#and a new sighting twice in one week we are so winning!

[sircolinmorgan]

Shaun WAS at the Patti Smith concert at the weekend! he was photographing the concert by the looks of it!

[navybrat817]

I did not expect to be this aroused at 8am 🥴

I can perfectly imagine 40s bucky waking you up in the morning with his head between your legs 🤭

Okay. So this did NOT turn out how I expected, but I hope you like it!

When You Move, I Move

Pairing: 40s!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader Summary: Bucky gives you a reason to not get out of his bed. Word Count: Over 2.3k Warnings: Oral - f. receiving, flirting, established relationship, touch of fluff, slight feels (it's me), Bucky Barnes (he’s a warning, okay?) A/N: This was meant to be a fun-sized ficlet, but let's use this for Week 3 of Hot Bucky Summer for @buckybarnesevents, shall we?Theme - Where do you want me? ❤️ Not beta read and written on my phone, so any and all mistakes are my own. Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog for new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

The morning hues hadn't quite filled the bedroom as your eyelids flickered. Everything slowly came into focus before you remembered that you hadn't slept in your bed last night. The mattress beneath you wasn't as soft as yours, but you found that you liked the firm feel. Much like the figure beside you.

James Buchanan Barnes.

You took a chance to study the man who had you in his arms. Bucky appeared peaceful, his features relaxed and breathing steady like the beat of his heart as you rested your hand on his chest. Beneath the muscles under your fingertips, you found solace and comfort you hadn't sought out before.

Waking up beside Bucky was like trading one dream for another.

But you were almost angry at yourself for being in bed with him again. Almost. Before you, the man had a reputation for never taking out the same woman twice, which was evident whenever you happened to see him and his friend, Steve, out with different girls. Or when you caught a glimpse of a happy woman one day uttering his name, only to look downcast the next. You swore to yourself you'd never become one of them, which was why you turned the charmer down the first time he asked you out.

"You're breaking my heart, doll."

"No, Bucky. I'm stopping you from breaking my heart."

Hurt flickered in his gorgeous blue eyes before he flashed his winning smile and ran a hair through his light brown hair. "Give me a chance and you won't regret it."

You almost caved when he put his hand over yours. It wasn't fair that he was so handsome. And, to be fair, you only heard kind things about him from the girls he took out. That he was a gentleman who paid for everything and treated them well.

He just didn't take them out again.

"Ask me again tomorrow," you said, pulling your hand out from under his and not giving it another thought.

Until he showed up the next day with a flower in hand.

"Go out with me? Please?" he asked, his brows furrowing when you didn't answer. "It'll be a double date, if that makes a difference."

"One date," you replied, disappointed in yourself for how quickly you gave in. It wasn't your intention to accept, but it was just one night and you found yourself smiling when his eyes lit up. "And it better be a good date."

"Only the best for my best girl."

Your heart skipped a beat despite the logical protest in your mind. "I'm not your best girl."

"You will be," he promised with a smile.

Bucky had a penchant for looking good no matter what the occasion called for, but seeing him in his blue suit and slicked back hair when he picked you up made your heart stop. You seemed to have the same effect on him, his eyes slightly wider as he took the sight of you in your dress. You took special care in choosing the right one and it paid off.

"You look beautiful, doll," he breathed, taking your arm once you were at his side. "Making me feel like the luckiest guy in Brooklyn."

And, for once, the rumors were true. Bucky was a complete gentleman throughout the date, holding open the door and pulling out your chair for you. Instead of focusing on himself as one would expect, he hyped his friend, Steve, since it was a double date. The man was much smaller than Bucky, but just as kind. It pained you that his date didn't give him a second glance.

You could tell by the look in Bucky's eyes as the night went on that it hurt him, too.

"Just once, I wish one of them would see how great that punk is," he told you during your first dance together.

The many double dates suddenly made sense.

Though Bucky felt bad for his friend, it didn't stop him from treating you well or showing you a good time. You found you hadn't wanted the night to end, wishing the two of you could share just one more dance. He was wonderful on his feet and you felt as if you were the center of his world as he gazed at you.

"I'm even better off my feet," he winked when you complimented you.

"You're trouble, Bucky Barnes," you giggled.

"Go out with me again and I'll prove the trouble's worth it."

You didn't believe him until he properly asked a day later. You barely managed to say "yes". How were you the first girl he took out again? What made you special in his eyes that he wanted to be around you?

"He really likes you," Steve told you one day, an affectionate smile on his face. "Jerk doesn't stop talking about you."

While your heart fell for him fast, your mind fell in slow motion. Thankfully, the two were in sync now. You were Bucky's girl just as much as he was your guy.

"Mmm. Morning," Bucky greeted as he began to wake, the gravel in his voice sending a shiver down your spine.

"Morning," you whispered, snuggling closer for warmth. You weren't ready to face the day, but you had to eventually. "How did you sleep?"

"Almost perfect," he yawned a little. You never would've imagined such a normal reflex would be so adorable. "Would've slept better if you were in the right spot."

"Right spot?" you repeated, glancing around the bed in confusion. Were you supposed to sleep somewhere else? "Where do you want me?"

"Under me where you belong," he answered, rolling over so he was on top of you. He didn't open his eyes yet, but he had a smile on his face. "Much better."

"I like this spot, but I should go," you said, though you made no move to push him away.

"No," he mumbled, settling his weight over you more to keep you in place. How did he still look and smell so good in the morning? "Not leaving."

He sounded almost grumpy that you suggested it, which was endearing. "I shouldn't be here. It's not proper," you reminded him, but your protest was weak to your own ears.

He finally cracked an eye open with a smirk. "Neither is what we did last night. Or the night before."

You inhaled as the tingling between your thighs reminded you that while Bucky was a gentleman to you around town, he was anything but behind closed doors. He proved that was just as good off his feet as he claimed to be. You hadn't known anyone could properly ruin you, but he continued to surprise you in the best ways.

"No, it wasn't," you whispered when he opened his other eye. Heat pooled in your abdomen and you already sensed where this was going. "Bucky, don't give me that look."

Desire came to the surface more as he gazed at you. "But I'm hungry. I need to eat," he whispered, his lips tickling yours before they moved south in a searing trail along your skin. "You wouldn't let me starve, would you?" he asked, the sheet leaving your body before you could stop him.

"You'll never starve with me around," you smiled, your fingers threading through his hair as his mouth drifted to your breasts. You peeked at him through your lashes when he latched onto one of your nipples, your thighs trembling with anticipation as you gasped, and you forgot why you were trying to be rational. One look at him with his bed hair and half lidded eyes and you were gone.

Bucky released the hardened bud and blew on it, sending another shiver down your spine. "I also have something for your mouth if you're hungry."

"Bucky!" you giggled, his chuckle vibrating against your skin as he kissed further down your body. You'd never forget the first time his lips touched yours. You teased that you didn't want to inflate his ego, but that no one ever kissed you the way he had. It left you breathless, dizzy, and you knew you'd be forever addicted to his wonderful mouth.

The same mouth that convinced me to sleep without any clothes on.

You didn't bother to play shy as he ran his hands along your hips. Any innocence you had left before him was long gone. He took it and molded it into something else only shared between the two of you.

"God damn," he whispered under his breath as he spread your legs apart, licking his lips as he stared at your pussy like it was the greatest treasure he laid eyes on. "You're so fucking pretty."

"You're just trying to butter me up," you said, gripping his hair a little tighter as he pressed a kiss to your inner thigh.

"Prettiest girl I've ever seen. I'd never lie to you," he promised, digging his fingers into your hip to keep you still when you began to squirm. How could you not under his heated gaze and touch? "And you picked me."

You swallowed hard, your folds wet before his tongue darted out to get a taste. "You chose me, too."

Something changed in his expression as he looked up at you, a softer look in his eyes as the morning rays formed a halo around him. He was both your angel and your demon, someone to tempt and care for you. Sitting up a bit more, you slid your hand to his cheek. The unspoken words hung heavy in the air between you and it was enough to bring tears to your eyes.

I love you, Bucky.

"You better hold on," he warned, his voice thick as he dipped his head back down. "I'm starving."

Your breathing grew heavier as he went to work, his tongue tracing every crevice of what belonged to him. He made you feel alive and beautiful with each touch. Watching his hips dip slightly against the mattress told you he was turned on almost as much as you were. It was still tough to wrap your mind around that some days that the mere taste of you aroused him.

"You're so wet," he murmured against your clit, briefly sucking on it as you moaned. Your nipples hardened almost painfully as one of his thick fingers traced your slit. Your body reacted strongly to him and he never once made you feel embarrassed by that. "This all for me, doll?"

A whimper left your mouth as you nodded. "All for you."

"I can taste that you're mine," he said, stabbing his tongue deep in your twitching hole. Your body shuddered, aching to feel him deeper as you tugged on his hair. You never realized you felt empty until him. Not just your body.

He filled your heart, too.

"Bucky," you moaned, trembling when he groaned deeply into your pussy.

"That's it. Keep saying my name," he ordered, the possessiveness in his tone making you moan louder as his finger breached you. "You're so soft. Never felt anything like you. Never will again."

You wiggled against the sheets as he flicked your bundle of nerves again with the tip of his tongue. You never understood how some viewed sex as something vulgar or unspeakable when Bucky made you feel cherished every single time. He seduced and moved you, like it was as natural as breathing. Maybe you were one of the lucky ones. You wouldn't take it, or him, for granted.

Although that mouth may kill me one day.

"Feels so good. Please," you whined, exquisite pleasure building up when he added another digit, a smug smile on his face when he lifted his head.

"One more taste and I'll make you come for me," he assured you.

"Bucky!" you cried, trying to keep quiet when his tongue slid back in beside his fingers. Each drag along your walls made your body twitch and you were sure you'd go up in flames if he delayed your ecstasy any longer.

"Come, doll. Get my face nice and wet the way I like it," he urged, repeatedly brushing that spot inside you with his fingertip that you were never able to find yourself.

Like the orgasms you experience with him before, it cascaded over you before it exploded. Every nerve ending came to life as you screamed his name and you had to cover your mouth to muffle the sound. All the while, he licked up every sweet drop of your release as it leaked around his fingers and tongue. He didn't let up until he got it all.

"Beautiful," he exhaled as he let you recover, your body shivering as he licked some of the shine from his mouth. He stretched over you after a moment and you caught a glimpse of his smug smile again before his lips brushed against yours. They were soft as you tasted yourself, showing you with his tongue exactly what he did to you.

"Mmm. Yes, you are," you mused, still a bit in your euphoric state.

He chuckled as he gave you another kiss, his cock hard against you. "Stay a little longer?" he asked in a soft voice.

Your heart thudded when he moved his lips to your forehead. Him wanting you to stay had nothing to do with needing his own pleasure. You wouldn't make him resort to begging because you didn't want to go either.

Proper or not, it doesn't matter when I'm in his arms.

"I'll stay," you whispered.

Bucky was right about one thing. Sprawled out beneath him was exactly where you belonged, just like the spot carved out for you in his heart. And you would try to remember that when the Army drafted him because he promised to never let you regret giving him a chance.

All he had to do was come home to you.

First sexy time with 40's Bucky and I hope I did it justice. Love and thanks! ❤️

Masterlist ⚓ Bucky Barnes Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

[hockeyshmockey]

M Verstappen Imagine

M Verstappen x norris!ex reader

liked by gridgossip, zbrownhater and 3,204 others

f1gossip sent in! Lando Norris spotted in a steamy embrace tonight at a club in Monaco. That is noticeably not his long time partner and real estate mogul yn ln, who posted just yesterday a throwback of the couple looking all loved up. Is this a Lando scandal? Or did our favorite grid couple break up on the down low?

view 1,312 comments

user you're joking

user nah he fumbled SO hard

lilymhe it's on sight @ alexalbon

alexalbon ...

liked by lilymhe, danielricciardo and 829,230 others

ynln should've thought twice before you let this go

view 23,413 comments

alexalbon lily is screaming at her phone

maxfewtrell slaying

user she is glowing but you know she's hurting inside

liked by ynln

carlossainz hermosa amiga <3

liked by user, gridgoss and 2,329 others

f1gossip sent in: yn ln spotted tonight leaving her and ex boyfriend lando norris' apartment together in Monaco. based on her demeanor, we can assume she probably was there to move out. Ln has been seen spotted around town with multiple drivers and their partners after a scandolous picture of Norris with another girl was released.

view 291 comments

liked by georgerussel, danielricciardo and 823,120 others

tagged lilymhe, carmenmundt, heidiberger

ynln a well needed gno

view 19,239 comments

danielricciardo you're never taking heidi out again

user I love them

georgerussell the way you kicked me out of my own bed to cuddle with carmen smh

alexalbon next time the boys need to supervise

lewishamilton looking good yn!

f1gossip sent in! yn ln spotted out an about in monaco and we had multiple reports that she was seen with the one and only Max Verstappen!

reply from user that is so max

reply from maxverstappen thanks for looking at places with me today!

reply from danielricciardo interesting .

liked by mickschumacher, maxfetrell and 912,420 others

tagged lilymhe, carmenmundt

ynln monza files

view 23,320 comments

user she's at monza?!

georgerussel poor guy not even getting pic creds

alexalbon I think he'll survive

user suspicious...

f1gossip fans were quick to note the return of a familiar face this weekned, yn ln returning to paddock after the end of her relationship with Lando. She was spotted with both Red Bull and Mercedes passes. Ln is close friends with George Russel and his partner Carmen, but the Red Bull pass is causing some heads to turn!

f1gossip sent in! max verstappen spotted out for a late dinner after his record win in Monza. Fans noticed he was with a woman, the two having an intimate dinner. Could the world champion have a new girl?

liked by f1gossip, danielricciardo and 940,232 others

ynln life is good again

view 23,420 comments

user did anyone else see max's story.....

lilymhe oh he rich rich

user not the soft launch... did they mean to do it?

landonorris wow

f1gossip after a week full of speculation, we may have another tidbit in the yn ln and max verstappen rumors. Sent in from various sources, Ln was seen getting out of a car with Max this evening, heading into a restaurant for dinner

view comments

user honestly good for her

user I know lando is going to cry over this lol, serves him right!

liked by danielricciardo, maxfewtrell and 1,039,023 others

ynln he helped fix the pieces you broke, and that's something I will never feel guilty about

view 230, 493 comments

danielricciardo finally! this was weighing on me heavily. I am so happy for you two

user oh my god the indirect

lilymhe obsessed with you two

alexalbon lily is making me be nice. yn im really happy for you

lewishamilton congrats guys!

user its the power: she didn't even tag him but everyone knows it's max

liked by charlesleclerc, f1gossip, and 1,230,234 others

maxverstappen one mans loss is another mans gain

view 239,230 comments

user did lando delete his isntagram

user the way landos friends are hyping max up for treating his ex better >>>>

[genericpuff]

I WANNA TALK ABOUT THE FUCKING EISNERS-

i've been finding lately that there are so many topics i still wanna talk about concerning LO and its development and they just don't happen because i get distracted or busy and my brain is like "ok we're just gonna pretend we've already talked about it even though we haven't" JFKDLSAJFDASKLFJSLKA

Let's talk about the Eisners and LO's recent 'win'.

