#and again sorry for taking so long to respond to this

[joelslastofus]

[SUMMARY: Pregnant reader saves Joel from Abby.]

That’s when you looked back at Joel and for just a moment, a glimpse of the vulnerable fear he had just felt flickered in his eyes.

You knew how Joel would feel about you coming after him, you knew if he had even the slightest idea that you were heading out there he would’ve found a way to stop you if he could. The two of you only just finding out you were pregnant weeks before, Joel was extra protective of you. He made Tommy give him his word that he would care for you while he did patrol. But the moment you knew Joel wasn’t responding and heard about the lodge, you had to go even if it meant sneaking behind Tommy’s back. You were supposed to be locked in a basement with other women, children and the elderly, but you refused to do so. Your love for Joel being too strong to just sit by and wait it out, you left without looking back.

The blizzard was brutal, you could no longer feel your face, the snow making it hard for you to even see, until you finally saw a horse from afar.

It had to be Joel’s horse.

Joel looked back out the window at the scene going on in Jackson, thinking of you…thinking of his unborn child. A panic brewing inside him and it had nothing to do with his life being threatened but because he couldn’t help you, he couldn’t keep you safe and that to him was the most important thing.

As sneaky as you were, it didn’t take long for Tommy to find out you were missing. Knowing how crazy his brother was about you, he got things under control with the other men and quickly got on his horse heading out to find you.

Walking into the lodge you could hear a woman’s voice, anger to her tone but you couldn’t make out what she was saying.

Then you heard Joel’s voice as you got closer and your heart skipped a beat.

“Military” you listened closely. With your gun in hand, you slowly opened the door to see Joel with his hands up. He was being questioned by people you’ve never seen before. Your lips parting you took a step back not knowing what to do when suddenly you were grabbed from behind. A hand over your mouth you were dragged to a corner before you heard a very familiar voice.

“I’m gonna get in there first, you stay behind me. Alright?”

It was Tommy.

Boy had you never been so relieved to hear his voice. Quickly you nodded as he let go and headed to the door in front of you.

Looking over at you, he counted with his fingers and on 3 he busted into the room with his gun immediately going off.

Tommy moved quickly taking down 4 when you noticed the woman who was speaking to Joel looking back directly at you. Without saying a word you aimed your gun at her and shot her straight in the head. Just like that she was on the floor. Joel stood in shock, speechless, his hands still halfway in the air. You couldn’t speak, you couldn’t believe what you had just walked into. Tommy took a quick look around the room making sure there wasn’t more of them around before he turned to his brother.

“Joel, we good?” Tommy called out to him.

“Yeah” Joel finally responded blankly. His eyes not leaving you until you dropped everything and ran to him. His arms instantly catching you, closing around you as he held you tightly. Neither of you saying a word but you could feel him trembling.

“Joel, I was so-“ he suddenly grabbed your face and made you look up at him.

“Don’t cha ever pull somethin’ like this again, ya leave this to Tommy ya hear me?” His lip trembled. The thought of anything happening to you or his baby because he was in trouble was something he was not going to allow. But Joel’s eyes instantly softened the moment he looked at you and noticed the fear you just felt. Your damn stubbornness saving him.

“I’m sorry” he quickly whispered.

“I couldn’t leave you out here knowing something bad could be happening..” you whispered through tears.

“Tommy didn’t know I left” Joel looked up at his brother who confirmed what you said with a nod. Joel still held your face in his hands before you turned around to see the body of the woman you had just killed on the ground.

“Nice shot” Tommy uttered low with a chuckle before stepping over her and out of the room. That’s when you looked back at Joel and for just a moment, a glimpse of the vulnerable fear he had just felt flickered in his eyes.

“Are you okay?” You caressed his face with your hand, your thumb brushing over his facial hair as he looked down at you.

“I’ll be fine, let’s get cha back home” as usual, you always being his main concern.

Once you were back home, Joel was surprised to see everything that had happened. Jesse and the other men keeping as much of the town together as they could but in that moment nothing mattered to you.

Nothing but Joel.

Aside from repeatedly asking you if you felt ok, he hadn’t said much of anything else since returning.

“Please come to bed, Joel” you walked to the doorway holding your robe tightly around you. Joel sitting on the porch like he usually did when he had a lot on his mind, guitar in hand.

“Get inside, doll. Too damn cold for you to be standin’ there”

“I don’t wanna go to bed without you” you sighed.

“Please” you whispered. Joel pressed his lips together and gave you a nod.

He didn’t say much when he first came in, he almost seemed to be avoiding eye contact but you knew him very well. Taking his hand you led him to the bedroom. Slowly helping him take off his coat and gloves, he didn’t say a word.

“Baby, talk to me” you took his face gently in your hands and made him look up at you. Eyes filled with sadness, worry, thoughts that you wish you could take away.

“We’re okay” you whispered as if you needed to remind him, you felt his hand on your stomach and looked down. The thought of him not being around to keep you both safe was one he couldn’t bear.

“Joel?” You spoke softly looking back up at him, a knot in his throat when he suddenly pulled you against his body. A breath of relief feeling your arms close around him. He closed his eyes feeling your body against him, he didn’t want to let you go.

“I love you so damn much, baby” he choked out making you tear up.

“I love you too” still, he held you and you let him. Your hand making swirls in his thick waves when you remembered Ellie.

“Joel,” he slowly pulled back hearing the tone in your voice.

“Before anything happened today…after you left…Ellie-“

“Tommy told me she’s fine” his brows furrowed.

“Yes, she is. Joel she was looking for you earlier,” you smiled knowing how much this would mean to him.

“She wanted to talk to you and needed your help with making somethin-“

“Her lights already out, maybe I can-“

“First thing in the morning”

You assured him with a smile.

“We all had a long day and need our rest. She said she’ll be waiting for you” you kissed him on the lips and turned to bed.

That night Joel slept in a way he hadn’t slept in a long time. He slept feeling at ease, thinking of Ellie, thinking of you and your baby..

(I can’t add more people to the tag it says no more than 50 I’m sorry)

@itsamandi @starry-eyes-love @theoraekenslover @psychoenergy @joeldjarin @heartpatch @baronessvonglitter @guelyury @mynameistokyo @harriedandharassed @locaparapedrito @untamedheart81 @rosaliedepp @illyanam1011 @hopefulatrocity @tikikiki @thewritermj @l0veang3l @manuymesut @katiemarieeee @unknownomgg @secretcheesecakenacho @missladym1981 @xmaykeca @dendulinka6 @wintersquirrel @malfoycassimalfoy @scorpio-echo @orcasoul @mysteryhexgirl @locaparapedrito @alloftheimagines @mystickittytaco

@ashleyfilm @justajoelsreader @lonely-ey3s

@elliesr1fle @ro-nahime-things @southernbe @dendulinka6 @laliceee @just-mj-or-not @iamtoriasworld @katwriteshardy @gwend0lyne @lily-mylove @antobooh @sukivenue @keileighr

@readingiskeepingmegoing

[frombookstoretobookstore]

Request if you have time!!! Could u do an Abbott surgical tech reader ( surgical techs assist during surgery abs um going to school for it!!) where the comfort eachother have the pit fest accident maybe a lil spice!

Alright so I really tried my best to nail the surgical tech but but what do I know? I work with plants for a living! I hope you enjoy this and I'm so sorry it took me so long!

TW: Mention of mass casualty event, blood, medical inaccuracies, hint of spice at the end.

Masterlist

The Offer

Today has been hell. No, Y/n was positive not even hell was this bad.

Y/n had spent the first few minutes before the onslaught of the shooting victims running around and gathering supplies, doing her best to anticipate what they’d need downstairs. Her and her colleagues had started throwing everything they could into disaster bins.

She’d been pulled down to the ED floor shortly after, running around with supplies, responding to calls for chest tubes and intubation trays, and trying not to slip in the blood that continued to pool on the floor.

“Can someone stabilize for a flip?” She isn’t even sure who calls for it, just that she’s there to stabilize a neck as a doctor rolls the patient to check the exit wound of a bullet. She’s handing him an IO and a unit of O Neg before they can even ask.

“Always four steps ahead.” Abbot breathes, working quickly to get an IO in. “If needed, bone marrow transfusion is just as good as an IV.”

“Need a hand?” She hears Robby ask as she’s passing over a laryngoscope before Abbot can even hold his hand out.

“I’ve got two hands.” Abbot says a small smile forms on Y/n’s face as she’s passing over an endotracheal tube. She nods at him before taking off again to help someone calling for more tools.

A few minutes later, after having to catch herself on the nurses’ station as she slides, she hears Abbot calling that the patient she’d just assisted on, hadn’t made it.

She doesn’t even have time to think of the loss before she’s off running again, answering a call for another set of hands. She can feel the stress and exhaustion sitting in the base of her skull, her shift having ended hours ago, but she pushes it aside as she’s dodging and weaving around patients, doctors, and nurses.

This goes on for hours, something that feels like a lifetime. She’s running around, anticipating needs, and helping where she can.

Y/n can still feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins, a harsh counterpoint to the utter exhaustion in her bones. Her reflection in the mirror stares back at her, pale and drawn, her eyes shadowed by the ghosts of what she can’t unsee.

She’s fully determined to pull herself together, to not let the tragedies follow her home and into her dreams. She wanted the reprieve of being able to leave everything at the doors of the hospital, to not go through every moment that had happened today, every choice she’d made.

However, she isn’t so lucky today. After helping clear the ED of the remnants of the mass casualty, she’s sitting up on the roof, breathing in the fresh air like a lifeline.

She’s so in her head, she jumps slightly when Abbot sits down next to her, a juice box offered to her as he opens his own.

“Never in a million years did I think I’d see Dr. Jack Abbot drinking a juice box while sitting on the roof. Standing near the edge sure, but sitting here? Never.” He chuckles softly as she all but chugs the juice, the sugar helping her with her adrenaline come down. 

“I’d have brought you a sandwich, but Whitaker snatched the last one.” He’s looking out at the skyline, the silence between the comfortable. He knocks his knee against her when he notices her hands are still shaky.

“I know it’s literally the point of your job to be one step ahead of all of us, but down there, you were incredible. I’ve never seen someone so focused.” She nods slightly, a flat lipped smile on her face. He places his hand in hers, squeezing it slightly.

She inhales deeply, willing the night air to fix her, to calm her, to let her leave all of this behind when she leaves.

“I’ll be washing my hands every ten minutes for the next week.” She laughs slightly, squeezing Abbot’s hand back. 

“These things,” he says as he sighs, “stick with you longer than we feel it should. But down there, that isn’t normal.”

“A brief reprieve to witness the worst of humanity.” She says, a dark chuckle erupts from her chest.

“Yeah, something like that.” He laughs, understanding her need to be sarcastic after what they’d both witnessed.

“After something like this, what do you do? Not the processing part, but the decompressing after the initial event.” She’s letting her head fall on his shoulder as they keep looking out.

“A shower, a nice bottle of whiskey, listen to a few records.” She laughs at his nonchalance. He places a small kiss to the top of her head, their fingers intertwined. Neither thinks too hard about the intimacy, both are too busy relishing in the contact.

“Care to join?”

“What?!” She sputters, coughing slightly on her juice as she removes herself from Abbot to look at him, his eyes shining as he laughs. 

Abbot’s laughter fades as he leans back to look at her. “I was serious though. Sometimes, when the night gets too heavy, you need something to snap you out of it. Music works for me—helps me tune out the noise.”

She couldn’t help but smile faintly, “Never pictured you as the vinyl type,” she murmurs, teasing him.

He shrugs, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “There’s a lot about me you don’t know, yet.”

“Yet?” She asks, raising an eyebrow while still letting herself relax, their hands still faintly brushing.

He chuckles, turning to face her fully. “Well, if you ever decide to take me up on that offer; whiskey, records, and maybe even a decent meal.”

“Does that offer extend to tonight? Wasn’t it supposed to be you day off? I don’t want to crash it.”

“I would love nothing more for you to crash my day off, or what’s left of it.” He laughs, their hands intertwining again.

She turns to look at him; his eyes appear sunken and fatigued, and his hair is disheveled, likely due to repeatedly running his hands through it. He smiles softly at her, and she finds comfort in his gaze, returning his smile.

She stands and offers her hand down to him. He smirks as he takes her hand and allows her to lead them inside to the elevator.

“I take it that’s a yes to my offer?” He asks, an eyebrow raised, and his arms crossed as they descend.

“Nah, figured I’d continue my existential crisis at home by myself.” She laughs, earning a soft chuckle from Abbot, his gaze still trained on her. “I’d do just about anything for a decent meal.”

He chuckles softly, letting his head rest against the elevator wall, his gaze still on her, on her lips.

“Anything?” He asks.

“Just about anything. Who knows. After a shower and a meal, I could be down.” She’s stepping towards him, a sultry smirk on her face. He inhales slightly as she enters his space.

“Depends on how good the meal is.” She winks, breezing past him to gather her things from the surgical floor. She turns to him before the elevator doors close. “That, and how willing you’d be to get on your knees and show me a good time.”

He closes his eyes with a groan, her laughter filtering in through the doors as they close. He smirks to himself when he exits the elevator, intent on showing her just how good of a time he can be.

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

A/N: Requests are still open so feel free to send some in! As usual let me know what y'all think!

[ladyrosemone]

Love in paradise

I'm what you want here I'm what you need here - Bárbara Wangui

Using Google Translate here! 🗣‼️‼️ I'm so sorry for the delay, It turns out that when you put off something important until the last minute, there are consequences, who would have guessed? Without further ado, I hope you like this chapter (?) part (?) It will at least be a continuous story (?)

Tags: @tsuniio, @simpingpandas, @dakotali, @softycheol, @cristy-101.

The air freezes in that small room.

It was impossible, it is impossible; it makes no sense for you to be here but you are, for you to be the mastermind behind the ambush you beat them at their own game, you should…you should…you should…

"Heyyy" you hum with barely concealed amusement, how long has it been since you fantasized about this moment! Sure, they could have been more dramatic or screamed like in the cartoons, but bats were never sentimental people. You yourself have better emotional control, and that's already a low bar for someone who self-registered for therapy "Do we have a deal-"

"Shut up!" shouts Red Hood, the ever-volatile Jason, pointing his loaded gun at you "Stop these fucking games! Who the fuck do you think you are?!"

Nightwing seems intent on stopping him, but he has no desire to truly do so beyond making faces. That's always been his specialty and his weakness, too expressive even when he doesn't want to be.

The reactions of the baits who call themselves your brothers aren't relevant; now, standing before the man who broke your heart, you must make a deal.

And before being a father, Bruce is Batman.

.

.

.

The ride to Wayne Manor is awkward, and you're not even riding with them in the Batmobile. Instead, your chauffeur takes you through the nostalgic (and boring) dark and disgustingly dirty streets of Gotham; seriously, Bruce claims to be the city's protector, and that's how he treats it? Now you get a sense of his concept of caring.

"Is this really a good idea?" Michelle, at your side like another limb, was almost always the voice that restrained you. Not in a bad way; God knows what you'd do if she didn't stop you, which is why you let her whisper in your ear where with other people you'd have cut out their tongues for even questioning you.

"Do you care about me?" you ask calmly, too calmly for the situation you've just created. Your partner doesn't respond, there's no need, and real words were never necessary between you anyway "We're here" you hum with false emotion at the foreboding gates of the Wayne grounds.

Lush as a cemetery and cold as a glacier, those cursed lands you never thought you'd visit welcome you with a sarcastic normality, as if no time had passed since you left, as if your presence were a rock covering one of your grandparents' graves in the backyard.

You won't allow yourself to feel that way ever again. You are powerful, you are the ruler of the most rotten part of the city. You are feared, hated, and admired. You are someone, you are someone…

"We're here" Michelle declares, getting out of the car to open the door for you. How many times have you told her not to do it before! Do you do anything to stop it? Not really.

Your footsteps echo like war drums in the middle of an armed camp, one after the other and slowly until you reach the exaggeratedly large and old wooden door, so…the same as it has been for so many years that it makes you nauseous. Nothing changes here, and yet, it feels so different.

Your attention snaps back to reality when the gates of the underworld open (you love to exaggerate, but in another life you'd be a good actor) and reveal the fusion of Charon and Cerberus guarding the entrance; Alfred seems to have seen a ghost, or perhaps the past is finally catching up with him to collect his failings.

"Master…" he mutters as if he can't believe it, and he can't, not when he's given up on another grandchild because of a father's failings, because of his failings as a protector of the Wayne descendants.

You never lose your peaceful face, as if his storm were your sun "Dear Alfred" you greet him with nothing but sweetness which hides venom"Nice to see you again, have the others arrived yet? They must be in the Bat-cave, don't worry, I know how to get there! And why Bat-cave? I understand the point about bats living in caves, and that they are, but calling it Bat-cave, Bat-mobile, Bat-whatever? It's a case study, in my opinion"

You just talk the talk, you pass by without shame, and you don't care if Alfred keeps up with you; it's almost comical that he's more surprised that you know the secret than that he knows where it's hiding. A turn here, a shortcut there, and pushing an old-looking clock (they really need to update the house), how easy it is to enter the wolf's den, or in this case, the bat's.

"It's rude to keep a guest waiting" you announce your arrival when it seems the Robins are ready to board, putting everyone on high alert.

"What are you doing here?!"

"How did you get in?!"

"Who is she?!"

"Cassandra puts down the gun!"

As fun as it is to watch them go crazy and rush into battle stances like cute little ants, you have bigger business to handle. And you don't get to the top with violence alone.

It's time to tap into that mind you inherited from Daddy, use something of his to your advantage for once.

You enjoy it when you're on a winning streak.

[etherealising]

interlude one | my everything...

masterlist | ↢ previous chapter | next chapter ↣

pairing(s): carmen 'carmy' berzatto x fem!reader | fem!reader x original male character | the bear x fem!reader

summary: all it takes is one question from the girl carmy's been crushing on to send him spiraling. or, alternatively; the beginning of the end of your friendship with one carmen berzatto.

warning(s): vague mentions of terminal illness | talks of death |minimal editing |

wc: 8.7k

May 2013

Carmy stood behind your sitting figure, his arms caging you against the counter while his chin rested on your shoulder. He was doing his best to keep up with your corrections and explanations of the mind map he'd made for his English final analysis, but for the life of him, he just couldn't seem to follow along.

He let his eyes drift to the clock on the wall for a moment noting that you still had 30 minutes left in your shift, the restaurant was pretty empty allowing the two of you to squeeze in some time for your studies, which he appreciated considering he needed all the help he could get and it didn't hurt that it allowed the two of you to hang out. Something he was doing his best to take advantage of while the two of you were still in the same city, with graduation just a month away, he'd be leaving soon, a fact he seemingly forgot to bring up whenever he was in your company.

"Carmy, c'mon, I thought you were serious about this." Carmy was pulled from his thoughts as you spoke, eyes moving from the clock on the wall, only to find your head turned in his direction, your face just centimeters from his. "You're not even listening to me."

He found himself smiling at the slight whine in your voice and the adorable pout lining your lips, he could recite bits and pieces of the monologue you gave him if you asked him to and it wasn't because he gave a shit about The Illiad but he cared about you and he appreciated the time you were taking away from your own finals preparations to help him out.

"You know I always pay attention to you," his smile widened at the sight of you rolling your eyes and grumbling under your breath before moving to wrap one of his arms around your shoulders and pulling you into his chest for a hug, you tilted your head back to look up at him as he looked down on you. "Awe, c'mon, I promise, Baby."

Carmy watched as a small smile lined your lips, waiting for you to respond, only for the sound of a throat clearing to pull him from the trance he found himself trapped in while staring at you. His eyes shot forward, widening as he took in the figure standing opposite the two of you, before he rushed to distance himself from you, trying to ignore the subtle frown beginning to overtake your features.

"Um, I'm sorry for interrupting, but I was hoping I could put in an order." Carmy stood there, unsure of what to do with himself as he listened to you transition back into customer service mode.

