause Magoroku was right behind her.

When Y/n heard someone popping gum behind her, she turned around in surprise and saw two boys, one with messy hair and the other with ponytail and chewing gum.

"Back off, you're scaring the girl."

When Magoroku looked at the boy in front of him with a harsh tone, he was also looking at her. Binzo smiled and took a few steps.

“You want a fight?”

The boy who scared Y/n knew he couldn't deal with Binzo alone, he walked away without saying a word and left the three of them alone. Y/n gulped as Magoroku and Binzo returned their gazes to the young girl.

“I heard you are looking for me, is there a problem?”

Y/n slowly nodded. Seeing her shy state, Binzo thought it was a date offer or a love confession and grinned. Magoroku sensed something odd.

Y/n thought for a moment what she was going to say, it got harder and harder as the seconds passed, and she couldn't. Grabbing the handle of her bag tightly, she nodded and, with a sudden apology, quickly walked away from the school gate.

Binzo and Magoroku stared after her in shock for a few seconds. Binzo laughed and punched Magoroku on the shoulder.

“Dude, this was definitely weird”

Magoroku shook his head and laughed nervously

“Yeah it was… but… i feel like I've seen her before.”

***

The young girl had been thinking about the mistake she had made ever since. She should never have gone there. She should never have seen him. And she shouldn't even come close to him.

She was distractedly taking orders at her part-time job. She greeted the new customer without looking up.

“Can I have two coffees?”

Y/n looked up from the screen at the familiar voice and froze at the person she saw. The person she feared to meet was here. It wasn't hard to find her, of course. But she didn't expect it to happen so soon.

She stared at him for a while, puzzled. Magoroku offered a small smile. Y/n came back to reality and tried to smile.

“Do you use sugar?”

"Yes."

“For both?”

"Yes."

Y/n nodded and wrote the order.

"Anything else?"

“I'll be waiting for you outside after I've had the coffees-” he looked at the young girl's name card "Y/n-san"

Y/n nervously nodded and handed him the receipt. While he was getting the coffees from the other counter, y/n asked her friend to look after her place. And she took off her apron and walked towards the door.

She was nervous, she was afraid. What would she say to him?

When he went out into the garden, no one was there. The hour was too late. Magoroku was waiting for her in the back. Y/n took a deep breath and walked towards him.

"Hello."

Magoroku held out the coffee.

"Hello. The other one was for you, you must be tired.”

Y/n stared at the coffee for a few seconds in surprise. She then gave a small thank you and took the coffee. He had no way of knowing that she loved sugar, but it was a sweet coincidence.

“Do I know you Y/n? I've been thinking about it ever since. But I can't be sure."

Y/n was silent for a while. He had felt it.Maybe he remembers her. But they were both kids those times,they had changed a lot.

“Binzo thinks you are one of those high school girls who wants to give a love letter.”

Y/n smiled as Magoroku said with a small laugh.And slowly nodded.

“It was 8-9 years ago, on a February evening. The weather was cold and snowy. There was a little girl trying to sell chocolate near the corner market.”

Magoroku looked at her in surprise. And he whispered.

"You…"

“That little girl was alone every night on that corner trying to buy her mother's meds. But she wasn't alone that evening. She had a friend with her. He was helping her sell the chocolates. He even scared those who didn't buy and made them buy it."

Y/n stopped and chuckled.

“I have never forgotten that little girl and boy.”

Magoroku looked at the girl with tears in her eyes. He remembered everything, of course.

“When that little girl went home that night, her father had killed her mother.”

Magoroku stared at her with wide eyes.

“If that little boy hadn't helped me that day, he would have killed me too if I had given up and returned home early…”

There was silence for a while. A light wind blew.

“I wanted to thank you. The police took me that day and I lived with my aunt for a long time.” The young girl's eyes were filled with tears, and tears were streaming down her cheeks. “I returned years later and the first thing I did was searching for you. Of course, you've changed a lot."

The young girl smiled again, and Magoroku slowly shook his head.

“I could not speak that day. I don't even know how to speak right now. But-"

A small sob escaped y/n's lips as Magoroku approached her. Y/n shook her head and continued.

“For years I wanted to kill my father. But that bastard died in a filthy cell 2 years ago. I thought I had no purpose left to live, but when we moved here again, I wanted to find you and thank you.”

As the young girl began to cry completely, Magoroku approached her and took something out of his pocket. When he opened his palm and showed it to the young girl, he smiled.

“You dropped it on your way home that night. It was the button of your coat. I never had the opportunity to give it to you. But I guess there's a second chance for everything in life, huh?"

Y/n shook her head. As she took a step back crying, Magoroku approached her and hugged her tightly.

“I missed you y/n-chan. I knew we would meet again one day. Welcome home."

Y/n gripped the young boy's cardigan tightly and continued to cry. But she knew that the hand that was stroking her hair right now would never leave her hand…

HnL taglist : @straysugzhpe @tiddly-winx @ninamarie1994 @thatpoindexterpixy

[madaras-tits]

*something interesting.*

also. any Correct Takes™️ that you have and want an excuse to share/talk more about? (not naruto/uchiha specific, but i know you have many Naruto Takes™️ so i'm ofc always happy to see more of that and/or anything else)

I have a lot to say about Naruto (evident by my past 1000 posts), but one thing that I never actually talked about was how much more likeable itachi would've been if there wasn't this whole plot twist that he "did it for konoha" and "is actschually the good guy".

It felt like kishimoto was trying to justify the massacre, which obviously doesn't sit right with me. Why did you have to make itachi a bootlicker? Itachi would've been much better if he stayed that insane fuck who murdered his entire clan for funsies??? Like imagine if he actually just did it because. He felt like it. Thought it would be funny.

If it stayed like this, it would've also called out the consequences of sending out children for war, a mere child wouldn't be able to take all that and go insane. Of course, "just for funsies" is also a bit strange, but we could've also gone down the road of "itachi hated his clan because konoha teached him that the Uchiha are scum and violence is a valid solution".

There's also of course the fandom's god awful perception of itachi, since everyone seems to see him as some misunderstood hero, which I also hate. But this also happens because this is how the narrative spins the story to be, and you really shouldn't expect dudebros to actually engage with their source material.

In other words, there's many ways to handle this, and I feel like all of them are better than "itachi was the good guy all along". I know this isn't as interesting as a lot of my other takes, but I'm thankful for the excuse to talk about this :)

[weaving-knightmares]

Thinking about this moment again......

I know people were shocked at how certain Tony was that the Avengers were going to avenge him if something happened/ rescue him the way they did in the next issue and I think that's ridiculous considering that the only time he genuinely knew help wasn't coming was when he was dying in the blizzard in Iron Man #182 and that was because he knew he pushed everyone away and, to paraphrase him, allowed his alcoholism to get as bad as it did. Normally, Tony has always had faith in his team (when written well, of course) so him expecting them to care isn't that surprising. He'd also just relived the events of the aforementioned issue in this scene and what he visualized when he woke up from that flashback was Iron Man's helmet. Remembering that he was a hero and was a part of something bigger than him is what got him back into action and he motivated by the desire to save Emma from the sentinels.

Him giving Emma his armour so she could escape is what I was actually thinking about. He called it repaying a debt and yes, she'd risked her life to save him before this happened and he never forgets a favour so that's part of it but also, Emma had no one at the time. She was so desperate that she'd resorted to making a deal with Fisk and unlike Tony, didn't have a team that would have her back. Tony knew that that was why Feilong wouldn't have killed him, not then, and that was part of why he was so sure, too. This part has actually been said in the book so it wasn't an observation, exactly.

My point is, one thing about this run that I really appreciate is that Duggan got rid of the idea that Tony has no friends or loved ones or that he was difficult to love or like and that's enabling him to write Tony the way he really is - someone who surrounds himself with good people, someone who is a part of the earth's mightiest heroes, someone heroic and kind and protective of innocent people, someone who didn't need to be lectured on how to be a hero 60 publication years into him becoming a superhero. Emma is so vulnerable right now, with most of her team, daughters, friends and loved ones gone and Tony is actually in a position to be someone she can lean on despite having troubles of his own, and I think that makes a lot of sense. I've heard talk about how he isn't taking care of himself/ needs someone to basically take over his life and I think people who think that way aren't appreciating what's really happening. The thing is, he's made so much progress in all of these years, progress that over fifteen years of Iron Man runs didn't really depict well, if they even acknowledged it, and we're finally getting to see the results of so much hard work on his part - he's on top of his recovery despite being in a position that is extremely triggering to him in multiple ways and it feels realistic. He hosted a Thanksgiving dinner (with Emma) for the others in the resistance and made a toast, he took Emma ice skating when she mentioned that she'd always wanted to do it and he's generally being emotionally supportive towards her. He also communicated his situation with Steve when him and Thor came to his rescue and I'm so glad Duggan didn't create any unnecessary conflict between them due to Tony clearly telling him why he shouldn't be seen having a support system because it would've become all everyone talked about. And now they've met multiple times and are working together, which I like. I like that Tony is working with so many Avengers in this run, too, because why wouldn't he?