I've already briefly mentioned in previous posts that LO has had a lot of its awards and accolades bought for it. This is especially true for both the NYT Bestseller label (seriously, none of those labels are ever earned, it's not some top 100 list that you compete on, it goes to whoever is willing to pay for it or whoever an editorial column wants to highlight) and, of course, the Eisner Award, which is not exactly an award judged by the industry's finest (the judges this year were made up of largely comic book shop owners and librarians).

But we're not here to talk about that. I wanna talk about what happened after LO won its second Eisner.

First off, the fact that it can be nominated at all when it doesn't even really fit the criteria for their submissions is sketchy at best:

see: "new, professionally produced long-form original comics work posted online in 2022." LO is not 'new'. Sure, it has new episodes, but I don't think that really follows the spirit of what they meant by 'new'. The Eisner doesn't seem like an award that should be granted to the same series twice, is my point, and that's one of the many complaints brought up in the absolute dressing down that LO got in its announcement post on the Webtoons Official IG page.

Of course, you can see for yourself right here.

But for the sake of fun, let's share some of the excerpts here.

(and yes I'm sharing a LOT of these because frankly I don't trust WT to not delete them in an attempt to hide all the shit that's being thrown at their precious "baby")

While names have been censored to protect the users involve, I will say one thing - this isn't some attempt from antiLO/ULO members to brigade the series' win, there are other comic creators in this discussion as well from the Canvas section who aren't pleased with seeing LO win another Eisner when there are multiple new series from this past year alone which deserve more attention than they're getting. Again, see for yourself if you click on the link above, the vast majority of comments on this post are expressing their disappointment and you can tell from how they've been sitting at the top while all the positive comments are being 'pushed' to the bottom - the like counts say it all.

All of this, paired with the fact that LO didn't win a SINGLE user-voted award during the Webtoonies, goes to show that the Webtoons audience is over LO. They're done with it. It's not relevant anymore, the only ones who still keep up with it are the stans and those holding on in the hopes that the story gets around to resolving the SA plotline and gets its TV show (which I've also mentioned has a real possibility of not happening, at least not now when it would count the most LMAO)

It still gets more likes than any other series on the platform (for now) but you can tell during its current hiatus that when LO is out of sight, it's out of people's minds - despite many of these episodes now being weeks old, their like counts aren't going up, no new readers are being pulled in. And the fact that a series with over 6 million subscribers can barely scratch 100k likes nowadays is... really something.

And that's on its free to read episodes, it's FP episodes - where views count the most because it's where LO makes its money and initial views - aren't even a fraction of what the free episodes often take well over a week to gain at this point.

Episode 252:

And the midseason finale, 253:

Compare it to Down to Earth which gets 70k likes on average on its free episodes (though its current new FP is sitting at the 1k mark), is LO still bringing in higher numbers than other series? Yes. But it's clearly falling to a point where it's going to be on par with every other comic on the platform in no time. I can't even imagine what it's going to be like after it comes back from this poorly-timed hiatus, when all of its official fan groups have also been shuttered preventing people from staying in touch within their own fandom.

Awards like the Webtoonies are, while largely just for street cred, still audience-based, and I really hope the fact that the people have spoken not once, but twice through their engagement with the platform - both through the comment section on LO's Eisner win and the votes in favor of other series in the Webtoonies - will be a major wake-up call to WT that they can't keep trying the same things over and over again expecting different results. They can't keep stuffing money into LO as if advertising or awards are the reason LO isn't pulling in the numbers it used to. They can't keep pretending that LO still has the merit and credibility that it once had 5 years ago.

It's like that comparison from Super Eyepatch Wolf talking about why you shouldn't take advice on how to be "successful" from Youtubers who got famous 5+ years ago:

"Say you decide you want to become a carpenter, and particularly, how to build a nice chair. Think about the kind of person you'd want to learn that skill from. Would it be from someone who has built nice chairs every day for 20 years? Or would it be the guy who built one nice chair five years ago out of a special kind of wood that doesn't exist anymore, who has no experience with the kind of wood available to you now?"

LO is a byproduct of a version of Webtoons that no longer exists. It was fortunate enough to join the Canvas section when the Canvas section was still only lightly populated, before WT started trying to sell the idea that anyone could become "rich" on their platform (an idea largely perpetuated by creators LIKE RACHEL who only became big because WT threw all of their money at them), before Greek myth comics became commonplace (again, something that's a consequence of Rachel/Lore Olympus) and before the romance genre became largely filled with problematic "dark" romances (again, see Lore Olympus).

Do you see the pattern of what I'm talking about here? A lot of what Webtoons became known for was a byproduct of Lore Olympus and series like it, because those series did phenomenally well, due to being in the right place at the right time, so WT went "hey, cool, this makes us lots of money! Let's do more of that!" Obviously this isn't to say that Lore Olympus is the root of all evil here OR that it didn't have its own merit back in the day, but if you make a series that blows every other series out of the water in stats, it's only natural for a company to want to pursue more series and story tropes like it in the hopes that it'll replicate exactly what comics like LO did, completely misunderstanding why LO did well in the first place. At the time, LO's art was unique for the platform, and it was tackling a story that was extremely popular on platforms like Tumblr so it naturally gained a crowd.

But that was five years ago. Since then, the WT audience climate has changed dramatically, as it always does every few years; and LO and WT haven't kept up. We went through a phase of BL, isekai, and now WT seems to be in an odd limbo because it's still clinging to a series from three whole lifetimes ago, especially now with so many of its other signature series either finally ending (True Beauty) or walking away from the platform entirely (Let's Play).

At this point, Lore Olympus is a chair that was nice five years ago, but has since started to fall apart - its paint is chipping, and its legs don't stand up so well anymore - and WT is still trying to sell it you as the exact same chair - with cheap new paint and a few bits and bobs attached to try and convince you that the chair is new - but it's long past its prime. This isn't to say that the chair itself doesn't deserve to exist, just that it shouldn't be given so much proprietary advertising and attention when there are so many other works on the platform that deserve to be uplifted and seen.

LO was good for its era, it was successful for a reason, but we're halfway through 2023 and it's painfully obvious that the comic and the platform's audience is ready to move on to new territories. Webtoons just needs to learn to let go.

[azzieshd]

Azriel: Pillowtalk

Mates bond

Warnings: War, injuries, NSFW content, Bad words

Words counting: +/-2100

Requested by: @agdas3214

Sequel: No

*English it not my mother language, there could be grammatical errors and typos. Please warn me if you find them, I'll do my best trying to get better.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

You’ve known each other for years, centuries actually. Azriel has always been one of your most cherished friend among the Inner Circle, you talked about everything when spending time together and he was the only person you could trust blindfolded.

Unfortunately, things didn't stay just as friendly as you first wanted, and you fell in love.

You always knew about his passion for Mor, and – before catching feelings for him – tried to help to put them two together as a couple. It was hard for you to keep hearing about his love declarations about another while you could barely stay by his side without sighting.

It took years and more years, and as he was still into Mor, you were still into him.

And then came the War. And you almost died.

The calderon almost got you with all the rest of the army, you also stopped with Cassian when Nesta’s scream was heard, but you didn't stop too fast and part of that awful power hit you strongly.

It took you weeks to recover, days just to wake up and find an Illyrian warrior seated by your side. While you stayed unconscious for 72 hours, Azriel seemed to be awake during this time. His eyes were red and if you didn't know him, you would say he had been crying. He looked tired, exhausted in truth. His hands were in his head while he stayed arched in a chair that didn't look so comfortable.

You don't know if you called by his name or if the shadows told him that you were awake, but it took just two seconds for him to put himself by your side in the bed, close, too close.

"How are you feeling? Any pain?" he asked rapidly, putting his hand in your forehead to feel your temperature.

"Good, just thirsty."

Azriel didn't take too long to hand you a glass of water. You didn't take too long to drink it.

"Did we win?" you asked, eyes pleading for an affirmative answer. He nodded.

"We’ve lost a lot of people and it was hard, but yes, we won. Hybern was defeated"

"That's good. Is a shame that I spent all the time here while everyone was fighting."

"You're alive. That's the only thing that matters" his eyes darkened, just as remembering you almost dying was enough for him. And it was, you just didn't know that.

Azriel told after that Cassian was the one who found your body, your life slipping through. He didn't think twice before grabbing you and going straight to the healers. Azriel just knew about you because Rhys – mind to mind – told him. So he rushed himself out of the combat scene and went to the tent where you stood. His heart broke at the sight of you, covered in blood, wounds open and fainted because of the pain.

It was in that moment, when you were between life and death that the bond snapped, the spymaster felt that gold line that connected you both and as a blink of an eye, he forgot about the war and everything became you, just you. He didn't leave his mate during the next few days.

And so here you are. Listening to everything while trying to bake a cake, Azriel’s favorite cake. You felt the bond yesterday, while looking up to the starfall by his side. He was already looking at you when you turned around to face him. Apparently, the bond wasn't new for him, so you wanted some explanations since there are months that the war ended, hence, months he knows you were made for each other.

Of course you weren't crazy to say “no” for the mate's bond, especially since your mate is the male you are completely in love with. But you have to admit that it is kinda funny to see him desperate as he talks about everything.

The cake is ready. You hand it to your mate. He eats it. Now is the part that he fucks you.

- - - - -

Azriel is famous among the females, he is tall, strong, pretty handsome and his serious face is that kind that makes you wonder if he keeps a concentrated frown while invading you with his cock.

After eating the cake, devouring it actually, he kissed you. A desperate kiss, just as if he couldn't control himself for one more minute. His hands went straight to your waist, then to your tights. He grabbed you in his arms just like you had no weight. It took seconds to get to your room since you were at your city apartment.

Your bed was made. Not a single wrinkle on the sheets. Azriel threw you in the mattress. You had no time to breathe, he already was above you.

First, he left kisses on your neck, then he lifted just inches of your shirt, just to have access to your abdomen. You wanted him to go a little more down. He didn't.

"You drive me crazy (Y/N)" his voice was lower, deeper. You almost heard his control cracking.

He kissed you once more before taking your shirt out completely. It would be a lie if you say that you haven't imagined where things would go between you two after asking for explanations about the mates bond, you made sure to be wearing your favorite bra.

Azriel gasped. His shadows making their way through your body, it was cold, just as if someone was blowing your skin. You loved that feeling. His hands made their way to unbutton the black laced bra, the Shadowsinger gasped once more to your now naked torso.

"So beautiful" said while leading the hands softly to your breasts "And all mine"

Your mate then substituted the hands for his mouth, kissing and leaking your too sensitive tidies, you moaned lowly and hazel eyes immediately went to your face, his mouth doing that one more time, you moaned again, Azriel closed his eyes just as appreciating the sound.

It was taking too long, you needed Azriel more than ever, you could barely remember a time where you needed somebody as much as you needed at that moment. You felt like you could explode if he didn't take all your clothes out with his and take you in that bed. Fuck, you needed that so much that you started pleading.

"Oh, darling, don't be so rushed. We have all the time in the world" his voice was so low, a grim face while he started to lower your pants slowly.

Your panties matched the bra, it gave your body all the credit for highlighting your curves. Azriel didn't take that piece off, not yet.

Tired of waiting that long, you led your hands to his leathers. You had already seen the spymaster shirtless while training with the warlord, but having him with his nude torso right in front of you with you allowed to touch every part of that shaped abs – and more –, was a completely different feeling.

You saw a little smile on your mate's face while you kept yourself busy touching the tattooed skin. He was responsible for taking his own pants out, letting you have a glimpse of his underwear, his cock making an appearance at the black cloth. Your mouth dried. It seems that the wingspan theory was real and you had no idea how that would fit you.

"Like what you see?" He asked while getting closer again.