"Claire, hey! Of course, what can I get for you?" He wasn't aware that you were on a first-name basis with the girl, but he drowned out the conversation happening in front of him and dropped his gaze to the ground in hopes it would make him less noticeable, wishing he could sneak off to the dining area without making a complete and utter fool of himself. By the time he raised his eyes, he found himself alone in the front of the restaurant with Claire gently smiling at him as the two of them stood in an awkward silence.

"So, um, how long have the two of you been together?" At the sound of Claire's question, Carmy furrowed his eyebrow, unsure if she was asking what he thought she was. The confusion on his face must have alerted her to his lack of understanding as she spoke up again. "She's your girlfriend, right? Sorry, it's none of my business."

He watched the way she shrank in on herself, adjusting her glasses as he tried to come to terms with the fact that he was talking with a girl who wasn't you, a girl who he'd been crushing on for longer than he could remember. And that thought alone prompted his response.

"No!" He silently cursed himself at the way his loud voice caused Claire to flinch before finishing his explanation. "Sorry, uh, yeah she's my girlfriend...not, n-no I mean she's like my girl w-who is also a friend." Carmy watched as she nodded, a feeling of warmth blooming in his chest even though the conversation wasn't off to the greatest start.

"Oh...okay," neither of them seemed to know how to keep the conversation going as they avoided each other's eyes, silence settling around them. "What's with the whole 'Baby' thing if you don't mind me asking?"

He nodded, taking a step closer to the counter so he wouldn't have to speak so loudly, "It's a uh nickname."

"Like 'Dirty Dancing'?"

Carmy offered Claire a small smile and nodded before another idle silence pierced through the front of the restaurant. He could hear everyone shuffling around in the back, sure you were helping to get the big dinner order Claire put in finished, so she didn't have to wait much longer.

"I've had a few classes with her, she's really nice and pretty cool to talk to." Claire seemed to be growing more comfortable with the conversation, which only helped to make Carmy feel a bit more confident in the whole situation. "I'm sorry for assuming the two of you were together, I just...I see you hanging out all the time, and well, everyone kind of thinks you're dating, so...yeah."

The smile on Carmy's face dropped, giving way to a frown. This was news to him, but it made sense considering he was a bit of a loner outside of having you and Fak. "We uh grew up together, you know...so guess that kind of explains it. But, I-I don't really think I could ever see her that way, s-she's my best friend I mean but I would never want to be with her i-in that capacity or any other," he trailed off hoping his words sounded as convincing as he was trying to make them seem even though he could feel doubt creeping up on him.

Before he could hear Claire's response, you walked back to the front with to-go bags in hand and began ringing Claire up.

"Sorry for the wait." Carmy found himself disappearing into the background once more as you and Claire engaged in conversation. He couldn't explain why, but Claire's theory surrounding the two of you kept pushing to the forefront of his mind, and he found his gaze drifting to the back of your head as her words rang in his ears. Carmy would be lying if he said he'd never thought of you in that way or didn't have the occasional inappropriate dream, but he chalked that all up to just being a teenager with hormones.

"Bye Carmen...I'll see you at school." He looked at Claire in surprise before sending a shy wave in her direction and watching as she left the establishment, hoping she didn't notice the flinch at the use of his full name, something he only tolerated from you.

He stood there for a moment longer before moving to collect his school supplies and help you wipe down the counters as he usually did whenever he was your ride home. You disappeared into the kitchen before returning with a bucket and rags, the two of you working in tandem to get everything clean, and all the while, all he could think of was what life would be like if the two of you were more than just friends.

Carmy's vision was blocked by the feel of two soft hands cupping his eyes and blocking out any sunlight. He felt his body relaxing back into yours, only knowing it was you because he could smell the perfume you always wore.

"Guess who?" Carmy felt himself involuntarily shudder as your whispered words caressed his ear, his heart beating just a bit faster. A sense of confusion raced through him, surprised by his reaction considering the number of times you'd done this before.

He reached up, gripping your hands and pulling them off his eyes, forcing you to slouch over his back as he pulled your arms down his torso. "I dunno, you kinda sound like this girl that pelted me with potatoes when we were six because I wouldn't play with her."

Your soft laughter rang through Carmy's ears while your arms moved to wrap around his shoulders as you hugged him from behind. He found a smile growing on his face when your face dropped next to his, your own smile on full display, "See how much more fun it is when you actually play along, Bear?"

Whatever reply Carmy prepared was stolen by the feel of your lips ghosting across his cheek, he felt like his heart was going into overdrive as he watched you walk around the table before sitting down across from him. He could tell you were speaking because he could see your lips moving, but the ringing in his ears made whatever you were saying to him incomprehensible. He began subtly shifting in his seat while looking at your lips, remembering just how it felt when they touched his skin moments ago. Carmy was confused, a constant feeling for him ever since his conversation with Claire at The Beef; you'd kissed him on the cheek plenty of times before and he never reacted in this way and he couldn't quite put his finger on what was so different this time, but he needed to figure it out and fast.

"So, have you given prom any thought? Tickets go on sale tomorrow." Your voice pulled Carmy back to reality as he reached for the flyer you slid across the lunch table and began to read the information on it. He knew how much you wanted to go and though he didn't understand your excitement for the event he found himself wanting to go just because you did, Carmy shrugged his shoulders letting the paper drop to the table before gearing up to ask if the two of you should go together only to be stopped by Fak's frantic arrival.

"Baby! Bear!" His lunch tray slamming against the table had you jumping in surprise, leg knocking into Carmy's under the table, before his foot gently tapped the top of yours for reassurance. "I have been sitting on the hottest piece of gossip all day, and now that we're all together, I can finally share."

Carmy listened as you laughed at Fak's eccentric behavior, his eyes being drawn to your smile, feeling one tug at his own lips. "Well, what is it?" The curiosity of your question was mirrored on your face as you looked at Fak, who had taken the empty spot next to Carmy, anticipation seeming to drip off of you.

"Alright, so get this, Claire's cousin Big Denny is dating Frannie's best friend Carla, but Frannie and Big Denny are sneaking around behind Carla's back. And so, because of that Big Denny's at the house sometimes," he paused his explanation to take a bite of his food, hardly giving himself time to finish chewing before he was talking once more. "And so last night Frannie and Big Denny were arguing because Carla found out that they were seeing each other because Josie, Carla's sister who also happens to be Big Denny's ex-wife, and he are sleeping together again, and Big Denny tells Josie everything. And Josie and my mom get their nails done at the same salon, and you know who else gets their nails done there?"

Your hand slamming down against the table in excitement drew a chuckle out of Carmy as he watched you become engrossed in Fak's storytelling. "Carla!"

"What? No Baby, Claire's mom. Why would you guess Carla?" Fak rolled his eyes as though the answer he'd just given even made any sense in the storyline he set up. "Anyway so they're all there getting their nails done, gossiping like us and Claire's mom told my mom that Josie told her that Claire told Carla that Carla told Big Denny that Big Denny told Josie that Claire has been crushing on somebody named Carmen for like months but she never made a move because of his girlfriend but turns out he's single and now she has a shot!"

As the confusion from the explanation cleared from Carmy's system, it gave way to shock as he finally internalized what Fak just admitted, his eyes widening at the new information he learned. He let his eyes stray to you for a moment, instantly clocking the way you seemed to physically deflate, your hand that was on the table now picking at the prom flyer you'd brought with you earlier. When you looked up and locked eyes with Carmy, he watched the forced smile grace your face, knowing that something soured your mood but unsure as to what it was.

"That's really great news for you, Carm, you'll finally get your chance with her." Carmy nodded along to your words, absentmindedly brows furrowing as his eyes danced across your face, hoping to detect some sort of evidence that would help him to understand your change in attitude.

Silence blanketed the table after your congratulations, and Carmy just couldn't wrap his head around the revelation Fak's words brought forth.

"You know, Carm, I thought you'd be more excited than this. I just hand-delivered the most top secret information of my life, and lemme tell you, Bear, it was not easy to come by." Fak resumed eating his lunch, all the while shaking his head in Carmy's direction.

Carmy was excited...at least that's what he was telling himself, but every so often, he would steal a glance at you, and then you were all he could think about. He'd been crushing on Claire for longer than he could remember and to know that he was even on her radar should have put him on cloud nine while he was surprised by the notion that she liked him he just couldn't get over the disappointment he felt every time he looked in your direction and you weren't smiling.

"No offense, Fak, but your storytelling skills could use some work." You shrugged your shoulders at Fak's offended look before reaching to steal one of his cheese fries. "You definitely buried the lede on that one."

A back-and-forth ensued between you and Fak as Carmy sat lost in his thoughts. All the truths he thought he knew about himself seemed to fall apart anytime he let his mind play with the idea of something more between you two. It was all so confusing from the wistful ideas Claire's words about the two of you at The Beef brought up, to his reluctance to feel excited at the opportunity to maybe have a chance with Claire Dunlap if Fak's information was correct. And like clockwork, all his thoughts and confusion kept leading him back to you.

Carmy was pulled out of his subconscious as a body plopped down in the seat next to you, his confusion easily giving way to frustration as Hayden's arm moved to wrap around your shoulders, pulling you flush against him. Carmy didn't think he was a hateful person, and he didn't hate Hayden Ivanovski, but the guy sure did know how to get under his skin without even trying.

Hayden was a recent addition to your trio, and Carmy hadn't minded his company at first. But after a whole school year of watching the two of you share inside jokes he and Fak weren't privy to, the way he constantly touched and flirted with you only helped to fester Carmy's aversion to the guy.

"What gossip did you bring for us today, Fak?" The teen in question straightened up as he began his spiel once more from the top. Carmy didn't hate Hayden, but he hated how charming and charismatic he was, he hated how easily he fit in with your group, and he hated that, overall, Hayden was actually a pretty good guy. But most importantly, he hated the way Hayden would sometimes whisper something in your ear and the way you would lean into him as you laughed, how sometimes you would burry your face in his chest while other times you would look at him with that beautiful bright smile of yours like you were doing right now.

Watching you smile at Hayden with the beaming smile that was once only reserved for Carmy was crushing, and just like everything else, he couldn't understand why.

"Yo, Carm, you listenin' man?" Hayden's fist knocked against the tabletop, letting Carmy know that Fak had finished his retelling. "Said if you're gonna make a move," he watched as Hayden's eyes dipped to the prom flyer, eyes widening as a lightbulb moment went off in his head as he reached for the paper. "Oh shit man, you plannin' to ask her to prom?"

Carmy wasn't sure what to say as everyone at the table awaited his reply, he looked in your direction as if doing so would provide him with whatever answer he was looking for but all he could seem to focus on was the soft features of your face as he began silently dissecting what was so different between this version of you and the version he drew in charcoal.

"You totally should, Carm that's like the best start to any love story." Fak's declaration of excitement pulled Carmy from his study of you, but not before he watched the slight downturn of your lips and the lack of any readable emotion take over your face.

He caught Hayden nodding along before leaning over to high-five with Fak for god knows what, all the while he seemed to be the only one who noticed your lack of interest in the conversation. Carmy tuned the two of them out as they continued a conversation about the event, and all he really cared about in that moment was figuring out what was going on with you. Carmy nudged your foot, catching your attention, brows furrowing as he implored you to give him any sort of hint, wishing for nothing more than for Fak and Hayden to disappear.

"Claire! Hey Claire!" Carmy's head shot in Fak's direction, watching as he stood waving his hand back and forth in the air to flag down Claire from across the quad.

Carmy felt like an asshole as he watched her approach but the last thing he wanted to deal with in that moment was anything Claire related and considering she'd already seen him at the table it wasn't like he could just up and leave.

The clearing of your throat pulled his attention as he watched you gather your belongings, eyes glued to your backpack as you packed your items. You finished just as Claire arrived at the table, standing and turning to smile at her.

"Here, take my seat. I was just leaving to speak with my guidance counselor."

Carmy frowned at your words, knowing full well they were an excuse, because you were dodging your counselor at every opportunity. Watching as you walked away, he couldn't help the feeling of disappointment beginning to take root in him. He wanted nothing more than to catch up with you and make sure you were okay, but he knew doing so would likely end up feeding Claire's previous theory about you and him. 

Your figure disappeared into the distance, forcing him to focus his attention on the conversation that Fak and Hayden started up with Claire. He sent her a small welcoming smile as he caught her eye, hoping he didn't appear as awkward as he felt. As the lunch period dragged on with him adding little to nothing of substance to the conversation, he found himself grateful as Fak waved off his lack of talking as being shy when in reality, he just no longer had any interest in even being there.

As Carmy sat there, forcing himself to try and be an active participant in the conversation, he realized that he didn't have things all figured out like he once thought. Because instead of being in the moment and getting to know Claire better, he wanted nothing more than to be by your side, providing you the comfort that you seemed to need.

The sound of your bedroom door opening pulled your attention from the history DBQ you were dead set on completing before heading out for dinner at the Berzattos. Upon glancing up you spotted Carmy stepping into your room, sending a small smile his way before returning to your school work.

"My mom send you to come get me?" You had a habit of losing track of time when you wanted to get something over and done with, having been late to dinner a multitude of times after telling your mom you'd meet her across the street.

Carmy's face appearing in your line of sight made you smile as you stopped writing so he could make himself comfortable next to you, watching as he copied the position you were lying in before snatching up one of the stuffed animals situated at the head of your bed. Not surprised to see he picked the one he'd bought you for your birthday.

"No, uh, I came over on my own, feel like I've barely seen you this week." You watched as he glanced at your assignment, pulling it over to see it better before scrunching his nose up and leaving it alone.

As much as you didn't want to admit it, you knew you were avoiding him. Ever since Fak spilled the beans last week at lunch, you knew Carmy and Claire were hanging out more, and you weren't sure how to navigate being around him now that he had a chance for something to happen with the girl. You told yourself you were doing him a favor, taking yourself out of the picture so he could finally get what he longed for, but in reality, you did so in hopes of protecting yourself from the heartbreak you knew seeing him happy with someone else would bring.

"Yeah, sorry, just kind of been putting all of my focus into passing my finals," you sent him an apologetic look as you lied through your teeth and pushed your homework out of the way before turning to lie on your side so you were facing him. "But talk to me, Bear, what's going on with you?"

Carmy mimicked your position and hugged the stuffed animal to his chest as he looked at you. "I kinda have uh this dilemma...a girl dilemma." You nodded along to Carmy's words, encouraging him to let you know his issues.

"Well, uh, I think... no, I know I like Claire, b-but recently I've been...having doubts, I guess. I mean I still think Claire's really cool a-and pretty and it's nice talking to her, but I just...I'm confused." You forced your feelings for the boy in front of you to the back burner, not wanting to be selfish in whatever advice you could offer to him.

A moment of silence passed between the two of you while you tried to gather your thoughts in the best way possible. You wanted to give Camry as unbiased an opinion as you could. But if you were being honest with yourself, you were probably the last person who should have been giving him any advice on this topic.

Taking a deep breath, you offered him your best comforting smile, "For starters, Carm, you should have more than two reasons for liking someone, especially if one of them is only because of physical attributes. But what type of doubts have you been having? Are you just scared that Fak got his info wrong and that's why you haven't asked Claire to prom yet?"

You watched as he shrugged, his fingers gently playing with the bow on your bear, hinting at just how nervous he was to be having this conversation with you.

"You know you can tell me anything, Bear, I won't judge you."

Carmy's eyes met yours, and you couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved by the intensity of his gaze. You followed the movement of his eyes as they darted across your face, his slow perusal of your features made your skin crawl, and his prolonged silence wasn't doing any favors to assuage how warm his gaze made you feel. Before you could question him, his eyes found yours once more as he cleared his throat, hand moving to scratch the back of his neck.

"I just...how do you know if you really like someone? Like with you, Baby, how did you uh realize you liked your you know...mystery guy?" You didn't miss the way Carmy frowned as he asked the question, but you were too caught up in your surprise to delve into that at the moment.

If you didn't know Carmy was being serious, you might have laughed his question off, but you just told him you wouldn't judge him. The question blindsided you; this wasn't a normal topic of conversation for the two of you, while you admitted to having a crush on someone, Carmy obviously still didn't know the object of your affection. And for the most part, you were happy to keep it that way, making sure to not bring up the topic while in conversation with Carmy, the longer you thought on it though you began to realize every time your love life came up in conversation with him, it was always Carmy bringing it up. But as you sat there dumbstruck by the question, you couldn't think of a logical, let alone a believable, reason to avoid it.

"I don't think I can pinpoint a specific moment," you couldn't believe you were talking about this with Carmy, but maybe doing so would make it easier for you when you finally came to terms with the truth of your situation. "It sounds dumb, but it just kind of happened...it was like this build-up of all the little moments, you know? And then one day I remember just looking at him and I dunno, I guess everything just clicked, and I...I kind of just realized that he was my person...or well...at least I thought he was."

"What happened?" Your eyes shot to Carmy's, surprised to see how enraptured he was by your words, "I just I mean...how do you know he's not your person i-if you've never told him how you feel?"

A chuckle was your only answer as you turned to lie on your back, eyes focused on the ceiling. You felt the bed shift as Carmy moved closer, seemingly intrigued by the turn of conversation. "I'm second best in his eyes, Carm," you let your head loll to the side, looking at Carmy as you watched his brows knot in confusion. "That's probably not fair to say, considering he doesn't know how I feel...but he has someone else, and telling him that I like him would just be selfish. I wouldn't want to ruin things for him."

You gave Carmy a sad smile, realizing the explanation didn't take any weight off your shoulders; instead, you just felt heavier. The space where your heart resided seemed to ache as you lay next to him.

Carmy moved closer, his chest brushing against the outside of your arm as he settled once more. You blinked in surprise, watching as his face hovered over yours, appearing in your line of sight, just barely blocking the daylight illuminating your room from your vision.

"What about you?" Your brows furrowed at his question, a silent plea for him to explain more. "I mean w-what if there's someone else...for you?"

Only a moment passed before the words were out of your mouth.

"Is there someone else for you, Bear?" Your eyes locked on his, gaze full of curiosity as you waited for him to answer. Answering his question with the same one he asked you wasn't the best decision, but you were no longer interested in talking about your romantic interests, and maybe hearing him talk about his would help bring you back down to reality and push you past the crush you harbored on him.

A prolonged silence settled between the two of you as you held each other's gaze. Carmy seemed deep in thought, eyes not leaving your face as the minutes ticked by. This look on his face wasn't one you'd seen before, any other time you could easily tell what his train of thought was just by the littlest emotions crossing his face, but as the silence stretched between you, you couldn't help but to wish you knew what was going on inside his head.

"Y-yeah...I think there might be."

You blinked in surprise, doing your best to hide the emotions his honesty seemed to stir up inside of you. Before you could get a word out, Carmy's hand raised between the two of you, hovering for just a moment before slowly moving toward your face, the palm of his calloused hand cupping your cheek as his thumb gently caressed your under eye.

"Your eyes...I can never get them right when I draw you." Although his words were whispered, you heard him.

Warmth bloomed in your chest at this new piece of information, you were shocked to hear that Carmy tried committing your features to paper. And you weren't sure what this revelation meant, but the atmosphere in your room felt charged as you lay there nearly tucked into his chest. Carmy's face was only inches above yours as he continued the soft smoothing motion of his thumb against your skin.

"You draw me?"

Your voice was equally as breathy as his, as you relaxed into his touch, feeling as his appendage traced the planes of your face before brushing across your eyebrow.

A small, barely there smile curved his lips, juxtaposing the deep blush that began to settle on his cheeks.

The movement was subtle, and you weren't sure if it was you who leaned up or him who leaned down, but the tips of your noses grazed against each other's as he uttered one word that had your head spinning as you tried to figure out what this moment meant; if anything at all.

"Always."

You inhaled deeply, breathing his one-word answer in as you did, your eyes roved back and forth between his, trying to figure out if the tension you felt was mirrored in his eyes or if you were just reading into things. Hesitantly, you moved to grip his hand, holding it in place where it cupped your cheek.