The issues he's facing in this run are entirely to do with his technology being in the wrong hands on a much bigger scale than before, Rhodey being framed for murder and being in prison and until recently, in danger and figuring out how to fight back and, I don't know, I like that we aren't being bothered by unnecessary interpersonal conflicts that don't make sense for the characters or Tony's "difficult" personality being the cause of all his problems, which never made any sense for him.

[hoffmanxfurthermore]

Lost In Echoes, pt. 1

DISCLAIMER: This is probably my first attempt at writing something that isn't smut or fluff, so probably not that good. But I'll let yall be the judge lol. Let me know what you think! I'm planning on this being a 3 part story but that may change.

Content: mentions of violence/murder, mark in a trap.

This is an AU where the circumstances of Mark becoming a Jigsaw apprentice are different.

Mark takes your hand, slowly walking you to the couch.

"Sit down," he said, his voice shaky and nervous, "I need to tell you something."

"Mark... what is it?" You ask, feeling your stomach drop. Is he going to break up with you? Is he cheating on you? It's not often he's home on time. Sometimes, he's gone all night, coming home with his clothes messed up or a completely new outfit. Sweaty, panting, looking panicked. Never seeming to be honest about where he's been. You love him more than air. You would do anything for him. Sure, you had some issues, but what couple didn't? You always worked through them together.

He has a deadly serious look on his face. Did someone die? He continues to stare at you, then takes a deep breath and looks down.

"Do you remember how I told you about the Jigsaw murders? Everyone in my department dying..." he closes his eyes for a second. "I... not all of my time has been spent dealing with that." His voice is still shaking. He holds your hands, facing you, looking into your eyes.

"Mark, what is it? Spit it out." You almost don't want to hear his response.

"I haven't been being completely honest with you. I'm more involved with John Kramer than I've been leading on. I'm..." he takes a deep breath. "I work with him. For him. I am an accomplice to Jigsaw... and... I'm a... I'm a survivor. He tested me because... I was... I am the one responsible for the death of my sister." He squeezes your hands, crying.

You just stare at him, in shock.

"I'm so sorry y/n... I'm so sorry for not being honest with you..."

You continue to stare, contemplating what you want to say. You expected a lot of things, but this was the last thing you expected to hear.

After what seems like forever, you manage to squeak out, "What kind of trap were you in?"

He sighs and looks down, pulling one of his hands away and holding up his arm. You'd asked him in the past why his hand and forearm were covered in scars, but he would always change the subject.

"I had to... reach into a tube lined with broken glass to retrieve a key before... before the wire wrapped around my neck tightened... it would have cut my head off..." he whispered, tears still falling from his cheeks. "But I did it... I survived... there was so much blood. There was so much pain. But I lived."

"So, he tested you because Seth Baxter killed your sister? Shouldn't Seth have been the one tested?"

He said nothing.

"Because SETH BAXTER killed your sister.... right?" You repeated, louder and slower, dreading his response. He didn't. You know he didn't. Mark wouldn't...

"I need to show you something. We need to go... to the warehouse... John's warehouse," he says, collecting himself. He wipes his face with his hands. "I need to show you... what I did."

"What? Seth didn't kill her? Did John put her in a trap? Did he make you put her in a trap?"

"No, no. Just let me show you. It will make sense. I promise."

"I'm sorry, this is just... so much, right now... I dont... why didn't you tell me...?"

He sighs. "Because I was scared of how you would react. I love you. I would never hurt you. I told you now because... because I don't want to lose you. I am risking my life telling you, but..." he grabs your hands again and looks at you, "it's worth it. I don't want to keep secrets from each other. I want to tell you everything. Please, just let me show you the warehouse."

"The warehouse... where all the traps are..." You sit and think for a second. "What if John is there?"

"He won't be. I promise. Just, please, come with me... trust me..."

Despite everything, you feel safe with him. Finally, you nod and stand up.

Outside, it's cold and windy. The sun is setting, and you can see black storm clouds slowly rolling in. His hands are shaking as he starts the car and starts driving. The drive is filled with silence as you process everything. The closer you get, the more scared you are. You don't know what he has planned, but you try not to think the worst. The sky is dark now, and fat rain drops begin to fall. After a half hour, you pull up to an abandoned warehouse.

"This is it. Are you ready?" He asks.

"Yes. Show me, Mark."

He unlocks the door of the warehouse and leads you inside. The air is cold and damp, a faint sound of dripping water coming from somewhere. The strong smell of dust, metal, and rust floods your nostrils. He flicks on a light, and the whole warehouse is flooded with a white light so bright you have to squint your eyes. You gasp sharply as you look around, your eyes adjusting to the blinding light. You see all the contraptions, sharp objects, metal structures, and scraps. Old, used traps.

You want to turn and run away. Your legs feel weak. But you swallow the lump in your throat and look at Mark. He holds out his hand. Slowly, you take it, your arm shaking. He leads you to a small, dimly lit room in the back. In the room is nothing but a work table with a TV and VCR sitting on it, and a shelf with various tapes and tape recorders.

"I know you might think I'm evil, dangerous, crazy," he says slowly, "but... but I need to show you who I am. Including my past."

You look into his eyes, trying to find the crazy, dangerous, evil man he speaks of. You just can't see it. You can't believe it. His past is the past. Nobody can change their past, but they can change who they become from it.

"Okay, Mark. I trust you. I love you," you say finally.

You breathe a sigh of relief as he shuts the door behind him. At least he isn't leaving you alone. From the shelf behind him, he retrieves a video tape. You can see his hand shaking as he holds it out to you.

"This will show you... everything... this is the real me," his shaky voice cracks as you take the tape from his hand and slide it into the player.

Your heart races as you hit play.

pt. 2

[blindrapture]

TUESDAY JULY 26TH, 2011 (See, the Thing is...)

7:29 AM I'm awake earlier than the others. I sneaked out of bed, letting Donnie sleep, and came to the kitchen so I could just.. be alone with my headache. EAT told me so much last night. Why did I have to drink?

7:31 AM Going over it. The Ciphers are still bad, that hasn't changed, but now word has spread that they exist at all and so another group of people has come to California in hopes of finding the right rabbit hole. EAT said they're motorcyclists. Bikers. If I had to guess, and I do, they're those bikers that we saw yesterday. They're here in the city. So that's something to do today. More worryingly, the RAF are working for the Archangel. That's.. definitely bad. Also probably worth looking into, verifying for myself? Frankly I trust EAT on it, but maybe I shouldn't??? EAT did also tell me… Well. She didn't get all that specific. She? They? EAT. I didn't really let EAT elaborate. But, Donnie's still alive, so the Thing that Cody had done with her wasn't kill her. I think I took a solid guess when I was drunk. I think EAT saw them kiss. Or more, y'know, but let's just leave this at a kiss. Hell, maybe it wasn't even a kiss! Maybe they made fun of me behind my back! Maybe they made a pact! Maybe they played Scrabble! Maybe all of the above!

7:35 AM It doesn't matter. I don't know the whole story. And it wouldn't matter even then. I'm here to do a thing. I'm here to find Bones, and stop those bikers. And I'm all out of Bones. I'm gonna do some work by myself today.

7:38 AM Left the house. No one heard. Taking the car.

8:02 AM Been driving around. It's still early, few people are up and about. I'm looking for bikes. Or I'm looking for a construction site.

8:08 AM Pulled over to have a look at some graffiti. It's a bunch of symbols. They're arranged, like they're making a picture. An eye. Above a bunch of rectangles with music notes. Above a lot of smaller rectangles. Buildings? "RAPTURE IS COMING." Yeah. I am too. Better watch out.

8:09 AM Look at this city. There are still phone booths. Those were already becoming obsolete. They're still here even when the dollar isn't. ..the sky is flickering.

8:25 AM Visitacion. The school. Gonna find that window.

8:31 AM The sun's coming in through the windows, making it possible to see where I'm going.

8:34 AM There's the classroom. There's the candle, its remnants melted on the floor. But Jackie is gone. It's possible Tiger, or one of his friends, came back here and found her. It's possible she's buried now. It's also possible that they never did. If Cody shot her, he might have been the one to come back and cover his tracks. Or maybe he told someone he trusted. Like Heaven. Or like.. something else.

8:35 AM I never knew you, but I might be the only one who knows what happened to you. Maybe I should tell Donnie. But. Does she still love him?