"A lot…"

Your voice was mere sight, if you both weren't blessed with the hearing of High Fae and Illyrian, you were sure that the confirmation couldn't be heard.

After kissing one more, you felt Azriel's finger inside your panties, searching for your clit, which didn't take too long to be found. Azriel gasped as he found you already wet for him, needless to say that he loved it.

Your breath started to get louder as he started to round his finger in your too sensible spot. You wished to keep this sensation forever, but you needed more. You needed him. Fast.

"Azriel, please" your legs were already shaking "Please, I need you. Please, please, please…"

"Oh baby, calm down. I want to prove every part of you..."

His hazel eyes darkened a bit, he removed his hands of your lingerie, taking it to his own mouth, proving your taste. A sound of approval came out of his throat. After leaking the finger he used to estimulate you, he ripped your underwear out.

"Hey! It was my favorite one!" You complained, but your speech was cut off by feeling the Shadowsinger opening your legs more than it already was.

"I can buy you another."

And that was his last phrase before putting his head between your tights and proving you. His tongue doing an excellent job, leaking and sucking perfectly, leading you to ecstasy, now screaming your lungs out because of the extreme pleasure you felt burning inside of you.

Your tights getting marked because of the pressure he was doing with his big hands. You couldn't keep your own hands to yourself and grabbed his dark hair, pressuring his head a little more close to your intimacy. You didn't make it any longer after he inserted two of his fingers inside of you. It was all too much: his tongue and after his fingers, the phantasmagoric feeling of his hands holding your legs. And when you were too close to come, he stopped.

A moaning of denial came out of you. Your mate was smiling wildly, loving to see how submissive you were in his hands. He didn't say a word when approaching to tour naked and sweaty body, he took one of your hands and led it to his hardness. You felt how big it was, how much he needed you. His underpants were wet by precum. With no time, you started setting his cock free, throwing the undergarment someplace. All of his size came to you sight, but before you could approach yourself to him, he stopped you, his voice even more low and husky:

"Let me come inside of you first" He begged. He was sure that if he had your pretty mouth surrounding his dick, he wouldn't make it too long.

Nodding with your head because you weren't sure your voice would be stable, you silently watched your own body be covered by his toned and wonderful structure. His dick slightly touches your pussy making you feel at the paradise and hell at the same time. First he just played with you, rubbing against your surface, but then he came with all, not giving you time to breathe as he slided all his length into you. A scream came out of your mouth as a surprise. Oh Gods, he was big, huge actually.

A growl came out of him as he was all inside of you. It seemed so perfect that even with all of his size, it didn't take you too much to get costumed, and you were soon filled with the necessity of him moving, which he didn't wait for.

His pace was naturally hard, a loud sound reverberating as his groin hit yours. His movements were getting faster and faster, your hands on his back, scratching right in the middle of the wings, those he kept open and stretched in pleasure, tensed by the wonderful feeling of your tight walls, those ones that you were unconsciously punpering, extending the pleasure for both.

By this time Azriel was wild as an animal, fucking you with all his strength. His mouth opened as curse words were spoken. You couldn't keep yourself quiet, calling out his name, and when you felt too close, your hands slid to his enormous wings, touching that one spot that you knew could make any Illyrian get to their knees. And with a last groan, Azriel and you came together, his semen filling you gorgeously.

You felt empty when he got out of you, making a low last sound make its way out of your throat. Azriel laid by your side in the bed, getting you closer to his chest, where your head rested for a moment before your body started to claim for him again.

The desperation to have Azriel inside of you one more time was almost self-destruction. The frenzy was nonsense, it seemed like you weren't allowed to breathe. You needed your mate, now. Fortunately, he needed you as much as you needed him.

It was needed 3 times in a row for you to fall asleep. You were sure that this would be a long week…

[thndrs-wrtr]

Hello there! I'm back to post the first chapter of my fic. Chan appears in this episode, and maybe some other kids, so give this story a try 🤭 comments always appreciated!

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''That thou canst not stir a flower without troubling of a star'' Francis Thompson.

Everything in the universe as we know it, is somehow connected. One way or another, things are meant to happen. After finishing a regular work day, a somewhat small event drifts you away from your routine, making you meet a man that ignites the fire of doubt in you.

And without even knowing, you are lucky he has the same need to find you.

Chapter 1

Goryeo Period, 1298

Hours felt never ending, and so did the crops. Undoubtedly, working under the almost ever lasting sun felt draining, however, being next to friends and family made the burden feel much easier. Soft yet tired laughs filled the air, one or two jokes, maybe even a deep thought that would come out randomly in the middle of that working session made the day reach its end faster than the usual. There was some sort of pride in being a serf, despite not having the commodities the elite had, she decided to take her life with a different approach, a stronger and more prideful look. Who else were going to feed not only the royalty, but the entire village if not the serfs? After having packed her tools and washed her hands with the last remains of clean water just to get rid of the dirt, you stood up.

"Ah, another day done. I would love to stay here for a bit more, but I promised I would help Haneul with… I can’t even recall. I just know she asked for my help" you said letting out a small giggle.

"Don’t you want me to walk you home? It’s getting late, what if there’s an attack or something similar?"

Jae-Sung raised his eyebrows at you full of concern, then taking quick looks around his perimeter as if the enemy troops were right behind the two of you. It was no secret for anyone in the village that the young man had profound feelings for you since you both were kids, however, despite his never-ending attempts to win your heart were no more than just another reason to consider him your best friend. Another laugh escaped your lips as you tilted your head to the side giving him a kind look, the one that made him weak to his knees.

"I’ll be fine. One, the village is not that far away. Two, the sun is still up. Three, we haven’t had any attacks in the last few years, I don’t think my luck is so bad as for one of them happens now, right?"

He let out a sight accepting his defeat, using his right hand to scratch his nape in an attempt of showing not much interest in not walk you back home, however, you knew he was a bit disappointed.

"Alright, go. But I will still stop by later just to check if you arrived safe, deal?"

"Deal, sir."

"And straight home. Don’t take the long route, I know you.:

"Are you my father or something, Jae-Sung?"

Arching an eyebrow, you pushed him in a playful and innocent way before giving him a short hug. He denied with his head, still not getting over that stubbornness.

Don’t take the long route, he said. Yet you did, of course. The long way home was by far prettier, the mix of trees with the tone of the sun gave a completely different vibe. Besides, by taking the long route there was the chance to walk nearby the king’s lands, and if you were lucky enough, you could see the horses walking freely on their terrains.

Even if you took that route at least twice a week and knew the path almost by heart, there was something that felt off. Not in a negative way, but there was a new and unknown feeling that didn’t allow you to enjoy the way back home as you used to. You reached to that point where the path got divided, your mother’s words echoed in your head remembering you not to go that way, same your father and grandparents had warned you several times. During your entire life, you follow those instructions carefully and that path even looked a bit scary.

Your thoughts were consuming you, and you didn’t hear the galloping horses until it was too late, as you looked back, at least fifteen horses were approaching to your direction, soldiers on top looking brave and confident, not even noticing your presence. However, and in order not to get hurt you started walking backwards, still mesmerized by the strength the soldier’s king could show just by galloping by. The steps of the horses started to fade out slowly, you fell right back into your present, noticing a different shade of green; a darker one, realizing that there were scenarios around you that were not known. Furrowing your eyebrows, you finally understood, the amount of soldiers passing by you made you take distance, not knowing how or when you ended up in the path you were always warned off.

It was far from looking dangerous, though. That darker green reminded you of the summer, there where some flowers you had never seen before, and you could even tell the air felt different, too. Too focused on those new and beautiful surroundings, you kept your footsteps straight, noticing a different detail by each meter walked. However, despite that lovely scenery, that odd feeling was still there. If you could describe it, was if as you were looking for something, or someone.

You didn’t know for how long you’ve been walking, but after a while it was possible to notice that the straight path was opening at the end, what the distance allowed you to notice, was a wider piece of land looking like a circle, with two more paths parting on the opposite extreme, and you immediately recognized that one of those was the one that you were supposed to take in the first place. Suddenly, the image became less interesting for you could hear some giggles and footsteps and the end of the road you were walking on.

It wasn’t a duo, much less a group. The giggles had the same tone, footsteps the same rhythm. Jae-Sung’s voice appeared in your head, telling you that it might be a trap, an enemy, perhaps. But it made no sense at all, it sounded innocent, maybe even somewhat childish. The curiosity made you keep walking, and the image you witnessed made you open your eyes in surprise.

It was a he, a man who didn’t look older than twenty-five, he had no scars, so you assumed for some reason he had not participated in any battles, his clothing looked perfectly clean, not a speck of dust in them. The man was standing over a tree stem, using one foot to keep balance, then using the opposite one. There were the giggles again, as if they were a sign of victory for taking another step using just his equilibrium. He intrigued you, so far, the only things you could see where the ones previously described, plus his dark and kind of curly hair. Your body stiffened when his left foot slipped off the stem, making his body fall on the ground. He let out a frustrated growl, and you couldn’t help but walk fast towards him. Maybe it was a trap, maybe it was a thief, maybe it was going to be the lass face you’d see. Maybe, it was none of that.

"Oh lord, are you ok? It looked like an ugly fall, are you hurt?"

You said with honest concern, using your arms as to try to lift him a bit. Your body stopped reacting when your eyes met his, dark brown, a something that looked like a mole right under one of his eyebrows was. You were right when you were seeing him from his back, his jaw was well defined, and when he gave you a shy and ashamed look, you noticed his eyes getting tinier, and those dimples made you forget about the entire world just for a small fraction of second.

The village wasn’t huge, you knew pretty much everyone who lived there, but that man was someone you had never seen before, because you would have absolutely remembered all those facial traits. But they were new to your eyes.

"I’m ok, I’m ok. Ugh, were you watching? Did you see me fall? Oh my god, so embarrassing."

He giggled again, this time covering his eyes, his ears turning slightly red. When he uncovered his eyes, both of you looked at each other with curiosity, as if both had something to say that have been keeping for so long, however, no words left your mouth, or his. Time felt solid during those small seconds, and drifting out of your thoughts you offered him a hand to help him stand back up again.

"I saw you, yes. But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone."

"Ah, thank you. Is it a promise?"

"You have my absolute word."

You smiled at him and vowed slightly as a gesture of respect towards your new promise, putting your index finger on top of your lips showing your words were absolutely sealed. The man smiled back at you, using both hands to get rid of some dust that was now on his clean clothes.

"I’m curious, though. What were you even doing there?"

"I just… I don’t know. I wanted to see how long I could last keeping my balance. Oh, and there is a flower over here, somewhere… That I haven’t been able to find."

"Sounded like a very interesting competition with yourself" You said in between giggles "A flower? What kind of flower?"

"It was indeed very interesting until I fell" the man laughed together with you, and at your second question he looked around, as if he was looking what he mentioned "It’s a purple flower, one of my friends needed the pigment to… To make paint, I guess? But I couldn’t find it. And, I have to admit I really love this place. I wanted some time alone just to clear my head."

"I see, well… I saw some flowers while I was walking, but none of them was purple" you furrowed your lips in disappointment "Oh, so did I interrupt you?"

"Not at all! I like seeing new people, I don’t get to see new faces quite often. Which makes me wonder, have we met before?"

You were about to answer, when once again you could distinguish the sound of the horses and the soldiers. The only difference was that this time you could hear them louder and louder and turning your head to black haired man you saw him sigh in defeat. In no time, horses were now entering that so peaceful space that was only his and yours for some minutes. This time, two soldiers stood next to you and held you by the arms, and the young man just gave them a look to let you go, and they did.

"How many times have we told you, you can’t disappear just like that!"

"It’s my life, you know? I can do what I want."

"Yes, but there are regulations and a protocol to follow. We’re leaving, now."

You had absolutely no time to say goodbye, nor ask his name. The soldiers moved away from you as you saw them getting up their horses once again, and the man you just met imitating their actions. Just before they started galloping away from you, he turned his head to you, furrowing his eyebrows down, uttering a ‘sorry’ with his lips. You just nod your head in sign of comprehension, yet you were absolutely confused. Who was that man, and why were the king’s soldiers after him with such concern?

Finally, when night arrived, you were home. And as he had promised, Jae-Sung was sitting next to your father talking about the next job for upcoming days. Your mind was still stuck on those earlier events, feeling way too curious about him. His face was imprinted in your mind, and you could still remember each facial feature, the way he laughed, or how he looked at you.

"Did you hear the news?" your mother said.

"What news? Oh, the soldiers being here today? Yes, yes. I saw them and I was hoping they were here for me. I know one day he is going to propose" Ji-Hon, your younger sister stated.

"He doesn’t even know you."

"He will. And he will love me, hug me in those big arms of his, and we will have three children."

"Can someone tell her to stop daydreaming and tell me what happened today?"

You said laughing at your younger’s sister delusion, ever since she saw that soldier she had been in love. Your attention went back to Jae-Sung, who apparently was the only one interested in telling you the news.

"The king’s soldiers were here today; they said the heir got away from the palace again. One witness said they saw him near the village, and they came looking for him. But of course, he wasn’t here, and they just left, didn’t even say thank you. I heard that he was near the tree that fell last winter, apparently he was looking for a flower."

"Are you really going to believe that old lady? She’s the gossip queen, she can’t be trusted." your sister added in return.

"Yeah, but… She looks wise. Sometimes."

Right before your sister started speaking, your attention went away again. They found him where the tree stem was? Looking for a flower? The heir? If you were curious before, you were even more curious now. Certainly, you were not a fan of the elite, so you had no idea who were the ones that composed the palace, just the king. That very same night, when your body laid to rest, it did all the opposite. Your mind was still running in circles, maybe, him being such an important person would explain the soldier’s concern.