Hope was the wish of fools, but in the short seconds when his eyes dropped to your lips, you felt pathetic as a sliver of your being couldn't help but to hope that you might have been that someone else Carmy was talking about.

Three loud knocks on your bedroom door quickly pulled you out of whatever trance you were caught in. You and Carmy jumped apart as the door swung open, revealing Mikey's figure in the hall.

"What the hell are you two doin'? Dinners almost done, and you know Ma won't let us eat without the two of you." He stood there with his arms crossed frown on his face as he looked at you both. You avoided his gaze, embarrassed by what you almost let transpire between you and Carmy, knowing how much it would likely hurt Claire.

You felt the moment Mikey's eyes left your figure, breathing a sigh of relief as he turned his full attention on Carmy, whatever he saw there pulling a light-hearted chuckle from him.

"Ya know what just get outta here, before I bust your asses for being in here with the door closed."

Mortification flooded you at the implication of his words, knowing he wasn't too far off in his accusations. You slid off the edge of the bed, turning to face Carmy, hoping to nip whatever awkwardness may linger between the two of you in the bud, only to find him slightly hunched over himself, gripping your stuffed bear for dear life in his lap.

The clearing of Mikey's throat pulled your attention. "Baby, why don't you go help 'em finish? Carmy and I'll lock up."

If he thought you might question him, he was mistaken, as you took the opportunity to remove yourself from the situation, not wanting to be in your room any longer with the two brothers.

Making your way through the house, you couldn't help but replay the moment between you and Carmy over and over again on a loop. A part of you was sure there was something there, and the desire to attempt and confess your feelings for him raced through you once more.

But as quickly as those thoughts emerged, they were disregarded just as quickly, as you recalled the words he'd spoken to Claire that day at The Beef. You were his best friend, and in Carmy's eye, that's all you would ever be, and you would always have to live with that fact, no matter how much it hurt you.

Because if keeping Carmy in your life meant pretending you hadn't felt more of him, then you would do so if that's what he wanted.

"Alright, Baby, ready to get going?" Mikey's voice pulled your attention from the book you were reading as you waited for him to take you home.

You nodded in response to his question before stuffing the book in your bag and getting up to follow him to the parking lot. A small appreciative smile lined your lips as he unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for you, allowing you to get comfortable before closing in and making his way around the car and joining you.

As soon as Mikey started the car, you began flipping through the radio station, searching for something enjoyable to listen to on the ride home, lest the older man make you listen to whatever he was in the mood for.

He chuckled at your eagerness as he exited the parking lot "Hey you got time for some ice cream or are you in a rush to get home and finish that borin' ass book?"

You scoffed at his question, "First of all, it's not boring, and I always have time when you're paying Mikey."

Mikey's chuckle reached your ears as he shook his head at your words. The two of you settled in, allowing the music on the radio to be the only noise in the car. Moments alone with Mikey were few and far between recently, and it wasn't because you had outgrown the man, but with work, taking care of your mom, and trying to graduate high school, there was little free time for you to take advantage of.

You smiled as the car rolled to a stop, not at all surprised to see the sign for Margie's Candies, a favorite of yours since you could remember. You and Mikey exited the car at the same time before heading inside, the sun barely beginning to set as you chose a booth.

Neither of you reached for a menu, already knowing exactly what you wanted, and a waiter wasn't far behind, quickly taking your order before leaving the two of you alone once more.

"So, Michael, what are we doing here?" You smiled as he rolled his eyes before imploring him with a questioning look.

There was usually only one of two reasons for a visit to Margie's, and it was either celebrating an accomplishment or to sweeten the blow of bad news with decadent ice cream. Mikey opened his mouth, only to stop as the waiter returned with your orders the both of you giving your thanks.

A contented sigh escaped you as you dug into your ice cream before taking a bite out of the delicious treat, savoring the sweetness of it all.

"How're you doing, Baby?" The seriousness of Mikey's voice confused you as you moved your eyes from your ice cream to stare at him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his question. He ate a spoonful of his own ice cream before speaking up. "I uh...I know things are tough for you right now. Just trynna see where your head's at is all."

You nodded slowly, not fully believing his reasoning but deciding to just go with it. "I-I'm good, I think? Really just focusing on making sure mom is okay and finishing senior year strong."

Mikey hummed at your answer, and you could see as you stayed focused on his eyes that there was more to this conversation. He nodded once before returning to his dessert. You followed suit, but you couldn't help the apprehension beginning to settle in your gut. The two of you sat in a prolonged silence for a few moments more, and just when you thought it was fine to lower your guard, Mikey spoke up.

"Oh yeah, how's those college applications coming along?" His question gave you a momentary pause, a spoonful of ice cream halfway to your mouth before you forced yourself to move once more, the ice cream feeling heavy in your stomach as you swallowed.

The line of your shoulders raised in a shrug as you took a minute to gather your thoughts, "Good, just waiting to hear back from the ones I applied to."

You looked up from your bowl at the sound of Mikey sucking his teeth watching as his eyebrows furrowed. You felt your stomach drop as he leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table, hand raised to wipe a hand across his mouth before leveling his gaze on you.

"You sure?" The tone of his voice let you know the next answer out of your mouth needed to be truthful.

Holding Mikey's gaze proved to be a struggle, and as soon as you looked away, you knew you'd lost the battle. "Yeah, I told you I just haven't-"

"Heard back?" He cut you off from finishing your sentence, and that's when you realized he wasn't looking for an explanation; he just wanted to see if you'd lie to him. "Baby, why the hell is Carmy hiding your acceptance letters?"

A defeated sigh parted your lips as you pushed your bowl of ice cream away from you before deflating back into your seat. You looked around the parlor, noting the few other patrons, wondering if their conversations were going any better than yours.

"He's not hiding them." You shrugged, unsure of what else to say, wishing you were anywhere but here right now.

"Really? Is that why they're all hidden between the pages of his sketchbooks?"

A slight feeling of relief filled you at knowing Carmy had kept his promise, and that Mikey was just too nosy for his own good, likely having come across the letters by accident. You hadn't spoken with Carmy since that day in your bedroom, and you knew he was avoiding you as much as you were avoiding him. 

"Your mom know about this?"

"No, and you aren't going to tell her."

Mikey's eyebrows raised at your tone of voice. He'd watched you grow up and dealt with your attitude plenty of times before, "Watch it." His words weren't a request but rather a warning All he wanted to understand was why you were being sneaky about college, it wasn't his place to tell your mom. "Just talk to me, Baby, what's goin' on?"

The table was quiet as you bit your lip in contemplation, eyes locked on the bowl in front of you. You felt the need to apologize for your smart mouth, knowing Mikey likely wouldn't go to your mom unless you were in danger. But you also wanted to avoid this conversation at all costs, avoid the truth that both you and your mom were pretending didn't exist.

A resigned sigh finally left your lips as you met Mikey's gaze, doing your best to keep your composure. "My mom has worked so hard to give me the life I deserve, she's my biggest cheerleader, and I know she'd be proud if she found the letters, but...there's no getting better for her-"

You trailed off as your eyes welled with tears, your bottom lip beginning to tremble as you worked to keep the tears at bay. "And I-I don't wanna be halfway across the world when mama goes."

Mikey's sharp intake of breath was all you heard before he got up and squished himself into the booth next to you. No words were exchanged between the two of you as he pulled you into his side and allowed you to bury your face in his chest as he wrapped his arms around your chin, pressing into your head. You were thankful to have chosen one of the booths in the back, embarrassed to be crying in public.

Time continued to pass as Mikey held you there, hand gently smoothing up and down your back to help calm you down before placing a gentle kiss atop your head. "You sure you're not just staying for my idiot brother?"

You knew Mikey meant for the question to be funny, but it just brought on a whole new wave of emotions for you, helping to open a Pandora's box of all your repressed feelings - good and bad - toward the youngest Berzatto.

Your whine of annoyance at the mention of his brother pulled a chuckle out of Mikey, his arm moving to rest across the back of the booth as his fingers began messing with the collar of your jacket.

"Gonna tell me what I walked in on the other day?"

It was obvious he already had his ideas about what almost happened between you and Carm, either that or he'd already spoken with his brother about the near incident.

You let out a frustrated groan before rubbing your hands down your face. "Literally nothing that even matters." Meeting Mikey's gaze let you know he didn't believe your words for a second, causing even more frustration to bubble up inside you. "Look, I don't know, okay! One moment he's telling me he needs girl advice and the next he's waxing poetic about my eyes, and I think we're about to kiss but we can't because well, for one, you walk in, and oh, did I forget to mention he's stupidly in love with someone else. And there I was, seconds from being a home wrecker to a home that doesn't even exist, and don't even get me started on the fact that everyone has a prom date but me, and...and why are you laughing at me? This is serious, Mikey?"

The older man responded by pulling you into a hug and resting his chin against your head, "Just good to see you worried about teenager shit, you're growin' up too fast." You relaxed into his arms, letting his words sink in and realizing how right he was. You had so much responsibility thrust upon your shoulders that you hadn't gotten the chance to live and enjoy your senior year.

"Thought you were supposed to tell the kid how you felt months ago? What happened to that?"

A resigned scoff escaped your lips as you sat up once more, "Claire Dunlap happened and it's not like it's her fault I mean from the few interactions I've had with her she's pretty cool," you trailed off unsure of what to say, it wasn't like there was much you could do to change the way Carmy felt. "And before the whole bedroom situation, he made it crystal clear he'll never see me as more than a friend."

The man next to you let out a contemplative hum as he digested your words. "Carm tell you that?"

"Not directly," you shrugged as you answered. "I overheard him speaking with Claire at The Beef, and when she assumed we were dating, he denied the whole thing with so much disgust it almost made me question if he even liked me as a friend in general."

As you gazed up at Mikey, you saw his eyes narrow at your words. What was going through his mind, you had no clue, but he seemed to be thinking hard about something. "You ask him about what he said then?"

"Eww, what, no!" You deflated into yourself following the exclamation. "Then he would know I was eavesdropping and I...I'm not sure if I would be able to handle that type of rejection from him. In a way, it's easier to just watch him get what he's always wanted, I mean it doesn't hurt any less, but a verbal rejection would just make it all too real."

Mikey nodded at your words trying to understand why you teens made shit so complicated these days. "Baby, why don't you just tell 'em how you feel? What's the worst that could happen?"

You scowled at the older man sure he'd lost his goddamned mind. "I just told you. He's my best friend, and I know if I admitted my feelings to him, it would just ruin everything."

Mikey tried his hardest to understand where you were coming from, he had to remember that you were still just a teenager and most everything felt like the end of the world to you. "You ever stop to think he might feel the same?" He raised his eyebrows in question.

Any other time, you might have brushed his words off and chalked it up to him joking, but he was really pressing the issue, and that alone made you suspicious.

"Did he say something to you?"

A shrug was all you got in response before Mikey removed himself from the booth, "C'mon, gotta get you home before the streetlights come on."

The conversation ended there, with Mikey ignoring your question and you following behind him in contemplative silence as he led you out to the car.

The car halted to a stop in your driveway, you lifted your head from where it was settled against the window, unbuckling your seat belt before turning to look at Mikey. "All of the street lights were on by the way."

Mikey let out a hearty laugh shoving at your shoulder, "Yeah, alright smart ass."

You sent him one last smile, turning to exit the car before the sound of Mikey calling your name stopped you in your tracks, curiosity filling you at the way he blatantly chose not to use the nickname he'd bestowed upon you all those years ago.

Settling back into the seat, you turned your whole body in his direction, facing him head-on as a frown pulled at your eyebrows. He was speaking up before a question of concern could leave your lips.

"You know I'm proud of you, right?" Warmth filled your chest at the praise, shyness overcoming you at his words, never sure how to accept a compliment. "But you gotta promise me you'll get outta here. I understand why you're not going off to college right away, and I'll be right here supportin' you through it all, but Baby...I need you to make better for yourself, alright?"

You were at a loss for words, a foreboding emotion, feeling your chest as you nodded along in understanding.

"You're gonna do big fucking things, Baby, and I'll be proud of whatever you do but don't forget about us little guys okay." A watery laugh bubbled up out of your mouth, the confusion still ever present as you tried to understand what brought on this topic of conversation.

"I could never forget about you, Brother Bear." You teased, the childhood nickname you gave Mikey, pulling his lips into a smile. "I'm gonna write about you one day, Mikey, gotta remember you to do that." You watched as he just stared at your eyes, roaming over your face, you reached across the console pressing a quick kiss on his cheek, assuming the conversation was over.

Mikey's hand reached out to grab your arm, "You gonna look out for Carmy no matter where life takes both of you, right?" You nodded at the question, feeling no need to elicit a verbal response. "Just keep an eye out for me, will you, you're good for Carmy. Even if he ain't seen it yet," You weren't sure exactly what Mikey meant by that, but you didn't dwell on it as you agreed to his terms.

"Come on now, Mikey, you Berzatto's are stuck with me for life, you can't get rid of me that easily." You smiled, watching as Mikey's gaze stayed serious, worry growing once more in my chest.

"I need to hear you say it, Baby, promise me you'll leave when you get a chance and look out for Carm?"

There was a slight tone of desperation in his words, and the longer you stared at them, the more clearly you could see that emotion swimming in his eyes. You nodded once in acquiescence before speaking up. "Yeah...I promise you, Mikey."

And just as quickly as the serious atmosphere entered the conversation, a joking one bled into the car as Mikey spoke once more. "Alright, now get your ass in the house, Baby, I told your mom I'd stop bringing you home so late," you nodded hesitating before picking your backpack up from by your feet on the floor.

Exiting the car, you quickly walked to your front door, turning back to send Mikey a wave as he watched you get in safely.

Mikey sighed as he reversed the car back into his driveway across the street. He didn't want to mention it, but he could already see the relationship between you and his younger brother beginning to fracture. You had always given Carmy too much of yourself, and as your crush on the teenager developed, you only grew more selfless when it came to cutting off parts of yourself to give to him.

After catching you and Carmy in that compromising position and then sitting his little brother down for a well-needed heart-to-heart, he realized just by listening to him speak about you that Carmy harbored feelings for you as well. But while trying to be helpful and lead his brother to unpack and understand his feelings toward you, he may have ended up doing more harm than good as Carmy vehemently denied the claims instead focusing the conversation on Claire.

Mikey sat in the car for a moment longer watching as the lights in your house began flickering off it was foolish for him to think yours and Carmy's friendship could withstand the test it was about to go through, but knowing how confused Carmy was about his feelings he knew it wouldn't be long until the teen was crossing a line he wouldn't be able to come back from.

a/n: interludes are finally back yay!! love, love, love, writing about young barby they're both just idiots.

also never seen shameless a day in my life but lip gifs are just perfect for young carmy he's such a cutie!

please enjoy 🫶🏼

[ashdreams2023]

The look of love.

Summary: you revisit Loki after a long time

He sat high on his chair staring into the distance, not sparing a glance as you walked into his space.

"I see nothing much changed, how have you been my love?"

Loki didn’t respond, pretending not to hear you.

"Are you really going to give me the cold shoulder? I know I didn’t visit in a while but-"

"But what?" He cut you off "But what? You got too busy with your new interests, you were too busy devoting your time and attention to them…you left, alone, and now you expect me to welcome you with open arms! You must take me for a fool!"

You swallowed then let out a sigh "ok, you have every right to be upset right now but I didn’t abandon you, I never did and I never will…can you at least look at me?"

He huffed but turned his head your way anyways "What do you want now? They didn’t provide you with enough thrill? They got boring? You just want me for some time then you’re gonna go away with someone else again…don’t lie to me"

Your gaze softened, you approached his throne and reached out your hands, testing the waters and when he didn’t move away from your touch you cupped his face.

He tried to keep glaring at you but his real emotions seeped out.

"I’m sorry I left…i missed you too" you confessed.

Loki’s hands went up to rest on top of yours, he closed his eyes then kissed the palm of your hand, taking him the familiar scent of your skin he missed so much.

"I needed you…I truly and deeply did but I want you all to myself, regardless of what you say I need to know that you’ll always come back to me, that you’ll choose me"

"And in what world would I choose anyone but you?"

"The others-"

"They pass, you never did, you’ll always be my number one"

Loki swallowed the lump that was forming at his throat, he felt slightly less choked as he let out a sigh and extended his hand towards you.

You took it "I’m glad you haven’t changed"

His green eyes sparkled with mischief, pulling against his chest and capturing your lips with his, the kiss was passionate and a way to show you he meant every word, every emotion.

He remembers your name, your face, your hair and your every muscle, he remembers how you felt in his arms, your soft lips on his skin and the way your eyes shined brightly under the warm sun.

"I would spend a thousand years for you."

[hkthatgffan]

"End" of the Kiki-Kit Saga (For me at least)

Okay, I've been waiting for a while to make this post and quite frankly, it's one I really didn't expect to make. But, having started this topic in October, I felt it was important to also end it even if it's not a great end overall.

You may remember back in October 2024 that I made this post regarding the artist Kiki-Kit. She's pretty well known in the Gravity Falls fandom and worked on Lost Legends. Long story short, she'd been ghosting me and many other people for months regarding commissions we had gotten from her in January of that year. That first post goes into detail about it all and has the specifics but basically, after finding out there were people waiting years for her to respond to them, I felt compelled to make that post to call her out and hopefully get more eyes on this issue as Kiki had seemed to be getting away with this behavior for a while. Well, good news (sorta), for me at least, it's now over...

Kiki-Kit Refunded me!

I'd love to be happy about it but quite frankly, to even get this was a pain in the ass. As I said in the first post, Kiki never responded to DMs or even the email she had set up for commissions. So, as a last resort, I contacted a friend of hers that she had mentioned back in January during her commissions request period. I won't name them as they never were involved in this, but I got in touch with them via Bluesky and asked if they could let Kiki know I was trying to reach her but can't. And low and behold, the very next day she actually FINALLY DM's me for the first time in over a year!

I should say, this happened back on February 9th of this year (it'll make sense in a sec why it took me so long to make this). On one hand, it was nice that she did finally DM me but I can't lie, it felt very suspicious and off to me that it literally had to take me contacting someone she knows about it. Someone who never was involved in this and had no reason to be and that in turn was what finally got her to respond to me.

Kiki did explain herself and without sharing her PM, I will say I fully understand her position. As she stated back in June 2024, she's going through a pretty rough time and even her reasoning for doing these commissions were for financial reasons I am sympathetic to her for. I wanna make clear again, this was never a case of "artist is taking too long on my art and I am impatient!" I get it. Everyone like me in this situation gets it! Artists are humans like you and me and things can happen and they have every right to take breaks, be offline, etc.

But where the problem was, was that Kiki-Kit NEVER responded to any update request going back months. I tried every appropriate channel of communication I could to no avail. I'm understanding, but I also am a paying client and if nothing else, a simple update would suffice. She never gave me even that until now and the way I had to get it out of her was beyond what someone should have to do to get that.

She did admit to me she is aware of this problem of hers of not communicating properly and seeming to ignore clients. If nothing else, I was appreciative she admitted where she was wrong. I told her back she really needs to improve on that and also, given she gave me the choice, I asked for a refund. Even though she offered me assurance she will get these commissions done, I'm not dealing with her anymore and I wanted my money back.

And then guess what? Kiki-Kit GHOSTED ME AGAIN!!

This all happened on February 9th. Well, March 9th, one month after that first exchange rolls around and I still hadn't heard from her. I follow up, no response. She hadn't communicated at all since February! Finally, on March 25th, the day she refunded me, Kiki FINALLY gets back with some excuse about why it took so long and again apologizing. I'm not even gonna bore you with what she said this time around as it was another of the same excuses and "I'm sorry." At least this time I got my money back.

I was as nice back to her as I could be but holy fucking shit, I was beyond angry and disappointed in her. It really didn't seem to sound like she really even cared. I mean, the fact it took her over a month again to get back to me after apologizing and saying she was working to be better at communicating really left me running out of sympathy for her.