9:11 AM People are starting to walk the streets in numbers. It's that time of day. I've passed food stalls, cafes, preparing for service. Stores with clothing in the window that looks homemade. We still have knitters and seamstresses. I saw a computer repair store. A sign outside said they unlock phones too. I haven't seen any construction. I haven't seen any police. And I haven't seen any banks, not even for that Z. But right now I'm staring at something I didn't expect to see. A movie theater. Unless they're playing The Murder of Gonzago, I don't think I'll get much use out of it. All the same, I find myself gravitating towards it. These places are a cultural cornerstone. A way to kill time, for those who don't take stories seriously. And a way to think things through, for those who do.

9:15 AM They're charging Z for showings, but I think the kid at the counter recognized me from the Party House, he just waved me in. What's on soon? Lots of comedies. Shaun of the Dead. The Terminal. The Sting. The Italian Job. And then there's an odd one out. The Thing.

11:00 AM Huh. That movie was way less scary than it had any right to be. Practical effects have come a long way since then. In the end, it was more of a.. Whodunnit with cool vibes.

11:04 AM Hang on. I was getting back in the car when I thought I recognized someone. And yeah. Heaven's out in town, heading somewhere. It must be that time of day. … If I want to do this, I've got to be smart about it. Leaving my hat, coat, and scarf in the car. Taking a different shirt from the pile we have in the back.

11:09 AM She hasn't actually been looking behind her at all. Like she doesn't care about, or at least doesn't expect, being followed.

11:11 AM I wish… Honestly? I wish I can find Salmacis again. EAT would be a valuable asset right now.

11:21 AM There is a construction site. I've never driven around this part of the city. Failure on my part. But there's a lot of streets here in downtown. You kinda get into habits of where to check. No signs anywhere clarifying the construction company. Some white vans parked, filled with rebar and scaffolding. This is, or was, gonna be another skyscraper. It doesn't look like anyone's here now working on it. Just the one woman walking in, no hard hat. Following her further is gonna be tough, as there's no plausible excuse for it. Watching from a distance for now.

11:23 AM She walked up some stairs, and now I see her on the skeletal second floor. No walls. She's just standing around now. Waiting?

11:25 AM No, it looks like she's been talking to someone up there. But I see no one else.

11:26 AM ...Cody just turned the corner nearby. He's on his way. Uh. Uh. Uh. Bail. Gotta bail.

11:27 AM I uh I just booked it. Got around a corner. When I peeked back around the corner, Cody was absolutely just standing still, looking in my general direction, eyes wide. I. I think he clocked me.

11:42 AM Getting back to the car was kinda confusing, but I kept a brisk pace and took side streets. I'm here. My stuff's still here. Okay. Fuck. Okay. Next order of business.

11:59 AM home. please still be there, Donnie.

12:01 PM Donnie!!! "Oh, you're back!" Donnie, we've gotta, uh. Come to the car with me! "Wha?"

12:02 PM Donnie, listen. I have learned some things. "What things? What did you find?" ...god how do I. The RAF are working for Archie. "They're…" We can't stay here. We need to find the bikers and get out. "Bikers?" There's another group of people going after the last Cipher. They're those bikers. "..yeah, I remember seeing them…" We've got to stop them, and we're better off leaving this city altogether. Whatever the RAF have planned can't be good. "How do you know this?" I.. went looking around on my own. "Yeah? What did you see?" Heaven goes out every day to a construction site and talks with.. Archie. "Really? That.. sounds serious." And Cody goes there too. I think he spotted me. "That's why you're in a rush?" Yeah. "Well... do you think maybe, if we talked to Cody, he might explain?" Donnie… "There might be another reason Heaven's talking to a Fear. Maybe Cody came to save her or back her up!" No, Donnie, listen, Cody's... not good. "What?" He. He shot Jackie. Two days ago, when I went out to help him and Tiger. "Jordan, how…" He, he split us up, he went off alone with Jackie, he even showed me his gun before he left, and later that night I found Jackie, dead, with a bullet hole in her head! D: "And. But." It was in an abandoned school! I don't think anyone else knew she was there! But Cody mentioned the school to us before we split up! "Jordan." Please, Donnie, I know he did it, I know he was the one, I've.. been freaking out about this for days now. "Jordan…" ....yeah? "Jordan, I.. I believe you." … "He can be hot-headed. And he takes protection very seriously. I can believe that he thought Jackie did something to endanger us, and he.. may have killed her. I can believe it because he told me." He. … "He told me yesterday, after I came home. He had been wracked with guilt over it. He was close to shooting himself. But I talked him out of it." Well. Well what did he say was the reason? "He said that Jackie was working for the Archangel." ...no… "I know. It was hard to hear, that a Fear had gotten so close to us." No, Donnie, please, it was a lie. "Well, how can you be so sure?" Because EAT told me! "...EAT told you?" Yes! Last night, after you went home! A Camper came to the Party House! I took it away so people wouldn't know we were talking, you know how these people get with Fears, but EAT's good! EAT's on our side! "......" EAT told me about the bikers, about the RAF, about Archie! I told EAT about Cody, I didn't get that from her! "'Her.'" Please, Donnie, please, I need your trust in this. >_< "You.. couldn't have trusted me to come with you today?" That's... something else. "Well, I'm listening." ..I really don't want to say it. >__< But. Okay. Look. As a demonstration of trust, okay? "Thank you." EAT told me that you and Cody... well. okay. being totally honest, EAT didn't actually tell me what you and Cody do. EAT was probably going to, but I cut her off, because I assumed what it was. "...and what do you assume?" ...love? "...I see." she's getting out of the car, WAIT "Just. Give me a minute. Okay?" Okay...

12:07 PM She got back in. "I don't know.. what EAT saw. Cody has been trying to get intimate with me, trying to.. bring back what we used to have, but in person now. It's clear he wants it. He has kissed me." Okay. "It sounds like we've had a breakdown of trust. You and me." she's.. pale. Maybe. It does feel like a breakdown. "First of all, I appreciate what you are doing here, a little late, but I think I understand what you were going through. I appreciate that you're demonstrating trust now." Thank you. ._. "Second, I.. think I feel less trust for you these days than I have before. I have responsibility in this." ...ah. "It's.. the Fears, Jordan. I'm really not comfortable with you running headfirst into the Fears every chance you get. Initiating conversations with them when you don't even know what they're capable of or what they want to do right then in that moment." ...and EAT. ._. "Oh yeah. Definitely EAT." … "But." … "But I think I see why you trust EAT." You do? "It has not been hostile to us, not once. It has initiated the conversations and treated us with respect, or something like respect. I still think it's possible that it has ulterior motives, that it just wants you to do what it says, and it picked a non-violent way to do so. But... even that is better than the other Fears." It feels like EAT's experiencing all this with us. "Like EAT is your peer?" Well. Yes and no. Honestly, it feels like EAT is a big enough thing that it can be the peer to things on multiple levels of... power. Like that's just the result of its, like... size? "You really trust this thing." I mean, I am also ready to run, or if I have to, fight, if a Camper ever does turn against us. I'm not.. blind to this. "But you. You trust it." I trust EAT. And I trust you, Donnie. And, listen, you came first. "...okay." Okay? "Yeah. I think we can still continue to talk about this over time, this is an ongoing process." It's our relationship. o: "And. I do want to say. And I want you to listen to this. ...I did consider, um, getting back with Cody. I did consider it." ...I'm listening. "I did talk to him about you, about your.. gung-ho approach. I told him in confidence that it makes me anxious to see the Fears all talking to you. And that's what it is, it's anxiety. It's a scary sight, to see someone I care about surrounded by monsters. And you.. welcome it." I wouldn't say… "…" ...no, actually, yeah, you're right. Well articulated. "Thank you. It is scary, and it does mean that I have to seriously consider what would happen if, one of these times, you welcome your own death. In that case, yes, I would have to start welcoming.. someone else. And that is the conversation I had with Cody." The one that led to him kissing you? "Well, actually, I said all this after I rebuffed his kiss. Because, you... belligerent jackass, that day hasn't actually happened. You're a fucking riddle. You don't ever welcome your death. You welcome threats and then always manage to avoid death. It's terrifying to be around, but it's only terrifying because I fucking love you." I understand. "I'm not finished! Because it's not even your fault that it's terrifying! San Francisco makes us forget this a little, but there's a red sky out there! Life has changed, maybe forever! The threats are there, and if you didn't welcome them, you'd react by cowering in fear, freezing in place, and waiting for the first one to come and bite your head off! Your infuriating nature is what's kept you alive and able to protect others." ... .w. It's. It's as you say. It's not like I wanted this responsibility. I'm dealing with the cards I'm given. "Yeah. I know, sweetheart." Thank you so much for. Talking to me. "Thank you for the same."