The night at the palace was bright, full of light and in the center the table was full of freshly made food. The heir had already been scolded by almost everyone, but he was finally able to sit down and relax his meal, even though it was a bit hard due the different voices around him, much more because his mind was still thinking about that girl whose name remained unknown.

"Hey, you still here with us, Chan?" one of the young men moved his hand across the black-haired man.

"Apparently, he isn’t. Jisung, if he isn’t here give me the peaches he is clearly neglecting."

"Hey, no! I’m here, I’m here. Just tired." He said giving a tiny slap to the hand that was approaching to his fruit, the man just let himself fall on the ground accepting defeat, stretching his body and letting out a throaty noise, he looked pretty much like a cat.

"You don’t look just tired. We know you don’t sleep, but now you look… off. Your mind is definitely somewhere else."

"I agree with Yongbok, your mind is not with us—the youngest of them said."

"Is just…I want to be outside; I don’t want to be hiding here forever, there’s a lot I want to do. And… I might need your help."

"No" the man with cat attitude said, but sitting immediately, paying attention to the leader’s words.

"Nope."

"Don’t even think about it."

Chan just chuckled at those reactions, he knew them very well, and he knew that they were just being annoying as usual. He looked down for a second, fidgeting with his fingers. Other than go out and enjoy every single day as a regular human being, he felt curious about you. There was something that was calling him, something telling him to go and find you. And the only people who could help them, where the four men in the room, plus the other three who at the moment, were fulfilling other duties.

"I need you to help me sneak out tomorrow." Chan said, absolutely determined.

[corndoggod]

Walkie Talkie

It’s Wednesday evening, about an hour of sun left, and I’m walking down to the old penthouse in Flatbush to retrieve my new apartment keys. It’s moments like these — walking, doing dishes, a 30 min break between meetings — that I’d call my Dad. 

I can hear his excitement picking up the phone: Connor boy! We’d start with the weather. It’s a beautiful day here, I’d say. One of those days where the weather can’t quite decide what it wants to be, flitting between big blue sun and sudden gray with spastic rain. 

I’d tell him I’ve been running more and that I think I’m gonna sign up for a marathon near Albany with the goal of qualifying for Boston. It’s a friendly qualifier, according to Google, and we have some friends nearby we could stay with. I’d tell him I saw Chris Hayes on my lunch run — he was walking his dog in his PJs on a work cal. I knew it was a work call because I knew when his editorial team met to discuss the evening lineup. And that’s not all. This was actually my second sighting of Hayes. The first being at a bar in Gowanus before I really worked in media. How rare to encounter the same celeb twice in the New York wilderness? 

I’d tell him about bowling, though surely he would’ve called the following day to hear how we did in the playoffs. I’d regret to inform him we lost in the first round to a team of toxic old creepers. But I bowled well -- a 146 in the first game and then a 170 to close the season. I’d promise to send him the article about a Dallas bowler’s near-900 game, an almost unheard of string of three consecutive perfect games. In other words, 36 strikes in a row. A turkey to end all turkeys. The seventh extinction. 

He’d probably feed me some essay idea and remind me how much he loves my writing and remind me I got my work ethic from Mom. 

I’d tell him I won a hail mary bet, how it was a must-win otherwise I would’ve depleted all my FanDuel dollars, after which I promised to stop betting like I had been every week for the last two months and he’d say Oh yeahhh like the Kool Aid man (kool aid btw was invented in Nebraska). We both bet on Denver to repeat as champions so we’d prematurely discuss their first playoff game and what it portends for June. 

I’d tell him no I haven’t spoken to Ethan recently but we both love you deeply. 

Dad would hem and haw when asked what’s new with him. There never was much. Life was filtered through TV, current events, books, visitors and his window overlooking the parking lot with an American flag planted center stage. One of the nurses told me he offered up his grandpas flag honoring his WWII service to replace their tattered flag. 

He’d surely ask what I was reading. New York 2140. I borrowed it from you. It was perfect you had it, because that’s exactly what I wanted to read after Vinson Cunningham’s debut novel Great Expectations. I read it flying into New York and saw how vulnerable the city was to a rising sea-levels. We landed in LaGuardia, which has its ass hanging out on the water. Tunneling through the East River to Manhattan I saw the ancient screws coated in dust holding the center fast against past and future. 

It was a very New York book, too, with some interesting finance elements (liquidity, stoking then shorting the bubble, Ben Bernanke’s heroic levers). One of the main characters was a super, another was a degen finance bro. It indulged in geographic specificity, from street names to developed marshes, making several detours down local cul de sacs into forgotten pockets of history and waxing poetic about that famous New York energy. 

It flagged a little 400 pages in, but the animating premise -- a resilient New York that adapted to a 50-foot surge in sea levels after the ice shelf collapsed -- was endlessly fascinating. Downtown was “intertidal” with skyscrapers partly submerged in water at high tide, while sky bridges criss-crossed overhead, and cloud communities circled above superscrapers hundreds of stories high. The author imagineered a SuperVenice and it was a beautiful triumph against the odds. You would like the cloud influencer who shepherded animals at risk in her blimp-ark. 

He’d tell me about an interesting book review he read in the Washington Post and the book that would soon be delivered and of course the many others he had his eye on. You have plenty of reading material already. Read what you have! I’d normally say shaking my head. But this time I’d say those all sound great and I promise to take good care of them. I’ll read them all with you. 

Inevitably we’d both get quiet. I was always perplexed why Dad got anxious during any conversation lull, but he did and would proceed to wrap things up. I took advantage of this sometime. But not today. Today I’d say don’t go, the words will come, just stay on the line. 

[nancypullen]

Hole in One

Alrighty! I returned home from Florida yesterday, racing ahead of storms the whole way. The mister and I arrived in our driveway around 5 o'clock and I immediately dumped suitcases and started laundry. I had to get a jump on things, it's just a week until Christmas and I can't be bogged down with run of the mill chores - I have stuff to do! My visit with my mom and sister was fun, we spent most of it shopping and eating, the two sacred female activities. I had hoped to get a haircut while I was down there since the Denton stylists have done me wrong (fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice...they've fooled me twice already). But there just weren't any appointments available. I'm tempted to get a short hairstyle, even though I don't like my face with short hair. It might be easier as far as wash and dry, but I'd have to maintain it with cuts every six to eight weeks so that's actually higher maintenance. Looks like I will sail into old age with pony tails and Farrah layers. At this point I really don't care. My mother suggested I just let it grow and sport a long braid. That appeals to me - seems like a very artsy, slightly hippie vibe, and I'm a fan of that. It may also mean I've given up. You win, hair.

My sister's birthday was on our schedule for the visit. We celebrated with presents, a good dinner, and dessert. She said that she wanted a fruit platter instead of a cake, and the birthday girl's wishes are supposed to come true.

We didn't get to light those candles. She'd contracted the plague right before traveling and no one wanted her blowing all over the fruit. It wasn't covid, but she spent most of the trip coughing, dripping, and blowing. Not fun for her at all. On the other hand, if you have stock in facial tissue or Sudafed she boosted your profits. Merry Christmas. Still, a good time was had by all and then we flew away to our respective nests. And speaking of flying, on my way down to Florida I gave the gift that keeps on giving - laughter. Apparently, choosing to fly comfortably in my favorite old jeans was a mistake. They broke up with me on this trip. We parted ways.

Sadly, I was unaware that it had happened. I have no idea how long I walked around showing the world my underwear. I had a three hour layover in Atlanta where I walked around and around and up and down. Escalators, trains, jetways - you're welcome holiday travelers. Enjoy telling your friends about the lady in front of you who didn't know her pants had split. It wasn't until I arrived at my mother's house that my sister pointed out that it looked like I'd "had a blow out". Of course. It wasn't even because they were tight, they weren't, just really, really old. They'd been washed a million times, I suppose I should have checked them for thinning spots. Naturally travel day was the day the threads just couldn't hold on another minute. Oh well. If you were in the Atlanta airport on December 12th and saw an old lady's underwear, speak kindly of her. She didn't know. Today I'm doing the bare minimum. I have a very busy few days ahead and no rest in sight until the new year. I feel myself coming down with my sister's cold, or maybe it was given to me by any of the hundreds of people hacking and snorting in the airports and on planes. I have too much to do to be sick, so I'm going to pretend it's not happening. I'm ready for Christmas, but not all of the meals involved. I'll be feeding a crowd from the 22nd through, I think, the 29th. Other than Xmas dinner I'm keeping it simple. A big pot of chili one night, sheet pan suppers, maybe a pasta bake with rotini and meatballs, definitely something in the crockpot one night. I'm out of ideas. None of that sounds delicious to me, and certainly not as healthy as we'd normally eat, but I just need to get through that week of meals. No one will die from it.

So I'm making my grocery list and checking it twice, then I'm going to wash my hair, and finish up a little laundry. Mickey has a photo club meeting tonight so I'm just making quick taco bowls (seasoned ground turkey, black beans, cauliflower rice, tomato & onion, etc) for dinner. I may spend the evening watching Hallmark movies and pretending I live in one of those adorable fictional towns. I'll be the struggling bakery owner trying to charm the big city exec who represents the corporation trying to buy out my little shop. We'll fall in love somewhere between the obligatory snowball fight and accidentally bumping into each other under the mistletoe. Although I'm strapped for cash I'll wear a different designer coat and new boots in every scene. In the end he won't be able to resist me and my fabulous wardrobe and he'll surprise me by becoming a silent investor in my bakery and dropping to one knee in front of the town's giant Christmas tree (or an ice skating rink, your choice). The predictable plot lines are what I love about them. I hope your week has been better than split pants and sneezes, and that you spend your evening feeling cozy and content. That's my goal. The countdown to Santa has begun and I couldn't be happier. Let's do this! Sending out lots of love. Stay safe, stay well, go ahead and have another cookie. XOXO, Nancy

[the-firebird69]

We fully intend to take over these stash and cash areas too and pull his out and put us in we're so sick of you dumb **** you want us to take over the planet so you'll win that's nonsense we're gonna make sure that you lose you've often the ships OKLOL that's not yours either. Should've done the research or investigated it or looked at it or even believed it's there a little.

- We're going to launch a series of tax while all this dumb shit's going on we're going to attack all over the world and specific people and locations are going to get devastated aside from crappy cities and its own purpose it is on purpose. And we need it done and we have to do it.

- We're also extremely tired of you idiots here and your act it means nothing you're mopping around as **** telling them off and we've had it with you you're gonna pay for your stupid skits and routine there's such **** **** and you know it. And I'll tell you what you ain't gonna win squat your plan was to get rid of everyone else we're gonna get rid of you.

- This guy Trump has ruined the Morlock plans many many times this one he could not afford to lose and or make mess up and he did.

- BJA is at all 10 and he's positioning all 10 trimmies five of them are 30 to 40 percent down and they will be down at the target in moments and the Tremie is about 8 miles high and it opens and it pours slowly and it goes right through concrete and they are going to test it momentarily I hear they tested one and it goes through fast I don't know if they're going to do it right now and they're gonna open it up it has to go through about a mile no it's like 5 miles and usually the acid just goes straight through it's super acid the trendy itself is resistant but it only lasts for a few hours when they pull it up it's got holes in it usually they have to bring a new one. See they are beginning to pour on one no they have to so that's speeding the other ones up they're gonna be there in a few minutes probably 10 minutes and it's quite a sight.

- We have some other things to do here today a lot of work in this town of jerks. They're all running off into different directions and a lot of them not to come home I don't know why we do that they're out there it's dangerous they should go out there and not come back. And really they're harmful people so I'm sending assignments out. They're trying to get to new Vegas practically all of them and stake their claim and it's by force and threats all over the world and we are going to after them. These facilities are going to be massive and they're going to be up in just a few weeks and I'm here too giant buildings and we'll probably have to tear it down and we're not peeing the **** and it's not really designed the way we wanted that's what they do and we are going to severely reprimand them with an **** behavior and right now new Vegas is about four miles by three miles but the buildings inside are smaller than these except for two and they're starting the third one today they're twice as big it's takes up four city blocks it's very large and each building is about 500 million square feet and we anticipate they might blow those up too and a lot of history will be gone we know it's gonna happen we just don't have the time to pull stuff out but we're gonna try the pill for each other all the time florida's went stuff foreigners want stuff from here on purpose.

More shortly

Thor Freya

Olympus and yes queen the band meant us. we hit them they are out gone. dead. and or entombed. never to return we promise. are filthy rotten animals but dangerous as all heck true too

[xtruss]

Polar bears are a common sight in the western Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada. Photograph By Roy Toft

Polar Bears are Trying to Adapt to a Warming Arctic. It’s Not Working.

The Bears Can’t Thrive on Land, a Concerning Discovery as Sea Ice Continues to Disappear at a Rapid Pace, a New Study Says

— By Stefan Lovgren | February 13, 2024

For the polar bears of Manitoba, Canada, the sea ice that envelops western Hudson Bay for most of the year is the ideal hunting ground for a feast of blubber-rich seals. But then come the dog days of summer, when the ice melts and the bears are forced onto land. There, life is no picnic for these giant creatures.

Deprived of adequate food supplies, the bears must live off their fat reserves for several months. Now, climate change is causing that wait to grow even longer, as warming temperatures melt the sea ice earlier in the spring and solidifies it later in the fall. The Arctic, research shows, is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. The question is: How will polar bears adapt to more time spent on land?