And again, I should stress, I'M NOT MAD AT KIKI-KIT FOR NOT DELIEVERING MY COMMISSION! IDC if I had to wait a year for it if she had been proper in her communication and transparency about why she was offline and not responding. This was always a communication issue, NOT an issue with it taking so long. Yes, she gave a reason in June, but then vanished for months yet again and still technically speaking, she hasn't officially posted anything since August 2024.

If you pay someone for a service and they then just vanish and not pick up your calls or respond to your texts or emails, you're gonna be suspicious. Excuses are a whole other story but even so, at least you are getting a response. I could've understood it if that was what she did. But a year without any response whatsoever, only one update in June 2024, multiple people coming out and saying they too have been waiting for months or even years for a response to no avail and finally me having to contact a 3rd party just to get her to fucking respond? Either Kiki-Kit is the worst at keeping track of her DM's, or she purposefully is banking on people not saying anything about her ghosting and just hopes they forget they ever bought something from her or give up after enough time with no response and accept they lost that money.

I mean, @foxieskullz was waiting since 2019 and similarly to me, it was her persistence and constant talking about it that probably was what finally made Kiki-Kit respond.

As of today, April 26th, it's been 1 month since Kiki refunded me. I told her once again when she did that she needs to contact all the other people she was paid to make art for and give them the same offer of a refund or promise to finish their art. Given it's been a month since that, I decided to reach out to some of those people to see if Kiki actually made good on that.

I contacted my friend Darkshade on Discord who also bought a commission from her that January about if she had heard back from Kiki and sure enough, she hasn't!

I also contacted @animepianistgirl2 who also has been waiting and similarly, no response from Kiki-Kit either. Hell, I was looking through my old posts about it and I saw even stephreynaart said she'd gotten a commission from her and still no response. That was back in June, so I haven't asked her yet about if she got a response or not since then, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a no too. When even a person as respected and popular in the fandom as Steph is probably in the same boat, then things really are looking bleak.

IDK what else to say. I'm disappointed beyond belief. Maybe this is my GF fandom version of "never meet your heroes," but I still am so upset that of all people, Kiki-Kit could be like this. She's a legend in this fandom and was respected and loved by fans long before I ever joined. Her fanart was some of the first I ever saw and I celebrated with the rest of the fandom in 2018 when she got her moment to shine as an illustrator in Lost Legends and even meeting Alex Hirsch in person at a book signing event for it.

She's been in so many fan projects. She's a name everyone on GF Tumblr probably knows and respects. So, yeah, to have to say all this about her is not easy even now. I am so grateful to all of you who heard me out in October when I made my post about this. I was afraid to post it given even with all the people who came out and said the same thing, I was worried people would side with her due to the notoriety she has and just the thought that someone like her would never do this. But the response was incredible (I even had long time GF fans and artists who were friends of Kiki-Kit agreeing that her actions here were not right) and if nothing else, I hope it maybe helped spread word about this and get people to be more aware.

Kiki-Kit, if you see this, know that I am upset. I really hope you are doing okay and that you can overcome the hardships in your life that maybe led you to being like this right now. I don't believe you meant to be like this with malicious intent but it's what happened and you now need to fix that. I appreciate that you refunded me, but I am still mad. You have not refunded anyone else or even spoken to them even after I told you that you should. You ignored everything I said, even after you admitted yourself that you have a problem with communicating.

I hope you seriously work on improving your communication. I really hope you offer everyone left waiting a chance to either get their art finished or refund them. My posts are not going away. If you ever try to open commissions again, I am making sure people see these and know what kind of person you are to those who pay you. I hate having to spread negative shit like this on my platform, but if it spares another fan from losing money to you, then so be it. I had to wait only a year. Foxie was waiting since 2019 (and you gave her a similar set of excuses and apologies and probably never read anything she told you like you did to me)! And don't forget Jolliejackdaw who you blocked on Twitter and has been waiting since 2020!

I don't want anyone else to be in this same boat. Either commit to better communicating with your clients, or don't bother asking people for commissions next time. This could've all been resolved privately if you just bothered to talk. But you didn't. And now this all had to be said.

So, all this to say, while I don't anymore have to deal with Kiki-Kit, others are still waiting. And I'll keep asking around to see what happens. But unless something else big transpires, this is it for me in regards to Kiki. I hate making posts like this but it had to be done and tbh, I hope if anything it serves as a lesson to both artists and clients. Communication is key. Without it, stuff like this can spiral out of control fast.

I hope Kiki-Kit can mend her name in this fandom. I'll always be a fan of her work, but I am never commissioning from her again. And quite frankly, until she seriously fixes her communication ability, neither should you.

[phoenixeclipse-lmkau]

The Cursed Warlords Chapter #Nineteen – Hurt and Comfort

Of all the things you had to deal with on this journey, staying long enough to get your period once again was NOT apart of your plan!

It took the rest of that day to walk around the town. Spirit was firm in the fact that she didn’t want you to get involved with whoever was in the town. The monkey demon Mink had ran off so quickly you were unable to catch up with him even if you tried. So you continued your trip.

Wukong nuzzled your face happy with his win, having scared off the other demon. Though it wasn’t like Mink was trying to hurt you and was actually trying to help the warlords. But Wukong didn’t care, he tried to take him away from you! His precious darling, and for all he knew you could have gotten hurt before the curse would get broken!

‘You are an idiot,’ Macaque chirped with annoyance as je lounged on your other shoulder.

Wukong gawked at his mate in offence, ‘I am not! I protected our Reader!’ he explained rolling his eyes at his mate’s words.

‘Did you even think of the fact that we could have asked him to get Reader to bring us to Flower Fruit Mountain?’ Macaque responded with a groan.

Wukong opened his mouth to retort only to snap his mouth shut in shock. His brain fried for a second as he registered the fact that he just ruined their chance to break their curse sooner and get Reader to their home. Not to mention they could have found a way to get you to come to their home and you wouldn’t be able to leave without their say so.

‘Thought so,’ Macaque grumbled with an annoyed look on his face.

Though he hadn’t really helped the matter much. While Wukong was scaring off Mink he had let himself try and get your attention instead. The whole time he just wanted you to look at him instead of someone else, just like when he first met Wukong. Back when he had pined for Wukong, before they were mates and when he had to scare off the suitors who tried to get Wukong’s hand in marriage.

‘Macaque.’

His thoughts wondered back to those days, he could still feel the roaring jealousy that he felt back then. So many of Wukong’s suitors who died at his hand, he wasn’t even sure if his mate knew just how many. He purposefully didn’t tell him of the few that had been apart of the troop only to mysteriously disappear when they got too cozy with the single king.

‘Moon.’

Not that Wukong was any better. He knew how many people had died because someone said something bad about the ‘lone warrior,’ the ‘shadow’ of the king. Back when he first joined the troop after being a lone traveler for his whole life. Their screams were so lovely, whe didn’t mention how wonderful and horrible it made him feel. Wonderful because Wukong gave him attention before he proposed and horrible because at first Wukong saw them as friends and ‘sworn brothers,’ he rolled his eyes at the thought.

His mate had loved him just as much as he loved him ever since they met. He was just a dense idiot sometimes and didn’t realize it was romantic love rather than platonic. All he was at first was his ‘best bud’, well that changed when Macaque made the first move into courtship.

‘My Moon! Don’t ignore me! I said sorry,’ Wukong was all but crying at this point, his eyes wide with regret and fear for his life at the silence of his mate.

Macaque turned to look at him and rolled his eyes with a smirk. He didn’t respond only making Wukong even more silently hurt at the silence but he couldn’t do anything if he tried. Leaving you to calm the whiny monkey who was trying to get his mate’s attention.

>>>

The next few days were calm, they were peaceful and it was strange. Gentle breezes and a clear sky without a cloud in sight. Everything was easy for once, just you following Spirit’s lead towards your destination. However you didn’t expect this new road block to happen.

Sleeping in your under dress and using your outer hanfu as a pillow you woke up to something you didn’t want to deal with. You realized it in the early morning when you woke up with a painful cramp in your abdomen. Dread flooded through you as you gripped your stomach in pain. Your quiet groans caught the attention of Spirit who was already awake.

“You okay Reader?” She asked with a frown covering her lips.

“Uugh…. No,” you muttered trying to calm your cramps, it physically pained you knowing that you couldn’t have any ibuprofen or Advil, There was nothing to calm down the pain here.

You felt her hand press against your head and she frowned, you weren’t warm. You had plenty of sleep the last few days, she’s made sure you always had something to eat… Narrowing her eyes she gently shook your shoulder, hoping to get more information. She couldn’t help you if she didn’t know what was wrong, and she wanted to know what was going on before the cubs woke up. It was a miracle that they hadn’t woken up yet.

“What’s wrong?” She asked slowly.

You were about to respond when two small chirps turned your attention to them. A chirp from Peaches indicating he was awake and wanted food. That want for food was soon pushed back when he noticed you laying on the ground curled up in a fetal position. This wasn’t odd since you fell asleep in all kinds of positions but the look of pain on your face immediately had him chirping in worry.

“Shh Peaches. Reader I need you to tell me what’s wrong- do I smell blood?” That caught Plum’s attention. Now you were on the ground with three monkeys looking at you, chirping worriedly and asking for information, all while you were laying down and feeling mortified about the entire ordeal.

‘Blood!? Reader! Darling what happened!?’ Wukong chirped frantically his mate right at his side looking you over and sniffing your face.

“… It’s nothing,” You muttered in embarrassment.

“What? You’re bleeding,” Spirit bit back a slight growl bubbling up her through at the mere thought of it.

“I’m on my period. It’s not an external wound,” You grumbled before gently pushing the demoness away.

Said demoness gave you a blank look, blinking slowly at your words. She tilted her head in confusion, period? What was a period. She had never heard of such a thing, was it something that humans got? Was it a sickness!?

Wukong was no better, in fact he was still frantically looking you over in confusion. He had no idea what a period was, all he knew was that you were bleeding and you were in pain.

The only one of the three who was calm was Macaque. With his six ears he knew what a period was, his cheeks slightly flushed at the thoughts that flooded through his head. It was similar to a monkey demoness’s heat, at least from what he understood. The difference being was that demoness’ were most fertile during their heat while humans’ were most fertile right after their ‘periods.’ He was not going to disclose the delicious thoughts that flooded his mind, particularly the thought of you in their nest on Flower Fruit Mountain and beneath the two warlords.

“What the hell is a period?” Spirit asked, completely confused without a clue of what you were talking about.

You looked over your shoulder at her in shock. “A period, my menstrual cycle.”

Spirit stared back at you, tilting her head as she tried to figure out what you were talking about. Narrowing her eyes she asked, “You bleed? And it’s natural? How often does this happen?”

“Mmm… bout once a month, for a little less than a week,” You replied before groaning again, with all three monkeys gawking at you.

“You’re kidding! Why would you have to do that!? Are you sick!?” she asked nearly shouting in her shock.

You chuckled before grunting when the laugh hit your gut. “No. Women get it because it’s hoe their body handles their fertility… or something like that,” You e plainly vaguely not wanting to go in depth with it.

“Oh… So do you like… need rest?” Spirit asked unsure of what to do in this situation.

You nodded slightly curling up a little more, you tried to stretch a bit only for your gut to cramp even worse. Before you were able to curl up again, Plums pressed himself against your abdomen. You opened your mouth to say something but the words died in your throat, the heat of his body, and the slight pressure was nice. It was like a little heating pad.

“Hey get off of her. She said she was in pain,” Spirit growled at the white furred monkey.

Plums looked up at her blinking slowly before sticking his tongue out at her. Spirit’s fur puffed out as she growled and reached over you to grab the monkey.

“No. He’s fine,” You muttered tiredly and Spirit stopped her movement, a pout forming on her lips at your words. Regardless of her emotions she still nodded and left him alone.

Peaches chirped towards Plums before joining him in curling up with you, settling himself so he was comfy. His tail laying on top of Plums as he snuggled up to both of you.

“… Do you need something to eat?” Spirit asked from over your shoulder and you responded with a hum of agreement.

You didn’t look but you could hear her walking away from you. You wanted to say something, anything but couldn’t bring yourself to do anything but groan. Both monkeys that were curled up with you chirped sadly at your pain and you couldn’t help but lightly chuckle towards them.

You didn’t even realize you fell asleep until Spirit was shaking you awake with a bowl in her hand. Not questioning where she got or stored the object you accepted the vegetable stew, there was rice, carrots and some green beans. All together it was rather bland and definitely not something that you wanted to eat, but it was food and you really needed to eat.

“Thank you,” You mumbled, able to sit up now. Both cubs sat on your lap as you ate the soup that Spirit had made.

“I’m not a good cook… but it’s probably better than snacking on only fruit,” The monkey demoness explained, fidgeting with her clothes.

“Thank you, really. It could be worse, nothing is burnt and it’s fully cooked,” You replied with a light smile, all that you said was true, even if you were leaving out the part of no seasonings. You couldn’t blame her on that since you weren’t even sure where she would be able to get any seasonings anyway.

*CHIRP! CHIRP!*

You turned your gaze to the two monkeys on your lap, both with pouts on their faces. They were offended that you were thanking Spirit, thanking her without even acknowledging them! They were your future mates! And you were talking to her more than them!? Chirping again they waited for a response, and you delivered! Gently patting their heads and scratching them as you spoke. “Thank you two for your help too,” You chuckled as they purred.

Spirit rolled her eyes, “Oh please they didn’t even do anything.”

“… Are you jealous of cubs?” You asked and watched as Spirit’s whole face turned bright red, her mask turning a shade of purple from the fluster that covered her face. Both cubs laughed at her expression with smug looks on their faces.

“What!? No! As if I’d be jealous over two brats!” she growled, turning her back on you with a huff much to your amusement.

Both cubs chittered and laughed as Spirit fumed next to you. It was honestly adorable. You laughed before letting out another grunt as another cramp hit you. Spirit whirled around so fast you didn’t even see her move, as she came face to face with you.

Staring at you for a solid minute she finally sighed and muttered, “We’re not going anywhere for a while are we?”

“What? No we could- ugh… okay probably not,” You grumbled.

‘It’s okay love! Rest, we’ll travel later,’ Macaque chirped, he knew you couldn’t understand but wanted you to rest.

Spirit ignored the monkey cub and took a different approach. She yawned, and stretched her arms before plopping behind you. Her hands gently combing through your hair, gently massaging your head. Your eyes drooped as she scratched your scalp.

Laying back against her you laid your head in front of her crossed legs. A yawns escaped your lips and quiet chirps left the two cubs as they snuggled back up on your abdomen with a welcome warmth and slight pressure just enough to feel comfortable. That wasn’t even mentioning the gentle, cool hands that combed through your hair over and over in a calming and sleep inducing way.

It kind of reminded you of the way your mother used to comb through your hair. Cheerful memories filled your head, now bittersweet as you’re unable to see your family. Your heart clenched in pain as you wished and prayed that they were safe and well during your absence.

Once again you fell asleep, not noticing the way that Spirit curled up beside you and let herself also fall asleep. If you weren’t going anywhere any time soon then she might as well take advantage of the time and sleep.

Wukong glanced at Spirit with a slight scowl, he didn’t want to admit it, but he was jealous of the small demoness. She was protective and while not nearly as strong as The Monkey Kings, she had her own strengths. She protected you when he and his mate couldn’t and if it weren’t for her you would likely starve, get killed, eaten or worse. He hated to admit it but she did deserve a place in his troop… she would definitely help you join the troop easier with a familiar face.

Wukong wasn’t stupid, he knew that he was going to need to get you used to him and Macaque when he finally brought you home. To your new home with him, Macaque and the rest of his troop on Flower Fruit Mountain.

‘She’s going to make our perfect Queen~,’ Wukong chirped with a smile and Macaque chuckled, his tail lightly slapping his mate in a teasing manner. ‘You speak the obvious my love~.’

Wukong laughed, ‘I only speak the truth~ She is our perfect Queen just as you are my perfect King~’

<<< Chapter #Eighteen - The Monkey Demon

[firstkanaphans]

wandee goodday anon reporting back, i enjoyed it so very much. loved the characters, loved the dynamics, wanted to punch dr ter in the nose a few times. i loved that there wasn't a episode 11 of doom?? and how generally light and colourful the show is, both in mood and visually especially as i watched never let me go (phuwin's kissing is my enemy but that's off topic) just before lmao, the contrast was something else.

i also was delighted to have a side couple that a) was established from the start and b) only had drama totally unrelated to their relationship and stayed wholesome and loving each other the whole time, cher bestest boyfriend/brother in law/son in law/gym manager 💕💕.

the whole one night stand to fwb to fake dating thing in 2.5 episodes was hilarious and so was the fake dating to swimming in denial for about the whole rest of the show taking about one or two episodes, thank god yak got clarity soon enough because i would've tried to punch him too but he ended up having the patience of an angel. i was highly entertained that being seen in a same sex relationship as a public figure was a problem for him that lasted a whole 5 minutes too.

dee is the loveliest bean and i love a character who stands their ground when the person who rejected them just magically realises their feelings when a new love interest appears, like how many times was ter basically told to get lost ffs.

oh right i also love a forgiving parents for things that are actually forgivable moment because i've had enough of the shittiest parents of the decade in drama-land crying over their faults for a minute and the kids are like yknow what it's okay i don't mind about the trauma you gave me anymore ✌️🤪

had fun spotting a few places from other shows (golf's gay café, vivi's place in love sea -love what they did to it btw, dee's place might be one of my favourite fiction apartments-, boston's pace) and had even more fun laughing at emi's hair extensions, who did that to my girl?? and that ~american~ champion whatshisname's thick ass french accent.

all in all, 10/10 show, greatinn are wonderful together, might rewatch in the future, can't wait for the memoir of rati heartbreak (i was already looking forward to it bc of actual plot reasons but now that i've seen the guys in it can act good and kiss pretty, it's all bonus points).

I'm so glad you liked it! Sorry it took so long for me to respond to this. I was actually in the process of re-watching Wandee Goodday myself and wanted to finish it before I answered this ask. It's such a good show and stands up very well even on a rewatch.

Since you watched after the fact, you avoided most of the fandom drama, but when I tell you people hated this show and yet continued watching week after week just to shit on it. It was one of my more bizarre fandom experiences for sure. Like I get why there was drama surrounding Only Friends. I don't get why there were such a visceral reaction to a cute little romcom.

The highlights for me were the incorporation of casual sex into the narrative in a way I felt was realistic and, of course, OyeiCher who still have my whole heart. Emi's extensions were an absolute travesty.

One thing I did notice on my rewatch which I missed the first time through is that Yak often switches his polite particle to "ka" when talking to Dee, which is very soft and flirtatious. The reason it stood out to me is that I've noticed Great does this with Inn too and I wonder if it was his choice to change the dialogue rather than something that was in the script?

Memoir of Rati only has 2 or 3 Qs left, so I'm hoping we will get it by June. I have a lot of faith in this screenwriter and am very excited to see GreatInn again because I miss them terribly 😭

[thirteenheavens]

punishment sex w jeonghan????

Count for me || Yoon Jeonghan

Notes: okay maybe I don’t mind the word… hehe enjoy

Jeonghan pushes you against the wall as soon as you're alone, his eyes dark with lust and irritation. "You've been a bad girl tonight," he says, his voice low and dangerous. "Teasing me in front of everyone at dinner, making me hard under the table..." He runs his fingers down your chest, tracing the curves of your body. "I think it's time for you to learn your lesson," he continues, his hands moving to your hips. "Bend over."

You obey, bracing yourself against the wall as Jeonghan pulls your pants down. He grabs your ass roughly, kneading the flesh before giving it a sharp slap. "Count," he commands, his palm coming down again. "One."

"One," you gasp, feeling the sting on your skin. He spanks you again, harder this time. "Two." He continues spanking you, alternating between each cheek and massaging them in between strikes. You can feel yourself getting wetter with each hit, your body responding to the pain.