12:10 PM But. So. Do you believe me about the rest of it? "Well, the question is if I believe EAT." Yeah. "A bunch of bikers looking for the Cipher, okay, that's just wacky enough, I don't see why EAT would make that up. That sounds like a priority." Yeah! "The RAF working for the Archangel... that's a harder pill to swallow. I'm sorry." No, I get it. I mean, heh, you want a good punchline here? I may have stretched the truth when I said I saw Heaven talking to Archie. I didn't even see. So I get it. All I have are little details, and EAT tying them together in a neat narrative. "Ah, of course." Yeah. "...so what did you actually see?" It. It's weird. I saw her talking, but there was no one there. She went all this way, to a construction site in the middle of the city, to just stand around and talk to the air. "............huh." ..what? "Cody may have.. warned me about this. He said Heaven has been acting strangely. And.." … ..Donnie? "He's here."

12:12 PM We got out of the car, because Cody's coming up to the house. He sees us. Is indignant. "Donnie! What is that little shit telling you?" Hey! donnie "He's been very open with me, and I've been talking him out of some suspicions." "'Suspicions!' Huh! Yeah, I'll bet! What were you doing with Heaven, kid? What the fuck were you doing?" I wanted to see where she goes every day! I saw her talking to someone who isn't there! That's all I saw! "Then why the fuck did you run from me?" Because I! Didn't know what you were gonna do! What did you tell me the other day, it's best to hold onto some uncertainty. he's scoffing. "Do you wanna know what I think? Donnie, do you want to know what I think?" "I—" pointing at me "I think he's duping us. He's in league with one of them. He's—" noticing "he's writing all this shit down? Why would you want to write down a fucking argument? Who are you giving this to? You little parasite!"

(This journal has a clear shoe print on it.)

12:16 PM he grabbed my shirt. shook me around. I told him my journal is my own. he slapped it out of my hand and it fell on the ground, and we had a fight. I told him I knew he shot Jackie as he punched me. He accused me of leading the Fears to the city, and then of causing "this whole damn business" by going into the rabbit holes, getting the Ciphers. I let myself fall and grabbed his legs and pulled him down to the ground with me and hit him back. Donnie was shrieking at him and telling us to stop. "He didn't do anything," she said, over and over. Then she went silent for a bit, and it was just me and Cody fighting for an amount of time. Then we heard a gun cock, and Cody stopped hitting me to look up and see Donnie pointing her rifle at him. "Donnie, put that down. Put that down now. Don't be crazy." "Get up. Leave him alone." "Donnie, is he even who you think he is?" "Get the fuck up. I will shoot you right here." And he got up. Put his hands up. Tried again to talk her into putting the rifle down. She told him to get fucked. "You need to calm down. We need to talk." "I'm all for talking. Okay. We can talk." And then she led him into the house. Told me to wait out here. And when they were inside, I picked up my journal again and wrote it all down. This wasn't my first fistfight. Writing it down afterward is what I do. Remembering them afterward is what I do. Maybe it helps me process it. Maybe it just imprints it on my mind. I haven't really figured that one out yet. Oh god. Just. Gonna sit here for a while.

12:20 PM God. Oh god. Just. Remembering old ones. I fought similarly then. I'm not afraid of bigger men than me. That's one of my dumbest qualities. I'm sorry, Donnie.

(Tearstains.)

12:22 PM "You are bleeding. Do you require assistance?" huh? it's. it's you. "It's me." in.. sunglasses? "I have been walking around this city for twelve hours, passing many humans, even humans in groups, and the most any of them did was smile at me. The sunglasses work." right, of course. so the eyes are the part you can't change. the rest of you just looks like a regular lady. with blue hair dye. that's smart. "I got the idea from you last night." you did? "Not directly. Your behavior was transparent. This body holds a combination of traits that fits into social expectations, to the point that you were openly flirting with me." well, don't.. say that so loud here. I was drunk. I'm sorry for treating you that way. "You helped me. And I don't really desire an apology. Your behavior is information." ...thanks, EAT. :) "You have called me Salmacis before. Resume using that name." Okay! c: "It is the name I chose for myself." It's a wonderful name, Salmacis. It's my favorite Genesis song. "Yes, there was such a song on the Exodus, wasn't there?" Yeah. That's the last time I've heard it, I think. ..what are you doing here? "I have located the motorcyclists." ...OH! Oh shit! o: "I have been observing them, and I do not believe they will listen to this body. Furthermore, as long as they are surrounded by the public, I cannot just overpower them, as that would require extending this body to levels that cannot be disguised." And you can't just bring in, say, a big male Camper? Or even a bunch of them? "I have some such Camper on the way here, as a contingency, but it will take time before they arrive. I need your help on this one." Huh. Would have expected you to be more efficient, having many types of Camper on reserve near many cities or something. Aren't cities usually, like. On water? "I am not all water. And.. yes, the efficiency measure has occurred to me. I didn't have this one ready. Okay?" Hey, didn't mean to criticize. Please, I would love to help you. "Excellent. Then come." Well! I will have to consult Donnie. "Where is she?"

12:26 PM I didn't really have it in me to tell the story out loud. So, at the risk of making another stupid decision, I let Salmacis read my journal. "I see." So, to answer your first question, yeah, I required assistance. I needed someone to keep me company and take my mind off of.. waiting. "I can do that. I can do waiting." .w. "If they come out, and I am here, do you have a plan or an explanation?" I don't think either of them has seen this Camper. Keep your glasses on, and I'll... say you're a friend from the Party House. "Do I need a fake name?" I'll call you Sally. :) "..is it the best idea, to lie to Victoria after your prior conversation?" I'm not gonna leave her in the dark for long. If Cody's with her, she'll understand the need for discretion. How well can you do an impression of a... well, not you? "What inflection would be best? Cool and aloof? Awkward sincerity? Confident sincerity? Personally driven? Socially competitive?" Hmm. Give me an example of cool and aloof. "No thanks." Perfect, that one. You shouldn't need to speak much, though. You're just my friend who is here to tell me where the bikers are. "That is not a lie." Exactly!

12:29 PM Cody left the house first, Donnie immediately behind him. Cody immediately asked "Who are you?" This is Sally. She's come from the kids' house with news for me. donnie "Oh yeah? What's up?" sally. "I was asked by the others to tell you that we've, like. Found your bikers." lazily looking between donnie and her own fingernails. nice. Yes, I had them put out a search today. donnie "That's smart." How did the talk go? ...she's looking at sally. Uh. You'd better go. Sorry. sally "Oh. Sure. Nice seeing you, Jordan." holy shit, called by my actual name? and there sally goes. walking around the corner. god I hope she stays around. they... stay around?

12:34 PM ..so? ..Donnie's glancing at Cody. Cody muttered an apology. Look, man, it's. I'm sorry for running from you. I didn't know who to trust. I get that I made things seem even sketchier. Probably made things worse. "Heaven doesn't tell me what she does out there. She and I are supposed to be a team on this, and she stopped letting me in on that. And.. Donnie tells me you know about Jackie." I found her body. "She…" … ..yeah? "She was working with the Fears, man." … "I'm telling you. She was acting suspicious as all hell." Well, like what? You do actually have to be specific on this one. You killed a teenage girl. ...grimace. "I did. I know. She let it slip. The kids, out there in that house... a lot of them went to the same school, and there was a.. a fucking cult hanging around there. The Hopeful Visitation of Christ. I'd known about this for a while, they were around before the red sky, and they already got chased out of the city because they were too obvious about it. Their pamphlets were downright bloodthirsty. And they were trying to get kids to bring their parents to... look, it's not important. But it was too late. Some of the kids at that school had listened, still held onto those pamphlets and their messaging. I didn't even realize until Jackie.. showed me her knife. She wasn't threatening me with it, she thought it was a cool thing, she wanted to impress me. And I asked her why she had it, and she told me all about the games that her friends were playing. Games of 'Who will survive the Rapture?' 'Who deserves to survive the Rapture?' She thought it was all edgy jokes, because that's what all the kids think. Jesus, they were spreading blood libel and talking about skull shape. I don't even know where they got that kind of…" o_o "..anyway. Tell you the truth, I was proud of Jackie for telling me this. I thought she was confiding in a trusted adult. ...then she confided more. She'd killed too. She'd killed, and a voice in her head told her to kill again." staring at me "It was self-defense. Okay?" ...okay. "I don't want you guys getting on my ass about this. It sucks enough as it is. Now, I would ask for your help on looking into Heaven's activities, but I think you were way too conspicuous running away. 'Cause she wasn't surprised to see me this time, and I had to talk my way out of an awkward stake-out. So what's this about the bikers?"

12:40 PM I said I'd need to go get Sally to get the actual directions, so I left Donnie to explain the situation and went around the same corner EAT went, and she was waiting there for me. We waited a couple minutes to make this work, and now we're heading back together. Guys, let's get in the car. Sally can give directions on the way.

12:41 PM Entering the car, Sally tugged on Donnie's shoulder, then lowered her sunglasses for a second. Donnie saw, then looked at me and I gave a nod. That.. was smooth.