The answer, according to a new study published in Nature this week, is not very well. The study shows the carnivores forage for food, such as birds and berries, rather than resting, which is what scientists thought most bears did while on land. But the study also concludes that doing so causes the bears to spend as much extra energy as they gain from eating the food. During the study's three-week research period, bears lost an average of more than three pounds of weight each day while waiting for the ice to form again.

“There’s no winning strategy” for the bears, says study leader Anthony Pagano, a research wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Anchorage, Alaska. “They will not be able to find the food they need on land.”

Forced to spend longer periods on land without sufficient food could cause vulnerable individuals, especially young bears, to suffer from starvation, scientists warn, eventually endangering the survival of entire populations.

With polar bears increasingly moving into new land spaces in search of food, dangerous confrontations with humans are also likely to increase, researchers say.

Today is International Polar Bear Day … and we are discovering how the animals (above) are adapting to a warming environment. In Manitoba, Canada, the sea ice that covers western Hudson Bay for most of the year serves as their hunting ground and haven. However, as the months become warmer and the ice melts, polar bears are forced to live longer periods of time with less food. Photograph By Norbert Rosing, National Geographic Image Collection

Surprisingly Active

Polar bears live in 19 regions across the Arctic, from Canada to Greenland to Russia. While some populations live on permanent ice, others inhabit seasonal ice. Climate change has caused ice loss to some degree in all the regions, leading to drastic population declines. As a result, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists polar bears as vulnerable to extinction.

Between 1979 and 2015, the length of time without ice in western Hudson Bay has risen by three weeks, according to the study. About 800 polar bears dwell in the western side of Hudson Bay, a decline of 30 percent since 1980. Those bears now spend an average of 130 days on land a year, a number expected to increase by 5 to 10 days per decade in the future.

To glean how the polar bears spend their time on land, Pagano and his team placed GPS-enabled video trackers on 20 Hudson Bay bears for three-week periods in the summers between 2019 and 2022. The scientists tracked the animals’ diet, movement, behavior, changes in body mass, and how much energy they exerted each day.

“Previously we only had snippets [of information] on what the bears do on land,” says Pagano, who led a similar study several years ago focusing on the bears’ activity on sea ice.

The behavior of the bears varied wildly. Three made long swims in open water, with one female swimming over a hundred miles. Video footage revealed the bear finding a dead beluga whale during her swim, but that she was unable to feed on it. “It highlighted how the bears are not able to eat in open water,” says Pagano.

He says the findings surprised him and his colleagues, who had thought polar bears mostly minimized their activity while on land to conserve energy.

While adult males did indeed spend almost all their time resting—reducing their energy expenditure on land to levels similar to hibernating bears—70 percent of the bears were shown to actively move around in search of food sources, which included berries, grasses, and bird and caribou carcasses. Those foods are far less energy rich than a seal's blubber.

Nineteen of 20 bears—regardless of age, sex, or size—lost weight.

The study predicts that a quarter of adult males, the largest and most resilient individuals that can weigh up to 1,700 pounds, would start running into starvation issues after 180 days on land. But more vulnerable individuals, such as young bears, would get to such a point far sooner.

Survival of the Fattest

Andrew Derocher, a Biology Professor at the University of Alberta in Canada who has long studied polar bears, points out that some individuals are in better shape than others.

“Some animals can go many, many months before they’re in trouble, while others may run out of energy in a matter of weeks,” says Derocher, who wasn't involved in the study. He says the fatter a bear is from the months of feeding on the sea ice, the better it can deal with the ice-free period. “I call it survival of the fattest,” he says.

With polar bears spending more time on land and actively moving about the landscape in search of food, “there’s an element of desperation that goes on with some of these individual bears that puts them into potential conflict with people."

In the past, the polar bears have usually come to shore and congregated near the town of Churchill in Manitoba, which has a long history of managing polar bears, including maintaining a holding facility known as “polar bear jail” where dangerous bears are held before being relocated far from town.

But there are now signs that more polar bears may be migrating farther north in search of sea ice, potentially moving into communities that are nowhere near as well set up to deal with problem bears as Churchill is.

“These bears may smell some dog food and go right in,” says Derocher. “It’s not like they want to feed on our garbage. They want to go out on the ice and start hunting seals. But increasingly they’re stuck on land.”

[brawlcentral]

What to Expect at Genesis X

This article was written by the Brawl Central community, check us out over on: https://brawlcentral.carrd.co/

Genesis X has arrived, and for the first time since 2011 is featuring Brawl! At 71 entrants, this is the largest non-Super Smash Con tournament since Apex 2015. Despite multiple top 8 seeds dqing, this remains a fairly stacked tournament, currently sitting at B tier on the 2024 SSBBRank TTS. With multiple top 10 players, old names, and one of Brawl’s newest rising stars, this is a tournament you sure don’t want to miss.

The Top 8 Seeds

8. SuperGirlKels

SuperGirlKels played Brawl back in 2014, most notably placing 25th at SKTAR 3, however, she returned to the game just last year, and competed at Super Smash Con 2023. At this tournament, she would end up placing 25th, taking wins over Cabbage72, Montblanc, and Wefflez. Playing Sonic and Kirby, she could end up making a run at this tournament, so keep an eye on her as she makes her way through bracket.

7. Kylo

Kylo has been playing Brawl since August of 2023. August of 2023. That means he’s only been playing for 6 months. Yet in these 6 months, this Meta Knight main has shown a massive improvement, going from just starting the game, to taking a game off of Cody’s Marth in an online tournament. He has online wins on RekRP and Strawberrow, and is looking to prove that his online skill is for real. With Genesis X, he is making his offline Brawl debut, and if all goes well, we may be seeing the beginning of a new top Brawl player.

6. FEAR

FEAR is a Zero Suit Samus main from Florida, who consistently enters Brawl brackets at tournaments he attends, and consistently shows his skill. His best result was definitely his 7th place finish at Super Smash Con Fall Fest, but he also has reached 9th at CEO Dreamland 2020, 17th at Super Smash Con 2022, and 25th at Super Smash Con 2023. He’s consistently been on that edge of the top, and maybe this tournament will be the one where he shows that he belongs at the top level of Brawl.

5. Fino

Fino had an electric run at The Return 12, an online tournament shortly before Super Smash Con 2023, where he defeated ninja1167 (me), Kyoz, Gunnermaniac, and Mikeray4 in Winners Finals before losing to Mikeray twice in grands. At Smash Con, he seemed to be on track to continue this, defeating Kiwi and taking Cody to game 3, until he lost to Iota for 17th. Despite this, don’t underestimate Fino’s skill level. His Olimar is the real deal, and I would not be surprised at all to see him in top 4 or even top 3 of this tournament.

4. Ish

Ish is a Wolf main. And there are multiple nowadays who will tell you that Wolf is broken. Despite this not really being the case, Ish’s run at Super Smash Con showed what his character could do. He brought Gunnermaniac to game 3 (in a really hard matchup for Wolf), and defeated Hb2, Tori, and rank #20 Max Power to reach top 16, where he forfeited vs Lux to end at 13th place. Ish is poised to make another impressive performance here at Genesis, and if he gains momentum here, what is stopping him from doing the same thing in just a couple weeks at Sweet Spot 8.

3. Lux

At Super Smash Con 2023, Lux reached 7th place, defeating both Pelca and Dabuz with Ice Climbers before falling to 686M’s monstrous loser’s run, and he ended up being ranked 9th on the 2023 SSBBRank. Despite only being the third seed, there’s no doubt he has what it takes to win this tournament. Ice Climbers can beat anyone, all it takes is 3 grabs. Or maybe we will see him matchup check with Mario, laser with Falco, or win with Meta Knight, who knows! Whatever character he may throw out, there’s no denying it will put up a fight, and if he can replicate his Smash Con (or Sweet Spot 7) success, grand finals could easily be in sight for Lux.

2. Chia

Chia mains R.O.B, and R.O.B is a mid tier. That much is obvious. However, despite playing a mid tier, Chia has found great success, with wins over Zenan and Gunnermaniac on the way to a 3rd place at The Big House 11, or a win on Kyoz on the way to 9th at Super Smash Con 2023. R.O.B’s greatest strength is that he does well vs Ice Climbers, but he struggles vs Meta Knight. Chia has both of these in her path, with Kylo in Winners Quarters and Lux in Winners Semis. If Chia can pull this out, make an upset, and win the event, this would be the best event win by a R.O.B, ever, in the entire 16 year history of Brawl.

1. Player-1

Player-1 has been ranked #3 in the world for two years in a row now. The world’s best Diddy Kong has been on that edge for so long, only ever losing to Cody and 686M. However, with neither in attendance here at Genesis, Player-1 has a bracket prime for the taking (and remarkably similar to Sweet Spot 7, a tournament he won last year). He is the clear favorite to win the event, and has shown no signs in the last 4 years that he will lose to anyone in attendance. If he starts the year out with a bang, maybe he can continue that momentum into Sweet Spot 8 and take out one of his demons, 686M.

If you’re interested in more Brawl, make sure to check out Brawl Central at https://discord.gg/brawlcentral

Written by ninja1167

[spidey-stark]

Barry Allen x Reader

Summary - Reader thinks that Barry dislikes her because they are always fighting, only to find out the reason for his strange and slightly rude behavior is because he is secretly in love with her. 

Warnings - None.

Word Count - 2,719

Authors Note - I used to write imagines for like years and now I haven’t wrote one in about ten centuries SO I apologize if this is like subpar and not quite the best writing! Regardless, I am trying to get back into it! So if you even liked this a little bit then please follow and request so I can try to write some more!

“You’re gonna end up getting yourself killed, Y/N.” His voice carried a certain kind of harshness that he only ever used with me, a tone that was always sure to cause silence to fall over the Star Labs group as we walked in. Before I joined the team it was rare to ever hear Barry raise his voice, yet my arrival had made it a rather common thing. 

“Ya know, a thank you would suffice Barr.” The sight of my snarky smile was most definitely enough to power Barry up for another one of super-lectures, but Cisco cut him off before he even had the chance to open his mouth. 

“Think you guys could give it a rest for one night?” He proposed, moving slightly to stand in-between Barry and I. 

It only took a glance around the room to see that the entirety of Team Flash had become quickly frustrated with our regular outbursts. It was hard to blame them really. After all, it was at least once or twice a week that Barry and I were bursting through the doors chewing each others heads off about something new. 

Barry let out a sigh, clearly still frustrated and not fully willing to follow Cisco’s suggestion. “I just don’t get it. It’s like you think you are made of steel or something, Y/N. Or like you are just immune to everything. You are constantly putting yourself in the middle of danger and one of these days I’m not gonna be fast enough to save you!” 

“Did you ever think that I don’t need you to save me?” I remarked. “I’ve saved my own ass more than once, haven’t I? I’ve only been here a couple of months and I’ve already done my fair share of putting up with the bad guys and ya know what Barr? I always make it out! Even when you aren’t there!” 

Once again the all-too-familiar silence fell over the lab as everyone tried desperately to get rid of the tension that Barry and I brought to the room. Cisco was the first to open his mouth, probably to offer up another bit about how the two of us needed to stop fighting and just enjoy our win for the night, but before he could even get his first word out Barry had already beat him to it. 

“Okay. I get it.” Barry held his hands up in defense despite the exasperated expression that still painted his face. “I’ll stop trying to save you.” 

And with that the speedster was quick to bring his most annoying habit to light once again as he dashed out of the room before anyone could say another word to him. Typical I thought, shaking my head while staring at the spot where he took residence just mere seconds ago. 

After a moment my gaze shifted to Cisco, who was still standing in front of me. I couldn’t quite pin what his expression was trying to say, but it looked a bit like disappointment. “What?” I asked, confused as to how I was the one deserving of that look. 

“You don’t have to be so hard on the guy, Y/N.” 

I scoffed, “Me? He treats me like I’m made of glass, Cisco. I’m tired of him always seeing me as so much weaker than the rest of you guys. I did the same thing today that any of you would have and yet I’m the only one that he would humiliate in front of the whole team for not being able to take care of myself.” 

What I said wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t like I had been purposely seeking out danger anyways. I was already at Jitters when the man came in, armed and making it more than clear that he was willing to fire if anyone acted against him. Even when Barry arrived I had stayed out of it, up until it came down to someone’s life being at risk. I could see the look on the mans face as he held that man hostage, gun pointed to his head and ready to shoot at Barry’s slightest move. I was in a good position to gain the mans attention from behind and so I did, allowing Barry the chance he needed to save a life and take the gun. And, of course, no one could argue. Not Cisco, not Caitlin, and not Iris. Because every single one of them had been in a similar position before and all of us had put ourselves in harms way to try to help someone else. But I was the only one that had to deal with Barry’s attitude afterwards. 

“Look,” Caitlin began, walking up and placing a hand on my shoulder and offering a small smile, clearly trying to continue combatting the tension that was left behind, “I get it. We all do. And I know that you and Barry have a...” she trailed off for a moment, clearly struggling to find the right word,”rough relationship. But I know that he’s only acting that way because he cares about you and doesn’t want you hurt.” 

“And does he not care about the rest of you?” I asked, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to find a response to the question. “Yeah. Exactly. But I’m the only one that has to deal with that.” I gestured to the doorway where he had just sped out of the conversation as per usual. 

All I could offer after that was a light smile. I appreciated them being so kind and I wasn’t trying to tear apart their attempt at being kind. But it also didn’t matter much anymore. I had been a part of this team for months now and I hadn’t come any closer to proving to Barry that I can carry my own weight, let alone getting him to actually like me. 