"You like this, don't you?" he says, noticing how wet you are. "You like being punished by Daddy." Jeonghan pushes two fingers into your pussy without warning, feeling how wet and slick you are. "Look at you," he says, his fingers curling up to hit your g-spot. "Already soaking for me." He pumps his fingers in and out of you slowly, teasing you while he continues to spank you with his other hand. "You're so tight," he groans. "Even after all that teasing."

He adds a third finger, stretching you open as he speeds up his movements. "You're not going to cum until I say so," he warns, his fingers hitting your g-spot with every thrust. You whimper and squirm, desperate for release but knowing better than to disobey him. Jeonghan smirks at your reaction, loving the way he has you completely under his control.

"Beg me," he commands, his thumb rubbing circles on your clit. "Beg me to let you cum." You look back at Jeonghan with pleading eyes, your body trembling with need. "Please, Daddy," you beg, your voice breaking. "Please let me cum. I'm sorry for teasing you." Jeonghan's smirk widens as he continues to tease you, his fingers working in and out of you relentlessly. "You're sorry now, huh?" he says, his thumb pressing harder on your clit. "But you didn't seem sorry during dinner."

He leans down to whisper in your ear, his hot breath sending shivers down your spine. "Maybe I should just leave you like this," he says, pulling his fingers out of you completely. "Maybe I should make you suffer a little longer." You let out a sob of frustration, your body aching for release. "No, please," you beg, tears forming in your eyes. "I need it, Daddy. I need you."

Jeonghan's expression softens slightly, but he remains in control. "You need to learn your lesson," he says firmly, though his voice has a hint of tenderness. "But I suppose I can be merciful this time." He positions himself behind you, his cock hard and throbbing against your ass. "Are you going to be a good girl from now on?" he asks, rubbing the head of his cock against your wet folds.

You nod frantically, your pussy clenching in anticipation. "Yes, Daddy," you promise, your voice hoarse with need. "I'll be good, I swear." Jeonghan thrusts into you in one smooth motion, filling you completely. He groans at the feeling of your tightness around him, his hands gripping your hips tightly.

"That's my good girl," he praises, starting to move inside you with long, deep strokes. "Taking Daddy's cock so well after being punished." He sets a punishing pace, his hips snapping against yours as he hits your g-spot over and over again. The sound of skin slapping against skin fills the room, mixed with your moans and his grunts. Jeonghan grabs a fistful of your hair, pulling your head back as he continues to thrust into you from behind. The angle is perfect, allowing him to hit even deeper inside you.

"Look at you, so wrecked and desperate," he growls, his other hand moving to rub your clit again. "You're mine to use, to punish, to reward." You cry out as he plays with your clit, the combined sensations driving you closer and closer to the edge. "Please, Daddy," you whimper, tears streaming down your face from the overwhelming pleasure. "I'm going to cum." Jeonghan tightens his grip on your hair, pulling harder as he speeds up his thrusts. "Cum for me then," he commands, his voice rough with lust. "Cum on Daddy's cock."

With a few more thrusts, you tumble over the edge, your body shaking with the force of your orgasm. Your pussy clenches tightly around Jeonghan's cock, milking him as he continues to thrust into you. He follows soon after, groaning as he fills you with his hot cum. He releases your hair and wraps his arms around you, holding you up as you both come down from your high.

"You're mine," he whispers, pressing kisses to your neck and shoulders. "Always mine." Jeonghan turns you around to face him, a satisfied smile on his face as he wipes away your tears. "You did so well," he says, cupping your face in his hands. "I'm proud of you for taking your punishment so beautifully."

He kisses you softly, his lips gentle after the rough treatment. "I forgive you for teasing me," he murmurs against your lips. "But don't do it again, or next time I won't be so lenient."

[bullet-prooflove]

Okay sorry for the amount I am about to write. I just need to get my words out. Is there anyone else in the er that knows about CiCi’s past? Is there someone who might recognise her from coming into the er years ago with suspicious injuries? Or is there a time when one of her ‘clients’ is in the er when she bringing in another patient and recognises her? Or do Jack and John keep it on lockdown when it comes to that information? I feel like if anyone knew it would be Robby purely because all those years ago Jack suddenly has this kid in his life who he’s basically adopted and is getting on the right track.

No problem on the amount, you brought up some really fun shit and I’m sorry this is such a long answer.

So Robby 100% does know about her past because like you said Jack suddenly ends up with this kid in his home and he’s gonna talk to his bestie about that. I think even before the incident with Seamus (her dad) at the boxing gym, he was in talks with Maria, Greg (the gym owner) and Robby about the best course of action for Cici as there is a lot of variables when it comes to kids who have suffered abuse and he was trying to work out the best way to offer help without sending her running. (a very common theme in my experience with care kids) Dana was probs in that circle too from the work she was doing with trafficking victims. I believe Jack would have sought her advice.

I honestly don’t think Cici would have attended the ER prior to working there because her family would have known that it would raise a redflags. Any injuries she would have sustained from ‘clients’ they would have taken care of at home and the injuries were never serious enough to warrant a hospital visit. Her family are generational criminals they’ve been taking care of their own shit for years.

A massive important aspect of the care kid experience (again from when I’ve worked with Cici’s age group) is giving them the ability to tell their own story if and when they want to. It impacts their sense of identity and autonomy massively. When you’re in care everyone knows your story from your social worker, to the support worker to the admin staff, it doesn’t give you room to be anyone else outside of that.

Maria would have made it very clear to Robby/Dana/Jack how incredibly important it is that Cici has that space as it would allow her to grow and thrive without feeling judged. It was also Maria that suggested Cici change her last name to help her create her own identity away from everything she had been through and to severe that connection completely to a criminal family esp if she was working alongside first responders such as the police, etc who would have had contact with them.

While Cici knows Robby and Dana are aware of her past they have never mentioned it to her, because its HER story. However they do exhibit protective traits, both checking in if they sense something is off or if an incident occurs on their watch.

After her father’s outburst at the hospital at Jack, one or two people may have put it together but it would never be mentioned to her or Jack. They know Cici, they know Jack and the horrible shit the dad was spouting is not to be repeated. However you know they made his stay very uncomfortable before he was taken to jail for beating the shit out of that kid with a pistol.

John has a complete cone of silence over this whole thing. Whatever Cici says to him is between him and Cici and it doesn’t go beyond him, not even to Jack.

On the ‘client’ thing. I’ve always had this little inkling that John and Cici would end up running into a ‘client’ while out on a date or something like that. The guy would tell John he was her first and John would want to be beat the shit out of him. Cici afterwards would tell John he wasn’t her first, he was one of a long line of ‘firsts’ because her father repeatedly sold her ‘virginity’ to get a better amount of money out of some of the clients who wanted ‘the virgin experience’. Cici is very detached about this period of her life and although embarrassed, brushes it off, while it sticks with John.

John would turn to Jack/Faye in the aftermath of this because it fucks with his head and he isn’t sure how to deal with it on a personal level. Hearing Cici talk about it is one thing but experiencing it is another. Jack ends up discussing the times he’s treated her dad in the past (remember how Jack said ‘you’ll give yourself another heart attack’) since they took Cici and how he’s experienced similar emotions. I could literally see him saying, there was a moment where he thought about not bringing him back after a coke induced heart attack, but he couldn’t be that part of Cici’s story, and John shouldn’t be either. She’s left that behind her, let’s keep it behind her.

Any other questions please don’t hesitate to fire away!

[otakpocky131522]

It would seem that I can’t be free of Buck/Tommy and baking thoughts, so here is a sort of addition/mostly a deep dive about one line of my earlier post. So here’s them doing the novel act of communicating! about the baking. Reading the first post definitely isn’t necessary for this one.

Considering the last person who made desserts specifically for him was his mother, with clumsy attempt at a homemade birthday cake when he was 10 years old, Tommy’s feeling a little overwhelmed by all the desserts Evan’s been making recently. When they first got back together, after their ill-fated hook up, he was charmed by the treats Evan gifted him on every date (and now Tommy had frequent cravings for lemon-blueberry muffins, but he was doing a great job at keeping that a secret, thank you very much). A few months into their relationship, Evan had started cutting back on the baked goods, typically saving it for special occasions. It had months since the last time Evan had even picked up a whisk and that was when he made lava cakes for Mara’s first sleepover.

Sure, there’d been an increase in the baking around memorable events, like their first date, Eddie’s move back from Texas, the 118’s first gathering at Bobby and Athena’s new house, and their six month anniversary. The most impressive had been a show-stopping, three-tiered cake around their first “I love you’s”. But Evan had been baking almost religiously for the past week and showed no signs slowing down. Which left Tommy anxiously remembering the times he baked like he was trying to escape from something, just before any serious conversation, like before he asked Tommy to try again, or move in, or meet the infamous Buckley parents.

And now Tommy is spiraling on his couch over why his boyfriend is feeling the need to rely on his favorite coping mechanism right now. Instead of just…talking to him. Which was ridiculous. Tommy can do this. He stole government property twice and got a medal for it once. He managed to evade jail time and suspension both times. He reconnected with his old army buddies who ragged on him for “losing” to the army pilots despite all his experience. He could survive a conversation with his partner.

Leaning across the kitchen table, he opens with, “You know, I’d still be here, even without all the bribes.”

Even without the way Buck tenses up, Tommy would have known the quip didn’t land right by the way he looked so shocked and hurt.

“Didn’t realize I needed to bribe my boyfriend to get him to hang out with me?”

‘Well, this went south quicker than expected,’ he can’t help but think. Evan is already feeling defensive and Tommy can feel himself instinctively responding in kind. Tommy still isn’t great at talking about emotional things yet, but he loosens his clenched jaw to try and savage this. Manages to push out, “Sorry, you just sound stressed when you’re running late because something is taking a little bit longer in the oven or hasn’t fully cooled yet. I assumed it was…well, a lot.”

“A lot—“. Oh look, just made it a thousand times worse.

“Evan-“ “-how long have you been thinking that I’m a lot?” “You know that’s not what I meant-“ “Do I?”

“Yes! Sweetheart, you know I love everything about you. I love the research spirals. I love how excited you get about learning. I love how you try to find out everything even remotely relevant to your current crisis because you want to fully consider every possible angle. I love that you take every opportunity to try and be better and you work so hard at it. I love how much of yourself you pour into everything you do. I don’t love seeing you worry so much. And you just seem so worried every time you bake. You know you can just talk to me right? We never get it right at first, but we end up somewhere perfect together, right?”

Oh, there goes the tension. ‘Oh thank Jesus.’

“Sorry. I know. But I really do enjoy the baking. I like taking care of you. I like that I can make something that makes you happy. Yes, I’ve noticed the massive sweet tooth by the way. But you’re great at cooking and don’t need me to take care of you like that. And I’m sure all the neighbors know by now that we are not compatible when we try to cook together. But with the baking, it’s something only I can do and it’s just for you.”

“Yes, but you know I love you for more than what you can provide right? You don’t have to bring something to the table,” Tommy asks, eyebrows raised pointedly. “This was kinda my point about the bribe. I love you. I love hanging out with you. It makes me so happy just to talk to you that I don’t know what to do with myself.”

Evan takes a few breaths and takes the time to process that, in a way he knows their therapist is going to be so proud of at their next appointment. After putting the brownies he was working on in the oven, he takes a seat beside him at the table.

“I understand that and you know I love and adore you baby.” Evan laughs at the way Tommy’s nose scrunches lightly at the endearment. “But I still love being able to be the only one who makes you happy this way. Plus it’s meditative for me.”

“Meditative? That precarious piles of dishes, the four different scales, and the four timers you’ve got set up is meditative?”

Reflexively, Evan responds with a, “hey, don’t mock the process.” Takes a beat to think before continuing, “and yes, it’s meditative. There’s a precise method to each recipe, perfectly organized, logical steps, and a reason behind everything. It feels like it tricks my mind into being more organized and purposeful, and during the downtime while I wait, it gives me a chance to actually reflect and plan before I speak. So I’m more sure of myself and what I want whenever we sit down to talk. Plus the sense of accomplishment is phenomenal, and the look on your face when you’re eating the results certainly doesn’t hurt,” he ends with the charming wink.

“Huh. Meditative then. So…you’re not baking to cope with any anxiety about us talking? Like, you’re not baking away any worries that I’ll walk out again?”

The absolutely bewildered expression and the unbelievably judgmental eyebrows instills such an instant, deep sense of shame in Tommy and very soundly shuts down any lingering doubts, even before Evan gets out, “Tommy, I love you, but what kind of nonsense is that? You’ve proven several times over that you’re in this to stay now. You’ve done great at our therapy sessions. And you’ve definitely reinforced that you’ll always come back if I call. I’m not worried about you leaving forever.”

Shoulders hunched, Tommy quietly manages, “I told you, I don’t love seeing you stressed and you always seem so frazzled. So why put yourself through that if you’re not worried about the conversation. But please put away the eyebrows, you got your point across.”

Getting up, with a gentle smirk on his face, he says “Good. Now I’m going to work on the next recipe. And don’t worry, it’s your favorite muffins, I found the best blueberries at the farmer’s market this weekend.”

….Busted. Oh well. Tommy’s more than happy to be live his life spoiled by someone as amazing as Evan Buckley.

[hvnsinureyes]

YOU LIKE TO SAY THAT YOU'RE RIGHT ! austin reaves.

request | "omg rennie… more like a challengers-esque version where golfer!austin hires you, a has-been golf player sidelined to teaching by an injury—whose career he’s inadvertently followed because you used to train at the same club when you were kids, to help perfect his swing then one thing leads to another and suddenly you’re being fucked in a golf cart with a [CALL DROPS]"

warnings | angst-ish, reader is somewhat tashi coded, nsfw— austin fucks you in a golf cart, unprotected sex, creampie, austin's lowk obsessed/delusional (that's how i like 'em)

author's note | it's a long one! also forgive me i know nothing about golf, learned all of this from google! also i am sick (once again) so i may take a teeny break from tumblr after this one! sorry :(

AUSTIN REMEMBERS YOU CLEARLY. more than he should, to be honest. he first met you at golf camp— where his parents enrolled him in so he had something to keep him occupied during the summer. he was used to playing baseball and basketball, golf was meant to be a challenge. golf keeps you balanced, his dad says. forces you to try and try again until you're sick swinging your arms around, but in the long run, you'll improve.

camp was boring at first, he won't lie. but then he met you.

you were here for different reasons— a rising prodigy in golf, a legacy already guaranteed by your skills alone. you were only 15 at the time, yet already considered a future GOAT. despite all the whispers and pressure, you didn't break. never let anyone see you fall. the first one at the range, practicing for hours on end, practically glued to your golf club. austin wasn't jealous of your skill, far from it. he understood the hype the moment you arrived, didn't need any more convincing. if it wasn't from the way you exuded dominance, then it was your skill. he was entranced by the way your face looked when focused, eyes sharp enough to kill, with the perfect posture, your swing controlled and precise.

but regardless of how austin noticed your presence, it was like he was invisible to you. well, everyone was. you wouldn't let anyone distract you from your goals. you weren't here to make friends. the only time you ever talked to him was in passing or asking him for a simple favor. even years later, austin didn't forget you. he wasn't obsessed or anything, no. he simply wanted to see your progress. after all, the whispers were right.

you rose through the ranks like it was nothing, win after win, working hard to fulfill the prophecy laid out for you.

but before the world could fully cement your place in golf, before you could really savor the taste of what it meant to be great, you career ended in seconds. suddenly, the music you were listening to turned into shrill sirens, red and blue surrounding you. it was all a blur, from the murmurs of the first responders to state of your totaled car.

it wasn't your fault. a reckless driver, drunk off his ass, speeding past a red light and hitting your car in the process.

"are you awake? hello? how do you feel?"

what you felt— or what you couldn't feel— was your wrist.

you didn't have to listen to what the doctor had to say, the look on his face said it for him. a severe wrist fracture.

and that was all it took to dethrone you.

you love golf. sometimes, you like to think golf loved you just as much, if not even more. it's a silly thought, but it's the only one that brings you comfort. better than the ones who call you "wasted potential" or "the princess who never became queen". you've degraded yourself to a mentor now, helping people become close to what you used to be. it's not bad, actually, having a purpose once again feels good.

it’s good enough. it'll never be the same as playing, but oh well. there's nothing you can do about that, right?

you look at your watch— 3:02 p.m. 2 minutes after you were supposed to start today’s session.

he's late, again.

the new pain in your ass, austin reaves, is your new student. your only student, matter of fact. he's the only one who can handle your teaching style. you remember him as the cute, country sounding nerd from arkansas. back then, his game was decent, but when he reached out for help years later, it was like the skills he learned had vanished.

he wanted you, out of all people, to teach him what he forgot.

he likes the push you give— wants you to be hard on him, to hold him accountable, to make him better. you didn't understand why. he still has another sport to go home to at the end of the day, one who takes up much more of his time than golf.

austin's willing to be molded into your image of a perfect golfer. every move he makes, he looks back at you, eyes asking, "was that okay?"

whether it’s praise or criticism— austin soaks your words up, like it’s the only thing keeping him alive, and in return, he gives results. you like to say he’s the best student you ever had. not out loud, though.

you catch the soft hum of a golf cart approaching— low and steady, the familiar "rrrrr" noise cutting through your thoughts. finally, he's here. his tour bag’s propped in the back of the golf cart, swaying slightly as he pulls up and parks a few feet away from you. without hesitation, he grabs his bag and jogs over, face flushed, hair a mess— he clearly rushed over here.

you’ll have to cuss him out about being on time later.

there's a sharper edge to you today— more pissed off than usual, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by austin. maybe it’s because he was late, maybe it’s undeserved anger built from the day you lost it all. whatever the reason, the look in your eyes stings more than any words. you're looking at him like a failure and it eats away at his core.

"again," you mutter, harshly. austin breaks out of his stance, setting his arms back down. he's exhausted, maybe nearing his limit, but you continue on anyway. his swing’s gotten sloppy, and he still hasn’t made the correction. he sets another ball on the tee, casting a quick glance your way. body settling in, feet planted, arms raised, breath held—

"stop." austin holds his pose. "what's wrong with your stance?"

"...i don’t know."

you sigh and roll your eyes, not even trying to hide your exasperation as you step toward him. the grass crunches lightly under your feet, hand landing on his shoulder. "you’re stiff," you say, your voice quieter now, but still with the same bite. “too stiff. you’ve got to relax, alright?” your gaze travels down, scanning his body until it catches the problem. "and your knees aren't bent. how many fucking times do i have to remind you?"

"sorry coach." it's a more than an apology, a plea for you to have mercy on him. you're already starting up and austin knows it won't end soon. you pull away from his shoulder, backing up to observe him. "sorry won't change that sorry ass stance. fix it and try again." you say. it's quick, barely noticeable, but austin falters.

you wait to hear the crack from the club hitting the ball. it doesn't come.

instead, austin drops the club completely, the loud thud of the club hitting the ground, sound echoing through the air. "i said try again." but austin doesn't make a move to pick it up. he ignores your demand, walking towards you, his expression mirroring yours. he's pissed.

"what’s wrong with you?"

"excuse me?"

"you heard me. what’s goin’ on?" silence fills the air. you don't know what to say back. austin's never stood up for himself like this— often taking the brunt of your harshness without a single complaint. what's even worse is, you can't give him a real answer.

you can't say you're still bitter about what happened to you. bitter that your entire future, wasted because of someone else's poor decision. it should be you practicing your swing, winning tournaments, and making a name for yourself. austin could be great too, but golf is "just a hobby" to him. golf was your life, it still is. he can play whenever he wants for fun, while you can't grip a golf club without your wrist aching.

it's not fair.

but instead, you say, "what are you talking about?"