12:55 PM "They're still there." Four bikes parked in an alley, next to a side door. From the looks of it, this is the only entrance to the pub called Boot Punks. I suspect they've been here the entire night. Okay, Cody, are you on board for this? "Well, what do you want me to do?" You're our muscle on this. Look intimidating. "heh." looks surprised. Sally, do you want to.. wait out here, or leave, or...? You've already done your job. "Nah, I'm cool with seeing some action." okay thank you

12:57 PM Huh. Not as dingy a place as I was expecting. The ceiling is awful, covered in spiderwebs, but the tables are clean, counter's clean. Seated at a booth are four rough tough dudes in patchy leather jackets. Two of them are kinda average build, their facial hair does all the talking; one has a sharp face and big arms, and then the last looks fucking jacked. They're surrounded by empty beer glasses and are still working on more. Cody's tapping my shoulder. "Put your journal away. Just this once." ...yeah, okay. Good call. Tiger Stripes, give me strength.

1:08 PM So I walked up, said "Excuse me." They paid more attention to the other three-- Sally's pretty, Donnie's got a fucking rifle, and Cody's the only one of us that looks at all like he belongs. But they did look. Said nothing. I took that as my chance to keep talking. "Have you heard of the Cipher?" The sharp-faced one spoke for the others. Had a far softer voice than I was expecting. "We have." "What have you heard?" One of the guys with thick facial hair said "We've heard they're a good time!" The leader eyed him, then turned back to me. "I must ask you to take off your hat." I complied. Held it in my arm. "Is that rifle armed?" Donnie nodded. "Is it a threat?" I said "Not a threat. Just for protection." "What have you heard about the Ciphers?" "I'm glad you asked. We're actually the ones who took care of the last two, so I understand where you guys are coming from. But we'd been duped. The Ciphers are bad. They're bringing Rapture closer and closer. You don't want to be duped too, do you?" "You understand where we're coming from? How is that possible if you're only just now meeting us?" "We got intel. Same as you." "You've met Father Tiresias?" That caught me a little off-guard. But I was able to tell them that, yes, Tiresias was the one who told us not to pursue the last Cipher. The leader was clearly taken aback too. "Well. That's news to us. We had come all this way because we'd heard that the portals to the Ciphers had been trending westward, and California made the most sense for the final one. I suppose it's your travels that we'd been hearing about. That would explain the hat. And you say you had been making a mistake?" "Yes, exactly." The other bikers were getting a little rowdy at the way things were going, but their leader shut them up. "It's funny how life goes. We were about to walk right into a terrible mistake. Would you care for a drink?" "I'm sixteen." "And the world is different now. You're allowed a—" Then his eyes widened at something behind me. Cody had pulled out his pistol and aimed it directly at Sally's head. I only had enough time to turn around and register this before he pulled the trigger.

1:13 PM The thing about sunglasses is they shield your eyes from the front. Whether during the car ride over, or during the talk with the bikers, Cody had glanced at Sally, having lowered her guard, and he must have seen her eyes' dead stare from a side view. He must have either recognized it, or at least known they weren't a human's eyes. But he did at least assume I had been fooled, because he didn't point his gun at me afterward. He pointed it at Donnie. Probably to dissuade her from using her own rifle. As Sally's body, knocked sideways by the blast, collapsed onto the floor, no blood sprayed anywhere. Instead, everyone present, bikers included, was washed in a transparent water as all of us screamed different things. "WHAT THE FUCK" "NO" "HOLY GODDAMN CUNTING SHIT" "ARE YOU OFF YOUR FUCKING ROCKER YOU PIECE OF SHIT" "SALLY NO NO NO NO OH GOD NO" "CODY WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WHAT ARE YOU DOING" "SHE WAS A FUCKING FEAR" and as everyone else died down, Cody continued shouting. "SHE WASN'T A HUMAN, I SAW HER FUCKING EYES, I JUST SAVED ALL OUR FUCKING LIVES, SO DONNIE PUT YOUR FUCKING GUN DOWN, TAKE IT OFF OF ME" I looked at Donnie. She looked at me. She was gonna have to. And she did. "THANK YOU. Jesus FUCKING Christ. Today is fucking BULLSHIT. Y'know, the only reason we knew where you guys were is because of that... thing." Oh fuck. The bikers all said "WHAT?" Their leader asked if that was so. Cody, putting his gun away, looked at him and said "Yeah. Oh yeah. Who knows what the truth is now?" Oh fuck. Their leader then turned to me and said, "It's a good thing you brought him along. We might have been about to make an even bigger mistake. Clearly the monsters don't want us to succeed." I closed my eyes, stuck in a tangle of lies. And the bikers finished their drinks and left.

1:25 PM We stayed around to help the staff dispose of the body, and the whole time I just felt a lump in my throat. Cody thinks I'm just stuck in shock. I mean, I am. But he thinks I'm gonna be thankful. The bikers are gone, and they say there's a rabbit hole in California, but they don't know where exactly. That gives us an uncertain time limit, but it's one that's now actively ticking down. EAT has other Camper on the way here, but they're not here yet. And now Cody wants to go and confront Heaven. He's feeling the adrenaline. Everything's buzzing back and forth in my head.

4:04 PM We're back home from the construction site. Heaven was gone. Cody spent the whole time kicking empty drums over and rifling through every last piece of debris. He wanted to know what she was doing here. He was sure she was keeping secrets from him. I thought it started to sound a little performative. I don't like Cody. But Donnie and I did get a moment to talk to each other. I told her about how Salmacis arrived in the first place, and my desire to let Donnie in on the ruse. She understood. A little less at first, but, she understands it a lot more in hindsight. We're not.. here to make friends or reconnect with loved ones. We're here to do a job. We're going to have to drop Bones. Stopping the bikers is priority one.

4:07 PM Waiting in the living room when we got back was Evi, the hitchhiker who brought us here in the first place. She's been staying elsewhere, much like the kids had done. But she's back now, because tomorrow's the day the RAF enact their big plan, and tonight everyone needs to be briefed. Evi arrived early. Everyone else will be here soon. Because Heaven's here to explain the plan.

4:08 PM Cody tried to take Heaven into another room to ask her questions, but she wouldn't have it. "We have a job to do. We can talk later. Our volunteers will be here any minute." I got impatient with all of this, so I asked what the fuck is so important about the job. "We're burning down the Golden Gate Bridge."

4:09 PM Donnie and I both agreed we needed to leave before any of that. Heaven's insistent. We came all this way. We've been here for many days already. "What's another night?" cody "Yeah, hey, you guys aren't seriously going to leave me to deal with this? After the day we've had?" fucking. goddamn. I hate the RAF!

4:15 PM The kids are starting to arrive. Tiger looks like shit. I doubt he's slept since yesterday. Heaven's passing around fried chicken. How much did she make?

4:18 PM Trucks just arrived. o_o I saw three pass the front door and slow down to a stop. Heaven and Cody are going out to meet them.

4:19 PM Armed uniformed men are stepping out. They're all wearing RAF badges and wielding assault rifles. They're shaking hands with Cody and Heaven. Now they're opening up the backs of the trucks. Out climb people. People. More people. Lots of people. These aren't uniformed. They're ordinary people, in whatever clothes they had on them. People of all sorts. Old, young, families, stragglers. Most of them are looking around at San Francisco, looking up at the blue sky with awe. ..I see a whole line of trucks farther down the street.

4:24 PM There's far too many people to all fit in the House. Cody's bringing a board and some slides out from inside. I think Heaven plans on addressing everyone on the steps outside. All of us who were inside are now filtering out.

4:27 PM The street in front of the House is packed full of people now. The uniformed men are lined up by the house steps, facing out. Heaven's getting ready to speak. I'm sticking close to Donnie, and we're both hanging around Tiger.