Since Barry had ran off it didn’t take long for the rest of the team to say their goodbyes and go their separate ways for the night. 

The walk home certainly wasn’t a kind one. Late nights at Star Labs were always my least favorite, seeing as though my apartment was just a bit too close for me to feel comfortable asking any of them to drop me off at home, but a bit too far for me to really feel at ease walking alone at night. After all, there were a plethora of reasons for a woman to feel uncomfortable walking on an empty street in the middle of the night. 

“Hey pretty lady,” 

Such as that. 

My eyes followed the sound of the gravely voice, seeing a man around his mid-forties leaning against the light post, flashing me the grossest grin anyone could ever possibly muster. 

I didn’t respond, forcing a tightlipped smile and trying to walk past him, hoping that he was just a creepy old man and not an actual threat. 

“Well hey now!” He called out, latching onto my wrist as I tried to go past him. “Where ya off to angel?” 

I pulled at my arm, trying to get it out of his grip which was tightening by the second, “I’m catching up with a friend. He’s actually just a couple of blocks ahead.” I lied. 

The man snorted, rolling his eyes at my excuse. “Really? Cause I been here for a while darlin’ and I ain’t see no one come through here except you.” He yanked on my wrist to pull me closer to his body, his other hand falling to my waist. The smell of liquor and cigarettes was overwhelming. As he inched closer to my face I instinctively went to raise my one free hand to push him away when, suddenly-in a flash-he was gone. 

“Are you ok?” Were the first words out of the speedsters mouth as he magically reappeared right in front of me, reaching out to grab my shoulders gently, scanning over my body looking for any sign of me being hurt by that creep. 

“Fine.” I didn’t mean to sound as harsh as I did, still a bit overwhelmed and filled with anxiety. “Thank you.” I added on, trying to soften the blow. 

Barry nodded in response, letting his hands fall from my shoulders. There was a silence that fell over the two of us for a split moment before he decided to break it. “Can I take you home?” 

On any other night I would have quickly declined that offer, immediately writing it off as Barry thinking I need his supervision in order to do absolutely anything without getting hurt. But, seeing as though I did actually benefit from his help tonight, I decided to put my pride to the side and accept the offer. “Uh, yeah. Thank you.” I replied, “I’m just down the street off of-” before the directions to my apartment even left my mouth I was already being grabbed gently by the speedster and being sped to the door of my apartment. “I guess you know the way?” I finished, slightly dumbstruck as he let me back down from his arms. 

His cheeks were slightly flushed, a hand flying to the back of his neck as he looked down the hall of my apartment complex. “Iris has actually mentioned where you live a few times so I just kind of remembered.” 

I glanced back the door to my apartment, the shiny number 15 on the door. I highly doubted that Iris had mentioned the exact apartment I lived in, seeing as though that wasn’t exactly just casual conversation between friends. “Iris told you which number I was in?” 

Barry didn’t reply to that one, his mouth gaped open like he was trying to think up a response with absolutely no words coming to his rescue. 

“Ya know... I don’t wanna sound ungrateful here, Barr,” I started as the wheels in my head began to turn, “because you really saved my ass back there from that creep. But you don’t even live in this direction? So what were you even doing here?” 

The red color painted his cheeks was damn near as dark as cherries and he was still struggling to form words, a series of ‘uh’s and ‘well’s escaping his lips with no other words. 

And, then, it clicked into place perfectly. 

“You followed me, didn’t you?” The words made his eyes widen to the size of saucers, answering my question without him ever having to say a single word. “You’ve gotta be kidding me Allen.” I scoffed, “Okay. Don’t get me wrong, ok? I am really grateful that you helped me tonight. But I do not need you following me home! I’m not that helpless!” 

“Well you needed my help tonight.” Barry offered up in his defense. 

“Yes! And I already thanked you for that.” I reminded him. “But that doesn’t mean you can go following me home at night just waiting for me to get myself into trouble and be too weak to stop it. I’m not some damsel constantly waiting for the Flash to come to my rescue!” I watched as Barry glanced around the hall, making sure no one else was around to hear me yelling about the Flash. “Do you follow everyone else home?” I asked. “Or is it literally just me that you think can’t protect themself?” 

“I just wanted to make sure you were sa-” 

“What did I do to make you think I’m so damn helpless Barry!” I cut him off, my frustration quickly growing into desperation. Months on end of having him treat me like I was made of glass had finally caught up to me. I was tired of feeling?”  like a liability to the team. “What the hell did I do to make you hate me so much?” 

Barry frowned at my words. “What?” The word escaped his lips seemingly without his permission, confusion crossing over his features. “Why would I hate you?” He asked, “I don’t think you’re weak either, Y/N. I just get-” He hesitated, sighing slightly, “scared, I guess. That someone is gonna use you against me and you are going to get hurt.” 

“Why would anyone use me against you?” 

“Because I care about you?” He said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

“Okay,” I blinked, shaking my head slightly as I tried to piece everything together. “That doesn’t explain why I’m the only one constantly catching the worst of your attitude Barr. You care about everyone else too and yet you don’t scream at them every day because you are scared they’re gonna be used against you or something!” 

“It’s different.” Yet again, he said it as though it were extremely obvious and needed no further explanation. 

“Because you think I can’t protect myself?” 

“Because I love you?” The words came out as a bit more of a question that Barry probably intended, and from the look on his face it seemed like the fact that they were even said was just as shocking to him as it was me. 

I could only imagine how stupid I looked, standing in front of him with my mouth slightly agape as I tried to process what he said. “Um...” was the only thing my brain could really force out. 

“You don’t have to say anything.” It came out as more of a plead than a statement, “About that, at least. I know that it makes like no sense and probably sounds stupid but just-I don’t know Y/N-I care about you. I don’t think you’re weak. And I know I’ve been annoying,” he paused, burying his face in his hands for a moment before continuing, “but it’s just because I don’t think I could stand losing you.” After a brief pause he laughed slightly, “Which is pretty funny since I don’t even have you.” 

I wanted to speak. I wanted to say something. But all I could do was stand in silence, trying to take in everything he said. I mean, after all, going from thinking someone hated you for several months to finding out they actually might love you? Is quite a bit of information to work through. 

Barry seemed to notice my inability to speak, forcing a small-and very fake smile. “You should really get some rest.” He said, taking a step backwards as he prepared to leave, “And just, I don’t know, try to forget about that stuff ok? All that matters is that you know I don’t think you can’t take care of yourself. Forget about everything else, alright?” 

As he went to turn around to disappear down the hallway I quickly reached out, grabbing his wrist and pulling him back towards. me. “I don’t want to.” The words fell out of my mouth without permission, causing Barry to cock his head in confusion at me, our bodies mere inches apart. “I don’t know,” I began “I don’t know if I... love you.” He nodded his head in understanding at my words, despite the flash of pain that spread across his features. “But I want to see if I can.” 

Neither of us spoke for a moment, but Barry stepped closer, his body practically pressed against mine as his wrist was still caught in my shaky hand. I had been this close to Barry before, nearly every time he had to pick me up and run me away from danger. But this was the first time that I had ever paid so much attention to him. The smell of his cologne was intoxicating, so warm and light. And his face. God his face. In all these months I had never really taken the time to see how beautiful Barry was. Obviously I could see that he was an attractive man but I never took the time to admire it. The freckles that littered his face, the cute way his nose was scrunching up as he tried to determine what to do next. 

“I don’t know what to do next.” Barry admitted.

“Well...” I trailed. “You could start by kissing me.” 

A nerdy grin took over his face as his hands went up to rest on my waist, pulling me even closer to him. “Gladly.” 

[meltwonu]

91. “I know for a fact that you can be a hell of a lot louder than that.”

notes; camboy!mingyu, camboy!au, dom!mingyu, mentions of brat!reader, slapping, size!kink, blindfolds, dirty talk, a wee bit of degradation, panty stuffing!! 🙊 with Mingyu my size kink always go BRRR lol.... that man could pin me to a bed and I'd nut 😩 but u kno how it is jdfdksjf Oh also I'll post a mini-notice about next week’s Friday if a drabble is going up or not!! probably will tho, even tho there’s only 2 more members for this camboy/camcouple cycle~ 😗 As always, thank you so much for requesting! Enjoy! 💕

Mingyu runs a contest and makes sure you win it.

“O-oh, god, Mingyu!”

You cam once in a while on the same platform he does and he’s caught your streams here and there - eyes twinkling when he can tell you’re thinking about his shows while you get off.

“Tsk, such a bratty ‘lil contest winner, aren’t you?”

He likes that you play with your viewers, teasingly ending the stream before you get to any good bits or strategically hiding the parts of you that people want to see most unless they get to certain donation tiers.

But Mingyu daydreams about the day he gets to put you in your place and make you pay for the torturous teasing that you put them, and him, through.

So when you see the contest details on his homepage, you don’t even think twice before you’re filling out the form - not knowing Mingyu’s on the other side just waiting for your name to pop up so that he can pick you from the crowd.

“Not so fun when you’re the one being teased, huh? Now you know how we feel~”

His fingertips tease you through your soaked panties, pushing and prodding the material against your skin as you whine and mewl; eyes covered with a blindfold to prevent you from seeing him or the camera.

“Buh--but I--I…” Your thighs shake as you hold them apart in front of the camera, “I’m j-just, ah, p-playing around…”

Mingyu scoffs under his breath before he nuzzles into your neck from behind.

“I’m playing too, sweetheart.”

Your breath stutters when you start to feel his middle finger start to press your panties into your pussy - the feeling new but not unwelcome.

“O-oh my g-god…”

“Since you always want to tease us and you never wanna let us see your tight ‘lil cunt, this must be familiar to you, right? Not letting us see anything so I’ll just have to finger you like this.”

He slowly eases the digit in as you’re reduced to a puddle; only soft sighs and stuttered breaths falling from your lips at the rough texture of the material and Mingyu’s thick finger inside your pussy.

“Your pussy is so tight around my finger, sweetheart… How are you gonna take my cock, hmm? I’m afraid I might break you~” Chuckling, he starts to shallowly thrust his finger into your pussy.

“Ngh, d-do it then… F-fuck my pussy, a-ah, into the s-shape of your cock… If you c-can… N-nobody’s fucked me, mmh, t-that good before...”

Mingyu doesn’t like the challenging tone in your voice so he retaliates by thrusting his finger all the way to the knuckle and then curling it skillfully into your g-spot.

“Min---Mingyu…!”

Your thighs shake as you cum unexpectedly; tears soaking into the blindfold and your entire body convulsing in his hold while he continues to thrust his finger and the panties into your fluttering walls.

“Should we auction these panties, sweetheart? You’ve gotten them all wet.”

You wish he’d take off the blindfold.

“Puh--ah--please! M--Mingyu!”

Your body jerks against the sheets as he fucks you hard; legs up and above your head as his cock slams into your tight hole.

“Hah, you’re doing so well, “ He smirks - mouth watering at the sight of you not only blindfolded underneath him but also your cunt stretched wide around his girth, “You always wanna play a filthy, annoying ‘lil brat but the second you’re under me, all you can do is call my name, huh? Is that all you know now? How to take my cock and scream my name? Did my cock make you that submissive?”

You nod feverishly; teeth chattering at the way you can feel the head of his cock snug against your cervix.

“Then I know for a fact that you can be a hell of a lot louder than that.”

You feel the light slaps against your cheek - body tingly at the way he alternates sides and makes your head move side to side against the crumpled sheets with each slap against your cheek.

“Let’s hear it, brat. Tell them who’s fucking your tight ‘lil pussy so good and putting you in your place like you deserve.”

“Y-you, mmh, y-you, Mingyu! Fuh--fuck,” Choked sobs fall from your lips and fresh hot tears soak into the blindfold when his relentless pace doesn’t let up, “God, I--I feel so f-full… Your, a-ah, cock is so b-big… It’s stretching m-me out so much...”

Your eyes roll to the back of your head at the feeling of being filled to the brim of his cock and all Mingyu can do is lick his lips and watch.

“I wish you could see, sweetheart. I’m not even fully inside of you ‘cause your pussy is so small… But you’ll be good and learn how to take all of me, right? Don’t you want to feel all of me inside of you? Bet you’d cum just from it.”

Your mouth waters at the thought of sitting on his length and taking him all the way to the base; already teetering on the edge of another orgasm with each harsh thrust of his hips.

“P-please let m-me, ngh, c-cum again... I--I can’t--”

“No.”

Mingyu purposely slows down his pace - both to stave off your orgasm and to let you feel the drag of his length inside your pussy.

“I already didn’t punish you for cumming earlier, but now you’re gonna pay the price, sweetheart.” He leans over you, tongue teasingly licking at a nipple as your entire body jolts in surprise. 

“Now, we’re gonna ask the viewers to get to... Hmm, let’s say $7000 donations and then I’ll let you cum again.” 

Mingyu slides his cock from inside you, using a free hand and wrapping it around his shaft as he slaps your clit with the head. 

“Until then, I’m gonna use you how I want and if that means cumming inside your tiny ‘lil cunt ‘til it’s spilling out of you... Well, I guess you’d better behave then, huh? You wouldn’t wanna see how much meaner I could get, would you?”

Gulping, you nod - except internally you’re already plotting just how to act up in order for Mingyu to give you more.

“I--I understand... I--I’ll be good... I promise...”