"don’t bullshit me." he steps forward, voice low as he closes the last bit of space between you, his shadow overtaking your figure. austin lowers his head slightly, tilting it just enough to catch your eyes under the brim of your cap. the eye contact is intense, the both of you refusing to back down as your emotions clash. "y’know, i’ve dealt with your attitude since day one. i never complain. i don’t talk back. i treat you with respect. but still, you treat me like i’m shit."

"i thought you were okay with the way i teach you. if you can’t handle it—"

but austin continues on, cutting you off. "oh, i can handle it. don’t get me wrong, i like the way you teach. but there’s a fine line between bein’ strict and straight up rude. so again— what’s your problem?"

you say nothing. your insecurities sit too deep inside of you, buried under layers of pride and fear— your lips part like you might speak, but no words come out. "won’t talk?" austin watches you carefully, scanning your eyes as if they'll reveal the truth themselves, but you're not budging. he scoffs. guess you'll be stubborn about this.

"that’s fine by me. i’ll jus’ have to get it out of you another way."

"austin."

"shut up. all you ever do is run your mouth. it’s my turn." you press your lips into a tight line, while the corner of his mouth curves upward. a smile not filled with amusement, but with satisfaction. good girl, he thinks. "now you listen to me good n’ well." his finger points at the golf cart behind you.

"i’m gonna fuck you right here, in this cart. better tell me now if you want me to stop."

austin expected you to yell at him. call him crazy and delusional for even thinking you’d consider doing something so dirty with him in public, in the same country club you frequent often. if you were to get caught— your reputation would be done for.

your conflicted look isn’t lost on him. but then, you nod.

"don’t stop." you whisper. you don’t have to tell him twice. he grabs your arm swiftly, dragging you over to the cart. despite his tight grip, he lays you down gently on the front seats, making sure you don't hit the handles, lowering himself to catch your lips into a kiss. austin says a quick thank you to god in his head, glad a bunch of trees are covering the two of you from any nosy bystanders.

his lips and hands are everywhere all at once— your thighs, breasts, hips, and neck, working together to bring you to pleasure. it’s not long until austin’s sick of how covered you are, unbuttoning your polo and throwing it off your body. your skirt, bra, and panties are next to go, and once you’re bare underneath him, austin’s breath hitches. "you’re so gorgeous," he mumbles, distracted by your beauty. "too bad you’re so mean to me, hm?"

"i’m sorry."

"sorry won’t fix that sorry ass attitude. remember?" you glare at him and he snickers. you realize you don’t have that power anymore, to boss him around. austin’s in control and as a way of making it up to him, you’ll let him have it. just this once. after pulling his shirt over his head, austin goes back down to start trailing open-mouthed kisses down your neck. he nips at your skin, eliciting a soft whimper from your throat. as much as austin wants to ravish every inch of your body, the longer he takes, the more likely you’ll get caught. he doesn’t want to be banned at the club (or arrested) for public indecency.

when he makes it past your stomach, austin can’t help but smirk. acting like you couldn’t stand him, when all this time you were soaked. a finger goes in to dive between your lips, letting him in with no resistance. one finger becomes two, pushing in and out, making you moan loudly. your fingers grab onto the plush seats of the cart, trying your best to keep your composure.

the heat inside of you builds and builds, until austin stops, pulling away.

you whine at the loss of contact, but austin chuckles at your neediness. "don’t worry, m' not done just yet." he says, unbuckling his belt. he unzips his pants quickly, pushing them down to his ankles. with a swift tug of his cock, he buries himself inside with a swift thrust. he sighs in relief, throwing his head back.

you feel like heaven. he’s addicted and barely even got a full taste of it all. "been wantin' to fuck you since we met again." hands gripped the handles of the cart, fingers curled tight around the warm metal, as he thrusts his hips into you.

"if i had known it was gonna be this good, i would’ve made a move the first day." you squeeze your eyes shut, hoping somehow, blocking out the world will make austin's voice disappear. but it doesn’t work— each one finds their way into your head. you feel the heat rise inside, spreading through your chest, your body betraying you with every breath. a raw, burning want cuts through your attempts to hold back. you want him. desperately. your body is already giving in before your head can make it's mind up. "how does it feel, baby?"

so good, you think, but you settle for another moan instead.

"these strokes good enough for you? not too stiff?"

"fuck— fuck you, austin."

"you are, right now." his smirk is devious, practically getting off to the thought of finally putting you in your place. "funny how you're not telling me off anymore." he drives the point in when he changes the pace of his thrusts, slowing it down just for you. his cock enters in slow, but deep, hand running down the small bulge poking through your tummy. "i bet you love this." you mewl when he presses down, "maybe that’s what i'll do now, fuck you stupid when you get too smart."

you don't dignify him with a response— but your pussy does. the way it's squelching around him, covering his dick with your slick. "because i'm the only one who makes you feel this good."

"y— you sure about that?" austin laughs again, dismissing your words. he doesn’t take you seriously— not in the way you want him to. you said it to hurt him, a desperate attempt to get back some control. he knows better. you’ve told him before, "i don't have time for relationships." you’ve never been the type who gets around either, not like he does, at least. "with how you're stutterin'? you won't want anyone else after today."

"i'll be the only man bendin' you over," he murmurs, saying it like it's a promise. he sees you struggling, head thrown back against the seats. "you're close aren't ya?" your pulse quickens, and that familiar pressure coils low in your stomach. "cum all over this cock, sweatheart." his fingers quickly find your clit, rubbing relentlessly.

"let go for me." you try to hold it off, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing he single-handedly wrecked you so quickly, but the pace of his thrusts combined with his fingers are overwhelming. that's all it takes for your orgasm to hit you violently, juices squirting around his cock. austin hisses at the sudden feeling of your pussy clenching around him, suddenly gripping him like a vice.

with every ounce of energy you can muster, you wrap your legs around his waist. legs locked around him, his body against yours leaving nowhere else to go but deeper, closer. austin freezes as if he's been caught off guard, but gathers himself quickly. hunched over like an animal, he says against your throat, "where d'ya want it? inside?" a warning that he was close.

"yes, yes, yes! please, austin."

"you wanna risk it? might knock you up, make you a mommy."

"i don’t care—ah! anymore! please!" in an instant, the warmth of his cum floods your insides, thrusts faltering as he drives into you in one fluid motion, all the way to the hilt. your pants fill his ear, his head pressed into the crook of your neck. you can feel the faint beat of his pulse against your chest, hearts beating together.

you try to savor this moment of silence, try to pretend austin's cum isn't dripping out of you. he's still your annoying ass student, the same one who didn't fuck the shit out of you a few seconds ago. you definitely don't have any feelings for him either, oh god no.

"we might have to look at baby golf shoes. y'know, just in case." he says, pressing a teasing kiss to your shoulder. "ugh, shut up." you snap, making him laugh all over again. yup, still annoying. he lifts himself away, looking for your clothes sprawled across the grass. "did you forget plan b exists?"

"still sassin' me, huh?" he smirks. "you didn’t learn a thing."

[deceit-and-knowledge]

Ooc: The conversation~~~~

Ft this (feel free to pry into their brains on @deceit-and-doubt or @truth-and-compassion )

(also sorry bird anon you have to third wheel lmao feel free to bully smilk about it)

shadow milk opened the door after taking a deep breath, entering into pure vanilla's bedroom.

Walking in his chest full of anxiety, not letting himself show it on his face but his weak body was definitely crumbling beneath it.

"...hey.."

he spoke softly.. clearly upset and bothered by the potential of a fight.

"hello.." pure vanilla responded, his voice tense, he looked towards shadow milk, standing up from his plush bed, the once usually warm room felt cold and like you could cut the air with a knife.

The weather outside matching the air within the room, stormy and cold like an explosion of thunder or rain had been brewing. He looked at him with a concerned expression but not his usual calm soft concern this one was more of "I am on the brink of having a panic attack"..

"bluebird.. please.. you know why I want to talk." Pure vanilla chokes out, his worry clearly made him ill. He's clenching his stomach which can only be filled with a dark pit of concern.

A sickening dark pit.

"...i.. do.." shadow milk answers, looking away at the ground next to him, his face blushed from the shame and guilt he feels. "Then tell me, what's going on.. please.." pure vanilla pleads. Shadow milk jolts in sudden anger. "WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU! YOU'LL JUST GET MAD AT ME!" he screams.

"because I love you.. I am not going to get angry I merely want answers.." pure vanilla assures, gently reaching up to caress shadow milk's cheek. His eyes leer at him, his main with disdain and anger but the ones within the void of his hair look in worry and sadness, embarassment even.

"Fine.. but I don't know how to word it.. I'm going to trust you with something I never trust anyone with.. if you truly love me, any secret you gather from this should never be brought up again!.." he states a command as he hands over a pile of books from a portal. All diaries. "These are all my diaries from before you arrived at the spire til now. Approximately 3 150 paged ones." He pouts. "Read them.. they have all my dumb secrets and weird emotions.. connect the dots between them and you'll figure out what bothers me. Also why I keep this from you..." Shadow milk admits.

So pure vanilla sits down, picking up diary after diary, turning page after page, word after word, he reads. Every line is dripping with emotion and feeling, hurt, love, happiness, fear, sadness, heartbreak, anger. Thoughts of betrayal, admittance of shyness, as if you looked into him and unraveled him. Every word explained everything. New information pure vanilla didn't know prior about this cookie he loved so.

It ended up being 5 diaries. Some with pages torn out.

"do you.. understand.." shadow milk asked softly, sounding like he's about to cry, he looked humiliated as he watched pure vanilla read his secrets. "I do.. thank you.. I'm sorry you've been so afraid for this long.. I couldn't be that comfort you truly needed.." pure vanilla apologises. "...why are YOU sorry.. I fucked up.. I'm so scared to be alone.." shadow milk cries.

"and you don't have to be.. I'll never leave you.." pure vanilla exclaims, bringing the jester into a hug.

"everything will be alright, blueberry.." he says softly. He feels the clown begin jitter and twitch as he cries into his shoulder. He rubs his hand down his back, up and down, patting it on occasion as he soothes him with a hum.

Soon cradling him in his arms like a child, sat on the bed, the two together. "You mean everything to me, shadow milk cookie.. I adore you and everything you are, I'm so sorry you fear loneliness so much, I know that feeling.. it's crushing. I know I'll never understand how it feels to watch the children you adored grow up and know they'll one day leave you but unfortunately that's life.. just know you improved their lives more than any cookie could ever improve it, you gave them a home and love.. they'll forever be indebted to you, even if they spread their wings and leave the nest.." pure vanilla gently explains. "I know you deny it, but they're your children.. you see yourself as their parent.. I hope you know they'll forever see you as their dad.. "

"and please.. be reminded, there's no need to be so insecure around me.. I love you with all my heart, you shouldn't fear expressing your emotions to me, I understand my statement is rather hypocritical but we're both trying and learning, but we should be learning together not alone.. some tasks can't be done alone." He explains.

"So please.. let's be in this together.. we share a soul, we should be able to understand each other and not hide away.. there's no reason to be afraid anymore...I'm your boyfriend..." He reassures, gently stroking the back of shadow milk's head.

"...so.. you love me..?" Shadow milk asks, seemingly in denial. "Alot, yes.." pure vanilla replies, his voice quiet and sweet.

"...how much exactly..numbers..?" Shadow milk responds, he sounds tired, insecure. "I'm not sure I can even count to it..haha.. it's a rather large number, I'm not sure if it's an existing number.. I might have to make up an entirely new set of numbers.." pure vanilla chuckles. He takes shadow milk off his shoulder, holding him up on his lap. Looking him in the eyes he speaks with love laced words. "I love you bluebird.. I'm sorry for everything you're going through.. especially that scare.. I'm not sure why I even remotely belived it... But.. what if we were to say....start a family..?" Pure vanilla asks.

Shadow milk stares in silence. "Would you want to? I'm fine without, I have custard cookie the third.." pure vanilla asks, he sounds fine and happy as if this isn't bothering him, though that's merely shadow milk's own thoughts plaguing him.

"... I'm... not sure.. that d..doesn't bother you, does it?.." he asks, in a stammer. "Obviously not.. we have eternity ahead of us, besides.. we haven't even discussed the potential of marriage.. though I'm getting ahead of ourselves, I'm just so love struck with you.. you little heart stealer you~" pure vanilla teases, pinching shadow milk's cheek extremely gently.

He then kisses shadow milk's lips with gentle care. Feeling the usually cold cookie flush up in bashful heat. Soon removing himself from him shadow milk floats off and above pure vanilla, still near and in front of him. He wipes his mouth which pure vanilla laughs at. "Still not used to kisses are you?" The king questions, look towards his precious jester. "Absolutely not." He hisses in response.

The touch starved yet touch hating cat looks at pure vanilla, leering at him with his heterochromatic blue eyes.

"though I have a question for you before you leave which I know you're going to.. why did you make lingerie?" Pure vanilla asks, with the head tilt of a confused puppy.

"...W..what!?.." shadow milk stutters. "Why do you?" Pure vanilla asks with a smirk. "To know I even OWN that you would've gone into my room and snooped around, you little gnat!" Shadow milk yells, clearly embarrassed. "Why did you make that? Quit avoiding the question~" pure vanilla's asks again in some dumb flirting attempt. The jester's eyes go wide as he squeals. "QUIT AVO- UGH. WHY ELSE WOULD I MAKE THAT! WHY WOULD ONE PURCHASE LINGERIE!?"

"why would you make it?" Pure vanilla states again with a shit eating grin, his face blushed, clearly thinking about it. "UGH TO TURN YOU ON.." shadow milk shouts. "Oh~ well now.. h-" "NO." shadow milk blurts out. "Y-You're being.. WAAAY TOO FLIRTY!" he shrieks before storming out in a fluster. Pure vanilla laughs knowing he'll be back later with vengeance.

He lays down, feeling relaxed now such a weight is off his chest, he caresses the diary pile next to him, taking one and hugging it onto his chest.

"I'm so glad this is over.." he sighs.

[mirai-lunar]

Love me at 3am.

♥︎ Stories with some of the Invincible Variants. Fem! Reader (And reader actually likes her variant here).

Includes: Sinister Mark, Omni Mark, Mohawk Mark, Veil Mark (Shiesty Mark), No Goggles Mark

Word Count: ~3.2k

Warnings: Dark Themes, Violence, Suggestive Themes

Sinister Mark

♥︎

The area around you wasn’t pretty to say the least.

He was on one of his rampages, destroying everything he saw on site.

You sat on a large piece of rubble as you waited.

On occasion you would look over your mini ledge to the world below, watching a few civilians scream and run for their lives. 

Once the destruction died down, that was when you heard a cape blow in the wind. He was now floating behind you as he spoke.

“Get up. We’re leaving.”

You turned around and pulled yourself up, slipping your phone in an empty back pocket. For a split second, your eyes looked into his goggles. You then looked past him, and pointed to a person in the distance.

“That person is dying,” you calmly stated. “You should probably finish them off.” 

In an instant, that person’s head was severed. 

He then returned back to you with a cold smile on his face, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“You’re an odd one,” he mused.  

He knew what he was. He had no idea what you were. 

The two of you met a few days ago. He had approached you, but before he could snap that pretty neck of yours, you had smiled softly at him. In the midst of all the chaos, you smiled. 

It wasn’t a deranged smile. Just a calm one.  

“I know,” you said, that same smile once again on your face. He lifted you into his arms before taking off into the night sky. Stars shimmered above your head, and you watched the world speed past you. Normally flights with him were quiet, but this time…

“Tell me your name,” he stated. You happily responded. 

“My name is Y/n.”  

He frowned. There was that damn smile again. Why the fuck were you so happy? 

“Can…Can I ask you your name?” You said. 

“I never said you couldn’t. It’s Mark.”

“Oh…That’s a nice name-”

“What the hell is your problem?” He asked. Nothing he did bothered you. He could be splitting a person into parts and you wouldn’t even flinch. It was as if you enjoyed his presence. 

“I’m sorry,” you murmured. Your expression was now saddened. “I didn’t mean to make you upset-”

“You didn’t. Just answer my question.”

“Oh...Well, you saved me Mark. And I wanted to thank you for that.”

“I never saved you.”

“A building you collapsed killed someone I knew,” you explained. “That was one of the best days of my life.” 

He raised a brow. You were glad someone you knew was dead?

“…”

The rest of the flight back was silent. Once he arrived at your home and set you down, you thanked him. He frowned in response. 

“You can stay tonight if you’d like,” you told him. “Or if you want something to eat, I can warm up some leftovers. Would you like to stay?”

Your eyes were so bright, so hopeful-

“No,” he flatly said. “It’s 3am. Go to sleep.”

He then took off into the sky. 

You remained in place for a bit, before ultimately deciding that he was right. As you made your way inside your home, you changed into some sleepwear, climbed into bed, and closed your eyes for some much needed sleep. 

That is, until some time later you heard movement.

You didn’t know how long you were asleep, or how much time had passed. But when you felt the weight shift in your bed, your eyes shot open. Fear overtook you for a split second, until you felt a back press gently up against yours.

You calmed, recognizing who it was.

He didn’t say anything, but just him being here made your heart flutter. You rolled over to face his back, and then moved as close to him as possible. As your face rested against his warm skin, you spoke softly.

“Goodnight Mark. Thanks for staying…” 

You didn’t get a response.

Omni‎ Mark

♥︎

He was suspended in midair, his gaze focused on the starry night above. It was always so peaceful during these times.

But he needed to stay vigilant. Just in case.

Which is why at 3am, he was floating in the sky above your home. You had noticed his absence, and also made your way outside. 

“Mark? Is everything okay?”

He looked down, and to his surprise you weren’t on the ground, but halfway on the roof of your home. Your legs were dangling off the side of the building, but you eventually pulled the rest of your body up.

He sighed before moving down to speak to you. 

“You know that wasn’t safe, Y/n.”

“Oh, I’m sorry…” you murmured. “I should probably get down then.”

To his surprise (yet again), you didn’t bother to climb down, but instead leaped off the roof. The fall was too far for his liking, so before gravity could even pull you down, he had caught you. You laughed, and his neutral expression was now a small smile. 

“When you said you were getting down, I assumed you meant the way you came,” he stated. You smiled back at him.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it. Are you okay? You’ve been staring at the sky more often. Are you missing home?” 

He descended to the ground, before making his way back into the house. He still had you in his arms. 

“No, I hated my home.” 

“..Oh…” You hadn’t expected that answer. “Well, what about your dad? In this world he was a hero until…that day he turned evil. How was your dad in your world?”

“I killed my father.” 

Okay, you did not expect that response either. He killed his father, but he dresses like him? That’s a lot to unpack. As he made his way through the kitchen and towards your room, you grew silent. 

“I…I see,” you murmured. “I don’t know the circumstances, but I’m really sorry to hear that Mark.”

He paused to look down at you for a second. 

“Don’t be. What’s done is done.”

As he set you down in your room, you climbed into bed, curling up in blankets. 

“Was there anything you loved back home?” You asked him. In all honesty, you were worried. He seemed to hate a lot of things. 

He considered your words before responding. 

“I loved you.”

Oh… that’s right. There was a variant of you in his world. You were curious about what happened to her, but the silence that followed after he responded was concerning.

The last thing you wanted was to resurface some unpleasant memories. You needed to lighten the quickly darkening mood. 

“Aww, that’s sweet,” you said. “I don’t personally know the Mark in my world. But… I do know you. And I love you.”

That brought a smile back to his face. 

“I love you too,” He said. You leaned into his touch as his hand rested against your face. “It’s late. You should get some rest.”

“Alright, but only if you do too.” Your eyes adjusted as he turned off the lights. You then rolled on your side to face away from him. “Get out of the suit and join me. I want to cuddle you.” 

It didn’t take long for him to comply. Once you felt the weight on your bed shift, you waited a few moments, before rolling over to face him. You then wrapped your arms around his waist, and gently pressed your lips against his. He returned both the loving gestures. Once you two pulled apart, you rested your head against his chest. 

“Remind me to kiss you a lot more in the morning,” you murmured. He chuckled as you continued. “Goodnight Mark....”