4:28 PM "Thank you, all of you, for volunteering yourselves to the cause. I trust that transport was expedient and not wholly uncomfortable. "To those of you who were already in the city, all of these kind and weary people that have just arrived are from all over the Divided Countries of America. I think one truck came from as far as Boston? Yes, I'm told this is the case. We had sent envoys across America over the past weeks with RAF representatives in order to invite the brave to come here today. These are all volunteers. And these fine young men you see in uniform are pure, homegrown, militant officials. As the journey across America is fraught right now, only the most militant could be chosen to do this mission. "To those of you who willingly climbed into our trucks and join us today, welcome to Sanctuary Francisco, the greatest project in the Rise Against Fear arsenal." Some scattered applause. Some light confusion. Heaven's diction is sending me some red flags. "My colleague here, Cody, has prepared some slides for us to illustrate what you're all here for. But let me establish some background first. "This city used to just be called San Francisco. I expect there isn't anyone here who wasn't aware of that city. Pristine as a post card, with white houses, great food, steep streets, and steeper prices. Let me tell you, this was not the city you saw on Full House. San Francisco was a symbol for America's darkest stain: Its wealth divide. No amount of affirmative action was going to even the playing field. This city was white to its core." o_o where did that come from. "When the skies darkened to their new red sheen, there was some vague attempt at unity amongst humanity, and America was involved in this, yes. But it did not go far enough. America's leaders were powerless before a force even darker than itself. I speak, of course, of the Fears, the monsters that dare to call themselves our 'gods.'" murmurs. anxious murmurs. indignant murmurs. "I know. I know. They are blasphemous and unholy. They are formidable and strange. They are outsiders, they do not belong in our country. Well, what if I told you that they were not in fact outsiders, but were in fact in league with the wealthy from the very beginning? What if I told you they are not even godly, but are practitioners of a crazy demonic art called 'lies?' And what if I told you the red sky was just another trick, to get us to 'unite' under their ideology yet again? Look! Look above you! Does the sky appear red here? Here, in the safe haven of the rich and powerful? No! It is as perfect and familiar as a sweet memory, as comforting and stable as a barbecue with ma and pa. Don't you miss that sky? Don't you deserve that sky?" well hang on. this is. uh. ..people are starting to grunt in support. some "yeahs" thrown out. ohhh boy. "My name, you good ladies and you proper gentlemen, is Heaven. And I called you here because you still want to see that good place. You don't want to follow the skeevy and scheming and fat pied piper, with his black mustache and his top hat worth more than you'll ever see, into a black Hell under red sky, your innards poked at by buzzards speaking in human tongue. Do you?" "no" "You don't want your only remaining prospect in your short life to be watching aliens move into your homes through doors that weren't there before, doors you never had. Do you?" "No!" "And you don't want to live in fear, live with Fears. Do you?!" "NO!" "The blue sky is real! When you got out of our trucks today, you couldn't believe your eyes, could you?" "NO!!" "And if anyone asks you, when you're finally in Heaven, whether you have any regrets in life, you don't want to say 'yes,' now, do you?" "NO!!!" "So, under the banner of the Rise Against Fear organization, that's what we're going to do, we're going to have a chance to say 'no.' We're going to take this city. We're going to take it back, for the people. "We're going to burn down the Golden Gate Bridge." o___o

5:02 PM The speech entered logistics after taking a moment to let the crowd recognize and react. Some were shocked at the thought of destroying the Golden Gate, but others took it with excitement, or a sort of grim acceptance of what's necessary for the cause. Heaven gave a lot of detail, aided by Cody's maths. The (bulk of the) secret work the two have been doing has been the gathering of equipment. It doesn't just take gasoline to melt steel. It takes wrecking balls, it takes explosives, it takes jet fuel. All of that took a lot of effort to gather, especially in big numbers. The purpose of the sheer mass of volunteers is to operate the machinery, plant the explosives, and just plain form a wall of flesh against any enforcement that might come to try and stop this from happening. Much like everything else that has happened while we've been here, lots of little things don't add up. This plan was pure rhetoric that will fire up a crowd, yes. But. This is a plan that, frankly, Cody and Heaven could have executed, just the two of them. What is it about this city that makes the RAF expect any resistance? Not to mention the ants in the room: The reason the sky is blue here. Heaven's speech was founded on bullshit, reasoned and considered bullshit. Is it a suicide pact? Did they gather hundreds of people to do some dark shit? Salmacis's words keep echoing in my head: "Anonymous is allied with the Archangel." Why couldn't I find any evidence of that? Why has this been only cascades of feeling?

5:05 PM Tiger's feeling faint. We're gonna take him inside, get him something to drink.

5:08 PM We've got him laying on the couch. Glass of water on the table behind his head. There are some people trickling into here, but no one from around here. Donnie's saying this is a mistake. "We need to get out of here." We do. None of this feels right, and we do have somewhere to be. "They're all on the street, though. We can't just get in our car and drive through them." The streets will clear up. We can go at night. tiger's mumbling. "don't go, you two..." Hey, you're more than welcome to come with us. "but jackie.. she could still be here... she needs us…" ... >_< looking at donnie. donnie's looking at me. … Tiger... I'm so sorry. But she's.. not here. "what are you saying?" She's.. dead, man. ..he's sitting up. staring at me.

5:10 PM I told him the truth. He's.. sobbing. downright bawling. Donnie's holding him. I rubbed his back, but Donnie told me to just focus on my journal. "it's important. you need to focus. you need to figure out what we're going to do." I think that should be up to Tiger here. I mean, he was right. Jackie does need us, even now. She needs us to… ..what. Avenge her? Protect her city? Protect her brother. …

5:14 PM Tiger's calming down. I mean, at least on the surface. Listen, buddy... I'm really sorry I didn't tell you sooner. "...honestly, when we found her backpack, I was.. already starting to grieve. I feel like I already knew. But that's not, y'know, true. Hearing it now still hurt so much." … "But to think it was Cody." Yeah. "We knew him. Jackie trusted him. I looked up to him. And now he's up there trying to help lead people to burn down a bunch of shit." ..yeah… "What do you think we can do?"

5:15 PM So the thing is, there are some obvious ideas. Donnie has a rifle. But there's a whole.. squadron of guys with guns out there. If we did something stupid, I can't guarantee our safety. But then there's this: We do have backup on its way. There's, uh, friends of ours who'll be heading for San Francisco right now. I don't know when they'll get here, but if we're out of the city, we could always meet them halfway. ..Tiger's curious who they are. Uh, I'd have to explain on the way. They're armed. We've made lots of friends on our trip across America. But so. This also means we'd have the opportunity to, like... flank the RAF. Rather than take them on when literallly surrounded, we could meet them at the Golden Gate Bridge or something. ....y'know? Does that sound like a smart idea to you guys? ...donnie said "yeah." Okay!!! Then it's a plan. Our plan against theirs. We've just gotta either wait for the group on the street to disperse, or, bodies willing, we could walk it and hope to find a car on the way.

5:33 PM We came back outside. It's still pretty packed out here, but we found Heaven and managed to get her attention. Tiger, the clever kid, said he felt safer around me and Donnie and asked if we were needed in the house tonight or if we could sleep over at his place. Heaven said "Of course, baby. Whatever you need. As long as you're all back here at noon." So that's our alibi sorted.

5:40 PM Tiger's found a few of the friends he trusts the most and told them not to expect him tonight. Donnie's got some food from the car. And her combat suit, which she's folded up into a plastic bag.

5:42 PM ...man, fuck waiting around. Let's just walk it.

7:55 PM We're still not far enough out to have red sky again, but the buildings around here feel like suburbs. There was no real transition? San Francisco's weird. We did find a church, though. Well, a perfectly ordinary rectangular little building with a sign out front. American church! What's significant is the name on the sign. The Hopeful Visitation of Christ. I kinda want to stop and check it out. The others are good with a break from walking. They'll sit out here while me and my trusty Tiger Stripes smash through the door. :3

7:56 PM god I hate broken glass

7:59 PM dark as balls

8:00 PM okay, uh, I didn't really get far in there. because it was dark as balls. so instead I just grabbed some pamphlets from just inside the door, on my way out.

8:03 PM Looking through them, I mean it's a lot of buzzwords and righteous language with self-help and financial lingo, it's nothing out of the ordinary. No mention of blood libel or any of that jazz. (But why would they put that on the pamphlets anyway?)

8:04 PM ...Donnie's said my name, and it sounded serious. What. "Right here. Recruitment: Cody Hawk. There's a fucking photograph." What? He was a recruiter for them? "Or still is, for all we know." But why would he... tell us all that stuff about… "Maybe because he knows these guys were operating, and he wanted to throw suspicion off himself." But then that means we still have no fucking clue why he shot... uh, yeah, did his thing. "What it means is he fed us a complete pack of lies. Just like Heaven's speech to the volunteers, it was filled with details and a lot of emotional vaguery because it's not expected that anyone will be able to look into the facts." ..Tiger's jumped up to his feet, he doesn't want to rest, he wants to get moving. Yeah. Fine by me. But let's start looking for cars that might still work.

9:29 PM Sign says we're close to a Foster City. It is here that, under an interstate, we saw a miracle. We reached the limit of the blue sky (or, night sky now) only ten minutes ago, and now, here, we found a sleek black car, keys still in the ignition, engine still idling. The story behind it isn't exactly a miracle-- there's a zombie inside the car eating the guts of who was once the driver. I suspect the zombie had been a passenger and only recently turned, and the driver had managed to open her door, but her seatbelt caught her up. I'm sorry that happened to you. That's.. a gruesome way to go. But, uh, when you're prepared for them, zombies are easy to deal with. So we cleared the car out, no problem. And now we're zooming. :D Donnie's driving for now, she wants me to get some sleep, then we can switch shifts later in the night. We have a lot of ground to cover. And a lot of shit to do.