[rphelperblog]

Newsies Musical Rp Meme

“You don’t need money when your famous. They gives you whatever you want.”

“I’m blowing my

“So let’s get drunk- not with liquor, fame works quicker.”

“Are we nothin’?”

“We are a union just by saying so.”

“And the world will know we’ve been here.”

“Instead of hawkin’ headlines, we will be news today.”

“Will we hear it? No!”

“Either way, they gives us rights or we give them war.”

“The things we do today will be tomorrows news.”

“Every day we wait is a day we lose.”

“I never planned on someone like you.”

“I got no use for moonlight or sappy poetry.”

“Girls are nice once or twice, til I find someone new.”

“Love at first is for suckers. At least, it used to be.”

“Quiet down, there’s a show going on.”

“I’m healthy. I’m wealthy. I’m wise.”

“the thing I want most I can’t get.”

“Now honey, that’s rich.”

“All I know is I don’t know what to write or the right way to write it.”

“Their mistake is they got old, that isn’t a mistake we will be making.”

“so whatever happens, let’s begin.”

“What a face- a face that could save us all from sinking in the ocean.”

“Lie down with dogs and you wake up with a raise and a promotion.”

“They’ll storm the gates and then just watch what happens when they do.”

“Speak up, take a stand, and someone will write about it, that’s how things change.”

“It’s a girl- What? Is that even legal?”

“Now is the time to sieze the day.”

“Minute by minute, that’s how you win it.”

“Courage can not erase our fears. Courage is when we face our fear.”

“Tell those with power safe in their tower, we will not obey.”

“Say to the other’s who did not follow through, your still our brothers and we will fight for you.”

“Once we’ve begun, if we stand as one, someday becomes somehow.”

“ Answer the call and don’t delay.”

“Wrongs will be righted if we are united.”

“One for all and all for one.”

“Til the moment I found you, I thought I knew what love was.”

“The world finds a way to sting you, and one day to bring you something to believe in.”

“i have something to believe in now that I know you believed in me.”

“We were never meant to meet than we meet.”

“An angel who came to save me who didn’t even know that she give me something to believe in even for a day.”

“And if your gone tomorrow, what was ours will still be.”

“Give me a week and I’ll train them to be like an army marching to war.”

“there’s a change coming once and for all.”

“You makes the front page and, man, you are major news.”

“We ain’t come this far to lose.”

“This is the story we needed to write that’s been kept out of sight no more.”

“Write in ink or blood, it’s the same thing.”

“We are gonna sing you to sleep.”

“Once and for all, if they don’t mind their manners we will bleed them.”

“This is for kids shining shoes on the street with no shoes on their feet.”

“Armies of guys who are sick of the lies,getting to rise to the call.”

“A new world is gunning for you.”

“Guys are fighting, bleeding falling.”

“let me go far away, somewhere they won’t ever find me and tomorrow won’t remind me of day.”

“I’ve got nothing if I ain’t got Sante Fe.”

“No more fat old men denying me my pay.”

“Where does it say you got to live and die here?”

“Why should you spend your whole life trapped with a ring, no future?”

“Let them laugh in my face, i don’t care.”

“Save my place, I’ll be there.”

“Just be real is all i’m asking. not some painting in my head.”

“There is no way I am putting those kids back in danger.”

“If the life don’t suit you, how about a new scene?

“Just a modest adjustment can fatten the bottom line.”

“it’s the simplest solutions that bolster the bottom line.”

“Did they bust up your brains or something?”

“Proud and defiant, we will slay the giant.”

“Look at me, I’m the king of new york.”

“Suddenly I’m respectable, staring right at you lousy with stature.”

“You know why a snake starts to ratte- because it’s terrified.”

“Get those kids to see that we are circling victory.”

“What a fine life carrying the banner.”

“Just move on and stay on track.”

“Just watch what happens with that.”

“Give those little guys some ink and dry and watch what happens.”

“Cowboy or convict, I win either way.”

“Your abject surrender was always the bottom line.”

“Too bad that you have no family, but you can’t have mine.”

“Lucky for them, all but one got away.”

“They may not be so lucky tonight.”

[daddyjackfrost]

hii! from your prompt list can i request 16 with sakusa?

hi!! yes ofc! y’all do be requesting a lot of angst tho. don’t hate me when your heart hurts😛🥰

prompt 16: “we’re not together.”

sakusa x f!reader

warnings: angst, hurt/comfort (post -timeskip)

Dating a high end volleyball player was hard.

No one told you of the sacrifices you would make and the turbulence of emotions you would feel. Still, you wouldn’t trade it for anything.

You hadn’t been with Sakusa long. You had known him for a few years but you two were just mutual friends. It was only when you moved to his town did you and Sakusa start getting close.

Your relationship was relatively new.

Sakusa had officially asked you on a date two months ago, and you two became official a week later. Although your status had changed, things with Sakusa were calm and hadn’t really changed.

There was a solid base of trust and respect that held your relationship together, and you knew that you and Sakusa were meant to be.

You were confident in your relationship. And you knew that Sakusa was a relatively private person, so when he asked to keep the relationship on the low until he was comfortable, you immediately agreed. You didn’t need the world to know you were dating him. You knew, and that was enough.

However, it did hurt when you couldn’t go to games with him, or leave with him. Due to his own, and his teams fan base, Sakusa was always surrounded, and he knew that if you were seen with him, the questions and press would be endless.

You understood where he was coming from, and respect his decision. But you told him that you wanted to at least where his jersey, which he reluctantly agreed too.

So, here you were. Sitting in your boyfriend’s jersey in the middle of the bleachers as fans cheered their loudest.

This game had been particularly long. Both teams unwilling to lose. You glanced down at your watch and frowned. You had taken the bus to get here and the last bus left ten minutes ago. You shrugged, I’ll tell Omi to take me.

One hour and a mere three points later, MBSY Black Jackals were celebrating their hard earned win. You smiled brightly, cheering with the crowd.

People rushed down the the floor, trying to get close to the players. You stayed back, letting the fans have their fill of sweat and one-sided adoration.

After the coach yelled for the gym to clear out, and once it did, you waited for Sakusa to take a shower. You smiled at Bokuto and Hinata, who both grinned at you, waving.

You felt eyes on your back but you shook them off. You needed to talk to Sakusa and tell him you needed a ride home, or to his place.

After about twenty minutes, Sakusa exited the locker room. He wore black sweatpants and a MBSY hoodie. His hair was went and his curls were on full display.

You stared at him with a slightly gape smile. Sakusa was the most beautiful man you had ever had the pleasure of seeing, and he was all yours.

You smiled at him when you caught his eye. “Omi, you did so well!”

Sakusa smiled at you, his eyes crinkling. It was a rare sight, but with you smiling at him and praising him, Sakusa couldn’t help it. He walked towards you, but you could see his eyes darting behind you and around you.

He was scared someone would see.

Sakusa and you walked out of the gym, hand in hand. It had been almost an hour since the game ended, and as you both walked and engaged in small talk, the idea of people still being around was not on your mind.

“Hey, Omi,” Sakusa turned his head slightly to look at you, “can I ride with you? The bus isn’t coming at this hour.”

Sakusa nodded, squeezing your hand. “Of course.”

He hated seeing you get on the bus after games when he would much rather have you seated beside him, but he wasn’t ready for the questions or the media that would come with a public relationship. Sakusa hated attention, and he knew that he had dedicated fans. The last thing he wanted was to make himself or you uncomfortable.

When the automatic doors opened, Sakusa immediately dropped your hand.

People hadn’t left. Fans surrounded the doors and your eyes widened. Curious and heated eyes eyed you and Sakusa, and your now unlinked hands.

Sakusa took a step away from you and your heart twisted. With his mask covering most of his face, you couldn’t tell what he was feeling or thinking.

Questions came blaring at Sakusa about you.

“Are you guys dating?”

“Is she your girlfriend?”

“You’re dating that?”

“Are you guys together?”

You licked your lips at the looks you received. Some were filled with disgust, others with hatred. You now realized why Sakusa had wanted to keep your relationship private, but there was no point in hiding it now.

They had seen you holding hands, and you were waiting for Sakusa to say something.

And he did.

Just not what you were expecting.

“No, we’re not together.”

Your heart dropped into to your stomach and you slowly turned to face him. With wide eyes and a frown, you stared at Sakusa’s blank eyes.

Yes, you hadn’t been together long, but for him to blatantly disregard your relationship made you feel like he was embarrassed of you.

And maybe he was.

Fans turned their heads to look at you for your reaction. You swallowed the lump in your throat and tried your best to smile. You understood where Sakusa was coming from, but he has no right to embarrass you or ignore your relationship.

You were worth more than that.

You pulled your sweater tighter around you. “Yes,” you said. You looked at Sakusa in the eyes and then said, “We’re not together.”

You pushed past the crowd and began walking down the street. You could hear the crowd firing questions at Sakusa but their voices fell flat on your ears. It wasn’t fair to Sakusa pick and choose when he wanted to ‘be’ in a relationship. Instead of flat out saying that you weren’t together, he could have chosen not to answered.

You scoffed, tired of his games. Now you were waking alone at night, all because Sakusa was too afraid to deal with the outcome of a public relationship.

The air was chilling and you were afraid. Walking home in the dark was dangerous, and you knew that. But there was no other way to get home.

Or so you thought.

A silver car pulled up beside you and you almost started crying until you saw a familiar silver-haired man poke his head out. Bokuto stared at you with disbelief. “Y/n? What are you doing walking at this house?”

You blinked a few times before chuckling. Of course Bokuto would be your knight in shining armour.

You shrugged, spreading your arms. “Just walking home after my boyfriend told everyone we’re not together.”

Bokuto frowned. He parked the car and nodded at you. “Come, I’ll give you a lift home.”

You smiled at Bokuto and nodded, walking to the passenger side and slipping in. You sighed in content. His car was warm.

“Bo, you played really well today.” Bokuto grinned at you, drumming his hands on the steering wheel.

“Thanks, y/n! Did you see my receive at the end? Wasn’t it amazing?”

You laughed, telling him it was. Sitting with Bokuto and talking like friends took your mind off Sakusa, who was sitting in his own car, frowning.

When you got home, you thanked and said goodbye to Bokuto, immediately making your way to your bed. Your phone rang and you ignored it, knowing who it was.

You slipped under your covers and shut your eyes, too tired to change or do anything. Your heart still hurt from Sakusa’s words and you told yourself you’d shower and change your bed sheets when you wake up.

Three hours later, your eyes fluttered open at the sound of your doorbell and loud knocking.

You groaned and got out of bed, fixing your shirt. You opened the door as you yawned, and your eyes fell on Sakusa. He stood rigidly outside your door. His eyes wide with concern and his fist raised to knock.

You blinked a few times before shutting the door on his face.

“Y/n!” Sakusa quietly shouted. “Open the door.”

You shook your head, and then realized he couldn’t see you. “No. Go away, Kiyoomi. I’m tired.”

Sakusa sighed, slightly leaning against your door. When he drove down the street you had walked on, only to find you gone, he panicked. He had driven down the road twice and around the block to look for you but he couldn’t find you. Sakusa had never felt so guilty in his life.

When he tried calling you, he got no answer. It wasn’t until Bokuto had texted him that he accidentally had his knee pads and had dropped you off that his heart had settled a little.

The knowledge of you being in a car alone with Bokuto made Sakusa slightly angry. But then he realized you wouldn’t have been with him if he hadn’t been such a coward and a terrible boyfriend.

“Please, y/n,” you heard Sakusa’s strained voice come through the door. “I need to see you.”

You sighed and opened the door, walking to your sofa so Sakusa could let himself in. You sat crossed legged on the sofa, hugging a pillow.

Sakusa silently walked in, gently shutting the door behind him. You stared at him through tired and slightly annoyed eyes.

Sakusa walked up to you, scratching the back of his neck. You gently shut your eyes, tired.

“I tried calling you.”

You scoffed, opening your right eye to stare at Sakusa’s awkward stance.

“Congratulations.”

Sakusa let out a sigh, and then awkwardly shuffled towards the couch, sitting beside you, but not close to you.

“I’m sorry, y/n. I shouldn’t have said that we weren’t together.”

You sighed, opening up both your eyes and laying the pillow on your lap. You turned your head to face Sakusa and your eyes slightly widened. Sakusa was slightly hunched, and his lips were pulled into a frown, his eyes a cloud of emotions you couldn’t decipher.

“What would you have said, Kiyoomi?”

Sakusa turned his head, meeting your eyes. “What do you mean?”

You cleared your throat. “You said you shouldn’t have said we weren’t together. What would you have said instead, then?”

Sakusa was silent. He knew that you were tired of him brushing you off when it came to your relationship in public and he felt terrible. But Sakusa wasn’t ready for the media and attention he knew that he would get.

“I... don’t—”

You sat up straighter, cutting Sakusa off.

“Kiyoomi, I know that you’re not comfortable with a public relationship, and I totally understand that, but you completely shut us down tonight. I had to walk home alone, and who knows what would have happened if Bokuto hadn’t come.”

Sakusa’s frowned deepened.

“I just... I don’t know. I guess I want to be treated like your equal and not someone you can just brush off when it’s convenient for you.”

Sakusa’s eyes widened and he sharply turned his head to face you. “You are my equal, y/n.”

You let out a small laugh. “It doesn’t feel like it.”

Silence washed over you both, and you stared at your feet. You were in stalemate. You couldn’t tell Sakusa that you wanted him to reveal your relationship. You would never do that. But you didn’t want him to completely shut you down in public either.