He pressed a kiss against your forehead before responding. 

“Goodnight.” 

Mohawk Mark

♥︎

“Hey, wake up.”

Your eyes shot open. 

As you sat up in bed, your mind quickly raced. It was dark, and you couldn’t see your surroundings. But you could make out an outline of him. 

He was in bed next to you, a hand behind his head as he rested casually on his back. His other hand had shaken you awake. 

“You were flailing like a fish out of water,” he stated. “Let me guess, another nightmare?”

Your hand reached for the lamp on your nightstand. A soft glow now illuminated the room, and you rubbed your forehead in an attempt to calm your nerves. He waited a bit before speaking.

“Really didn’t expect this to be an everyday thing.” He sounded more amused than worried. When you wiped a stray tear from your face, he propped his head up on one hand. “Aww, Baby… Was it that bad?”

“The last thing I need right now is you making fun of me,” you told him. He now sat up in bed, before leaning over your shoulder.  

“I’m not. Whatever you’re dreaming about shouldn’t bother you.” He leaned in close to your ear. “Especially when you have me…” 

“I guess you’re right,” you murmured. Your hand gently caressed his face as you looked over your shoulder. “You’re much worse than my nightmares.”

You were immediately snatched down into bed. 

“I was joking!!” You exclaimed in-between laughter. You barely had time to react when his lips pressed roughly against your skin. You tried to get away from him, and you almost did, but he had grabbed one of your legs in the process of your little escape. As he dragged you back towards him, you pleaded. “Okay! I’m sorry- H-Hey!!”

You felt hands squeeze your butt, and you shot him a glare. That’s one place he’s always grabbing.

“You’re too much, you know that?” You told him. As your hands wrapped around his midsection, he smiled in response.

“You seem to handle me pretty well.” He leaned towards you, and the two of you shared a quick kiss. “And hey, you should be thanking me. At least I took your mind off things.” 

Both of your eyebrows raised. You had completely forgotten about the nightmare. 

“Yeah…I guess you’re right…” you murmured. While you considered his words, he climbed off you, and settled back into bed. A yawn left his lips.

“As much as I love messing with you, I’m fucking tired,” he murmured out. “Try to get some sleep.”

“What if I have another nightmare?” You asked him. He sighed. 

“Just wake me up. I’m sure I’ll think of something to take your mind off it.”

That sounded comforting. 

You checked the time on your phone. 3am. 

“Alright then,” you said. You reached over to turn off the light before settling down in bed. As you moved closer and rested your face against his chest, one of his arms wrapped around your back. 

You leaned your head up before pressing a kiss against his face. 

“Goodnight Mark. I love you.”

He was already snoring. 

You furrowed your brows, a hint of frustration on your face. He was always like this. Out in 3 seconds.

A sigh left your lips, and your face once again rested on his chest. 

Why you loved him, you had no idea. 

Veil Mark (Shiesty Mark)

♥︎

He was peacefully asleep in bed, an arm dangling off the side as he snored softly. 

You were standing directly next to him.  

Your eyes narrowed, before lifting your weapon of choice in hand. You had already warned him multiple times that you would do this. 

It was too late for apologies now. 

You slammed the pillow as hard as you could across the back of his head, causing him to jolt awake. Before he could process what was happening, you continued to wail on him. 

“Stop! Stealing! The blankets!” You exclaimed in-between each hit. You then burst into laughter. “I’m freezing over here!!” 

It was his turn to laugh now. 

“Ah fuck.” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry about that.”

“Every night I go through this, and every night you say the same thing,” you told him. The pillow fell from your hand as you moved away to switch the light on. “At this rate, I’ll have to start sleeping on the couch. At least I won’t freeze to death there.”

“Maybe, but you’ll also be left pretty lonely,” he explained. “Let’s figure this out tonight, or I’ll take the couch.”

He untangled himself from multiple blankets he had stolen from you, and you grabbed a fluffy one, before wrapping it around your neck.

“How about I wear one like a cape?” You said. “You can just tie it around my neck and…”

Your mouth stopped moving, a horrible realization flashing through your mind. You imagined him pulling the end of the blanket in his sleep, and you choking to death by it being tightly secured around your neck.

“...Actually, never mind. No capes,” you flatly said. He laughed. 

“You were so sure of yourself five seconds ago.” He then examined all the blankets on the bed. “We have three small blankets. Why don’t we just get a fucking big one?”

“....That makes sense,” you murmured. “So when you inevitably try to steal it, there should still be a lot more of it left on my side. Actually…” 

You made your way out the room, dug through a closet in the hallway, and returned back with a large blanket that dragged along the floor.

“We can try this one. It’s old, but should work.”

“Alright then.”

You settled back into bed, and he threw the large blanket over the two of you. You wrapped yourself in the blanket once, before your eyes shot open, realizing your mistake. 

“Oh. I forgot to turn off the-” In an instant the room was dark. “-lights. Thanks... Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

You were warm, and the sleep was peaceful.

Until 3 am. 

You felt him roll himself in the blanket not once, but twice. You furrowed your brows, the amount of blanket on your side significantly decreasing. 

“Oh for love of-” You tried to hold onto the rest of the blanket for dear life, but you were no match for his strength. It was a losing tug-of-war. Once the blanket was once again stolen from you, you were seeing red. 

No way he slept through all this. He had to be doing this on purpose.

“Mark!!!” You reached for the pillow underneath your head to slap him with it, but to your horror one of his arms had wrapped around your waist, before he started his little spin again. You were dragged towards him as you clawed at the bed. “MARK!” 

He rolled you on top of him first, and then he rolled again, you now on the side of him. Your heart was racing.

If he rolled one more time, you would be under him. And he could crush you. 

Thankfully, he didn’t move anymore, opting to just snuggle up to you instead. You could hear his light snore.

“How in the world are you still asleep?” You whispered. 

He didn’t respond, and you eventually sighed, dropping your head in defeat.

A bit of loose blanket was all you could grab before closing your eyes. 

You would complain later. But at least now you were warm.

No Goggles Mark

♥︎

A cold breeze had woken you up. 

Your hand reached over the bed as you spoke with a groggy voice.

“Mark… You left the window open…Mark?” 

You pulled yourself up, noticing that his side of the bed was empty. Rain poured heavily just outside the window, and you had an idea where he was currently at. 

As you climbed out of bed and stuck your head out the open window, you were pelted with cold, fast-falling rain. Your ears caught a voice in the distance. 

“Woohoo! This is awesome!!” 

It was him. He was currently zooming through the sky, and his excitement had echoed throughout the air. You smiled. 

“He seems to be having fun.” Your eyes turned behind you to check the clock on the wall. “At 3am, no less.”

You then pulled down the window to shut it, but for some odd reason the movement halted. As the window abruptly opened again you nearly screamed.

“Hi Y/n!!” It was him. He had stopped the window from closing from the outside. 

“Mark!? How did you get here so fast!? I literally just saw you in the sky.” 

He laughed as he made his way inside. Water dripped from his suit, and his hair.

“Hey, do you wanna go outside with me?” He asked you. You laughed.

“Right now?! But it’s raining!”

“Aww, but it’s so much more fun with you!”

You sighed. 

“Alright then. We can splash in the water or something.”

Before you even spin around to grab your rain jacket, he had already grabbed you, and made his way out the window again. You shut your eyes and held onto him as the world sped around you. Once he came to a complete halt, you took a second to catch your breath. 

“That was-”

You were then immediately submerged in cool water and your body tensed up. He brought you back to the surface, and the two of you now floated in a lake. 

“Mark! I meant splash in a puddle! Not a whole ocean!!” You splashed water in his direction, and he laughed before splashing water back at you. 

“This is a lake actually! It was the nearest body of water.” 

You two kept laughing and splashing water at each other. 

“Mark! No fair! Stop hitting my leg!” You said in a playful manner. He gave you a confused look.

“I’m... not hitting your leg-”

“Seriously Mark!” You swam a bit away from him. When you felt something bump into your leg again, you went silent, realization hitting you. 

Wait, if he wasn’t touching your leg, then something else was. 

“S-something’s in the water!!” You exclaimed. He immediately grabbed hold of you before lifting you into the air. As the two of you hovered just above the water, his eyes looked down to examine its depths. 

“Hmm, the water’s pretty dark here so…Oh.”

“What is it?!” You were too scared to look. He laughed. 

“I have no idea what that is,” he admitted. “It looks like some sort of creature. And it’s pretty big.”

The way he casually described what was just bumping into you made your blood run cold.  

“Take me home Mark! I think I’ve had enough fun for one night!!”

He made sure the flight back was fast. Once you calmed your racing heart, the two of you showered before eventually settling back into bed. You held onto him, and he cuddled you to calm you down. 

“You just love to attract danger for some reason~” He teased you. You pouted. 

“I attract danger?? You brought me there!!” 

“I know, but that creature only seemed interested in you~” 

“You are not helping Mark.”

He held you closer before his lips pressed against yours. You returned his sweet gesture, and once you two pulled apart, he rested his chin on the top of your head.

“Don’t be scared," he told you. "I can get rid of it tomorrow if you'd like."

You sighed. 

“No, it’s alright. We intruded, just... leave it be,” you murmured. Sleep was already beginning to overtake you. “Goodnight Mark. I love you.”

He smiled. 

“I love you too.” 

~

If you squint, some of these could pass as fluff lol. Ngl, this took longer than expected to write rip.

[creatchie8]

Taste

Summary: Your situationship, Jordan, loves to try new things

Pairing: Jordan Weaver/Fem!Reader

Warnings: Minors DNI! Oral (F & M receiving), unprotected pinv sex, MENTIONED weed usage (no actual substance use), ice play

A/N: I feel like I am on a roll lately! This has been sitting unfinished forever (only since January but STILL) and I am oh so stoked to have finally finished it (and sorry for that summary, it is the best I could do). Luv you all so much I hope this is up to your expectations my queens (gn)

Word Count: 4,000ish

The old tower fan in the corner of your small living room did nothing to stop the southern California heat. It hummed loudly as it oscillated, pushing the warm air around your shoebox apartment. Sometimes, if you really thought about it, you could convince yourself you felt cool air on your sweaty skin. 

You had another fan, but it was resting peacefully in the dumpster outside your complex after you accidentally knocked it off the counter in your bathroom and broke it one morning while in a rush. 

The afternoon was the worst though. Your windows faced west, the heat practically melting your dingy plastic blinds that you should've cleaned a year ago. You were saving up for a window air conditioner though, and when your next paycheck hit you should have enough money to buy the cheapest one at Home Depot. 

You almost felt bad asking Jordan to come over, his blue eyes roaming warily over your dirty apartment and the lack of cool air as he let himself in. You had never seen his apartment, even when you begged him to let you come over instead of spending another night at your place. 

To be honest, you cared less now than when you first met him at some nightclub eight months ago. 

It was easier just imagining Jordan as this guy who would come over eight times out of ten when you asked, bearing gifts (his dab pen). You knew it was getting bad when you felt your heart skip a beat when he nonchalantly offered to get you your own pen, laying naked in bed while you traced the freckles on his chest. 

You declined and crushed that feeling down real quick. 

Jordan brought his pen, but it was laying long forgotten on the thrifted wood couch side table as you straddled his lap. Grey cotton shorts riding low on tan hips and showing off the dark tattoo that was placed under his navel as the two of you shared heady kisses. 

It always started out with you calling (never texting) him and asking if he was busy when you craved his attention. His charm and smile was infectious, even through the speaker. Almost every time he would respond and say something like, “You know, I do have something planned around then. But hey, I can skip it for my best girl.” 

It never got old and he knew it. You always left the door unlocked for him, prompting him to comment about how dangerous LA was and you were lucky that he was the one opening the door and not some bad man that would take advantage of you. 

Then it would be casual. You would offer him something to eat and talk about work. He would decline and talk about the next crazy thing he was planning on doing. Then he would fuck you until you saw stars and leave in the morning. 

His large hands under your t-shirt were hot reminders on your bare sides that you should really pick up an extra shift in order to secure that AC unit. But, your attention was brought back to the man underneath you as he urged your loose fitting shirt off to reveal the sports bra beneath. 

“You're distracted.” He muttered close to your mouth, dodging your lips as you tried to kiss him. 

“No m’not.” You smile lazily at him, guiding his hands back to your hips. 

Jordan tasted like the cinnamon gum he spit out earlier, his scruff like fine grit sandpaper on your chin and upper lip as your mouths connected again. 

You could feel that he was hard through your own soft shorts as you shifted closer, getting comfortable on his muscular thighs. It drew a barely there whine from his throat, the tail end of it a few decibels louder as you tugged on his dark hair, urging his head back from your mouth so you could kiss along his jaw. 

The bruise high on his neck that you made last time was yellowing already, enticing you to bite and suck harder this time so it would stay longer. 

His blunt nails were digging into your hips, coaxing them down harder to grind against him. Unsuccessfully, he attempted to raise his head up only for you to pull harder down on his hair again, head thumping against the top of the couch so you could finish sucking a new bruise on his throat. 

“Heyyy…” Jordan chided, making another attempt to lift his head up, “You're not being very nice.” 

“Sorry.” You let him go and sit up, feigning sympathy as you bite your lip to hide the satisfied smile emerging on your face. His cheeks were flushed, eyes shiny in the late afternoon light. A sweaty sheen already appeared on his reddened chest, highlighting his panting lungs and hard nipples, one adorned with a silver barbell. 

“I'll forgive you if you take it all off.” Jordan bargained, his fist already enclosed on the front of your bra. 

The weight of his veiny arm dragged it down the tiniest bit, revealing the tops of your breasts. He pulled you closer, nose to nose as his lips grazed yours. It was quite intimate, breathing in his exhale as steely blue eyes traced your features. 

You pretend to consider his trade for forgiveness, glancing down and watching as his fist twists tighter in the stretchy material. Beads of sweat were already gathering between your breasts, the fan breeze tickling the hair on the back of your neck that escaped from your haphazard updo. 

As graceful as you can, you slip off his lap and stand between his open legs. It’s all you can do not to gawk at the bulge straining the seam on his shorts. He had already grasped it, a big fist enclosing around his clothed cock and he looked at you expectantly. 

Gingerly, you hooked your thumbs under your waistband, slowly sliding one side over your hip bone to reveal the soft skin underneath before pulling it back up and plastering on a sly smile. Jordan squints his eyes at you, an unsatisfied huff leaving his nose as he shifts in his seat. You pretend to pout and turn away from him, fingertips delicately tracing up your sides before reaching your bra. 

You rid yourself of the garment, your skin thanking you as the constricting article flops lifelessly on the floor. Jordan’s foot reaches out and taps on your calf, a silent plea to have you turn to show him your bare chest. 

Looking over your shoulder, you place your hands delicately over your breasts. Jordan was sitting up, hand no longer resting over his bulge and instead reaching out to yank down playfully on your waistband. 

 You let out a shocked yelp, spinning around to stop him from pulling down your shorts completely, the thin bottoms already almost halfway down your ass. Before you can grab his hands he snatches your wrists up in a firm grasp, bordering on painful. You wince and gasp at the pinch, stumbling forward. He pulls you down between his open thighs, your knees making a thudding noise as they hit the rug. 

“Jordan-” You fussed, half-heartedly struggling to be let free. Your heart was hammering erratically in your chest, posture shrinking under his hungry gaze as you sat back on your heels. Musky sweat mixed with sandalwood cologne swirled around you as he leaned over you, toned muscles rippling under his skin in a captivating way. 

Suddenly, you couldn't hear the cars honking on the street below, the kids playing on the playground behind your apartment, or your downstairs neighbor’s terrier barking at the door to be let out. Just the sound of your own shaky breathing as Jordan studied you like a lab assistant would a mouse. 

Your whole world was flipped upside-down, literally. One moment there on your knees, the next your back was hitting the rug and Jordan was hovering above. He pinned your wrists above your head, showcasing his strength as he wrestled you into submission below. It made your pussy flutter, Jordan had a slightly crazed look in his eyes before he ducked his head and bit into the meaty juncture of your shoulder and neck.

The pain melted you into the plush rug, stopping the struggle and silently convincing you to cave like grasping a cat’s scruff to make them go limp. You could feel him thrusting his hard dick into your lower stomach as he straddled your thighs, arching your back in hopes he’d make more contact with your body. 

Jordan soothes the bite with his hot tongue, the saliva left behind cooling on your skin. He sinks his teeth into other parts of your chest and neck, the shallow bites leaving barely there crescent moon shapes into your skin. 

You watch as he licks a broad stripe between your breasts, catching every drop of sweat with his pink tongue. He trails up to your lips, licking your mouth open and pressing down harder on your restrained wrists. You can taste the salt on his teeth as he kisses you harshly, as if he was begging to become one with you. 

“M-More, god please- touch me-” You manage to gasp out between his bruising kisses, rubbing your thighs together desperately. Tears sprung to your eyes as he was off you in an instant, panting deliriously as his sudden absence made you dizzy.  

You hear him shuffling around in the kitchen, crinkling your brows in confusion as you roll over on the rug to your side. Propping yourself up on an elbow, you turn your head to the tiny kitchen, blocked from your view. 

Jordan emerges with a clear glass filled with ice water. The condensation is already gathering on the translucent cup and dripping a few drops on your linoleum floor as he walks towards you. Sitting up fully, you shift to your knees and look up at him with wide eyes, feigning innocence as your skin buzzes with excitement. 

Blinking away the tears in your eyes, you grasp the bottom of his shorts as he stops in front of you. The ice clinks like chimes on a windy day as he dips his thumb into the water, swirling it around before pressing it against your kiss-swollen lips. You smile against his finger, parting your lips as he pushes into your mouth. The digit is cold as he presses down on your tongue, his other fingers wrapping around your chin to keep you still. 

As Jordan slides his thumb further and further, you lean into it. Pulling down his shorts and boxers until he’s left naked, muscular thighs tensing as you claw at them. He kicks them behind himself and teasingly, you bite down on his knuckle. Hard enough that it surprises him and you can see it in his blue eyes. 

With a lingering touch, he draws his hand from your mouth, dragging your bottom lip downward. He fishes an ice cube from the glass and pushes it between your teeth, setting the glass down on the side table. You suck on it like hard candy, the water cooling your dry throat and slowly shrinking with your heat. 

You move the ice to your cheek, stretching your tongue out to lap at the underside of his cock, savoring the salty sweet beads of precum that was gathered on his tip. It earned you a sharp noise of surprise, his hands flying to your chaotic updo as you took the head in your mouth. You could feel him throb as you swallowed more, the ice rubbing against the side of him. 

A tiny flick of his hips forward has him touching the back of your throat, causing you to gag. Drool mixed with water dribbles down the side of your chin and he conducts your head with a fist in your hair. Your lips are stretched thin as he uses your mouth for his own pleasure, his long eyelashes fluttering against the tops of his cheeks.

The ice is melting rapidly, only a small sliver left in your mouth when he roughly pulls you from him with your hair, muttering something along the lines of stop and shit. The pain prickles your scalp and you let out a whine, panting to catch your breath. Jordan is flushed from head to toe, red splotches mottling his toned torso and thighs. He releases you, the hand holding you hostage untangling in your hair  and slips down the side of your face. 

Jordan’s fingers wipe the drool from your chin and for a moment it feels domestic. You let yourself melt into his hand, nuzzling your cheek deep into his palm. The spit on his fingers gets wiped on your cheek and you quickly cringe, jerking back and wiping your cheek on the back of your hand. 

Amusement twinkles in his eyes, his thin lips quirked up in the corners as he snorts out a laugh. 

“That was mean.” You mutter and pout, watching as he pinches another ice cube between his forefinger and thumb before kneeling down to be level with you, heavy cock bouncing between his muscular thighs as his knees hit the rug in front of you.

“Not as mean as you pulling my hair, brat.” Jordan snarks back, pressing a firm palm between your breasts and urging you down. 