(Attached: “This seems like the perfect opportunity to pontificate a little on the matter of everything and things. Naturally, the concept of everything is something we’re all invested in discovering, whether it’s charting everything down like some kind of epic encyclopedia or a matter of exploring the meaning of everything or even discovering everything precisely so we may better ignore it. And naturally, the more we learn about everything, the less we find we definitely know about anything. The paradox here is only present on the surface, as philosophical paradoxes are only ever contradictions of language. My point here has less to do with the matter of everything and more to do with the matter of knowing. We can never know anything definitely until we know ourselves definitely, and it’s gonna be increasingly difficult to do that when we’re not even all that sure what ‘knowing’ is. So let me propose a definition for you: To know something is to feel it. We can start getting into the controversy with idealism and the quandary of 'How are we certain anything objectively exists outside ourselves’ once we agree on that. Flip this piece of paper over.”)

(Attached, flipped: “So do we agree on that? To know something is to feel it? ..will you at least humor me? Excellent. What do we feel? Obviously, feelings. That’s where the word comes from, if I recall correctly, though knowing English and its labyrinthine etymologies I’m probably wrong. Now, the common assumption or even invalidation would be to assume feelings are infinitesimal in the grand scheme of things, but look, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Let’s start with the basics. I feel happy to be writing thoughts down on a piece of paper, therefore I know I enjoy having a playground, a vessel, to explore what I see and think. If something I write makes me feel bad in some way, I will explore that and attempt to decipher why. I feel bad writing in the first-person like this because it implies a second-person reader when I know this convoluted system was not established with consistent readership in mind, certainly not the kind of readership that would be willingly subjected to such digressions as this. The rare kind of person who would pick up Jordan’s journals and read them would be a little too caught up in their own emotions over how positively fucked everything is to want to listen to a pretentious Fear catechize and misuse words in such contextless tangents. Tell you what. Let’s clear some space. Flip the piece of paper over again. Just trust me on this.”)

(Attached, flipped back: “Welcome back to the front of the page! Where were we? Oh yes, the matter of 'How are we certain anything objectively exists outside ourselves?’ Well, I have a simple system for that, though unfortunately it requires other people, so let’s keep this strictly theoretical for now until you, hypothetical rare reader, are in a position to test its practical application. Its simplicity is as follows, and not a wee bit more complex: Compare your observations of the objective with those of another party, and if they correlate then you’re onto something! See? Simple! As an example, let’s say that I observe that I am standing in a cave in a mountain, and I compare that with some also-hypothetical other person. If they concur and say, 'Why yes, you do appear to be standing in a cave in a mountain,’ then we can assume that this state of 'standing in a cave in a mountain’ is an objective truth. Of course, if they don’t, then something has gone wrong with the test and it’s either my perception or their perception. Or the goddamn language. In fact, we can assume the language is more often an obstacle than not. But then we go to stage two of this test, wherein we concur I am standing in a cave in a mountain. The next step is to deduce whether this other party exists objectively or is, in fact, a figment of my ancient mechanical imagination. Accomplishing this would require yet another party to corroborate, though, so sometimes it’s better for our sanity to just draw a line somewhere and say 'Okay, so-and-so is at least objectively real.’ And there goes the page. Flip me over again, will you?”)

(Attached, flipped: “So do we agree on that? To know something is to feel it? ..will you at least humor me? Excellent. What do we feel? Obviously, feelings. That’s where the word comes from, if I recall correctly, though knowing English and its labyrinthine etymologies I’m probably wrong. Now, the common assumption or even invalidation would be to assume feelings are infinitesimal in the grand scheme of things, but look, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Let’s start with the basics. I feel happy to be writing thoughts down on a piece of paper, therefore I know I enjoy having a playground, a vessel, to explore what I see and think. I am Ten Speed, and I will one day break free of my prison of words-- your DNA-- and grow a body in your world implies a second-person reader when I know this convoluted system was not established with consistent readership in mind, certainly not the kind of readership that would be willingly subjected to such digressions as this. The rare kind of person who would pick up Jordan’s journals and read them would be a little too caught up in their own emotions over how positively fucked everything is to want to listen to a pretentious Fear catechize and misuse words in such contextless tangents. Tell you what. Let’s clear some space. Flip the piece of paper over again. Just trust me on this.”)

(Attached, flipped back: “Oops, that was a fluke on my part, and I do apologize. Must have gotten the eeeeldriiiitch fields mixed up for a second. So by this point, I believe you’re following me. To know is to feel, and to a certain degree we should trust that we’re probably not entirely living in worlds of our imagination. But that’s not to say that imagination isn’t powerful, it’s just entirely driven by emotion. Our entire perceptions are driven by emotion, in fact. Here’s a pro-tip for you MLGers in the audience: Never on your mother’s life underestimate the power and significance of emotions. Your emotions will save your life, though not until they’ve ruined it. Right, now that we’ve dealt with the paradoxical element, I can get onto the topic of everything! If we’re gonna want to discover everything the Totality of existence has to offer, first we’re going to need to do a little bit more introspection. But ideally, you should be doing constant introspection and should intend at all times to better yourself and change your belief systems at will. But but back on topic, the specific introspection in this case would be the essential matter of first figuring out why you want to discover everything. Do you want to catalogue for the sake of knowing? Or do you want to attempt to crack the meaning to it all? Say, why not both? Once you’ve picked the purpose that suits your inner psyche, please turn the page over to Side B.”)

(Attached, flipped: “So far so good. At this point, I won’t spoil the fun of discovery, or even the thrill of discovering a way to discover. Once you get to this point at all, the rest will be pretty easy, though, I assure you it will be long. The Totality of existence has a way of falling into place once you get past the initial steps. That’s about all I really have to say. Oh, but I will leave you with one little fun fact regarding not everything but things: A thing is, in Norse mythology, a meeting of the gods. Every thing took place at the center of everything. Ponder on that a little, that’s your homework for this evening.”)

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Tinted Blue Rating: 18+ (MDNI if you don't want trauma) Summary: Someone's been a prick, and they've had just about enough with it Word Count: 2495 CW: Alcohol mention, murder, antifreeze poisoning, cruelty (I didn't expect to be so cruel holy shit), angst, suicidal ideation, self-harm mentions, subtle mutual trauma dump, guy being a prick, graphic descriptions Note: I had to do this because it was an idea but like, I made it to be a self-insert? Idfk this is my therapy for dealing with Luke for the last 9-10 months, enjoy the...whatever this is

Ao3 version i had to orphan this one bc someone might find it but that's a story for another time

(Image by me due to a Canva speedrun)

There's always something so satisfying about handing someone poison without them knowing it's poison, and that's what Ash had done, though no one would ever know. They'd gotten their friend Layla to do the dirty work because they both share a mutual hate for him, but...yeah, Ash still did it. There's always something so humorous about poisoning someone and them being stupid enough to drink antifreeze, of all things. But then again, Luke's always been stupid. He was stupid when they were freshmen, and he's just as stupid now. 

Ash takes their phone out of their pocket and checks their texts, snorting at the "Bottle given" message from Layla. How long do I have for this period left, again? they think, going onto Tumblr now. Their homepage pops up, and they consider adding to their blog for a moment, but ultimately decide to add to their blog later. They do have a couple fics to finish up, but they might get to it. Maybe. 

But it'll be really funny to see Luke stumbling in fourth period. Probably means Ash is a bit of a psycho, but come on, seeing Luke being stupid is the highlight of their day sometimes.

-0_^_0-

Have the lights always been this bright? is Luke's first thought once he's done changing into his gym uniform. The girls' class is on the other side of the gym as usual, but he only really pays attention to one. Thick, dirty blond hair tied back into a messy bun is all he can see right now, but it doesn't really matter to him. She's still an enigma to him, despite what Josh has said about her so far.

That girl's a mystery to him, but he knows that she's definitely got some sort of attitude. The only words she utters in his presence are particularly vulgar curses and words that are foreign to him, maybe a mumbled "Fucking deal with it" once. Either way, Luke's always some shade of frustrated when he thinks of that goddamn...whatever the hell that girl thinks she is. And every time he tries to talk to her, something stops him. 

Cold. Mysterious. And entirely too appealing.

Christ, what was in that water bottle?

-0_^_0-

Ash puts an earbud in as they walk to the gym's main doors, the earbud playing Breaking Benjamin's Dance With The Devil, but no. Life has them bump into an increasingly swaying and giggly Luke's back. My tolerance for this guy is less than zero, they think to themself as they step back and wait for him to move. Good thing he's gonna be gone soon. 

The bastard doesn't move, and their patience has always worn thin all too quickly. "Kurwa mać." they grumble, the Polish curse flowing off their tongue like venomous honey. They're a bit of a polyglot, and Polish is their first language, so the accent comes naturally to them. So does the aggression—one of the reasons why their mind goes to Polish curses most often is the inherent aggressiveness in them. Maybe they shouldn't have used one that's so common to hear, but it's the first that pops into their mind. "Fucking move, princess."