Sakusa cleared his throat, and when you lifted your head, your eyes slightly widened. He was much closer than he was before.

With a hesitant pause, Sakusa gently put his thin pale hand on your knee. You watched through careful eyes.

Sakusa rarely ever ignited touch with you.

“I’m genuinely really sorry, y/n. I was only thinking for myself, only considering how I would feel.”

You slightly nodded, confirming his words.

“Come with me to the game tomorrow.”

You lifted your eyes to meet his, surprised with his words. When you really looked at him, past the gentleness in his eyes, you saw promise.

There was no sign of nervousness. No indication of uncomfortableness.

“I am coming to the game tomorrow.”

Sakusa shook his head, gently rubbing your clothed knee unconsciously. “No, I mean,” Sakusa licked his lips, suddenly self-conscious. “Come with me tomorrow.”

You raised an eyebrow. Confused at what he was insinuating.

“As my girlfriend.”

You stared at Sakusa, waiting for him to take back his words.

“Kiyoomi... I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

Sakusa shook his head, a small gentle smile on his lips. He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to your forehead. You stared at him, a look of shock on your face.

Sakusa pulled back, his lips pulling into a slightly wider grin. Your own lips lifted into a smile and you both stared at each other with goofy smiles and gentle eyes filled future promises.

“If you ever embarrass me like that in public though,” you narrowed your eyes at him. “I’ll tell the world you only eat blue teddy bear gummies.”

“Consider me threatened.”

hehe. angst refund @elektrosonix ? even though this is angst BUT there’s comfort at the end!

taglist: @h-grangerstudies @elektrosonix @snoozless @ackerpotato @asterroidd @rinrinniesstuff @bokuatsubro @literaleftist @howcanyoubreathewithnozaire @addicedtoeverythinganime @felixsamour @megumeee @aghashiii @fail-big

[brywrites]

Gifted

Spencer Reid x Reader. Summary: All his life Spencer Reid has been told he’s gifted. And all his life he’s wondered what the point was of those gifts that felt like curses. Until her.

--------

Though he holds so many memories in his mind, Spencer Reid isn’t quite sure who the first person to call him “gifted” was. It was probably his mother, he thinks. Certainly not his father, who thought he was strange. Perhaps a teacher, or maybe even his Aunt Ethel. All he’s certain of is that he’s lost track of the number of times people have praised the so-called gifts he possesses. His eidetic memory, his autodidactism, his absurdly high IQ. His mind, they say, is a gift. But it’s felt more like a curse for most of his life.

Those same things that helped him skip grades and earn the praise of adults brought him years of bullying taunts and miserable adolescent trauma. They isolated him from his peers. His companions were library books and stories and mathematic proofs – nothing with a beating heart. They plagued his nightmares, for his mother had been brilliant too and what had that done for her? And those gifts came with a tremendous burden of pressure, they demanded use in a powerful way. Reid was always terrified he’d fail to live up to that impossible potential, proving himself unworthy of such great and terrible gifts.

By the time he’s thirty-six, he wonders why he was ever given such gifts in the first place. Clearly he’s squandered them, spent them on chasing monsters he thought might be human. They turned out to be hydras – for each one they catch, two more take its place. He’s let his mind waste away on drugs, on grief. In shacks and in prison and in grudges he just can’t let go of. He’s saved lives, he knows, but his team do that same thing without the gifts he’s been cursed with. What’s the point of him? Of any of the talents or tricks he possesses?

And it’s that question on his mind as he walks into a Virginia library to interview a witness to the latest in a string of serial arsons. Her name tag says Y/N. She’s clearly nervous, a little shaken, but she manages a smile when a child runs up to interrupt and ask her how to find The Magic Tree House books. And when she turns back to look at Reid, that smile still lingers – her eyes so bright it catches him off guard. She takes him back to the area of the library that was burned to talk about the crime scene, and she off-handedly asks if he has a favorite.

And when he says, “Oh I could never choose just one favorite. I love books too much for that,” that smile returns, unexpectedly bright.

“A man after my own heart,” she says. “Tell me a few then.” 

So he rattles off a handful, hoping at least one of them will keep that light in her eyes. They do. “Bradbury is one of my favorites, too. I just love Dandelion Wine. Sorry, I probably should focus on the fire. I try to distract myself when I feel stressed, and well, remembering what happened that night doesn’t exactly help with my anxiety.”

“It’s okay,” he tells her. “I tend to ramble when I’m nervous. Or excited. Really, I think I just talk a lot.” Another smile, one that crinkles the corners of her eyes. Over the course of the investigation, the BAU has to ask her to come to the station twice. By chance, Reid finds himself interviewing her both times, and both times he finds himself rambling a little more than he means to – because he finds himself inexplicably a little nervous and a little excited in her presence. It’s that smile, the one that lingers long in his mind after she leaves each time.

There’s something about her, about the light she seems to carry, that draws him in. That compels him to say yes when he shows up at the library to inform her they’ve caught the unsub and she asks, “Could I buy you a cup of coffee to show my appreciation? If that’s not too much, of course.”

“I think that would be perfect,” he says. And as they sit at the café across the street with lattes in oversized mugs, he’s never been so grateful for his vast knowledge of literature. Each title is a start into a new conversation with her, and they swap stories about stories – the ones they have lived and the ones they have loved. When she disappointedly announces her break is over, she adds, “But maybe we could do this again sometime?”

“Yes,” he says. “Please.”

“How should I get in touch with you if you’re not showing up at the library to interrogate me, Dr. Reid?” she teases.

He hastily withdraws his cell phone from his pocket and offers it to her. She begins to type in her number. “You, um, you can call me Spencer,” he tells her.

She grins at him and something in his chest shifts at the sight. “I’ll definitely call you soon, Spencer.” He’s never liked the sound of his own name more. And he thanks that eidetic memory of his for allowing him to replay it again and again in his mind until he can see her next.

.

They get coffee again the first chance he gets. And then again. When she asks how he has time to read so much and he tells her about how his mind works – about his memory and speed-reading and quantified intelligence, all the things that have been called gifts – she thinks for a moment before saying, “That must be lonely.”

The relief he feels at her understanding is immense. “It is sometimes,” he admits. “But it’s felt less so lately.” They go to a park together. Then out to dinner. By the time he realizes he’s falling, he’s forgotten what it feels like to be on solid ground. Fortunately, he isn’t the only one at the mercy of gravity. She feels it too. And when she laughs at his joke as he walks her home from dinner, he just can’t help himself. He leans in and cups her cheek to pull her to him, pressing his lips to her still-smiling lips. The taste of wine still on her tongue. And though he doesn’t drink anymore, the sensation of her is enough to make him feel utterly intoxicated.

Slowly, his life fills up with her. His sabbatical arrives with the perfect timing to allow him evenings and weekends with her. He picks her up after work. She meets him for breakfast. He takes her to the planetarium. She falls asleep on his couch. He tells her it won’t always be this way and she assures him that’s okay. But it gives him the chance to build the foundation their relationship needs. It’s in that time that he begins to catalogue her smiles in his memory. The dazzling ones she sends his way when she spots him at a coffee shop. The soft, shaky ones she wears after a long kiss. The coy ones that twist the corner of her mouth when she’s teasing him. The nervous one that slowly grows when she meets his team for the first time – not as a witness, but as his girlfriend. A title she declares like a badge of honor. He holds each smile in his mind, picture perfect thanks to that eidetic memory. When a case has been particularly tough or he’s away for longer than he’d like, he flips through them in his mind, trying to remember the cause of each one, trying to hold on to that light until he can hold her in his arms again.

.

He surprises her with flowers on her birthday. “You remembered?” she gasps, her eyes wide. “And these – these are my favorite. How did you know?”

“I could never forget,” he laughs, but she stares down at the bouquet and clutches them to her chest.

“I don’t make a big deal about my birthday, so people don’t usually remember,” she says quietly. “And nobody’s ever gotten me flowers before. Thank you, Spencer.” A pause, and then, “I love you.”

He grins from ear to ear. Forget the sound of his name, those three words are the most beautiful thing he’s ever heard. “I love you, too.” It’s a first for both of them. And one week later comes another first – witnessing her panic attacks for the first time. She’s shaking too hard to tell him what she needs, so he tries to do what would help him. He sits down next to her on his living room rug and wraps her in his arms. He rests his head on her shoulder and murmurs the words to her favorite poem. She seems to breathe a little easier and so he recites another one she loves, and another until her breathing finally steadies and she unclenches her fists to wrap her arms around his neck, burying her face in his sweater.

Suddenly it doesn’t feel like such a curse to remember everything he reads when it means he can give her the words she loves when she needs them most.

The first time they sleep together is only the second time he’s been intimate with someone and he feels more awkward than he wishes he was. But he commits himself to studying, to remembering what she likes and what she doesn’t, and the next time he proves to be the quickest of learners when he succeeds at making her come within a matter of minutes. He discovers a new smile of hers, one of dreamy bliss and kiss-swollen lips. He loves it. He loves her, adores every single part of her she’s shared with him and every piece yet to be found. And to his continued surprise and delight, she loves him just as much.

He tries every day to be worthy of that love. He makes time for her. He goes to meet her friends and he shakes their hands even though he hates touching people, even though she insists, “You don’t have to. They won’t mind.” He does it because she’s the only person in the world whose touch he actually craves.

When she swoons over a dress Penelope has shown her on Instagram, he makes a note of it. She’s utterly enamored by it by her smile falls upon checking the price tag. It’s far out of her budget. So the next week when he’s out on a case in Atlantic City, he swings by one of the few casinos that doesn’t have his picture framed on the wall of their security office. He wins more than the cost of the dress in an hour and leaves before anyone can get suspicious. The dress arrives at his apartment the same day he gets home, and he invites her over to surprise her with it. When she opens the box, her eyes go wide.

“Spencer, this is… this can’t be. It’s… do you know how expensive this is?” Y/N asks.

Bashfully, he replies, “Now might be a good time to mention I’m banned from casinos in almost every state for my card counting abilities.” It’s well worth the little effort he expended to see the way her face lights up at the sight of it. And though he’s never been a gambling man, when he sees her wearing it for the first time he considers trying his luck a little more often.

At times he worries he’s doing too much, but how could it ever be when the way she loves him has been so much more than enough? For the first time in his life, he feels like maybe he’s enough. When she says, “I love you,” he believes it. When she says, “I’ll be back,” he trusts her. He’s given another person more of his heart than he ever has before, and for once he’s not afraid of it breaking. She doesn’t mind the strange hours he works or heaviness he sometimes carries with him. When he wakes up from a nightmare, she holds him close and keeps him grounded. He sends postcards from each city he visits and she makes his favorite food when he comes home and home is suddenly a place they share. She moves into his apartment and it feels like it was never complete without her there.

.

Not long after, there is a case in Boston. Their terrifyingly intelligent unsub taunts Reid as he leaves the interrogation room. “Judge me all you want, Dr. Reid. But I’ve used my mind to change the world. You’ve done nothing with yours.” The words haunt him on the flight home. He sits on the back of the plane lost in thought. What has he done? Sure he’s saved lives, but could he have done more? Could someone else have used those gifts he’s been burdened with in a way that was better? Why does he have any of these talents? Why has he acquired any of these skills?

His phone chimes. A text from her. Brought home a new book from the library I think you’ll love! Can’t wait to see you, dearest. And it hits him.

It’s her. All along it’s been her.

The answer echoes in his head as he races home to her. Everything in his life has led him to her, has let him be the person she needs. He can memorize all her favorite songs and poems to recite for her when her anxiety gets the best of her. He can remember every date that matters to her and everything she adores. He can read her favorite books overnight to talk about them with her in the morning. He can profile from her body language and her microexpressions when she’s having a bad day and needs him to be there for her, even when she’s too afraid to ask for what she needs. When she asks absurd questions out of the blue, he can give her actual answers with the useless encyclopedia of knowledge he’s obtained over the years. When she needs a distraction his rambling finally proves useful. It’s all for her.

She’s the reason his mind doesn’t feel like a curse anymore. How could he ever think of it with disdain when it’s the reason he can picture every smile she’s ever let him see? When he can catalogue every wonderful word from her lips, every inch of her skin, every action that drives her wild.

Reid can’t seem to open the door to their apartment fast enough. When he finally steps inside, she’s sitting on the couch. She turns away from the book in her lap to smile at him. “Welcome back,” she says. Then, tilting her head, “Is everything okay?”

An unshakeable grin spreads across his face and he knows he must look like a madman right now as he crosses the living to sit beside her. “Everything’s perfect. I just… I had this epiphany. All the things I hate about myself, you love. And all the things I can do let me love you better. It just feels like everything – everything has led me to you. Even the bad things, I mean, being in prison forced me to take sabbaticals and if I hadn’t we wouldn’t have had that time together early on and maybe we wouldn’t have worked and I don’t believe in fate,” he says, taking a breath. “But I can’t help but feel like for the first time, I’m right where I’m supposed to be. With you. Like that’s where I was meant to be all along. And I… I just thought you should know.”

His long-winded rambling is rewarded with one of his favorite smiles from her – one that makes her eyes soft and puts sunsets to shame. The kind she wears when she is incandescently happy. Her fingers lace through his and they are a perfect fit in his big hands. “There is nowhere else I’d rather be,” she says, leaning in to kiss him.

All his life, Spencer Reid has been told he is gifted. But this time, he thinks it might actually be true. He holds the greatest gift the universe has ever granted him in his arms and knows that no part of him is a curse if he is loved by her.