Once your back was flat against the floor, you watched with half-lidded eyes as Jordan brought the ice cube to his lips and sucked it into his mouth. As he moved it around with his tongue, you could hear the faint tapping noises it made against his white teeth. 

Strong hands grasp at your shorts and yank them down along with your underwear in one swift motion, his rough movements pulling your whole body down several inches closer to him. Your fingers dug into the plush rug awaiting his next move as he threw your little cotton shorts and panties expertly over his shoulder. 

“Slut.” You disguised the word with a cough, mockingly looking around as if to say, who said that? He cocked an eyebrow, well versed with your usual snarky comments to know there was no heat behind it. You knew it only spurred him on.

Biting your lip he lowers himself down on his stomach and presses what would be warm open mouthed kisses between your open thighs, the ice cube leaving trails of chill along your burning skin. Cold tingles through your core as his mouth connects with your pussy, toes curling in surprise. 

You gasp his name, hands flying to his sweaty hair as he feasts like a starved man on your cunt. With rough hands he shoves your knees upwards, your feet barely resting on top of his tan, freckled shoulders. You freeze suddenly and let out a high-pitched whimper as he presses the ice to your swollen clit with his tongue, holding it there as he watches you struggle.  

Jordan resumes his earlier actions, his short, pink tongue licking you open until the ice melted. Internally, you sighed in relief, his tongue slowly warming up the longer he sucked and lapped at you. His right hand slipped from beneath your knee, letting it rest on his shoulder. Tentatively, he pulled back and you could feel him spread your folds apart, seemingly pleased with the view as he let out a small noise from the back of his throat. 

You clench involuntarily at the sound, breath catching in your throat, letting your head thunk back to the rug. You fail to exhale as he pushes two fingers deep within you, dropping his head to flatten his tongue against your clit. He curls them slightly, and you can tell he is trying to find that gooey, soft spot within you. The slightly uncomfortable stretch dissipates as he ghosts over where you need him the most, your heel pressing into his back in response. 

You don’t even need to look down to know he’s got the sly, cheshire cat-like look on his face, especially as he quickly finds that spot and presses it again, as if he was massaging a knot out of a sore muscle. 

“Jordan…” You murmured, craning your head up to look at him, pulling on his hair. Your thighs were quivering the tiniest bit, heartbeat strong within your core. 

He hummed in response, eyes closed and cheeks red only opening them as you tugged hard on his hair. 

“Jordan I wa- need you to fuck me.” You say hesitantly, his tongue and fingers still hard at work. Jordan, to your (not) surprise rolls his eyes in response, removing his mouth from your swollen nub and replacing it with his thumb, grinding down harshly. 

You yelp, getting the point, “Please!” The word is sudden and pushes past your teeth and lips without you giving it a second thought. 

“Right. Ride me.” He demands as he sits up and moves next to you, laying and urging you to straddle his hips. It doesn't take much convincing, body already moving and positioning itself over his hard cock. You fit the flushed tip in, looking up and not wanting to miss his expression when you falter, noticing he never wiped you off his mouth. You were smeared from the tip of his nose all the way down his throat. Something feral ignites within you, he was like an animal with his prey all over his mouth. 

Fingers dig themselves into your hips, pulling you to sit fully on his dick. It stretched you, falling to your hands on his heaving chest. Jordan did not wait much longer before he was thrusting up into you, pulling and pushing you around like a ragdoll. 

Though, his eyes kept flitting away from yours, something to the side of him was catching his attention as he fucked you. It confused you at first, until you looked in the direction he was so drawn to. Jordan left the cup of water just a few feet away on the floor, the condensation dripping steadily to the ground. 

“You want this?” You asked mockingly, you knew the answer as his eyes lit up when you leaned over and picked it up, his pace slowing to steady, deep thrusts that had you dizzy. 

“Yeah-” The response was hoarse and short, like he couldn't imagine anything greater than the ice in the cup. 

Sucking your bottom lip into your mouth, you tipped the glass slightly, watching as a small drizzle splashed over his flushed chest, beads of water rolling down his ribs and to the floor. You could care less about ruining the stupid rug. His breathing grew shaky, fingers sure to leave bruises with how hard he was gripping you. 

Stopping the stream, you carefully hovered the glass an inch or two over his mouth, splashing it over his lips and chin as he swallowed the rest. For a moment, you rest the cup beside his head and kiss him deeply, savoring your own taste on his tongue before pulling back and steadying yourself on his chest again.  

He was barely pressing into you now, his hips only pushing upwards like it was an afterthought, all attention focused on where you would spill the water next. Jordan’s eyes were glazed over and his skin was splotchy and red like you had never seen it before. 

Reaching in you grabbed one of the last remaining cubes and tossed it in your mouth, sticking it in your cheek. You let a larger gush of water spill onto his neck, Jordan keening high in his throat. If you concentrated hard enough you could swear his dick was growing harder with every splash of water you gave him. 

Emptying the rest of the glass close to his navel, you admired the way his muscles ripped under the cold. Setting the glass aside you leaned down, noticing the way Jordan lifted his head up, like he didn't trust you to be out of his sight. You maneuvered the ice between your front teeth, shooting him what you hoped was a sexy, flirty smile before rubbing the ice over his nipple. 

Jordan’s back arched fully off the ground, the head of his cock ramming itself into your g-spot. You saw stars but you persevered, curling your toes at the way his nails scratched at the skin on your lower back, as if he was trying to anchor himself to anything at all. He was quite vocal, nonsensical phrases patched together by moans and your confidence swelled. 

Trailing the ice across his chest and to his other nipple, he stilled before you reached it, almost holding his breath and waiting to see how the ice would interact with his silver barbell. 

“S-shit- ohfuck-” The words came out broken as you traced the perimeter of his nipple, letting the ice bump into the silver jewelry gently. 

“Put me out of my misery- please…” Always with the theatrics. Now it was your time to roll your eyes before diving all in, giving that nipple the same amount of attention and then some as the ice melted completely. His blunt nails left raw welts along your back, biting into the soft skin there, hard. 

Jordan must’ve gotten annoyed of your teasing because the next thing you knew your roles were reversed, his lean body towering over you as he shoved your knees to your chest, barely giving you anytime to think before he was pounding into you like it was his life’s mission to fuck you brain dead. 

His hair got in his face, sweaty strands sticking to his forehead. Through blurred vision you could see a prominent vein rising under the reddened skin on his neck. Now it was your turn to spew nonsensical phrases, switching between begging and pleading to demanding and mean. But your mind went blank and your jaw went slack as he somehow found your clit with his thumb and started grinding it mercilessly. 

The part of you that was still alive and functioning (albeit, a very miniscule part) wanted to look down and see how he was managing to fit his hand between your bodies. But your head stayed put, eyes fighting to stay open as the warmth in your belly spread from the tips of your fingers to the ends of your toes. 

“Cum. Now.” Jordan spit through gritted teeth, huffing straight into your face.

“Tr-trying-” You think that was your voice, but you couldn't really be sure with how faint and broken it was.

“Try harder.” Jordan was mean, but you loved it. Fire licked at your appendages as his thumb circled faster and faster until-

Was that… you? Crying out in a voice that could only be described as animalistic and raw. Pressure released from your body and you felt as if an invisible weight had been lifted off your shoulders. So mind-blowing you felt like crying, and you think you are by the way your eyes are stinging and you can feel wetness slipping down the side of your head and gathering in your hair. 

When you finally came back down from space, your soul back to your body, Jordan was no longer above you, but next to you, head propped up against his hand. You side-eyed him, not yet ready to move a muscle in fear your body would fall apart with such a movement. 

“Welcome back, princesa.”

Princesa?

“Since when do you know spanish?” You whispered, turning your head ever so slightly towards him. God, he was gorgeous. 

“We live in SoCal. Of course I know spanish.” 

See me on AO3 as Creatchie8 for the full list of tags and more!

[vibratingskull]

Hi dearest first I hope you're fine 💗

I am so excited to see you opened your requests

Can I ask for Thrawn×reader. She is one of his best officers at the chimera, but she tends to try and stay away from him because she is afraid he will figure out what she hides.

She was actually born with a defect in he eyes she has red eye(yes, purposely red because chiss has red eyes ...) and because of that, she was treated like a monster by others and everyone thought her to be some kind of demon, including her family from a young age(she is originally from a very homogeneous human planet)

So she has learned to hide it she wears eye contact and keeps a pair of sunglasses at reach . But what if she helps Thrawn in a battle and he ends up finding out.

Sorry if it's too long or you don't like to ignore me. Again, I hope you are well.

I dear anon 💗 I'm fine thank you 💗 I am excited to open them back once again, I missed writing for my blueberry husband!

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･Thrawn x F!reader°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Tags: Pre-relationship, space battle(mentionned), Thrawn interest is picked, fluff

BIP BIP BIP BIP BIP BIP BIP BIP BIP BIP BIP BIP BIP BIP... 

You wake at the sound of the alarm. The Chimaera is under attack! 

You jump into your uniform and frantically search for your contacts, but a huge tremor makes you reconsider. Putting on contacts when the ship trembles so much is a sure way to get hurt! You open your drawer, put on your sunglasses and run into the corridor, fighting your hair into the reglementary bun. 

You rarely use your sunglasses, because you usually have the time to put on your contact lenses, giving you cute (color) eyes instead of their ‘natural’ red. 

If you can even call it natural. 

You sprint with your colleagues, each gaining their posts throughout the entire ship. Everyone knows where to go and what to do; the Chimaera is a well-oiled machine, Grand Admiral Thrawn made sure of it. 

“Hey girl!” Karyn  greets you, running with you, “What’s with the sunglasses?” 

“Oh, hum, I have light sensitivity issues.” You lie on the fly. 

“Since when?” She asks, furrowing her brows 

“Recently. I think I am developing migraines.” You improvise. 

“Oh Frost! Don’t get one on the bridge, we need you at full capacity!” 

“Yes Ma’am!” 

You don’t know who was guarding the bridge during Grand Admiral Thrawn and Karyn’s absence, but they’re going to get it, precipitating the Chimaera into battle like that! You enter the bridge to discover the officer leading the bridge in complete panic, trying to coordinate all the teams and offer real opposition to the attacking forces. 

“Senior Captain, report!” Karyn demands. 

They spin toward you, visibly stressed. 

“Commodore Faro! Commander (F/n)! They came out of nowhere! I did not have time to-” 

“Report, Senior Captain!” Karyn barks. 

“5 freighters, 3 corvettes, and 7 cruisers Ma’am. They embushed us.” 

“The rebellion?”  

“More probably a local Pirate gang.” You intervene, looking at the screen, “The location is a bit too perfect for an ambush, clearly they know the area well. The formation is also very peculiar, they remind me of...” 

“The Anzati?” Karyn completes. 

“Precisely.” You nodded, “That’s going to be a problem, those are not simple Pirates like I first thought.” 

“What are they then?” The Senior Captains asks, trying to calm down. 

“They are hunting for food.”  

“...That’s all?” 

“We are the food in this precise moment.” Karyn explains, “This is an humanoid species that eats intelligent races’ brains.” 

“Oh... Oh Kriff! Oh Maker! What should we do?” 

“Fight back, obviously.” You simply respond, “hold on until Grand Admiral Thrawn is ready.” 

“Where is he? Why is not here already?” They panic 

You and Karyn look at the Senior Captain who really should take some anxiolityc. 

“He is getting ready. Do not question a Grand Admiral.” Karyn reprimands them harshly. 

“... Yes Ma’am, sorry Ma’am.” The slowly calms down, taking big breath. 

This one is too young to be a Senior Captain already. They are not ready for leadership yet. 

You observe all the screens, the bridge is well enough lit for you to see despite your sunglasses. You take your chin between your fingers, deeply thinking. 

“So what do we have?” Karyn demands the bridge 

“A freighter and a cruiser down, Ma’am.” Pyrondy announces. 

“Good. Send me all the data and their trajectories, I want an entire scan of their group and the list of their weaponry, stat!” 

"Commodore, how are things presenting?” A deep, regal voice rises behind you. 

Grand Admiral Thrawn appears, finishing buttoning his sleeve. 

“I am sorry for my lateness. I see you are handling things.” 

“Two ships are down, we still have 13 to go.” She explains, “Ranging from simple freighters to armed Cruisers.” 

“A thorny problem, but not a world-ending situation.” Thrawn philosophically notes, sitting down in his commanding chair, “That will be a welcome exercise for our ensigns. Commander (F/n), tell me what you’re seeing on the screen.” 

“An Azanti formation, a tight one. They are moving into a scissors formation.” 

“Azanti? Interesting.” Thrawn thoughtfully says 

“Interesting problematic, or interesting amusing?” Karyn asks, reviewing the data on her datapad. 

“Amusing, obviously.” You add with a grin, “Nothing is problematic against the Grand Admiral Thrawn.” 

“I appreciate your faith in me, Commander (F/n). Let us hope it is not misplaced.” 

It isn’t 

You’ve learned to trust your Grand Admiral... peculiar techniques and strategies, but his results are immaculate! You have yet to see him defeated once. 

Those Azanti may feed on brains, but they will need to put theirs upside down if they hope to win against Grand Admiral Thrawn 

“If I may suggest, Sir. Our sensors detect an important quantity of gas emanating from the nearby planet. Cracking a match here would make for a  beautiful show.” You notify him. 

Thrawn nods. 

“Glad to know at least my Commodore and my Commander are level-headed before an enemy.” 

The Senior Captain cringes, trying to make themself invisible by not looking at Thrawn directly. 

“Noted, Commander. Let’s offer our guests a flamboyant welcome in the Empire’s territories.” 

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

You open your eyes with a groan of pain. 

What the hell just happened? 

You were ordering the crew, sending data to Thrawn, and evaluating the evolution of the battle when... a Blackout in your brain occurred. 

You look around to discover the bridge in shambles, people on the ground and whimpering, screens fuming and broken, a new alarm blaring off.  

And you understand. 

They threw one of their ships at you. 

And you hit your head. 

“Get up, Commander (Y/n), the battle is not yet over.” A large hand grabs your arm to help you to your feet, “Help gather the wounded and... Your eyes.” 

You spin your head towards Grand Admiral Thrawn, disheveled and with a bleeding cut at his cheek, still holding your arm, fixing your face, squinting at you in controlled surprise. 

Your sunglasses! They are on the ground! 

You tear yourself from Thrawn’s grip and grab your glasses, hurriedly putting them on in a panic. You spin toward your superior and stand to attention in the same movement. 

“Gathering the wonded, Got it Sir!” 

And you run away! 

Frost! 

Frost! Frost! Frost! Frost! 

You managed to keep the secret for so long! And especially from him!   

You ring the Med teams and direct them to the scene. When you sneakily look back at your Grand Admiral, he is leading the rest in the battle, already forgetting you. 

Good. 

You help the Medics to clear the victims from under the rubble and fallen stations. The last wounded ensign is evacuated, and a Medic grabs your arms. 

“You are bleeding from the face, Ma’am. We must examine you.” 

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

You are lying in your bed in the medbay, in a privatised room, courtesy of your rank. You scroll through your datapad, remotely working. You could not help for the rest of the battle, but you can always operate the support teams and technicians for the repairs. 

You are sending the last group when a knock on your door can be heard. You hurriedly put back your sunglasses on when Grand Admiral Thrawn entered. 

“Commander.” He greets politely 

“Grand Admiral.”  

“The Medic in charge told me your wounds were not dire. You should be up in no time.” He approaches the bed, hands clasped behind his back, looking as regal as ever. 

You note with amusement that he took the time to coiff back his hair and dress the cut of his cheek. 

“Good.” You nod, “I do not like remaining inactive.” 

“Inactivity is a breeding ground for complacency.” Thrawn agrees, “How do you feel?” 

“Shaken up, but I’ll get over it.” You promise your superior. 

“I know you will.” He notes, sitting down on the stool next to the bed, “You are one of my most precious elements, I need you operative as soon as possible.” 

“Dutily noted, Sir.” 

You both remain silent for a moment. You clear your throat, a bit uncomfortable. Thrawn visiting his wounded officers is nothing out of the ordinary, but he usually stays at the footboard and leaves rapidly.  

But you kinda guess why he remains this time. 

He turns his head to you, looking into your eyes through the smoky glass, back straight as ever. 

“Your eyes are of a peculiar color.” He finally drops 

“I would appreciate you keep it a secret, Sir.” 

“Understadable. Bad memories?” 

“A lot. Traumatic ones. I don’t want to relive them.” You slouch 

His gaze lowers to the cover of the bed, like he was thinking for a bit, before rising back to face yours. 

“I was surprised.” He reveals. 

“Yes, that is not a common color in humans.” 

“No. I was surprised you were able to keep it a secret for so long, especially from me.” 

You smile a bit sadly. 

“I am one of your most precious element.” 

He chuckles slightly. 

“I guess you are indeed.” He clasps his hand on his lap, “Have you investigated how this red eye color could have happened?” 

“Not a lot.” You shrug, “Our safest bet is that I inherited the genes from both my mother and father. We theorise that aliens with red eyes crossed paths with their ascendants centuries ago and mated with them, and the gene is recessive.” 

“... Could those aliens be...?” He asks before falling mute, closing his expression 

“Chiss?” You complete, “Maybe. It is a possibility.” 

He nods, looking down as he rubs his hands pensively. 

“That would be quite a coincidence.” 

“It would, yes. That’s why I was... torn.” 

“Torn?” He frowns. 

“About you.” 

He raises an eyebrow, mildly amused at your insolence.  

“I wanted to get to know you better, to maybe learn about my possible ancestry. But I did not want to get exposed, and you would have pierced my secret in one hour flat.” 

“Is that why you took care to always evade and avoid me, Commander?” 

You wince. 

“It was that visible?” 

“To me it was.” 

“I am sorry, Sir. I meant no disrespect.” 

“None taken, Commander. You always took your job seriously and successfully led your missions, so I let it fly.” 

“Thank you.” 

“But if you still wish to learn about your possible ancestors, you know where to find me (F/n).” 

You look at him incredulously. 

“... You would?” 

Him, revealing to you the Chiss ways? Their civilisations and rules? He who always kept them secrets even to the Emperor? 

“Yes. You may be part of my home, the only one I ever knew. I think it is beneficial to know where we come from.” 

“... Thank you Sir.” 

“And I am curious about you.” 

Your eyes round up in surprise. 

“Sir?” 

“Not everyone is able to hide a secret from me for so long. You intrigue me Commander (F/n). I want to know you better.” 

You cannot help but feel your cheeks getting on fire. And as Chiss can see heat signals of the body, he definitely sees it. 

Wich worsens it even more. 

“I am not forcing you into anything, Commander.” He lets you know soothingly. 

“I know! I know, Sir... I am simply surprised. You are such a secret man.” 

“Maybe... You will learn some of my secrets, one day? Who knows what fate has in store for us.” 

You nod, your entire face on fire. You lower your gaze before his, too embarassed. 

“Would you allow me to see your eyes again?” 

You raise your head. 

“Sir?’ 

‘”I just want to see them again for a minute. Would you allow it?” 

You grab your sunglasses with an hesitation and take them off. 

Grand Admiral Thrawn dives into your gaze, looking thtough your soul, exposing your inner self before him 

You gulp. 

“They are beautiful.” He lets you know thoughtully. 

The fire of your skin worsen. 

You always kept a distance between you and him, but a part of you was undeniably attracted and seduced by that man! You always remained away from him, but your soul and heart were yearning to know that mysterious chiss. 

And now he wants to know you better and casually compliments you? Phew! Your heart can’t take much more! 

You feel about to burst. 

He grins. 

“I am overstepping my current position, I should leave. I wish you a good rest, Commander. We will see each other. Very soon...” 

@bluechiss @justanothersadperson93 @thrawnspetgoose @thrawnalani @twilekchiss @dance-like-russia-isnt-watching @obbicrystaleo @elise2174@davesrightshoe @holylonelyponyeatingmacaroni @princesslunamoon19 @janjtje @helrose8