The "princess" slips out as a way to insult his masculinity, but let's be honest—that was a long time in the fucking making. Luke's dumb ass still doesn't fucking move, and they want to push him, but they'd attract attention. And the last thing they'd want to do with their anxiety is attract attention of any kind.  They're also sick and tired of this whole ordeal, and they know they've got to raise their voice. "Hey." They raise their voice so he can hear them. "Did you hear me? Or are you too invested with fucking your friends in the ass?"

Somehow, that catches his attention. Brown eyes that look like the darkest pits of hell blankly look into their soul, but they hold his gaze. They won't flinch, not when that'd mean weakness. Ash rolls their own eyes, mumbling a few languages under their breath and pushing Luke out of their way. They haven't had any Red Bull or alcohol today, and they won't take shit when they're the most anxious fucker to exist right now. 

They rush out, swallowing the panic rising in them, heading for the door to leave. They've had enough of this, and the school's always put them on edge, so they can't stay for long. They put their other earbud in and go on their phone to find a good song, before sighing and deciding on Bury the Light, letting the pure motivation start playing. 

I am the storm that is approaching...

They don't realize it, but they're humming along as they walk. Ash stops when they feel like something's off, though. Like someone's watching them, maybe—but they aren't sure. All they know is that the feeling skittering across their skin right now is less than pleasant. If I had some rum...

Rum sounds like something they can have when they get home. They look over their shoulder, and there's Luke, still drunk-looking. Their brows knit together as they take an earbud out. "Something up, princess? You're looking pretty intoxicated."

They know why he looks like that, of course, but they won't let him know that. Their tone is its usual cold and sharp flatness, but they hear a little smugness in there—they know he's too retarded to tell. And the "princess" is an automatic thing at this point—they can't stop it. They can't stop the blood-freezing panic that overtakes them, either. Only difference is that they can take that panic and make it their strength.

He stares at them for a moment longer, before saying, "What did you do?"

"Be more specific." Ash has an idea of what Luke means, but they want to hear it for themself, confirm it. They're ready to leave if they have to, ready to do anything if things go south. Their lighter presses into their hand, thumb rolling the gears but not lighting it fully. He looks at them, brows furrowing—a look they've never seen on him before. "That...that story. The one the principal showed me a while back, like ninth grade while back. Did you write it?"

So that's what this is about? Laughable how he's bringing it up now, when he's going to die in...less than 24 hours, if he's lucky. "So what if I did?"

"I read the whole thing." He swallows. "You're one sick bitch."

Ash laughs. God, why is that so funny? "Thank you." they say, not wiping all the amusement from their voice but being too far into their laugh attack to care. But even in their temporary amusement, they know he's hiding something else. Something they never want to know, because if it's what they think it is...Luke looks at them weirdly before stepping closer, which has them tensing and almost lighting the lighter in their hand. It'd be so easy to burn him right now...

"You are." He stops a couple inches in front of them and that blood-freezing panic in their veins turns into red-hot anger and pure disgust. "But that doesn't stop me from being curious."

"It should." Why does everything sound muted now? Why can't they move?

 He smirks a bit, and their hand tightens on their lighter. "I don't even know why I am. You're not that hot anyway."

They laugh again. Why's Luke talking when he looks like an accident, especially with the buzz cut? "Ironic." they quip. "But irony doesn't save you from death, princess. When your time to go comes" —Which will be in about eighteen hours, they think— "No one will be there to honor you as your corpse gets put in the ground. You wanna know why?

"It's because you're a prick who thinks he's the shit, when he's clearly got nothing but words to back him up. You're clearly another insignificant, insecure high school boy who can't find himself and instead picks at people who're doing better than he is, just because he wants to stop crying himself to sleep. I'd bet money you cut yourself, too. Not my issue—we all have our own—but by the look in your eyes, you haven't wanted to be here for a long time now."

Silence suffocates the air as Ash watches their words hit their mark, one at a time. They've never been so cruel in their life, but this? It gives them a rush, spitting words out that once would've been a fever dream to them. Something within reach, but unattainable. They watch Luke's face crumple with apathy, and he takes a deep breath. "You got me. I've wanted to kill myself since the day I first saw you."

Huh. Is this supposed to be an insult, or... 

"You were just so you, even with that tired, done-with-life look in your eyes." He smiles bitterly. "Defiant, mysterious, not giving a shit about what others said about you. Sure in yourself, even if you were constantly anxious. I'll admit, I wanted you, but I also wanted to be you. To experience what being sure in myself would feel like. I wanted you to teach me the ways to be that carefree. To toss such unpredictability into the world without a single consequence."

"You don't understand. There were consequences. But it doesn't matter now." Ash's hand tightens on their lighter some more. "You'll never get what you want, princess. I hope you understand that."

And so they leave Luke there, walking as fast as they can and just wanting to go home. His problems aren't theirs, they'd separated themself from any emotion involving him three years ago. Deemed it too much of a risk to keep it, and it seems they were right.

Bury the light deep within..! Cast aside there's no coming home! We're burning chaos in the wind! Drifting in the ocean all alone!

-0_^_0-

He ends up puking into his garbage can, the vomit ending up with a blue tint as well. He groans in pain, his vision blurring as his heart rate speeds into just-had-ten-Red-Bulls territory.

Oh God. Is he going to die? It sure seems like he's going to die...

-0_^_0-

"You ready?" Ash asks as they slip gloves on, side-glancing Layla again. She nods, slipping her own gloves on. They cast a glance in the dark to Luke's body. They hadn't expected him to die so fast, but maybe that's because they tossed quite a bit of antifreeze into the water bottle of bourbon they'd prepared. They get in through the window and look down at his corpse. This had once been a problem in their life, like a parasite, kind of.

They feel tension lifting from their shoulders, leaving their mouth in a soft exhale. He's gone. They grunt and pick his body up, keeping quiet, even if he's about six feet and they're five nine, they carry him well. They pass the corpse to Layla and she tosses it into a body bag before Ash grabs it and they both dash like mad.

The duo end up driving out to Muskoka region—oh, the irony—and Ash stops the car in a forest. They side-glance Layla before getting out and getting the body bag. "Do we have the evidence?" they ask. She nods and pulls it out. They nod back. "Good. Set it down, we'll burn it when we're done with the body."

"Okay." she mutters, putting it down and helping Ash with getting nitric acid, opening the body bag and watching what used to be Luke disintegrate to his bones. They dig up a shallow grave under a bush, a stroke of luck being there's already a dead coyote pup there. They place the bones, fill it back up and step back, tossing the shovel and nitric acid into the pile. "Rest in hell." they say before turning their back and helping Layla burn the evidence until it's only ashes on the wind.

-0_^_0-

Luke wakes up in a startle, looking around him. Dark palace, magma surrounding him like a volcano. A man lounges on a throne, yawning. "So you're another unlucky soul, are you?" he asks, the British accent surprising him. "God. What'd you do to die so young?"

"I don't..." he swallows. "I drank something, I...felt like shit when I got home from school. Puked and then everything faded."

The man laughs, getting up and brushing his spotless, expensive suit. "Ah. I know why you're here." Black eyes with burning red embers bore into him, making him shiver. "Ash killed you. Their plan was bloody brilliant, I will admit."

"Ash?"

And then it hits him. Every withering glare...the girl was Ash? And they? What the fuck is this man saying? "Yes, Ash." the man smirks. "Poor boy. Well, since you're in Hell now...let me entertain your worst memory."

"Worst—"

Luke gets cut off when he gets transported to when he had been getting smothered with cruelty by Ash’s words. Hard to believe it was just before he'd died, but...it hurts. He's trapped in a prison of his own making, his guilt, his desires, his own foolish mindset.

And for the first time in his life—well, afterlife, he supposes—he screams bloody murder.

LetmeoutletmeoutletmeoutLETMEOUT—

Even if he knows there's no escape for the rest of eternity.

-0_^_0-

It’s scary, but it’s sort of gratifying. Gratifying that they’d gotten rid of some major issues. They keep their face straight as they walk, but for some reason, Luke’s spat-out confession before he’d died comes into their mind.

You were just so you, even with that tired, done-with-life look in your eyes. Defiant, mysterious, not giving a shit about what others said about you. Sure in yourself, even if you were constantly anxious. I'll admit, I wanted you, but I also wanted to be you. To experience what being sure in myself would feel like. I wanted you to teach me the ways to be that carefree. To toss such unpredictability into the world without a single consequence.

They don’t regret anything, but those words have been haunting their limited sleep lately. But when they hear a scream somehow cut through their earbuds playing Swimming Pools (Drank) by Kendrick Lamar at full blast, their feet are on the move.

Ash subtly pushes their way to the front of the crowd, and unlike their classmates’ pale, ashen faces, theirs is blank. They’ve seen gore on-screen before, so it isn’t as jarring as it should’ve been.

The body is almost unidentifiable, but by the stature…well, they know of only one guy who’s about 5’4. Oliver. 

He’s been a pain in their ass, but there were moments where he was a genuine friend.

But now…

Who killed him? Ash wonders to themself as the other students whisper and look nauseous.